New Class: Druid (as I think they should be)

I know I don't post here often, and I'm not sure anyone will care about my idea with all these other cool class suggestions, but I'm bursting to talk about my class suggestion. I had the idea today and I have to get it out of my head and to the world, even if only 1 or 2 people read it.

Class name: Druid

Attributes:

Nature Magic
Shape-shifting (Primary)
Agility
Wisdom

Although Nature Magic may sound like Earth Magic, it is NOT. I don't want Earth Mage skills here, I'm sure many new Nature skills can be created. Somethingl ike Healing Spring like the rangers have for example, or a "growth" skill that allows them to grow into a tree or giant carnivorous plant for a short amount of time that can deal damage or give allies in its auora certain benefits. For example: Oak Tree: Heal regeneration of +3 with 8 Nature Magic for all allies within a large radius for 15 seconds. Requires 25 energy, and if casted the user loses all his energy, regardless if it is above 25. It can easily be interrupted with enough attacks to the "tree".

Shape shifting would allow the character to turn into an animal for a while, and he could have skills such as "venom" if he was a spider or snake (I'd like to see snakes in Guild Wars... What RPG lacks snakes? Guild Wars; with the exception of maybe Serpents Quickness, a ranger skill, and the Forgotten, which don't count in my opinion because they're human-like, not animals) or Claw as a lynx. That'd deal damage and cause bleeding. Basically the druid can become a stronger pet animal, with skills much like that of a ranger beast master. I do not reccomend giving the druid a pet, we can't over-fantasize here or make him uber powerful. He has to balanced in accordance with the rest of the characters, with weaknesses too.

Agility would allow them to move quicker and would have its own line of skills. I figure the Druid should be sluggish and elderly in human form. Like a priest or something. Higher agility would allow them to move quicker and more youthful, while making them move quicker as pets. Agility skills could sacrafice health or armor for speed.

Wisdom would be the attribute of the magic-based attacks they deal in human form. I was thinking they could be much like mesmer skills, with things similar to Arcane Conundrum, with some monk-like skills in them, such as a skill similar to healing breeze. Maybe a few mage-like skills like some kind of Earthquake skill that causes foes to be knocked down in the area.

Armor would be robes and tunics and things. Higher level armor would be more ornate, whereas lower level armor would be more plain. Think of what the 15k armor could look like...

Anyway, there's my idea. Sure not many will care but I'm glad I got a chance to share it.

I've been playing around with this concept as well.

I was thinking of the ability to summon insects or plants to either attack / buff as you suggested with the Shapeshift idea.

Basically, more nature skills.

I know many on these boards fear GW will somehow become Diablo II with the addition of a Druid and Assassin.

To them I say, "Pfffft." The Skills will be different, the gameplay will be different, just because we call it a Druid doesn't mean it will play exactly like other RPG versions.

Healing tree seems like well of blood, nature magic sounds like wilderness survival.

Wisdom is like expertise, shape shifting is like pets, and agility is a combination of expertise and wilderness survival (storm chaser, dodge, escape, etc).

So this is basically a ranger + elementalist + necro..

Obviously, these need to be balanced so they are (a little) different from the other existing skills.

That said, there will be redundacies with any new Profession.

Shapeshifting is different from Pets because: it will be temporary. It will effect the character, not be an additional damage source. The whole point of a Shapeshifter is to make a melee spellcaster, something currently lacking in GW. (besides the W/* combo, but that doesn't count. A Druid would have less armor normally than a Warrior, but while shapeshifted, will have increased melee damage and armor at the cost of Energy or Spellcasting ability).

A healing tree is different from Well of Blood b/c it doesn't need a corpse. So, it must be less powerful to make up for that advantage.

I invented him first: http://www.guild-hall.net/forum/showthread.php?t=32258

Can I post my Druid Concept Class too?

Actionjack, go ahead, I want to hear them all. If anyone wants to improve on mine too feel free, I don't mind, I want people to.

Bit like Druid on WoW

I think this is a very plausible idea for a class. Mainly because its something that actually does exist in GW even now.

Granted I wouldnt really want to play as a big Beast Ghost, but Druids do exist.


On the other hand, Rangers by nature are almost the decendents of the Druids. As if the knowledge and experience of the druids was passed on to the first rangers, before they left this plane and after they were driven out of the Maguuma.

