New Special Race: The Phoenix

[Starmind]

A new flying race in Horizons would be really nice.
The Phoenix Rises from the ashes of a Meteorite Crater.
A whole event could be involved and then within the meteor crater, a city could be built for the Phoenix Race, sent from the heavens to help hold back the expansion and rebirth of the blight.

Phoenix Race:
Mostly Spellcaster; Can cast all Healing, Nature, and Fire based spells.
Special Abilities:
Natural Regeneration but lower health
Higher Power and Focus than normal.
"Rise from the Ashes" Once per 2 hours, a Phoenix can self-resurrect with full health and no DP

There can be much more added in here. I would suggest the Phoenix be limited in a few ways so as not to totally "tee off" the dragon players, but it would be another way to bring in fresh and excited blood into the game.

Just a thought,
Whaddya Think?

[CallakDW]

I actually would have expected griffins before phoenix for some reason. Also, I still think they should finish flight for dryads before they even start thinking of inventing a new flying race. It's not a bad idea though.

[Cromos_Swordbreaker]

Great ideas starmind, I'd like to see phoenix's and griffins in game,

[Hoberton]

This is from the original line up - Angels were supposed to be in game:

and the descriptions are at Old Horizons race descriptions

Also, I found a sight that shows the blood wars originally conceived (I think) for the PvP concept back then... Races, alignments and blood feuds
which is an excerpt from the Gamespy Preview of 2001

I think this might be the information you were seeking.

[awdz]

what? did i miss something? no gnomes in that line up? yikes!! ;-)

those lamurians look really interesting though, all those oceans with no dwellers...

[SinOfSuns]

No gnomes and no half giants either :P

As for a phoenix, I think it steals from the dragon uniqueness too much. Flight is something that only one race really has currently and they have to EARN it too... it's far from instantaneous. Even moreso with rebirth. To give these abilities as a baseline would really make playing a dragon almost pointless... why work hard for something another race gets totally free?

I hate to shoot down anyone's ideas, but a phoenix sounds like it would merely unbalance things, and cause a lot of players who have worked hard for their abilities to get cross. If they brought back the angel class maybe, and had them earn their wings too I think that would be a little better... and make sense while doing so. (I mean, who's ever heard of a phoenix that can't fly?)

[Silverblaze]

goblins would have been the gnomes...phoenix, no bueno...too many abilities at start...way overpowered. Usch is my opinion, nothing more.

[Fyrethorne]

What about Gryfons? I like gryfons. Could have a similar concept to the dragons where they have to earn their flying ability too. I would have to agree that getting flight straight off in a char class would be wrong.

[CallakDW]

It really is too bad that more of those races didn't get put in. It would have been interesting.

[Khetienn]

While the Phoenix sound like they'd be interesting, I agree with the others in that it'd be really un-balancing to have a race that could both fly -and- get the really nice rez right off the bat.

I would like to see what the angel/demon races would have been like in-game, because they look interesting. Angels would have to earn their wings; would the demons have to earn something similar? Or perhaps team up with the Fiends, maybe by offering to help the Fiends find their home-world and Goddess if only the Fiends would help?

On a side-note: I want my original design-art tail! Current dragon tails just don't look like they have the stunning ability that Tail Swat says it does, nor the needed advantage of helping us steer in flight. Meh, now I'm convinced that my poor hatchling had been caught in a horrible accident, wherein he lost about the last third of his tail, before "waking up" Gifted with his now permanent short tail.

[Scaleth Drakescale]

I think Griffens sound like a good idea. They could be like dragons, starting out as a hatchling and such, just different abilities? I love the pheonix idea as well, but there's something about those four legged creatures that always catches my attention first..

[Dracana]

I'm gonna side with other people here and say that I like the idea of gryphons as a playable race. As for the phoenixes I also agree that the way they are written in this idea makes them waaaay too overpowered.

[Hraefn]

I have to agree with the majority here. With the abilities listed as they are, a phoenix would just be too overpowered from the get-go. Needless to say however, seeing fiery birds flying about would be an awesome sight.

Gryphons would also be a wonderful new race. They could be much like dragons in how they grow and develop and eventually earn their wings, etc, etc. There would need to be somethings about them though that set them apart from a dragon - not just a cut and paste with a different skin.

[guru]

I would love gryphons, I think they would be much more popular and workable than phoenix. If and when Virtrium patches up Horizons and fixes the more pressing issues with the incompleteness of the game, adding a new dragon-like race--- the gryphon--- would attract new blood, I think.

I don't know how much money and development Virtrium is willing to pour into Horizons, or if they even have the resources to create a sister race to the dragons, but since the dragons are the real reason the majority still play, it makes sense to give similar audiences even more reason to play with the addition of gryphons--- and to draw old players back in.

[Takora Drakan]

They where even planned

[RuneDragoon]

I dont mind phoenixes and griffons. However giving the phoenix a ressurection like that would be much too powerful.

Alternative: once a day cooldown skill that will advance your deathpoint timer enough to remove a point, like ambrosia. The time it takes on the cooldown should balance it out. But if it is deemed also too powerful, it can cost similar but a little less than ambrosia for every use.

[Hoberton]

I don't know how much money and development Virtrium is willing to pour into Horizons, or if they even have the resources to create a sister race to the dragons, but since the dragons are the real reason the majority still play.

Dragons are only a portion of this game - NOT the most important or "real reason" as you seem to think.

[Hal`cyon Sskyler]

They where even planned

Here's an example of David Allen planning:

RANDOM PLAYER: CAN THE LAMURIANS BE PIRATES?!?!?!

DA: YES!!!!!

RANDOM PLAYER: AWESOME!!11one



EDIT: Also everything posted here is from the pre-blackout days where Horizons was just a happy-go-lucky all-in-word-and-excel game with millions spend in artwork and no client or server to do anything with 'em. I think that can be considered non-canon at this point

[guru]

Dragons are only a portion of this game - NOT the most important or "real reason" as you seem to think.

Oh come on, you know what I meant. Its the most original part of the game in comparison to all of the other similar mmorpgs in the same genre.

[Silverblaze]

That and being on fire would play heck with the graphics.

Um... the rez ability once every two hours isnt so bad, I thought that would work for an epic healer quest or a dragon ability.

As a race it *would* make sense.

Gryphons, I'm gonna have to vote: pointless.

Cool looking sure, but... why?

Phoenixes are overpowered, much like many of starminds ideas. That doesnt make them bad, it means they need adjusting. free casting? not good