Naraka

To your main question about Force Bubble, I have no idea... There could be other ways to approximate such an effect but the premise I had in mind would be "It doesn't actually protect you but it delays the enemy". Just making -rech or something is rather bland tho. As for the re-name, I thought Hard Light was a cool name lol. Maybe it's just my short time in Photoshop filters or something. There's still room for a 3rd mode but no idea what that might be (or even if it's necessary).

Maybe Stalkers/Scrappers could get the old version while Brutes/Tankers get the new version? But I'm not versed in the set. Haven't played the new version.

Because I'm a radical, I always try to think of crazy ideas. Even if they are used for something else... There is a certain mechanic I'd dub as "3-mode" mechanics. The only sets that utilize it are Dual Pistols, Staff Melee and Bio Armor. So a blast set, a melee set and an armor set. I'm curious what shinanigans a Staff/Bio or Bio/Staff character deals with having 6 toggles and their combinations of modes. Anyway, I think Force field itself is a rather broad concept that might lend well to the mechanic because of its limited range. So what if we were outlining FF to get a similar mechanic? I think it wouldn't be too tough. Just take Repulsion Field, remove it and replace it with this particular mechanic and call the new power Barrier Type. Now Barrier Type could give you several concepts for a force field set as toggles that would then alter the effects of the other powers. It doesn't necessarily have to be 3 but let's just say that's the limit. Base FF without a Barrier Type: Mostly, just current FF. It adds shields for +def, a PBAoE +def/mez protection barrier and it has some KB/repel from Force Bolt and Force Bubble. FF with Light Shield Type: Light Shield FF is a defensive setting for a FF user. It makes more use of personal defense and turns Personal Force Field into a self-defense setting that you can still attack from. It doesn't provide any defense, but still provides a sizable amount of resistance. Further still, Dispersion Bubble no longer provides AoE defense but instead periodic +absorb to allies and yourself. Using either Deflection Shield or Insulation Shield merely provides a moderate amount of +absorb to the target (no AoE buff here). Unique mechanic is, when using the absorb shields, the cooldown on those skills increases greatly. FF with Hard Light Type: Hard Light FF is the offensive setting. For a FF user, it turns PFF into a PBAoE attack that holds enemies and does high damage after sustaining a certain amount of attacks. It also turns Deflection and Insulation Shields into ST effects that do the same as PFF but for allies, absorbing a small amount of damage before exploding and holding foes. This alters the cooldown of the shields tho...Also, if there was a way to create obstructions randomly around you using Force Bubble, so instead of pushing foes away, it just make using ranged difficult...basically summoning a Force Wall that foes would have to walk around to get LoS to attack you.

...goals in the context of the game. ...I swear, people want clarification for everything...

If we're talking about activation times, then I don't think you're correct regarding PvP. For NPCs, that sort of outlines my point. *IF* their versions of powers got affected with faster activations, it might be a change to help players but it has consequences therefore not a simple power creep change. Because it won't, then it's just power creep since the change has no consequence or fulfills any particular necessity.

I think you're conflating your personal goals with everyone else's. Unfortunately, we don't all have/use Ukase's build to determine what we should all care about. If DB's combo gives Weaken, you can ignore it but that doesn't suddenly mean it doesn't exist thus should be masked by some obscure knowledge in the game. No, highlight the damned combo so a newb can see *this* is the power that grants the extra bonus Weaken effects lol

I'd say it depends. Early game crucially uses tactics because it actually matters. Using Tarpatch around a corner saves lives. Casting Darkest Night while the melee's move in makes its use have no consequences or effort in planning. Fearsome Stare is the tool to save yourself when other tactics are not available or not as fruitful. It's not about when you get the power determining its frequency, but rather what you are capable of accomplishing with those powers and applying it to the situation. Also, Petrifying Gaze is just mediocre lol...I dunno, do people proc this? All that aside, I really think one has to start considering the entire pallet a set has. Ultimately, Dark Miasma is an extremely safe (for the user) set. What do you gain by making Darkest Night faster that Fearsome Stare didn't already accomplish? Give you the option to skip Fearsome Stare or something?

