suggestion: wildcard IO set enhancement

[cohRock]

There are quite a few powers which have side effects, yet the primary set for that power does not support the side effect.  For example, a melee attack may also have a chance to stun and take stun enhancements.  With normal enhancements or IOs, you might slot it with an acc, endReduc, three damages, and a stun.  If you were using a damage set, you could also include some recharge with the power.  But you would either have to use a normal IO or enhancement for stun.  What I propose is the capability to change a normal enhancement of your origin and level range, and upgrade it to a set element of a given set.

 

Example: level 42 scrapper has an attack slotted for six enhancements, and has 5 of the PBAoE set Obliteration.  He has the whole set except for "chance of smashing damage", and would like to extend stun time instead.  His options currently are to slot a normal level 45 stun enhancement of his origin, a level 45 normal stun IO, a stun-set IO, or sacrifice another Obliteration bonus to get the small, first bonus of a stun set.  What I propose is something like:

1. (game adds a capability to the Manage Enhancement screen (MES) to make a wildcard IO)
2. purchase a stun enhancement of your origin and level (assume 45, but 40 would also work)
3. have an empty slot in the power
4. click any member of the Obliteration set already in that power
5. drag the stun enhancement to the second merge slot
6. merge them.  Now the stun is a slotted level 45 (40) element of the character's Obliteration set, offering the final-tier set bonus

Restrictions:

1. only one wildcard within a power could be used, even if there are multiple sets already there
2. the wildcard must be of a type the power already accepts, but the set does not offer (I.e., you cannot add more end reduction to a set if the set already has at least one element with end reduction)
3. the wildcard enhancement can neither be sold nor traded.  It can either be slotted at creation, re-used in a respec, or deleted, nothing else.  (I.e. there is no additional programming needed for the assignment house to support many dozens of new wildcard enhancements.)
4. only normal, "dropped" or store-purchased single-origin enhancements can be used as a base, not IOs nor Hammis.  The strength of the IO becomes fixed regardless of the character's level (but as stated, it must be within his level range when the wildcard is created).
5. you cannot extend the count of enhancements in a set.  If the set only offers 4 elements, you cannot use wildcard to create a fifth.  If a wildcard is already slotted as the 4th element of the set, you cannot add the normal 4th element at a later time without first removing the wildcard or an already-slotted normal set element.

Note that this concept could also work in reverse.  You might have a stun set in a stun power that does minor damage and accepts damage enhancements.  You could add a single damage wildcard to that stun set if the set does not already offer damage.

 

I understand that some will feel that the option for the power to simultaneoulsy accept more than one type of set is a reasonable trade-off.  That is a perfectly valid position, but I do not think this suggestion would cause any game imbalance.

Edited February 23, 2021 by cohRock