World Skill Points Rework 2.0

Hey there! Hopefully some of y'all recognize me for my past posts, and after a long time of being too lazy to type this thread, I finally completed my next (and probably last) major suggestion. This is still a piggyback of my previous ideas, and unless there are major issues to be addressed this will probably be my final attempt at a rework for Skill Points.


My issues with the current Skill Points:
WARNING - Opinions incoming!
The Skill Points system in the current state does the job: It makes your character stronger as you level up. This itself is not the issue; my issue is the lack of diversity from one skill to the next. Items are pretty much the only thing that sets apart one build from another. Once again, this is not a bad thing in the scheme of things, but I personally prefer getting stronger upon leveling up and finding new equipment. The only thing leveling does for me is unlock new quests and grant extra skill points, which for me just allow me to use better equipment.
Furthermore, barring powder abilities, the strategies used between builds is often the same. Mages spam abilities at range and heal their allies, warriors fight up close and tank the damage, etc. It would be so much more interesting to have different kinds of warriors. Some are more related to an assassin, charging in and killing everything at the sacrifice of defense. Others may want a more defensive approach, dealing lower damage but being tougher to kill. While this is possible with Strength and Defense already, for the most part Warriors just take both and do not specialize in one. (One could argue that this is the point of the system, but like I said this is my personal take and I doubt any of this will be added, just my thoughts :)

Gosh I ramble a lot. Okay, time for the actual suggestions.

Skill Points Rework
In my reworked idea, the leveling and Skill Points system will remain fairly similar. You still get 2 Points per level, and are able to place those points in the 5 main Skills. However, what has changed is what happens at certain amounts of points in those Skills.

Here are some screenshots of mock- GUIs I made:

Hovering over the Strength Skill:

We will get to Masteries later

The menu for Strength:


On the left side there are 3 Icons, each representing a Stat related to Strength. For all Skills, the top represents the special bonus from each Skill (Damage Bonus for Strength, Dodge Chance for Agility, etc.):

PB = Permanent Bonus LB = Leveling Bonus (Changed to avoid confusion)
EB = Equipment Bonus
SB = Spell Bonus (War Scream, etc.)
MB = Modifier Bonus

Hovering over the Ring will show the amount of Points in the skill, from both Leveling and Equipment:


Ignore the Earth Powder on the left, that used to be what the Ring did but I like the Ring better.

The Powders in the corners allow you to quickly switch to another Skill:


Now, for the Shields and stuff in the middle, those are the special things you unlock at certain Point amounts. They are called "Modifiers" and each one can do minor things like stat increases, or give special bonuses that can completely change how you play. Tier I Modifiers unlock at 30 Points, Tier II at 60, and Tier III, or "Masteries", at 90. Progress to Modifiers can only be obtained by Points from leveling, not from equipment.
QUICK NOTE: Some Modifiers may have been changed since I made the GUI's. I would highly suggest reading the Modifiers at end of the thread before commenting on Modifiers. This section is more accurate than the GUI's.
QUICK NOTE II: I understand the balancing issues that these may introduce. If a Modifier itself is unbalanced, feel free to tell me but understand that I may not change it due to my lack of knowledge on game balancing. The balance is not my goal here, my goal is the concept. Anyways, if I do change something credit will be given.


Here is an example of a Tier I Modifier unlocked in Intelligence. The lower Tiers will have a smaller effect than higher Tiers:


As you can see, it costs 2 Soul Points to swap a Modifier.

Mastery Modifiers are what can change how you play. They can be incredibly powerful, but you only get to select 1 per Character, and require a higher cost to change.


Every Modifier has 3 different choices, with an exception at Tier II where you can opt to instead upgrade the Stat you selected in Tier I.
Ex. Instead of taking Outnumbered, Duelist, or Perfect Stance in Strength, you could instead upgrade Strength Training to Strength Training II. Doing so locks you out of the main tree of Modifiers, and requires you to go to Tier III at 90 Points.

