Have there been any thought process into the boss system for normal hunting for Empaths? I am curious due to the fact that we're unable to harm living creatures. If these combo moves are (Almost) required to kill these critters in everyday hunting grounds, how are we going to be able to handle these critters from an Empath standpoint? It appears that this ability only utilizes combos that cause damage.

I was just curious as to how Empaths would be able to utilize this system in a world of live hunting(I know there are constructs but the living ladder is a billion times more flushed out right now) at this point.

Thanks.

Ps: Bringing this over from the Barbarian folder so that Empaths can be involved with the discussion as well if you don't peruse the Barbarian folder. (I deleted my post there)

Empath tactics vs boss creatures: Skip to 1:20ish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gf-2Imh6a54

Gheifort, by Shock Immune do you mean complete insensitivity? It takes quite a bit to reach the point of ESN 100. You can heal others right up through ESN 99 and you retain all abilities, albeit with increased dampening the greater your level of loss of empathic sensitivity. There is no reason we can't participate to the full extent except personal choice to avoid any degree of shock. Under the new mechanics shock sharing has also changed.

Asbhuan

>>Gheifort, by Shock Immune do you mean complete insensitivity? It takes quite a bit to reach the point of ESN 100. You can heal others right up through ESN 99 and you retain all abilities, albeit with increased dampening the greater your level of loss of empathic sensitivity. There is no reason we can't participate to the full extent except personal choice to avoid any degree of shock. Under the new mechanics shock sharing has also changed.

It might still be nice to have an option that does not feature damaging maneuvers, so Empaths could be useful when hunting non-construct bosses with their awesome primary tactics skill (or for super-hardcore tactics training I guess?).

As an empath, I'm 100 percent opposed to the idea of shock immunity just because it's a boss. You want to be a combat empath, great. I'm training mine for that purpose, but there's no way the lore of the guild will ever support doing harm to any living thing. If it's a construct, no problem, but a living, breathing, creature? I hope it never happens. It's part of the fun of playing the guild.

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"Nope, I decided parry will remain completely and utterly useless. Try something else."

I was suggesting that the tactics have another addition to it specifically for Empaths to do a non-damaging combo that would provide a debuff that would assist the group. Thus allowing Empaths that play their character to never harm a living thing to be able to help a group that is fighting a boss that is living. In no way is my intention for them to have a combo specific to doing damage to living things unless the Empath chooses to do so. That is the choice of the player and I would like to keep it that way.

I however would like to not have every time I want to assist with a living boss be a choice of shock time or not helping. I want to get in there and help shove the boss around and provide a positional debuff to the boss that will help bring him down. I want to be able to bob his brains out so he never hurts anyone else and is completely focused on me to the point of him falling down providing the group a quick advantage over him to help slay it. While these things are capable in the current system, I feel that being able to be part of the tactics system and do these things to the boss in a specific combo would add some flavor to fighting. I want to feel like I can be a viable person to bring other than the fact I can heal people. I want to be able to be by the side of my warrior friends while providing helpful assistance other than just tending their wounds.

I just want to be able to bring something to the group other than standing around casting Lethargy, and Paralysis (If these will even work to full effect on bosses). Something that will help progress the fight when I don't want to sit in Triage healing the deaders but instead out in the field helping my warriors companions continue through the threshold of their capable bodies to the point that they don't need to run and instead become a bloody mess. Why? Because this is something I feel would be desirable for me.

While I understand everyone wouldn't like this, it would be something I would definitely enjoy. One of the reasons I never hunt with people right now is that it feels like I don't do much other than stand around being the wound soaker. I can manipulate and maybe chase down things with my Guardian spirit that my group is hunting. Im not asking for anything out of the ordinary. We're within the tactics SOI and feel that we should get something to do against living breathing bosses that doesn't harm them but helps our group progress the fight. I just want to be able to do something in the new group hunting that is coming along.

Aaahhh. This I like. If there were some sort of empath tactical combo that could help debuff a critter in a group setting.

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"Nope, I decided parry will remain completely and utterly useless. Try something else."

>It'd be cooler if tactics combos could be expanded to include circle/weave/bob/shove.

This was the basic idea I was getting at. Perhaps there could be something else as well. I haven't tried to come up with any ideas for what else could be added but it could also be an expansion on manipulation where we can command our manipulated critters(Or even our GS) to do the damaging combos for us while we do/help with the debuffing.

Anyways, just ideas.