Well is the enemy being dead before the debuff works a factor here or not? Because the OP seems to say that isn't really the point. Further I'd ask: Okay, 3 seconds is too slow for a debuff. So what powers *should* have 3sec animations? What constitutes a long animation and which powers should have it?

I doubt they use "attack chains" lol But something I bet you they do use: Knockback. And lots of it.

You should also be taking into consideration PvP and enemy debuff usage. Do you really want to be having faster activation debuffs used against you by players and spawns of NPCs? Having the chance to retaliate or disrupt before the effect takes a large portion of your stats away could be considered a tactical aspect of gameplay that you're snubbing by making everything faster faster faster. Or were we only talking about player debuff affects against NPCs and not the other way around? I'm not against giving the enemies sharper teeth by quickening their debuffs but I'm certain no one's asking for that so it's just a case of "I need to senselessly beat these helpless NPCs harder for some reason".

Because I'm special as f***, and I always have an insightful opinion... I like to use Comic Book/Anime logic when it comes to most fights, routine or otherwise: Does Batman plan out every apprehension of a purse robber using every cent of his fortune and resources? Does the Flash blitz every bank robber faster than time itself? Does Goku go into a fight in his final form? You shouldn't need to apply every one of your debuffs in every fight or use all your most powerful nukes and a full rotation on a spawn to spawn basis. You should have these backups and contingencies and powerups in your back pocket for when things get serious. And you should be relying on your team to throw in their 2 cents and complementing that rather than pump out full capacity at the start of a fight every time. So to the question of do my debuffs take too long, I ask, what are you trying to accomplish?

Something else I forgot to pontificate on this set's concept is, if I were attempting to implement it, I'd likely look into various other cosmetics that borrow some of the effects in the game, namely the ones in the Arcane Power Pool. Having "floating" glyphs as well as "grounded" glyphs would be an obvious kind of cosmetic options. So giving the option to have effects like the upright symbols/circles of Translocation or the blast attacks (forgot the name) would be one option while having the spinning circle of magic from Rune of Protection (slightly lowered to hover on the ground) would be the other option. Finally, the 3rd option would use the doppleganger tech, basically leaving a transparent shadowy verion of your character at the location of the glyph that would then cast its effect when it got its target. Conceptually, this could fit a lot of concepts besides just a magic character and visually, it's just a cool option if you can diversify the effects. All in all, I think the concept for the set you've imagined is fun and interesting, I just think you have to justify the work to add it in so it'd have to be not only cool but different.

