Here is my class suggestion in detail for two new potential classes, the Monk and Arch Monk.
First, Monk.
Monk would ideally be available some time early in the game, early enough that it doesn't infringe on Labyrinth exp too much. Feasibly you could become a monk shortly after reaching Prospect Peak, or through some other method that is either accomplishable before Major, or available even earlier.
Monk's intent is to be a melee oriented beginner class using Hand to Hand as its primary skill. Its attack skills are slightly better than average, its spell skills are slightly worse than average, its spell mod is the same as the Templar and you do not implicitly have Meditate. Monk also offers two new skills: Pressure, and Chakra.
Pressure
"Attack your enemy's pressure points, dealing extra damage based off your Weapon Value."
Pressure would function identically to Blast, however it would cost Endurance instead of Mana and utilize your Weapon Value for damage using the following formula:
power = ch[cn].skill[SK_PRESSURE][5];
// Half your weapon value, plus 1.5x skill power
dam = ch[cn].weapon[1]/2 + power * 3/2;
// Instead of Immunity, it is reduced in the same way by target armor value
// This is done using the damage result instead of base power, since WV is inclusive here
dam = spell_immunity(dam,ch[co].armor[1]);
// Cost would be taken from Endurance instead of Mana
cost = dam/10+10;
// If you aren't unarmed, reduce the damage we can do by a lot.
// This is to encourage being unarmed instead of just using Staff.
// This goes after the cost formula so the cost is still the same as normal.
// I assume being unarmed is equal to zero, so anything greater than zero will proc this.
if (ch[cn].worn[WN_RHAND])
dam /= 3;
{{ target damage messages go here }}
// Exhaust is only 4.5 seconds instead of blast's 6.
add_exhaust(cn,TICKS*4+TICKS/2);
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This allows the damage to be scaled from both the skill mod and your weapon value simultaneously. Both early on and late game, Pressure has the potential to be stronger than Blast and is implicitly slightly faster than it, however unlike Blast it will only function within touch radius, using the enemy you are fighting as the primary target and hitting enemies around you for 3/4 damage (the same way Blast would while un-targeted).
This larger damage output has to do with Monk's lack of Surround Hit -- both early and late game you will have to rely on Pressure to actively deal with your foes.
Chakra
"Spell: Improve your Weapon Value."
Chakra would effectively be a second layer of Enhance Weapon with a few tweaks to make it potent enough to keep up with other classes. It is self-cast only, similar to Magic Shield, however it otherwise would function identically to Enhance Weapon itself with the same timer, cost, and duration.
Chakra uses a slightly different formula to assure it is useful at all times:
it[in].weapon[1]=power/3+9;
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I recognize it is possible for players to reach prospect peak, learn Staff or Wand, and use one of these weapons instead. Doing so would offer very high early weapon value, however to discourage this Monk's staff and wand bases are low and difficult to raise. It is also feasible that a Monk uses a shield in their offhand, however I'm not certain of the logistics of this and how it affects balance?
Next, Arch Monk (for lack of a better name)
Arch Monk is a direct upgrade to Monk available on Lab 13 by donating a Potion of Life to the Arch Shrine when their Willpower and Strength are maxed out. They improve both in physical combat as well as with all their spells and learn Meditate to alleviate their mana issues when it comes to spelling themselves or trying to utilize Stun and Heal.
While their Chakra skill has only slightly improved, their ability to finally equip FoH can easily bolster their weapon value to heights rivaling the Seyan'du, though they must still rely on Pressure to deal most of their damage. With all the pieces in place though, Pressure can deal heavy amounts of damage to immediate targets, letting the Monk compete with other classes in spite of their lack of area of effect.
You may notice their spell mod is identical to Monks, but they now have access to a third unique ability called Focus.
Focus
"Stops from losing focus when casting friendly spells and improves the power of any spell you cast."
Focus brings something new and potentially powerful to the table, and the previous statement about competitive damage takes it fully into account.
Foremost, Focus implicitly removes that pesky chance to lose focus when spelling yourself or your allies. This does *not* affect offensive spells such as Stun or Identify however, so those can still lose focus if your enemy's resistance is too high.
Secondly, Focus improves your implicit Spell Mod value using the following formula:
{base spell_mod} (in this case 0.9) + (ch[cn].skill[SK_FOCUS][5]/300)*0.2;
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This means that the Arch Monk, if they somehow reach 300 focus skill, will suddenly have a spell mod of [1.10]. Further, a rebirthed Arch Monk has the potential to reach a spell mod of [1.106], giving them the highest
potential spell mod in the game.
This, I feel, would bring something new to the table to play around with and allow the Monk and Arch Monk to offer some unique benefits where other existing classes do not.
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For reference below, I will list a few examples of the Monk's possible damage output at certain stages of power throughout the game. I apologize if it's hard to read, it's currently 1am and I am a tad sleep deprived.
If anything needs tweaking please let me know, however I'm moderately sure that everything checks out on paper. Note that it is of course possible to push things further than the 'maximum stats' I have listed if you hypothetically use skua (or even just ishtar) scrolls, or get spelled up by an arch harakim on steroids; of course the same could be said of Seyan'du as well so I'm not certain which way that balance needs to tilt without hands-on testing.