Kheldian Inherent Revamp

[Hyperstrike]

On 4/5/2024 at 7:58 PM, Whitest Light said:

Lucianna posted in the suggestion forum some suggestions for a Kheldian revamp but, unfortunately it got locked after things got a little chippy. 

 

Since that will probably be lost to time, I thought I'd post a suggestion I made there for altering the Kheldian Inherent (slightly modified since I've given it more thought).

 

Background:

 

Cosmic Balance/Dark Sustenance are inherents from all the way back of I3 when Kheldians were introduced. Back then, Kheldians were Post-50 ATs aimed at folks who had a solid understanding of the game and wanted a little more challenge. Likewise, Kheldians were supposed to be team-oriented and work best while on a team. As such, the inherent gives some fairly significant boosts to damage, resistance, mez protection, and debuff resistance if you're part of a full (and varied) team. There's nothing wrong with that in and of itself but these inherents have gone untouched after major changes of the game have occurred . A well-built PB or WS can self-cap resists and has mez protection, meaning teaming with half of the ATs available has no real benefit. In short, the inherents are antiquated: made for a age long-past and a meta that no longer exists. They need a refresh.

 

Suggestion:

 

PBs are jack-of-all-trades and WS's are chaotic clouds of death but both have at their disposal the ability to become mini-Blasters or mini-Tanks with the press of a button. Human-only playstyles do exist for those that don't want to engage in the frenetic back-and-forth of Bi-Form or Tri-Form but on the whole, I think shapeshifting is what sets Kheldians apart from all other ATs.

 

The inherent should lean into that. Like... hard. My proposal is to revamp the inherent into a mechanic with two primary design goals:

 

1.) Incentivize shapeshifting as the hallmark of the AT. The more you do it, the more powerful you become.

2.) Incentivize playing as part of a team. Kheldians should thrive when teamed up.

 

1.) Kheldian Shift

 

I've dubbed this "Kheldian Shift" but the name is can be anything. This is where Kheldians could really shine as shapeshifters. Switching forms and attacking causes a Kheldian to gain Shift utilizing a bar like Fury. Attacks immediately following a form switch generate Shift as function of the base endurance costs of attacks. 1 Endurance spent equals 1 Shift generated with stronger attacks naturally generating more. However, Shift generation from attacks drop in effectiveness the longer you stay in one form: -10%/sec, all the way to 0 after 10 seconds That is to say, a Radiant Strike 3 seconds after coming off of Nova didn't generate 10 Shift, it only generated 7. Also note that the overall Shift bar decays rapidly at 10%/sec. (If this seems punishing, it is! But read on...!)  

 

As Shift builds, the Kheldian enjoys improved attributes (depending on what form they're in) at a 1:1 ratio of percentage. That is, at 25% Shift, you'll get 25% improvement in a given attribute. See below.

 

• In Human Form, they gain +Recharge and Recovery. Human Form powers have the least amount of damage but at high Shift levels, they can use them more often and without worrying too much about Endurance. Being in Human Form also "fuels" the Recharge of long click powers like Light Form and Eclipse. I would like to think of Human Form as the foundation, and the most versatile, but definitely the weakest in combat. 
• In Nova Form, they gain +Damage and Accuracy. This is essentially doubling-down on what Nova already provides. With high Shift levels and good slotting, Nova form should easily double the damage of equivalent Human Form powers. However, staying in Nova Form for too long will cause Shift levels to drop so you can't deal high damage forever. Likewise, Nova doesn't have access to heals or other click powers.
• in Dwarf Form, they gain +Regeneration and Damage, albeit at a 2:1 for Regen and 1:1/2 for Damage. That is to say, at 100% Shift, Dwarf has +200% Regeneration and +50% Damage. Dwarf in Melee hits harder than Human and due to Regeneration, has more lasting power than Human Form even with Light Form/Eclipse. However, it is melee only and has a limited attack chain.  

