Spearman

I'm sure this has been brought up. But I haven't found any and I don't plan on searching the whole forum for a thread about this. Anyway, if I can't find one, it must've not been talked about in a while. And when I used search, I didn't find any heh.
Well before I go into details, you all should know that spearman have existed way long before and still evened out with the nice iron sword. I think they deserve a little credit from the medieval times to the Native Americans.
Let's get to it!!!

Spearman
Weapon:
1 hand spear (3 second flight time if thrown) and secondhand item
Reaches slightly further than sword
Damage: 10-25Attack time: 1.5 seconds
Range: 40 feet
Flight time: 3 seconds
2 hand spear (longer melee range than 1 hand spear)\
Reaches further than 1 hand spear
Damage: 10-25
Attack time: 1.5 seconds
Armor:
75 max (since they're not as heavy duty as clanking armored knights but need more armor than rangers)

3 main attributes:
Spear Mastery:
As spear mastery increases, the effectiveness and damage dealt by spear attacks increase.

Critical Strikes: (main attribute)
For every attribute placed on critical strikes, your chance of using a critical hit increase by 3%. Skills also relating to critical strikes become more effective.

Leadership:
For every attribute placed on leadership, leadership related skills become more effective.

Energy:
Starting energy 25 and regeneration is +3

Skills:
Spear Mastery:
ONE HANDED FIRST:
Strike: (0 casting time, 8 adrenaline) If Strike hits, you deal +10-32 damage.
Penetrating Strike: (0 casting time, 5 adrenaline) If Penetrating Strike hits, you deal +5-17 damage. This attack has 20% armor penetration.
Distracting Strike: (1/2 casting time, 5 energy, 10 second recharge) If Distracting Strike hits, target foe’s action is interrupted. If the interrupted action was a skill, it is disabled for an extra 20 seconds. This skill deals only 5-15 damage.
Stake: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 10 second recharge) If this attack strikes a foe who is on the ground, you deal 20-30 more damage.
Stab Foot: (0 casting time, 15 energy, 15 second recharge) If Strike Foot hits, target foe is crippled for 3-12 seconds.
Throw Spear: (2 casting time, 5 energy, 5 second recharge) Throw spear at target foe, if throw spear hits, you deal 8-19 more damage.
Atlatl Shot: ELITE (2 second casting time, 5 energy, 10 second recharge) Throw spear 9x faster at target foe from +15-40% away from maximum range and strike for 5-15 more damage and target is knocked down. This attack cannot be evaded or blocked.
Cut: (0 casting time, 5 energy, 15 second recharge) If Cut hits, target foe begins bleeding for 3-13 seconds.
Seeking Spear: (1/2 casting time, 5 energy, 10 second recharge time) If Seeking Spear hits a moving foe, you deal +15-24 damage and target foe begins bleeding for 3-12 seconds.
Flash Point: ELITE (1/4 casting time, 15 energy, 25 second recharge time) If Flash Point hits, target foe is damaged for +15-25 damage. If target foe’s health is below 50%, you deal 15-24 more damage.

TWO HANDED SPEAR:
Thrust: (0 casting time, 8 adrenaline) If Thrust hits, you deal +12-34 damage.
Trip: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 15 second recharge time) Swing your spear on the ground: all foes in front of you fall over for 2 seconds but no damage is dealt.
Impale: ELITE (0 casting time, 10 energy, 15 second recharge time) Impale foe with your spear and deal +5-30 damage and interrupting target foe’s action. Target foe receives a deep wound and starts bleeding for 3-15 seconds.
Smash Down: ELITE (0 casting time, 9 adrenaline) Use both hands and make a thrust downward on target foe and strike for +10-40 damage and target foe is knocked down and suffers deep wound and weakness. This attack has 20% armor penetration.
Lunge: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 10 second recharge time) Lunge 5 feet forward and strike target foe for +5-18 more damage and interrupt target foe’s action. This attack has 20% armor penetration.
Twirl Spear: (0 casting time, 5 energy, 5 second recharge time) Twirl spear around you. Foes in your area are struck for 3-9 more damage.
Slice: (0 casting time, 4 adrenaline) If Slice hits, target foe begins bleed for 1-12 seconds.
Crippling Jab: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 10 second recharge time) If Cripple Jab hits, target foe is crippled for 5-12 seconds.
Horizontal Attack: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 5 second recharge time) You horizontally strike target foe and deal 1-15 more damage. This attack cannot be evaded.
Sharpen Spearhead: (4 second casting time, 15 energy, 12 second recharge time) Preparation. Sharpen two handed spear. For 14 seconds, you deal +2-8 more damage.

