Need to Raise Your Spirit on Homecoming, Introducing New Support Set, Spirituality

[OmnibusOmnh]

Hello forum goers, it has been some time, once again I am back with a new powerset proposal. I have done multiple melees, and more recently engaged in control & assaults, so I decided this time as I "always" provide aid and assistance in providing revolutionary ideas to suggestions and feedback, I would now try involving myself with support based powersets for Defenders, Controllers, and possibly Corruptors. The theme for this one is Spiritualism, it involves the player unleashing their personal spirit to help unlock others full potential. I'm providing this description as this support powerset as many of my other proposals, is different. The new twist is that it also allows for allies to grant the same Buffs to other teammates granted from the caster, as well as provide them with an additional powers while under these buff affects. Are you intrigued so far, well as always...

 

Special thanks to @Vanden for providing the icons. Excellent job with the multi-colored effects its work spectacularly.

 

Introducing...

Spirituality

 

Spirituality gives you the ability to to unleash your spirit onto another to awaken your teammates full potential to garner various forms of earthbound threats that may degrade an allies performance. The goal of Spiritualism is to reach enlightenment, in order to unrestrained by any control based affects as well as allowing allies to ward of enemies through projections of their mind soul and body.

 

It is a primary powerset for Defenders and Controllers, and a secondary for Corruptors and Masterminds

 

Power Tables

Defenders and Controllers

Spirituality is available as a primary set for Defenders and Controllers. The following table shows which powers are available and at what level:

 

	Power	Level	Effect
	Self Persistence	1	Toggle: Self +Def, Res (Smashing, Lethal, Fear) +Perception
	Gratification	1	Ranged, Ally +DEF, Res (Psionic, Sleep, Snare) + Ally Grant Gratification, Spirit Blade
	Redirect	2	Self: Ranged, High Damage (Lethal/Energy), Foe Knockback
	Empowerment	6	Close, Ally +DMG, +ACC, + DEF, Res (Slow, Repel) + Ally Grant Empowerment, Spiritual Drain
	Shamans Embrace	8	Ranged, Ally Heal + DEF, Res (Immobilize, Sleep, Slow, Fear) + Ally Grant Soothing Embrace, Spiritual Push
	Mindfulness	12	PBAoE, Ally +Resistance (Disorient, Sleep, Slow, Immobilize, Fear, Psionics) + Ally Grant Mindfulness + Unguarded Soul
	Third Eye (Symbol Change)	18	Targeted Area of Effect, +Perception, Resistance Mez Protection (All), Psionics, Energy) + Ally Grant Sightless Soul
	Transmigration	26	Close, Ally Rez + Ally Grant Spiritual Transfer
	Earthly Detachment	32	Toggle: Ranged Ally Targeted AoE, Ally + Perception, DEF (Energy), Resistance (Status Protection, Immobilize, Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Confuse, Fear, Psionics, Knockback, Slow + Foe Knockback, Repel + Ally Grant Upheaval, Weaken Spirit

 

 

Corruptors and Masterminds

Spirituality is available as a secondary set for Corruptors and Masterminds. The following table shows which powers are available and at what level:

 

	Power	Level	Effect
	Self Persistence	1	Toggle: Self +Def, Res (Smashing, Lethal, Fear) +Perception
	Gratification	2	Ranged, Ally +DEF, Res (Psionic, Sleep, Snare) + Ally Grant Gratification, Spirit Blade
	Redirect	4	Self: Ranged, High Damage (Lethal/Energy), Foe Knockback
	Empowerment	10	Close, Ally +DMG, +ACC, + DEF, Res (Slow, Repel) + Ally Grant Empowerment, Spiritual Drain
	Shamans Embrace	16	Ranged, Ally Heal + DEF, Res (Immobilize, Sleep, Slow, Fear) + Ally Grant Soothing Embrace, Spiritual Push
	Mindfulness	20	PBAoE, Ally +Resistance (Disorient, Sleep, Slow, Immobilize, Fear, Psionics) + Ally Grant Mindfulness + Unguarded Soul
	Third Eye (Symbol Change)	28	Targeted Area of Effect, +Perception, Resistance Mez Protection (All), Psionics, Energy) + Ally Grant Sightless Soul
	Transmigration	35	Close, Ally Rez + Ally Grant Spiritual Transfer
	Earthly Detachment	38	Toggle: Ranged Ally Targeted AoE, Ally + Perception, DEF (Energy), Resistance (Status Protection, Immobilize, Disorient, Sleep, Hold, Confuse, Fear, Psionics, Knockback, Slow + Foe Knockback, Repel + Ally Grant Upheaval, Weaken Spirit