Also, at Tier III, there technically only 2 new options, as the Augmentation option becomes available at this Tier. This means you can choose to augment your Tier II Modifier, rather than select a new Tier III one.
Ex. Instead of taking Earthquake or Stonebound Guardian in Strength at Tier III, you could turn Duelist into The Perfect Storm.

The Modifiers
Okay, I'm deciding to actually type the Modifiers out, because I need to stop being lazy.
Here we go (insde Spoilers to avoid a huge thread.)

Spoiler: Strength Modifiers

Tier I / Basic Modifiers:

Strength Training:
+5% Damage Bonus

Earthbound Combat:
+10% Earth Damage Bonus

Boulder Skin:
+15% Earth Defense Bonus


Tier II / Enhanced Modifiers:

Outnumbered:
+10% Damage Bonus and +15% Defense Bonus when 5 or more enemies are nearby

Duelist:
+15% Damage Bonus when only 1 enemy is nearby

(Nearby = Approximately 6 meter radius, could be changed.)

Perfect Stance:
While not sprinting, gain +8% Damage Bonus and +10% Damage Resistance


Tier III / Mastery Modifiers

Earthquake:
Crouching and jumping will produce an Earthquake, draining 5 mana and dealing 80% Earth Damage to all nearby enemies

Stonebound Guardian:
Upon taking lethal damage, restore X% (15% + 1% for every 5 Defense Points) of your maximum health, and gain 20% Damage Bonus for 10 seconds. (6 minute cooldown)

Augmentations:

Outnumbered -> Unfair Advantage:
30% Damage Bonus and 60% Defense Bonus when 8 or more enemies are nearby. Disables Outnumbered

Duelist -> The Perfect Storm:
+40% Damage Bonus when only 1 enemy is nearby. Also activates for 4 seconds upon using a Powder Active.

Perfect Stance -> Invincible Guard:
+90% Defense Bonus and +15% Damage Bonus while not moving. Drains 1 mana/2 seconds while in combat.

Tier I Modifier Upgrades:

Strength Training II:
+12% Damage Bonus
Strength Training III:
+25% Damage Bonus

Earthbound Combat II:
+25% Earth Damage Bonus
Earthbound Combat III:
+40% Earth Damage Bonus

Boulder Skin II:
+35% Earth Defense Bonus
Boulder Skin III:
+55% Earth Defense Bonus

Spoiler: Dexterity Modifiers

Tier I / Basic Modifiers:

Specialized Combat:
+10% Critical Strike Chance

Thundering Blows:
+10% Thunder Damage Bonus

Electrical Shell:
+15% Thunder Defense Bonus


Tier II / Enhanced Modifiers:

Critical Expert:
Critical Strikes deal 20% extra damage

Parry:
Critical strikes have a 30% chance to grant Resistance II for 4 seconds

Side Swipe:
After attacking an enemy, attack again from the side within 1 second to deal 30% bonus Thunder damage, ignoring Elemental Defenses

(Elemental Defenses - any kind of defense towards Elemental Damage.)

Tier III / Mastery Modifiers:

Thunderstorm:
Critical Strikes have a 30% (Increased by 1 for every 1 Dexterity Point above 90) chance to unleash the power of a thunderstorm, dealing 25% bonus Thunder damage to all enemies surrounding the main target within a 3 meter radius. Deals 50% Thunder Damage to the main target and ignores Thunder Defense.

Lightning Surge:
Stores a charge of Surge for every critical strike, maximum of 3. (Increases to 4 at 100 Dexterity) Damaging spells consume Surge to deal 20-60% bonus Thunder Damage. (20% per Surge charge) Ignores Thunder Defense.

Augmentations:

Critical Expert -> Critical Master:
Critical strikes deal 45% extra damage

Parry -> Riposte:
Parry now grants Resistance V for 1 second, still granting Resistance II for 4 seconds.

Side Swipe -> Backstab:
Side Swipe requires an attack from behind, dealing 40-85% bonus Thunder Damage based on time from crit to backstab. (40% at 3 seconds, 85% at 1 second or less) Ignores Elemental Defense.