Leadership:
Signet of Healing: (1 casting time, 6 second recharge) You gain 20-100 health. You have -20 armor when using this skill.
No Escape: (4 adrenaline) Shout. You move 15% faster for 4-10 seconds.
Hold Your Ground: (15 energy, 30 second recharge time) ELITE SHOUT. For 8-18 seconds all party members near you attack 33% faster and deal 10% more damage but move 30% slower.
Grave Marker: (4 second casting time, 10 energy, 20 second recharge time) Statue. Build a level 1-8 grave marker on a fallen ally. For all allies in range, Grave Marker boosts their attack speed by 15-25%. This statue wears out after 30-120 seconds or 20 seconds after ally is resurrected. While using this skill, you are easily interrupted.
Prepare Yourselves: (5 energy, 20 second recharge time) Shout. All nearby party members gain 15 armor and attack for +1-5 damage for 8-15 seconds.
Banner: (10 energy, 45 second recharge time) Statue. Pick up a banner. For all allies in range, they gain +24-36 armor and attack 5-10% faster. Effect ends when banner is dropped.
Flag of Victory: (15 energy, 60 second recharge time) ELITE STATUE. Pick up a flag of victory. For all allies in range, they gain +24-30 armor, gain 20-70 more health, attack 5-10% faster and deal 1-7 more damage. Effect ends when flag is dropped.
Incoming Arrows: (4 adrenaline) Shout. All nearby party members have a 50% chance to block projectiles for 5-10 seconds.
Look Out: (7 adrenaline) Shout. All nearby party members have a 60% change to evade attacks for 5-15 seconds.
Base Flag: (4 second casting time, 10 energy, 30 second recharge timer) Statue. Create a level 1-8 base flag. All party members within range they deal +1-5 damage and gain 10% more adrenaline for 30-60 seconds. While using this skill, you are easily interrupted.
No Survivors: (10 energy, 20 second recharge timer) ELITE SHOUT. All nearby party members move 25% faster for 4-10 seconds.
Race: (5 energy, 20 second recharge timer) Stance. For 5-18 seconds, you run 25% faster.
Raised Shield: (5 energy, 25 second recharge time) Stance. For 5-12 seconds, you have a 75% chance to block attacks.

Critical Strikes:
Ram Shield: (5 energy, 10 seconds recharge timer) Skill. While wielding a shield, the next attack you block. If the foe attacking is adjacent to you, they are hit for 5-10 damage. If the foe is suffering from weakness, the foe is knocked down for 2 seconds.
Spear Whip: (0 casting time, 10 energy, 15 second recharge timer) Spear attack. Whip you spear at target foe, this causes weakness for 3-17 seconds.
Power Strike: (0 casting time, 5 energy, 5 second recharge time) Spear Attack. If this attack hits, you strike for +5-20 damage.
Dancing Spears: (0 casting time, 5 energy, 15 seconds recharge time) Spear Attack. Hit target for +5-12 damage. If the target is using a stance, target foe is hit 2-5x more for 50% less damage and foe’s stance ends. This has a 50% chance of succeeding with 7 Critical Strikes or less.
Critical Hit: (4 adrenaline) Spear Attack. If Critical Hit hits target foe, you deal +5-10 more damage and strike a critical hit. 50% of failure with 4 critical hits or less.

