Charlatan Class Ideas

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Alright, I'm quite interested in the Captain class discussed elsewhere, but I figured it would be best to start on something at least in theory simpler than trying to create a whole new store/companions system. So this will do instead.

The Charlatan is a Rogue type class that depends on trickery and deceit to fool his enemies. He's like a stage magician--he may appear to have magical abilities, but they are in fact simply tricks and illusions. Charlatans are often found imitating mages in order to intimidate the less educated into giving them what they want, a fact that has only further harmed the reputation of real mages.

Main stats would be Cunning and Dexterity. Most of their skills would rely only on cooldown, although they do make use of Stamina.

They would have the following standard Rogue Trees.

technique/dualweapon-attack
technique/dualweapon-training
technique/field-control
technique/combat-training
cunning/stealth
cunning/dirty
cunning/lethality
cunning/survival

In addition, they get four new trees.

Smoke Bombs--Use of smoke bombs to confuse and aid in illusions. Dex based.

Blinding Smoke--Blinds the enemy
Hidden Escape--acts as a phase door spell plus puts him in stealth mode
Ghostly Image--creates 1-skill level fake versions of him in nearby empty sqares. The enemy cannot tell which is the real one until they attack.
Choking Cloud--An cloud effect with a chance to stun anything inside of it.

Entrancement--Ability to put enemies in a hynotic trance, then manipulate them further. Cunning based.

Trance--puts an enemy in a sleeplike trance. While in a trance they are effected more by most Charlatan skills. At skill level 4 becomes a cone
Animal Identity--not sure if this one can be done, but causes all entrances foes to use one of few AIs instead of its one. So a mage might think it's a bear and charge at Charlatan for instance. The player would not get to choose though.
Drop Weapon--Disarms all entranced foes
Pain--chance to do damage to entrances foes, higher vs smarter foes

Manipulation--Use of force of sheer will to force enemies to do what the Charlatan wants. Advanced tree. Cunning based.

Distract--no runes or infusions
Misdirect--cone-reduces enemy accuracy
command--Commands enemy to attack other enemy. Chances are better of the Charlatan's WP is higher than the enemy's
Confusion--Chance to confuse everyone in LOS

Sleight of Hand--Pretty obvious. Uses Stamina. Dexterity based.

Subtile Entrancement--Causes a small chance for an enemy to become entrances when any other hostile action is taken against him, including attacking
Hidden Daggers--The Charlatan keeps a hidden and seeming limitless supply of throwing daggers on his person. They don't do much damage, but have no cooldown and have a small range and chance of causing confusion.
Quick Draw--Reduces cooldown of other Charlatan skills. More skills are effected the more skill points are invested.
Hidden Attack--Sustained. After a successful attack small chance to get a reduces accuracy attack with any second set of weapons equipped against the same target. Equipped weapons are switched when this does happen. Entrancement does not help in the use of this skill.

So idea, comments, suggestions?

EDIT: Changed main states to dex and cunning due to suggestions on irc.

[edge2054]

A few more or alternate ideas. Note some of the names may be silly and need to be changed

Numbing Agent - Coats your daggers with a mild paralytic, giving you a chance to daze your enemies on strike.

Laughing Gas - Major distraction on your foes, reduces attack and mental saves.

Insult (or Enrage) - Weights the tactical AI so Attack is always at the top.

Amaze!! - Performs an awesome card trick. Dazing or confusing all enemies in line of sight as they're baffled by your skills.

Fearsome Wand - You brandish a wand or even a simple stick at your enemies in a fearsome display of power!! Of course it's all just for show but the effect causes your enemies to run for cover.

Ego Maniac - The lies you've spread about your greatness and legendary deeds are so thick you've even started to believe them yourself. Increases all saves by X.

Fool's Gold - Toss some fake money on the ground, causing all enemies who fail a mental save to be drawn to the area of effect.

Quicker then the Eye - Active: increases accuracy and weapon attack speed.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

After considering edge's ideas here and more suggestions on irc, here are the revised skills trees. Thanks to edge and Beany for their ideas.

