Powerset Scheme Suggestion: Reaper Scythe (Battle Axe)

[Leogunner]

Reaper Scythe

 

 

Both a reskin and a unique take on the Battle Axe melee set.  Note: because I liked their suggestion so much, this idea is going off another posters' suggested changes for Battle Axe (here).  tl;dr of those battle axe changes is, axe's secondary effect would be slightly extended range (+2 to +4 feet) with some extra cleave action (some attacks are actually narrow cones) and the overall set is improved to have some higher damage attacks in conjunction to having higher recharge times.  It's important to note these changes because my set takes away much of that in exchange for its unique mechanic.

 

To reiterate, I'm suggesting this have the same cast times for most of its powers so that the set's animations can also be ported to Battle Axe as an option as well as vice versa.  This, I feel (in a fantasy world where new sets are being animated), could be a way to breath new life into old sets without directly tipping the scales into power creep.  The same could technically be done for any older sets, really.

 

Another note, this is a 2-handed set.  This means, technically, you could use Battle Axe animations if you want to pair this with shield or if you are Battle Axe and want to use the 2-handed animations, you cannot do so if you have Shield Defense.

 

If you're an American comicbook purist who feels there should be an equivalent somewhere amongst DC or Marvel, this suggestion may not be for you.  I'm a comicbook casual but an anime/manga enthusiast, mostly.

 

Archetypes

Reaper Scythe is a melee attack set for current Tanker, Brute and Scrapper archetypes. I'd like a version of Battle Axe for Stalker too so that I could create a scythe wielding assassin.

 

Mechanics

Reaper Scythe's unique mechanic is called Marked for Death.  Every attack within the set that does damage has a small chance of granting a target the "marked for death" effect.  A target under the effects of Fear has a moderately increased chance to gain the "marked for death" effect and a target under the effects of Sleep have a greatly increased chance to gain the "marked for death" effect.  Reaper Scythe attacks against a target under this effect lowers their resistance to Sleep, Fear, Immobilize, Hold and Disorient effects.

 

Marked for Death does not stack or refresh but instead, pays its effects off when it expires.  As a granted power, its effects are determined by the user (the target with the "marked for death" effect). 

 

On minion and below targets, "marked for death" lasts 6 seconds. Upon expiration, the target will cast an AoE mag 2 4sec fear around itself and be immune to "marked for death" for 6 seconds.  If the target dies before it expires, it will 100% pass this effect onto another minion foe within 20ft and have a moderate (20%) chance to also pass the effect onto a Lt. or above target.

 

On a Lt or above (including players), "marked for death" lasts 6 seconds.  Upon expiration, the target receives a moderate amount of Negative Energy damage and -1 mag protection for 18sec.

 

To clarify, Reaper Scythe attacks deal Lethal damage only while Marked for Death deals Negative Energy damage to Lt or above.

 

	Name	Primary	Secondary	Description
	Throat Slash	1	1	Melee, Moderate DMG(lethal), 40% Foe Knockdown, +Mark for Death
	Butcher	1	2	Melee, High DMG(lethal), 40% Foe Knockdown, +Mark for Death
	Dissect	2	4	Melee, Narrow Cone, Superior DMG(lethal), +Mark for Death
	Taunt	6	10	Ranged (Targeted AoE), Foe Taunt, -Range
	Reap	8	16	Self +DMG, +ToHit, Special +Absorb
	Crescent Cut	12	20	Melee, Superior DMG(lethal), 70% Foe Knockup, +Mark for Death
	Rift into the Abyss	18	28	PBAoE, Foe -ToHit, Foe Terrorize
	Pull	26	35	Close, Extreme DMG(lethal), Foe Teleport, +Mark for Death
	Guillotine	32	38	Melee Cone (180 degrees), Superior DMG(lethal), Foe +Mark for Death, +Special

 

---

 

Powers, Alphabetically:

 

Butcher

Melee, Single Target, High Lethal Damage, Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Chop, this can only hit one foe but shares the same damage.  A foe hit with Butcher has a chance to be Marked for Death and Knocked down.

