Gravitic melee

[biostem]

So I've really come to enjoy playing my various gravity control controllers and dominators, and think that the set could be adapted for use by melee characters.  Here is that attempt:

 

The set would feature a special effect called "gravity well".  Gravity well is a short lived immobilization effect that also causes targets affected by it to take more damage from other gravitic melee powers.  A target can only have 1 stack of "gravity well" on them, (I'm debating whether this should be allowed to stack, so you could immobilize bosses, EBs, or even EVs).

 

1. Gravitic jab - minor smashing damage, fast recharge, minor chance to apply gravity well

 

2. Gravitic smash - moderate smashing damage, moderate recharge, greater chance to apply gravity well

 

3. Gravity wave - You swing your arm in a wide arc, trailing along gravitic energy which afflicts all in a 120 degree arc with moderate smashing damage and the gravity well effect.

 

4. Gravitic empowerment - applies a tohit and damage buff to you, and inflict gravity well on all enemies in a small PBAoE.

 

5. Gravitic slingshot - You use your fine control over gravity to rapidly spin yourself, damaging all enemies in a PBAoE.  Moderate smashing damage and a moderate chance to apply gravity well on all targets.

 

6. Taunt/Confront

 

7. Gravity pulse - you create a micro-singularity behind your target, which rapidly collapse and emanates a shockwave, knocking them toward you. Moderate AoE damage & recharge.  [I imagine this as creating a pseudopet behind your target, which detonates and causes a knockback effect, thereby knocking them toward you]

 

8. Singularity strike - you generate a micro-black hole in your hand, and rapidly thrust it into your target's abdomen, dealing heavy smashing damage.  If the target is already affected by gravity well, their regeneration is significantly debuffed and emit a small AoE that deals energy damage.  This consumes the gravity well debuff.

 

9. Gravitic collapse - This relies upon the same "pseudopet" effect as Gravity pulse, only it creates several of them in a circle around you, knocking all targets back toward you.

 

 

I'd appreciate your thoughts & feedback.  Thanks!

Edited September 7, 2019 by biostem

[Leogunner]

While reading this, I had an idea to fuse the two mechanics (the pseudo-pet and the gravity well on hit effect).  Rather than applying the effect on the target, what if the attacks had a chance of summoning that pseudopet at your feet.  You could have 2 attacks that summon the gravity well (which would tag those that get within range of it so your attacks do more damage), 2 attacks that "pulse" the gravity well (when used, 5 foes in range of the well are repelled from the well, so technically it could push foes toward you if the well and yourself sandwich the foe or push the foe away if the well is between you and the foe) and the final attack that collapses the well (not sure, could cause immob to all that are tagged or maybe even a mass foe TP+damage to mirror Wormhole, but you're the exit portal). 

[biostem]

29 minutes ago, Leogunner said:

While reading this, I had an idea to fuse the two mechanics (the pseudo-pet and the gravity well on hit effect).  Rather than applying the effect on the target, what if the attacks had a chance of summoning that pseudopet at your feet.  You could have 2 attacks that summon the gravity well (which would tag those that get within range of it so your attacks do more damage), 2 attacks that "pulse" the gravity well (when used, 5 foes in range of the well are repelled from the well, so technically it could push foes toward you if the well and yourself sandwich the foe or push the foe away if the well is between you and the foe) and the final attack that collapses the well (not sure, could cause immob to all that are tagged or maybe even a mass foe TP+damage to mirror Wormhole, but you're the exit portal). 

Well, I want the set to convey the trapping and attractive aspects of gravity;  We have plenty of sets that knock enemies away, so I wanted something that would draw them closer...

[Shadowsleuth]

If Gravitic Pulse/Gravitic Collapse is too hard to code then replace Collapse with Wormhole (a version that is similar to the Controller version but instead of placing them where you want they arrive in front of the caster with a heavy taunt on them instead of stunned) & replace Pulse with a single target version (basically Teleport Foe with a taunt on it).

[Steampunkette]

There is no way in the City of Heroes engine to do a "Pull" or "Knock Toward" effect. There is no "Relative Behind" function for a peudopet, either. Even if there was, Knock Magnitudes are set by the power, not the situation, so you'd probably fling them past yourself if this sort of thing could be done.

 

Wormhole/Teleport would be the only way to do that sort of thing.

 

That said I think there's a lot of merit to the powerset, we just need some alternatives for that effect.

Edited August 29, 2019 by Steampunkette

[Steampunkette]

Okay. So. Thought about it a little bit and I have a couple of suggestions!

 

Gravity Pulse becomes a PBAoE Teleport and damage effect with a high chance to apply an Empowered Gravity Well. Empowered Gravity Well being a Mag 10 Immobilize (Big enough to lock down any boss in the game). It's a 30ft range PBAoE pulse that group-teleports all enemies hit (up to 10) to your current location. 

 

Meanwhile Gravitic Collapse can become a Wormhole-Adjacent Power. Similar to Shield Charge in use, you ground target AoE and it teleports all enemies currently around you (And yourself) to the targeted location, which creates a big damage hit. 

 

Not only would these two powers be -great- for controlling aggro, they'd be -amazing- for Repositioning, since you could drag the Dregs of one cluster of enemies into the next group you're attacking by teleporting them with you.

 

... also I hate Gravity Slingshot. I get what you're going for but unless it knocks them back it's not really a "Slingshot" it's more of a "Gravity Spin" and that is silly... A gravity Slingshot should probably be a Knockup power.

 

Worth noting, though: This power set has 3 single-target attacks (the original proposal had 4, but one was a ranged pull which can't be done). So I think maybe Gravity Slingshot should be a Single Target High Damage attack while Singularity Strike should be the Superior Damage attack.