Standard.

technique/dualweapon-training
technique/combat-training
cunning/stealth
cunning/dirty
cunning/lethality

New

Smoke Bombs--Use of smoke bombs to confuse and aid in illusions. Dex based.

Blinding Smoke--Blinds the enemy
Hidden Escape--Puts him in stealth mode than allows him to select a square to move to similar to rush, but with no enemy.
Ghostly Image--creates 1-skill level fake versions of him in nearby empty sqares. The enemy cannot tell which is the real one until they attack.
Choking Cloud--An cloud effect with a chance to stun anything inside of it.

Entrancement--Ability to put enemies in a hynotic trance, then manipulate them further. Cunning based.

Trance--puts an enemy in a sleeplike trance. While in a trance they are effected more by most Charlatan skills. At skill level 4 becomes a cone
Confused Identity--Force ranged types to act like melee and rush into melee combat and melee to hang back like ranged
Drop Weapon--Disarms entranced foes
Pain--chance to do damage to entrances foes, higher vs smarter foes

Manipulation--Use of trickery to force enemies to do what the Charlatan wants. Advanced tree. Cunning based.

Charm--Shop discount
Misdirect--cone-reduces enemy accuracy
Befriend--Makes all enemies non hostile
Confusion--Chance to confuse everyone in LOS

Sleight of Hand--Pretty obvious. Uses Stamina. Dexterity based.

Subtile Entrancement--Causes a small chance for an enemy to become entrances when any other hostile action is taken against him, including attacking
Quicker then the Eye - Active: increases accuracy and weapon attack speed.
Quick Draw--Reduces cooldown of other Charlatan skills. More skills are effected the more skill points are invested.
Hidden Attack--Sustained. After a successful attack small chance to get a reduces accuracy attack with any second set of weapons equipped against the same target. Equipped weapons are switched when this does happen. Entrancement does not help in the use of this skill.

Throwing Daggers--dex based, of course

Hidden Dagger--The Charlatan keeps a hidden and seeming limitless supply of throwing daggers on his person. They don't do much damage, but their base attacks have no cooldown and have a small range. The rest of the skills on this tree do the same as with this one, but with added effects and a cooldown.
Unknown Source--Small chance to stun. If it kills the enemy, an AoE stun is applied to all nearby enemies.
Numbing Agent - Coats your daggers with a mild paralytic, giving you a chance to daze your enemies on strike.
Deadly Strike--higher damage, plus higher chance for crit.

Showmanship--Cunning based
Ego Maniac - The lies you've spread about your greatness and legendary deeds are so thick you've even started to believe them yourself. Increases all saves by X.
Amaze - Performs an awesome trick, Dazing or confusing all enemies in line of sight as they're baffled by your skills.
Fool's Gold - Toss some fake money on the ground, causing all enemies who fail a mental save to be drawn to the area of effect.
Fearsome Wand - You brandish a wand or even a simple stick at your enemies in a fearsome display of power! Of course it's all just for show but the effect causes your enemies to run for cover.

[shwqa]

I really like the idea of the class but I worry some of these skills are a bit of on weak side. Here are some of my suggestions for some skills

Smoke Bombs--Use of smoke bombs to confuse and aid in illusions. Cunning based.

Smoke bomb-
Creates a cloud of smoke around you Radius of 2 (3 at skill talent 5). This cloud has a chance of blind. This chance raises with cunning.

Hidden Escape-
While hidden in a cloud of smoke you can use a control phase door. Range goes from 5-10 tiles depending on cunning and skill talent

Ghostly Image-
Create a 1+skill talent fake versions of you around you. The ghost can't do damage but will attack the enemy. Monster should have their targeting restart when you cast this (if this is possible)

Loud Bombs-
Passive
Your smoke bomb now create a loud sound which confuses the enemy when smoke bomb is used. Chance of confusion raises with skill talent and cunning.

Manipulation -- Use of force of sheer will to force enemies to do what the Charlatan wants. Advanced tree. Cunning based.

