Suggestion: Scavenged weapons ranged attack set

[biostem]

So the basic concept is that your character, lacking sufficient funds or due to some other reason, basically uses whatever they have on hand to assail their enemies.  The set's gimmick is that there's a random chance that you'll find/use an unusual or otherwise unexpected item.  Here's a very basic outline of the set:

 

1. Throw small item - light, possibly mixed damage types, fast recharge, (basically use the various origin power animations and effects, only scaled appropriate for a blast set).

 

2. Fire 1-handed weapon - light, possibly mixed damage types - just use the various 1-handed firearm attacks, but you can spawn a simple revolver, a small crossbow, or possibly some high tech alien weapon.

 

3. Throw handful of small items - this power would basically use something like the blinding powder or caltrops animation, except what you're throwing out could be anything from sand to blind enemies, the aforementioned caltrops that slow enemies, or possibly even marbles, that could trip enemies.

 

4.  Mystery "squirt gun" - You pull out a random water gun-like weapon, which could hose down nearby enemies in a cone with anything from acid (-dmg res) to liquid nitrogen (slow), to plasma of an unknown origin (DoT)

 

5. Fortune favors the bold - grants a moderate dmg & to-hit buff, but also greatly increases the chance that your attacks will trigger a "better" result.

 

6. Rocket full 'o fun - you fire off a rocket with an unknown ordinance - it could be high explosive (kb), armor piercing (high dmg, -res), or possibly even containing a rikti monkey that temporarily fights for you.

 

7. Mystery grenade - You lob a grenade of unknown origin at your enemies - it could just be explosive (kb), plasma (energy, -res), cryogenic (slow), or maybe even a flashbang (stun).

 

8. Laser designator - You use a laser designator, (though it could just be a fancy laser pointer), to highlight your target.  Anything from a couple stray cats to a guided missile from out of nowhere may strike your target, causing anything from a hold effect to heavy damage.

 

9. Rod from God - Using a high tech communications device that you found somewhere, you input the coordinates of your target.  You may get effects varying from temporary superpowered backup to a giant steel rod dropping on your target from orbit, to a portal to hell opening under your target and drawing them in.

 

Now, my thoughts behind this set is that it can be comical or just reflect an extremely lucky character.  I was debating having one of the powers grant you two toggles - one that increases the odds of getting the more serious effects, and one that makes you more likely to get the less serious/more comical ones.  I would like to have the set stick to using existing animations for ease of construction.  Your thoughts?  Thanks for reading!

[Zepp]

This sounds like loads of fun, but the problem you are likely to have is that leveling would be painfully random...

 

Maybe change Fortune Favors the Bold:

Auto

Increase chance for a "better" result

Chance that XP debt becomes Patrol XP upon resurrection

 

And general scaling something like this:

 

Chance	Chance with FFtB	Effect Name	Effect Level
10%	5%	Horrendous	50% Standard Damage, No Status Effects
20%	15%	Bad	75% Standard Damage, 50% Status Effect
40%	40%	Normal	100% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect
20%	25%	Nice	125% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect, Weak Control
10%	15%	Great	150% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect, Strong Control

 

My suggestion would be to have -def as the standard status effect, hard to defend from the unpredictable. For Controls I would suggest:

Throw Small Item: Knockdown

Fire One-Handed Gun: Knockback

Throw Handful of Small Items: Slow

Mystery "Squirt Gun": Confuse

Rocket Full o' Fun: Knockdown

Mystery Grenade: Stun

Laser Designator: Hold

Rod from God: Knockdown

 

Or whatever you think is appropriate. It may be more difficult if you have different secondary effects at different chance levels.

 

[justicebeliever]

I love this suggestion, sounds really fun.  I also like Zepp's ideas as well (but don't tell him that)

 

+1

[Zepp]

I love this suggestion, sounds really fun.  I also like Zepp's ideas as well (but don't tell him that)

 

+1

 

It's okay, I won't tell him...

[biostem]

This sounds like loads of fun, but the problem you are likely to have is that leveling would be painfully random...

 

Maybe change Fortune Favors the Bold:

Auto

Increase chance for a "better" result

Chance that XP debt becomes Patrol XP upon resurrection

 

And general scaling something like this:

 

Chance	Chance with FFtB	Effect Name	Effect Level
10%	5%	Horrendous	50% Standard Damage, No Status Effects
20%	15%	Bad	75% Standard Damage, 50% Status Effect
40%	40%	Normal	100% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect
20%	25%	Nice	125% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect, Weak Control
10%	15%	Great	150% Standard Damage, 100% Status Effect, Strong Control

 

My suggestion would be to have -def as the standard status effect, hard to defend from the unpredictable. For Controls I would suggest:

Throw Small Item: Knockdown

Fire One-Handed Gun: Knockback

Throw Handful of Small Items: Slow

Mystery "Squirt Gun": Confuse

Rocket Full o' Fun: Knockdown

Mystery Grenade: Stun

Laser Designator: Hold

Rod from God: Knockdown

 

Or whatever you think is appropriate. It may be more difficult if you have different secondary effects at different chance levels.

 

Thanks for breaking things down.  The only thing is that I would scale it so the "horrendous" result is basically "normal" damage but no status effects, and things just go up from there.