The Symbolist

The Symbolist

General:
A master of battlefield adaptation, the Symbolist makes use of a variety of arcane symbols, drawn with a magic tool, to manipulate magic into a seemingly infinite variety of spells. By using these symbols in different combinations, the Symbolist can convert his or herself into any variety of roles on the battlefield, acting as a Damager or Supporter at any given time.

Explanation:
The Symbolist can heal, attack, hex, or enchant based off of the combination of symbols that he strings together and then ends. Depending on the symbols that he decides to equip, he can serve as a caster, ranged or melee fighter, or even a healer. At its base form, the Symbolist can accomplish very little, but once more symbols and combinations are learned, it can become a potent class.

Class Role
The Symbolist acts as a supporter or damage dealer, depending on its usage.

Armor Level
Light Armor - 70 AL

Energy Level
High Energy

Range Type
Melee (When using Compass.)

Attributes:
Offensive Symbols: No inherent effect. Many symbols, such as those that deal direct damage or lead to damage dealing, are made stronger by increased rank in Offensive Symbols. Weapon symbols draw their power from your rank in Offensive Symbols.
Defensive Symbols: No Inherent effect. Many symbols, such as those that heal or prevent damage from being taken, are made stronger by increased rank in Defensive Symbols.
Compass Mastery: A higher rank in Arcane Mastery leads to more damage done by your Arcane Compass. Skills that deal with Compass damage are increased with higher ranks here.
General Symbols: No inherent effect. Many basic symbols or enchantments to aid you in creating symbol chains are made stronger with increased rank in General Symbols.
Symbolism (Primary): For every one rank in symbolism, ending a symbol chain results in one energy gained. For every three ranks in symbolism, ending a symbol chain results in one health gained. And for every 12 points in Symbolism, one additional skill slot is gained for usage.

Notes on Attributes:
• The Additional Skill slot in Symbolism is there to grant a slot for the “End Chain Signet” which is pretty much necessary for using this class, but it would suck to have to waste a slot on it.
• Weapon Spells, such as “Bow Symbol,” conjure that weapon for the symbolist to use. At this point, the weapon, a bow in this case, would treat the rank in Offensive Symbols exactly like a rank in Marksmanship. Weapon-Attribute-Linked Skills would not be affected by this, only the weapon itself.

Weapon:
Compass. The Compass looks not like a mathematical compass, but instead like a thin, metal wand. Although very similar to daggers, the Compass is a single-hand weapon, and you may only wield one. Slashing Damage (7-17)
Note on Weapon: The Compass is by no means meant to be the weapon of a melee Symbolist. They would rely on Weapon Symbols to do their damage.

Behind the Class: The key to a successful build in guild wars is chaining skills that go well together. The Symbolist takes this strategy to an extreme. Imagine a skill as a molecule, and a particular chain of skills as something made of those molecules. The symbolist uses symbols, the atoms that make up the moleules that are skills. Because of this, Symbolists are less able to make skill chains, so their skills are typically more powerful than the average skills to offset this.


Note on Symbols: Symbols are not considered spells, so they are not affected by skills like Backfire. However, once a chain is ended by expiration or by the “Chain Ending Signet,” there is a casting time for the chain that is equivalent to .25 seconds x (Number of Symbols Used in Chain (max of three)). This is considered a spell and can be interrupted. Like Assassins, a symbolist can string together three symbols to make a spell. Symbols are divided into the following categories: Primary, Following, and Conclusive. Following symbols must follow a Primary symbol, and Conclusive symbols must follow a Following symbol. Chains expire after two seconds without adding a skill, after using a Conclusive symbol, or by using a Chain End Signet.