Set Categories: Melee, Knockback

 

Crescent Cut

Melee, Single Target, Superior Lethal Damage, Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Swoop, and shares the same damage amount.  A deadly vertical slash can send your target flying upward.  A foe hit with Crescent Cut has a chance to be Marked for Death and Knocked up.

Set Categories: Melee, Knockback

 

Dissect

Narrow Cone, 3 Targets, Superior Lethal Damage, Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Gash, this shares the same cone radius but without the extra range or knockdown.  This attack is slow but can strike multiple foes.  Foes hit with Dissect have a chance to be Marked for Death.

Set Categories: PBAoE

 

 

Guillotine

Melee Cone (180 degrees), Superior Lethal Damage, Special, Very Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Pendulum, this shares the same radius but without the extra range or knockdown and does slightly less damage. This attack spares none in its arc.  Foes hit with Guillotine have a chance to be Marked for Death.  If a target that is Marked for Death is hit by Guillotine, the Marked for Death effect will instantly expire after this attack.

Set Categories: PBAoE

Notes: When a target that is Marked is hit by a Reaper Scythe attack, their resistance to mez is reduced.  This attack will apply that effect before Marked for Death is made to expire.

 

Pull

Close Range (40ft), Single Target, Extreme Lethal Damage, Foe Teleport, Very Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Cleave, this attack can reach at a longer range but only hits one foe. Yank a victim closer and pull your blade through them.  Foes hit by Pull have a chance to be Marked for Death.

Set Categories: Ranged, Teleport

Notes: Same range as Claws Focus, this has the added effect of pulling a target to you (teleportation).  This is the set's strongest attack, same as Battle Axe's Cleave.

 

Reap

Click: Self +DMG, +ToHit, Special +Absorb (8% Max HP), Long Recharge

Counterpart to Build Up, Reap has the same damage and ToHit buff with the same duration but gets stacking +Absorb for every hit on a foe that is Marked for Death.  When striking a foe that is Marked for Death, you can feed off their fear and inevitable demise, lessening their resolve to fight back.

Set Categories: ToHit Buff, Heal/Absorb

Notes: Stacks to max of +25% Absorb ontop of any Absorb you currently have. Max duration of 20sec.

 

Rift into the Abyss

PBAoE, Foe -ToHit, Fear, caster must be near the ground, Long Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Whirling Axe, this skill does no damage but can put foes in a state of paralyzing fear. 

Set Categories: ToHit Debuff, Accurate ToHit Debuff, Fear

Notes: For animations, I'd like two versions: one where you stab the ground, opening up a chasm underneath you as well as a "slash open the air" animation revealing a portal into someplace else for a short time.  Either can work with current Whirling Axe.

 

Throat Slash

Melee, Single Target, Moderate Lethal Damage, Fast Recharge

Counterpart to Beheader, the damage and effects match just without Battle Axe's extra range.  Attempt to remove your opponent's head with a slash at the neck.  Foes hit with Throat Slash have a chance to be Marked for Death and knocked down.

Set Categories: Melee, Knockback

 

Marked for Death

Target Self: Special, 6sec Duration

The chance of placing this power on a target is low (around 5%).

The chance of placing this power on a terrorized target is moderate (20%).

The chance of placing this power on a sleeping target is very high (75%).

Foes Marked for Death will have their resistance to fear, sleep, hold, immobilize and disorient reduced by 12% for 25sec every time they are struck with a Reaper Scythe attack.

When a minion or below is defeated while Marked for Death, they will cast Marked for Death on another minion within 20ft and has a low chance of casting it again on a Lt or above target.

When a minion's Marked for Death expires, it casts a short range AoE mag2 fear and will remain immune to Marked for Death for 6 seconds

When a Lt's or above Marked for Death expires, it will apply a Moderate to High amount of Negative Energy damage to itself and their protection to Fear, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize and Disorient is reduced by 1 for 18sec.  You can reapply Marked for Death immediately after it expires.

