New Class: Calculator

Plague

Plague

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

N/E

This will sound silly, but bear with me. Some spells may need balancing; I tried to anyway.

This is a class dedicated to ignore-armor damage or healing/effects via calculations based on a variety of conditions. Rather than deal out brute force or directly weaken the enemy with hexes directly, the calculator uses numerically-based spells to damage or weaken enemies or heal or enchant allies as a result.

Doesn't sound impressive? Sounds like it does something that another class can do? That's the point. What's a Ranger but a long range Warrior, or an Elementalist but a smiter by a different name? "But they're not the same, they all do damage but in different ways, in addition to other skills." Exactly. This is what the Calculator is, a variation in means to an end.

The Attributes:

*Summation
-spells that are ally-oriented, used to heal or enchant allies
*Deduction
-spells that damage enemies directly or apply hexes
*Distribution
-spells that even out damage incurred over time or doubly transmit effects
*Aggregation
-spells that multiply, stack or spike damage incurred
**Factoring
-primary-only attribute; calculation's performed last longer with higher levels

Spell Examples:

*Summation
Safety in Numbers, 15 energy, 2 CT
-Every 2 seconds for (4...12) seconds, target ally and all adjacent allies are healed 25% of the amount of damage incurred by that ally in the past (2...4) seconds.

Symbiotic Sum, 10 energy, 1/4 CT
-A base calculation of 1 is performed for 15 seconds. For every ally Symbiotic Sum is cast upon, Symbiotic Sum is increased by (1...5). Every time that ally hits with a physical attack, 1 is added to Symbiotic Sum. When Symbiotic Sum ends, all affected allies are healed for that amount.

*Deduction
Trainer's Warning, 20 energy, 1 CT
-For 10 seconds, every time target enemy causes physical damage that is less than (8...25), that enemy is damaged for (200...350)% of that amount.

Snake Eyes, 10 energy, 1/2 CT
-For (5...10) seconds, if target enemy's current health becomes a multiple of 2, that enemy suffers from Weakness and experiences health degeneration of 1 for (5...15) seconds.

*Distribution
Apprehensible Aura, 10 energy, 3 CT
-A base calculation of 100 is peformed for target ally for 12 seconds. 25% of damage incurred to that ally is received as health, while 25% is incurred as damage to its source. For each (20...100) damage incurred to target ally, the base calculation is divided by 2. Apprehensible Aura can also end when calculation reaches 0.

Wrought Sins, 15 energy, 1/4 CT
-A base calculation of 0 is performed for 5 seconds. For each hex on target ally or incurred in that time, the calculation is increased by 5. If the final calculation is divisible by 2, all sources of each hex are damaged for twice the final calculation's amount and those hexes are removed. If not, ally is healed for (2...5) times the final calculation's amount.

*Aggregation
Broken Shackles, 5 energy, 1 CT
-For (5...15) seconds, target enemy's damaging attacks are not incurred until 15 seconds. That damage is reduced by 50%.

Multiple Hits, 15 energy, 1/4 CT
-A base calculation of 1 is performed for 5 seconds. For every (30...10) units of health lost from target enemy, the calculation is multiplied by 2. After 5 seconds, target enemy is damaged for the final calculation's amount.

**Factoring
Rewarding Thought, 15 energy, 1/4 CT
-For 120 seconds, you are healed for (150...300)% of the cost of each calculation you perform.

Inspired Concept, 5 energy, 1 CT
-Your next calculation will last (10...25)% longer.

Hope someone enjoyed this... For the right reasons.

Yen-lo-wang

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jun 2005

Team Play First

Actually... that's not a a totally unfeasable class. Some of the skills are in need of some balancing (Broken Shackles immediately leaps to mind!), but overall it's very well-thought-out. Reminds me of a Mesmer with one helluvan attitude Great work!

thesecondrei

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Jun 2005

California

Alliance of Xen [XoO]

W/R

Reminds me of FF tactics, very creative imo.

ZD_kusanagi

ZD_kusanagi

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

SLC

The Naked Dragon

Mo/Me

I know people mean well and try hard and think for long hous into the night to make these classes that they think would be cool..But come on! a Math Teacher!? people play games to get AWAY from real life.. I can see it now...
(Advertisement on a billboard) "Come play Guild Wars Everyone!
It's the one game Where you Hack an
Opponent Apart and still learn your
Multiplication Tables!!"

P.S. the class looks really well thought out and balanced.. except for one or 2 skills ned fixing, but i don't see this having a place in GW.. sorry.

Plague

Plague

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

N/E

Really I thought making calculations longer would be more imbalanced. I probably stewed over Multiple Hits for a good 15 minutes.