Why does this sound like Diablo 2? The two new classes for that expansion was the assassin and the...druid.

Yep, GW will become just like Diablo with these two new classes.... NOT.


Don't dismiss the Druid just because of the name, argue against it because of it's skills or the niche it fills (a melee spellcaster).

If "Druid" bothers people so much, call it a Shaman or Shapeshifter, and then maybe we can have a better discussion of it's actual abilities.

I WANT THE DRUID ALL IN FAVOR SAY " DRUIDS RULE" dont care if its like d2 man. D2 was a hit and most the ppl who made d2 are making gw and if d2 was a hit the druid must be a good char. I mean a man who can turn into a wolf damn every little boys dream (=.

And Girls' too?

I think the Druid is a very plausible idea. The game already has Druids. It wouldn't be too hard to work them into the storyline. Example: You go to a far away land where Druids still exist. There you go!

I think Druid should be more like Beast Mastery where you are required to equip a Skill (like Charm) in order to be that kind of Shapeshifting.

My idea is like this:


Werewolf (Werewolf Skill needs to be equipped and only one is allowed)
- This is more like melee-class and more "blood" related skills. Like leeching health per hit or regenerating per hit. Fast attack speed, +speed running, average defense, average health.

Werebear (Werebear Skill needs to be equipped)
- More like hammer-type of fighter. Slower, heavier attack speed. More defense, health bonus but walks a bit slower. More knockdown and Daze skills. We don't have enough skills that cause Daze in this game and Werebear will be a good one!

Werewhatever (I don't know what animal is suitable for this)
- Basically, this Shapeshifting offers more healing, defensive, support skills. Slowest armor, attack damage but with +energy bonus when being in this Shapeshifting.

Class Attribute is Shapeshifting Mastery : The Modifier to each Shapeshifting like +% to Attack speed and +running speed for Wolf and +armor and +damage for Bear and +energy for the third kind. This way only Druid primary can enjoy more benefits from being a Wereform.


I don't know the skills for each Forms yet but I think you can only use the Were skills when you are in that form. This way it's easier to balance the game, I hope. lol

By the way, this is just some interesting ideas:

Maybe they can create some Skills for Werewolf, Werebear, Wereeagle (bird?) that benefit Beast Mastery.

My idea is:

Werewolf has some skills that benefit Wolf pet, Snow Wolf, Cat and Lynx.

Werebear has some skills that benefit Bear, Warthog

Wereeagle has some skills that benefit Moa Bird, Lizard, Spider


More like Shout skills so that pets in the range benefit whatever the Were Form casts. So for Werewolf, it can probably cast something that increases pet's damage for a duration and Bear can increase the armor and health and Eagle can probably increase the amount of energy leeched by Ferocious Strike? lol

Another way will be Shout skills that trigger the "hidden" ability of each pet. I know a lot of people want some kind of hidden abilities for pets and I think maybe they can add some Shout skills to trigger Bear's Brutual Mauling attack that can actually knocks down and Wolf's ability to Cripple, Bleed and Bird's ability to Blind, or something like that.


OH well, just throwing out some ideas. I've always liked Druid in D2. I think it's a good way to encourage Beast Mastery!

GW has a druid already, namely "The Ranger Class."

Rangers aren't Druids (even though they have Druid's armor, LOL).

Ranger is a Ranged attacker with pets and traps.

The most common idea of a Druid (or Shapeshifter, or Shaman), would be a Melee Spellcaster with the ability to augment physical damage/armor/ hp, have some heal spells, and have some condition spells.

Yes, there will be redundencies, just like there are with the current 6 Profs. You can't have over 100 totally unique skills in a game - it's not going to happen.

BTW: I never played Diablo or WoW. This is something I thought up, and just because they use it doesn't mean we shouldn't. We shouldn't have to invent a whole new name for everything in guild wars. If I called it Shaman people would say "WoW rip off!", if I said priest... it'd be weird, thing that pops into peoples heads when that's said is like, a Catholic or Christian priest of some type, it'd be odd.

BTW: WoW didn't INVENT SHAMANS. Diablo DIDNT INVENT DRUIDS! Celts invented Druids, and tribal people still have Shaman's.

