Post by Caoineag on Apr 27, 2010 5:59:38 GMT -6
So for a skill to be appropriate for and unique to a red mage, it essentially has to be a gestaltist affair. The only reason a red mage would have an ability that a mage or warrior did not is if it required the simultaneous use of both martial and magical abilities.
Unfortunately, without a solid idea of the laws that govern magic and how they apply to spells, it's a bit hard to say how they could be combined into a new kind of technique...
But I gave it a shot, anyway.
The synergy of spell and sword begins with a combative adaption of the shield spell that momentarily enhances the weapon rather than the armor. Learned shortly after shield.
Having mastered applying a spell to a weapon, the red mage goes on to learn how to enchant it with spells that don't directly affect its composition, eventually mastering instill element.
Combining and refining the concepts of hardened strike and instill element eventually leads to the 'blade of force' technique which incorporates a sharply shaped barrier spell instead of a shield spell or element. Learned after barrier and instill element.
The culmination of a mage's research into elements and martial prowess, combined with the ideas of enhancement (hardened strike), enchantment (instill elements), and transformation (blade of force), yields a unique magical-martial-elemental technique. These abilities are learned after the mage masters his chosen element.
Well, I went to the trouble to write this, but I'm not completely sold on the final abilities, as they may need tuning depending on how exactly the combat formulae are written.
I believe it's relatively powerful (for a final ability), without outdoing the dedicated fighting classes.
A fire red mage who put points only in willpower and strength would effectively have +6 str/level as compared with a fighter who put all points in str (+5 str/level). Assuming damage scales roughly according to strength (which is probably not correct) this is a 20% increase over the fighter's base. By comparison, a fighter's chop ability has a +30% modifier, never misses, is never a weak hit, and costs 1 mp.
Similarly, a fire red mage would have +50% a dragoon or ranger's base attack, while a dragoon's jump attack is listed as +150% and never missing in addition to providing invulnerability, and a ranger's grizzly also has +150% with various other boosts, etc.
Eh. Anyway. As ideas go, it's nothing special, but it's something to kick around, anyway.
Seems like the fora have kind of slowed down.
Unfortunately, without a solid idea of the laws that govern magic and how they apply to spells, it's a bit hard to say how they could be combined into a new kind of technique...
But I gave it a shot, anyway.
The synergy of spell and sword begins with a combative adaption of the shield spell that momentarily enhances the weapon rather than the armor. Learned shortly after shield.
- Hardened Strike - 5 mp
Performs a standard attack which ignores physical damage reduction (the special feature as found in e.g. ankylosaurs; this has no effect on normal defense ratings).
Mainly useful against the ankylosaur, guard, and golem families of enemies.
Having mastered applying a spell to a weapon, the red mage goes on to learn how to enchant it with spells that don't directly affect its composition, eventually mastering instill element.
Combining and refining the concepts of hardened strike and instill element eventually leads to the 'blade of force' technique which incorporates a sharply shaped barrier spell instead of a shield spell or element. Learned after barrier and instill element.
- Blade of Force - 10 mp
Performs a standard attack with damage derived from the average of strength and willpower stats; the damage is treated as half physical and half magical as regards enemy resistances (sum physical and magical resistance and apply half the result, then apply half the defense rating).
Blade of force allows even a high willpower build red magus to do decent damage for a modest mp cost. The averaging of enemy defensive stats should also generally help to deal adequate damage.
The culmination of a mage's research into elements and martial prowess, combined with the ideas of enhancement (hardened strike), enchantment (instill elements), and transformation (blade of force), yields a unique magical-martial-elemental technique. These abilities are learned after the mage masters his chosen element.
- Burning blow - 30 mp
Adds the user's willpower to their strength for one round, and performs a normal attack.
The fire elementalist draws the destructive power of fire into him and converts its explosive power into strength. This is the most offensive type of red magus.
The ability may sound weak, but a red mage using this effectively has a strength growth of 4 per level plus any points put into strength or willpower. Unfortunately, the red mage can only use a standard attack, and does not have access to e.g. the knight sword, atlas axe, etc.
Nonetheless, this should put a red mage's physical damage firmly in the decent-to-good range. - Lightning strike - 30 mp
Adds the user's willpower to their dexterity and agility for one round, and performs a normal attack.
The lightning elementalist draws the crackling, flowing power of electicity into himself, enabling stunning displays of precision and nimbleness. These are balanced magi that rarely miss and often dodge.
For the red mage that moonlights as a thief. An earlier place in the turn order, a reduced chance to miss, and an increased chance to dodge. Best with a high strength build, though this can be used for offense-as-defense. - Glacial crush - 30 mp
Adds the user's willpower to their vitality for one round, and performs a normal attack; the red magus also recovers an amount of hp as though he had defended.
The hardness and resilience of ice runs through these elementalists' veins, providing armor even beneath the skin. This is the most defensive type of red magus.
For the red mage that moonlights as a knight. In consideration of the diminished returns of vitality against high level enemies (whose minimum damage remains significant and whose critical rolls become increasingly devastating), a small gain in hp seemed appropriate.
Well, I went to the trouble to write this, but I'm not completely sold on the final abilities, as they may need tuning depending on how exactly the combat formulae are written.
I believe it's relatively powerful (for a final ability), without outdoing the dedicated fighting classes.
A fire red mage who put points only in willpower and strength would effectively have +6 str/level as compared with a fighter who put all points in str (+5 str/level). Assuming damage scales roughly according to strength (which is probably not correct) this is a 20% increase over the fighter's base. By comparison, a fighter's chop ability has a +30% modifier, never misses, is never a weak hit, and costs 1 mp.
Similarly, a fire red mage would have +50% a dragoon or ranger's base attack, while a dragoon's jump attack is listed as +150% and never missing in addition to providing invulnerability, and a ranger's grizzly also has +150% with various other boosts, etc.
Eh. Anyway. As ideas go, it's nothing special, but it's something to kick around, anyway.
Seems like the fora have kind of slowed down.