Ideas for the New Assassin Profession

Assassin
Assassins are frail, intelligent rogues. They move with speed and stealth to deal large amounts damage upon thier foes without recieving large armounts of damage, via evasive stances.

Assassins run with a 5% run speed increase, always.
Initially, on thier offhand, it has a 20% damage reduction penalty on that weapon.
Assassins are low armour classes that will die very quickly if they arn't ready to evade or deflect incomming attacks.
Assassins have many different stances that evade incomming attacks and even redirect some of the damage. Many of these skills grant adrenaline or energy if successful.
Assassins have very weak armor, designed for mobility.

Energy:
30-40 energy total with armour. No other + energy items allowed.
4 pips of energy regen.
Skills cost 5-15 energy to use.

Attributes
Projectiles: No initial effect. Attacks that use projectiles become stronger with higher rank
Dual Weild: (Primary only) Each point in this rank increases the damage done with your offhand weapon by 1% and you attack faster by 1% each rank.
Evasion: No initial effect. Skills related to surviving increase with each rank.
Agility: No initial effect. Basic attack skills do more damage with each rank.

Armour:
Assassins have four types of armour:
-- Rogue's Armour: 65 AL. +25 AL in a stance. Energy +4 on each.
-- Duelist's Armour: 65 AL. +20 AL vs. Physical attacks. Each peice increases chance of evading an attack by 1%. Energy +3 on each.
-- Wanderer's Armour: 60 AL. +40 AL vs. Elemental damage. Energy +4 on each.
-- Thief's Armour: 60 AL. +30 AL vs. ranged attacks. Energy +4 on each.

Some Basic Skills:

Projectiles:
Think of the ones you like the most from other posts. Insert them here.

Evasion:

Evasive Stance:
5 Energy. 5-25 second duration. Recast: 30
75% chance to evade incomming attacks and projectiles.

Defensive Stance:
5 Energy. 5-25 second duration. Recast: 45
75% chance to block incomming melee attacks. If an attack is blocked you gain 1 strike of adrenaline.

Dodging Prowess {E}:
10 Energy. 5-8 second duration. Recast: 45
100% Chance to dodge incomming melee attacks. If an attack is dodged the attacker suffers from weakness for 5-15 seconds.

Offensive Deffence:
10 Energy. 10-20 second duration. Recast: 60.
50% to block incomming melee attacks. If an attack is blocked the attacker takes 5-10 damage and suffers from Dazed for 10 seconds.

Healing Stance:
15 Energy. 30-45 second duration. Recast: 45.
40% chance to absorb incomming melee attacks. If that attack is absorbed it does no damage and heals you for 15 points.

Frenzied Stance:
10 Energy. -2 Energy Regen. 5-13 seconds duration. Recast 60.
All Incomming melee attacks are blocked and the attacker suffers 20-50 damage. You lose 50 AL vs. all non melee attacks during the duration of this skill.

Bonnetti's Defence.

Agility:
A = Adrenaline Strikes.

Peircing Strike:
5 A.
Ignore Armour. Do 10-45 damage.

Throat Slash:
8 A.
If this attack hits you strike for +2-6 damage and target suffers from bleeding for 5-15 seconds.

Poisonous Dagger:
5 Energy. Recast: 5
If this attack hits you strike for +2-6 damage and target suffers from poison for 5-15 seconds.

Backstab {E}:
15 Energy. Recast: 15
90% Failure Rate at 8 or below agility.
If you were behind target and this attack hits, this attack ignores your targets armour and you strike for +50-70 damage. If try to use this attack from the front it misses, your target deals 100 damage to you and you suffer from weakness for 10 seconds.

Flesh Strike {E}:
15 Energy. Recast: 120.
If target is casting a spell and is not being attacked, this attack deals lethal damage. If foe was being attacked, or if this attack misses, any nearby foes immediately turn upon you.

Warrior's Cunning.

Warrior's Cunning.


As for all this stealth/invis stuff, I just don't see it happening. Sure you could put in a counter in Divine Favor or something, but making monks take another skill just to deal with a new class is stupid. There's still only 8 skill slots. If Arena Net really thinks about this, they'll end up going the deception route, rather than the, "Oh look I'm invisible!" route. For instance, for X amount of seconds, all the skills you use look like target ally/enemies skills. Or whenever you move, it looks backwards to opponents. In other words, a rush would look like a retreat. Left would look like right. There are plenty of things that you could do without invisibility. Also the whole "aggro bubble" thing is retarded. There's the coding implications, as well as the non viable PVP use. I don't see Arena Net ever wasting time on PVE/PVP only skills. As it is, having someone randomly appear in front of you, take out half your hp, and dissapear is hardly what I would like to experience in PVP. It's just stupid.




That would definitely be cool, I actually wrote a thread on a whole class basically devoted to this.




Are you freaking joking.

I agree, frail. You should make up for that with high energy, IE HIGHLY trained and skilled quick sneaky.
I dislike the word of stance, it implies that you wait, or stand still, and associate it with a rock-like pea brained warrior. I will forego that argument though and take it at face value as preperation or whatnot.

I agree with the speed increase, but make it more noticable, 5% is 21 steps to 20 from a normal person.
Be like 50% faster, with an early learned ability to give that same %to teamates(not stackable with other speed skills), with a lengthy duration, or a trigger, say next or monster aggro.
You could explain that initial speed buff as, trained breathing, but goes away with lack of concentration.
Give a midlevel skill that doubles speed(our current walking speed x2), add in a chance to dodge anything that moves through the air(my char's have managed to dodge alot of arrows, but many spells and default attacks hit a considerable amount more).

As an Assassin is a hired blade, to operate in quiet, I would consider them, if fighting to be in a constant heightened state, in which there is no place for adrenaline. You used the word intelligent. Assassins would not need great feats of strength as per adrenaline. The rely on suprise, dexterity, cunning, and overall nimbleness, to deal, and escape damage. Having adrenaline enter would be counter to training, physically and mentally, and would likely cause problems more than not.
If they've got speed and stealth, I'd say that's a benifit enough. No need to go adding part of another warrior to him. I would also nix the stances, because an assassin should be flexible, and just have innate defensive abilities, passive, as per their primary.