[edit]: I tried to make the skills as "thoughtless" as possible, so the theme was calculations, but you wouldn't actually have to think much of any when you used them, as far as situations go. The only real one I can think of is the skill that is more beneficial if there are hexes that are a multiple of 2. (Are there 2 hexes, or are there 1? Are there 4, or 3? Is my brain smoking?)

Xue Yi Liang

Xue Yi Liang

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Northern CA

Outlaws of the Water Margin

Mo/Me

How about:
Clear Memory - a Calculator counterskill - resets his/her base values (damage, healing etc) to zero

Plague

Plague

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

N/E

A little too basic. Could be a line of things like that, mainly no attribute spells, or signets.

Memory Drain - Halves target's current calculations.
Amnesic Fog - Any enemies in the area performing calculations with multiples of 2 have their calculations reset to their original values.
Stolen Idea - The next calculation performed by an enemy is broken, and the value's benefits are added to your party.

etc

Xue Yi Liang

Xue Yi Liang

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Northern CA

Outlaws of the Water Margin

Mo/Me

Reverse Polish Notation - Calculator counterskill - wrecks havoc with their calculations by applying RPN

Jigs

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: May 2005

Mission Viejo, Ca, USA

kNiGhTmArE LEGion

W/R

very original, but I think there would have problems in adding more skilz for this profession. A single profession has about 75 skills. Giving more mathematical named skills on this profession may sound ridiculous. May that is my opinion for now. But who knows, it might work.

Lampshade

Lampshade

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: Jun 2005

USA

Xen of Onslaught

how about instead of calculator:

Mathmetician
Professor
Scientist
Sharpie

johnnylange

johnnylange

Wilds Pathfinder

Join Date: May 2005

USA/Near Chicago

The Divine Darkness <TDDG>

W/Me

sounds like a Mesmer/Monk.

Shayul

Academy Page

Join Date: Jul 2005

Blades of Redemption

Mo/E

Don't forget to utilize Integrals. A vital part of any Calculator's repertoire!

BigTru

BigTru

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

idk... I think FFT is the only game to ever use Calculators as a serious class... It would be a huge rip-off to copy it. That's like adding Bahamaut to the game and making him a summonable dragon.

Plague

Plague

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

N/E

FFT used... EVERYTHING as a serious class. It had, what? About 25?

zehly

zehly

Sunshine

Join Date: Jul 2005

The Wired

Daughters of Ananke

Mo/E

By FFT do you mean... Fast Fourier Transform? I like FFT, it's nice doing things like solving n-dimensional simultaneous equations. Guild Wars uses FFT-based algorithms for certain "operations"

Xue Yi Liang

Xue Yi Liang

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Northern CA

Outlaws of the Water Margin

Mo/Me

Fast Fourier Transforms - I thought I'd never hear that term again -
You're either a Physicist/physics major, math major, EE, or in Telecommunications (ok I looked at your profile).
I had to do Fourier Transforms by hand as a Physics Undergrad. As I recall Fast Fourier Transforms are just a programming algorithm that approximates the same.

Arcanis Imperium

Arcanis Imperium

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: May 2005

nova

Me/E

A better name for this class would be

Gambler or Maverick

weapons would be tricky for this though, daggers and short weapons.

armor should be somewhere between Warrior and Ranger.

Xue Yi Liang

Xue Yi Liang

Jungle Guide

Join Date: May 2005

Northern CA

Outlaws of the Water Margin

Mo/Me

what would his armor be like - labcoat or tweed jacket?

Plague

Plague

Krytan Explorer

Join Date: Aug 2005

N/E

...More like old noble attire.

I could make about 50 additional skills for this class, but meh. It's not as though any of these have a chance of making it. I gave the ones you see as really basic ideas of the types of spells you'd find in each class. Also remember how many times you see the same effect from a spell in the same attribute or even cross-class; they're mostly all duplicates of one another. Interrupts, degens, heals, direct damage.

ZD_kusanagi

ZD_kusanagi

Frost Gate Guardian

Join Date: Jul 2005

SLC

The Naked Dragon

Mo/Me

So you want him to look like a math wiz? with an overcoat and a pointed hat?
So THAT'S what happened to gandalf after the books ended... he went to college and learned to pop out some FFT in record time...

emil knight

Lion's Arch Merchant

Join Date: May 2005

Chicago,IL

The Knights Of Temerity

R/Mo

Definately an interesting idea... does have a FF Tactics feel to it and seems very well thought out.

However, I can't see how this would be countered by anything currently in the game so I would think they would need to tweak all the classes in order to implement something like this.