Well I gave it a bit of time and I had thought of an idea when I first responded so I'll go ahead and add my more in-depth critique and suggestions for such a set. I'll preface this by saying I'm not a vet of DnD or know much about its inner mechanic or references. Firstly, I think it's important to decide the gimmick of the set first (after you've decided a general concept, of course) then outline how you want that gimmick to affect play or how it differs from similar gimmicks or sets in its category. To just be blunt, the whole "aura to buff teammates" is played out. Granted, not many sets use it, but some sets use it (Rad and Shield) and there *could* be other options with their own bounty and limitations. The one I chose for this concept I will call the "Glyph" mechanic. "Glyphs" are unique from any other armor set because it relies on the pet summoning mechanics of the game. These glyphs wouldn't be literal pets but rather "autonomous pets" that have one simple function: to seek its target and then cast its effect on/around that target. Also, these "glyph" pets are stationary. They cannot move on their own. Conceptually, you would be placing runes/enchantments/incantations/circles/what-have-you at a given location and they activate once the requirements for it are met. Mechanically, these pets have a perception radius they will eventually detect a target at then execute their effect. I outline this because that is a part of the mechanic as well. These powers, I have no real issue with. They form the basis of the set and the concept you built off of. I'd probably add a bit of special interaction with some of these powers for spice purposes, though. My suggestions: Mage Armor - Firstly, I'd rename this to Mage's Ward. Secondly, I'd add a moderate chance (basically a +Special tag in the description of it) that when struck, you gain a little extra power called something referential (Magic Fleece or something cool) that merely speeds up the cooldown of Blade Ward while in effect. This effect wouldn't stack, just refresh. So getting hit in the face makes Blade Ward recharge a bit faster. Of course, if there is a moderate animation to this, it's only going to insure your insurance...you don't want to have to be clicking Blade Ward super constantly *BUT* that is an option if built out for it. Blade Ward - I'd probably add in Energy Defense, if only to round it out a bit. Melee, smashing and lethal do cover a lot but taking into consideration the other changes further down this post, making these 4 base powers a solidly functioning foundation is crucial. Elemental Absorption - I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to variation naming. I don't like making everything super obvious with names primarily because few people look at the names to describe what it's actual use is. They just look at the numbers or enhancement values. I'd rename this to Electrum Ward primarily because I want a naming convention in the set: Ward = user is defended; Glyph = set a delayed effect in the environment; Tap = activate an effect right now. Also, for this power, I'd add an interaction with Blade Ward that slightly increased its Energy resistance. So there'd be a special tag to this power where, while Blade Ward is active, Electrum Ward has an extra bump in energy resistance. Mind Warding - No changes. Maybe consider adding a unique hole to the set just for flavor's sake. Like maybe Sleep. Now we're getting into the drastic changes. This, IMO, has been done (the PBAoE buff thing) and splashing the team with +def has limited utility because defense is so prevalent. But this is where the Glyph mechanic starts. Renamed: Glyph of Future-sight (or Glyph of Scrying or something else cooler or referential): Click Self -perception (8sec)/+perception (after an 8sec delay); Summons 1 Glyph of Meditation, 1 Glyph of Scrutiny and 1 Glyph of Inspiration randomly in a 35ft radius that persist for 2min. Gaining a glyph effect replaces another. User is granted a stack of Ward Death when a glyph is activated. The amount of -perception would overpower any possible +perception and this effect is also applied to all your Glyphs, making them have a delay on when they will activate. When an ally or yourself is within 10ft of any of these Glyphs, it activates it's power and boosts the target and 5 allies in a 15ft range of them. Its effect lasts 60sec. Glyph of Meditation (target ally; perception 10ft; range 15ft; Targeted AoE ally +Perception, +ToHit, +rech) Glyph of Scrutiny (target ally; perception 10ft; range 15ft; Targeted AoE ally +Perception, +ToHit, +dmg) Glyph of Inspiration (target ally; perception 10ft; range 15ft; Targeted AoE ally +Perception, +ToHit, +regen) Ward Death: Passive Self +Regen; Special Self +Absorb, +Regen, +res(-rech, -def, -regen). Ward Death is a passive ability that gives a slight increase to regen and applies up to 5 stacks and replaces the oldest stack. The extra stacks would be granted by this power once one of the 'pet' glyphs self-terminates. CLARIFICATION: This means the Tanker that uses Glyph of Future-sight would summon these 3 glyphs that an ally or themselves could move toward to "collect" its buff; collecting multiple just replaces the oldest effect with the newest effect plus, whether or not the Tanker that summoned them is in range, will apply a stack of Ward Death to said Tanker. The Glyphs from Glyph of Future-sight are not the only glyphs that cast grant these Ward Death stacks on said Tanker. Really, nothing much changed here except perhaps changing this from a PBAoE to a short-ranged Targeted AoE like Shield Charge but without the teleport. Only reason I would suggest this is to continue with the "mage" feel of the set casting effects at things instead of just exploding. You can also add a unique attribute to this power that provides a small (8ft) splash of +END from the glyph in the next power if executed within the effect of this power. Also, this would be the power replaced on Stalkers for Hide. Altered to: Reflective Glyph: Toggle, summon Glyph of Warding periodically (up to 3 present at a time) within 15ft of the user. This toggle also has an auto-hit taunt effect 8ft (Brute/Scrapper) or 10ft (Tanker) around the user. The period to create a new glyph is likely something that requires a moderate amount of consideration but I'll just say look to Radiation Armor's damage toggle for a similar prospect for now. Overall, it's dropping 1 of these every handful of seconds. Glyph of Warding: Foe moderate Energy/Negative, minor Knock-up. When an enemy is within 10ft of the Glyph of Warding, it moves toward its target and detonates, causing energy/negative energy damage. This explosion has a 7ft radius(10ft for Tanker), 3 target cap (5 targets for Tanker) and has a minor chance of Knock-up. Also, Stalkers and Sentinels do not get the above power but rather the one that follows: Greater Glyph of Warding: Ranged summon Glyph of Warding. This is a power that can summon a glyph from up to 60ft away. The summoned Glyph will only activate if the Stalker is unhidden and in combat (or just in combat for the Sentinel) and does not notify enemies. Only 1 of these can be active at once but when it detonates, it acts as 2 of the regular glyphs of warding, doing more damage, having a wider radius (12ft), bigger target cap (5 targets), a higher chance of Knock-up and grants 2 stacks of Ward Death upon detonation. It does, however, require a moderate cast time to place. And this is likely the most complicated and yet simple Tier 9 you'll probably encounter. Changes: Sigil of Sanctuary: Click summon Sigil of Sanctuary. This does nothing but impart the glyph buffs an ally has onto nearby allies up to 15ft away. The buffs only last for a short time (like 2-3sec) so stepping out of range (outside of the circle). It also imparts Ward Death effects onto nearby allies from the user onto allies, applying +Absorb, regen and +debuff resists to nearby allies when a glyph self-terminates but you have to be inside the circle. All in all, this is *not* a tier 9 meant to save you (your best bet there is Blade Ward) but rather to bolster your contributions as a team. Might say adding a self-rez feature to this too (if dead, that is) would make this a possible power choice without making the whole set too strong AND this being a required power. NOTES & CONCLUSIONS: Although the mechanics sound complicated, that's mainly because it's not a common power concept mechanically, particularly for an armor set. But for the most part, it just means you have 2 powers that create pets that cast effects, 1 on allies and 1 on enemies. You have a 3rd power that grants the caster buffs when those pets act. You also have a tier 9 that just grants the pet effects in an AoE while within its radius. The set as a whole can be pretty straight forward: armor toggles for resist, +regen/absorb from your damage glyph, blade ward to help absorb alphas; skip Glyph of Future-sight and Sigil of Sanctuary, maybe pick-up Mana Tap if you care about the +END. If delving into the intricacies of the set, you can help buff a team a bit if close, time the setting of your glyphs for a burst, and use movement and placement to gain more stat buffs to keep you going. Part of me also wanted to make Mana Tap a debuff + an attack if the foes are completely drained but that might be a bit too powerful. If I were putting it a bit more bluntly, it's very similar to your original set...but with more steps...and extra perks. Instead of just "get close to me for your buffs" it's "are you gonna eat that glyph? cause I need the absorb" and repositioning to get those effects.