I'm sorry, but the amount of repeats, I'm sure mentioneing the ability of
welll shit, i'll explain with an example, after quoting a skill of yours...


"Peircing Strike:
5 A.
Ignore Armour. Do 10-45 damage.

Throat Slash:
8 A.
If this attack hits you strike for +2-6 damage and target suffers from bleeding for 5-15 seconds.

Poisonous Dagger:
5 Energy. Recast: 5
If this attack hits you strike for +2-6 damage and target suffers from poison for 5-15 seconds."


"Peircing Strike:
5 A.
Ignore Armour. Do 11-46 damage.

Throat Slash:
8 A.
If this attack hits you strike for +3-7 damage and target suffers from bleeding for 4-14 seconds.

Poisonous Dagger:
5 Energy. Recast: 5
If this attack hits you strike for +3-7 damage and target suffers from poison for 4-14 seconds."

"My version had to be posted too, because it's unique, but I think my numbers are better. " Is what those skills scream.


OK, the point of the aggro bubble, is that you don't dissappear to teamates(well maybe), and you can sneak up on a monster while invisible, which in PVP would be the same as being invisible.

OK, to reword, to include coding problems, If I were invisible, the aggro bubble would be nonexistant. Invisible=PvP, No aggro, PvE equivalent to invisible.
Because monsters do not See, as you and I See eachother, coding would have to happen to be invisible, or have any chance at creeping/sneeking, whatever you want to call it.

Yes, there are plenty of things, but the point is to not be a warrior with a different weapon and different skill names. Reduce weapon damages, increase with poison/invisible stance/ other preparations

lmao.

I suggest people stop knocking people's suggestions. Even if *you* think what people suggest is "Godly" or "overpowered" isn't the point. ANet can pick and choose from anything - and use any/some/all/none of anything written here. In addition, ANet reserves the right to modify (nerf) or change suggested spells and attributes.

In other words, throw a bunch of crap at the wall, and see what sticks. So what if something suggested is "overpowered"? Maybe within that suggestion there is a kernel of an idea that the devs can use to make a great skill.

Otay?

Given, but, alot of posts are redundant, over and over again, and repetative.
Weather someone already mentioned them, or they're basically the same as things that already exist in the game.

I also want that protest noted, there may be an inkling in a critisizing post that may spark a good idea too, or make an idea that looks good on paper, but becomes mega overpowered when put into action with other skills, attributes, and buffs from other players.

By voicing some opposition, it may very well eliminate nerfs down the road, AFTER someone gets used to this or that...which is a headache many are going through with this version

Hence my proposition of skill line ideas IE poison weapon, invisible/cloak, natural defense, instead of telling ANet how it has to be, with the exception of not currently existant theories of attack, "out of the box" ideas.
Leave the math and the balancing to the pros, don't quote things that a warrior, ele, mesm, ranger, necro, or monk already has a variant of.

IE:
Strike and cause bleeding, I mean, come on, that's basically spam.

Maybe a forum mod who's knowledgable should edit these threads that dev's post in, eliminating redundancy, and leaving the rest of the post, or deleting if it's now empty be bothered to atleast attempt reading.

Or maybe someone is on the right track, and needs a little push, or say it sparks an idea in my head, or yours, and we see it's flaws, but it would be so much better this way.

Point being, It's a discussion. It's not just a submittal of ideas. If they wanted jsut that, they'd have email somewhere. But if they did that they'd have to sort through all 468 versions of the same backstab skill. As it is now, they only have to sort through about maybe 5 versions of it.......and still plug in their own numbers......

Sorry, i'm easily agitated, due to aforementioned ^ reasons.

add 10% chance to evade magic

Blah had to make a new post, it wouldnt let me revise my old one. Anyhow just some ideas along the previous line of thought.

(The numbers are just a guess here bear with me)
Examples:
Attribute
Stealth
Innate bonus- Reduce the maximum range of enemy attacks and skills by (10 … 50%) Attack range may not be reduced below (half?) detection circle range.

Skills (note: like preparations, only allow for one focus skill active at a time)
Vanishing step-(focus skill) 15-25e 1s activation 45s reuse
This skill allows the user to become hidden and not be able to be targeted by enemies for (10…30s). Moving reveals the character. After becoming visible the character may not use skills for (5…1s), but can move as and attack normal. Skill is unusable if recently engaged in combat or injured. Changes in equipment and inventory does not end vanishing step.

Shadow step-(focus skill) 10e 0s activation 45s reuse
This skill allows the user move faster and become more difficult to affect with spells. 25% speed increase, (5… 15s) duration, (10… 50%) chance for spell failure.

Stalking step-(focus skill) 10e 0s activation 45s reuse
This skill allows the user move faster and become more difficult to affect with attack skills. 25% speed increase, (5… 15s) duration, (10… 50%) chance for attack skill failure.

Battle step-(focus skill) 10e 0s activation 40s reuse
This skill allows the user attack and move faster. 25% attack and move speed increase, (5… 20s) duration.

Elusive step-(focus skill) 10e 0 activation 45s reuse
This skill allows the user to be difficult to see causing a 75% miss chance from all sources, (5…15s) duration.

Cautious step-(focus skill) 10e 0 activation 45s reuse
This skill allows the user to detect hidden traps and players on the radar. (10…30s) duration. Detected players and traps may be targeted and attacked as normal by the user of cautious step, triggering the trap or revealing the player to everyone within range.

*(cross class IAS/run speed should not be an issue with the existing speed caps in place)

Attribute
Dual blades
(Includes a pair of throwing knives, daggers, kunai, attached to chain or wire, etc) Damage range for each ~10-13/15 firing in an alternating fashion similar to stone daggers. Weapon upgrades health, defensive, augment energy storage, augment adrenalin gain; or augment focus, enchantment, hex, condition, or deception skills. Re-fire rate for each hand similar to bow attack speeds. Max range equal to absolute minimum range created by stealth skill. Half adrenalin hit gained per hit.

Skills (The idea isn’t focused around raw direct damage, but disruption and damage support)
Finishing blow-(adrenalin skill) 8A 0 N/A
This attack deals an additional (5…15) damage. If the target is suffering from confusion, vulnerable, or paralysis, it deals an additional (5…15) damage for each existing condition. This attack drains all adrenalin when used.

