class idea: The Engineer

This is my first attempt at creating a class, after hearing about the design-a-profession contest i was inspired so i thought i'd have a go. i searched the forum and saw that a few people had already had this idea but had failed to fit it in the lore and time period of GW, so i thought id have a go
please, any criticisms or suggestions or feedback of any kind is very welcome

Engineer

Background
Status
light armour (70 base)
high energy (30 energy, 4 regen)
mid-range weaponry (crossbows)

Attributes

• Engineering skills enable use of "contraptions" which vary from ranged attacks such as grenades or black powder pistols, to turrets or machines similar to rit spirits.
  
• Crossbowmanship (better name suggestions welcome ) Increases the effectiveness of all crossbow-related skills and increases damage and chance of getting a critical hit whilst wielding a crossbow
  
• Augmentation skills involve ally buffers/enchatments. damage increase, damage modifiers, armour increase etc. all touch skills.
  
• Technical expertise (primary attribute) The effects of all Engineering and Augmentation skills are increased by 2% for every rank in this attribute. chance to destroy item when salvaging decreased by 10% for each rank in this attrib.

Strengths
powerful support character
can deal a lot of damage on its own

Weaknesses
little self-healing/buffing capabilities

__________________________________________________ _______________


Ideas for skills
Barbed Bolts (attribute: Crossbowmanship)
For 3...13 seconds your crossbow bolts cause bleeding for 5 seconds

Sharpen Weapon (attribute: Augmentation)
target ally's physical attacks deal an extra +5...20 slashing damage

Black Powder Bomb (attribute: Engineering)
throw a black powder bomb at target foe. the black powder bomb explodes on impact, causing 10...50 fire damage to target foe and all adjacent foes.

Smoke Bomb (attribute: Engineering)
throw a smoke bomb at target foe. the smoke bomb does no damage but blinds target foe and all adjacent foes for 5...15 seconds.

Scratch Chin (attribute: technical expertise)
you scratch your chin while thinking deeply about something. your next skill activates 50% faster.


Ideas for Weapons
Light Crossbow
Piercing damage 20-30
two handed
refire rate: 2.7 secs, range: aggro circle, very fast flight time

Heavy Crossbow
Piercing damage 20-30
two handed
refire rate: 3 secs, range: aggro circle, very fast flight time, 15% armour penetration

It's original, amusing and quite well thought out. I like the Scratch Chin..made me think of a grubby, stubbled chin of an engineer..

Well done my friend! I love the primary attribute too

Jester:

Half mesmer
Half assassin
Half paragon

Sorry I couldn't think of anything decent at this current moment in time.

Inspired, yes that is the word I'd use

An admirable ideal, for a first time CC'er that is definitely a good start.

it could be better, cuz;
If this is the general idea for augmentation skills then what is a point of investing points into an attribute that raises the effectiveness by 2% I can put those points into augmentation and get ~8%.
The atribute is fine, but you should have it increase a unified locked value in each skill.
Like Sharpen Weapon always lasts 30 seconds, that is what Technical Expertise should increase. The example of duration is a bit bland, and already coved by Spawning Power, so perhaps you should use another type of locked value common to all skills affected by the primary, perhaps make the duration depenadnt on the attribute and have augmentation modefy as set ammount of damge armor speed whatever, that is good with 0 in technical expertise but better with some points into expertise.

Also, what keeps me from waiting with salvaging items until I'm in an outpost and resetting all my skill points into expertise? I only need 10 in it to never destroy items I salvage for mods and inscriptions, it would be a bit of a cheap advantage fro them if you ask me.

Lastly I noticed that I started calling it expertise to shorten it, but I can't think of a better name for it...

Lastly I wonder about using enchantments to do the augmentations, its un-engineer like, you are sharpening a blade at range without touching it and that blade can be unsharpened by [skill=text]Shatter Enchantment[/skill] more like magical expertise than thechnical expertise, I'd say they'd preform better as untyped skills.

I like the rest of it, think the cossbows range is a bit shorter than is realistic and it needs to be pulled appart from a rangers bow, the skill you present for it does the exact opposite, though.
Anyway throwing bombs around would simply be fun.

Instresting^^, Sounds more of a Ranger.
Rangers are Conditioners^^, Attacks based on Conditions also Preps, and Nature Spirit^^.
They use the environment, enemy's weakness and more just to take them down^^.
For an Engineer, I suggest go for a Ranged Attacker, who just deal as much damage possible to enemies, without buffs.
And add some G.O.L.E.Ms or Puppets^^, to assist you kill down enemies but make is summonable, like Flesh Golems, not a pet^^.

I think it has potential, and there's somethin wrong with the layout^^.
And it's not cause it looks like mine but I dunno, maybe how this are written and organized^^.
And I like the description of Scratch Chin, but add a "(......)" for the scratching part so everyone would know^^.

This has potential^^!

thankyou all so much for your feedback!
i will start work on improving it straight away
one question though, when i finish my revised version do i post it in a new thread, edit the first post of this thread or put it in another post?

ps: [M]agna [C]arta i used the layout of one of your CCs as a template/guideline for how i did mine, so thats why they look similar

Not a bad idea...I can see it now.