Tier I Upgrades:

Specialized Combat II:
+25% Critical Strike Chance
Specialized Combat III:
+40% Critical Strike Chance

Thundering Blows II:
+25% Thunder Damage Bonus
Thundering Blows III:
+40% Thunder Damage Bonus

Electrical Shell II:
+35% Thunder Defense Bonus
Electrical Shell III:
+55% Thunder Defense Bonus

Spoiler: Intelligence Modifiers

Tier I / Basic Modifiers:

Mana Well:
+5% Decreased Mana Consumption

Water Veins:
+10% Water Damage

Oceanic Barrier:
+15% Water Defense

Tier II / Enhanced Modifiers:

Glacial Blasts:
Basic Attacks deal 15% bonus Water Damage, and slow enemies hit by 15% for 2 seconds

Mana Transfusion:
Excess Mana Regen converts into healing. Heals 1% of your missing health per 1 mana/1 second*

Converging Tides:
Damaging Spells deal 20% bonus Water Damage

*For each bonus mana point regenerated over 1 second, you heal for 1% of your missing health.
Ex. If you regenerate 6 mana every 4 seconds, you regen 1.5 mana per second. This translates to 1.5% of your missing health regenerated while on full mana, every second.

Tier III / Mastery Modifiers:

Tidal Surge:
Dealing Water Damage grants 1 Tide Charge. At 8 Tide Charges, gain one of the following bonuses based on current health:
- 71-100% of max health: Gain 30% Bonus Water Damage for 5 seconds
-41-70% of max health: Gain Speed II for 5 seconds, and 10% Bonus Water Damage and 10% Bonus Defense for 4 seconds
-1-40% of max health: Restores 15% of missing health and grants Speed II for 5 seconds. Drains 2 mana if possible,

Shattering Force:
Damaging Spells and Powder Actives have a 15% chance to Shatter an enemy

Augmentations:

Glacial Blasts -> Glacial Prison
Glacial Blasts stacks a 2nd time, slowing by 40% (not stacking with the first stack). Using a damaging spell then Shatters the enemy.

Mana Transfusion -> Mana Lifeline
Dropping below 10% health consumes all mana, granting a shield equal to 5% of maximum health/mana consumed, for 7 seconds.

Converging Tides -> Raging Tides:
Damaging Spells deal 45% bonus Water damage, and cost 5% less Mana.


**Shatter: Deal the lesser of 150% Water Damage, or 15% of the targets Maximum Health as Water Damage. Enemies then become Shatterproof for 15 seconds

Tier I Upgrades:

Mana Well II:
+12% Decreased Mana Consumption
Mana Well III:
+25% Decreased Mana Consumption

Water Veins II:
+25% Water Damage Bonus
Water Veins III:
+40% Water Damage Bonus

Oceanic Barrier II:
+35% Water Defense Bonus
Oceanic Barrier III:
+55% Water Defense Bonus

Spoiler: Defense Modifiers

Tier I / Basic Modifiers:

Guard:
+10% Defense Bonus

Flaming Vengeance:
+10% Fire Damage

Pact of Flames:
+15% Fire Defense


Tier II / Enhanced Modifiers:

The Juggernaut:
+10% Maximum Health

Magma Shield:
+5% Thorns
Thorns deals 50% bonus Fire Damage

Stamina Boost:
+20% Sprint Recovery (Decreases recharge time of Sprint bar)


Tier III / Mastery Modifiers

The Protector:
Reduces damage taken by allies within 12 meters by 25% (Does not include self)

The Brutal Fighter:
+15% Damage Bonus and +40% Defense Bonus when no allies are within 25 meters
(In this case, allies are other players, not NPCs)

Augmentations:

The Juggernaut -> The Behemoth:
+30% Maximum Health (Disables The Juggernaut)

Magma Shield -> Magma Reaction:
+10% Thorns
Crouching for 3 seconds will spark a reaction, draining 8 mana and setting the ground around you in a 5x5 meter square ablaze. Enemies on blazing ground take 60% bonus Fire damage from all damaging spells. Lasts 7 seconds.