Maiming strike-{E} (adrenalin skill) 5A 0 N/A
Struck target becomes paralyzed and vulnerable for (1…4s). This attack deals an additional (2…10) damage. Paralysis condition causes the target to move 90% slower and may not block or evade attacks. Vulnerable condition causes the target to receive 20% more damage.

Nerve strike-(adrenalin skill) 5A 0 N/A
Struck target becomes paralyzed for (1…4s). Paralysis condition causes the target to move 90% slower and may not block or evade attacks.

Obscured strike-(adrenalin skill) 4A 0 N/A
Target struck by obscured strike, causes the current selected target to be changed to a random target within range.

Obscured sweep-{E} (adrenalin skill) 5A 0 N/A
All nearby targets struck by obscured sweep, causes the current selected target to be changed to a random target within range. This attack deals an additional (5…12) damage.

Sever nerve-{E} (adrenalin skill) 6A 0 N/A
Struck target becomes paralyzed and confused for (1…3s). This attack deals an additional (2…10) damage. Confused condition causes the target to be unable to perform any action, but does not interrupt the current action skill and only delays it. Paralysis condition causes the target to move 90% slower and may not block or evade attacks.

Stunning strike-(adrenalin skill) 4A 0 N/A
Struck target becomes confused for 2 seconds. This attack deals an additional (2…10) damage. Confused condition causes the target to be unable to perform any action, but does not interrupt the current action skill and only delays the activation.

Stunning sweep-{E} (adrenalin skill) 6A 0 N/A
All struck nearby targets become confused for 2 seconds. This attack deals an additional (2…10) damage. Confused condition causes the target to be unable to perform any action, but does not interrupt the current action skill and only delays it.

Wounding (deadly) strike-(adrenalin skill) 5A 0 N/A
Struck target becomes vulnerable for (1…4s). Vulnerable condition causes the target to receive 20% more damage.


Attribute
Deception
(No inherent bonus)

Skills
Shadow image-(skill) 5e -1eregen1s activation 60s reuse
This skill creates an identical copy of the user at the time of use. When the skill is triggered, the user becomes stationary until the copy is killed or canceled. The copy may not attack or use skills, but can be moved by the user. Any skills used while shadow image is active, is based from where the user of shadow image is positioned.

Shadow copy-(skill) 5e -1e regen1s activation 60s reuse
This skill copies the name, appearance, level, and profession combination of a friendly target.

Veil of shadows-(skill) 5e ½ s activation 10s reuse
This skill conceals the status of beneficial enchantments and effects on target player from all foes. (10…30s) duration.

Veil of darkness- {E} (skill) 10e 1s activation 30s reuse
This skill conceals the status of beneficial enchantments and effects on all party members from all foes. (10…30s) duration.

Shadow affliction- (skill) 5e ½ s activation 10s reuse
This skill conceals the status of all harmful hexes and conditions on target player from all foes. (10… 30s) duration.

Darkness affliction- {E} (skill) 10e ½ activation 15s reuse
This skill conceals the status of all harmful hexes and conditions on all enemies within the area of effect from all foes. (10… 30s) duration, with a point blank area of effect.

Swirling shadows- (skill) 10e 1s activation 45s reuse
Target other ally gains a (10…30%) chance to have all hostile attacks miss for (5…15s).

Vortex of shadows-{E} (skill) 25e 2s activation 60s reuse
All allies gain a (10… 30%) chance to have all hostile attacks miss for (5…15s).

Inspire recklessness-(hex spell/shout?) 10e 1s 15s
While under the effect of a stance, target player receieves -20 armor level. Target player's stances last (50...100%) longer for (5...15s).

Inspire caution-(hex spell/shout?) 10e 1s 15s
While under the effect of a stance, target player's attack and move speed is reduced by 25%, but armor level is raised by +20. Target player's stances last (50...100%) longer for (5...15s).

Inspire weariness-(hex spell/shout?) 10e 1s 15s
The next stance used by target player is disabled for (10...30s). While a stance is active, target player gains no adrenalin. Target player's stances last (50...100%) longer for (5...15s).



Attribute
Honing/Preparation (haven’t thought of a good name for this that sums up the skills)
(No inherent bonus)

Skills
Healing salve-(skill) 10e 1s activation 30s reuse
Creates a healing potion stored within the inventory. When used, the potion heals for (40…130) health. These items may be dropped or traded. These items are destroyed upon area change.

Flash powder-(skill) 10e 1s activation 30s reuse
Creates a flash powder stored within the inventory. When used it blinds nearby enemies for (2...6s). These items may be dropped or traded. These items are destroyed upon area change.

Explosive powder-{E} (skill) 15e 1s activation 30s reuse
Creates an explosive powder stored within the inventory. When used it blinds nearby enemies for (2...6s) and deals (20…60) fire damage. These items may be dropped or traded. These items are destroyed upon area change.

Sulfurous gas-(skill) 10e 1s activation 30s reuse
Creates a vial of noxious fumes stored within the inventory. When used it causes nearby enemies to be poisoned for (2…6s). These items may be dropped or traded. These items are destroyed upon area change.

Noxious vapors-{E} (skill) 15e 1s activation 30s reuse
Creates a vial of noxious fumes stored within the inventory. When used it causes nearby enemies to be poisoned for (2…6s), inflict (10…30) air damage, and inflict the crippled condition for (2…6s). These items may be dropped or traded. These items are destroyed upon area change.

Blood dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
The user steals (1…3) hp from the target from each successful hit. This stance has a (5…15s) duration. While active the user has -1 health regeneration.

Striking dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
The user gains (5…15%) armor penetration on each successful hit against the target. This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All physical attacks against the user gain (20…10%) armor penetration.

Flame dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to fire damage and may not be changed. All fire damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All water attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Wind dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to air damage and may not be changed. All air damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All earth attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Rock dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to earth damage and may not be changed. All earth damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All air attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Frost dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to water damage and may not be changed. All water damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All fire attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Shadow dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to shadow damage and may not be changed. All shadow damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All holy attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Chaos dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to chaos damage and may not be changed. All chaos damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All chaos attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Holy dance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 15s reuse
Damage the user inflicts converts to holy damage and may not be changed. All holy damage dealt by the user increases (5…15%). This stance has a (5…15s) duration. All shadow attacks against the user increase by (20…10%) damage.

