Continuation of the Incarnate system: concept

[PartyKake]

With the shuttering of City of X long ago, there were Four remaining incarnate slots that went unfulfilled.

Genesis

Mind

Vitae

Omega

 

What I'm proposing is not suggestions for these slots, But something else entirely.

 

Instead of continuing the incarnate system to its completion (because the world blew up), instead an assortment of powerful groups have decided that the incarnate path was something that would have led to disaster (or at least disaster for them), so they all decide to kefka the situation and warp the incarnate system into something new. Warping and editing the source of the powers, they end up ruining the source of incarnate power, but accidentally create something more powerful and more dangerous.

 

There would be some new elements:

1) you take a part of your character, perhaps a powerset, a pool, or some other feature that makes your character distinctly different. You lose that. Temporarily.

2) you have to lean on the resources of another hero/villain/whatever for a while (perhaps for a price) and this helps you grow in a separate direction.

3) overcoming this obstacle, you eventually get returned back to you what was lost, but more powerful this time

4) the source of the incarnate power is "sealed away" or "destroyed" either through heroic struggle or villainous greed.

 

Mechanically, the incarnate system would remain in its unfinished state with 6 out of ten slots filled and the rest noticeably empty, and these new story driven elements would act like the next four slots.

 

You could think of them as

1) Sacrifice, or Tribute

2) External Strength, or Theft of Power

3) Triumph over Adversity, or Dragging the World Back Down to You

4) Revelation/Apocalypse (this is probably the most generic thing to put here, it could be anything - appropriate given the diversity of characters!)

 

Personally I'd be interested in seeing new villain groups introduced as part of new content, and there's no reason not to continue the main story just like we're continuing our own.

[Chris24601]

I’m of the opinion that HC should consider it’s version of Incarnate powers is complete.

 

There is already a huge disparity in power between a fresh 50 and one with all six incarnate slots with tier-4s.

 

Even outside of incarnate specific content they’ve got;

 

- a level shift

- a +22-30% boost to several enhancement categories that ignores ED (and another 11-15% that does but might still add to things that aren’t slotted for that).

- a target-cap breaking crashless nuke on a 90 second timer.

- a 75% proc and 25% proc on all your attacks.

- summoning two pets for two minutes on a five minute timer.

- a large AOE buff on a 90 second timer.

- a passive and toggle buff (two minutes on a five minute timer).

- In incarnate content add another two level shifts.

 

It’s already hard enough to balance the difficulty with incarnates in the level 50 mix. Dropping four more levels of it on top will just make it worse.

 

If the incarnate system needs anything it’s more content where it can be used (if you can figure out a way to balance it between the “just got the alpha slot” and “I’ve got everything slotted with t4’s” incarnates); but that is in competition in terms of development time with more general mission content that can be experienced by more players more often so I don’t expect much of it any time soon.