Hate mechanic rework :
The issue with Hate as it stands right now is twofold - conceptual and mechanical
On a conceptual level, it is too close to Vim since it comes mostly from killing foes or from a couple skills that help gather it - making those skills mandatory the way Drain is for a Corruptor. Also, it seems weird to me that I’d feel more Hatred for a foes AFTER killing it rather than before.
I ran entirely by chance into the Experimental Hate add-on created by the remarkably talented Housepet. What he did was make it so Hate decayed to 50% out of combat, and killing a foe gave you a temporary hate regen. The idea is really neat, but I’d take it a step further.
New Hate mechanic :
Doomed skills rework :This system would grant a base of Hate to insure no Afflicted is caught entirely flat-footed after an auto-explore. It also conceptually emphasizes the idea that Hate comes from living foes, not dead ones.
- Hate decays rather fast out of combat, by 5 points a turn, down to a flat 20 if above it. While an Afflicted never runs out of sheer hatred on her own, she needs a target to build it up and keep it high.
- If under 10, Hatred regens up to it by 1 a turn out of combat. The core of self-hatred all Afflicted harbor never goes away entirely.
- Between 10 and 20, Hatred is stable out of combat.
- Spotting a foe and entering combat grants an immediate 0.5 Hate regen - there’s a focus for the inner turmoil !
- For every foe in sight/telepathy range, an additional 0.1 Hate regen is gained - how dare those fools gang up on us ?
- Elite and boss-class foes multiply this regen bonus by their rank - such awesome foes stoke the fires of our wrath
- Killing any foe grants a 10-turns 0.1 Hate regen - it takes time for the rush to die down.
This system would work for all Afflicted
Shadows, One with Shadows and Punishment trees : no rework needed. Those are fine as they stand.
Force of Will : Deflection is rather laughable when compared to… Well, any defensive skill in the game, really. I’d change it so to make it really palatable :
Deflection :The idea here is that, like Bone Shield, Deflection is most useful at eating alpha strikes. Like Bone Shield, sustained or simultaneous assaults can quickly eat through it, but it’s more resistant against DoTs. on the down side, it’s unlikely to fully stop more than one hit (two maybe) but it’ll help soften the follow-ups as we close in on our foe. Considering the awful mobility and range of the Doomed, a chance to get in range of casters should be welcome.
- Absorbs 100% of damage taken, up to its current charge value, instead of 50%.
- Once the shield is down, a raging maelstrom of telekinetic fury surrounds the Doomed in radius 3, inflicting 20 percent of the deflected damage as physical over 3 turns. (Thanks stinkstink for the idea. Before that, was "On top of that, 50% of the damage absorbed is inflicted back on its source as physical damage as our mind lashes back with telekinetic fury.")
- The recharge value of Deflection is brought back to 15% of its maximum a turn.
- However, if it ever is brought down to 0 remaining absorption, it unleashes the storm effect and goes on cooldown for 6 turns as we catch our breath after resisting such an assault. It’ll charge faster than before, but could be temporarily brought down.
Fear tree : I think it’s a great debuff tree, but I dislike the last power, especially since Afflicted are either melee (Cursed) or short range casters (Doomed). Getting the enemy to run away is rarely what we want. I’d change it so :
Darkness : I like the idea of this tree, but I think we can all agree that it needs a buff to make it a valid choice instead of Shadows. Here’s my idea :Mob Mentality :
Level 12/13/14/15/16, Wil 28/30/32/34/36
Use Mode : passive
Use Speed : Mind
Description : fear can take a life of its own, and it’s always harder to be brave when others panic. Any foe affected by a fear has a 10/20/30/40/50 % chance to spread it to other foes within a 2/2/3/3/4 radius around themselves each turn so long as they can see each other. A foe’s chance to be infected by a new fear is lowered by 10% for each fear it’s already experiencing.
One With Darkness : Also, to compete with Shadows, Darkness needs a new high-level tree. I offer you a brand new tree/Darkness V 2.0
Call Darkness
Level 0/1/2/3/4, Cun 12/14/16/18/20
Use Mode : activated
Cost : 5 hate
Range : 5/5/6/6/7
Cooldown : 5
Use Speed : Mind
Description :
Focus your mind on a foe, gathering darkess around it. For the next 3/4/5/6/7 turns, it’ll be sourrounded by an inky caul which follows it, blocking sight for all foes and inflicting damage as the old darkness talent. At talent level 3, the caul spreads in a radius 1 around the target. At talent level 5, the caul spreads in a radius 2 around the target. You can see through your own darkness. The damage will increase with your Mindpower.