Conservative stance-(stance) 5e 0s activation 30s reuse
While active, if any items are consumed in the inventory created by an assassin, you gain (1…5) energy. This stance has a (5…15s) duration.

Deceitful posture-(stance) 10e 0s activation 30s reuse
While active all deception skills cost 5 energy less, with a 1 energy cost minimum, and do not require energy maintenance over time. This stance has a (10…30s) duration.

Silent moves-(stance) 5e 0s activation 30s reuse
While active all focus skills last (20…50%) longer. This stance has (10…30s) duration.

Wounding stance-(stance) 10e 0s activation 30s reuse
While active all conditions and hexes last (20…50%) longer. This stance has a (10..30s duration)

Didnt get the formatting i wanted, but ah well.

I'm impressed Phades. I really like all that! Confusion effects hurting them more and paralyzation, and the ability to hide enchantments/hexes and conditions is awesome! You sir, deserve a cookie, nay, a PIE of any kind (I say go for Lemon Meringue, mm). Lol anyways, effin greats ideas.

nice ideas. love elusive step

nice Phades really good.. kinda reminds me of the assassin in D2.. but i like the ideas. good job

new skill concept - Method's (or something implying preparation for a specific act, that sounds kinda cool coz i cant think of one).

Method's are long cast time skills that grant enhancements to specific acts. They are interruptable, but not 'easily' interruptable. I guess they could be tied to the dual wield attribute, but might be easily put elsewhere. The idea is to have a significant effect - but requiring you to stand still vulnerable for a long time, all would require a cast time of 5 seconds or maybe more? - not affected by fast casting attribute.

Method's would be stackable, if you want some uber effect against someone, then you need to stack methods for a long time to get it.

Method of Pain
For the next X attacks, each successful attack adds the damage you did to the next attack you perform. Method of Pain ends prematurely if your attacks miss.

eg. first hit 30 damage, second hit = 30 + 26 damage, third hit = 56 + 27 damage etc.

Method of Darkness
For the next X attacks, each attack that misses or is evaded/blocked, causes your weapon damage in shadow damage to the target.

Method of Secrets
For the next X attacks, each attack causes a random skill to be disabled on the target for X seconds.

Method of Defence
For the next X seconds, each successful attack against you grants you +X armor bonus (or evasion bonus %?).

Method of Purity
For the next X seconds, all hexes and conditions have -XX% duration on you.

Method of Rending
For the next X attacks, each successful attack causes -XX% armor penalty on target that lasts for X seconds. Method of Rending ends prematurely if your attacks miss.

Method of Binding
The next successful melee attack against you causes target foe to be unable to move away from you, and you are unable to move away from them for X seconds.

Method of Corruption
For the next X attacks, each successful attack causes a new random condition (that they dont already have) on target.

Method of Misdirection
For the next X seconds, whenever you use a skill, anyone targeting you does not see any skill usage from you.

Method of Stealth
For the next X seconds, you gain XX% transparency. At greater than 50% transparency you can only be targeted by a direct mouseclick. This is a cumulative skill with itself, however the use of any attack/spell/trap/signet/shout causes Method of Stealth to end prematurely.

Method of Reflection
For the next X seconds, any offensive skill used against you is redirected against the source with effects based on half the attribute values of the source.

Method of Attraction
For the next X seconds, any area of effect skills that are affecting you, no longer affect your teammates, however for each teammate that is experiencing this effect you receive double the effect.

eg. ward v foes with you and 2 teammates, they move normally, but you move at 50% > 25% > 12.5% speed.
meteor shower with you and 2 teammates, you get knocked down and take 3x damage.

Method of Retardation
For the next X seconds, all teammembers can only use 'mending' and appear to be W/Mo's :P

Method of Assassination
You are automatically set to attack current target (ie. it works like a normal attack skill, but just happens to have a long casting time), a successful hit does XX% of the total health of the target.

meh, ok im done for now.

I'm thinking for weapons, maybe jittes (Like daggers with an extra little blade on that snags enemies swords.. One of the Teenage mutant turtle guys has them) that increase your chance to evade enemy melee attacks.

And some ideas for skills? Maybe add a new condition that means the enemy has become "Hunted" Their marker on the mini map flashes or something, and damage against that enemy is increased. I can see this having uses in PvP, and PvE as well.

Condition: Hunted
The hunted enemies marker flashes on the mini-map, and all damage against that enemy is increased by 10%

Hmm. what else? Perhaps an assassin skill that lowers an enemies Morale/increases their DP? in PvE this would just make enemies weaker slightly.

An Assassin skill that increases the effectiveness of dual-weilding for a period of time?

I apologize if this has already been suggested, but it just came to me:

Assassin Only Guilds

There are special "Guild Only" Missions. You can only be sent on these missions by your Guild Leader? The Guild as a whole would benefit from the missions by getting Items only available from these missions?

There would have to be some benefit to "Students" and some to the "Master", but this would be a great way to incorporate the flavor of the Assassin into the GW world.

Just about all of the skills are redundant, just worded differently for different professions. There are numerous degen spells, interrupt spells, condition spells, healing spells, knockdown spells, etc in just about every profession.

When you have over 400 skills (and counting) chances are you're going to duplicate (imo, quite heavily) skills, even within the same profession. Not much of a difference between Cleave and Eviserate, ya know.

In addition, with only two bars to effect (health and energy) it limits what you can do to a character. Besides directly effecting health or energy, you can only do so much...speed up, slow down, knock down, prevent knockdown, block attacks or make attacks unblockable, etc. Once you've covered all the bases, tinkering with different existing skills (more/less damage, faster cast, longer recharge, etc) is about the only other avenue you have.