I’ve worked hard on thinking about this. I did try to balance it out so it’s not too cheap, but not too weak. Please try not flaming this because I tried very hard. WHOOPEE!!! Also, I don’t want to add anymore skills. So just make some suggestions because I won’t want to type anymore.

Spearmen sound cool,but I would rather prefer a Pole Arms profession that uses spears,halberds,and pikes.

Anyway,spearmen wouldn't be a bad addition in my opinion.

Well, for the two hand spear thing, you can add the halberds and pikes.

I have some suggestions for...

"Hold Your Ground: (15 energy, 30 second recharge time) ELITE SHOUT. For 8-18 seconds all party members near you attack 33% faster and deal 20% more damage but move 30% slower."

change name to "Hold This Position!"
lose the 20% damage boost
add -X damage taken or +X armor

=]

I thought about Hold Your Position, but that means, the guys dont' move really =D. But yeah, thanks for the though. And I guess your right with the 20% boost thing, i'll switch that right now.

EDIT
It's been switched, thanks windchill

Have you played factions? Critical strikes is Assassins primary attribute. Also, I think spearman is a weak name for a class, and a primary focus on spears is rather bland. Spears are a good idea for a class, but not a class by itself, I think there needs to be alot more too it.

Here is a class suggestion of mine which uses spears, but has alot more too it. http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/s....php?t=3004827

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw crap, critical is assassins?
well sorry then.
I'm not rich enough to go buy me a $50 game which is sort of seperate from the first guildwars.
And if you think there needs to be more to this, why can't you suggest something?
saying to something about any random thing and saying "it isn't good enough" doesn't help anything in the world. Please try to put some input if you think my way sucks because you're not adding anything that could help.

EDIT:
also, this seems pretty darn clear to me. I dont' see anything wrong with it. Also Samuri's are swordsmen (i read your link) and spear are very unrelated to samuri's. So I don't see why you say that has a lot more to it.

a skill suggestion:

Critical Strikes
Grim Reaper's Strike (0 casting time, 8 adrenaline) ELITE spear attack. Lose all adrenaline. This attack steals XX-XX health from target. 50% failure with 6 critical hits or less.

taht sounds like a necro attack to me lol

EDIT
AND WHOA!!!
it says i'm a professor!
CRAZY!!!

Well since you only know about samurai from movies I guess you wouldn't know, but Samurai were originally masters of spearmanship and archery until sword forging techniques improved, making swords which could actually be used effectively in fierce combat.

Thus, spear wielding Samurai is a great idea, as well as Full length dual wielding katana, it is alot more diverse and attractive than "spearman".... I did suggest something, Samurai......

P.S. yeah, I got high council, but I think that is just for posting a whole lot, although it is very flattering.

i just did some research.. it seems like spears wouldn't be great for melee as they were mainly used for stopping cavalry. however other polearms, particularly the halberd and the naginata, seem like they were effective.

i think there could be a problem with the in game dynamics of combat with these weapons though because their strength was the ability to keep the enemy at a distance. if this was implemented, warriors would be at a disadvantage. then if it wasn't implemented... why that'd make it boring, wouldn't it? lol

by the way, the samurai concept class seems like a good idea, adding the 2-handed sword and polearm weapon types to the melee arsenal. =] it's a shame they weren't added with factions as they would certainly be appropriate in cantha.

What you'd probably do is use a snare of some kind, so you could attack, step, and attack while they can't catch up - although that would be hell on micromanagement. Maybe even have a stance in which you automatically step away from the target with every attack. Of course, sooner or later you won't be able to keep retreating...

