It's been almost five months since I suggested this last, so I figured I'd post it again to show continued interest.
This is an arcane set which revolves around the use of tarot cards for both random debuffs and attack damage. It is also a capable support power tree.
The tarot set - A magic set which plays off fate, random debuff generation and manipulation, plus some other arcane powers at the end.
Tarot
Trickery and deception are the traits of a tarot mage. Their magic strongly tied to the bindings of fate, they are not considered 'professional' practicioners due to the spontaneous and unpredictable nature of their magic, but they are nonetheless fully capable in the field. Most Tarot mages are seen as magicians, illusionists, and even the most primitive of cultures find some value in the abilities to see briefly into the future. They make sacrifices for this magic however, as most tarot mages have detached themselves from the bulk of modern society
The Tarot set is a support debuffing set which is both the weakest as well as the strongest debuffing set. Its ability to stack a variety of debuffs on a single target in a short period of time is uncontested, but it has absolutely no control over the weaknesses its target will suffer. A quick thinking Tarot dealer takes advantage of the cards which are dealt to twist the weaknesses of their opponent in their favor.
Potential debuffs last a typical duration and include. .
There is also a very small chance for the following debuffs to occur.
Stunned (4 seconds), Weakness to Dimension damage 5% (12 seconds)
Tarot Fling (EB): You strike with a low strength tarot card at a single target, inflicting light Dimensonal damage per strike. This is a medium speed energy builder. There is a chance that the first card thrown will inflict a random debuff on the target.
Advantage - Fateweave: All your Tarot Fling attacks now have a chance of inflicting a random debuff on the target.
Tarot Strike (Charged single target attack): You fling a moderate strength tarot card at a single target, inflicting good Dimensional damage per fling depending on charge. Tarot Strike also has a chance of inflicting a random debuff based on charge duration, guaranteed to apply one on a full charge. Rank determins damage.
Advantage - Arcana Domina: The Tarot Strike when fully charged also takes advantage of all of the target's weaknesses, dealing additional damage based on the number of your debuffs on the target. Up to three debuffs are taken into account for this bonus damage.
Fate is Cruel (Channeled single target): You draw a card from your deck and proceed to interpret it for your target. While you are interpreting it, they take percentile additional damage from all attacks. This effect ends when you stop channeling this ability or once its channel is complete. 30 second cooldown. Multiple channels have a diminished effect. Rank determins bonus damage.
Advantage - Fate is Especially Cruel: While channeling Fate is Cruel, your target also receives a random debuff once every second this ability is channeled.
Advantage - Fate is Lethal: While channeling Fate is Cruel, you also deal dimensional damage to the target for every second you channel this ability.
Centered Assault (Charged PBAoE): Your deck scatters and hovers over your head in a dance of magic. When this ability is fully charged, three nearby targets are chosen at random. Three tarot cards leap out from the mass of cards, one card for each target, inflicting moderate Dimensional damage as well as inflicting a random debuff to all struck targets. If there are fewer than three targets these cards may strike a target multiple times, but at a cost of 25% reduced damage for each strike. Each additional strike against a single target inflicts an additional random debuff. Rank determins damage.
Advantage - Flurry: You're quick with the wrist. You instead strike up to five targets within range with a card, but the concentration to do so only allows you to strike each target once if there are fewer than three targets. All targets are inflicted with a random debuff.
Twist of Fate (Single Target quick attack): You quickly fling a tarot card from your deck which converts debuffs on a target into raw dimensional power. This attack inflicts light dimensional damage initially, and consumes up to five of your debuffs on the target chosen at random. Each debuff greatly amplifies the damage of this attack, making it absolutely devastating when five debuffs are consumed. 15 second cooldown uninfluenced by cooldown reduction. Rank determins damage and bonus damage. This damage may not crit, but penetrates 20% of the target's resistances.
Advantage - Chance of Fate: Twist of Fate may now critically strike, but it loses the ability to penetrate 20% of the target's damage resistance.
Gypsie Magic (Form): Your focus on the arcana is such that baffles even experienced magi, tapping deeply into the most hidden of its secrets. Your dimensional damage is increased based on rank, and all of your attacks which inflict dimensional damage have a chance of inflicting the target with a random debuff. Any time you inflict a debuff on an enemy, you gain additional stacks of Gypsie Magic, further strengthening your dimensional damage.
Mysterious Stranger(Support Passive): Your secrets are such that seperates you from society, but one can not deny that your abilities are in all ways fascinating. Your paranormal damage is moderately increased and your presence and intelligence also moderately increased. Your debuffs last a longer duration and are stronger than standard debuffing effects. If your health falls below 20% you gain one second of invulnerability and immediately vanish from sight, losing all threat. This high strength stealth lasts five seconds, but may only trigger a minute. You lastly gain high resistance against Dimensional damage and gain energy whenever struck by Dimensional damage.
