Chronomancy Development

[edge2054]

Fork in Time is to similar to See the Threads (which will literally let you pick from multiple time lines).

But... I should change the name of Deja Vu to Foresight

nm, forgot I was using Foresight already.

[Sirrocco]

Wacky thought for another skill. "Gather the threads". Basic idea is that you're stepping into a number of alternate timelines, firing projectiles of various sorts, rewinding back to a base reality, and then pulling those projectiles back into your timeline from the timelines they were left in. It would have a moderate paradox cost, and a fairly large cooldown (as it's basically a multicast power with some significant bennies). When you cast the spell, your location/status/level/etc is saved. You get a small number of rounds (increasing a bit as the spell level increases) to move and fire. If you die, you die (unless other powers are in effect). If the time rune out and you haven't fired a projectile spell, you get yanked back to the save point with no effect. If you fire a projectile of some sort before the time runs out, you get yanked back, but the projectile comes back with you (starting wherever you fired it from) and the level is resaved with the projectile in it. You may cancel the spell at any time, at which point the thread becomes the real timeline. Each thread revert you go through carries a paradox cost (meaning that higher levels of the skill allow you to accumulate more paradox, if you follow them to the end).

Implications of this spell:
- It's a really very chronomancy-flavored way to multicast.
- It does allow for some short, relatively safe scouting. That's not what it's for, and the chronomancer has better tools in the arsenal to do that with, but it does allow.
- It lets you cast and recast your missiles for free (other than the refresh time for the "Gather the Threads" skill, and the paradox cost for each thread). If you have a single arrow of OMGness, this will allow you to fire it a few times in succession and still have it in your quiver. If you have a mighty projectile spell with an equally mighty refresh, this will let you have three of them on the board at once, all hurtling towards your enemy.
- If you do it wrong, it is entirely possible to shoot yourself in the back with this power. Similarly, you can't just fire from where you're standing initially - you'll reweave back, the projectile will be at the location from which you fired it, and the thing will hit you. You must move and shoot each time. This is intentional.
- Even though enemies will be moving in response to your movements, you need to target where they were (or, at least, where they were going to be) rather than where they are - the projectiles come back, but the targets are in their initial places.
- Works fine on arrows, but does nothing for non-bolt spells.

[Final Master]

Sirrocco - I love your proposed unlocking method. It's undaunting, and keeps telling a story - it's absolutely brilliant.

[edge2054]

Gather the Threads sounds interesting but it might not be worth the save reload time if there's an easier way to implement an effect like it.

It did get me thinking last night about the overall number of ways to damage opponents in the chronomancy trees though (it's kinda lacking in this regard, lots of control not a ton of damage).

So here's a couple of spell ideas I came up with.

Echos From the Past - All targets in a cone take X% of max life - life temporal damage.

Repetition - Puts a single turn timed effect on all creatures in a ball. Any damage they receive while the debuff is active they take X% of again.

*edit* Actually might do repitition using something similar to Martyr but in reverse. So every time you deal damage you deal X more damage to your target (rather then yourself).

[edge2054]

Stealing the Gather the Threads name for Repetition. The effect is going to be similar but I'm going to do it in a much lamer way. It's a great idea but I don't think saving and reloading multiple times in a such a short period of time will be fun for much of the player base.

I have a talent currently called Refresh that recovers X stamina over five turns that could use a better name. It's in the temporal combat tree and is a chronomancy stamina regen so something along those lines would be good if anyone has any thoughts.

[Grey]

Hyper? Stimulance?

[edge2054]

Used Stimulance, thanks Grey.

Sent a diff file off to DG today so I'll be working on anomalies until beta 19 releases since they're confined to a single file and easy to copy over between versions.

[edge2054]

Paradox Mage to do list.

http://te4.org/blogs/edge2054/2011/01/c ... st-beta-20

[yufra]

I worked on the Paradox clone a bit, and have a basic working patch here: http://pastebin.com/hFhRWk6C

There are comments sprinkled throughout, but the comment in EFF_PARADOX_CLONE indicates that I do not like that things which happen to the player in the past (damage, paradox increase, etc) do not return with the player when they return to the future. Oh, and the paradox clone is not added to the party right now...

[edge2054]

Ahh.. . excellent point yufra and something I hadn't even realized yet. I want the stuff that happens the second time through to be applied to the player on return, especially damage and resource use if nothing else.

Though xp gain and items should probably stay in the past so the player can't abuse boss fights...

hmm..

*edit* Okay, got health and paradox values to pass between the worlds. Looks good, thanks yufra

[edge2054]

Just have to say...

1 more talent to go and it's on to some playtesting and balancing

But tomorrow, now it's time for bed

[edge2054]

http://te4.org/blogs/edge2054/2011/01/d ... radox-mage

Thanks for all the help guys

I have a couple more class ideas for chronomancers in the works but I don't plan on starting on them anytime soon.