Talk to the Team: Dragon Schools: New Schools

[Kaerisk]

Cloudmender – Dragon Healer/Mage. Early in the Age of the Dragons, it was discovered that the air high in the sky was rich in a strange Primal energy that could be manipulated using Primal techniques, but did not correspond to their understanding of Prime. The dragons called this energy Storm, for it was most noticeable during lightning storms. Cloud-Dancers made use of the Storm, as did Windmenders, though for different purposes – while the Dancers utilized it for combat and communication, the Menders used it to heal wounds, as the Acolytes had lost much of their power with the exodus of the gods. While it was later discovered that Storm was Primal that had been infused with both nature and life energy due to their Realms and their gods crossing the Prime and that the ‘impure’ Primal energy was deemed not worth mastering, many of their techniques were passed down to the dragons of today – Menders responsible for Primal Breezes and Dancers for Gusts. Rumors persist, however, that fragments of these schools’ teachings were collected by the scholar, Helian, and that she attempted to piece together knowledge of the Storm – creating a new school of study called Cloudmenders. If this is true, she did not perfect it before her death, and may have taken it to her grave…


-Requirements-
Completed “Helian’s Legacy” questline, which itself requires a level 100 Conqueror.


-Stats-
Armor – 5
Dexterity – 6
Focus – 9
Health – 27
Power – 9
Strength – 6


-Skills-
Dragon Breath – 9
Evasion – 7
Magic Evasion – 9
Primal – 10
Storm – 10
Tooth and Claw – 7

-Spells-
Cloudmenders can use all Primal and Storm spell except the following: Primal Wave, Primal Beam


-Shared Abilities-
Galewind [Unchanged]
Snarl [Unchanged]
Primal Roar [Unchanged]
Staggering Howl [Unchanged]
Allowance of Power [Unchanged]



-New Abilities-

Tempestuous Healing* – A sudden storm infuses the target with life-giving energy.
[Level: 5, 25, 45, 64, 85; Animation: Refreshing Breeze]
When Used
Delay: 30
Recycle: 1:30
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Bolstering Winds
--
Bolstering Winds Effect
Heals: 25-30 [+25-35 per level]
Duration: 0:45
Frequency: 0:15
[Dev Note: This is a 3 tick heal that overwrites breezes and healing cloud. It does stack with Life-giving Rain and Refreshing Breeze. It functions similar to an instant heal but, of course, is not instant. For more info, check the notes on Healing Cloud in the spell section.]


Entertaining Clouds – Whimsical glowing clouds distract a target from action.
[Level; 15, 35, 55, 75, 95; Animation: Mage’s Maddening Trick]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:45
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Entertained
--
Entertained Effect
Prevents any actions
Limits Speed to 0
Limits Fly Speed to 0
Removed after 1 hits taken
Duration: 0:15 [+0:05 per level]
[Optional Text: “Are you not?”]

Rain of Acid* – An acidic rain falls upon victims in a small area and lingers. (AE damage with DoT component)
[Level: 4, 24, 44, 64, 84; Animation: Corrosive Rain]
When Used
Extra Damage: 25-30 [+25-26]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 30
Recycle: 1:30
Range: 30
Area: 6
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Rain of Acid
--
Rain of Acid Effect:
Extra Damage: 3-9 Storm [+7-11 per level]
Duration: 0:30
Frequency: 0:10

Life-giving Rain – (AE refreshing Breeze, Hoard, conflicts with refreshing breeze)
[Level 11, 31, 51, 71, 91; Animation: Blight Ward]
When Used
Delay: 30
Recycle: 5:00
Range: Self Only
Area: 15
Skill: Storm
Hoard Cost: 125 (+325 per level)
Target Effect: Rain of Life
--
Rain of Life Effect
Heals: 155-165 [+45-55 per level]
Duration: 0:35
Frequency: 0:07
[Lore Text: “Legend has it that Istara herself gifted the rain to Istaria, so that it might nourish the creatures Alyssa had given her. But we dragons know differently. The Storm is but Prime that wishes to see life renewed. Should we not respect the wishes of the Prime?” –Nyestra Helian, “Tablets of the Cloudmender”]

Enhanced Storm Bolt* – A powerful storm spell special attack
[Level: 2,12, 22, 32, 42, 52, 62, 72, 82, 92; Animation: Lightning Bolt]
When used:
Damage: 30-40 [+15-17 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 30
Recycle: 1:00
Range: 30
Skill: Storm

