Man I wish they would have <XXXXX> as a class in Vanguard....

[Raam Kx'Thorath]

And here's where you're all welcome to fill in the blanks. If we come up with some good ideas, we can always have someone point Brad or some of the others to this thread.


Class Name:
Runemaster.

Inspiration:
Old mud I played many years ago called Deeper Trouble.

Rundown:
The Runemasters focuses on enchanting weapons to give certain effects when hitting an enemy. To do this they use bladerunes, magical runes etched into a weapon's aura. The number of runes that can be etched in a weapon, is roughly proportional to the weight of the weapon. If more runes are etched than a weapon can accomodate, it has a chance of exploding.

The runes lie dormant in the weapon until the weapon is involved in battle, whereafter they might be activated when the weapon hits the enemy. When a bladerune is activated, its powers are released and the effect of the rune takes place. Certain runes are known to burn, freeze, frighten, and electrocute an enemy.

The runes have several disadvantages. Firstly, it is not possible to determine when a rune activates; it might be on the first hit done with the runed weapon or on the tenth. Secondly, when a bladerune is activated, and its powers are released, the rune fades and is no more.

Another disadvantage is that Runemasters are restricted to wear light armours. This is due to the fact that runes tend to dissipate when the wielder of the runed weapon is wearing a lot of metal armour.

The runes are not restricted to be etched only the the Runemasters weapon, but can be etched into other people's weapons as well. Yet due to their nature, it requires an intelligent person to take proper advantage of their powers, and will despite of that still have a higher chance of backfiring on the wielder of the weapon.



So, what do you all think? Possible things that might have to be changed which could prove to be a problem in this case is the preparation ahead of EACH fight.. Instead each rune could be longer lasting, but might had to be renewed occasionally to keep the strength. In other words, the longer you use a rune without re-strengthening the magic, the lower the effect will be.


Ideas, comments?

[Raya]

So, are you suggesting that Runemastering be a tradeskill, Raam? Otherwise, I'm not quite clear on the difference of a Runemaster as opposed to any other warrior with magical weapons. It sounds actually like a lot of fun to have a sword that you can prepare in advance for battle. It would add to the skill required to be a hack-and-slasher. :)

One of the things I'd like to see--not sure that this would be a separate class, though--is someone who could teach first aid to the non-healing-classes. There is NOTHING so frustrating as to have to sit and wait until you are healed if you can't do it yourself. Despite the fact that I love to just go in and slug it out toe to toe, I rarely play a warrior because of the enforced resting to heal. That is why I LOVE the first aid in WoW...anyone can learn it from a doctor and it rocks for an after-battle healing. (Can't use it during battle cuz every hit you take, stops the first aid healing and there is a cooldown time between first aid heals).

[Raam Kx'Thorath]

No actually I suggest it comes a profession/class just like warriors, paladins, sorcerer and so on...... A combatting profession.

[Zobbie]

oh oh! i have one *waves hand in air frantically*

Kabbalist-
this is from an old rpg game Chivalry and Sorcery

Kabbalist would be Arcane casters who use symbols for their magic. Their focus is an ink brush and inkpot(portable). You can leave spells behind you and would activate is someone walked by(in Vanguard perhaps offensive spells go off when opposing fraction walks by).

You can draw symbols in the air with your fingers, I would think that certain counterspells would be more effective against Kabbalist, (arthritist attack!, cramps! etc..)

ummm.... ok I am done

[panjandrum]

Not sure what game it was fun, old pen and paper and my memory slips...maybe Rifts?

Tattoo Man, they had tattoos that all had different effects, stats, summons, dd...higher levels equalled more tattoos. Just think it would look cool in game as well.

[Eclipse]

oh oh! i have one *waves hand in air frantically*

Kabbalist-
this is from an old rpg game Chivalry and Sorcery

Kabbalist would be Arcane casters who use symbols for their magic. Their focus is an ink brush and inkpot(portable). You can leave spells behind you and would activate is someone walked by(in Vanguard perhaps offensive spells go off when opposing fraction walks by).

You can draw symbols in the air with your fingers, I would think that certain counterspells would be more effective against Kabbalist, (arthritist attack!, cramps! etc..)

ummm.... ok I am done


Sounds a lot like Patryns from a series of books called the Death Gate Cycle by M. Weis and T. Hickman...amazing story, and the main warring races used sigils and tattoos marked all over thier body to protect them and cast spells harmful or beneficial.
I would love a class like this...but it would have to be very race-specific to pull it off.

-Eclipse

[Raya]

Sounds a lot like Patryns from a series of books called the Death Gate Cycle by M. Weis and T. Hickman...amazing story, and the main warring races used sigils and tattoos marked all over thier body to protect them and cast spells harmful or beneficial.
I would love a class like this...but it would have to be very race-specific to pull it off.

-Eclipse
I LOVED that series - great, great series. Read all the books in it. My husband used either Haplo (or some bastardization of that name - most significantly Hyaplew) or Patrynn as his EQ, WoW, and now Guild Wars character names. Generally, Haplo is always taken when he gets to it (hence, Hyaplew -- but he has also used Hapleau, Hapcheck and once created a female called Haplette :p ). That series also gave birth to my first EQ character's name--Ravenlark, a bard, what else? In the undead side of WoW, he created a character called Heugh (for Hugh the Hand) and my character is Iridal :D We cheerfully plunder the undead countryside, dropping body parts as we go.

[Eclipse]

My lil brother's human rogue in WoW was aptly named Hugh. :D
Remains one of the better written stories I have ever had the chance to read. I'm reading Forgotten Realms stuff now, but I still think Haplo and his Death Gate Cycle take the prize.

-Eclipse