The problem with polearms in this game is that the success of spear-type weapons rested on having a lot of them - the idea was to have enough of them in a block that enemy cavalry can't break in without being impaled by something. Infantry, however, tended to have an easier time of getting in (the halberd's success being in its use as a compromise weapon, useful both in fending off enemy cavalry and ripping apart enemy pikemen). The structure of Guild Wars makes this mechanic less likely to come into play - a single point is relatively easy to avoid. Considering the broader picture, it's probably easy to see why you don't see pike blocks in Tyria or Cantha - however much of a pain they might prove to warriors, an elementalist or two would probably break up a pike block in short order.

i like the sound of a spear/javelin class....that would be pretty cool, along with a hand to hand style person...i would like to see them...

I must disagree with the Primary attribute. Would use to replace with something else. Also leadership, while good, just doesn't fit with the over all theme of a Spearman (since I think them more as a tribal type...rather than a footman type)

Rest seem not bad. Good effort.

I will also be like BahamutKaiser and give my old CC a link too. In Dragoon, I try to make the spear/lance type of weapon a bit more differnt from Warriors melee weapon by adding an attack range requirement/condition, and make its skills needing both Adr and Energy.

I don't like how critical strikes is re-applied in this profession: I believe that each profession should have their X-number of skills unique to that profession. I think critical strikes or strength would work nicely but again I don't like repetition. Maybe "Breeding" where you may purchase an animal from a stable (if there were to be stables then they would have to somehow benefit other classes) and with every level of Breeding your animal grow not only in health and armor as pets do, but they also increase your speed and base dmg according to your attributes. May be overused for running services, so maybe riding it (to gain the speed and dmg increase) lengthens casting time of spells, therefore handicapping the spells used in running and not allowing the running services to become too easy to perform.

Another thought:
Atlatl Shot: ELITE (2 second casting time, 5 energy, 10 second recharge) Throw spear 9x faster at target foe from +15-40% away from maximum range and strike for 5-15 more damage and target is knocked down. This attack cannot be evaded or blocked.
Either take out the 5-15 dmg increase and make the spear fly 5 times faster, or take out the throwing speed increase and make the dmg 10-30. 9 times is too powerful. Will be back for more ideas GREAT IDEA!


/signed

For chapter 3 I can see a type of spearman, using both a 2 handed pike style and a 1 handed with shield favored by the Zulu.

Problem with throwing is retreiving the spear

actually.. I am sure not many will remember or know this... but during the first open beta, there was a mob (I think with the evil Drawf skin too) that carry lots spear on its back, and throw them at you.

With the theme of Ch3, A spear chucker (filling additonal ranger role) would not be far off.

I disagree to a certain extent. Yes, the name is bland (but honestly, most spear-type class names have already been taken). One of the things I especially like about this class is that it doesn't rely on mounts (unlike many of the other spear-classes) or backup weapons. Although most people think spears can only be used in one way (simple thrusting, or at best swinging a halberd in an arc), those who have seen martial artists use spears know that there is a lot more to it.

I've been working on a spear-class that is quite similar to this one, although mine is based a little more on spear warriors like the ones in the FF series. I really hope that if we see spear warriors in future chapters they will be more like Final Fantasy Dragoons than Zulu warriors.

Thanks guy for looking at this
yes, it was very difficult to think of attribute names without copying the warrior's attributes.
Still, even though the spears were against the horsemen, they still were used in man to man fighting. Though it may be more difficult than using a sword, iron was not as abundant as wood.
As for the critical strikes, my brain power was on a very low level, but I didn't realize that the assassin already had it. But I had to put some kind of attribute that'll do something as an incentive or else everybody would pick the warrior.
Then for the atlatl shot, the atlatl invented by the creative natives in mesa verde. It was meant to shoot the spear even further than by hand. And it worked! But I put the spear flight time at a slow flight time because hand propelled stuff does move slower than something bound to a string. So, I want to make sure the spear hits something lol.

And for the samuri crap. It's already been covered. They made samuri-like armor for the warrior so in this case, spears won't apply to them.

Then a spear chucker is almost too close to the ranger. I didn't want this to be too closely related to any class.

bump?

bump....

