'Splodey 'rows

[mirrizin]

So, Gwai likes archers. So she's playing them a lot. And being her spouse, I watch sometimes. We've noticed that one thing that really sucks for an archer is packs of monsters that aren't so kind as to line up all nice and linear-like.

I recall, back in the days of TOME 2, there were arrows that exploded with an area-effect.

What are thoughts on adding these devices to TOME 4?

[Taxorgian]

Well, scatter shot and volley of arrows are available from time to time. Perhaps there should be a third in a new tree?

[Gwai]

And scatter shot and volley are nice, but besides the fact that one doesn't get them until late, they have long enough downtimes that they really don't do much against a pit of giants or whatever.

[Zaive]

Hmmm.... This gives me some arrow ego ideas. Others than the exploding arrows, of course. Though some of them might be better off as talents.

Barbed arrows: Bleeds
Numbing arrows: Have a sort of paralyzing agent on them. Slows. (More than slime?)
Flash Arrows: Lights up the area around the target and dazes or blinds all enemies nearby.
Napalm Arrow: Causes Flame AoE
Cluster Shots: Fires several more shots in slightly different directions.

Actually, maybe there should be another talent tree involving the use of different add-ons to arrows.... They would have a low cooldown but use an item from your inventory. Rather than having a different talent for each effect, just have a single talent that prompts which add-on effect you want to use. And it could be used with other shooting talents like Arrow Volley to spread the effect to several enemies.

Also, on the subject of archers, I feel they could use more generic talents... Their weapon mastery uses class points instead, leaving them to have a lot less class points to use for other skills and a lot more general points to use on.... Trap detection?

[darkgod]

In beta11 they get 2 more generic talent trees Rejoice !

And yes good ideas, what kind of "extra" items did you imagine ?

[Hedrachi]

Hmm... "shatter" arrows or something to that effect, ego arrows that were designed to break apart on impact. Does physical damage so would be more common or low damage. Splitting arrows that split into 3/many arrows, would in essence force the target to breathe a physical damage cone in the opposite direction from where the arrow came. "Bob Barker" arrows that neuter worms and other things with "Multiply".

[Patryn]

Humm... "Piercing Arrows" that go straight through the target (basically a beam effect).

[Zaive]

I though about piercing arrows, but there's a talent that does that...
I also thought of a "Dense" shot type that stuns, but isn't there a talent that does that too? (Under the sling mastery tree)

Some of the "extras" I imagined are the more powerful "ego" types, like bombs, the daze AoE, and the burning AoE. Maybe something with a stunning effect as well.
Maybe you could use alchemists gems, or something.
The idea behind having a talent for it was that being able to use certain effects (Like the daze effect) on every single shot would be overpowered, and that it should have some sort of cooldown or something to limit how often it could be used....

Woo! more general talents! Hoooray!

So, how 'bout them 'Splodey 'Rows?

[Hedrachi]

Maybe a hidden (bought or found) tome that teaches archers how to make their arrows act like alchemist bombs, but every infusion is sustained, even the fire one? Maybe limit the explosion radius to 2 tiles out.