ArenaNet:Guild Wars 2 suggestions/Vandal (Barbarian-Shaman)

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Vandal (Discussion)

Definition

1. A member of a Germanic people who in the 5th century A.D. ravaged Gaul and Spain, settled in Africa, and in sacked Rome in 455 A.D..
2. A person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable.

Basic Concept

• Adrenaline powered spells, energy powered attacks, half range attacks, hybrid. Absolutely no enchantments.
• A cross between a ranger and a Mesmer (in a weird sort of way..)
• In concept, a cross between a barbaric warrior and a tribal shaman.
• Spells rely on adrenaline, so you must attack or be attacked to cast.
• Weapon skills all require energy.
• The Vandal gets more "ammunition" (energy/adrenaline) the more it is attacked.
• Stances take the place of enchantments, being powerful but unstackable.

Equipment

• The throwing axe: attack speed equivalent of a wand/staff, but half-range. Roughly half the GW1 aggro bubble. DPS similar to a ranger's shortbow and a warrior's axe.
• Focus Item: same as casters. Extra energy and such. A focus for each skill-line (War, Guile, Fanaticism).
• Wands/Staffs: same as casters. A staff/wand for each skill-line (War, Guile, Fanaticism).
• 70 armor with +30 vs elements, 3 energy regen pips total (same as ranger).

Skills

I've made some random skills to try and give the flavor of the class. They are roughly balanced, but I'm sure some are exploitable/unbalanced.

Note, when I don't specifically state a recharge or casting time, that doesn't mean it's instant. It just means "whatever recharge time helps balance the skill".

Throwing Mastery

All skills require energy, no adrenaline skills.

• Quick Toss: Attack Skill. 5 energy, +2...14 damage, 0 recharge.
• The Chase: Stance. 5 energy, doubles attack range, -25% slower attack speed. +5%...33% damage. You move 25% faster.
• Rib Splitter: Attack Skill. 10 energy, +1...37 damage, double damage if foe's health is below 50%. Causes exhaustion.
• Unnamed: Attack Skill. 5 energy, this axe travels twice as fast and cannot be blocked. +1...14 damage.
• Shaman Throw: Attack Skill. 5 energy, if this attack hits an enchanted foe, that foe is dazed for 1...4 seconds. Causes exhaustion.
• Wild Throw: Attack Skill. 5 energy, this axe cannot be blocked and ends your target's stance.
• Mage Bane Throw: Attack Skill. 5 energy, +5...20 damage, if this attack hits an enchanted foe, 1 enchantment is stripped and YOU lose 10 energy.
• Berserker Signet: Signet. 1 second cast, 20 second recharge. For 10 seconds you deal +33% damage but have -80...20 armor.
• Gypsy Throw: Attack Skill. 10 energy, this axe travels twice as fast and cannot be blocked. Target's action is interrupted.
• Heavy Arm: Stance. 5 energy, for 3...60 seconds, if any of your attacks are blocked, the target is interrupted.
• Unforgiving Throw: Elite Attack Skill. 10 energy, target foe is dazed for 6...13 seconds. If this attack is blocked, target foe suffers a deep wound and bleeding for 5...17 seconds.

Way of War

Enhances the Vandal in physical warfare. Lots of shouts/chants, a few spells.

Note, shouts would all be from the Anglo-Saxon Futhorc alphabet, or some other seemingly tribal/shamanistic language. I have (roughly) named some of the shouts.

• Strength of the Ox: Chant. 8 adren, your next attack skill inflicts deep wound for 1...12 seconds.
• Unnamed: Chant. 4 adren, your next attack skill inflicts cripple for 3...10 seconds.
• Healing Salve: Spell. 6 adren, heal self for 50...150
• Unnamed: Chant. 4 adren, the next time you take damage over 10% of your maximum health, all adjacent foes take 8...90 cold damage.
• "Beorcrad!": Shout. 6 adren, target foe takes 5...30 earth damage. Target foe suffers an additional 5...60 earth damage if moving.
• "Tyrken!": Shout. 8 adren, target foe is dazed for 1...2 seconds. You are blinded for 2...0 seconds.
• "Kenos!": Shout. 10 adren, target foe is interrupted.
• Unnamed: Chant. 4 adren, the next time you take damage, you are healed for 10...45 points.
• Unnamed: Elite Chant. 3 adren, the next time you take damage, you are healed for 10...95 points.
• "Ishaegl!": Shout. 4 adren, target foe takes 18...60 cold damage.
• "Urtyr!": Shout. 12 adren, lose all adrenaline. Target foe suffers from deep wound for 5...17 seconds and takes 20...91 earth damage.
• "Yereoh!" Shout. 10 adren, for 28 seconds, you gain 12...90 health every 7 seconds.
• Fervor: Stance. 15 energy, lasts 60 seconds. The effects of Fanaticism are doubled. Lose 19...10 health each second.