Stamina Boost -> Endurance:
+35% increased Sprint Recovery and -10% Sprint Consumption. (Disables Stamina Boost)


Tier I Upgrades:

Guard II:
+25% Defense Bonus
Guard III:
+40% Defense Bonus

Flaming Vengeance II:
+25% Fire Damage Bonus
Flaming Vengeance III:
+40% Fire Damage Bonus

Pact of Flames II:
+35% Fire Defense Bonus
Pact of Flames III:
+55% Fire Defense Bonus

Spoiler: Agility Modifiers

Tier I / Basic Modifiers:

Swiftness:
+10% Dodge Chance

Feather Fighting:
+10% Air Damage Bonus

Winds of War:
+15% Air Defense Bonus


Tier II / Enhanced Modifiers:

Dodge Roll:
10% chance to gain Speed II when dodging an attack. Increases by 1.5% for every Agility Point above 60.

Counter-Attack:
Basic attacking an enemy after dodging an attack from them within 2 seconds deals 50% bonus Air damage and has a 10% chance to grant Resistance I for 5 seconds.

Quick Sprint:
+15% Movement Speed while sprinting
+5% Sprint Consumption

Tier III / Mastery Modifiers:

Quick Reflexes:
Dodging an attack and hitting an enemy with a damaging spell within 1 second deals 60% bonus Air damage, ignoring Elemental Defense.

Know your enemy:
Dodging an attack from an enemy increases your dodge chance by 10% for 8 seconds, stacking infinitely. Lose all stacks upon taking damage, and grants 10% bonus Air damage for 6 seconds.

Augmentations:

Dodge Roll -> Agile Escape:
Killing an enemy grants Dodge Roll's speed boost for 6 seconds. Grants Speed III and restores 2 mana upon activation if no enemies are within a 15 meter radius.

Counter-Attack -> Counter-Assault:
Counter-Attack deals 80% bonus Air damage, slows the target by 10% for 2 seconds, and blinds the target for 1 second.

Quick Sprint -> Sprint Burst:
+30% Movement Speed while Sprinting
+10% Sprint Consumption
Disables Quick Sprint


Tier I Upgrades:

Swiftness II:
+25% Dodge Chance
Swiftness III:
+40% Dodge Chance

Feather Fighting II:
+25% Bonus Air Damage
Feather Fighting III:
+40% Bonus Air Damage

Winds of War II:
+35% Bonus Air Defense
Winds of War III:
+55% Bonus Air Defense

If this thread has good reception I will do my best to get the Modifiers typed out so that reading the spreadsheet is not necessary, as well as making it easier to provide feedback on specific Modifiers. IN PROGRESS RIGHT NOW

Final Notes
Thank you if you actually read all the way through. I worked quite hard on this, and while it may seem wasted as my idea is unlikely to ever be implemented, due to both coding and balance issues, I still think it would be neat to try and see what people think.

As stated in the beginning, this is most likely my last major thread for suggestions, and possibly my last suggestion thread all together. It was fun, and maybe if the stars align and the Cow thinks this idea isn't terribly terrible, this could actually do something.

Have a wonderful day!

 

nice grapics.

 

Hopefully not sarcasm but I tried to make it look good :)

 

looks a lot more interesting, and better for builds!
ya got my vote!

 

Thank you! Glad I got someone on board :D

 

No more spreadsheet, all the Modifiers are in the thread itself!

 

There already are variety in classes that exist but mainly limited in the sense that you choose melee or spell and then you choose tank or glass. So there are you tank melee assassins and your glass spell warriors but this puts a special spin on it that I like. Nice suggestion :]

 

Yeah ik it can be done but its not exactly optimized for that kind of play. Like there is nothing that rewards you for playing differently in a sense. Thats what im hoping to fix (although i doubt it will :(

 

Bump bc why not