Striking Darkess
Level 4/5/6/7/8, Wil 20/22/24/26/28
Use Mode : activated
Cost : 5 hate
Range : 5
Cooldown : 6
Use Speed : Mind
Description :
Sends a torrent of searing darkness through your foes, doing darkness damage. There is a 25% chance the rushing darkness will blind them for 3 turns, and cause them to forget their target.The damage will increase with your Mindpower.
Spreading Darkness
Level 8/9/10/11/12, Wil 28/30/32/34/36
Use Mode : passive
Description :
The Darkess Caul takes on a malevolent will of its own. Each turn, it has a 15/30/45/60/75 percent chance of spreading to another foe in a 2/3/4/5/6 radius. Any foe within your Darkness has their saves lowered by 5/10/15/20/25% of their current value. A foe can only be affected by one caul at a time.The save loss will increase with your Mindpower.
Quickening Darkness
Level 12/13/14/15/16, Wil 28/30/32/34/36
Use Mode : activated
Cost : 10 hate
Range : 10
Cooldown : 15/13/11/9/7
Use Speed : Mind
Description :
You temporarily merge with your Darkness, cleansing yourself of 1/1/2/2/3 magical effects. You can then reemerge on any tile within sight and range that is also shrouded in Darkness. You must be standing in Darkness to activate this power.
Dark Sustenance : With the new Hate mechanic, Feed would need a slight rework :One With Darkness :
Oozing Darkness
Level 10/11/12/13/14, Wil 22/24/26/28/30
Use Mode : activated
Cost : 5 hate
Cooldown : 20
Use Speed : Mind
Description :
For 4/5/5/6/7 turns, you Leave trailing Darkness where you walk or stand. The Darkness is placed automatically every turn and lasts 4/5/5/6/7 turns. At talent level 4 or greater, the Darkness will expand to a radius 1 area from where it is placed. It affects all foes as Call Darkness, including sight, damage and the added effects of passive powers.
Sheltering Darkness
Level 14/15/16/17/18, Wil 30/32/34/36/38
Use Mode : passive
Description :
Your gather Darkness around yourself in a protective cloak. As long as Oozing Darkness is in effect, you have a chance to avoid any attack (as Leaves Tide) as your Darkness conceals and shelters you. The effects will increase with your Mindpower. (Again, thanks stinkstink for the better approach.)
Frightening Darkness
Level 18/19/20/21/22, Wil 38/40/42/44/46
Use Mode : activated
Cost : 11 hate
Range : 5/5/6/6/7
Cooldown : 20
Use Speed : Mind
Description :
Most creatures fear the dark, and you remind them why they are right to do so. As long as it stands within your Darkness, you can inflict a given foe with a random fear. At talent level 1, you can inflict Paranoid or Despair. At talent level 3, you can also inflict Terrified or Distressed. At talent level 5, you can also inflict Tormented. The fear lasts for 8 turns, and is affected by any of the Fear tree effect you may have unlocked. The target also has its fear immunity and mind saves lowered by 15/30/45/60/75% of their value with regard to Fear powers exclusively.The effects will increase with your Mindpower.
Smothering Darkness
Level 22/23/24/25/26, Wil 46/48/50/52/54
Use Mode : passive
Description :
The weight of your unnatural darkness weights even more heavily on your foes as your caul hinders their very movements. They suffer a 5/10/15/20/25 percent global speed penalty while affected by your Darkness. Also, their evasion and resists (except « resist all ») are lowered by 10/20/30/40/50% of their current value. The effects will increase with your Mindpower.
Survival, Cursed Form, Cursed Aura, Gestures : I don't feel any of those need a rework, they do their job and do it well.Feed :
Your furious mind reaches out and brushes against your target's, drawing strength from it even as you mentally recoil in hatred. You gain 2/5/8/13/18 Mindpower as long as you're in sight of it and Feed from its mind. You also absorbe 0.2 / 0.4 / 0.6 / 0.8 / 1 Hate per turn on top of the gain you get from being in presence of foes.
I don’t pretend the values listed here are definitive or even balanced - I’d need people more used to coding for ToME to help review them. But they should give an idea of the power level I’m envisioning for each power.
I’m open to comments, criticism, and can only pray someone will feel up to the challenge of turning this vision into a coded reality. :-p