Storm’s Fury* – Increases magical damage for the group for a short duration
[Level: 50; Animation: Nature’s Fury]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 1:45
Range: Self Only
Area: 15
Target Effect: Storm’s Fury
--
Storm’s Fury Effect:
Range Only Spells Only
Does 112% of normal damage
Duration: 1:00

Cleansing Waters* – (detox self) [Level: 47; Animation: Purify]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:45
Range: Self Only
Attempts to remove hostile effects
Max removals: 1
Dispell strength: Automatic
[Lore Text: “Some of our Lunus-minded brothers have called us Waterbloods. Even my father has called me this to my face. I say to you, embrace this word. Make it your own. For water, too, is a valued resource. Do not these Primal bodies require water to live? Does not fluid water move around obstacles? And in time, water can carve away stone and make a path where one did not exist before.” –Nyestra Helian, “On the Rhetoric of Hate”]

Grand Tempest – (single target DoT which pulses 3-4 for damage around the victim)
[Level 20, 40, 60, 80, 100; Animation: Mystic Blaze with larger scale]
When Used
Delay 20
Recycle: 2:00
Range: Self Only
Skill: Storm
Hoard Cost: 200 [+200 per level]
Target Effect: Eye of the Storm
--
Eye of the Storm Effect:
Area: 15
Target Effect: Wracked by Storm
Duration: 0:30
Frequency: 0:15
--
Wracked by Storm Effect:
Extra Damage: 22-25 Storm [+22-23 per level]
Duration: 0:10
Frequency: 0:05
[Lore Text: “Legend says that Drulkar, flying alone, grew lonely in his solitude. And so he created the wind to fly with him. The wind was his consort and we, his children, can still call upon her – if we dare reap the jealous whirlwind.” –Nyestra Helian, “Tablets of the Cloudmender”]


Negation – (Strong targeted dispel. Hoard.)
[Level: 14, 34, 54, 74, 94; Animation: Expulse]
When Used
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:45
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Attempts to remove beneficial effects
Max removals: 3
Dispell strength: 180 [+200 per level]
[Lore Text: “Long have we maintained that Realm magic is inferior to Prime, but in truth all energy that exists on the Prime does so for a reason. As stewards of the Prime, we must learn when we can allow them to mingle, and when we must unmake them.” –Nyestra Helian, “Tablets of the Cloudmender”]

Thunder and Lightning – Blasts with the power of the Storm, stunning the target upon impact, and again a short time later.
[Level: 17, 37, 57, 77, 97; Animation: Thundercloud]
When Used
Damage: 14-15 [+24-29 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 20
Recycle: 1:00
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Thunderstruck
--
Thunderstruck Effect
Duration: 0:20
Frequency: 0:19
Target Effect: Echo
--
Echo Effect [Animation: Thunder]
Prevents any actions
Limits Speed to 0
Limits Fly Speed to 0
Duration: 0:05
[Dev Note: I think this should stun, and then 19 seconds later, should stun again. If this only actually stuns once after 19 seconds, this needs to have a third effect or be otherwise modified.]

Soulsunder – Storm damage becomes ethereal for the duration, but reduces power to 85%
[Level: 79; Animation: Fusion Burn]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 2:00
Range: Self Only
Area: 15
Target Effect: Storm’s Fury
--
Storm’s Fury Effect:
85% Base Power
Range Only Spells Only
Damage is Ethereal
Duration: 0:30

Redirection – Sparkling lights encourage an opponent to attack your ally instead of you. (Reverse defend other – chance for your ally to intercept attacks for a short duration)
[Level 13, 33, 53, 73, 93; Animation: Fireflies]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 3:00
Range: 10
Target Effect: Redirected Attacks
--
Redirected Attacks Effect
15% chance to intercept attacks against caster [+5% per level]
Duration: 1:00
[Dev Note: Not sure if there is such a thing as ‘attacks against caster’ as there is against target. This ability may be beyond the tech that exists. If so, I recommend a targeted damage absorption based ability in its place.]


Dance of the Storm – (stance) +100 Storm skill, 30% chance to reduce incoming spell damage by 10% [Level: 100; Animation: X stance (I don’t know what colors are available for these, so pick whichever makes the most sense.)]

[Kaerisk]

~THE ULTIMATE DRAGON~

If a dragon masters all vocations, and they likely will try, this is the ultimate dragon’s stats without armor, spells, ascension, or other buffs like hoard or stances.

