Pathways are, I think, an ability ripe for a few QoL updates. I think, at their core, they're potentially an amazing tool in the Warrior Mage arsenal that are woefully underused due to some mechanics issues. I love the idea of Elemental Charge being a resource that's harder to replenish than mana, and must be managed on a longer-term basis, and a valuable resource to be saved for when it's most important. I'd like to humbly submit some ideas I had for their improvement for consideration.
Case for Change
Pathways, as they are now, are difficult to use, even if you have perfect accuracy due to scripts. They're also annoying to try to train with, requiring frequent switching on and off to avoid wasting charge. Further, they’re difficult to time well without draining more of your Charge than you want to. When the chips are down, such as in PvP or invasions, it’s hard to use them in a measured way, and easy to accidentally leave them on and drain all of your charge.
Training-wise, pathways often feel like a frustrating afterthought, used only for the training utility of having them going, and quickly depleting one’s charge, ignoring the actual benefit they might offer. Domains help, but it’s still difficult to use as a training method for Summoning in combat, even when using Pathway Quick, casting all air spells, and aligning the room to an air domain. I would seek to fix both of these problems at once.
Proposed Changes
* Change each of these into an ability that drains PER USE rather than over time. Syntax would use similar mechanics to Symbioses, and perhaps some code could be used.
| Example:
| PREPARE FOCUS DAMAGE
| TARGET LB 50
| Wait for full prep/target (or not).
| CAST
- Possible use for Summoning skill: If they do not do so already, these abilities ought to take into account Summoning ranks for effectiveness.
- Adjust the learning rates, if necessary, so that using a Pathways against an at-level creature is a legitimate (and possibly the primary) way to train Summoning. Ideally, I'd hope to see a full charge, prepared before combat, allowing a mind-lock against an at-level creature.
- Provide a visible cost so that the mage has an idea of how much of his or her current Charge will be depleted, similar to spells.
Example: “You believe that using this pathway will deplete most of your remaining elemental charge.”
- Provide a method under the Pathway command to view the relative costs of Elemenal Charge of each Pathway, possibly through PATHWAY LIST
- Pathways may need to be assessed for compliance with the relative caps and adjusted for balance with the increased ease of use. Though it should be noted that given the presence of Substratum, if the extra damge from the Damage pathway does not stack in some way with the increased ranks from Substratum, it will end up being almost entirely useless to the experienced mage.
Individual Pathways
- Perceive Pathway (Aether) – Fold this ability into Power Perception and other detection messaging, just as the detection of Domains is and the awareness of spell preparation is.
- Focus Defend (Earth) – Warrior Mages have so many ways to defend against TM spells (Aether Cloak, various barriers, Veil of Ice if it will still exist after the barrier rewrite), that I’m not sure this one is still necessary or useful unless something is done to differentiate it. This one might need to be evaluated after the Barrier Review. Perhaps instead it might add to the Integrity of the spell, making it easier for the spell to penetrate barriers.
- It's unclear to me under which circumstances using Focus Power (cast as if at a higher mana) would be worse than Accuracy or Damage, other than perhaps being more costly. It would be nice to see this role clarified.
- Focus Lock – In addition, I would like to submit the idea for a new higher level Pathway, a “target lock”. If the mage can see the target when using the Target command, the matrix will continue to form and will be able to be cast as normal, even if the mage can no longer see the target. So long as the mage is in the same room as the target at casting time, the spell will fire.
Thanks for your time.
- Saragos
SARAGOS
ORRJ
Re: Suggested Ethereal Pathways QoL Changes
02/02/2016 05:28 PM CST
Awesome ideas. I want to tack on to this that I think there should be multiple Elemental Charge pools.
One for Familiars alone, that regenerates it's charge naturally after each use of it to float at a certain level. This Level would be enough to power all the familiar types that currently exist. Once/if combat fams get made this level would only be enough for very basic things, and you'd have to maintain it at higher levels for the more combat functions.
Second for pathways this needs some work. Perhaps this could use a natural regeneration rate to, but of course not to max levels. I don't think having to sit outside of combat for an extended amount of time to charge it up and then burn through in what is a pretty decently quick time frame is all too fair. Specially the higher circle gained ones, they zap it mightly quick. I too on some of the pathways wonder if they are not basically redundant. Perhaps the description could be better or perhaps they need to do a little bit different thing?
It takes me 108 seconds- 1 minute 48 seconds to get to full charge, just using summon admit
Pathways Damage burns it up in 6min 50ish seconds.
Pathway Conserve 4 minutes 20 seconds
Pathway Defense 2 minutes 10ish seconds
Pathway precise 2 minutes 20 seconds
Just to name a few times for myself.
Pathway suggestions- How about a feat that the guild automatically gets, that allows you to siphon off some of your mana to continually charge your pathways. How about having aether spells up makes regeneration slightly faster. How about using a feat or pathway ability that makes you tap into a barrier's power and uses it as fuel a pathway in some manner(Perhaps when/if it is hit the hit is %2 worse than normal, or it makes it zap a tiny bit more mana each pulse). Being aligned to Aether Elemental Plane might let you recharge faster or even have a higher than normal pool.
