New Sun Paladin trees

[Thomas]

Hi everyone ^^

After trying to theorycraft a Crusader class (2h using Paladin style class), I took peoples suggestions to compact the class itself into some new trees for the Sun Paladin.

I've proposed 3 new trees:

Celestial//Sunlight (as either a replacement for Sun, or standalone tree)
Celestial//Radiance
Celestial//Crusade

As of last week, the Sunlight tree is in git, so you'll most likely see that in 1.1.6.
I have no idea whether the other trees will make it into the game or not.

Here's the full document of my ideas, including notes on the abilities (some of the ideas, like Radiance intensity, might not make sense without the notes):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1P2y ... uwkYx-2M0/

I'm considering dropping the whole Radiance intensity idea, but it seems Radiance is a bit boring without it

TL;DR VERSION

If you don't understand anything in the TL;DR version, try the full document, it might explain it.
Celestial//Sunlight

1. Sun Bolt
Activated
Cooldown: X
Range: X
Generates X positive energy
You channel the power of the sun into a bolt of pure light, dealing X damage. At talent lvl 4, the bolt explodes on impact, blinding all units in 1 aoe for X turns. The damage increases with your Spellpower.

2. Suncloak
Instant
Cooldown: X
Positive energy cost: X
The light of the sun can cleanse and protect you in your time of need. Cures 1,1,1,2,2 magical or physical effects and increases all your resistances by X% for X turns. The all resist increases with your Spellpower.
Note: DG changed this one because Providence already cleanses statuses. The new change involves new effects duration reduction and all resist for X turns.

3. Sun’s Vengeance
Passive
Increases your critical strike chance by X%. Critical strikes you perform have an X% chance to instill you with the Sun's Vengeance, granting you a buff for 2 turns that allows your next Sun Bolt to cast instantly and deal X% extra damage, putting it on cooldown. If Sun’s Vengeance activates while Sun Bolt is on cooldown, Sun Bolt’s cooldown is reduced by 1. Sun Bolt criticals do not count towards Sun’s Vengeance. Effect can occur only once per turn.

4. Path of the Sun
Activated
Cooldown: X
Positive energy cost: X
Using the power of the sun you light a radiant path (range X), extending out from you in a line on the ground for X turns. Any movements you take along the path will not use a turn. Enemies that stand on the path will take X light damage each turn.

Celestial//Radiance

1. Radiance
Passive
Starts with 1 pt, cannot be taken out.
Your inner light is powerful, and it is always with you. It envelops you and everything around you in radius (1+talent level). You have vision of all tiles within your Radiance aura. Your Radiance aura’s maximum intensity is X% (based on talent level).

2. Illumination
Passive
The light of your Radiance allows you to see that which would normally be unseen. All enemies in your Radiance aura have their invisibility and stealth power reduced by X. In addition, all enemies affected by illumination are easier to see and therefore hit; their defense is reduced by X. At talent levels 4 and 5, increases Radiance radius by 1.

3. Searing Light
Sustain
Sustain positive energy cost: X
While active, you concentrate your Radiance to inflict searing pain unto your foes. Enemies within your Radiance take X light damage each turn, increasing with spellpower. The searing pain is so intense that it is crippling; enemies have an X% chance to be dazed for 1 turn.

4. Light Burst
Activated
Cooldown: X
Positive energy cost: X
Briefly focus all of your inner light to maximize the power of your Radiance. For X turns, your radiance aura’s intensity and maximum intensity is increased by X%, and those caught in it have an X% chance to be blinded for X turns. In addition, while Light Burst is active, any damage caused by Searing Light will invigorate you for X turns, granting you X% stacking movement speed per instance of damage, up to a maximum of X%.

Celestial//Crusader

Talents require 2H weapon

1. Absorption Strike
Activated
Cooldown: X
Generates X positive energy
You perform a mighty strike with your 2H weapon, dealing X% weapon damage and absorbing light from around the target for X turns. The absorption increases your Radiance intensity by X% for X turns. targets who have had their light absorbed lose X% Light damage resistance.