-Rating-
158 (7 classes at 100)

-Stats-
Armor – 700
Dexterity – 1000
Focus – 1000
Health – 3500
Power – 1000
Strength – 1000


-Skills-
Dragon Breath – 1000
Evasion – 1000
Magic Evasion – 1000
Primal – 1100
Tooth and Claw – 1100
Storm – 1000

-Mastered Abilities-
[Myrmidon]
Strength Boost* - 10 Strength +20 per level [Max: I]
Whirling Dervish* – Area attack, melee, two hits, Hoard. [Max: I]
Feeding Frenzy* – small damage AE attack that heals based on damage [Max: III]

[Talonmaster]
Parry* - Gives a chance to parry with a claw weapon equipped. [Max: I]
Dexterity Bonus* - 10 Dexterity +20 per level [Max: I]
Ice Strike* – Snares, lowers evasion, and does minor damage. Increases fire resistance. [Max: II]
Crack of Thunder* – AE stun, storm skill [Max: I]
Shield of Earth* – Reduces damage from each hit by a small amount. Set number of uses. Hoard. [Max: V]
Enhanced Primal Bolt* – instant primal attack. Shared with Primalist. [Max: V; Shared with Primalist]

[Champion]
Judgment* – Critical Strike, more damage from blue or Protector stance [Max: III]
Health Boost* - 20 health +40 per level [Max: I]
Intervene* – Defend Other [Max: II]
Malganival’s Bulwark* - Increases armor, but roots you in place [Max: I]

[Judicator]
Words of Fire* – Immolate [Max: V]
Cauterize* – instant heal, but decreases target’s armor [Max: V; shared with Champion]
Focus Bonus* - 10 Focus +20 per level [Max: I]

[Primalist]
Primal Seal* – root [Max: III]
Helian’s Ward* – melee ward. [Max: II]
Primal Burnout* – increases primal damage, but causes damage upon use [Max: I]
Power Bonus* - 10 Power +20 per level [Max: I]
True Spell* – Next spell hits and does max damage [Max: I]

[Cloudmender]
Tempestuous Healing* – 3 pulse heal, conflicts with breezes/healing cloud, but targetable. Overwrites both [Max: III]
Rain of Acid* – AE damage with DoT component [Max: III]
Enhanced Storm Bolt* – dur [Max: V]
Storm’s Fury* – increases magical damage for the group for a short duration [Max: I]
Cleansing Waters* – detox self [Max: I]



Note on Masterable Abilities: Several of these are Max: I – they are abilities that only have one level. Though it may seem like a lot of abilities for dragons to have, keep in mind nearly all of the Max: I abilities will require 100 or near to it. Dragons will have to fully commit if they really want all of these.

[Kaerisk]

-New Spells and Spell Changes-

First, I’d like to say a little bit on implementation of Storm Magic. I know that adding a new skill, damage type associated, and all things that entails will be a challenging task. Ideally, every mob would be updated to reflect the new damage type: addressed to have Storm resists, wards, and weaknesses. Spells might need to be made to counter it, so on and so forth. This would be tedious work, though it would be necessary to make Storm its own fully fledged magic.

There is a lazier way to implement it however, if the developers wish to put off that work. As Storm is a mixture of Prime, Nature, and Life energy, but primarily nature-touched, it would be very easy to simply change all storm damage abilities into nature damage and use the nature resists/wards already in place for the monsters. The skill itself can and should still be implemented; this should be, I have to imagine, less work and less tedious work than changing every mob in the game to have the new resist.

The following spells are listed in as complete a state as I can make them, just as the abilities listed above. The notable exception to this is that I have not included skill levels at which they would be available, as you can simply add a 0 onto the levels listed instead. I have added additional spell notes on several of these spells, as some of them are somewhat unique from what we currently have. In addition, though each of the classes have a list of what is or is not available to him, Usable By is still listed on the spell for the sake of completeness. Finally, there is also a small section on new and old techniques.

[Shortened: Conqueror = CONQ, Myrmidon = MYRM, Talonmaster = TMSR, Champion = CHMP, Judicator = JUDI, Primalist = PRIM, Cloudmender = CLOU]


-Storm Spells-

Soothing Winds – A focused wind designed to infuse the target with healing energies
[Level: 20, 40, 60, 80, 100; Animation: Breeze]
When Used
Heals: 6-7 [+10-10 per level]
Delay: 40
Recycle: Repeating
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Usable by JUDI, CLOU
[Spell Note: The heal amount seems low, but it is balanced vs. the recycle of Primal Health. Essentially, you should be able to get 4-6 hits of this spell in between the recycle, depending on alacrity, so it is actually slightly stronger over time than Primal Health. Heal increase/potency might be too strong to apply to this spell, but that’s something to test for balance. In addition, the spell might need a Requires Adventure level (X), as it could more easily automate power-leveling for low levels.]

