When it comes to adding in new abilities, I think some special care is needed. Most of the classes are, in my opinion, at a very good place right now in terms of balance. Increasing the level cap, and then adding new abilities to them, could very easily destroy the integrity of the class.
Necromancer, Samurai, Beguiler, Wizard, and Dragoon are some classes that fall under this category. The classes I mention are very powerful, and with an additional ability to back up their arsenal, it just might tip them way over the edge.
Paladin = I really don't have any input here atm.
Dreadknight = Adopting a Necromancer skill sounds fine, but most of the Necromancer skills are far too powerful to be added to the arsenal of the DK. I think that rather than bringing over one of the Necromancer's abilities, you would be better off creating something new again.
The DK does have a distinct lack of chasing capability, so perhaps you could play with the idea of giving them them a very weak version of Web? Perhaps half the radius / duration, keep the warmup, and toss it over their way. This could very possibly be overpowered as hell however, so you'd really have to test it extensively in order to really decide if it was a good idea.
Samurai = Samurai feels pretty "complete" to me. Adding in a new skill would, in my opinion, completely break this class. Samurai is well known to be the strongest 1v1 class in pvp, as well as one of the best teamfighters around. Their ability to dish out large amounts of damage while being unhindered by anyone is absolutely insane. They're scary, they're strong, and they're fun to play. Truly a "complete" class.
Because of this, I can't think of any changes that would really "fit" here.
Dragoon = I like the idea of the Dragoon having another offensive ability, to make them more fun to "fight" with. Currently, their bread and butter for combat is strike and cleave--Warrior abilities. Impale is nice, but due to the large stamina cost and lackluster slow, it's very situational. In a teamfight, the Dragoon is quite a weak class. They really don't have much going for them in a larger skirmish. They can survive, sure, but they will die a lot faster than they will take anyone out. Their only real role involves soaking up large amounts of damage and running away to recover--which isn't particularly enjoyable.
Giving the Dragoon another offensive ability would be nice, as it increases their viability in teamfights, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be a straight up "combat" ability.
Anything I can think of is a little lackluster at this time. I toyed around with a few ideas, but I can't say any of them are honing true with me. In the end, I think the best idea is to not give them something that will give them as much combat viability as a samurai, dk, ninja, or the current runeblade. They are supposed to be the mobile raider. They use the terrain and their wits to gain the advantage over their enemies
--not ability spamming / left clicking until they win.
So once again, I feel like they could use an ability, and it would make Dragoon more fun to play, but Dragoon is a very powerful class right now, and this one ability could really buff them too much if we aren't careful.
Ninja = The Herocraft Ninja functions more like an "Assassin / Rogue" than anything, and I think that that is a good thing. It's a really fun class despite his lacking amount of "combat" abilities. Their skillset manages to compliment their playstyle without making it too frustrating or boring. If they receive any additional abilities, I think it's important to maintain his current concept.
I'd first like to address Thievery. I personally do not think that this plugin needs to come back. For as long as it remains, there will be the possibility of exploitation. Additionally, it's just not that important to the "vibe / lore / concept" of the class. Cool, perhaps, useful, maybe. But necessary? No.
Aside from that, I think that they should have their ability to use bows
removed, and then replace this with the ability to throw Shuriken. I heard from a friend of mine that this had already been accomplished on another server, so I'd like to see if something similar can be done on Herocraft. It fits right in with the Ninja concept, and would be a great skill addition to the class.
You could make it work with say. flint, to where a right click fires a projectile, similar to a fireball, that does a small amount of physical damage. This would have a very low cooldown cooldown and only really be limited by the amount of flint the Ninja carries.
Runeblade =
http://www.herocraftonline.com/main/threads/runeblade-overhaul-revamp.36326/
Ranger = Personally, I think the whole class could use a complete rework. It sounds like Roadkill has been doing just that, and I'd love to see more on this. I believe that their current playstyle and ability mechanics are both lacking in terms of viability as well as enjoyment. There just isn't anything that really drives the class, and for that reason, I think a rework is necessary.
If a rework does not occur, there are a couple things that I think can be done to grant some love to the class. I made a post in a suggestion thread containing my thoughts here:
http://www.herocraftonline.com/main/threads/rangers.36158/#post-306544
Bard = I think adding in a stamina regeneration song would be nice. I also think that they should have their Bow damage increased to 100, which I could elaborate on a bit if anyone cares enough.
Mystic = No comments at this time.