Pick a Card (Unique): You flash three cards before you which are randomly generated. You're given a very brief period to examine the cards and choose one, or one is chosen randomly. Then when this ability is used again, it is a Tarot based ability which has an additional buff/debuff or deals additional damage depending on the card chosen during this mode. This debuff lasts 15 seconds and is a stronger variation of its respective debuff. Rank determins the period in which you're allowed to see the cards. A card chosen will remain 'queued' until used or until the player logs out. When the card is used this ability goes on cooldown for 30 seconds. Tarot mages may not target themselves with this card.
Fortune Read (Targeted Buff/Debuff): You draw a card and read a target's fortune. If the target is an ally, you buff a random stat by a moderate amount for 30 seconds. If the target is an enemy, you inflict a random debuff upon them for 30 seconds. If you target yourself with Fortune Read you instead increase the damage of your next Paranormal attack by a percentage. Rank determins strength of the buff/debuff as well as the amount of damage gained while targeting yourself. 20 second cooldown.
Advantage - Fortune Weave: Fortune Read gains a one second charge time. If you charge it fully, you instead buff the primary Superstat of the selected friendly target, while placing a longer duration debuff on an enemy.
Tarot Companion (Temporary Pet): You draw a card from your deck and flip it over, causing a randomly selected creature from a list to appear for a short period of time. The creature will either fight to protect you, or will radiate an AoE buff/debuff aura while it exists for 20 seconds. 20 second cooldown.
Advantage - More the Merrier: Tarot Companion gains a one second charge time. If charged for the full duration, you instead sling out three cards and conjure three of these creatures to assist you. They last for 15 seconds before vanishing away. This increases the cooldown to 30 seconds.
A Glance Further (Defensive Buff): You draw a card to forsee the coming of harm for you or an ally. The target gains a percental bonus to dodge chance for 10 seconds and is guaranteed to dodge the next attack which targets them. Rank determins dodge bonus. 30 second cooldown.
Advantage - Desperation: Your target no longer gains a dodge bonus but instead dodges the next 3 attacks performed against them, 5 attacks at rank 2.
Premonition (Defensive Passive): Your ability to see into the future is active even while you're casually about your business. You gain a good chance to dodge attacks, and pass this on to your allies as well as you instruct them of the times to come. The personal bonus is not as potent as Lightning Reflexes, but this ability gives an aura which protects allies with improved dodge abilities. Diminishing returns if stacking. Rank determins dodge ability granted.
Advantage - Guide: You sacrifice your awareness of your surroundings to better serve your team. The dodge bonus of the aura is improved and it now gives Avoidance as well, but you no longer gain any benefit as you're too busy instructing others of what's to come to worry about your own safety.
Beastify (Single Target Unique): You flick out a card which turns a hostile target into a randomly selected forest creature. If the target is an NPC, they will wander around. Players are able to control their characters but will not be able to perform their standard abilities in this state. Players instead receive limited attack powers and a travel power depending on the type of critter they turn into. Each time they use an attack power, the duration of Beastify is reduced. This effect lasts for 15 seconds or until the target is damaged or successfully breaks out of it through the use of their creature abilities. Rank increases the duration of this effect. 30 second cooldown. This ability does not affect Supervillains or stronger, and player characters receive a 30 second immunity to this effect. If striking a target immune to Beastify, they instead become Disoriented.
And the following are more 'magician' like powers, which could find a place in a few of the arcane sets. Though, I am showing support for the Tarot set, and if it is taken into consideration I'd like to see these powers included.
Houdini Trick (Active Offense): You've mastered the art of escaping helpless situations. Houdini Trick has a great Hold break value but unlike most Active Offense abilities it provides very little bonus damage unless you break out of a Hold while using it. If successfully breaking from a hold using Houdini Trick, you then gain a standard damage bonus, otherwise the damage bonus is penalized by 1/2. Ranks determin damage bonus and hold strength broken.
Advantage - Absolute Amazement: Breaking out of your situation is a stunning feat for all hostiles who witness it, disorienting them in the process if you successfully break out of a hold using Houdini Trick.
Doppleganger (Stealth/Temporary Pet): You immediately enter a high powered stealth and create a doppleganger in your place. The doppleganger has 1/4 your max health and has all threat transferred to it. After 10 seconds, if your doppleganger is defeated, or when you attack, your stealth is removed. Ranks increase the health of the doppleganger, giving you a longer period of safety. The doppleganger exists for 12 seconds. Characters with high perception will not lose target of you, but a moderate portion of threat will still be transferred. One minute cooldown. Doppleganger shares a cooldown with Active Defense abilities.
Advantage - Aggressive Trick: Your doppleganger is capable of performing basic attacks against the enemy, further damaging them while you are in safety.