Sample Skills:
(I don't have costs, recharge, etc. yet.)
Offensive Symbols:

• Flame Symbol: Primary Symbol. Conjures Flame. When used alone, Flame Symbol strikes opponent for 10...46 fire damage.
• Symbol of Air: Primary Symbol. Conjures Lightning. When used alone, Lightning Symbol strikes opponent for 5...30 lightning damage
• Ice Symbol: Primary Symbol. Conjures Ice. When used alone, Ice Symbol strikes opponent for for 5..30 cold damage.
• Symbol of Earth: Primary Symbol. Conjures Earth. When used alone, Earth Symbol strikes opponent for 4-20 earth damage.
• Sword Symbol: Following Symbol. Conjures Sword. The conjured sword lasts for 10..40 seconds and replaces the current wielded weapon.
• Axe Symbol: Following Symbol. Conjures Axe. The conjured axe lasts for 10...40 seconds and replaces current wielded weapon.
• Hammer Symbol: Following Symbol. Conjures Hammer. The conjured hammer lasts for 10...40 seconds and replaces current wielded weapon and focus.
• Longbow Symbol: Following Symbol. Conjures Longbow. The conjured longbow lasts for 10...40 seconds and replaces current wielded weapon and focus.
• Scythe Symbol: Following Symbol. Conjures Scythe. The conjured Scythe lasts for 10...40 seconds and replaces current wielded weapon and focus.

additional skill slot? No way. Arcane compas? Nope. Like a lot of the rest though.

omg omg omg [Symbolic strike] XD

Verrrry cool idea though

I was actually considering getting rid of that. I came up with the assassin-like system while I was typing this up, and after I put the additional skill part up. If you have a three-symbol limit and the chain ends afterwards, then the Chain Ending Signet isn't as necessary.

Before I came up with the Primary-Secondary-Conclusive system, I was thinking that there had to be a way for the system to recognize that you were finished casting a chain, so you should have an ending skill. And then I thought that it would fail as a level 20 or a PvP to have to waste an eighth skill on a skill that does very little.

I'm either going to get rid of the signet, or the skill slot.

XD @ Symbolic Strike.




And I really have NO IDEA what weapon they should have. I was debating just having them wield swords, but I don't want to force them into melee. My other idea was a wand that did Chaos Damage.

EDIT: WHAT ABOUT A WHIP?

This idea is crap from the start to the end to me ...

this looks to me only, like a retarded clone mix between the Assassin Gameplay and Elementalists together with a touch of Ritualist ...

this CC adds absolutely nothing new and unique to the game, its overpowered like hell, uses a TOOL as Weapon oO LOL.

The OP has no clue what to give his CC a Weapon for, a good sign that the whole CC can be only crap, when the poster has no idea with what his CC should later fight and then suggest simple somethign, that did come first to his/her mind, because its missing simple in GW1 ...

This stuff here is just a stupid Joker-Class, that should be able to be anythign at any given time, no thanks, the game needs not such imba shit, sry but it is so

When i read only things like "it's like ... (insert any existing class here)", then I could instantly stop reading, because such sentences show, that the Idea is crap and that the poster had not enough fantasy for something really unique, that adds to the game some real new gameplay and not that its just an retarded rip off of existing classes with the same gameplay, but only changed from physical to magical >.> thats boring...

that would be just only a nice little feature maybe to improve the Elementalists in GW2, but nothing more, its absolutely not worth it to make out of that gameplay concept an own profession, which looks in the end only like an ultimate overpowered Super-Allrounder Class, that should be able to play as anything at any given time without having to change the secondary classes, just due to bypassing the 2 Class-System with its silly Symbol Skills -.-

i like it
game needs a bit more chaining things

Simply awesome...a bit like in the game "The Witcher".

Phoenix, you know, you can say it's a bad idea without flaming someone to hell :S

rofl, don't worry about it doudou, I thought it was a cute little tantrum.

I already adressed the idea of it being overpowered when I said that the skills are weaker than any of the original skills. For the Ice, Flame, Earth, and Lightning symbols, I made them weaker than the basic attack for those four elements.

tool (n.): instrument: the means whereby some act is accomplished

You'll note that I said it was a silver wand, which I called a compass. Then I came up with the idea of a whip and I think it fits the class well.

And while it is similar to the assassin; it is completely different in that each assassin skill has a unique affect that is not affected by the skill before it (excluding conditions, etc.) With this, you can cast the following chain:
Flame Symbol + Sword Symbol + Symbol of Fortitude

And you'd conjure a Fiery Sword of Fortitude. Then you could melee with that.