So you have chosen death. Well, you probably won't die because you're in the meta-crowd using every cheating ounce of power creep. But everyone *ELSE*? Dead lol

So would you be fine if we made enemy affecting toggles suppress instead of drop while mezzed but blanket nerf armor mez protection down to about 5 (Tanker and Brute) to 4 points (other sources)? Mez might be dangerous but your toggles won't drop!

That would be dumb to report this player. I often hear in power creep debates who is getting harmed if everyone gets stronger with the obvious re-enforcement that if players aren't causing direct harm to players, it's fair game. This hurts no one lol I probably wouldn't make such a character myself mostly because I like making my own lore characters but the closest I got was my Grav/EA Dom that does copy the appearance of multiple heroes and villains as alternate costumes with the main difference being he has a lizard tail (because he's a chameleon). Standing near the NPC where some might accidentally slide up to me only to realize the NPC is behind them is about as much "harm" as that could cause.

That's one of the reasons I mentioned up thread, what if procs add +rech bonus resist (if it doesn't exist, make it). Granted I said if having 3 procs in a power gave that power, effectively its base recharge regardless of global rech or slotting, maybe that resistance could be weighed differently for different procs. I personally love Gaussian's, so I slot it often. If it only went off 20-30% if the time? Eh, maybe not so much. If slotting it in Build Up on my melees forced the base cool down of BU but you get the proc 80-90%? Still would always get it for my Stalkers but it'd start being more of a case by case study.

