New Skill Mechanics: Targets, Queued Commands, Recent Actions, Dormant Skills

Sir Tificate

Academy Page

Join Date: Jan 2007

Target based mechanics
Simply explained, a set of mechanics that cause skills to act differently based on who you or another person is targeting, and perhaps skills that unwillingly modify the targets of others.

Example:

Necromancer
Terrifying Aura
Enchantment Spell. For 10 seconds, whenever a foe switches their target to you, they are struck for 10..30 damage and lose 1..3 Energy.
Cost: 10 Cast: 1 Recharge: 15
Attribute: Curses

Queued command based mechanics
If someone has a skill queued to use next, is following a previously given click-to-move order, or is using a spacebar autoattack, they are using a queued command. Some skills could be based off of these.

Example:

Mesmer
Deal a Blank
Spell. Cancel any queued commands target foe has. If one is canceled, that foe loses 2..4 Energy.
Cost: 5 Cast: 1 Recharge: 10
Attribute: Domination Magic

Recent action based mechanics
Some skills could be based off of things that happened recently.

Example:

Warrior
Vengeful Wrath
Skill. If you were dead within the last 10 seconds, you gain 5..10 strikes of Adrenaline.
Cost: 5 Recharge: 20
Attribute: Strength

Dormant skills
Effect over time skills, such as Enchantments, Hexes, Stances, etc., could have a dormancy effect. While dormant, such skills can be removed via normal methods, but they do not give a visual cue that they are applied, unless they are applied to you or applied by one of your allies. While dormant, these skills do not tick down the timer related to the skill's affect duration.

Example:

Monk
Transitory Protector
Enchantment Spell. This Enchantment is dormant until your ally is at less than 50% maximum health, up to 20 seconds. For 1 second, whenever that ally would take damage, that ally gains that amount of health instead, up to 19..70 points.
Cost: 10 Cast: 2 Recharge: 15
Attribute: Protection Prayers


More Examples:

Warrior
"You can't ignore me!"
Shout. If attacking target foe with a melee weapon, they unwillingly target you. (50% chance to fail with Tactics 7 or less)
Cost: 5 Recharge: 20
Attribute: Tactics

Focused Defense
Stance. For 2..6 seconds, you have a 75% chance to block incoming attacks while you are targetting the attacker.
Cost: 5 Recharge: 15
Attribute: Tactics

Elementalist
Fire Absorption
Spell. If you have been struck for fire damage within the last 5 seconds, you gain 5..10 Energy. If that damage was caused by a Fire Magic Spell, you gain an additional 5 Energy.
Cost: 5 Cast: 1 Recharge: 15
Attribute: Fire Magic

Flame Geyser
Hex Spell. This Hex is dormant until your target is near at least 2 other targets, up to 15 seconds. For 5 seconds, your foe and foes who stand near them are struck for 7..19 fire damage per second.
Cost: 15 Cast: 1 Recharge: 25
Attribute: Fire Magic

Mesmer
Mind Scan
Spell. Steal 1 Energy from target foe. You switch to the same target as that foe. (50% chance failure with Domination Magic 4 or less)
Cost: 5 Cast: 1/4 Recharge: 2
Attribute: Domination Magic

Blinding Viel
Spell. All foes targeting target ally are blinded for 3..5 seconds.
Cost: 10 Cast: 1 Recharge: 10
Attribute: Illusion Magic

Paragon
Model of Fortitude
Stance. For 5..17 seconds, whenever you or your allies are targeting you, they gain 3..6 health regeneration.
Cost: 10 Recharge: 25
Attribute: Motivation

Assassin
Hidden Fang Strike
Lead Attack. If this attack hits a foe who is not targeting you, it inflicts a Deep Wound for 5..10 seconds.
Cost: 10 Recharge: 10
Attribute: Dagger Mastery



I don't think that all of my specific suggestions are perfectly balanced as they are, and I don't really think the game actually needs too many more skills. These are just thoughts that could be applied to existing skills. Transitory Protector, for example, looks like a neat model for a revamped Mark of Protection.

Akuma

Akuma

IRC W H O R E

Join Date: Feb 2006

Australian Trolling Crew HQ, rightful leader and administration

Yale University [Snow]

W/

too long semicolon did not read

GaaaaaH

GaaaaaH

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Mar 2008

W/

too long *insert GW2/ developer laziness comment here*

MagmaRed

MagmaRed

Furnace Stoker

Join Date: Mar 2007

Our Crabs Know True [LOVE]

R/

/unsigned

If I wanted to play something other than GW, I'd play something other than GW. Most of those ideas don't fit with the current game.

gerlin

gerlin

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Sep 2007

W/

Dormant skills already exist, faithful intervention and watchful -, ....
as for the other "types" try scripting them and maybe then we'll talk.
/unsigned.

Sword

Sword

Jungle Guide

Join Date: Jun 2006

Mo/

most of them are very broken and i can already imagine huge explotations in builds

rest of the skills are useless

MithranArkanere

MithranArkanere

Underworld Spelunker

Join Date: Nov 2006

wikipedia.org/wiki/Vigo

Heraldos de la Llama Oscura [HLO]

E/

I though of another 'chant' type. Oposed to 'ballad':

* Cantata: Triggers on next time damage is dealt, if a skill deals damage more than once, the cantata affects each separate hit, not the whole skill. Also affects normal attacks, so will trigger without need of skills. Because of that, if a cantata affects all allies instead of party members, it will also affect minions, pets, summons, etc:

Cantata of Restoration
E:15 C:1 R:10
Chant. For 1...8...10 seconds, the next time each ally within earshot deals damage, that ally will gain 15..50..60% of the damage dealt as health. (Motivation)



Penetrating Cantata
E:15 C:1 R:10
Chant. For 1...8...10 seconds, the next time each ally within earshot deals damage, the damage dealt will have 25% armor penetration. (Leadership)


Cantata of Lightining
E:10 C:1 R:n/a
Chant. For 1...8...10 seconds, the next time each ally within earshot deals damage, the damage dealt will be converted to lighting damage. (Leadership)