Healing Cloud – A soothing cloud of healing primal energy washes over the target.
[Level: 7; 27; 47; 67; 87; Animation: Spirit Ward]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:20
Range: 30
Area: 15
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Healing Cloud
--
Healing Cloud Effect:
Heals: 8-10 [+15-15 per level]
Duration: 0:15
Frequency: 0:05
Usable by CHMP, JUDI, CLOU
[Note: This spell does not stack with the breeze line of spells, and in fact overwrites them. The purpose of this spell is to give dragon healers a healing-specific line (similar to biped health spells); the overwrite occurs because these are intended to be active heals and should not simply stack up HoT after HoT.]

Storm Bolt – A bolt of concentrated storm strikes from the heavens.
[Level: 1, 20, 40, 60, 80; Animation: Lightning Bolt]
When Used
Damage: 4-5 [+14-19 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 35
Recycle: Repeating
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Usable by CONQ, MYRM, TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Improved Storm Bolt – A more powerful version of the previous storm bolt.
[Level: 10, 30, 50, 70, 90; Animation: Improved Lightning Bolt]
When Used
Damage: 11-15 [+14-19 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 35
Recycle: Repeating
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Usable by CONQ, MYRM, TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Electrify – Shocks the target with Storm, leaving them vulnerable to further Storm attacks.
[Level: 2, 22, 42, 62, 82; Animation: If recolors are possible, Melee Flurry effect, but yellow.]
When Used
Damage: 8-10 [+20-30 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 30
Recycle: 0:30
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Electrified
--
Electrified Effect:
-23 Storm Ward [-28 per level]
-16 Storm Resist [-32 per level]
Duration: 5:00
Usable by TMSR, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Gift of the Prime – Infuses the target with the power of the Prime itself, increasing spell damage.
[Level 20, 40, 60, 80, 100; Animation: Raise Armor]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:05
Range: 30
Target Effect: Gift of the Prime
--
Gift of the Prime Effect:
Range Only Spells Only
Does 102% of normal damage [+2% per level]
Duration: 2:00:00
Requirements: Current Adventure Level (20) [+20 per level]
Usable by CONQ, TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Gift of Blood – Infuses the target with dragon’s blood, increasing physical damage.
[Level 20, 40, 60, 80, 100; Animation: Raise Armor (recolored to red would be good)]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:05
Range: 30
Target Effect: Gift of Blood
--
Gift of Blood Effect:
Attacks Only
Does 102% of normal damage [+2% per level]
Duration: 2:00:00
Requirements: Current Adventure Level (20) [+20 per level]
Usable by CONQ, MYRM, TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Gift of the Myrmidon – Empowers the target with the spirit of the Myrmidon to strike for additional damage on occasion. (On non-standard hit, has a 25% chance to cause the next attack to do bonus damage)
[Level 20, 40, 60, 80, 100; Animation: Raise Armor (Recolored red would be good)]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 0:05
Range: 30
Target Effect: Gift of the Myrmidon
--
Gift of the Myrmidon Effect:
[25% chance]: Extra Damage: 15-25 Bleed [+20-25 per level]
Duration: 2:00:00
Requirements: Current Adventure Level (20) [+20 per level]
Usable by CONQ, MYRM, TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU
[Spell Note: I am not really sure I got this one right. The hypothetical Gift spells post is where I got these ideas from, but there isn’t a lot of in-game precedent for me to manipulate as I did for nearly all other abilities. The most confusing thing is the ‘non-standard’ clause, so I am not sure how to proceed. I went with a static 25% chance and a damage kicker, but I am not certain how this will activate.]

Lightning Reflexes – Increase evasion for short duration
[Level: 14, 34, 54, 74, 94; Animation: The energy casting state if that effect can be divorced from the casting animation.]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 2:30
Range: 30
Target Effect: Enhanced Reflexes
--
Enhanced Reflexes Effect:
+15 Evasion [+20 per level]
Duration: 1:00
Usable by JUDI, CLOU

Poisoned Miasma – Poison gas chokes targets in a small area (for 3 ticks).
[Level: 4, 24, 44, 64, 84; Animation: Withered State]
When Used
Delay: 20
Recycle: 1:00
Range: 30
Area: 12
Target Effect: Poison Gas
--
Poison Gas Effect:
Extra Damage: 7-9 Storm [+10-14 per level]
Duration: 0:30
Frequency: 0:10
Usable by TMSR, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU

Storm Blast – Strikes with the power of the storm, and then again a short time later.
[Level: 8, 28, 48, 68, 88; Animation: Thunder]
When Used
Damage: 10-12 [+20-25]
Attack Type: Storm
Delay: 20
Recycle: 1:00
Range: 30
Skill: Storm
Target Effect: Storm’s Echo
--
Storm’s Echo Effect:
Extra Damage: 10-12 Storm [+20-25 per level]
Duration: 0:20
Frequency: 0:19
Usable by CONQ, TMSR, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU
[Spell note: I’m relatively sure that this will hit once, and then again 20ish seconds later. If this is not correct, please fix it.]




-New Primal Spells-

Primal Wave – Prime-based wave of fire washes over the target.
[Level: 15, 35, 55, 75, 95; Animation: Improved Flame Wave]
When Used
Damage: 15-20 [+27-38 per level]
Attack Type: Flame
Delay: 30
Recycle: 0:30
Range: 30
Skill: Primal
Usable by TMSR, CHMP, JUDI, PRIM, CLOU


Primal Beam – A beam of pure primal power envelops the target.
[Level: 18, 38, 58, 78, 98; Animation: Energy Strike]
When Used
Damage: 50-57 [+43-51 per level]
Attack Type: Primal
Delay: 55
Recycle: 1:30
Range: 15
Skill: Primal
Usable by PRIM

Primal Reconstruction – Rebuilds the body of a fallen ally, allowing them to rise and fight again.
[Level: 10, 30, 50, 70, 90; Animation: Resurrection]
When Used
Restores dead character to 10% of maximum health [+20% per level]
Delay: 50
Recycle: 1:00
Range: 30
Usable by JUDI, CLOU




-Storm Spell New Techs-

Stormshield – Grants a 15% chance for a beneficial Storm spell to bestow a Stormshield, dealing small damage to attackers and reducing damage taken from one hit [Level: I-V; Applied to: Storm Healing/Buffs (see note)]
Adds:
15% chance: Stormshield
--
Stormshield Effect:
Deals 1-2 damage to enemies that hit you [+2-2 per level]
Attack Type: Storm
Reduces up to 5 damage per hit [+5 per level]
Removed after 1 hits taken
[Note: This ability might be too powerful in combination with Soothing Winds. The reason the chance is so low is because I do want it to be on Soothing Winds, as it makes for a very unique healing style. If even with the low chance this is too powerful, the chance should be increased significantly and Soothing Winds should not be included in its tech-able options. This should stack with damage shields that exist already. If this is not possible, then just keep the reduced damage and lose the damage shield component.]


Zap – Storm spells with this technique have a 50% chance to reduce the target’s evasion for a short time [Level: I-V; Applied to: Storm Damage spells]
Adds:
50% Chance: Zap
--
Zap Effect
-50 Evasion [-100 per level]
Duration: 0:30

Invigorate – Grants a beneficial storm spell a 50% to grant increased evasion for a short time [Level: I-V; Applied to: Storm Healing/Buffs]
Adds:
50% Chance: Invigorated
--
Invigorated Effect
+50 Evasion [+100 per level]
Duration: 0:30

Storm Damage – Modifies the maximum damage output of a Storm damage spell by [2, 4, 6, 8, 10] [Level: I-V; Applied to: Storm Damage spells]
Adds:
+2 damage to storm spells [+2 per level]

Storm Range – Modifies the maximum ranged storm spell by [5, 10, 15, 20, 25] [Level: I-V; Applied to: Storm Damage spells]
Adds:
+5 range to storm spells [+5 per level]

-Old Techs that Apply to Storm-
Heal Increase
Potency
Heal Recycle
Shocked
Accuracy
Cleanse
Critical Damage

[Kaerisk]

-Item Changes-

Current Claw Weapons
These are unchanged in implementation, except the following are added to their usable list: Myrmidon, Talonmaster, Champion. This includes the epic claws.


Spellclaw Weapon
This is a new weapon with a drop-only formula. While it has levels 1-6, all of these levels should be made with T5 resources. They possess the following stats:
Damage: 23-33
Attack Type: Slash
Range: Melee
Delay: 27
Range Only Spells Only
Does 105% of normal damage [+1% per level]
Usable By: Cloudmender, Primalist, Judicator, Talonmaster
Requirements: Current Adventure Level (1) [+19 at II, +20 per level after that.]