 

Buuuut... I also wanted to offer up a thought? There's frankly a -lot- of Melee Sets that involve hitting the target with fists/claws/spines/sharp objects. There's only one that really embrace the "I'm not actually hitting you" style: Kinetic Melee. What if instead of Jabbing and Striking with "Gravity Fist" attacks, we make it all attacks that you don't actually -touch- your opponent, but manipulate gravity around them? Use more of the "Casting" animations from Blast/Control sets rather than punches.

 

Could be interesting!

[Rylas]

1 hour ago, Steampunkette said:

Gravity Pulse becomes a PBAoE Teleport and damage effect with a high chance to apply an Empowered Gravity Well. Empowered Gravity Well being a Mag 10 Immobilize (Big enough to lock down any boss in the game). It's a 30ft range PBAoE pulse that group-teleports all enemies hit (up to 10) to your current location. 

 

Meanwhile Gravitic Collapse can become a Wormhole-Adjacent Power. Similar to Shield Charge in use, you ground target AoE and it teleports all enemies currently around you (And yourself) to the targeted location, which creates a big damage hit. 

Your idea for Gravity Pulse was my thought for Gravitic Collapse. But your idea for GC sounds way more fun for a Tier 9, so I'm gonna have to agree with this recommendation. And as you said, positioning control like that would be amazing. Imagine having most of a spawn pretty close to defeated and then teleporting the whole group into the next one. Or moving them all into a corner for others to use KB on. 

1 hour ago, Steampunkette said:

... also I hate Gravity Slingshot. I get what you're going for but unless it knocks them back it's not really a "Slingshot" it's more of a "Gravity Spin" and that is silly... A gravity Slingshot should probably be a Knockup power.

Yes, KU please. 

 

 

12 hours ago, biostem said:

The set would feature a special effect called "gravity well".  Gravity well is a short lived immobilization effect that also causes targets affected by it to take more damage from other gravitic melee powers.  A target can only have 1 stack of "gravity well" on them, (I'm debating whether this should be allowed to stack, so you could immobilize bosses, EBs, or even EVs).

How short is short lived? Not too short I hope. Also, I see a lot of "moderate" damage for a purely smashing set. If the idea is to have lots of control ability, then that makes sense. But if so, the immobilize effect should definitely last long enough to justify it. Then again, even Stone Melee has a fair share of High, Superior and Extreme for all its KU effects. 

 

Also, since your set sounds fun to play, can I offer up some icons for your powers? PM me if you'd like to discuss how to make them look. 

[Leogunner]

10 hours ago, biostem said:

Well, I want the set to convey the trapping and attractive aspects of gravity;  We have plenty of sets that knock enemies away, so I wanted something that would draw them closer...

Right. I think you can still get that with my reprised Gravity Collapse (the foe TP for those tagged by the well). And it still retains that option if you pulse the pseudo-pet to push the foe to you it just combines the "spawn pseudo-pet" aspect with the "gravity well" aspect. 

[Zepp]

I'll add this to the melee proposal compilation thread when I get home and can use Bessy.

[Shadowsleuth]

I would like to know if the OP has any ideas for a Gravitational Armor powerset to pair with Gravitic Melee.

 

I would see it as a defensive set using gravity to block or deflect attacks, perhaps even reflect damage back at the attacker.

[Rylas]

11 minutes ago, Shadowsleuth said:

I would like to know if the OP has any ideas for a Gravitational Armor powerset to pair with Gravitic Melee.

 

I would see it as a defensive set using gravity to block or deflect attacks, perhaps even reflect damage back at the attacker.

Oooh, what about a damage aura that has it's damage increased with more foes in range?! In case a "refelcted damage" mechanic proves difficult to do with the game. 

 

Seeing as it's gravity based, bending light to go stealth or invis could work as a feature. Not unlike Energy Aura or Dark Armor. 

[Shadowsleuth]

I thought of some other powers for a Gravitational Armor powerset.

 

Flavor Text

 

Compression: You use your power over gravity as a compression bandage, applying direct pressure on the injured area until the bleeding stops.

 

Realignment: You use your powers to rearrange the molecules of your body, realigning them into an undamaged state.

 

Diversion: You shift out of phase with this dimension while simultaneously using your ability to bend light to create stationary decoys for your enemies to attack.

 

Diversion is a phase shift plus summon decoy, it allows you to hold aggro while you are phase shifted.

 

Compression & Realignment are self heals.

[Rylas]

Now that I think about it, higher gravity could also mean more density. Making you tougher. Perhaps it could be a set with both moderate defense and light-to-moderate resists.

[Shadowsleuth]

10 hours ago, Rylas said:

Now that I think about it, higher gravity could also mean more density. Making you tougher. Perhaps it could be a set with both moderate defense and light-to-moderate resists.

I like it; I think that both Gravitational Armor & Gravitic Melee could be really fun sets to play.

[biostem]

On 8/30/2019 at 8:56 PM, Shadowsleuth said:

I like it; I think that both Gravitational Armor & Gravitic Melee could be really fun sets to play.

Here's a link to Gravitic Armor.  Any other thoughts on this set?  Thanks again!

 

I was thinking a bit on the issue of trying to implement some sort of "pull" or "knock towards" effect, and how it's difficult or impossible with the current implementation.  What about this:  You generate a strong knockback or repel effect, (which is actually generated from a pseudopet created at your location), but then you teleport to the target and deliver a powerful blow, (possibly while that enemy is still being knocked or repelled back)?  Also, as an effect for the powerset, you could use the ripple around the hands effect some gravity powers include.

Edited September 7, 2019 by biostem