Totally agree with you Brendon, but if we need to call it a Shapeshifter to avoid flames, would that be a bad thing?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

I don't care what it's called. Shapeshifter is fine. I just worry about the core of this class, the ability to switch to an animal, that's the true core of it all. The ability to change isn't in Guild Wars yet, when they add it, then we will have that element, and the game will be a lot better and less bland. Also, with Assassin we will have EIGHT characters if they added the Druid too, meaning builds can truly be balanced, like, 1 of everything in a Guild Battle or HoH group.

Agreed, although I think there will be more than 2 additional professions released with Chapter 2, so there will be more than 8 total (possibly 10).

Other classes that interest me as of right now:

The Alchemist, or some other Summoner type caster.

A two-handed, or pole-armed fighter, although I admit I'm not sure how to make this balanced.... The retiarii that's posted is another idea.

Of course, those probably won't make it in Chapter 2, b/c I'm sure it's already been decided. I'd bet money though that a Druid-type class will be included, b/c as you say, there's nothing quite like it in Guild Wars yet.

I'm not sure about this idea, it might make R/D or D/R over-powered.

There will be new skills for the existing classes, let the Rangers keep a monopoly on Beast Mastery.

Druid spells should primarily enhance their own abilities, esp. while in Shapeshifted form, with the occasional ally or group spell.

1. I think druids should have their own charm skill. Then you could go ranger secondary, and have a pet as well. Morph into something, and you have a three man army.
I loved playing druid in Neverwinter Nights...



2. I highly doubt that the classes have been decided for chapter two, because it seems to me that Alex from ANet just recently said that any input on the new assassin class would be greatly appreciated. This implies that they need input. AKA they aren't done, otherwise they'd release it for Christmas to increases sales.

This sure seems to be covered by current Ranger skills.

Nature Magic - Wilderness Survival
Agility/Wisdom - Expertise

Nature magic doesn't equal WS, it'd have it's own set of skills. Comparing the two is like comparing Earth Magic with Wilderness Survival. Also, Agility and Wisdom don't equal epertise. I don't get what you're trying to say Against, because agility and wisdom don't even exist so how do you know it equals expertise?

I also thought of something else:

Expertise lowers the energy cost of ranger skills.

Wisdom and Agility don't do that either, in my book, and I'm the one who thought them up :/

Tell Us, Brendon Stormcrow, of the playing role you see with your Druid. And what interesting combination can we expect with the other 2ndy or primary profession.

(it help to paint a good picture, with words)

The Druids role in a party will be dependant on what the user says it will be, like with the Elementalist (Nuke, air spike, etc) or monk (heal, protect, smite). What I would most like to see is the part where he or she can become an animal, and the role you can play as an animal is that of a fast mover and attacker sacraficing fortitude and armor for pure speed and damage. Also, there are so many people who would like to be one, especially in a role playing game in which the more rolls you can play as influences the games diversity and appeal.

They can also function much like a bloodnecro, but unlike a necro, they would sacrafice the ability to cast, in order to lay down larger and more powerful wells. Yet don't compare blood necro to druid, because the druids "wells" would do different things from the necro's wells. Such as protect instead of heal, or perhaps function as a stationary damage dealer like an obilisk in the ToPK.

The other roll is that of a damage deal like a mage, but unlike any type of mage, it could subvert resources, like a mesmer in a way, yet the mesmer seems to only subvert energy anyway. Druids could absorb enemies speed, making them move slower while the druid moves fasteror absorb enemies damage amount to make their party members deal slightly more, etc.

This class would open up the game a lot, and the Druid could play a great supporting roll to any kind of build.

Interesting secondary combonations would be:

D/Me: Could absorb enemies power and energy.
D/W: A melee caster that would work.
D/R: A true beast master, or wildman.
D/E: Absorb the enemies damage output, only to turn it against them with air, fire, or earth skills, or to make hydro skills much more powerful and RPG-friendly. Or E/D would make a great combo for a regular Hydro ele, something the game severly lacks (Mesmer is ok I guess for hydro, but still, it is not RPG friendly, at least not until later in the game.)
D/Mo: Absorb damage and smite. Or heal while in animal form, which would allow party members to spread out on maps since their healer can run back and forth to heal the wounded much quicker. Think of the possibilities in the Tombs or arenas.
D/N: Lay down the necro wells (like they're minor wells), then "become" a "well" (like they're the major wells). Can you say Iway's bane?