The goal of this weapon is to increase spell damage while limiting melee damage, thus making Gold Rage and similar techniques viable, but certainly not as strong as their melee-focused counterparts. Likewise, this should help make their magic noticeably stronger. If two different ‘does % damage’ effects do not stack with one another, this would need to increase power by a significant margin instead, but I’d prefer the % damage route, as it has no impact on crafting.


Hybrid Claw Weapon
Again, this is a drop-only formula and every item is made with T5 resources. It has 1-6 levels.
Damage: 23-33 [+3-5 per level]
Attack Type: Slash
Range: Melee
Delay: 27
Range Only Spells Only
Does 100% of normal damage [+1% per level]
Usable By: Talonmaster, Champion
Requirements: Current Adventure Level (1) [+19 at II, +20 per level after that.]

The goal of this weapon is to help validate both play styles for the more hybrid-minded classes, while not being as good at either role than their melee or spell-based counterpart. I would have liked to include Conqueror on this list, but that would have required adding a bunch of these just as there are for normal claw weapons, so as to not cheat (23-33 damage at level 1 would be awesome, but no). There’s already enough to worry about, so adding more hybrid claw options for Conquerors can come later.

T1-5 Scales
These scales require no change, except to make them usable by the new Vocations.

T6 Priceless Scales
Separate but equal is a practically impossible doctrine to follow. This disparity is most notable in the repaired T6 scales, as bipeds only require adventure rating. As these changes finally allow for dragon adventure rating and as the repaired scales are for combat more than crafting, it only makes sense that the racial restrictions be removed in favor of a rating system leaving them equal to bipeds.



Recommendation: A new epic claw based on either the hybrid or spell claw weapon would be highly useful as the current claws are a bit more melee-oriented and have the higher melee damage casters are not supposed to have.

[Kaerisk]

-Don’t Panic and Bring a Towel-

I understand the reticence people have with change, especially change in things that they love. Change can be a terrifying and frightening thing. Like a dragon hatchling tapping against its shell, we always risk knocking on a larger world that we cannot possibly hope to fully understand from where we lay. And as the pieces of our understanding fall away and we poke our heads from our comfortable little homes, we are assailed by the cold, fresh air, both terrifying and exhilarating.

My initial offerings were not nearly as fleshed out as these and offered a potential path forward. I was astounded at the responses; it was not a cry that the ideas were horrible, but that dragons needed time to reflect on the changes already presented and implemented. There is some logic in this. This game was originally named Horizons – it had its sights on a vast and distant horizon, but it stumbled because it did not look where it was going. It saw the great and beautiful mountains in this distance and failed to notice it was standing in quicksand.

Despite this, I still believe in the concept of the horizon. But we cannot let ourselves fall victim to extremes. We cannot allow ourselves to focus only on the distant horizon, and we cannot stay mired in the mud, afraid to take another step. Fortunately, we have all the time we need.

The Developer’s Desk recently posted that the remainder of the year will be spent on bug fixes and art assets. As such, it is highly unlikely that any of these ideas will be implemented or even considered. That does not mean we should forget about them, but rather discuss them now, before setting out for the distant mountains. Just developing these classes, their lore, and their spells and abilities, has taken me a month and this work is purely theoretical without any kind of actual programing.

But I was more than happy to do it, because I have a stake in where dragons go from here, as do you. Do not be afraid to discuss and to put your heart into it, but do not let your passions turn into hate and do not let your criticisms be guided by fear. In the near thirteen years I have been a part of this game and this community, I have seen great ups and downs and I have plenty of reason to fear and distrust. But I still want to see this game, and its community, flourish. That is why I have continued to return here. That is why Resurgam is my forum and character mantra. We shall rise again.

If you are reading this, you have nearly reached the end of this grand effort I have put forward. I wish to thank you for having taken the time to at least skim through it, as it has taken up quite a bit of my free time. I hope you have enjoyed it and I hope that you find at least something interesting you would someday like to see in game, even if the concepts presented in their current state are not what you would like.

Above all, remember this: don’t panic. There’s a 99% chance that this will not be implemented unless we truly clamor for it. Even with all the work I did to make this as easy to implement as possible, there is still a huge amount of work that would still be necessary in the actual coding, especially now with departures that shall be missed. It will take a great deal of time before any of this, even piecemeal, will see the light of day. Drulkar only knows if there is a dawn awaiting us over the horizon.

