General thoughts about toolset distribution

[Esproc]

Just my thoughts about how they should be overall.

Initiative de-buffing benefits most those with the ability to interrupt.
Maybe to balance it split the effects up to allow for de-buff wars.
(Melee/healer/support*)

Roots are needed by those that normally wouldn't be able to avoid being hit at all and those who have a hard time keeping targets from getting away.
(Pet/caster/ranged/CC**)

Snares are needed by those that need to catch/escape a target.
(melee/kiter/support*/CC**)

Roots and snares should be opposing skills not paired.

Blinds should enable hiding, perception de-buff in addition to minor AAO/AAD de-buff due to a reduced ability to react.
(Agent/shade/support*)

Mezz should be a short-ish duration that disables hostile actions but not friendly ones.
Such as being able to cast buffs and heals but not debuffs/nukes/attack/etc.
And no effect on movement.
(CC**/support-healer/support*)

Fears should disable all fighting/casting for a short-ish period of time only.
Whether the target stands there or runs away would either need to be the targets choice or random effect.
Should be complimentary to taunt.
Paired so that stong taunters have a moderate ability to fear,
and strong fear users should have a moderate ability to taunt.
(CC**/support*)

Taunts as the main effect of tank type professions should apply to pvp as well as pvm.
in pvm the result would be 'agg flicker' and could be used to aid stealth users the moment they need to hide for a sneak/aimed shot.
(CC**/support*)


*'Support' is used here to refer to an effect one would use to help another, not as a classification for a group of professions. Support in this context should imply a weaker effect cumulative to a primary effect of the one being supported.

** 'CC' being crowd control, would apply to any that need to manipulate the flow of combat.

[Esproc]

Drain type effects should be along the lines of:

Shade: AGG/DEF & primary attribute leaching.
Slow the opponent down like they are full def while applying the full aggro positions def 'bonus'.
At the same time gaining the full def defensive bonus and hitting like you are at full agg.
Minor leaching of primary abilities to allow higher armors to be un OE'd while potentially OE'ing an opponents gear. Would make spirits more tolerable at low levels.

MP: None, should be using CC to enable pets. (give them more CC?)

NT: Nano skill disabling as per NSD and etc. from mp's current toolset.

Crat: Can you think of anyone who more desires to bog down an opponent in 'red tape'?
This is where most of the drain effects should be found.
Move better charm effects over to traders leave crats with pet and mind swap.
Turn yourself into a totem that buffs your charmed subject etc. fix the camera to the charmed pet though for duration.

Traders: AAO/AAD (the effect as intended for pvm carried over to pvp)
Crit/reflect leaching (make the amount leached a lower percentage of what you leached from the target)
Charms! Even more fun if you add in a 'pet exchange' effect "Here, have a cheer leet!".
Add in pet buffs that leach health from controller to stay alive etc.

[Hacre]

NT: Nano skill disabling as per NSD and etc. from mp's current toolset.

I disagree. NTs debuffs start and end with blinds and nano resist. MPs are the ones who modify other profession's nanoskill abilities. NTs are all about damage dealing.

I'd rather see an addition to the NT blind toolset, that isn't affected by blind resist but doesn't turn the screen black either. Not as strong a debuff as Optic Plague, maybe -350 or so.

[Esproc]

My original thoughts about the second post where that it wouldn't happen in any case.
As people would be upset about their profession changing from when they chose it.
Bemoaning how it's worse than they were before, that had they known they would have picked something else and now they've wasted time leveling blah blah blah.

But then I thought, if they aren't planning on changing anything how in the hell are they going to balance anything?
And if they are balancing it, now is the time to make any changes they plan to make.

To smooth out the process they would have to allow players to strip down and switch professions.
Along with the full IPRs and etc to make people happy, or at least less ****ed.

I have no delusions that my thoughts are the right way to go, I'm just putting them out there to see how wrong I am ^^

[Esproc]

I disagree. NTs debuffs start and end with blinds and nano resist. MPs are the ones who modify other profession's nanoskill abilities. NTs are all about damage dealing.

I'd rather see an addition to the NT blind toolset, that isn't affected by blind resist but doesn't turn the screen black either. Not as strong a debuff as Optic Plague, maybe -350 or so.

I see NT's as the masters of nanos.

I see MP's as summoners able to bend the nano's into a manifestation of their will.
Though that will is wrather weak and needing of help to get the job done.

Blinds as I see them are a stealth function.
Unless you feel NT's should be sneaking which I've no objection to if there is good argument.

[Hacre]

I see NT's as the masters of nanos.
I see MP's as summoners able to bend the nano's into a manifestation of their will, though that will is wrather weak and needing of help to get the job done.
Blinds as I see them are a stealth function.
Unless you feel NT's should be sneaking which I've no objection to if there is good argument.

It doesn't really matter what -you- see them as, you can't just start taking tools away from some and handing them to others. No, NTs shouldn't be sneaking, if I wanted that I'd roll an Agent or Shade.

Blinding someone isn't "stealth" at all, it's a debuff. Stealth in AO is hiding/being very small. Instead of massive static evades, a portion of an NTs damage mitigation comes from temporarily causing their opponent to find them "hard to see" reducing the chances of landing an attack.

[Esproc]

It doesn't really matter what -you- see them as, you can't just start taking tools away from some and handing them to others. No, NTs shouldn't be sneaking, if I wanted that I'd roll an Agent or Shade.

Blinding someone isn't "stealth" at all, it's a debuff. Stealth in AO is hiding/being very small. Instead of massive static evades, a portion of an NTs damage mitigation comes from temporarily causing their opponent to find them "hard to see" reducing the chances of landing an attack.

1. Obviously not any more so than anyone elses opinion matters.
2. If a tool set is in the wrong location I would, or change the names of those professions to better reflect their purpose.
3. So it's reverse invisibility, ok. Though couldn't you just call it a curse effect and still lower the AAO? Why specifically does it need to be a blind.

My thoughts on the change to blinds and taunt are to enable sneak and aimed shot to return to the previous function of only firing from concealment which for the most part was logical implementation of those skills at the time.

Thought aimed shot should really only require you to take a moment to aim.
And sneak should only require your target not be fighting you.
I would like to see more people popping in and out of the shadows.