2. Mark of Light
Instant
Cooldown: X
Positive energy cost: X
You swifty thrust the hilt of your 2H weapon into your target, dealing X% (<100) weapon damage, and inflicting them with a Mark of Light for X turns. All melee attacks against the Marked target will infuse the attacker with healing light, healing them for X% of the damage done. In addition, any Searing Light damage done to the Marked target will heal you for (100-200)% of the damage done.

3. Righteous Strength
Passive
While wielding a 2H weapon, your critical strike chance is increased by X%, and your melee criticals instill you with righteous strength, increasing all physical and light damage you deal by X%, stacking up to 3 times. In addition, your melee critical strikes leave a lasting Lightburn on the target, dealing spellpower-based Light damage for X turns, and reducing opponents armor by X.

4. Flash - seriously can’t think of a good name
Activated
Cooldown: X
Positive energy cost: X
You imbue your 2H weapon with intense light before using it’s weight to spin yourself around, dealing X% weapon damage in 1 aoe. In addition, burning light flashes out from your spin, dealing X% weapon damage as light damage in 2 aoe. At talent level 4, the light becomes so powerful that it dazes all targets hit for 1 turn. The spin has an X% chance to increase your Radiance intensity by X%.


Hope you guys like what I am trying to do here. I am sure a lot of you will agree that Sun Paladins need a bit more lovin’. These are all ideas that I feel will improve both their power, and their enjoyment.

[Parcae2]

I enthusiastically support the concept, but I'm a bit confused as to what radiance intensity actually does?

Edit: read the notes and it basically just multiplies everything. It's an interesting concept, I think, but probably needs some work to ensure that it doesn't wind up boiling down to "use these abilities in this order every time."

[NemesisZeru]

I had some ideas, too! Nothing major, just reworking Guardian to be a shield tree that works with radiance, another 2h tree(bringing it to 2 shield, 2 2h trees), and that's about it. I've talked to Tomisgo about it previously, and he didn't exactly hate it, so putting the stuff here.

Shield of Light
Sustained
Cooldown: 10
Cost: 10 Positive

Infuse your shield with light, healing you for (5-25, doesn’t scale with spellpower anymore)) each time you take damage. Each time you are hit, you gain X% Radiance intensity. Successfully blocking an attack gives X% Radiance intensity(Up to +X% per turn)), and inflicts a stack of Lightburn on the blocked enemy for (1-5) turns.

Alternate Shield of Light:

Shield of Light
Sustained
Cooldown: 10
Cost: 10 Positive

Infuse your shield with light, healing you for (5-25, doesn’t scale with spellpower anymore)) each time you take damage. Foes who hit you have X% chance to be blinded for X turns, and the chance is doubled when you successfully block an attack.


Brandish
Active
Cooldown: 8
Range: 6
Cost: 15 Positive
Use Speed: 1 Turn

Hits the target with your weapon doing (100-150)% damage, and with a shield strike doing (100-150)% damage. If the shield strike connects, your shield will explode in a burst of light that inflicts (20-200) light damage on all targets except yourself within radius (2 + talent_level / 2) of the target, and light up all tiles in that radius, and giving bonus defense and armor for X turns if more then X enemies are hit.


Retribution
Unchanged. I like the concept of draining the light of nearby targets to boost the shield, but Iunno how it’d work mechanically, and goes against how the current skill works a bit.



New fourth skill: Still thinking on this, actually. Didn't realize I actually forgot to list one, so....blech. Suggestions are definitely welcome!



Second Life
Sustain
Cooldown: 50
Cost: 60 Positive
Use Speed: 1 Turn

Is now the fourth skill in the Combat Tree. Martyrdom is removed and the tree order goes:
Weapon of Light>>Wave of Power>>Crusade>>Second Life

Any attack that would drop you below 1 hit point instead triggers Second Life, deactivating the talent and setting your hit points to ((5 + talent_level * 4)% of max life). For X turns after the sustain is deactivated, the glory of your revival gives X% Radiance Intensity, and an X boost to Radiance range. The effect decreases by X% each turn over the duration.