New name for Spearman :Tribal

Primary attribute :Impale

good vs 4 legged opponents, chance of causing deepwound & cripple is increased,as well as duration of deep wound & Cripple

other attributes

Spear throwing

Spear mastery

Tactics (but with diffrent skills than warrior)

Wilderness lore (but with diffrent skills than ranger)

Smiting (but with diffrent skills than monk)

(after all why not reuse some of the current attributes)

uses, javalins (thrown spears), twohanded spears (and shield) fallanx style

About the fact that spears were used to break cavalry you must remember they could be used in other ways. They could be twirled to act as a sort of shield and to make the enemy weapon bounce off the spear being twirled. Also,it could be used for just a normal blocking maneuver not to mention the spear could be used as sort of a blunt object when not thrusting forward with spear's metal point.


Spears are quite similar to pikes when you think about it.

No, I think I liked the "Raider" concept class better for spear/polearm weapons. And Anet has already said that they don't want to reuse existing attributes for new classes, so Critical Strikes is completely out of the question. Look up the "raider" concept further down the page (I want to say page 3, as of this posting).

Exactly. Pikes are an evolution from spears in that they have an additional spike for hooking and slashing. And no, spears in the western sense are only mostly used for breaking cavalry charges. Sort of like an anti-cavalry unit. Your other suggestions on how a spear could be used are probably a result of watching eastern movies. Those flexible spears are not used as anti-cavalry. Besides, in a military unit, you won't have the space to twirl your spear around.

Also, rather than calling it a "Spearman", which sounds really rookie and low class, why not name it "Lancer". It just sounds better.

I like the Tribal or Lancer name better =] But I don't like the attributes Roupe posted, looks like he's trying to fit too many things in a too small space. I'll probably have to research Ch3 to see what might fit in, but unless I find something pertaining to a very religious and or cultural civilization, I wouldn't try putting in Wilderness Lore or your subform of smiting. Also tactics but with different skills than a war? Might as well just give the att a different name. Well I would have at least 4 attributes as the others have 4-5. Again I have to research Ch3 but maybe Leadership could work as "the men were trained to be secular as well as military leaders" but I'll have to see if that fits in =].
So Leadership, Spear Mastery, Impale-primary attribute-increases deep wound and cripple duration as well as increases deep wound from 20% to 30%,and one other attribute.
(If you liked my concept of Breeding, though it seems like a very far off attribute, I just always visualized a spearman to be mounted on some sort of steed)
I would really like to work on this class, it makes me glassy-eyed and dreamy. Adding you to BL gameshoe both in GWG and GW

lancer=nope spearman=to plain pikeman=ok amazon=diablo? lol
What boout amazon i wuz thinking of making an amazon but they would pretty much destroy the ranger class cept maybe no pet or traps

honestly didnt read most of this. BUT about the pole-arm thing. i think that it should be a melee class. Pole-Arms are different completely as they fight in close range with their weapon where as spearmean throw their weapon

I didn't read much of it... I've seen better "Spearsman" concepts that offer something fresh, this one doesn't really have any complexity. Critical Strikes = Assassins

The power of a spearman is really in the formation. A wall of men with shields up and long spears pointing forwards, in which the first 3 ranks can fight. And of course, they stop cavalry dead in their tracks.

A lone spearman isn't so good, the spear is a harder weapon to attack with than a sword or axe, since it can only be thrust into someone, and not as good for blocking.

As for throwing them, I don't like the idea of infinite spears. With arrows it's not so bad, but with spears, you would probably only carry 5 lightweight ones at the most, probably less. Once they are thrown you would close to melee range.

It's a nice idea, but I don't think it would work in Guild Wars. Unless they implement that terrible mounts idea.

how the hell did this one come back up?

hey, did you check out the new class?
One of them is a dude that throws spears and shouts crap.
OMG... My guy is closely related except for the throw spear part.... just a little...
WOW! I CAN TELL THE FUTURE!! (not)