Powers

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These are the following powers in the Spirituality powerset

 

 Self Persistence 

You strengthen your first chakra of survival increasing your basic instinct and awareness to overcome any physical obstacles, to combat the spiritual blockade of overcoming fear granting you resistance to this affect. Grants the caster resistance to Lethal and Smashing damage.

 

 Gratification

You open your targets second chakra, bringing them euphoria beyond normal limits and boosting their morale. Gratification removes the guilt from the target, protecting from psychic assaults and mez effects. As you awaken their chakra, gratified allies become able to extend this effect onto other teammates for a short time. This ability will persist for a limit of 5 uses until their acquired spiritual awakening fades away. Grants ally Spirit Blade

 

•  Spirit Blade

             Power granted from opening Second Chakra, funnels your spiritual energy in the form of a blade to smite a foe. Deals moderate energy and smashing damage.  

 

 Redirect

You expand your spirit to reroute enemy attacks and protect your allies. Redirect causes damage enemies who strike you for a short time, as well as offering a chance to knock them away. Allies within range of the redirection are offered increased defense, as the attacks are simply returned to the assailants.

 

 Empowerment

The extend your souls reach to untap your allies full physical potential, increasing their offensive and defensive capabilities, granting them resistance towards shame as it Slows you down. Empowered Targets are able to extend this ability for a short time. This ability will persist for a limit of 3 uses until the spiritual effects wear off. Grants ally Spirit Drain.

 

•  Spiritual Drain

           You extract the spirit of your foe transferring the energy to yourself.  

 

 Shamans Embrace

You gather the spiritual energy of your surroundings to heal a target. Embraced targets are able to heal others for a limit of 2 minutes. Grants ally Spiritual Torrent.

 

•  Spiritual Torrent

           Propel your souls energy in the shape of ones self resulting in a rushing wave of spiritual energy. Deals moderate damage.

 

  Mindfulness

You open up the minds of allies close to you, preventing the disorientation of their performance amplifying their truth of their performance on the battlefield. Grants Ally Mindfulness for a limit of 3 uses. Grants Ally Unguarded Soul.

 

•  Unguarded Soul

           You utilize you spirit to project your energy to disrupt with your targets chakra network degrading their defense.

 

 Third Eye

You awaken your third eye granting your allies nullification towards Psionic any mez effects, blockading them from delusion that cloud their judgment, transcending your chakra through your mastery of your spirit. Grants ally Sightless Soul.

 

•  Sightless Soul

          You disrupt your targets spirit plummeting their senses lessening their perception

 

 Transmigration

You transcend your chakra through your mastery of your spirit to move the vacant soul into its deceased body. Grants ally Spirit Transfer. Does not grant ally this move

 

•  Spirit Transfer

          You dispense the spiritual energy of a target and imbue that energy into yourself.

 

 Earthly Detachment

Your mastery of chakra had granted you the ability to depart from the physical plane, those closest to targeted ally will grant protection from any physical restraints such as mez and status protection. Grants ally Upheaval and Weaken Spirit. Does not grant ally this move

 

•  Upheaval

           You harness the spiritual energy form the afterlife to raise the hands of enlightenment, knocking foes upward. Deals Superior Damage, has only 1 usage

 

•  Weaken Spirit

           You extend your spirit onto a foe by sheer presence, severely plummets their ability to dish out damage on those who have departed form the physical plane. This is an auto move.

 

 

Conclusion

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Thank you for viewing my proposal I decided to do one with a spiritual theme as I was looking for ways to increase personal motivation given these circumstances. Hope you guys enjoy this new concept for Defenders and support based AT in general, hope that the theme was enough to allow for this new approach to this playstyle. Hopefully reading through this post will awaken your spirit and unlocked new potential for this thread. 