 

---

 

Just some thoughts, this set is supposed to shine on a Tanker moreso than a Brute or Scrapper.  The damage from Marked for Death would have a base standard depending on the target, not the caster and most of its attacks are slow and powerful with a secondary effect meant for permanently shutting down targets once they are mezzed.

 

Also, thanks to malonkey1 as I copied your post format and just plugged in new stuff.

 

 

 

 

[pattycake]

Sublime.

+1 magnitude stun

[Leogunner]

Thanks.

 

My main concern is the set's effects may not fall in line with mainstream fire farm, min/max DPS type of playstyles that are all the rage now.

 

My initial thoughts as I'm rereading it (at least 1/3 of the idea sparked into existence as I was typing it all out) is this would make for a decent setup for a Tanktroller type that might be made to hold AVs even.  But I don't believe there are any debuffs out there that reduce resistance to mez so I had no idea what numbers to use so that could be something improved.

 

But I certainly wanted to make sure the set didn't do too many things.

[pattycake]

My favorite part about this suggestion is the unique (pull), I think it would make great use in this game.

[malonkey1]

Reaper Scythe

 

 

Both a reskin and a unique take on the Battle Axe melee set.  Note: because I liked their suggestion so much, this idea is going off another posters' suggested changes for Battle Axe (here).  tl;dr of those battle axe changes is, axe's secondary effect would be slightly extended range (+2 to +4 feet) with some extra cleave action (some attacks are actually narrow cones) and the overall set is improved to have some higher damage attacks in conjunction to having higher recharge times.  It's important to note these changes because my set takes away much of that in exchange for its unique mechanic.

 

To reiterate, I'm suggesting this have the same cast times for most of its powers so that the set's animations can also be ported to Battle Axe as an option as well as vice versa.  This, I feel (in a fantasy world where new sets are being animated), could be a way to breath new life into old sets without directly tipping the scales into power creep.  The same could technically be done for any older sets, really.

 

Okay, so it's designed as sort of a more modern counterpart to Battle Axe. I dig it.

 

Another note, this is a 2-handed set.  This means, technically, you could use Battle Axe animations if you want to pair this with shield or if you are Battle Axe and want to use the 2-handed animations, you cannot do so if you have Shield Defense.

 

If you're an American comicbook purist who feels there should be an equivalent somewhere amongst DC or Marvel, this suggestion may not be for you.  I'm a comicbook casual but an anime/manga enthusiast, mostly.

 

There are a few scythe-wielding comic book characters. Most notably Grim Reaper from Marvel Comics.

 

Mechanics

Reaper Scythe's unique mechanic is called Marked for Death.  Every attack within the set that does damage has a small chance of granting a target the "marked for death" effect.  A target under the effects of Fear has a moderately increased chance to gain the "marked for death" effect and a target under the effects of Sleep have a greatly increased chance to gain the "marked for death" effect.  Reaper Scythe attacks against a target under this effect lowers their resistance to Sleep, Fear, Immobilize, Hold and Disorient effects.

 

Marked for Death does not stack or refresh but instead, pays its effects off when it expires.  As a granted power, its effects are determined by the user (the target with the "marked for death" effect). 

 

On minion and below targets, "marked for death" lasts 6 seconds. Upon expiration, the target will cast an AoE mag 2 4sec fear around itself and be immune to "marked for death" for 6 seconds.  If the target dies before it expires, it will 100% pass this effect onto another minion foe within 20ft and have a moderate (20%) chance to also pass the effect onto a Lt. or above target.

 

On a Lt or above (including players), "marked for death" lasts 6 seconds.  Upon expiration, the target receives a moderate amount of Negative Energy damage and -1 mag protection for 18sec.

 

To clarify, Reaper Scythe attacks deal Lethal damage only while Marked for Death deals Negative Energy damage to Lt or above.

 

I think it's kind of interesting that this powerset has this mechanic, but it doesn't get anything that really enables it until much later on. I actually feel like you could get away with having a low-mag Fear effect on one of your earlier powers (probably the T3).