Barrage should definitely be a WM only maneuver, that is bonused if you have enough Elemental Charge and bonused again with Full target, but otherwise not-hindered if you don't.
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
One for Familiars alone, that regenerates it's charge naturally after each use of it to float at a certain level. This Level would be enough to power all the familiar types that currently exist. Once/if combat fams get made this level would only be enough for very basic things, and you'd have to maintain it at higher levels for the more combat functions.
Second for pathways this needs some work. Perhaps this could use a natural regeneration rate to, but of course not to max levels. I don't think having to sit outside of combat for an extended amount of time to charge it up and then burn through in what is a pretty decently quick time frame is all too fair. Specially the higher circle gained ones, they zap it mightly quick. I too on some of the pathways wonder if they are not basically redundant. Perhaps the description could be better or perhaps they need to do a little bit different thing?
It takes me 108 seconds- 1 minute 48 seconds to get to full charge, just using summon admit
Pathways Damage burns it up in 6min 50ish seconds.
Pathway Conserve 4 minutes 20 seconds
Pathway Defense 2 minutes 10ish seconds
Pathway precise 2 minutes 20 seconds
Just to name a few times for myself.
Pathway suggestions- How about a feat that the guild automatically gets, that allows you to siphon off some of your mana to continually charge your pathways. How about having aether spells up makes regeneration slightly faster. How about using a feat or pathway ability that makes you tap into a barrier's power and uses it as fuel a pathway in some manner(Perhaps when/if it is hit the hit is %2 worse than normal, or it makes it zap a tiny bit more mana each pulse). Being aligned to Aether Elemental Plane might let you recharge faster or even have a higher than normal pool.
Barrage should definitely be a WM only maneuver, that is bonused if you have enough Elemental Charge and bonused again with Full target, but otherwise not-hindered if you don't.
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
FAMEBRIGHT
Re: Suggested Ethereal Pathways QoL Changes
02/02/2016 08:59 PM CST
>It takes me 108 seconds- 1 minute 48 seconds to get to full charge, just using summon admit
Admittance is handy when you want to be quiet, but it's still the slowest way to build charge. Prepping an aligned spell during your meditation RT will cut that time-to-charge in half (or better, if you can persuade someone already charged-up to drop a domain).
Re: Life mana Spell preps
You raise your hands in the air. You wave them like you just don't care. Somebody says, "Hey!" Somebody says, "Ho!" Somebody screams.
Admittance is handy when you want to be quiet, but it's still the slowest way to build charge. Prepping an aligned spell during your meditation RT will cut that time-to-charge in half (or better, if you can persuade someone already charged-up to drop a domain).
Re: Life mana Spell preps
You raise your hands in the air. You wave them like you just don't care. Somebody says, "Hey!" Somebody says, "Ho!" Somebody screams.
SARAGOS
Re: Suggested Ethereal Pathways QoL Changes
02/02/2016 09:34 PM CST
>>It takes me 108 seconds- 1 minute 48 seconds to get to full charge, just using summon admit
>Admittance is handy when you want to be quiet, but it's still the slowest way to build charge. Prepping an aligned spell during your meditation RT will cut that time-to-charge in half (or better, if you can persuade someone already charged-up to drop a domain).
Honestly, I would be fine with a slower time to charge - perhaps with some cooldowns limiting Admittance - if I got more options in return for Pathways. Mana comes back quickly for magic primes. I'd like to see a resource I had to be more stingy with but had some nice enhancement options.
- Saragos
>Admittance is handy when you want to be quiet, but it's still the slowest way to build charge. Prepping an aligned spell during your meditation RT will cut that time-to-charge in half (or better, if you can persuade someone already charged-up to drop a domain).
Honestly, I would be fine with a slower time to charge - perhaps with some cooldowns limiting Admittance - if I got more options in return for Pathways. Mana comes back quickly for magic primes. I'd like to see a resource I had to be more stingy with but had some nice enhancement options.
- Saragos
ORRJ
Re: Suggested Ethereal Pathways QoL Changes
02/02/2016 10:18 PM CST
>>Admittance is handy when you want to be quiet, but it's still the slowest way to build charge. Prepping an aligned spell during your meditation RT will cut that time-to-charge in half (or better, if you can persuade someone already charged-up to drop a domain).
This doesn't seem to work for me I tried it with a domain up and down. Also I tried no summon admittance just spell casting with domain.
Summon admit + spell + domain shaved off about 10 seconds
Spell + domain added about 104 seconds
Spell + admit shaved off about 4 seconds
If it matters alligned to water, and used VOI at 15 mana(but I don't think it does).
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
This doesn't seem to work for me I tried it with a domain up and down. Also I tried no summon admittance just spell casting with domain.
Summon admit + spell + domain shaved off about 10 seconds
Spell + domain added about 104 seconds
Spell + admit shaved off about 4 seconds
If it matters alligned to water, and used VOI at 15 mana(but I don't think it does).
~Worrclan, Dwarf of the Realms-