 

I will release potential animation and effects in the future for visualization.

Edited April 13, 2021 by OmnibusOmnh

[Steampunkette]

So... let me make sure I understand this...

 

This is a powerset which essentially "Grants" a second powerset to another player (Or group of players) as you use your abilities, and that powerset is:

 

1 Melee Attack

1 Energy Drain

1 Cone Attack

1 Defense Debuff

1 Perception Debuff

1 Lifesteal (Autofire)

1 Superior Damage Melee Attack

1 Damage Debuff (Autofire)

 

And this is on top of two single target heals, large quantities of Psionic Resistance as well as Debuff and Mez Resistance and Mez Protection?

 

It's definitely -unusual-. And it seems like it would heavily rely on a pop up tray setup for the power-granting effects which it would absolutely need to be a useful support set during the leveling process since there's very little Psionic Damage pre-40 and almost half the archetypes get mez protection to some degree or another. It would be pretty great at high end, with the ability to provide heaping helpings of resistance to something many people have as a "Hole" in their builds, for sure, and all the Debuff Resistance would be great.

 

I am worried that the reliance on pop up tray functionality would put off a large portion of the game's population who already use Null the Gull to turn off their pop ups. Though if it granted them as standard Temp Powers into their bar it could be just as effective without being as bothersome, but likely more confusing as people tend to set up their trays to certain orders and having a temp power pop up in the first empty slot could make it largely ignored and/or annoying should someone fat-finger 5 and hit 4 and suddenly instead of healing themself they're stuck in an animation for Spirit Blade.

 

I would like to note that Redirect as a concept has been brought up, before, many times. Unfortunately CoH doesn't keep track of which enemy made which attack beyond keeping the name for a ToHit Check, so it doesn't have the capability of sending damage back to the target. It also can't "Price Match" damage on the fly to equal out values or anything. There's also no "If I get Hit do X" logic circuit in the engine, so retributive PBAoE damage or hitting the buff-caster while applying an equal-magnitude heal to the person with the effect on them is right out, as well.

 

Redirect will have to be replaced, unfortunately. But I'm eager to see people's ideas on how to avoid the minor issues I've presented on displaying the new powers the targets are granted!

[OmnibusOmnh]

1 hour ago, Steampunkette said:

So... let me make sure I understand this...

 

This is a powerset which essentially "Grants" a second powerset to another player (Or group of players) as you use your abilities, and that powerset is:

 

1 Melee Attack

1 Energy Drain

1 Cone Attack

1 Defense Debuff

1 Perception Debuff

1 Lifesteal (Autofire)

1 Superior Damage Melee Attack

1 Damage Debuff (Autofire)

 

And this is on top of two single target heals, large quantities of Psionic Resistance as well as Debuff and Mez Resistance and Mez Protection?

 

It's definitely -unusual-. And it seems like it would heavily rely on a pop up tray setup for the power-granting effects which it would absolutely need to be a useful support set during the leveling process since there's very little Psionic Damage pre-40 and almost half the archetypes get mez protection to some degree or another. It would be pretty great at high end, with the ability to provide heaping helpings of resistance to something many people have as a "Hole" in their builds, for sure, and all the Debuff Resistance would be great.

 

I am worried that the reliance on pop up tray functionality would put off a large portion of the game's population who already use Null the Gull to turn off their pop ups. Though if it granted them as standard Temp Powers into their bar it could be just as effective without being as bothersome, but likely more confusing as people tend to set up their trays to certain orders and having a temp power pop up in the first empty slot could make it largely ignored and/or annoying should someone fat-finger 5 and hit 4 and suddenly instead of healing themself they're stuck in an animation for Spirit Blade.

 

I would like to note that Redirect as a concept has been brought up, before, many times. Unfortunately CoH doesn't keep track of which enemy made which attack beyond keeping the name for a ToHit Check, so it doesn't have the capability of sending damage back to the target. It also can't "Price Match" damage on the fly to equal out values or anything. There's also no "If I get Hit do X" logic circuit in the engine, so retributive PBAoE damage or hitting the buff-caster while applying an equal-magnitude heal to the person with the effect on them is right out, as well.