Way of Guile

Shamanistic/tribal/voodoo/gypsy curses, tricks, and deceptions.

• Unnamed: Hex. 10 adren, target foe loses 1...5 energy a second for 10 seconds.
• Unnamed: Hex. 12 adren, target foe suffers -10 degeneration while moving. Lasts 3...20 seconds.
• Unnamed: Spell. 2 adren, 1/4 second cast time, if you are below 4%...33% health, all adjacent foes are blinded for 2 seconds.
• Unnamed: Hex. 8 adren, target foe takes twice as long to cast spells for 3...14 seconds.
• Unnamed: Spell. 10 adren, you suffer from crippling for 30...10 seconds but gain 5...30 health a second for 10 seconds.
• Unnamed: Spell. 3 adren, sacrifice 10% maximum health. For 5...20 seconds gain 1..5 health regeneration.
• Unnamed: Hex. 10 adren, for 1...18 seconds, target foe's attacks have a 25% chance to miss. Every time they fail to hit you gain 1 adrenaline.
• Unnamed: Hex. 4 adren, lasts 1...9 seconds, if this hex is removed before its full duration, the target is dazed for 1...2 seconds.
• Unnamed: Elite Hex. 12 adren, for 4...30 seconds, target foe's spells are easily interruptable.
• Unnamed: Spell. 5 adren, target foe loses 3...6 energy.
• Unnamed: Spell. 3 adren, you begin bleeding for 10 seconds. Lose one hex and all adrenaline.
• Unnamed: Spell. 4 adren, transfer a hex from yourself to target foe. Lose all adrenaline and 30...10 energy.
• Unnamed: Hex. 2 adren, target foe suffers from 1...3 health degeneration for 6...25 seconds.

Fanaticism (Primary)

Small number of unique skills attributed to it, but the primary effect is benefiting when hexed or conditioned.

Passive effect:

For every 3 points in Fanaticism, you gain 1 energy whenever you gain a hex or condition.

For every 5 points in Fanaticism, you gain 1 strike of adrenaline when you gain a hex or condition.

Alternative Idea:

For every 4 points in Fanaticism, gain 1 strike of adrenaline upon casting a spell.

• Meditation: Stance. 10 energy, for 8...90 seconds, you gain +1 energy regeneration but -2 health degeneration.
• Body Cleansing: Spell. 2 adren, you lose all energy. You gain 1...5 points of health per energy lost.
• Pagan Fury: Stance. 10 energy, for 4...16 seconds, you gain double adrenaline. Lose all adrenaline when this stance ends.
• Envy: Spell. 5 adren, if target foe has more energy than you, gain 1...8 strikes of adrenaline.
• Mantra of Focus: Stance. 15 energy, for 30...90 seconds, every time you hit with an attack skill you gain 0...4 energy.
• Mantra of Pain: Stance. 15 energy, for 30...90 seconds, every time you take damage, you gain 0...2 energy.
• Mantra of Fury: Stance. 15 energy, for 30...90 seconds, every time you take damage, you gain 0...2 strikes of adrenaline.

Gameplay

There are lots of strategies to play around with, I will list some.

• Shouts are instant, you can use them to make precisely timed combos.
• Chants and attack skills often interact, finding good synergies is key.
• Finding the right balance between the attributes (Guile, War, Throwing and Fanaticism)
  • Guile and Fanaticism would make a shaman/caster build.
  • War and Throwing would make a powerful killing machine.
  • Throwing and Fanaticism could be combined to keep energy high and spam attack skills.
  • Guile and Throwing could combine hexes with attack skills to disable and kill targets.
  • A War and Guile combination could make use of War's healing and damaging shouts in combination with Guile's disabling power.
  • Also, a 3 way split combo would be solid as well (with the right skillbar).
• Using weaponry other than the throwing axe
  • to extend your range (ie wand/staff, shortbow)
  • to build adrenaline faster (ie dual weapons)
• Multi-classing. All the attributes (Save Fanaticism) would make the Vandal a powerful secondary class.

Why this is a good idea

• Fairly original
• Fun to play
• Complexity
• Adrenaline based spells could b a new, and nice way of playing ^^

Why it may not work out

• Skills could create exploits with class combinations
• Reversal of energy and adrenaline too confusing
• Damage shouts could be exploited in large groups for spike damage (You could put a short delay on the shout, ie "after 3 second, target foe takes X damage", that way multiple of the same shout couldn't be stacked at once.)
• Complexity.