Cleric = Removing Might is a good idea, they don't really need to be able to give out this buff in my opinion. As far as new abilities go however, I've got nothing.
Disciple = No comments at this time.
Bloodmage = The Bloodmage is a concept I've seen in only a few RPG games. I was surprised when I saw that Herocraft had one. However, I don't really feel like it "plays" like the previous blood mages that I've seen in other games.
I think the best Bloodmage implementation I've ever seen was in Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. This class was freakin amazing. It could spec into insane levels of damage, (on par with most DPS classes) while also being able to heal their party members. They had two lines of heals, ones that were stand-alone, and ones that were dependent on the damage you were doing. If you got the right gear/stats for it, you could actually tank for your group. You'd deal enough damage / healing to maintain aggro, while also sustaining your own life with your insane amount of lifesteal. (This was uncommon, and usually required a backup healer, but the point is that it was
possible) I think that it was one of the most fun classes I've ever played in any MMO game to date.
The Herocraft Bloodmage, well, not so much. They play more akin to a Necromancer, Druid, or perhaps even a Warlock. They kite you around in circles while dealing damage over time and keeping you constricted. The only "blood magy" aspect of the class is that it drains life and uses a small amount of his HP for some of his abilities.
I just don't know if the "concept" is where it needs to be. Sure, it's functional, and possibly even a fun class to play--but is it really a Bloodmage? I think this one would need more discussion before I could say anything else at this time.
Pyromancer = My thoughts on the Pyromancer:
http://www.herocraftonline.com/main/threads/lets-talk-about-the-pyromancer.35328/
That post has a lot of nitty gritty mechanics written up in there, but I think that the information contained within it is important when considering the future of the Pyromancer.
I've thought about this a lot, and I really think that the Pyromancer could use some love. It's a great concept with a lot of potential, I just don't see the potential actually being used properly.
Someone once brought up Dark Souls (Kainzo perhaps?) in reference to the Pyromancer. I think this is a good reference. It shows that the Pyromancer doesn't have to be entirely focused around fire. They use dark magic--they curse, they twist, and the distort. Adding in another ability to give it a push towards this direction is something I think would be worthwhile.
So here's what I propose.
1. Remove Fire Weapon
The Pyromancer already has any player that he targets on fire 100% of the time. Between Fireball, Blaze, Fire Armor, and Chaos Orb, it is very rare that a player fighting the Pyromancer is
not on fire. It's unnecessary fluff that doesn't actually aid him in any way.
2. Add Curse
One of the biggest weaknesses of the Pyromancer is that he a melee caster that can't actually fight any melee classes. In a straight up fight, despite the Pyromancer's large amount of weapon damage, he does not have the ability to defeat another melee. If he wishes to fight a melee class, he must kite them using Fireball and Wither.
By adding the "Curse" ability, you allow them to stand a chance. It also, coincidentally, fits right in with their theme of dark magic. It would add a bit of "melee" flavor to the Pyromancer without directly buffing their melee damage.
3. Rework Chaos Orb
Chaos orb is an interesting ability. When Ender Pearls were enabled, it allowed you to get through 1x1 holes, jump up ledges, and even juke your enemies by throwing it off of a cliff. Yet, it was also your highest damaging ability. You could try and use it for utility, to gain an edge on your opponent, (and sometimes as an escape mechanic), but if you did so, you lost a large amount of potential damage. It was truly an interesting ability.
However, due to the Ender Pearling fiasco that resulted in many players using Ender Pearls and Chaos Orb to travel through LWC doors and solid blocks, the ability has lost it's luster. Now, I'll admit, I'm almost entirely at fault for this, as I was one of the first players to truly abuse it in an open fashion. I chaos orb'd through more walls that I could possibly imagine, and I did it right in front of the very players that hid behind them. I was told it was legal, so I did it. And I didn't stop until I was told that I couldn't do so anymore.
I miss the ability a bit, but even when the skill worked properly, I felt as though it wasn't strong enough. The projectile speed was far, far too slow, and the distance was so pitiful I actually laughed for a good 10 minutes the first time I used it. It had a unique "raiding" utility, but as far as combat was concerned, it was an unreliable piece of garbage that never actually landed when you really needed it to.
So, how do we rework this ability? What should it do? Should it be scrapped until Ender Pearls are re-enabled? Should it be left as is and a completely new ability replace it? I don't quite know. I'd like to see some feedback on this from the rest of the balance team before I talk anymore about it.