 

Redirect will have to be replaced, unfortunately. But I'm eager to see people's ideas on how to avoid the minor issues I've presented on displaying the new powers the targets are granted!

I understand the concerns about this mechanic of popups let me clarify..

 

I wouldn't have them popup in the tray automatically I would have the said granted powerset be introduced as a player choice similar to mystic fortune or team teleport and then be granted in the power slide tray, so that you may inset it at will into your inventory at will. 

 

Secondly, as for the variety of secondary sets I ensured that they would have either limited uses or a time limit to properly restrain the power set or even extensive recharge time although as the powers are temporary and are in short duration I'm sure that mechanic would be meaningless.

 

Also I want to assure you, as the style for support I'm proposing is different from the traditional way it's used; I did not intent to use Spirituality as an excuse to introduce an OP set, I wanted to maintain the theme so that there are a variety of ways one can amplify and enhance ones spirit to aid allies and ward off enemies as it is traditionally used in popular media. 

Nevertheless I ensured that despite the variety it would still be fairly balanced in power granting duration and it's overall effectiveness as not all melee deal extensive damage and not every debuffs effect is degrading.

 

Lastly on the issue of redirect, I am fully aware the game does not have the exact mechanics to properly enact for redirect to function as I intended, however I am perfectly okay with that. However I won't consider removing it altogether however. Due to it's structural importance in theme of how spirituality works as a whole, as well as the fact it provides a nice low tier introduction to the uniqueness of the set; while allowing the player to be introduced to the theme Spirituality, while simultaneously grasp on how this new support function will work. 

 

Overall I absolutely understand your criticism however I am justfying the distinct functionality and powers of the set as it generally allows for other players to be more involved in supporting others through the power grants, while at the same time being able to enjoy it's theme  as they make their way towards enlightenment (Metaphorically Speaking)

 

I hope you understand now the overall premise of this set and this clears up concerns on any aspects of the set.  

Edited April 13, 2021 by OmnibusOmnh

[Steampunkette]

Oh, no. I understand the premise just fine. And I don't think the "Granted Powerset" is OP or anything. Just worried about how to make it work.

 

I think the Mystic Fortune is an interesting way to go for it? But with so many powers triggering it, you'd have players who pretty much perpetually have a pop up right in the middle of their screen while they're trying to fight since almost every power in the set grants a power. And then having to drag it onto the bar from the power window seems clunky, and reduces it's usefulness in the current fight. That could be a little troubling.

 

As to redirect: It cannot work. It's not just that it lacks the functions to "Properly Enact it". It lacks the functions to enact it in any way, whatsoever. People have gone back and forth in multiple threads with Dev involvement with "Okay but what about X?" "X Won't work because Y" "Oh, well what about Q?" "Q interacts with Y so it can't do it, either."

 

Unless the Devs spend a boatload of time creating a whole call mechanic affecting every character in the game to make this one power function exist... it just... can't.

 

You could make it into a PBAoE Damage/Repel effect so that enemies who get close to you get damaged and pushed away, but then you'd have "Spiritualists" just slotting it with a bunch of damage procs and rushing into a fight.

 

Heck... even if the devs did spend however long it takes to make the retributive damage effect function, people would slot it for Damage Procs and do more damage to those who hurt them which really isn't very Enlightened.

[Monos King]

2 hours ago, Steampunkette said:

I would like to note that Redirect as a concept has been brought up, before, many times. Unfortunately CoH doesn't keep track of which enemy made which attack beyond keeping the name for a ToHit Check, so it doesn't have the capability of sending damage back to the target. It also can't "Price Match" damage on the fly to equal out values or anything. There's also no "If I get Hit do X" logic circuit in the engine, so retributive PBAoE damage or hitting the buff-caster while applying an equal-magnitude heal to the person with the effect on them is right out, as well.