 

Dissect

Narrow Cone, 3 Targets, Superior Lethal Damage, Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Gash, this shares the same cone radius but without the extra range or knockdown.  This attack is slow but can strike multiple foes.  Foes hit with Dissect have a chance to be Marked for Death.

Set Categories: PBAoE

 

This is the one where I feel you could get away with having a low-Mag Fear effect, since without a way to inflict Fear or Sleep, you have to rely on your team having those debuffs to be able to keep MFD reliable.

 

Guillotine

Melee Cone (180 degrees), Superior Lethal Damage, Special, Very Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Pendulum, this shares the same radius but without the extra range or knockdown and does slightly less damage. This attack spares none in its arc.  Foes hit with Guillotine have a chance to be Marked for Death.  If a target that is Marked for Death is hit by Guillotine, the Marked for Death effect will instantly expire after this attack.

Set Categories: PBAoE

Notes: When a target that is Marked is hit by a Reaper Scythe attack, their resistance to mez is reduced.  This attack will apply that effect before Marked for Death is made to expire.

 

This is a cool power. It does everything it needs to do to enhance the rest of the set (hit a bunch of guys for to inflict MFD, MFD pops, you get Fear on a bunch of guys to hit them with MFD again.). Would be a must-have for this powerset.

 

Pull

Close Range (40ft), Single Target, Extreme Lethal Damage, Foe Teleport, Very Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Cleave, this attack can reach at a longer range but only hits one foe. Yank a victim closer and pull your blade through them.  Foes hit by Pull have a chance to be Marked for Death.

Set Categories: Ranged, Teleport

Notes: Same range as Claws Focus, this has the added effect of pulling a target to you (teleportation).  This is the set's strongest attack, same as Battle Axe's Cleave.

 

This is a neat unique power. There is the issue of how that would be animated, but overall, the idea of a melee set with a "GET OVER HERE" power is really cool and I'm surprised none of the sets yet have it.

 

Reap

Click: Self +DMG, +ToHit, Special +Absorb (8% Max HP), Long Recharge

Counterpart to Build Up, Reap has the same damage and ToHit buff with the same duration but gets stacking +Absorb for every hit on a foe that is Marked for Death.  When striking a foe that is Marked for Death, you can feed off their fear and inevitable demise, lessening their resolve to fight back.

Set Categories: ToHit Buff, Heal/Absorb

Notes: Stacks to max of +25% Absorb ontop of any Absorb you currently have. Max duration of 20sec.

 

That's pretty neat. It's a power that encourages attacking, but also enables tanking. I don't know about the numbers on Absorb there, since I'm not very familiar with the mechanic, but I would certainly be interested to see it in action. It looks like it could be strong under the right team composition to keep hitting that MFD.

 

Rift into the Abyss

PBAoE, Foe -ToHit, Fear, caster must be near the ground, Long Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Whirling Axe, this skill does no damage but can put foes in a state of paralyzing fear. 

Set Categories: ToHit Debuff, Accurate ToHit Debuff, Fear

Notes: For animations, I'd like two versions: one where you stab the ground, opening up a chasm underneath you as well as a "slash open the air" animation revealing a portal into someplace else for a short time.  Either can work with current Whirling Axe.

 

It's kind of odd seeing a no-damage Mez in a melee set, but for a tanktroller/scraptroller-type character, this could certainly be handy to have. Max out recharge, put this on auto, and keep mezzing them down and hitting them with MFD and Guillotine for extra Fear hits.

 

Marked for Death

Target Self: Special, 6sec Duration

The chance of placing this power on a target is low (around 5%).

The chance of placing this power on a terrorized target is moderate (20%).

The chance of placing this power on a sleeping target is very high (75%).

Foes Marked for Death will have their resistance to fear, sleep, hold, immobilize and disorient reduced by 12% for 25sec every time they are struck with a Reaper Scythe attack.

When a minion or below is defeated while Marked for Death, they will cast Marked for Death on another minion within 20ft and has a low chance of casting it again on a Lt or above target.

