Lamannia Update 66 Preview 2 - Epic Destiny Refresh

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Elminster

Sage of Shadowdale
Honestly think the ones that spend the inordinate amount of time in this game are the ones who are contributing FAR more for the longevity and financial well-being of SSG and DDO.

Without them the game will feel like a true graveyard with no groups forming. It would just hasten the lights off in SSG HQ.
 

Grundable

Active member

Unyielding Sentinel​

Some fun stuff in here!
  • Celestial Mandate damage increased to 75% and it now has a +30 to hit bonus.
  • Throw the Boom is a separate ability, sharing a cooldown with Knight's Challenge
I don't agree with adding a +30 to hit bonus to Celestial Mandate since this is rewarding players who are not geared appropriately for the tanking role. If a player has elected to be a block / hp tank with insufficient investment in hit, then that player should be subjected to the full weight and ineffectiveness of said decision. It is inappropriate to reward passive play styles since it reduces overall engagement in the game. You want all players to have high levels of engagement from a business perspective.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Shadow Dancer needs to take cue also From Feydark Illusionist and add in Core 4: SLA:
Cut to the Soul.png Cut to the Soul: +3% dodge bypass, +3% fortification bypass, +3% damage versus the helpless. You gain Greater Color Spray as an SLA:
Icon Greater Color Spray.png Greater Color Spray: You may cast the spell Greater Color Spray as a Spell-Like Ability. Cost: 4sp Cooldown: 8 seconds
DC = 17 + Highest of Int/Wis/Cha mod + Illusion or Assassinate bonuses.

Also add in tree...

Icon YouveGotMyBack.png You've Got My Back: Your familiar draws ambient and offensive magics to it, protecting you from Magic Missiles as if you had the benefits of the Shield spell. In addition the Shield spell now provides +10 Physical Resistance Rating, and the Nightshield spell now provides +10 Magical Resistance Rating. Note: the increased PRR from the Shield spell does stack with the Improved Shield Enhancement from the wizard Eldritch Knight tree.

As well importantly need:
Icon Distract.png Distract: Your familiar appears at a targeted location, acting as a distraction and attracting attention of monsters who may be searching for you in the area. This will only successfully distract monsters who are not actively attacking. This ability may be used without breaking Stealth or Invisibility. Cooldown 30 seconds.
 
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Grundable

Active member
In the future, could we have more synergy between the stances and stance bonus granting abilities amongst different trees? Also, review interactions amongst epic strikes and epic strike bonus granting abilities? Right now, the choices feel limiting and reduce overall build diversity.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Put back Assassinate DC back in stealthy like it was before and not waste 6 AP's when it was only 3 APs before. It would work like this:

Tier 1 (Requires Character Level 20​


U51 Stealthy.png Stealthy: +1/2/3 Reflex Saves, +2/4/6 Hide and Move Silently. +2/4/6 to your Assassinate DCs.
Rank 3: Gain the Hide in Plain Sight feat.

U51 Assassinate.png Improved Assassinate: Reduce your Assassinate cool down 11/10/9 seconds.
Rank 3. Your weapons gain Improved Deception.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Another idea for the Greater Shadow form Aura would be to pulse an Greater Improved Deception at Tier IV or V to give an AOE Bluff that pulses and can be selector to blind and give sneak dice damage
or selector to:
give a chance to Legendary Vampirism stealth HP away from mob every tick.
Like a mosquito stealth biting and sucking out their life force and you healing from it.
A Legendary AOE pulsing Shadowy Vampire-ism.
 
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VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Another idea for the Greater Shadow form also could be to pulse a Fascinate or AOE Sap.

This would help with the broken Stealth issues in Reaper aggro magnetism of mobs aggroing stealth characters from two floors down even.

I got blamed from bringing a Doom Reaper one time from two floors down when it was actually the Rogue that was resting at the shrine that interacted with him earlier at starting of Quest, then stealthed quickly up two floors and ditched him for a while.

I was backtracking at the time making sure there were no other mobs coming from other room to ambush us, where we previously cleared, then that's when the Doom Reaper came Trucking through the rooms and killed the shrining Rogue and thought I brought him.