 

I think you summarized my concerns on potency pretty well, so I agree there. Omn some of the powers should be enhanced, and some toned down a bit. The power needs more support. But you also highlighted a lot of cautions here, some of which I have had in other threads as well. If I'm being honest, I personally am a bit fed up with such concerns. I feel as though they stifle creativity.

 

I'm fond of Omnibus' threads because of the uniqueness of the mechanics I see. For all of homecomings graces, fresh mechanics are few and new powersets are nearly non-existent. Rather than clip the possibilities of newer mechanics out of fear from potential inconvenience, I'm much more interested in the profoundness of the play. Inconveniences can be worked around easily, but an exciting new powerset is much more scarce. I love love love the idea of getting temporary powers from another powerset. Unique, fun, makes me feel truly empowered by someone else. @OmnibusOmnh some of the powers might be too powerful to be applicable so they'd need to be reigned in a bit, but it's a great idea. That being said, a pop up tray can definitely fill up so you should just let them be granted temporary powers, with perhaps an auto power showing up in the bar alerting the target they have been Enlightened.

 

Redirection in particular comes up often, but just because it seems unconventional or unintuitive to install doesn't mean it should be given up on if it's popular. Far too often I see interesting ideas dismissed out of "impossibility" when it could certainly be worked on or at the very least approximated to near function. Here is one throw away idea. Redirection is added to the game as a tag for the eponymous power and future similar effects. What the tag does is temporarily make damaging attacks target the owner of the attack, simulating reflection. Something like that. Is that feasible? I am not sure. Probably more feasible than raw redirection. But I am extremely against calling things impossible and discouraging the imagination of ideas. Let's just note that it is difficult or does not currently exist, and that that is something we will have to brainstorm.

 

26 minutes ago, Steampunkette said:

Heck... even if the devs did spend however long it takes to make the retributive damage effect function, people would slot it for Damage Procs and do more damage to those who hurt them which really isn't very Enlightened.

That's funny, but hardly the concern of the power itself. People proc everything, that's a separate matter.

 

In total I think the idea behind the powerset is great. It could stand to cement if its a buff, debuff, or hybrid set, as that identity isn't really clear. But I wouldn't have any issue with something as meager as server tray management if it meant I was getting cool empowerments and abilities.

[Steampunkette]

The Server Tray Management thing is, ultimately, just a matter of display.

 

What if instead of triggering the traditional pop-up tray, we created a separate "Pop Up Tray" that functioned like the floating tray placed 80 pixels below the center of the screen?

 

Could even have it configured as a 2x2 tray, and only allow a maximum of 4 "Granted Powers" from any source, to open up the mechanic of power-sharing to other sets in the future?

 

Could even make it a "Routine Screen Element" that is hidden by default, and can be moved around the screen while active so players can place it where it best fits their personal tastes?

[OmnibusOmnh]

22 minutes ago, Steampunkette said:

The Server Tray Management thing is, ultimately, just a matter of display.

 

What if instead of triggering the traditional pop-up tray, we created a separate "Pop Up Tray" that functioned like the floating tray placed 80 pixels below the center of the screen?

 

Could even have it configured as a 2x2 tray, and only allow a maximum of 4 "Granted Powers" from any source, to open up the mechanic of power-sharing to other sets in the future?

 

Could even make it a "Routine Screen Element" that is hidden by default, and can be moved around the screen while active so players can place it where it best fits their personal tastes?

 

Yeah absolutely that is a great alternative, I totally agree with that. My original plan was that once you gained a granted ability you wouldn't be able to obtain the same ability until the duration or the uses are worn off. I think this suggestion allows for not more than 2 granted abilities while not being do disruptive on screen. I think the 'Routine Screen Element' that is a very good addition not just to the power set but game mechanics overall.

 

Many thanks for the suggestion.

Edited April 13, 2021 by OmnibusOmnh

[Steampunkette]

Happy to help, Omni! I sincerely am trying to be helpful, even if I sometimes come across as pretty negative.

 

I tend to list all the problems out in text and hope someone else solves them while they percolate in the back of my brain and then come back, later, with my own ideas (If I get one).

 

And even this one might be a stinker based on where a particular player keeps their power trays...