Mind Powers (I think this is a kinda funny but dumb name)-
Sustained
You use your cunning mind to affect those around you in a radius of 4. Talent skill and cunning raises effectiveness of your mind powers. (this skill does nothing but is needed for the rest of tree and is the best way to make the other skills more effective)

Glazed Eyes-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a chance of dazing. Chance raises with talent skill and cunning.

Bloody Nose-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a chance of getting a bloody nose. A bloody nose cause small damage each turn and prevents healing. Chance and damage of bloody nose raises with talent skill and cunning.

Slowed prospective-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a slower global attack. Effectiveness raises with talent skill and cunning. (the highest of this would be about 10%ish)

[Canderel]

Sleight of Hand--Pretty obvious. Uses Stamina. Dexterity based.

Sorry, I have no idea what it would be... Unless:

Code: Select all

U
Socery
Draw a card.

[Hedrachi]

Maybe a swashbuckling fight style? Be something you'd spend a category point in, requires dual weapons. Scales with dex, some cun involved.

Pirouette Strike
You make a strike, twirl around and hit with your offhand. If your mainhand attack hits, you gain extra accuracy for 5 turns. Does 86%-129% damage depending on TL. Does extra damage to confused enemies, damage to confused enemies increases with Cunning score.

Cloak Smash/Disarming Smash
You make a jarring strike with the hilt of your weapon, concealed by your cloak. Does ... really low damage (ghoul gnaw level), but disarms your foe for 2/3/4/5/6 turns.

Confusing Strike
You move in a confusing manner, making two quick strikes against your foe. If the mainhand attack hits, your target is confused. Does 100-140% damage, confusion duration scales with Cunning.

Against All Foes
Sustained. You have a 5% chance to parry (95%-100% damage reduction, maybe?) melee attacks and melee special abilities, per hostile adjacent to you. This'd scale with TL so only time you'd get 40% chance is when you're surrounded on all sides by hostile monsters, and only at TL 5.

Fluidity
Sustained. More or less an offensive version of Against All Foes, you've mastered the art of swashbuckling and your strikes are now so quick as to move from one foe to the next without stopping. Number of foes you can strike in succession increases with TL, at TL 5 if you're surrounded you'd try to hit them all. Fluidity strike does not stop on anything other than the first struck enemy. Drains stamina rapidly, for effect would go around clockwise or counter-clockwise and stop when it gets to start tile again. Make regular attack again with Fluidity up, another fluidity circle happens. (No infinite loop of death if you're facing 40-50 monsters that just mindlessly zerg you)

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I really like the idea of the class but I worry some of these skills are a bit of on weak side. Here are some of my suggestions for some skills

Smoke Bombs--Use of smoke bombs to confuse and aid in illusions. Cunning based.

Smoke bomb-
Creates a cloud of smoke around you Radius of 2 (3 at skill talent 5). This cloud has a chance of blind. This chance raises with cunning.

Hidden Escape-
While hidden in a cloud of smoke you can use a control phase door. Range goes from 5-10 tiles depending on cunning and skill talent

Ghostly Image-
Create a 1+skill talent fake versions of you around you. The ghost can't do damage but will attack the enemy. Monster should have their targeting restart when you cast this (if this is possible)

Loud Bombs-
Passive
Your smoke bomb now create a loud sound which confuses the enemy when smoke bomb is used. Chance of confusion raises with skill talent and cunning.

I'll consider the change to smoke bomb, but ghostly images shouldn't attack. They are puffs of smoke left by smoke bombs, how can those attack? Resetting targetting I do agree with, however.

Manipulation -- Use of force of sheer will to force enemies to do what the Charlatan wants. Advanced tree. Cunning based.

Mind Powers (I think this is a kinda funny but dumb name)-
Sustained
You use your cunning mind to affect those around you in a radius of 4. Talent skill and cunning raises effectiveness of your mind powers. (this skill does nothing but is needed for the rest of tree and is the best way to make the other skills more effective)

Glazed Eyes-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a chance of dazing. Chance raises with talent skill and cunning.

