archetype suggestion Proposed AT: Zoomer (Manipulation/Assault)

[Zepp]

As some of you may have noticed, I have been compiling a list of all proposed Archetypes. This has actually raised my awareness of two unique power sets. The first is more commonly brought up when discussing new ATs, and that is Assault. Many people have proposed making an AT with an assault primary (or assault/pet). Manipulation, on the other hand, was only brought up once. So, I got to thinking, what if you put these two versatile sets together. You would have a mix of melee and range for one set, and a mix of self-buffs, minor CC, some more melee, and a dash of sustain. Take the two together and you have a wonderful mix of abilities. But then the question is, how do you conceptually merge these two sets together. Then my son was talking to me about the prevalence of speedsters in superhero comics, television, and movies. It all came together, my answer is the Zoomer. This is an archetype that is seemingly all over the place. It is wonderfully complex, slightly difficult to play well, and, at the same time, quite versatile in the right hands.

 

So, the manipulation primary allows the Zoomer to have a selection of soft control tools and buffs that are very useful for shaping the character. At the same time, the Assault secondary really helps out, especially getting through the early levels. The problem is, to take full advantage, the Zoomer will need above average mobility. That is where I came up with the inherent, Zoom. I know, not exceptionally creative, but hear me out.

 

Zoom has three elements. First, it increases the default speed caps for running, jumping, and flying. Second, it applies a self +SPD buff for ranged attacks. Finally, it provides a -SPD debuff for melee attacks. These buffs/debuffs are scaled to attack time so a 1.188s attack would provide a 10% buff/debuff for 4s while a 1.848s attack would provide a 15% buff/debuff for 6s (numbers are approximate and open for discussion).

 

The set is designed to keep your enemies in one place while the Zoomer is all over the place. It maximizes the synergy between two unique power sets, while providing a different feel for either set as compared to playing a dom or a blaster. While it is most likely to be favored by solo players, it does provide a unique role in groups, penetration. In theory, it would be the best class at reaching deep into enemy lines and hitting the blasters in the back, using speed and manipulation's sustain as their primary defense. This AT will give you the feel of playing a speedster in a way that current ATs can't match. At the same time, it is not overpowered, difficult to balance, or difficult to implement.

Edited July 26, 2019 by Zepp

[justicebeliever]

I'm a broken record, Zepp, sorry...

 

I really, really like this idea.  One way to make you feel more like a speedster without going so fast that you can't control your character, would be to slow everyone else down...I really like the idea of this...

[Varkarrus]

This one sounds like a really fun idea! I'm all for it.

 

That said, I feel like the inherent should reward switching between ranged and melee. Something like: ranged attacks grant stacks that are consumed to increase melee damage. Then melee attacks grant stacks consumed by ranged attacks that boost your defense and speed?

[Zepp]

On 7/26/2019 at 5:45 AM, justicebeliever said:

I'm a broken record, Zepp, sorry...

 

I really, really like this idea.  One way to make you feel more like a speedster without going so fast that you can't control your character, would be to slow everyone else down...I really like the idea of this...

Thanks for this. My thoughts exactly.

9 hours ago, Varkarrus said:

This one sounds like a really fun idea! I'm all for it.

 

That said, I feel like the inherent should reward switching between ranged and melee. Something like: ranged attacks grant stacks that are consumed to increase melee damage. Then melee attacks grant stacks consumed by ranged attacks that boost your defense and speed?

I think they do reward switching. Ranged gives you the boost you the speed boost you need to penetrate lines and get into melee range, melee slows your enemies, making ranged more effective. In fact, I think the lack of a straight stack mechanic is better at promoting rapid switching between modalities while not forcing mode-switching. A stack mechanic promotes five ranged to build stacks, five melee to burn stacks and build five new ones, rinse and repeat. The proposed mechanic allows both versatility, but also a blast-scrap-blast feel of where the hell are these attacks coming from. Ideally, you want the toon to be able to be in and out of melee range so that the enemy wonders how they went from 80' in front of them to 80' behind them throwing a melee attack in there somehow (while not being unbalancing).  In addition, I believe it would be easier to implement the speed buff-debuff mechanic than designing a new stacking system.

 

I understand where you are coming from, but I disagree.

 

Edited July 26, 2019 by Zepp

[Steampunkette]

I think you're thinking too big...

 

Manipulation Powersets are actually pretty terrible at providing any kind of defensive benefits. Their mostly single-target controls aren't particularly powerful compared to other sets and their damaging abilities are largely just lifted from other powersets (Martial Manipulation notwithstanding)

 

I think a better way to go with it would be to develop "Travel Power Sets" for different concepts. Speedster? I'd absolutely go for an exceptionally mobile Assault Set.

 

Combine powers like Burst of Speed, Whirlwind, and Savage Leap for some instantaneous movement and knockup/down/back abilities. Give 'em a couple of melee attacks that mimic speed and run with it. Then apply that powerset to an AT which gets assault as a powerset type.

 

Heck. Combine it with some of the "Wind Control" powers and you could make one hell of a speedster! Or a Flyer with some animation changes.

[Zepp]

Manipulation powersets provide the right type of sustain for an AT that uses mobility as its defense.

 

Developing travel power sets would be an interesting idea, however, it isn't necessary to start building new powersets when there are a lot of underused powersets out there already.

[Zepp]

I'm working on getting my personal server set up for testing, I also plan on testing Infernal Assault and Temporal Manipulation once I get everything set up, unfortunately I do not have a timeline for this, so I will update when I get a chance.

[Zepp]

Alright, I've been following the Instigator T2 thread, and was wondering if people thought that the Zoomer would work better as Assault Manipulation rather than the other way around? That would give the toon a little more oomph early game. What this would mean is that you would generally have a choice of melee or ranged for the primary and a ranged immobilize for the secondary, rather than a choice of ranged immobilize or melee for the primary and a ranged damage for the secondary. It would also delay your acquisition of sustain powers to later in the game.

Also, to simplify implementation of the inherent, I was basically thinking: speed caps are 20% higher than other ATs, 10% universal speed increase, 10% base range increase for teleportation powerpool, and a scaling -Spd buff on all attacks in addition to a chance to placate. It would simplify implementation and make your attack choice more open to the individual rather than railroading the ranged-melee seesaw...

 

Also, for reference:

Assault generally has about 2 melee, 3 ranged (excluding snipes), 1 melee AoE, 1 ranged AoE, 1 boost, and 1 special (often a snipe, sometimes a toggle, or something else).

Manipulation generally has five key points, T1 Immobilize, T2 ST Melee, T4 Boost, T6 Sustain, & T7 Utility. Now, these are not universal, but most Manipulation sets have these benchmarks (with minor variation in placement). They average about three melee attacks per set with about half of those containing both damage and control elements. About one in three sets also has a ranged damage attack. They have about four CC attacks per set (one of those is generally a T1 Immobilize) and about half of those attacks has a damage element. Sets have one to three utility powers that are either self buffs, enemy debuffs, or a click heal. Endurance and recharge are the most common self buff utility elements. I hope that helps with the definition of what a manipulation set is.

 

That means that the combination will generally have about 6 melee with 2-3 of those being AoE and 1-2 including control, 4-5 ranged with 1-2 being AoE and 1-2 including control, 2 boosts, 2-5 utility powers, and one sustain, usually providing either healing or absorb. By adding the chance to placate, it plays to the intractability of the AT while using an existing mechanic.