ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Bushmen are rogues living in the wilderness that became experts in the art of boomerang throwing. Boomerangs are reusable short range (5) ammos, initially not very powerful (50%dx, 30%cu). But they are full of tricks, can attack a foe inside a crowd and do not require a shooter, allowing them to be used while wielding melee weapons.

Class talents

Technique/Boomerangist
Technique/Boomeran master (lvl 10, locked)
Technique/Dual techniques
Cunning/Dirty fighting
Cunning/lethality
Technique/Combat techniques (locked)
Technique/Combat veteran (locked)
Cunning/Poison (locked)

Generic talents

Technique/Combat training
Cunning/Survival
Cunning/Scoundrel
Technique/Acrobatics (locked)
Technique/Field control (locked)


Specific class talents:

Technique/Boomerangist (??)

Boomerang mastery (dx) (lvl 1, 4, 8 12, 16)
Passive
Allows you to wield and use boomerangs. Also increases physical power by x and damage by y% when using boomerangs.
At level 3 and 5, boomerang range is increased by 1.

Low flight
Activated
CD 15
Stamina cost 10
You throw your boomerang with a different technique in such a way that it flights at low altitude. As a result, ennemies on the way of your target will be hitted twice, in the direct and return path. The complexity of this low flight technique reduces the boomerang range for this attack by 3..0.

Ricochet
Activated
CD 12
Stamina cost 10
By a using a special lifted throw, your boomerang will bounce on 1..5 extra ennemies in range. Each bounce reduces the damage by 50..10%

Bladed boomerang
Sustained
Stamina cost 30
You add sharp blades to your boomerang. When hitted, foes will bleed for x during 4 turns.

Technique/Boomerang master
(level 10, locked)

Fierceness
Activated
CD 10
Stamina cost 15
You make your boomerang whirl over your target and attack it 3 times at 25..40% dammage. At level 6, the target will be attacked a fourth times.

Precise aim
Sustained
Stamina cost 30..60
You concentrate to aim at some vital points of your target. As a result, when hitting, your boomerangs will deal an extra effect for 3 turns to the target with a probability 15..35%.
At level 1 the target can be disarmed
At level 2 it can be stunned
At level 3 it can be silenced
At level 4 it can be confused
At level 5 it can be pinned
At level 6 a second effect can be applied at half probability.

Boomerang frenzy
Activated
CD 15
Stamina cost 15
For the next 4..8 turns your boomerang will hit a random ennemy in range.

Boomerang expertise
Passive
Your long experience in boomerang throwing allows you to use them more efficiently. Increases boomerang damage by 5..25% dexterity and 5..25% cunning.



Comments?

Boomerangist... Boomeranger instead, maybe?

And most of these abilities are pretty ridiculous, if you think about it. You're somehow throwing your boomerang fully through easily five enemies, and it returns through them. Are you sure this isn't a magical class?

As for the actual crunch, Precise Aim seems overpowered. It reminds me a lot of Doomed's Mental Tyranny, where they use Mentall Tyranny to make every effect give mind damage and benefit from Madness. Madness, if you don't know, is this:

Every time you inflict mental damage, there is a chance that your foe must save against your Mindpower or go mad. The chance is 8–17.9% as ? Talent Level varies from 1–2.23.
Madness can cause them to become confused, slowed or stunned for 3 turns, and lowers resistance to mental damage by 15–35%

Precise Aim, for a minor stamina sustain cost, has a higher chance of inflicting even more status conditions, and with 5 points in it (at 1.3 mastery it will be 6.5 effective talent level) it is capable of inflicting two status conditions a turn. Bear in mind, Mental Tyranny is a prodigy, and this is considered one of the most killer Doomed builds in the game.

Probably you are partly right and some talents nedd to be adjusted.

I was thinking of a class where boomerangs could add medium range attacks and debuffs to a char that is basically a melee char. This is supposed to be a rogue, not an archer. So, all activated boomerang talents have a relatively high cooldown. No activated talent (except with a high investment in fierceness) will give over 100% damage. Damage is supposed to be low compared to arrows and there are no shooter bonus. You should definitely not be able to rely only on boomerangs in this class. Most damage should come from your daggers.

Indeed, this is a rogue where stealth and trapping are replaced by the boomerang trees. Also you are missing the dual weapons tree that should limit the effectiveness of the off-hand weapon and your defence. Boomerangs are supposed to compensate for that, and I concentrated on debuffs. But they need a strong investment, there are no 1-point wonder.

I do not think that on the average the class is OP. You are certainly right about Precise Aim, debuff chance could be reduced. But think that boomerangs are not supposed to be your main attack. For the other talents, I do not think that the game is supposed to realistic. But why not be able to send a boomerang that strikes the head of several foes in line and returns? Not more difficult than to send 25 stunning arrows in one single turn IMHO.

Oh, that wasn't anything bad. Saying it's unrealistic is just a bit of a joke, since every class that uses physicality has some blatantly impossible feats in there.

And the issue with Precise Aim is that it applies to any boomerang attack, not just abilities. There plenty of talents that might do less damage than another, or even a bump, but people will use them because they inflict status effects. Be careful when giving that to a bump, especially the TL 6 ability to inflict two.

Minor note about Bladed Boomerangs: Why does it cost stamina to stick a knife in your boomerang? Perhaprs Arterial Aim or something like that to indicate it's just a focused aim on the parts that bleed most.