4. Rebalance Wither
Wither wither wither. I have a love / hate relationship with this ability. Due to the minecraft mechanics I've mentioned in my suggestion post, Wither basically grants
complete immunity to all melee damage while it ticks on a target. This means that whenever a Pyromancer uses Wither, he is forced to rely completely on his spells in order to damage the target, as his axe will connect once, maybe twice, during the entire duration of with Wither effect. Even still, I don't think it's a good idea to remove this ability from the Pyromancer. I think it's possible to integrate this awkward mechanic into the Pyromancer skillset without completely destroying it.
So here's what you do.
First, reduce the cast range on Wither by 1-2 blocks. This prevents it from being used purely as a "kiting" ability. A Pyromancer will no longer be able to spam wither / fireball / blaze and run in circles while he runs at a safe distance. If he wants to wither, he should have to be close. The Pyromancer is a melee caster--force him into melee.
Second, increase the damage. Make it a crucial part of the Pyromancer's skillset. Sure, they could "not" use wither, but they should be forced to make up for their lack of withering with something else. It will be impossible for the Pyromancer to deal any decent amount of Axe damage while the withering effect is present, so it's important for the ability to deal damage on it's own.
And finally, reduce the duration. It should be a "short burst" of damage to an enemy. Don't force the Pyromancer, or his target, to be locked into a witherfest. The Pyromancer should have an opportunity to deal axe damage when he wants to, and the target should feel as though a powerful ability has worn off and that he is now able to react.
5. Reduce Their Axe Damage.
With an increase in effectiveness of their withering ability, and an additional ability behind their belts to aid them in melee combat (Curse), it's important to not let them keep too much of an edge here. The bulk of the Pyromancer's damage should come from his abilities--not his left clicks. Reducing his damage ensures that he doesn't have such destructive power against light armored classes, and still stands on the same level as the other melee.
Wizard = The class seems fairly complete. The biggest thing that is wrong with the class is that root does not function properly. As mentioned in my post here:
http://www.herocraftonline.com/main/threads/root-doesnt-work.28562/#post-304738
I don't know what else I would change to the class. I remember testing Doomwave with Kainzo a little while ago, and it was, while somewhat derpy, also somewhat cool. Problem is, with the current Ender Pearl situation, I don't see that hitting live any time soon.
Necromancer = Necromancer is an insanely powerful class with a wide array of unique abilities. The fighting style is also pretty unique. I really don't see anything else needing changed here.
Beguiler = Originally, I was very against the idea of adding a fake sheep. If that were all that was being done, I'd still agree. However, I think that adding in this new ability, while also taking the time to balance out their other abilities (Primarily Plague Bomb) this could be a great addition to the class.
Here's what I would do to the Beguiler in this update.
1. Add Faux Bomb (as described in Dsawemd's original suggestion post.)
2. Increase the cooldown of Plague Bomb by 3-6 seconds.
3. Reduce the damage of Plague Bomb by 10-30 damage.
4. Reduce the duration of Piggify by 1 second.
5. Alter Quantum leap so that it does not "spin you" around. Currently, if two players are looking straight at each other, and one of them quantom leaps the other, you are left with the exact same situation. If it was a true quantom leap, the player's should have their backs to each other after the switch. But instead, the two of them switch places, but are still facing each other. It's as if the skill copies what direction the caster is facing, and then applies it to the target. I do not think that this skill should do this.
Now that quantum leap is only usable on players, I think adding in more viability to the skill is necessary. By adjusting this skill to not alter the direction that a player is facing, it will allow you to juke out your opponents. You could essentially dodge skills by using this ability, and it would be a really fun mechanic for the player.
6. Remove Purge.
This ability doesn't really seem to have any functionality that Dispel does not. It has a limited use in comparison, and doesn't actually work half the time. It seems to actually help an
enemy player rather than help you. I could do some testing again to elaborate further if you desire, but I really don't think any players would argue against removing this ability.
Lickster mentioned wanting to remove Might from Beguiler. I don't really think that's all that necessary. Beguiler is a very "support-esque" class, and I think allowing them to keep both buffs is a fine idea.
Overall, the idea behind my suggestions here is to reduce the strength of their damage / lockdown capabilities, but still keep them very "trickster" oriented. Let the Beguiler play with his target in the palms of his hands, but don't let him have complete destructive control.
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EDIT: I think that's just about it for now. I know it's quite a large wall of text, but I felt that it was all necessary. All the more so with the current state the balance team is in.