You take mez protection so you don't get mezzed. I guess that part isn't even important anymore lol It was a rough post to get the point across but there should be some kind of mechanic that makes one immune to getting multiple drops back to back. There could be other QoL to assist like some visual or audio cue telling the player something changed when a drop occurred. I've leveled a couple tanks without stellar endurance management so getting your toggles dropped is concerning but not an instant death sentence. Just a little bit of breathing room can get you back in the saddle, maybe even needing your team to give you breathing room in certain encounters. I certainly understand it's an unpopular opinion that won't go anywhere but what isn't an unpopular opinion is the overall popularity of such mechanics. Most MMOs relegate toggles to mode changes or something minor, not the core of the combat. They're not intuitive to combat and even less so if they run on an endless resource (looking at basically 100% of builds...) with no consequence.

I've put forth a different idea before but if it's not a buff, It's bound to be unpopular... But I think enemies, from minions to EBs should have more self toggles or toggles in general. Ontop of that, a unique mechanic, I guess you could call it "Drop Factor", would then be a balancing point to make encounters somewhat less predictable and more reliant on simply paying attention. How it'd work is, certain effects (mostly mezzes but there'd be some that would just be additional effects to special powers) would simply have the chance to drop a toggle. The only innate protection to the effect is not obtainable and only AT specific (looking at you, Vigilance) that would not only cause your toggle powers to have a hierarchy of what might drop first (things like mez protection would be near the bottom), but also how likely it would occur to you once certain conditions are met. I think having toggles be more than just set-and-forget is necessary to create some avenue of equity in play. It's because you can set-and-forget such powers that they are balanced haphazardly. But if they required player attention, making sure you haven't been depowered, suddenly the bridge between Tanker and everyone else isn't quite the chasm it once was...and not done so artificially but organically and tactfully. Further still, it emphasizes click buffs as being immutable and thus has a niche use outside of just making them stronger than a toggle (*cough* armor tier 9s *cough*). Of course, this is going into territory I don't think players would even bother to consider.

You say that like it's a bad thing. While I have my qualms about the game, me discussing it on a forum and turning small threads into monstrous arguments is benign and, IMO, healthy. Nothing even has to change, except maybe people's opinions and perspectives.

You don't need the whole set to come from the eyes, just enough that, if you want to create a character concept for it you have more than one power. Powers that don't work: Irradiate, beach ball throw (forgot the name) and the nuke. Powers that can work: everything else.

Interesting concept. A bit limited on the execution. I have ideas that could spice it up but it's less "move this power to this slot" or "make that power into a toggle instead of a click" and more like "here is a complete unique mechanic for this set" lol I'll see what others want to say about it.

So if procs also added resistance to recharge buffs to the power it's slotted in, how much resistance would it need to ignore all +rech bonus (slotted and global) at 3 slotted procs?

Why have procs become a hot button issue again? Didn't seem that concerning about a week ago... I still think formula diversification would be a decent option. You could then change some of the current damage procs to other triggering mechanisms like PPM (locked) vs PPM (open) that merely runs off the current PPM mechanics but locked only triggers on one target per power activation while the other can trigger multiple times making one ideal for AoE and the other for ST. You can have 100% procs that always go off but with less damage so ideal for fast recharging powers but less so on longer recharging powers. The problem is, damage procs are all in a basket so you just need to create the ideal circumstance to capitalize on all of them you include in a build. If there are multiple baskets, you can still capitalize on individual baskets but you're ending up with less of a bang. Further still, since you have more baskets, you have new opportunities to proc a power that might not have been very attractive under the current system.

I'm curious how this can be accomplished. Hypothetical: let's just use Infridgidate. Let's say, with the sets and procs it can slot, it is believed to be too strong. What solutions do we apply? Decrease it's overall stats to require slotting to make effective (low acc, high END)? Decrease the applied effects and make it a super fast recharging debuff or make the power a wide range AoE so it screws up the PPM formula? Or do we remove the ability to slot certain sets? Or just make certain procs not work anymore?