Aura of Authority (Support Set for Natural Heroes)

[Steampunkette]

We really do need more Natural Hero options in the game. Don't get me wrong, I think Devices and Trick Arrow are pretty great for Naturals, though they come off a bit on the "Gadgeteering" side for some characters. Very "Techy". So here's a set for the Battlefield Commander type character. The Drill Sergeant. The Paladin and the Pop Icon.

 

Aura of Authority

Tier 1: Walk it Off: Single Target Heal,  on a fairly quick recharge. Removes up to 2 stacks of Inspired to grant a small AoE Heal and +End component.

Tier 2: Focus Fire: Single Target -Def, -Res on foe with a fairly quick recharge.

Tier 3: Defensive Maneuvers: 40ft radius Toggle, +Def All.

Tier 4: Marching Orders: PBAoE (20ft) click on a long recharge. +Fly Speed, +Run Speed, +Jump Speed, +15% Recharge. Grants all targets 1 stack of Inspired.

Tier 5: Offensive Maneuvers: 40ft radius Toggle. +Dam, +Acc, +Perception.

Tier 6: Rallying Cry: Targeted AoE +Absorb, -Inspired. Grants target and nearby allies a large Absorb shield and removes up to 3 stacks of Inspired from all targets. Each stack of Inspired removed grants a +Dam, +Acc, +Mez Resistance component.

Tier 7: Fire Free: Targeted AoE -Res, -Def, PBAoE +Inspired. Grants 1 stack of Inspired to all targets near the Caster.

Tier 8: Sleep When You're Dead: Targeted AoE Rez, +Mez Protection, +Inspired. Applied to all allies near the target, targets any ally whether defeated or not. Grants 2 stacks of Inspire. Very long duration and recharge.

Tier 9: Inspiring Speech: PBAoE +Regen, +Recovery, +Dam, +Def, +Inspired. Grants all targets in the area a massive buff which wears off in stages. Grants 5 stacks of Inspired. Very long duration and recharge. Ignores recharge rate changes.

 

Inspired (Buff): While Inspired you gain a small stacking bonus to Regeneration, Recovery, Accuracy, and Damage. Each stack provides 8% Regen and Recovery, and +3% Accuracy and Damage, stacking up to 5 times. Certain powers remove one or more stacks of Inspired in exchange for additional effects. The Inspired Buff lasts for 1 minute, and additional applications of this buff do not extend the duration.

 

Yes. It is a Gimmicky Set that manipulates stacks of a flat bonus that last for a long time for shorter-term effects. It should also be worth noting I intended to make "Inspiring Speech" Permanent out of the box, but at the minimum values of the power. So you get your 20 seconds of big defensive power and damage bonus, but it swiftly fades over the course of 3 minutes so you wind up with a decently valuable smaller value  for just over a minute that is just falling off as you recast it.

[TemporalVileTerror]

I agree wholeheartedly that Natural is a severely under-represented Origin, and appreciate any efforts to improve the situation!

Thanks for this, @Steampunkette!

[Parabola]

Yeah I love the theme. Sort of the leadership pool on steroids. Creating vfx that are fitting could be something of a challenge though!

[TemporalVileTerror]

I figure it would be fairly low-key visuals.  Best way to reinforce it as a Natural Power Set.  Of course, customization is the name of the game, so the Powers should obviously have flashier versions too.  Probably lots of use of emotes like raising one hand triumphantly in the air, or the ;attack or ;point emotes.  Surveillance from the Bane Spider Set could also be a good example of an animation for this Set.

[Parabola]

6 minutes ago, TemporalVileTerror said:

I figure it would be fairly low-key visuals.  Best way to reinforce it as a Natural Power Set.

That was my thought. You'd want them very low key but would still want to be able to identify who was being affected. 

[TemporalVileTerror]

The "halo aura" effects of Inspirations and Leadership Toggles come to mind.

[arcane]

1 hour ago, TemporalVileTerror said:

I agree wholeheartedly that Natural is a severely under-represented Origin, and appreciate any efforts to improve the situation!

Thanks for this, @Steampunkette!

Not really. It just depends how you define natural. Natural for heroes with characteristics consistent with real life human beings? Yeah, limited. But your imagination doesn’t need to stop there 😉

[TemporalVileTerror]

Kind of missing the point.

No.  Our imagination doesn't have to stop there.

But we -want- characters who fit the paradigm of Natural which we're describing here all the same. 

It's a disservice when the value of that paradigm is discredited with the kind of tangent that suggests we just play a space alien messiah so we can have a Fire Blaster be Natural.   Of course we can have such a character.  That's not the point.  The point is fulfilling the need to cover the thematic gap that exists.

And really, this debate should happen somewhere else.  THIS thread is for Steampunkette's specific Aura of Authority.

[arcane]

4 minutes ago, TemporalVileTerror said:

Kind of missing the point.

No.  Our imagination doesn't have to stop there.

But we -want- characters who fit the paradigm of Natural which we're describing here all the same. 

It's a disservice when the value of that paradigm is discredited with the kind of tangent that suggests we just play a space alien messiah so we can have a Fire Blaster be Natural.   Of course we can have such a character.  That's not the point.  The point is fulfilling the need to cover the thematic gap that exists.

And really, this debate should happen somewhere else.  THIS thread is for Steampunkette's specific Aura of Authority.

I daresay the fact that human beings generally don’t have superpowers perhaps contributes to that unfortunate circumstance.

[Steampunkette]

I daresay this is not a discussion of the powerset and I'd prefer we stay on-topic. If you have suggestions to improve the proposed set or some specific reasons you think it needs redesign, feel free to describe them. But if your intent is to level a blanket insult please find yourself absent.

[arcane]

8 minutes ago, Steampunkette said:

I daresay this is not a discussion of the powerset and I'd prefer we stay on-topic. If you have suggestions to improve the proposed set or some specific reasons you think it needs redesign, feel free to describe them. But if your intent is to level a blanket insult please find yourself absent.

Insults? Wtf? Who’s insulting anyone.

 

As for the powerset, I don’t think we need more leadership-replica-heavy sets after VEATs.

[Steampunkette]

The number of people who claim someone else's imagination is "Limited" in a passive aggressive manner and then claim it isn't an insult amuses me. Even tossed in the winky face for additional condescension.

 

That's one piece of valid feedback, though. It does have a pair of "Leadership" style toggles (with only 2/3rds of the range of either Leadership or the Spiders).

 

However that's 2 powers out of 9 and a secondary mechanic that is ignored... So I don't sincerely feel like it should carry -too- much weight. Though maybe to "Change it Up" we could make them Targeted Toggles with a leash.

 

Put the Defensive Maneuvers on the Tank and the Offensive Maneuvers on the Blaster to create two separate zones of influence with the Support Character standing between the front and back line throwing orders? Seems reasonable to me.

 

 

[dangeraaron10]

I support this!  It's a good option for those who want the leadership role of a VEAT without being a stinky Arachnos goon.

 

*stamp of approval*

 

More options for more origins.  All we need now is a techy option for Control and maybe Assault.

[DZKFire]

I would love a set like this. I enjoy playing my VEATs but I've always wanted to have their leadership auras on something like an archery corruptor.

 

I think in the actual game universe, the Natural origin is pretty stretched. Seems like a lot of psychic powers stem off Natural, e.g. Fortunata/Widows (who were forced Natural before homecoming). Bane Spiders too apparently have latent psychic powers.