We already have Rangers which are attuned to nature. ANet will most likely expand the Ranger's Wilderness Survival skills instead of adding a whole new redundant class.

suggestion of skills

an ability to shapechange into the the current zones present animals/ animal monsters(closest animal, dead or living), in this form animals of the same kind would consider the shapeshifter friendly until angered/ attacked. Some enemies would be friendly (but not all, especially if the shapeshifter has shifted into the guise of a delicius looking boar)

Wines, that entraps enemies

thorn bush, (for you D2 veterans, think bonewall)

Summon druid spirits (requires trees or druid spirits in the area)spawns from tree or druid spirit in the aggro circle becomes friendly

Nice ideas Roupe.

Loch, why would they add more WS skills? If they were going to do that then they'd add skills for every other attribute...

Anyway, Roupe you gave me an idea when you talked about shifting into nearby animals/animal monsters. Why not be able to shift into undead? Also, being monsters sounds cool, maybe becoming say, a Jade Armor, you could be cloaked amongst them for a certain period of time and use their skills?

It IS like the druid on World of Warcraft..lol....

/agreed

I think GW should try to come up with a completely new class of its own...

WoW has too many classes. And like I said before somewhere, it's not like WoW copyrighted Druid, they didn't invent druids! In this case, we shouldn't have warriors or rangers either.

Furthermore, if it is a problem Dentenko, call it something else. I don't care what it's called, really.

I repeat myself once more, all these should be new skill lines within the current classes to;

1) keep balance of game
2) help reduce amount of clasess excluded from joining parties

who wants the bad old days of 3 class parties again

Why do you have this opinion that if there were more classes it would unbalance the game?
For one, I think having 8 classes would be perfect because it is the maximum party size, and even though you must fit more than one of some classes into a party, new professions would provide a bigger choice of professions to put in for the 'extra' slots. It would not mean classes are excluded from joining parties because there would be more different builds, and every class is useful in its own right, so would not be excluded.

King Symeon, right on...

Guild Wars is getting boring anyway, if A net didn't announce this new class a lot of the originals like me and others may have left the game within the next few months. Some people have done all there is, FoW armor, all sorrows quests, beaten game 4 times, all skills unlocked, (not all of them are lazy 12 year olds who play PC games all day and are out of shape. If you play 1-2 hours a night since the game was released then you should have some of these things i mentioned, so don't give me the "you're lazy" speech, because you'll just appear to be jealous of me anyway.), etc. I even got 2 accounts. And I must say, the game is running out of content, honestly. Lets be realistic, MMORPG's aren;t supposed to run dry. WoW doesn't, Lineage 2 even doesn't, Guild Wars in a way is the only game that does, because it runs on a story path unlike those games. You don't just go out and explore on your own, unless you're farming or skill hunting, like you do often in those games. Those games center around leveling up, this game centers around PvP.

Now although PvP is endless fun, and once you feel done with RPG you'll most likely become a HoH addict, it isn't the final answer. A net needs to create new content, such as areas, characters, classes, weapons, etc, just as the Korean game Priston Tale did until WoW and GW put it down because it was expensive, poorly translated to English, and lacking quests. They kept making new content, and that kept people interested for years. The also continued to make new skills, something A net WILL make if they make NEW CLASSES.

I can't understand why some person would not like new content, is it to complain? Is it because you've reached your goals, and that having the game go further will ruin them because you'll have to fight to reach new ones? Or is it because you like things nice and boring? Even if the game is unbalanced for a little little bit after a new class or something, which the game ALWAYS has been and so has every other MMORPG with PvP, it will be more balanced out quickly with a new patch after the initial test on the public is completed.

I was thinking that maybe the shapeshifting skills could be adrenaline-based enchantments that you have to maintain. This would make it so that you couldn't just go into battle as a bear or whatever it is that you wanted, but you would have to fight a little then you could change. And if you don't fight for say 30 seconds it ends.

Not a bad idea thing is...

PLEASE give US more Physical based classes. GW is already filled up with lots of caster type classes. We need more physical classes like a Brawler and such!!!