By buffing t5 and/or moving some of the power higher up the tree, yep.
This. Exactly. you buff Tier IV and Tier V.
It sucks that they made Shadow Dancer the whorse of a Tree where it gets passed around by everyone that wants a "Short Good Time" but not taken seriously for a deeper commitment.
Problem with SD is it is already a nearly mandatory splash for every melee/ranged build and very strong for casters so how do you buff it without making it overpowered?
Probably just tweaking the mantle and t5 a bit would fix most of it's issues.
So making it as a Stand Alone by itself Tree would make it over powered? Or a Choice to be viable for Stealth-Sneak Attack Melee/Range Players?
It should start by making the Epic Strikes continually build better upon each Tier. (They actually fixed it in Fury of the Wild by building the 1d6 per Tier to 3d6), they could do the same for Shadow Dancer Epic Strike, similar to Adrenaline in % damage.
Tier II
Epic Strike Melee: Deals +50% Damage. +3 Critical Multiplier. +3 Critical Threat Range.
Dealing 1d6+6 Force damage per character level to all enemies. On hit, opponent must make a Fortitude save vs (DC 20 + highest ability score + Assassinate Bonuses) or be cursed with
Shadow Loss. Cooldown: 8 seconds.
Epic Strike Range: Deals 30% Damage. +2 Critical Multiplier. +3 Critical Threat Range. Fire a single shot, hitting every enemy in an area around where the shot hits.
Dealing 1d6+6 Force damage per character level to all enemies. On hit, opponent must make a Fortitude save vs (DC 20 + highest ability score + Assassinate Bonuses) or be cursed with
Shadow Loss. Cooldown: 8 seconds.
Tier III
*Dark Imbuement:
Melee: +50% AOE Damage. On hit, opponents must make a Fortitude save vs (DC 20 + highest ability score + Assassinate Bonuses) or be stunned.
Range: +30% AOE Damage. On hit, opponents must make a Fortitude save vs (DC 20 + highest ability score + Assassinate Bonuses) or be stunned.
- When you activate your Shadowdancer Epic Strike, you imbue your weapons and spells with Evil energies for 10 seconds. You deal 1d6 per Sneak Attack Dice in Untyped damage on hit (scaling with the higher of Melee or Ranged Power), and on a Vorpal strike, your attacks blind enemies with no save. This blind lasts 5 seconds and can only apply to each monster once per 60 seconds.
Tier IV
Improved Imbuement:
Melee: Your Epic Strike now increases your Melee range. +50% Damage.
Range: Your Epic Strike now increases your Point Blank Shot range by 15 Meters. +30% Damage.
Meld Into Darkness should not be part of the Epic Strike but should be a Tier IV tie in with
From the Shadows.
From the Shadows: From-Stealth Active (i.e. is sneaking): From a stealthed position, dissolve into shadows, before appearing some distance in front of you.
You gain 20% Dodge that is not affected by your Dodge Cap for 10 seconds.
This grants you the buffs from your Shadowdancer Epic Strike if you have them trained. Cooldown: 20 seconds
The problem with this Tree is that the Melee-Range version is completely lacking as a Stealth/Helpless inducing/aggro evading Tree.
The Tree should build on:
- Sneak and Helpless damage to synergize with its Sneak Dice.(And a way to induce Helpless Damage.)
- It should have an AOE blind-glue snare. (This could be were Helpless Damage comes from.)
- Should build on Magical/Physical Trap Damage with Sneak Dice/MP/RP. Able to inscribe Scrolls to Traps bigger catalog.
- Should build in Tier IV-V to get Teleport-Evasion attack-escape, like the Rogue mini boss in Slave Lords part III (Nerals). They could of built that up with From the Shadows to give you Shadow Phase for the 20 second cooldown. Where you would Jaunt but be able to appear on the other side of the room undetected by mobs and if you pass through them they are Bluffed>upgrade to Stunned (Bluff DC save)
- Should put back Shadow Manipulation. (to have your minion draw aggro) Like what Beguile/Charm does. Never should of removed it.
- An AOE instakill.
- Offhand Assassinate. (This got removed from Two Weapon Fighting, makes no sense.)Or put back Executioner's Strike/Shot.
- Cool down on Tactics-Assassinate -5%/-10%/-15% Cooldown.
- Elusive Target bonus ability.
These are things that a Stealthy-Sneak attack Class Character needs to play its Role as to what its Class is about. It's not a Barbarian attack style or Unyielding Sentinel or a CHARGE into Battle style Divine Crusader. Its suppose to Terrify and Consume its Enemies, but it doesn't.
Even the description of Shadow Dancer spells it out of what its suppose to do. But never followed its Mission Statement for Melee/Range stealth Class players.
Mission Statement: Use the power of shadows and deadly illusion magic to terrify and consume enemies.
I was just making a point that since it's a Caster-illusion type Tree it can have SLA's in its cores to add to Dimension Door.
Core I SLA: Flaming Sphere. Feat: Tumble through Enemies.
Core II SLA: Dimension Door. Feat: Deflect Arrows.
Core III SLA: Distract. Feat: Evasion - Improved Evasion/No Fail on 1.
Core IV SLA: Trap the Soul. Feat Sap or if you have feat Sapped enemies are Stunned.
Grand Master of Flowers has Tumble through Enemies, Deflect Arrows, and a Stun ability. It's a Solid Tree with its 25% Elemental absorption and DR/Alignment Bypass to all weapons and it kept its Everything is Nothing and added 10% Elusive Target boosted save from 5%.
Fury of Wild has Huge AOE DOT damage, 2k+ Heals, stuns. Unconscious Range boost. Cause Helpless stuns.
Legendary Dreadnought has AOE damage inducing Helpless CC stuns. plus Action Hero/Boost improvement abilities.
Fatesinger has massive Sonic Damage Melee and Range damage(double damage) and CC Stuns and Heals.
Shadow Dancer should be using the Power of Shadows and Deadly illusion magic to terrify and consume enemies in Melee and Range class as its Caster version is doing.