Bloody Nose-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a chance of getting a bloody nose. A bloody nose cause small damage each turn and prevents healing. Chance and damage of bloody nose raises with talent skill and cunning.

Slowed prospective-
Enemies caught in your mind powers have a slower global attack. Effectiveness raises with talent skill and cunning. (the highest of this would be about 10%ish)

Sorry but these break the idea of the class, since they seem to indicate actual mental powers rather then true mental manipulation (which certain magicians actually practice in real life) Mind Powers actually is VERY close to trance.

Maybe a swashbuckling fight style? Be something you'd spend a category point in, requires dual weapons. Scales with dex, some cun involved.

Pirouette Strike
You make a strike, twirl around and hit with your offhand. If your mainhand attack hits, you gain extra accuracy for 5 turns. Does 86%-129% damage depending on TL. Does extra damage to confused enemies, damage to confused enemies increases with Cunning score.

Cloak Smash/Disarming Smash
You make a jarring strike with the hilt of your weapon, concealed by your cloak. Does ... really low damage (ghoul gnaw level), but disarms your foe for 2/3/4/5/6 turns.

Confusing Strike
You move in a confusing manner, making two quick strikes against your foe. If the mainhand attack hits, your target is confused. Does 100-140% damage, confusion duration scales with Cunning.

Against All Foes
Sustained. You have a 5% chance to parry (95%-100% damage reduction, maybe?) melee attacks and melee special abilities, per hostile adjacent to you. This'd scale with TL so only time you'd get 40% chance is when you're surrounded on all sides by hostile monsters, and only at TL 5.

Fluidity
Sustained. More or less an offensive version of Against All Foes, you've mastered the art of swashbuckling and your strikes are now so quick as to move from one foe to the next without stopping. Number of foes you can strike in succession increases with TL, at TL 5 if you're surrounded you'd try to hit them all. Fluidity strike does not stop on anything other than the first struck enemy. Drains stamina rapidly, for effect would go around clockwise or counter-clockwise and stop when it gets to start tile again. Make regular attack again with Fluidity up, another fluidity circle happens. (No infinite loop of death if you're facing 40-50 monsters that just mindlessly zerg you)

It's a great tree on its own, but not really where I want to go with the Charlatan. He's a trickster, not a fighter. My current concept is that he'd be a master at crown control--incapacitating most of the enemies so he can pick the rest up one at a time.

Also, no more confusion skills. I have too many in already--we don't need any more.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Alright, this class is long done and in MoRE, but I plan on doing some more work on it and wanted your advice.

First proposal is the Throwing Knife tree. I want to add a chance to break stealth to all skills. I figure 20% at low levels down to no less than 5%, after you adding in other skills and such. Also you would no longer start with this skill. I may also move it to advance, although I'm not sure. In addition, the Hidden Source Skill gets removed and a new 4th skill introduced that would be a stealth breaking high damage cone attack.

Also, Showmanship loses Fool's Gold. I was thinking Flourish could replace it, a sustain that causes some skills have an extra 1 turn cooldown in exchange for a benefit. I was thinking extra effectiveness or lasting longer, but Entrancement has that covered. I'll have to think on that one.

To replace Throwing Daggers, I want another tree which the class would start with, Misdirection, which would also be mostly usable from stealth.

Misdirection

Bodiless Voice--A ventroloquism based skill that would be the new version of Throwing Dagger's hidden source. A confuse attack usable from stealth.

Fool's Gold--Moved from Showmanship, it's basically just a renamed Lure.

?

Appear--breaks stealth but causes a large AoE stun.

I need more ideas, thoughts and criticism, so bring it on!

[lukep]

First proposal is the Throwing Knife tree. I want to add a chance to break stealth to all skills. I figure 20% at low levels down to no less than 5%, after you adding in other skills and such.

What if you gave it a 75% chance to not break stealth (and not even check), and a 25% chance to check against unseen actions etc. This could be a simple and straightforward way to implement this without adding too many mechanics.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

No, that would break it completely. It needs to be a small chance for it to be useful at all in the way I had intended.