"Assassin's sappin' ma contraption!"

i dont think those high tech turrets fit in the age of guildwars
everyone uses a bow or a sword and you come with turrets?

i was thinking something similar to the traps in some of the dungeons in GW:EN.

anyways, heres the new version of the class. i added in some of the changes system_crush said and changed the primary attribute. added in energy costs for the skills and thought of a way to add a new element to using an engineer.

__________________________________________________ _______________________________


Engineer

Background
Status
light armour (70 base)
high energy (30 energy, 4 regen)
mid-range weaponry (crossbows)

Attributes
• Engineering skills enable use of "contraptions" which vary from ranged attacks such as grenades or black powder pistols, to turrets or machines similar to rit spirits.
• Crossbowmanship (better name suggestions welcome) Increases the effectiveness of all crossbow-related skills and increases damage and chance of getting a critical hit whilst wielding a crossbow
• Adjustment skills involve ally buffers/enchantments. damage increase, damage modifiers, armour increase etc. all touch skills.
• Technical Expertise (primary attribute) Increases the effectiveness of Technical Expertise skills. For every four levels in this attribute Adjustment and Engineering skills cost one less energy to cast and Adjustment skills last for one more second.

Strengths
powerful support character
can deal a lot of damage on its own

Weaknesses
little self-healing/buffing capabilities

__________________________________________________ _______________


Ideas for skills
Black Powder Bomb ranged attack (attribute: Engineering) 10e/2c/10r/2d
Throw a black powder bomb at target foe. The black powder bomb explodes on impact, causing 10...50 fire damage to target foe and all adjacent foes.

Smoke Bomb ranged attack (attribute: Engineering) 5e/2c/20r/2d
Throw a smoke bomb at target foe. The smoke bomb does no damage but blinds target foe and all adjacent foes for 5...15 seconds.

Barbed Bolts (attribute: Crossbowmanship) 5e/2c/15r/0d
For 3...13 seconds your crossbow bolts cause bleeding for 5 seconds

Sharpen Weapon adjustment (attribute: Adjustment) 10e/1c/10r/0d
Adjust target ally’s weapon. For 5…13…17 seconds target ally's physical attacks deal an extra +5...20 slashing damage

Sabotage adjustment (attribute: Adjustment) 10e/0c/5r/0d
Remove one Adjustment from target touched foe. If an Adjustment was removed, you gain 5…10 energy

Scratch Chin (attribute: Technical Expertise) 5e/2c/20r/0d
You scratch your chin while thinking deeply about something. For 15 seconds, your next skill activates 10…50% faster.


Skills Key:
e = energy cost
c= casting time
r= recharge time
d= drop points (see below)

Drop Points
Drop Points are an idea I had when trying to think how materials could be used in the Engineers skills. I didn’t want it so that you had to buy materials from a material trader to be able to use certain skills, that would cost money. So I came up with this; whenever an enemy drops an item that is not gold (as in money not rare) you gain one drop point. This is to symbolize the engineer using the materials or pieces of whatever was dropped to help him, and create things such as the Black Powder Bomb. I was thinking it works like a cross between the Adrenaline system and Necro skills that need corpses. So, if a skills costs 2 drop points to cast (2d) then you or one of your allies would have to kill at least two monsters that both drop an item.


Ideas for Weapons
Light Crossbow
Piercing damage 20-30
two handed
refire rate: 2.8 secs, range: aggro circle, very fast flight time

Heavy Crossbow
Piercing damage 20-30
two handed
refire rate: 3 secs, range: aggro circle, very fast flight time, 15% armour penetration


Ideas for Armour
Head: Goggles

Body: leather overalls. Possibly mechanical suits. Clockwork? Cogs?

Legs: matches body

Hands: big leather gloves, always covering the hands for protection.

Feet: big, sturdy boots

I only see this class as a use in AB and GvG. But please Jiub, Remember what game we are playing.

Also remember add a little more of the Asuran Feel, so it would go with GW^^.
So you can apply Machinery to GW too.

@Legends
We already have Asuran Technology so it's fine to add the G.O.L.E.Ms^^.
And he'll be using Crossbows, (but I think Normal Old-Fasioned Gunnery is good too^^, too both you and Jiub).

Also check my Alchemist and Scholar^^.
Might help alot^^.

And what ballances Guns to Bows, Bows are used by Rangers, Rangers job is too weaken foes then taking them down when weak enough(Traps, Preps & Nature Rituals), while the Engineer would summon a Pet/Minnion(w/ limited time) but can strike in range, they may also buff you.
Minnions = Mobbing, Pets = Assistance, G.O.L.E.Ms = Temporal Assistance(usable like a Form, strong yet long time until usable again^^.)
Or while Pets are Offense, Golems can be used for buffing(Wards, uhm wards^^)

Do anything to your Engineer feel free^^.

Crossbows should also be given to rangers.