In addition, because we didn't program the game, we're not aware of all of the complexities/attributes a character/monster model is given. We know there are 5 armor sections with their own attributes. We know that % chances of taking damage depends on the spell (lightning bolt versus a sword swipe versus a trap, etc) for where it hits - but is it even more granular than that? If you run away, any hit is a critical hit, but is that more a function of simply checking movement? Does it worry about facing (from rear, sides, shield side versus weapon side, blindside)? Weapon range is effected by altitude, as well as % chances of what armor part you'd hit (from above, more likely a headshot, down below for legs, etc). But outside of what type of elemental damage it is and what runes you've placed in your armor, there isn't much else I'm aware of. It's difficult to "think outside of the box" any further than what is already known, since we don't know what *is* possible. It's not so much a question of balance, but strength of the game's core engine.

Let's look at the example of a piece of armor, and what armor protections it currently can have. Besides it's simple Armor Level, it can also have additional attributes against all elements, or specific elements (fire, earth, water, air). It can give more energy. It can be "infused". It can have an attribute modifier thrown in, for skills, health, or absorption.

If ANet introduces a "new" element, would existing armor need to be changed to combat this new element? Not neccessarily, holy damage ignores armor as well as necro shadow damage. But this severely limits any new professions and current armor models, unless wholesale changes are made to existing armor sets. This could be a disaster - as current players have spent tons of gold on existing armor sets. Want to tell that guy that spent 1mil gp on his FOW armor that it's now suddenly prone to some new elemental attack that everyone suddenly starts using but is only availble as an option on NEW armor sets? It would piss me off to no end if it was me and would force me to never buy the expansion - not really a good business model.

Sorry if I went off on a tanget here, just noting that coming up with new things isn't easy, without full knowledge of what is possible or not, as well as not knowing ANet's plans for how the new chapter will effect existing professions.

I'll sign on the methods. Replaces stances and preperations.
I only read a few examples, but some were brilliant.

Agreed Mimi, some duplication is going to happen, but some people are blatantly not trying to be original as per the out of the box request.

I would assume that there are going to be skill repeats of warriors and every other class, but those would be mostly obvious melee attacks(for example).

You don't need to spend ten minutes associating damage, cast times, energy cost, and whatnot for a normal attack that causes bleeding, because numerous skills already show a pattern for how bleeding could work, and have already proven not to be overpowered, and that they fit into the game as a whole.

It's almost like making a statement, "I think new class X should, have, um......weapons."

I think we are all being a bit too separate and conclusive ideas about the assassin. Gaile Gray has pretty much asked us to give ideas for it, and I'm sure the devs are reading this thread.
People keep posting loads of ideas for skills. Great, but I've been reading through them and a lot of them seem to be exactly the same as other people's ideas.
Most of us seem to think that 'Stealth' would be an attribute of the assassin. Yes, probably.
Most of us seem to think that the assassin should either dual wield or use knives/short weapons and possibly a ranged weapon.
It seems we also think that the assassin should have some kind of caster-type attribute, like deception, trickery etc.

By all means, continue to post skill ideas, but make sure you read others first, and try to elaborate on them. We need to try to put all these ideas together rather than posting a load of separate ideas that are our own interpretations of the 'assassin' class.

for a 2nd class id like to see a theff to pick locks like chest

The reason I posted what I did was because of a post that was written by someone else. I'll quote it below.

I've never programmed for a game, but I would assume that Rico has.

Oh, so like a ranger?

There are some suggestions to give that ability to Assassins, with limits, of course. (% chance, damage/death from failure, etc.)

Another Assassin skill idea:

Disabling a piece of Equipment (Elite Skill?)

That's a skill in Ragnarok Online for the rogue class already. A lot of people were smart and simply switched weapons. They ended up changing the skill so that it locks out weapon switching as well. For this game however, I would definitely brand it with the elite stamp.

Would be interesting if it was possible to "disarm" another player or monster as well - let's say you're doing PVP and come up against a warrior wielding a hammer - with a disarm skill, you could send the weapon flying out of his hands a % distance away - where the warrior, unless he had another weapon equiped in one of his weapon slots, he'd have to go run and get it to rearm himself.

Don't know how that would work in game as far as the weapon being visible to other players laying on the ground (I wouldn't think so) or picked up by others - or what if the player had a disconnect issue before he could pick it up, etc. But it would be pretty neat, I think.

However, 5% can be noticably different in moving around a battle.
A 50% increase would make running exremely easy.
10% would be quite overpowering, however possibly tollerable.

Please take this for face value. Perhaps for an assassin adrenaline gain could be different, or it could be called differently. I still think, however; it should run off of the same principles.
It would be based off of the same idea, perhaps called a different name. Call it cunning or something.

So you can use your skills to the max and with Cunning, you mean?

sure.
An assassin is still a fundamental melee class.
They deserve a hit system for the use of skills. Call it cunning or preparation, gained every time you hit, or are hit. They can use these skills upon thier opponents or to keep themselves alive.

They can also use thier energy skills to keep alive or aid in some amounts of damage.

I agree with your ideas but I don't think that those should be stackable

Jesh, ok, I can kind of see your point, but it's the theory you were replying to that's flawed.

The bubble around us is the monsters vision/hearing range. ASide from those monsters that patroll large areas and can always find you no matter what you do to avoid, that's a different topic someone else addressed.

A shout increases the size of the bubble, from what I've read, I haven't personally had any skill like that yet. To follow that logic, making less noise and using any stealth techniques, would decrease the range at which a monster will see or hear you.

Calling it the assassins(or whatever character) aggro bubble is the fault of that logic.
What is desplayed on our screen is the monsters aggro bubble
Our aggro bubbles would be max distance at which you can see or hear, and are pretty much nonexistant as far as I can see. Why would any given player need an aggro bubble? Unless you work it into a bot.

Henchmen's I won't fight untill I'm told or it's hitting me AI logic is a different matter for things all together.

Programming would be similar to this(as it currently is):
Monster X: If it comes within X distance of me attack it.
Given, there is additional "bring all my friends" coding also, but the fact that a monster can come from any direction is why it's a bubble.

Programming possibility to use smaller bubble, Y being variable for reduced visibility for specific skills. X equals normal "as is" distance:

MonsterX:
If it is within X distance Querry PlayerX conditions.
If conditions include ST*** (say for example, the code for every stealth skill ST[then number, xxx in this case, * is a variable])
Querry ST***
ST*** = STXXX
Result: replace X with Y From STXXX, Each skill could have a differenty Y or other added feature, such as always critical or whatnot

Else(back to un-stealth character) attack playerX.