-Obligatory Biped Addendum-

There are a lot of interesting things that I think I’ve done here. Some things, like healing repeater spells, damage absorption shields, and so on, might be seen as desirable to bipeds as well. They have had a grand monopoly on schools since the game’s release and it has made them extremely unique – not only to the dragon experience, but in comparison with many other games. Few come close the multiclassing abilities that Istaria has. There may be some concerns that we are moving into their territory and could dilute the difference between biped and dragon play experience.

There are two things I wish to say on this subject. The first is apologia: The fact that these proposed schools are coming now, 12 years after release, is noteworthy but unlikely to change the paradigm that has existed for so long. Dragons will only attain access to them after having fully been immersed in the single-school experience, as they only unlock at 100, while bipeds have access to seven schools practically out of the door, with a grand total of 28 available, still eclipsing the proposed 7 for dragons, a full fourth of biped options. And for some dragons like myself, who have been continuously subscribed these twelve years, we have been immersed in this single school long enough. I am hopeful that the stances and the limited options will provide specialization that is flexible enough for everyone, but specialized enough to make each experience a bit more unique, both from what was, and from bipeds.

The second thing I wish to say is that I fully believe in and support the idea of biped prestige schools. In having done research on the forums for this project, I noted that a lot of opinion on the Neo schools was muted primarily because they would fundamentally alter the play experience that exists for bipeds at current. People didn’t want to change in short. And there is a reason for it – a friend of mine who had only recently tried the game said that she enjoyed the biped play experience as it was. It is simple, yet challenging, with amazing depth and options. Like the old dragon adventurer school, people don’t want it to change. But that doesn’t mean they can’t have more things, new things, interesting things to grab their attention and bring them back. Much like the dragon prestige schools, I believe bipeds would be likely to benefit from and enjoy new schools with far stepper requirements to attain than those currently available, with truly unique play styles. There have been fantastic suggestions for these schools already, as well as the tech for resource mechanics that simply are not seen in game at current.

But someone else is going to have to write those up, because I am pooped. ;p

[Talitha]

I'm okay with "modernizing," just please don't break my dragon! :) If I have to submit a request to be reclassed, that's fine, but I'm not so willing to part with 10+ years of my main character! If I want to roll a new hatchling to try things from the ground up, I will! But I don't want to lose my silly green dragon.

After much learning (and re-learning, and refining, and re-fiddling) I've figured out how to make a spellcastery dragon work for me, without spamming melee abilities (*coughGoldRagecough*), and am able to kill things quite decently and not get killed in the process. I may not kill things as fast as that melee dragon over there, but my drain bolt keeps me alive long enough to get the job done and my breezes are powerful enough to make up the difference. I have refined the timing for using my debuffs/snarl and breaths deliberately so that I can avoid melee habits. I would like to be able to remain a viable caster, especially now that it has become possible to do so and my dragon feels "powerful enough" and very playable.

Re-learning how to play my caster dragon may be a pain, but I'll do it, as long as the results are balanced and I don't feel like I'm paddling uphill through a mudslide to kill mobs or complete quests. Against normal mobs in a solo situation that ANY class should expect to succeed in, a castery dragon should be able to kill things and stay alive just as well as a melee-ish dragon or a healery dragon, even if they go about it in different ways.

If Dragon Schools means my "mage" dragon becomes a plinky squishy who can't even heal herself, ow. Let's not make any particular path gimped. Balance in all things, please. The rites for Helian/Lunus adults could be tweaked to mainly lore based quests rather than any emphasis on class/combat choices (remove primal/TC buffs, refine the defense buffs?) so that no one has to feel their combat role is locked in with their RP role.

I would expect, given the direction that most Primal damage spells have already taken (AoE! AoE! and another AoE! oops, pulled too many...), that the caster dragon would be a somewhat less armored AoE carpet bombing machine. ^_^; Can roast a lot of midsize mobs at once but may take more damage in return, less vulnerable to magic damage, etc., the usual "glass cannon." ...or maybe not glass, we are giant lizards after all. Obsidian then. Volcanic glass. Add some more spells that do more/different AoE (stuns/roots/slows/DoTs? Biped spell families do a LOT of different stuff; what is Primal magic known for? ...uh, well, dragons cast it...), maybe a couple more single target spells, maybe a different kind of defensive/damage shield if Spiked Scales gets pitched into the melee class.