Even my friend whose a Favored Soul brought a Doom Reaper one time, only to turn him to a soul stone in distraught frustration.
 
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VinoeWhines

Well-known member

Tier 4 (Requires Character Level 26, 20 points spent in the tree)​


Dark Mercy.png Dark Mercy: Your Shadowdancer Destiny Mantle now grants you +5/10/15% Helplessness damage.
Your Aura will pulse an Greater Improved Deception every 4 seconds.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member

Tier 5 (Requires Character Level 30, 30 points spent in the tree):​


U51 Greater Shadowform.png Greater Shadowform:
Your Shadowform pulse now
pulses a Fascinate or AOE Sap.
You also gain +10 Force/Universal Spell Power. While in your Shadowdancer Destiny Mantle, you float as if you had Feather Fall, gain +20 Hide and Move Silently, and no longer trigger pressure plate or bear traps. (Note: As a result of the floating, you are also immune to Trip and Knockdown effects.)
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Since Tumble is now(Update 66) uncapped 95% dodge for 1 second, Meld is something that should not be in the Epic Strikes but be tied into Tumble Through Enemies like it use to be before.
Just put Meld and Tumble Through Enemies into
From the Shadows.
If that gets too complicated put Tumble through enemies and Meld dodge% together;
or put back Tumble Through Enemies back in Shadow Form.

U51 Shadowform.png Shadowform: Shadowdancer Destiny Mantle. Grants +30% Enhancement bonus to movement speed, 25% Insight bonus to Sneak Speed, 25% Insight bonus to Cast Run Speed, and grants ghost touch on all attacks
Finally, you are unbothered by the physical restraints of the world: you may tumble through enemies, and are immune to slippery surfaces and most forms of knockdown.

This Tumble through enemies use to already be in Shadow Dancer and should be in it still.

Make Shadow Dancer Not A Splash Tree for those that intend to make it their Main Tree.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
I would prefer Shadow Dancer to have

Requires: Character level 6, Ability I
Greater Color Spray over

Tier Two[edit]​

Requires Rogue Level 2, 5 APs spent in tree
Icon Enhancement Wand and Scroll Mastery.png Wand and Scroll Mastery: +25%/+50%/+75% damage and healing of your wands, scrolls, and other items that cast spells. Adds +1/+2/+3 to the save DC's of your offensive wands. Taking Wand and Scroll Mastery in one enhancement tree will block its availability in other enhancement trees

Now if Wand and Scroll Mastery stacked or it included Sneak Attack dice damage with the higher of MP/RP to Wands, Scrolls, and especially gear and weapon clickies, then, that would make it a harder choice to choose.

If Shadow Dancer is forcing Illusionist into it's Tree then put the Illusion/Defensive Stealth parts of Feydark ( Aggro pet/ Greater Color Spray -locks other GCS- on same cool down/Master Illusionist party buff and....

Icon RingOfShadowblades.png Ring of Shadowblades: Conjure a ring of interlocking illusory Shadowblades that damage enemies passing through them. Enemies take Shadow Damage 1d6+8
Force damage per caster level or per Sneak Attack Dice in Untyped damage on hit (scaling with the higher of Melee or Ranged Power or Force Spell Power) damage per character level, with a Will save vs (DC20 + Illusory or Assassinate bonuses + Highest of Int/Wis/Cha) for half damage.
Cost: 50/40/25 sp
Cooldown: 40/35/30 seconds

Putting this in Tiers III(Aggro pet), IV(Greater Color Spray) and V (Ring of Shadowblades causing a Bluff affect as well for Sneak Attack procs would bring Shadow Dancer from a Side Coach motorcycle passenger splash Tree to at least a Formidable Destiny Shadowy Stealth Tree.
 
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VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Or like mentioned earlier have Shadow Dancer have a second Core SLA

At Core IV: SLA
Greater Color Spray.
Can even put the others(Feydark Illusionist) on cool down if need be.
 

Striga

Well-known member
... combat log text is actually reporting the caster level of the spell BEFORE max caster level is applied. Funky, right? On my list in the short term is a change to that text to have it report caster level accurately, ....
If you succeed, please include both, for example:
You begin to cast Holy Smite at caster level 12 (MCL 10).