When a minion's Marked for Death expires, it casts a short range AoE mag2 fear and will remain immune to Marked for Death for 6 seconds

When a Lt's or above Marked for Death expires, it will apply a Moderate to High amount of Negative Energy damage to itself and their protection to Fear, Sleep, Hold, Immobilize and Disorient is reduced by 1 for 18sec.  You can reapply Marked for Death immediately after it expires.

 

The mechanic of the set. The -Res to Mez is a nice touch both for tanktroller-types and for helping out controllers and doms on the team, especially AVs.

 

Just some thoughts, this set is supposed to shine on a Tanker moreso than a Brute or Scrapper.  The damage from Marked for Death would have a base standard depending on the target, not the caster and most of its attacks are slow and powerful with a secondary effect meant for permanently shutting down targets once they are mezzed.

 

Also, thanks to malonkey1 as I copied your post format and just plugged in new stuff.

 

I think it's fine for a set to be more geared for one AT than others. I'm sure Tankers would appreciate the love. Overall, I think this set is pretty interesting to look at, and I'd love to actually play it if it were made. A Stalker version would be good. I think the Assassin's Strike in their version should have a guaranteed MFD if used while hidden.

[justicebeliever]

Leogunner - I am a sucker for new powersets - I am totally thinking Reaper (from Batman: Year Two, though he had two scythes (instead of hands), or as mentioned, Grim Reaper...

 

+1 Inf

[Rylas]

Reaper Scythe

 

[insane amount of detail for a well thought out set]

 

Wow. That's really great! A cool new mechanic for creating a unique set. A cool new "pull" effect. Attention to detail in creating power icons. I mean... shit. You covered it all. +1 for all of that, and another +1 for suggesting a set I'd be really interested in playing.

[Leogunner]

 

I think it's kind of interesting that this powerset has this mechanic, but it doesn't get anything that really enables it until much later on. I actually feel like you could get away with having a low-mag Fear effect on one of your earlier powers (probably the T3).

 

Dissect

Narrow Cone, 3 Targets, Superior Lethal Damage, Slow Recharge

Counterpart to Battle Axe's Gash, this shares the same cone radius but without the extra range or knockdown.  This attack is slow but can strike multiple foes.  Foes hit with Dissect have a chance to be Marked for Death.

Set Categories: PBAoE

 

This is the one where I feel you could get away with having a low-Mag Fear effect, since without a way to inflict Fear or Sleep, you have to rely on your team having those debuffs to be able to keep MFD reliable.

 

I think you may be right.  I initially started out with jack_nomind's upgraded Battle Axe set and decided on stuff to take out to fit in the new mechanics.  Putting in a bit more to facilitate the mechanic would be necessary.

 

 

I think it's fine for a set to be more geared for one AT than others. I'm sure Tankers would appreciate the love. Overall, I think this set is pretty interesting to look at, and I'd love to actually play it if it were made. A Stalker version would be good. I think the Assassin's Strike in their version should have a guaranteed MFD if used while hidden.

 

I thought about creating a Stalker version and display the Brute/Scrapper version but your template didn't have room and I was too lazy to modify it lol

 

One stipulation with Stalker's Assassin's Strike is that set mechanics cannot be integrated in them for balance reasons.  But most likely, Rift would be replaced to fit in AS similarly to Electric Melee's Thunderclap was swapped.  It would really be a requirement for some other part of the set to have something for either fear or sleep.  Maybe changing "Dissect" into "Grim Operation" that does less damage but has a guaranteed sleep (targets clutching their wounds in a shocked manner).  Assassin's Strike from hid does have a wide range chance of fear so there's also that synergy too.

 

[EDIT]Ok well I just checked it and they actually DO incorporate set mechanics into AS, even as far back as Dual Blades (it's been so long since I played DB Stalker...).  Although it seems like it's mostly the new sets that do this.  I suppose it wouldn't hurt for AS to have a guaranteed application of MfD since likely they would get Build Up instead of Reap (as per their overall AT design).

[Razor Cure]

Really cool set! But I am saaaaaaaaaaad there is no Whirling Scythe type aoe!