Perhaps a melee sort of dragon would have stronger inherent armor bonus and/or more health but are only at their most devastating vs a single target, as is now. (DPS warrior or Tank warrior? XD) Tougher against physical damage, weaker vs magical damage.... can't really think of a ton to add here, dragons already have a lot of melee buttons to push that do a lot of damage. (My little castery claws can still Gold Rage at 1k to 1.2k per hit! Most things just die). This would not change things much as they stand now, just some window dressing and a few more buttons to make up the lack of spells? (Still learning to play melee dragon effectively; he's only lvl 44 now!)

A healery dragon? If there is any. Dunno about their offense, but they should at least be good enough at healing that their breezes are an actual desirable group ability and they can sit in a puddle of mobs and heal away without being sliced to ribbons (Breeze spells alone can't contend with a lot of high level mob or boss damage, as currently stands; not even with Primal Health thrown in).

Otherwise, give caster dragons the bigger aoe/group heals, and the melee dragons the single target heals? *ponders*

Currently, most melee dragons just melee, and throw spells in here and there only if there's a lack of buttons to push (at least that I've seen in combat logs). It seems most caster dragons cast, but will also throw melee attacks in emergencies (ohshootgoldrage!) or when spells are on cooldown. What abilities would be taken from a caster class dragon? What spells would be taken from a warrior class dragon? Will a warrior class dragon be able to scribe primal spells at all? Heals? Damage? Will a caster class dragon be able to use T&C weapon claws? Armor Scales? Strength Scales? Or will that whole crafting arrangement have to change for "sword" claws and "stave" claws with particular class requirements? This could get complicated. There are no cloth scales.

As a caster, my breaths (lightning/ice) are part of my debuffs, instead of GR/SS. Acid/Drulkar's Displeasure becomes my DoT instead of Bite (most of the time) or Rending kit. Balances for these between classes? What new things will I be able to do when half of what I currently do suddenly belongs to some other class?

...ahem. Anyway. Thinking out loud.

But I must emphasize, very strongly, once again: If Dragon Schools means having to reroll, nothanx. :)

[Kaerisk]

I'm okay with "modernizing," just please don't break my dragon! :) If I have to submit a request to be reclassed, that's fine, but I'm not so willing to part with 10+ years of my main character!

The goal with this particular suggestion is to make sure that you don't have to be reclassed via ticket, and more importantly, that you aren't losing almost anything from your current school. The accuracy of your attacks will go down a little, your health will go up to compensate, and you will lose a little damage from your stronger abilities.

Reclassing via ticket was proposed elsewhere because there is no easy way for them to remove quested abilities, which are only tweaked in this proposal, something they have shown capable of doing.

Ideally, none of this should break your dragon. The main DAdv class is largely untouched, and I even suggested above that it be unaltered during testing of the new schools.

Re-learning how to play my caster dragon may be a pain, but I'll do it, as long as the results are balanced and I don't feel like I'm paddling uphill through a mudslide to kill mobs or complete quests.

The proposed system would create one 'main' mage class, the Primalist, and the two 'hybrid' mage classes, Talonmaster and Cloudmender.

Primalist builds upon what is currently missing in our spell-casting ability: supreme single-target damage (through new abilities like Starfall and Gold Burst) and battle-altering abilities, such as mezes and snares. It retains access to all of the spells you have now, as well as a few new spells.

Cloudmender uses heals to supplement its damage, but lacks single target and Gold Burst. It is also more reliant on the new magic, since its stance increases storm damage and not primal. In addition, much of its damage is DoTs - so you'll need the healing to survive when soloing while the DoTs eat away at mobs.

Talonmaster is the most melee/spell hybrid of them all. You can play it either full mage if you want, making full use of its Stance of Wind and its access to most spells old and new, or you can play with its melee-focused elemental damage. If you go full mage, you'll probably want to max out Cloudmender and Primalist as well.

Will a caster class dragon be able to use T&C weapon claws?

No. See the proposed item changes above. Full mages (Primalist, Judicator, Cloudmender) are unable to use claws that have a higher damage. They get a new weapon that, if it works properly, will increase their spell damage instead to compensate. Still needs to be balanced, though.

But I must emphasize, very strongly, once again: If Dragon Schools means having to reroll, nothanx. :)

I completely agree. This system should allow for dragons to simply add on top to what currently exists without having to break or marginalize the veterans. In reality, veterans will benefit most from this proposal, as they are the ones who have the high level dragons ready to actually start the quests and unlock the schools for use.

[meepsa]

when I was in the cross-server istaria skype chat (not trying to stir up anything as I know people's opinion on that were mixed) I do remember primalist and conquerer actually being potentials for dragon multi-classing, but it's more that the topic would rise every now and then, and it would die out or move to something else just as quickly.