That's pretty simplified but gets acrost the point of how Line of sight/sound could be implimented, if it's not already for the difference between Shouts, and normal. Yeah I left out how it gets Y from STXXX, but bleh, it got old before I even started typing. But since some were mistaken about "aggro bubbles" I felt the need to clarify, and include an example.

The only programming I ever did was Pascal, in 9th grade(forever ago, when computers were still just Black screens and green characters), but the same basic "If Then Else" statements work. It can be coded several different ways, all with the same result.


_________
ok, for the other part.
The warrior clone reply is out of context but I get the point. But, poisons can vary. The way poison works now is life degen. But a skilled assassin could be an alchemist/biologist as a hobby(or know someone who is), IE using halucongenic herbs, itchy powders, all sorts of things with different results, maybe I should have specified that I wasn't using the word poison as it now applies to GW.
So, I'll try to use the word Powders or Drugs instead.
Powders could cause all sorts of effects, monsters to run, or to not aggro, or to super aggro. It would be neat if each different monster types reactions to each powder would be different.

Say, Deranged clerics(something like that, i can't remember) would have a natural immunity to Hallucogens. Or something with scaled skin wouldn't be succeptible to Itching Powder.(I'm not talking poison ivy on the ankle, I'm talking uncontrollable itching.) Or an acid powder that comes in contact with flesh and burns, minimal damage, but quite effective in battle.
That added to creatures that have an inherent weakness to certain things, as Ice golems and fire don't get alone.

PvP you could assign
Monks immune to hallucinations(drug inspired, not monk)
Warriors immune to Sedatives
Rangers immune to itching
Ele's immune to acid.
Can't think of another for Necro, or the new classes.

So on and so forth. I think that would greatly enrich battles, PvE and PvP.

I think a Powders attribute would be excellent.
In it you could also cover several of the good smoke screens people have been discussing, group or individual effects.

Stun Powder
Type: Preparation
Attribute: umm....Weapon mastery
Cost: 10 energy
When attack hits, you deal +1-10 more damage and target is crippled for 5-10 seconds.

Pressure Point
Type: Attack Skill
Attribute: Weapon mastery
Cost: 4 Hits of Adenaline
If attack hits, target is crippled for 4-10 seconds and is dazed for 1-3 seconds.

Here's an idea ...

If one of our ideas is fertile enough to inspire game content in C2, perhaps the developers could consider naming a skill or an NPC after the poster's game character (presuming their name is tasteful to begin with, of course). I realize many of the ideas are similar, but it's up to the developers on whom to reward.

Thoughts?

Might have a problem with skills but NPC would be a great idea but getting back to creating skills.

Jump Over
Energy: 5-10

You jump over target and land on the other side of him/her. Must be within Melee Range of him.

Might be useful for attacks that you need your oppenent to face away from you.

If you want to put an NPC in the game which is named after me name it Jack The Guardian

Ok, those are too fast, but for short durations, with real long re-cast times, I think they would be ideal.
I think part of how they deal with speed in the game currently is a little odd, IE -66% speed de-buffs. They don't seem to be that drastically affected, but I'm also used to a different pace of character movement from a different mmorpg.
I don't see 50% as that much different than a 66% slow down.
Does a 25% longer duration, applicable to you and allies(recast is next to nothing, but is required for each individual) and and a real short 50% with high recharge sound possible?
_______
I can see a use of adrenaline, but the former is called that because it was for warriors who really get into it, and in the heat of the moment can use it to cause extreme damage. So by definition, and by warrior nature it is fitting to such lore.

I just don't see a cold methodical killer, who's already a little overpowered yet frail, having another damage booster.

The hard part is making it plausible, according to mostly agreeable ideals of what an assassin is and isn't. I've tried reasoning something out that an assassin could use, but cannot. The mechanics of building up adrenaline being what they are, do not fit the stereotypical Persona of an assassin, in so far as an assassin, if anything would lose moral as time goes on and battle drags out.

I think making them overpowered to begin with, and quickly high power skills become less powerful or inoperable as hits connect but a foe does not fall. He's used to killing for hire, and doing so in one stab from a shadow, or one carefully planned birthday cake with finely ground glass in the icing(5 points to the fanboy who knows where that comes from). An assassin's motto is generally something akin to "strike swiftly, then get the hell out"
When an assassin gets the killing blow, his spirits are raised and his "skill like adrenaline" goes back up.

But that's not so much different from energy, especially when compared to a necro's.

So, the only thing that I can think of have this set of skills that are based on concentration. Make them have a high mana cost, and can ONLY be used when energy is completely full. Or make it so that that skill line will effectively drain all mana and HP, or lower armor class temporarily. Devs option could be to have 5 mana left (say a 2 second burst of XX% speed, something like that.) to run away with and let henchies/ teamates deal with the shocked adversary. It might equalize some PvP power with an easy kill.

I'm sure a Pirate would have plenty of adrenaline based skills, and could even use the term adrenaline, because pirates are thrill seekers at heart.
But I don't think the mechanics of current adrenaline, nor the definition of the word fit what most except an assassin to be, a lightning fast one hit killer that's there to get the job done.

He's paid by the job. Not by the hour. Faster he gets it done, sooner he can go spend his gold, or just count it/ roll around in it.

nah ... not a problem naming skills after some characters (not all of them) - e.g. Xue's Defense, Xue's Nerve Strike (kinda has a nice ring to it, actually)

Hi, I am new here.. first time poster... hello all.

I will paste my old Assassin Concept Class that I had before here as well...