[Saiyajinzoningen]

love it +1 for more options

[FDR's Think Tank]

Thinking about this, most of the weapon sets try to pack in as many variants and models as possible to enhance the usefulness of the set to the player base. As such, it wouldn't be bad to have other weapons that could be part of this powerset, although they might require a few extra/alternate animation styles. The main thing is these sets have the ability to do wide slashes and pull enemies towards you.

 

I was thinking a Chain Kunai could work, if the character basically keeps the chain taut between their fists as they grip it.... that is, you could have something similar enough to use the same powers with slightly different animations. Depending on how clever the artist/animator is, they MIGHT pull it off with the Scythe animation.

 

Since it's already two handed, you might have two fisted Sickles? (Or for something really thematic, a Hammer/Sickle combo?) This would also let you have whips, chains, martial neckties..... This would require a separate animation subset, but might be mostly handled by existing duel weapon animations.

 

If it wasn't too much a stretch, you could have Retiarius style Trident and Net combo. This would be mostly looks, since there aren't any immobilizes specifically involved.... (Although perhaps pulled opponents should be stunned?) This would be the trickiest to animate, but I feel hugely worth it, if feasible. It's nice because you can't use a shield with this set anyway.

 

Already in game but not expressed as a power are hook hands. There might be a way to work with that and another lethal weapon with a very flexible close combat range. This would be the most complicated, as far as animation goes.

 

While I was brainstorming ideas for this style set, it occurred to me that in Day of the Dead they use neck grabbers to move zombies to the lab for research..... this would be impractical for a weapon, but you could make it a long necked claw grabber and it would have similar effects to this set and use the same animations as a Scythe might.

 

I would definitely make a character with a Scythe, but it would be a shame if this set was locked down to a single character concept per account. More weapon models and styles free it up, like the Sword/Mace/Axe sets currently are.

 

If these were possible as additional models/animations for this set, it would become the "Esoteric Blades" set. I realize "Rift into the Abyss" is largely a superpowered Scythe only special, but the effects could be achieved with any weapon flexing/flashy kata move that might intimidate someone. "Marked for Death" is an interesting mechanic... and while the naming style evokes really cool and potent images of a ruthless vigilante or a wicked villain.... the mechanic could also express the difficultly most people have defending against Esoteric Weapons... a sort of Unconventional Combat Advantage. I know. Very Generic. I am sure there is a better way to express that... but the concept definitely applies to a Scythe, which has that curved hook that can sneak past normal blocks or into blindspots.

 

Either way, I really enjoyed thinking about this Power Set!

 

 

Edited November 20, 2019 by FDR's Think Tank
Spelling

[OmnibusOmnh]

Phenomenal job, love the icons for the set they truly encapsulate the feeling of the reaper itself. Would be very cool to see implemented in game. I know that there is a concern of the strength but it's not a problem in my opinion I enjoy new sets that deal a good amount of damage, helps flock people over to the set. Also nice usage of the to ally symbol always good to see a diverse set if symbols in a set.

[Leogunner]

On 11/18/2019 at 10:12 PM, Razor Cure said:

Really cool set! But I am saaaaaaaaaaad there is no Whirling Scythe type aoe!

When I made the set, I forgot about the signature anime aesthetic of a spinning scythe. If they ever improve Battle Axe, I hope they make Whirling Axe a decent fit for such an attack. That being said, yeah, I'd probably remove the AoE fear for the sleep in dissect instead and make the rift attack an actual spinning attack.

 

On 11/19/2019 at 9:48 PM, FDR's Think Tank said:

Thinking about this, most of the weapon sets try to pack in as many variants and models as possible to enhance the usefulness of the set to the player base. As such, it wouldn't be bad to have other weapons that could be part of this powerset, although they might require a few extra/alternate animation styles. The main thing is these sets have the ability to do wide slashes and pull enemies towards you.

 

I was thinking a Chain Kunai could work, if the character basically keeps the chain taut between their fists as they grip it.... that is, you could have something similar enough to use the same powers with slightly different animations. Depending on how clever the artist/animator is, they MIGHT pull it off with the Scythe animation.