Hat Trick (Targeted Paralysis): You throw a magic hat into the air, and a supersized version of it lands on your target. They will be unable to fight while inside this hat. If they break free before the duration is over, they are additionally disoriented and confused.
Advantage - A Dark and Scary Place: Regardless of whether or not they break out of the paralysis effect in time, the target will be afflicted with fear and snare when the effects end.
Mystery Swap: Mystery Swap may only be performed if your feet are touching the ground. You immediately switch places with a target enemy. This act leaves them completely befuddled, causing them to lose their target if such is possible. Otherwise their target loses a high amount of threat after the swap is complete. This ability does not allow swapping with enemies stronger than a Supervillain, but will still influence their threat. Player characters receive a 30 second immunity to this effect.
I like the concept, but the set itself seems pretty weak (I thought I'd never say that for suggested sets), For instance, why would I choose Houdini Trick over an active offense like ice sheath or ascension? The five abilities that I really find useful, Twist of Fate, Mystery Swap, A Glance Further, Gypsy Magic, and Doppelganger are easily cherry picked. The rest are basically re-skinned holds, fairly weak passives, or sound too random and do too little damage to be worth using. I'd suggest instead to make it a little less of a super random debuff set with a buff here and there every 20 seconds, and more of a buff/debuff set that uses it's own conditions and buffs, and add a way to make it so that the set more synergizes with the unique buffs and debuffs so that it isn't just a cherry picked power set.
I agree with the point that the set could be cherry picked, but cherry picking is half the fun in CO. Why make a power only operate well within its own set? That defeats the spirit of CO, to be whatever you desire to be.
In defense of houdini trick, it'd have an exceptionally high break bonus. It'd basically be guaranteed to break out of any control effects on use. However, if you want the full damage bonus, you'd want to hold on to it for a control effect so you can instantly break out and get a full damage bonus.
I'd be totally fine for in set debuffs as well, but I strongly disagree that cherry picking is a bad thing. I think cherry picking is one of the reasons this game is so wonderful. In my opinion, every power should have a reason to be cherry picked.
I agree with the point that the set could be cherry picked, but cherry picking is half the fun in CO. Why make a power only operate well within its own set? That defeats the spirit of CO, to be whatever you desire to be.
In defense of houdini trick, it'd have an exceptionally high break bonus. It'd basically be guaranteed to break out of any control effects on use. However, if you want the full damage bonus, you'd want to hold on to it for a control effect so you can instantly break out and get a full damage bonus.
I'd be totally fine for in set debuffs as well, but I strongly disagree that cherry picking is a bad thing. I think cherry picking is one of the reasons this game is so wonderful. In my opinion, every power should have a reason to be cherry picked.
Fair enough, I do enjoy my franken builds to death. But at the same time, unless the powers do a ton of damage, I can't really see them being very up to par with the current powers. A lot of them seem laughably weak if it has the average power of their attack types, and would have people complaining about it like pre-buff telepathy. Like I'd never see Houdini Trick ever used as most active offense already have a pretty high break free ability, essentially making the ability a super gimmicky and situational Active Offense that would stay on your hot bar unused most of the time. I'd only see it useful if it didn't cause active offense to go into their 30 second cool down. Also I feel like there would be some potential lost if there wasn't a Celestial Conduit like power that gave buffs or debuffs depending on who you target. Maybe make Fate is Crueler built into Fate is Cruel instead of it being an advantage as it is really useless without it, and adding an advantage that buffs targeted allies.
Comments
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In defense of houdini trick, it'd have an exceptionally high break bonus. It'd basically be guaranteed to break out of any control effects on use. However, if you want the full damage bonus, you'd want to hold on to it for a control effect so you can instantly break out and get a full damage bonus.
I'd be totally fine for in set debuffs as well, but I strongly disagree that cherry picking is a bad thing. I think cherry picking is one of the reasons this game is so wonderful. In my opinion, every power should have a reason to be cherry picked.
Fair enough, I do enjoy my franken builds to death. But at the same time, unless the powers do a ton of damage, I can't really see them being very up to par with the current powers. A lot of them seem laughably weak if it has the average power of their attack types, and would have people complaining about it like pre-buff telepathy. Like I'd never see Houdini Trick ever used as most active offense already have a pretty high break free ability, essentially making the ability a super gimmicky and situational Active Offense that would stay on your hot bar unused most of the time. I'd only see it useful if it didn't cause active offense to go into their 30 second cool down. Also I feel like there would be some potential lost if there wasn't a Celestial Conduit like power that gave buffs or debuffs depending on who you target. Maybe make Fate is Crueler built into Fate is Cruel instead of it being an advantage as it is really useless without it, and adding an advantage that buffs targeted allies.
[SIGPIC]http://imgur.com/9gptU4e[/SIGPIC]