Caster level is still important for stuff like Spell Penetration rolls.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Imagine if someone went into your house, went into your kitchen and started to toss out certain cooking pans you use and throw out certain spices that you also use, saying...nah you don't need this...or that, what...whata we got here?...nah don't need, throw it away....

That is how Shadow Dancer got treated along with the Epic Destiny Twists to some extent. I use to twist Siren's Song....bring back Siren's Song....

Put back a semblance of:
Shadow Manipulation
Executioner's Shot/Strike
Tumble through Enemies
Some type of AOE Real Consume
Dafensive separate Meld into Darkness
Stand Alone Dark Imbuement not tied to Epic Strikes but always on.
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
You think I ChatGPT'd this stuff up.
I spent Hours of my personal time participating on feedback on this topic, during my day/night for your furryfly comment to be such a ridiculous move on your part
 

VinoeWhines

Well-known member
Hey Tonquin any updates on this next pass?
I know it's not easy sitting on a Hot Seat but I appreciate your enthusiasm and motivation to continue to have to work and put up with this environment.
 

Redoubt

Well-known member
Those are two different people and both seem plentiful.

On another note: EA aura seems to have had a few potentially problematic parts about it:

A) sustain in soloing/shortmanning raids on strong characters
B) ignoring raid mechanics by stacking it
C) it was costless healing in terms of SP
D) it was handless/"brainless" healing

Only B is easily fixed by stopping it from stacking, but that could be a hard fix who knows. Same fix does not apply to A, C or D though. If you can come up with an elaborate solution to all 4 of them that would keep the general casual feel of the aoe healing of it as is currently on live, I wouldn't be surprised if they brought it back. Probably not in EA as it was - that seems to be most definitely dead for now lol, but they might provide a replacement mechanic if the reasoning and idea for implementation was good enough.

This is not me agreeing with the the choices they've made or the communication related to it before I get jumped and mugged.
What if they made it actually work off of caster levels like the wiki says?
 

Oliphant

Well-known member
AA builds really the center of the ranged world? Seeing so much talk about AA, slayer arrows. At least they are mitigating it. DWS/Horizon Walker builds are just getting gutted and seemingly very little interest in that in the chat.
 

Abramax

Emerald Archer
AA builds really the center of the ranged world? Seeing so much talk about AA, slayer arrows. At least they are mitigating it. DWS/Horizon Walker builds are just getting gutted and seemingly very little interest in that in the chat.
You are 100% right, DWS/Horizon Walker builds are really impacted by this update.
But I believe that the Arcane Archer is even more impacted than the DWS/Horizon Walker builds.

  • DWS/Horizon Walker builds are only focused on DEX to hit and damage bonuses, while the Arcane Archer also needs WIS for their DCs, and probably needs feats or enhancement points to use the wisdom to hit and damage.
  • DWS/Horizon Walker builds are only focused on ranged power when the Arcane Archer also needs spell power.
  • DWS/Horizon Walker builds are only focused on physical damage with primarily critical hits when the Arcane Archer also needs to increase their imbue dice.
  • DWS/Horizon Walker builds are using Archer's Focus which is extremely strong and effective when the Arcane Archer was designed by the devs to be a user of Improved Precise Shot mainly for users of paralyzing arrows (effect duration deliberately reduced to force users to constantly shoot enemies) and users of elemental arrows focused on an imbue build to increase their DPS by hitting multiple enemies. Today, IPS reduces damage by 20% and is no longer a viable and interesting option with the impossibility of doing the HE + Arrow of Slaying combo to be decisive at the right moment.
  • And for all these reasons, the Arcane Archer is often played as a hybrid build rather than simply as an archer dealing physical damage. This requires a lot of effort and investment to have a character that is less strong, less efficient, but indeed more versatile.
I believe it is high time to offer a new path for the Arcane Archer, specialized in spell power instead of ranged power, specialized in elemental damage with elemental arrow imbues instead of physical damage, having attacks with special effects with DCs, and a character based on wisdom instead of dexterity. Let's give the arcane archer the opportunity to be something other than an archer dealing physical damage with big critical hits because DWS/Horizon Walker builds do it more easily and much better.
 
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