 

Since it's already two handed, you might have two fisted Sickles? (Or for something really thematic, a Hammer/Sickle combo?) This would also let you have whips, chains, martial neckties..... This would require a separate animation subset, but might be mostly handled by existing duel weapon animations.

 

If it wasn't too much a stretch, you could have Retiarius style Trident and Net combo. This would be mostly looks, since there aren't any immobilizes specifically involved.... (Although perhaps pulled opponents should be stunned?) This would be the trickiest to animate, but I feel hugely worth it, if feasible. It's nice because you can't use a shield with this set anyway.

 

Already in game but not expressed as a power are hook hands. There might be a way to work with that and another lethal weapon with a very flexible close combat range. This would be the most complicated, as far as animation goes.

 

While I was brainstorming ideas for this style set, it occurred to me that in Day of the Dead they use neck grabbers to move zombies to the lab for research..... this would be impractical for a weapon, but you could make it a long necked claw grabber and it would have similar effects to this set and use the same animations as a Scythe might.

 

I would definitely make a character with a Scythe, but it would be a shame if this set was locked down to a single character concept per account. More weapon models and styles free it up, like the Sword/Mace/Axe sets currently are.

 

If these were possible as additional models/animations for this set, it would become the "Esoteric Blades" set. I realize "Rift into the Abyss" is largely a superpowered Scythe only special, but the effects could be achieved with any weapon flexing/flashy kata move that might intimidate someone. "Marked for Death" is an interesting mechanic... and while the naming style evokes really cool and potent images of a ruthless vigilante or a wicked villain.... the mechanic could also express the difficultly most people have defending against Esoteric Weapons... a sort of Unconventional Combat Advantage. I know. Very Generic. I am sure there is a better way to express that... but the concept definitely applies to a Scythe, which has that curved hook that can sneak past normal blocks or into blindspots.

 

Either way, I really enjoyed thinking about this Power Set!

 

 

The main hurdle with chain weapons is likely the lack of support for such animations. The only one I can think of off hand is MM Demon summoning whips which, when first introduced, was expressed by the devs to be very difficult to animate.

 

As for a kind of blend of blades, you kind of have to go either or. With weapon customization, you can only customize one weapon this that determines the animation. If the powers are projectiles or not directly connected to the character, you can customize the options in power customization but you don't have weapon customization.

 

Although I could just be misinterpreting your idea here...

 

On 5/2/2021 at 8:26 PM, OmnibusOmnh said:

Phenomenal job, love the icons for the set they truly encapsulate the feeling of the reaper itself. Would be very cool to see implemented in game. I know that there is a concern of the strength but it's not a problem in my opinion I enjoy new sets that deal a good amount of damage, helps flock people over to the set. Also nice usage of the to ally symbol always good to see a diverse set if symbols in a set.

Much appreciated. I spent a good few hours on that one post but @malonkey1's formatted post helped massively too. Coloring the icons was the most fun part.

[Naraka]

Funny, why is no one talking about buffing Battle Axe?  Energy Melee just got a huge upgrade but it wasn't even that bad (just ST).  Battle Axe is slow, rech and END hungry and is mostly sub-par DPS compared to equivalent sets (Broadsword and War Mace).

 

I hope they do improve battle axe more subtly rather than changing whole powers and adding whole new mechanics.  Overall, if they did add a new set based around battle axe's cast times but two handed, it needs a bad-A whirling AoE.

 

I'd also recommend adding some chance of sleep in place of some of the Knockdown (keep KD/KU in some of the attacks). Sets like Electric Melee use it too so it's not unheard of.  Also, the 6sec duration/lockout for minions sounds a bit frustrating.  I guess it was so you're not chain stacking a bunch of AoE fear.  A 4sec duration without a lockout on minions might be better but I guess that depends on the casttimes of this set. If it's only 4sec you might only get in 1 attack during that MFD period...I dunno.  Seems a bit clunky.