 

2.) Team Dynamics

 

The above appears to make Kheldians able to buff themselves at-will so who needs a team? This is where the second design goal comes in and where the difference between PBs and WSs becomes more apparent. Gone are the AT-specific buffs of Cosmic Balance/Dark Sustenance and instead it's simplified to just the total number of teammates. For every additional teammate:

 

• Peacebringer Shift decay is reduced by 10% (minimum 3%/sec)
• Warshade Shift generation is increased by 10% (maxed +70%)
• Maximum Shift is increased by 5% (maxed at 135%)

 

So on a team, PBs gain Shift normally but decay at a much slower rate. Warshades are on the opposite end, rapidly gaining Shift but decaying at normal speed. Two different approaches but roughly the same outcome while in battle. PBs are better at sustaining high Shift but Warshades are better at getting it high to begin with. 

 

Playing solo, a Kheldian would have to frantically switch forms every few attacks to to keep the bar topped off but as a part of a team, you'll have a significantly easier time keeping Shift going. Not only that, but your maximum is higher even if you have a perfect build. Teaming up is still the "intended" way to play Kheldians.

 

...but wait, there's more!

 

If you go above 100% Shift, the portion over 100% spills over to your teammates. They get 50% of the Shift bonuses from any "overflow", so on a full team, you could theoretically buff all of them +17.5% Damage, Accuracy, Recharge, Recovery, etc. depending on what form you're in. Alas, Shift overflow only stacks one additional time from multiple Kheldians (sorry all-Kheld teams). Just by the nature of how Shift works for PBs vs. WSs, PBs will be the "steadier" of the two for team buffs but Warshades will bury the needle once they get going. I think that's about par for the course, anyway.

 

However, this makes teaming with a Kheldian a much more positive experience. They're naturally giving off a lot of useful buffs just by being themselves! 

 

Summary:

 

The more you switch, attack and switch, the more Shift you build. Kheldians would be known for getting stronger as they fight while also helping nearby teammates. +Recharge in the inherent also mitigates the necessity for high global recharge (which lowers build variety). With Shift in place, the need for such high global recharge is diminished and less-than-perfect slotting can still achieve high-end survivability. The extra damage in Nova/Dwarf also makes them more attractive overall.

 

If this all this seems like we're going into OP territory, don't forget that Kheldians are having to team up or perform a whirling dervish in order get to high Shift levels (especially solo). If they're slightly over-tuned, it's because they have to work for it. It's my hope something like this would make playing a Kheldian a unique but fun experience but also have something to show for all the work you do.

 

Let me know what you think and any suggestions!

Devil's Advocate:

So, the ability to specially craft a build that negates the inherent means there's exactly ZERO use to the Inherent for anyone else?

[Maelwys]

I've always played Warshades as Tri-Formers because the Eclipse + Double Mire + Nova Form Blasts playstyle performs so highly that anything else is basically intentionally crippling your own performance.

However IMO Peacebringers are much less incentivized to take multiple forms in the first place; since the Human Form contains all of the core tools (Buffs, Heals, CC, Light Form) and can still deal reasonable levels of Melee, Ranged and AoE damage without the need to look like a deformed jellyfish. Even Triform PBs often prefer to remain within a single chosen situational form until they need to refresh a long-duration clicky (e.g. Light Form or Inner Light).

Having an inherent that penalizes a Kheldian who does NOT take multiple forms and swap between them like an overly caffeinated squirrel with ADHD is not my idea of fun.

Cosmic Balance/Dark Sustenance is rubbish, yes. However the idea behind it (buffing the owner depending on their team) isn't horrible. It could easily grant stuff like +Regeneration, Maximum HP, -Resistance Debuffs, +MezDuration, etc. in addition to or instead of Damage/Resistance/etc; and my personal preference would be to keep it simple and just give them a variable Vigilance-style buff that gets *SHARED* with their teammates... perhaps weighted towards Damage Output for Warshades and Increased Survivability for Peacebringers.
 

Edited April 24 by Maelwys