---------------------------------------------------------------
Class name: Assassin
Favored Weapons: Daggers that is faster than sword, but weaker in damage. Throwing Weapons with comparable stat range to that of bow (see more detail in the Notes)
Energy: 25 with basic armors; 3 Regen pips.
Armor: The max AL should be around 60-70 range.
Premise: Assassin does what assassin do, which is to assassinate their prime targets. While weaker in normal attack and armor, they are able to use their skills to dump massive spike attack to a foe, however doing so will often leave them defensiveness. Also have some skills for sneaking and dodging. With throwing weapons, they are able to cover a wider range, and have several other skills that can be combo with other. However, they also have to be played with a bit of luck.
Look: Assassin’s outfit range from one of an Arabian style look, to tight leather jerkin and pants look, to a cloth more eastern style ninja armor. Often sports a mask or hood.
Attributes:
Shadow Art (primary):
Increase the efficiency of Shadow Art Skills. Also can hide equipped weapon until attacking.
Dagger Mastery:
Increase the efficiency of Dagger Skills and use of a Dagger Weapon.
Precisions Strike:
Increase the efficiency of Precision Strike skills.
Throwing Mastery:
Increase the efficiency of Dagger Skills and use of a Dagger Weapon.
Duel Wield (Possible replacing attribute):
Increase the efficiency of Duel Wield Skills and use wielding duel weapons.
(Duel Wield "could" be included with Assassin, but don't have to be. It can be added to another class such as Samurai or Fencer. I did wrote a more extended description on how it might work, but won't post it here)

Notes:

Stalk Chance: Stalk chance is an additional game mechanic to make Assassin play differently, and also as a drawback. Stalk refers to the action where the Assassin is observing his foe’s movement and look for the weak spot in their defense, waiting for the right opportunity to strike in. This means a skill that has stalk chance will usually shown in dark color, where if you use it in that state, you will have (50%-33%) chance of failur. You will have to wait for the chance where it will become enable. Per every second while engaged, there will be a chance (estimated to be around 33%) that that skill will become bright color (will stat that way for 1 or 2 second, before it goes to chance roll again). At this time, that skill will not fail to use (unless you miss or got block or they evade). This make it so that the player will have to pay full attention to their skill bar, waiting for its skill to come in use, and the thrill that comes with it.

Throwing Weapon: A new weapon type. You don’t lost them or need to pick them up when thrown. Beside the usual damage stats, there are two more number that goes with it, “pack” and “reloading time” Pack is how many you can throw before it run out, reloading is how long till it return to your hand. So say you have a Throwing knife with pack of 4 and reloading of 6 seconds, and attack speed of 1 per throw. You would throw 4 of them in 4 seconds before running out, and you would need to wait 2 more seconds before the first one returns to you so that you can attack again. Thus a throwing weapon that has more pack and less reloading is better. Also have the attack range of that of a short bow.

Skill Examples:

-Shadow Art- Skills that lure and confuse you foe. Also have basic stealth type for sneaking around those who are not looking.

Shadow Clone:
For the next 8+ seconds, two clones appear next to you. The clones look exactly like you, copy your movement, can be targeted by opponents, cannot use skill or attack, and have health of one point.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 2 second.
Linked Attribute: Shadow Art.

Duplicate Clone:
For the next 5+ seconds, one clone appears next to you. The clones look darker, copy your movement and attack at your target, has half of your attack power, can be targeted by opponents, and have health of one.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 2 second.
Linked Attribute: Shadow Technique.

Shadow Melt:
For the next 8+ seconds, you will become dark puddle of shadow on the ground. While in this mode, you can move at half of your normal movement speed, become less visible and thus harder to be target by opponent, cannot be damage by physical attack. You cannot attack while in this mode. This skill end when you use a skill and easily interrupted when casting.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 60 seconds.
Casting time: 3 second.

Shadow Slip:
For the next 8+ seconds, you become a standing shadow. Your name can be selected by foe, but cannot be target by their attack of spell. This skill end when you move, use a skill, or attack.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 60 seconds.
Casting time: 3 second.


Shadow Walk:
For the next 8+ seconds, you become a half transparent shadow. In this mode you become less visible and increase 50%+ dodge rate. You can still be targeted and damage by attacks. This skill end when you use a skill or receive any damage.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 40 seconds.
Casting time: 2 second.

Smoke Bomb:
Covers the area around you with smoke for the duration of 4+ seconds. Anyone inside this area will decrease in accuracy and increase in dodge by 50%. Also the smoke can visually block opponent from seeing what action you are taking inside the smoke.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 1 second.

Shadow Jump:
Within a mid range, you are teleported next to your target for 5+ seconds. After the duration you are teleported back to your original place.
Energy Cost: 20
Recharge time: 60 seconds.
Casting time: 2 second.

Wood Displacement Technique:
For the next 3+ seconds, any attack or skill use against you will be missed and hits a log dummy instead. It will also send you few steps back. This skill ends if you attack or use a skill.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: Next attack.

-Dagger Mastery- Skills that enhance your use of daggers, allowing you to deal more damage or conditions to your target foe. Most of Dagger skills also involve the Stalking system.

Backstab:
This attack will deal 10+ extra damage if attack from the back.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 6 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Cloaked Dagger:
This attack cannot be dodge, block, parry, or counter and deals 10+ extra damages.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: 2 Seconds. (Stalk)


Throat Slash:
If this attack hit, will cause 4+ extra damage and Bleed for 4+ seconds
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Eyeball Stab:
If this attack hit, will cause 4+ extra damages and Blindness for 3+ seconds
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Triple Stab:
Will attack in quick succession with a dagger for 3 times.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 15 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Flying Dagger:
Attack the target from range, dealing 25%+ armor penetration. For the next 5 seconds, you cannot use your equipped dagger.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Knife Slip:
If this attack hit, will have 50%+ armor penetration.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Poison Dagger:
If this attack hit, will cause Poison on foe for 5+ seconds.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Acid Dagger:
If this attack hit, will reduce target’s armor rating for 20%+ for 5+ seconds.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Cursed Strike:
If this attack hit, will reduce target’s energy regen by 3 arrow, as a Hex.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Spell Seeker:
Deals no damage. If target is casting a spell, it will disrupt that spell and made target unable to use any spell skill for 3 seconds.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack. (Stalk)

Quick Strike:
For the next 8+ seconds, increase the attack speed. This skill end when use another skill.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 45 seconds.
Casting time: 2 Seconds.


-Precision Strike- Skills that allow you to have more accurate strikes against your foe, dealing more damage and kill them quickly. Also have several stance that help enhance stalk chance. Can work with all physical weapons (melee, bow, or throwing)

Read Moves:
For the next 8+ seconds, increase % accuracy of stalk chance.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 2 Seconds.

