Just for Fun: Shotgun Powerset Concept

[Varkarrus]

Link to the Fully Detailed Writeup

 

We’ve got pistols, we’ve got beam rifles, we’ve got whatever patchwork abomination assault rifle is supposed to be… but what about shotguns? When it comes to guns, shotguns have a reputation in fiction as being brutally deadly at close range, and able to strike multiple foes at once. Even if this may not be truly accurate, the game we’re playing is based on superheroes, not reality!

 

This powerset is primarily made up of ranged cones. Overall, it has less range than any other Ranged damage powerset; plus attacks deal slightly less damage to distant foes. This powerset does have a snipe equivalent, but it too follows the theme of high damage, low range.

 

It's also available as an assault powerset for Dominators. In their case, instead of being a mix of melee and ranged attacks, it "averages out" into many close ranged attacks.

Main Tree:

• T0: Reload (Toggle: Self Immobilize, +Ammo)
  Attacks have quick animations , but consume ammo. Using Reload immobilizes you and replenishes stacks of ammo at a rate of 2 per second. You can have up to 6 stacks.
• T1: Snap Shot (Ranged (Cone), Minor DMG (Smashing/Lethal), Knockback)
  A 60 range cone, hits up to 3 targets for damage. Enemies in melee range are sometimes knocked back.
• T2: Scatter Shot (Ranged (Cone), Minor DMG (Smashing/Lethal))
  A wider cone than Snap Shot that can hit more targets. Does not knock back.
• T3: Heavy Slug (Ranged, High DMG (Smashing), Knockback)
  Fires a single, high damage shot at a target. Enemies in melee range are knocked back.
• T4: Blunderbuss (Ranged (Cone), High DMG (Smashing/Lethal), Knockback)
  Deals high damage in a narrow cone, with more range than other Shotgun attacks. Enemies in melee range are knocked back.
• T5: Boomstick (Close (Cone), Superior DMG (Smashing), Knockback)
  A close range attack, but with very high damage
• T6: Alloy Clip (Self: +DMG, +To-Hit)
  Replaces your current ammo stacks with 6 stacks of Alloy Clip, which increase damage and accuracy of attacks made with it. Like Aim, but based on number of attacks instead of time, and with the bonus of quickly reloading.
• T7: Headshot (Sniper, Extreme DMG (Smashing), Disorient)
  A sniper attack. Unlike sniper attacks in other sets, it doesn't have that much range. That said, it deals more damage than most snipe attacks and can leave foes disoriented.
• T8: Flak Burst (Ranged (Cone), Superior DoT (Lethal), Foe - Speed)
  A wider conical attack that deals heavy DoT to targets and lowers their speed
• T9: Massacre (Ranged (Cone), Superior DoT (Smashing/Lethal), Special)
  Fills your clip with ammo, then quickly makes 6 attacks that deal high damage, but leaves you without any ammo afterwards.

 

Archetype Specific

 

• Bastion T4: Molten Shrapnel (Ranged (Cone), Moderate DoT (Lethal / Fire), Foe -Defense)
  Replaces Alloy Clip. Deals DoT to targets in a cone, while also heavily shredding their defense.
• Dominator T6: Explosive Clip (Self: +DMG (Smashing))
  Replaces Alloy Clip. Similar to Alloy Clip, but instead makes enemies hit with attacks deal a portion of damage taken as bonus splash damage to themselves and nearby targets
• Dominator / Sentinel T7: Zone of Control (Toggle: Close (Cone) High DoT (Smashing/Lethal), Knockback)
  Replaces Flak Burst for Dominators and Headshot for Sentinels. Occasionally makes automatic high damage attacks with high knockback chance against nearby enemies. These attacks come out very quickly, preemptively knocking back melee attackers before they can get you.
• Bastion T8: Black Smoke (Ranged (Cone), Foe Moderate DMG (Smashing), -To-Hit, Disorient)
  Replaces Headshot. Shoots blinding smoke out of your shotgun that disorient foes, and leave them with reduced accuracy
• Dominator T9: Execution (Melee, Extreme Damage (Smashing/Lethal), Knockback)
  Replaces Rampage. An extremely high damage point-blank attack that also knocks the enemy back. Deals higher damage depending on the target's health percentage.

[biostem]

Slug, Buckshot, and arguably beanbag, are already shotgun-esque attacks.  What could be interesting, as a powerset gimmick, would be to have a power that changes your attacks from using slugs (longer range, heavier single target damage), to shot, (shorter range, lower overall damage, but all your attacks become cone powers).  Then you could have the regular attacks include things like white phosphorous incendiary rounds, talon/flechettes that cause a bleed/DoT, etc.

[Varkarrus]

I'm aware of the slug / buckshot / beanbag already being shotgun-esque attacks. The assault rifle is some sort of unholy patchwork abomination that combines a bajillion different types of guns into one. The idea for this shotgun was to make it more of a "pure" shotgun weapon, though even this one's a little patchwork, cuz it has a mix of hunting rifle, sawed-off, and... uh... flak cannon mixed in.

 

That said, having a power that changes from slugs to shot could be a fun gimmick! The only problem would be that it would require me practically rewriting the entire powerset, since I based it around the idea of being a blapper-centric one, rather than a "switching" one. I already do have incendiary rounds and flechettes in there, sorta. (molten shrapnel, explosive rounds, and the flak cannon attack... though I think maybe "flechette burst" would be a better name for flak cannon, now that I think about it!)

Edited July 27, 2019 by Varkarrus