The goal here was to make it so the ability is accessible to both trees, since even 2h paladins would probably want it, while also make disabling it early to get a power boost a potential option: safety vs. power.


Zealotry(Locked.)

A tree based around using 2hs. Basically a counterpart to Guardian. Unless I’m mistaken, this’d give 2 1h/shield trees(Shield Offense, Guardian), 2 2h trees(Crusade, Zealotry), and the trees that benefit both to different extends(Sunlight, etc)

Purge
Active
Cooldown: 7
Gives: 10 Positive
Use Speed: 1 Turn.

Stab at the enemy for X% damage, attempting to free the light within. Purge consumes Lightburn stacks, doing the remaining Lightburn damage instantly. If Purge consumes more than X stacks of Lightburn, the target is Stunned for X turns.



Repentance? Trying to find a good name for this.
Active
Cooldown: X
Cost: 25 Postive
Use Speed: 1 Turn

For X turns, foes who hit you in radius X(Scales with level) experience shame for their actions, damaging themselves for X% of damage dealt to you. If the target does more than X% of your life in one hit while active, the attacker receives a stack of Lightburned.

Notes: The goal of this is that 2h paladins would be less tanky, but covert damag to them onto their foes, fitting the whole offensive theme they would have as opposed to shieldadins.


Condemn
Active
Cooldown: X
Cost: 25 Positive
Use Speed: Instant

Condemn an enemy for their actions. For X turns, the target is Lightburned, and when slain, holy light erupts from the target, dealing X light damage in Radius X, while healing you for X life. Targets hit by the explosion have X% chance to receive a stack of Lightburned.


Luminant Soul
Sustain
Cooldown: 30
Cost: 60 Positive
Use Speed: 1 Turn

Your light becomes so strong, enemies gain an additional X% chance to miss you, scaling with your Radiance intensity. When you successfully dodge an attack, a Sun is summoned, which targets a random enemy in sight and homes in on it. When it reaches the target, it explodes, dealing X Light and Fire damage in Radius 1. Lightburned targets take +X% extra damage from Sun explosions for each stack of Lightburn they have.

[Parcae2]

I'm not a big fan of Repentance. The offensive vs. defensive choice is interesting on paper, but, in practice, roguelike players will always choose defense. For two-handers to be viable, therefore, they need to have some defensive abilities to compensate for the inability to take Eternal Guard or Shield of Light.

Here's a two-handed defensive idea:

Conduit
A beam of light tethers your weapon to an enemy in melee range. You drain the enemy of the light that nourishes them, restoring your Positive Energy and reducing their global damage modifier. If they move more than X tiles away, they are free of the effect. You lose X% global damage against all enemies except the one to which your Conduit ties you.

[NemesisZeru]

I'm not a big fan of Repentance. The offensive vs. defensive choice is interesting on paper, but, in practice, roguelike players will always choose defense. For two-handers to be viable, therefore, they need to have some defensive abilities to compensate for the inability to take Eternal Guard or Shield of Light.

Here's a two-handed defensive idea:

Conduit
A beam of light tethers your weapon to an enemy in melee range. You drain the enemy of the light that nourishes them, restoring your Positive Energy and reducing their global damage modifier. If they move more than X tiles away, they are free of the effect. You lose X% global damage against all enemies except the one to which your Conduit ties you.

Hm, fair enough. Was trying to go an offense through defense route, but it probably didn't work as well. That said, seems interesting, although it'd need a new name. There's already a skill called Conduit. :3

[Parcae2]

Noted. How about Luminous Tendril?

[NemesisZeru]

Noted. How about Luminous Tendril?

Perhaps. Tendril sounds a bit...ominous, though.

Luminous Bond? Iunno. Still an interesting idea, though. :3

[jinsediaoying]

I think the new Sun tree is also good for Anthoril