Perfect Stalk:
Will have 100% stalk chance accuracy on the next attack skills.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 20 seconds.
Casting time: 2 Seconds.

Weak Point:
For the next 8+ seconds, your attack has 10%+ armor penetration.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 45 seconds.
Casting time: 2 Seconds.

Head Strike:
Attack head, dealing 4+extra damage. 25% of causing daze.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 15 seconds. (stalk)
Casting time: Next Attack.
(work even better when you have some other ways of lowering their armor on the head, like thief’s Steal Helmet Skill)

Body Strike:
Attack head, dealing 4+extra damage. 25% of causing deep wound.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 15 seconds. (stalk)
Casting time: Next Attack.

Death Strike:
Deal 1-32 more damage. This damage is double if you target is above 50% health.
Energy Cost: 20 (exhaustion)
Recharge time: 30 seconds. (stalk)
Casting time: Next Attack.

Defenseless Strike:
Deal 1-48 more damage. Your AL is decrease by 10-10 for the next 5 second.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 10 seconds. (stalk)
Casting time: Next Attack.

Open Wound:
If hit a target with deep wound, will remove that condition but deals a damage equal to 25% of their health.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds. (stalk)
Casting time: Next Attack.

-Throwing Weapon Master- Skills that enhance your use of Throwing type weapons.

Triple Throw:
Throw 3 of your equipped throwing weapon at your foe at once.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack.

Exploding Rune:
Your next throwing weapon attack will deal 10+ more fire damage to all near by foe.
Energy Cost: 5
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack.

Hidden Blade:
For the next 8+ seconds, your throwing weapon will become invisible and deal 1+ more damage. Your opponent will not able to see it.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 20 seconds.
Casting time: 1 second.

Power Throw:
Your next throwing weapon attack will deal 15+ more damage.
Energy Cost: 10
Recharge time: 10 seconds.
Casting time: Next Attack.

Shadow Throwing Weapon Double:
For the next 8+ seconds, the pack of your throwing weapon will increase double.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 1 second.

Returning Throw:
Return all the thrown throwing weapon back to you.
Energy Cost: 15
Recharge time: 30 seconds.
Casting time: 1 second.

Balancing Issues: With Stalk, Assassin will be played differently from that of Warrior. They should have more damage output, but also with a higher risk since they have lower armor and their stalk skills are chance based. However, a War/Assi and visa versa is also a good combinations, depend on your build. Also this was work with other light armor/melee concept class in mind, such as Martial Artist, Thief, and Rogue. While they seem similar, there are still a good differences between them.

Skills, not NPC's.

Maybe if there are going to be Inns, or something of the sort, name that after me if not the skill. Or some landmark. A whole city, to the person with the most unique ideas that get used.

I smell official contest, top ten get prizes. Naming rights, not necessarily character name though, of course, all subject to denial from GW, sticky somewhere in forum.


A+
For doing more work than most.

F
For not going with what I've posted.

Seriously.

If anyone wanted my real opinion, they'd have read the whole thread by the time this is posted, or will do so now.

Oh, add another backstab to the list.

Well we are repeating a bit,... Remember to Look though and make sure your idea isn't already said.

Anyways

Assassin's Excape{E}
Energy 15
Recharge: 45-60

Cloak For the next 5-12 seconds you move 25% faster and are invisible to ememys and can't be viewed on the radar. Assassin's Excape Ends if you take damage, Attack, use a Skill, or Touch a Ememy.

Easily counter by any Anti-Cloak spells I meantioned so all Anet needs to do is put in Anti-Cloak Guys in areas they don't want running in. Basically like Excape only for an assassin

The devs can feel free to name an assassin npc after the assassin name i've used since d2lod came out::

Xianjia Fujima



and if any of you reading this played d2lod, and have heard of lld101, yes. its me.

she is a fox...

Think about it this way. The aggro bubble is the monsters aggro range, agreed, but think about it like this. If your bubble is reduced by even 95%, it won't make a difference for one reason. If you run through a monsters bubble, (which is still the same!), then you'll still get aggro, regardless of how small it appears on your screen. The only way to implement this would be to reduce EVERYTHING'S aggro range, which seems like a pain in the @ss.

There's no aggro "bubble" - it's a "circle" or "cylinder." The vertical distance doesn't count since you can still aggro an enemy when you're on a bridge or cliff high above them.

That is similar to the honorable mentions to the monster name contest for sorrows furnace. I think it would be nice, but un-neccacary. The person would no doubt notice the skill in play and that would probably be more than enough i think. But, i dunno everyone is different and i was just trying to build an idea through a dual purpose theme and tried to have it make sense and not seem too breakable, while having a couple options in there for people who used it as a secondary (even though after the fact a couple things did occur to me that could be on the strong side, but meh whatever ). Wars didn't have much to gain from it though overal and my list might have been light for total number, but i was trying to be as different as possible, while still working near existing mechanics or things produced by the dev team so far.

In principle i agree with your line of thought. I refrained from it for a few different reasons. First off, in theory the best killers and assasins could kill efortlessly and without a trace of conflict, which would lead to other instant death style blows or poison techniques. One thing that came to mind would be, would it be fun to play and would it be fun to play against. I personally never really liked one shot or extreeme damage kills in faster paced games like first person shooters, because there was no fight in it. In a slower game like this, it could easily kill game balance even if it wasnt easily repeatable. Another problem with basing it off of energy, even unusually high energy costs like say 40-60 or more, is that rangers and elementalists would just abuse it more often than it was intended for with the original class. Currently damage up front via elementalists is not universally accepted and warrior or ranger spiking seems to be prefered. Creating a physical attack specialist that exceedes the norm with damage up front, would make the existing classes obscelete almost instantly, due to the lowish hp counts the game has compared to others.

The existing mechanic for non-repeatable skills in the energy based environment is called exhaustion. Getting exhaustion and being tapped out with it, is no fun at all. If the class was completely balanced around that idea of up front damage, failing it would cause the player to feel rather impotent over time. Going with something slightly outside the box seems more appropriate, but going over the top with it usually never fits. With what i proposed i may have suceeded, or i may have failed, but i dont think ill ever really know unless gaile or alex comes in here and states otherwise. All we can do is just make suggestions and hope for the best.