Even when you say, that the Skills should be all weaker, than the similar Skills of all other professions, this changes nothing on the concept of this CC, that your profession there should play at any givin time whenever you want it as player the "jack of all trades", or how that's called on English exactly XD. I call it easier as "Joker"

A class, that should be able to do everythign, but weaker than the Speacialists - that makes this CC just only a dumb Allrounder-Class.

The speciality about the professions of GW is, that every class has its unique own gameplay and that when you want to combine certain gameplay with each othe,r therfore exists in GW1 the 2 Class System...

Your Symbol System simply bypasses the 2 Class System.. wherfore should players create x/Mo's or x/E#s or whateve,r when your Super Allrounder is able to be anything, whatever you want to do with it from all other existing Classes, "but only weaker" >.> Thats a silly excuse for making Allrounders a valid Class.

"We can do everything, but we are just piss weak compared to the specialists " LOL this argument works absolutely not, because of the Synergies, that such an Allrounder-Class would receive, that make them overpowered and exactly because of this we will never see such Allrounder-Professions in GW1, nor in GW2.

In the GW-Games, professions are all specialists and there have weak Wannabe-Allrounders nothing to search under them imo.

So from me an absolute clear

/notsigned in kind of that CC.

However, the feature of chaining Spells is something different, thats something nice, and that could be used, as said, to improve Elementalists in Guild Wars 2. A nice feature, but just simple not worthy enough for an extra Profession, thats my opinion about that and that won't change.

Its also in kind of programming alot easier for the Devs, just to improve the elmentalists with such a Feature, than to build around that feature an extra new Profession - thats far more work and alot more complicated, than just improving something still existing only.

Oh and sry, my critics tend often to sound harsh, don't take it personal ^^
Was't meant in no way anyhow as Flaming.


Uhm, when you already said, they should use Wands+Rods, like normal Caster Classes, why make you out of them then Melee's with 70AL, but Caster Energy+ Caster ER and call that stuff then a Compass ? this makes just no sense and after that you simple change to Whips oO And no, Whips fit not to this Weirdo CC. Whips are Weapons of Midline Melees, not Caster Classes. Caster Classes with weak Al go sure not into Melee fight, unless they have a strong wish to die quick ...

I would give Whips into the Hnad of professions, like Exorcists, Treasure Hunters (Indiana Jones lets greet), Beast Masters (Dompteurs).
That would be professions, that would fit to Whips, but sure not Casters.

You had simply no clear mind, whenyou wrote that CC XD
You call Compass Mastery > Arcane Mastery. Then you change from Wands to Compasses. After that you want to change the Wand/Compass whatever to Whips..

You sure must have been drunk, while writign that CC XD *g*

Maybe you clear up better first your thoughts in your mind and then give that CC here a 2nd shot with a better reconcept, that looks more like a balanced profession with a unique own gameplay, that doesn't copy mostly only from Assassins and put that over into a magical version. A retry, that lets the CC not look like the ultimate Allrounder Class, because I can personally ensure you, that we will never see such a profession in no GW game. "Jokers" are absolutely not good for any MMO's, which are based on the concept that their professions are all specialists, especially when the games have such fragile gameplay systems, like GW's 2 Class System.

Wow, you are still alive >.> .

@ OP, don't worry about this guy, he trolls every CC. He takes them too seriously...

Your idea looks quite interesting, although the ability to have 2 professions in GW sort of defeats the multi-uses of your profession. The concept behind the chained symbols is pretty cool, and although it is currently limited to the assassin, i think that it would be interesting for other classes to have such skills too.

Thanks, Kerpall. I do want to respond to one thing he said, though; because I honestly don't think that he understood anything.

Wand=Compass=Melee weapon. I described the weapon as a wand-shaped thing, known as a Compass, that dealt Melee Slashing damage. So there was no change there, and I suggested a whip because I thought that would work with the character as well.

But honestly, I understood half of what you said, so I can't really respond as much as I'd like to.

Nice approach but gw2 want be anything like gw1 think bigger