1. Getting Exotic Weapons Training
- * Two trainers would teach exotic weapons mastery. One in the west, one in the east.
* The western trainer resides in Zigur. Not that exotic weapons are anything to do with antimagic; he just happens to be a member. You wouldn't need to join the Ziguranth to use his services, but you need access to Zigur.
* The eastern trainer lives in the Gates of Morning, and is functionally identical to the western one. The upshot is that all characters can potentially learn exotic weapons mastery, but non-magical characters can learn it sooner.
* How these two trainers train you, I'm not sure about. There are a few possibilities. They could...
... unlock it just like any other skill, at 0/10, so you can spend points in it yourself.
... automatically raise its skill level equal to your weapon mastery skill. This could be done repeatedly.
... raise it to 5/10, but only once you've reached 10/10 in regular weapon mastery.
... raise it one point per character level, with an increasing cost each time.
(Obviously, this last option would cater for level 50 characters, too.)
* Sun Paladins could potentially start with exotic weapons mastery. If the weapons are exotic by their coming from the east, then Palas should already be experienced with them. (That's not saying they are, but they could be.)
- * Obviously, exotic weapons aren't much cop if they're only found in a few select dungeons in the east. So, here's some ideas on how they could be distributed.
* They could have a small chance to show up in any dungeon - not as monster drops, strictly on the ground. To counteract their rarity, they should be consistently good quality, and reliably one material level higher than the norm. Finding white exotic weapons should almost never happen.
* In relation to the last idea, there could be a higher chance of exotic weapons being found in vaults, or maybe specific vaults geared towards exotic weapons.
* An exotic weapons peddler could travel the map, either in the west or east (I think this was suggested somewhere else...). Buying anything from him makes him vanish until you gain a level, then he'll return with a fresh stock.
* Zigur and the Gates of Morning could have exotic weapon stores too. As an addition, it could be made that Rashim (the Sun Paladin lost in Ardhungol) is the shopkeeper for exotic weapons in the Gates of Morning, so you could only access it after saving him.
* Edit: And obviously, more exotic weapon artifacts.
- * Each type of exotic weapon should have a quirk so they don't just feel like regular weapons with slightly different numbers. They should be conditional, but potentially more powerful than regular weapons.
Whips: One-handed. Very low damage with nil armour penetration, but a good 10-20% chance to stun/daze an enemy on strike. A very useful weapon to have in your alternate weapon slot, so you can switch to a meatier weapon once your target is incapacitated.
Tridents: Two-handed. Damage comparable to a regular two-handed weapon, maybe a bit lower. Has a good 30% chance to knock back an enemy when struck. Awkward to use in wide open spaces, but excellent if you can get an enemy against a wall to reliably impale it (not with the insane damage here, of course).
Scythes: Two-handed, new. High damage, high crit chance, high APR, but awful accuracy and lowers your attack speed. Ideally, you'd NEED precise/perfect strikes to use them effectively (or at least a high DEX build), but when they're effective, they're VERY effective.
Sickles: One-handed, new. Similar to knives, to the point that a rogue with exotic weapons mastery can dual wield them, although they have slightly worse accuracy than regular daggers. Their trick: 50% of their damage dealt penetrates any and all resistances (not armour). It'd be useful to keep one on hand as an eternal bone giant buster if you've had bad luck finding elemental weapons.
...: ... It feels like there should be more types, but I can't think of any. Anyone?