User:Bathory/Suggestions/Ranger

The following skill suggestions are for Ranger elite and non-elite skills. They are not actually implemented in the game.

Over view

 * Ranger interrupts are not balanced. 5 seconds should be reserved for Elite Bow Interrupts only. Non-elite interrupts should have slightly longer recharges to deal with the fact that they do not use an elite slot.
 * Elite Spirits need additional or modified effects to verify their usefulness.
 * Several under-powered and ignored skills can be given new functions without changing any bars (like Conflagration).
 * Some Ranger stances are still far far behind Natural Stride in usefulness and they should be modified to compete with it better.
 * Quick Shot sucks.

Beast Mastery

 * Elite Pet Attack. Deals + damage. Inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds) if target foe is knocked down or moving.
 * Elite Pet Attack. Deals + damage. Inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds) if target foe is knocked down or moving.
 * Elite Pet Attack. Deals + damage. Inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds) if target foe is knocked down or moving.

Bestial Mauling is powerful, popular skill because of the condition it inflicts. Dazed is a rather powerful condition that is commonly found within the ranger profession. This would allow rangers to apply it more often within the Beast Mastery line while sacrificing their elite spot (Rampage as One and Heal as One, for example.)
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Bleeding creatures in range have - Health degeneration. End effect: Deals  damage to bleeding creatures within range. Does not affect spirits.
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Bleeding creatures in range have - Health degeneration. End effect: Deals  damage to bleeding creatures within range. Does not affect spirits.
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Bleeding creatures in range have - Health degeneration. End effect: Deals  damage to bleeding creatures within range. Does not affect spirits.

An elite spirit it often hard to use because they are killed so easily or do not offer an effect powerful enough. Bleeding is a statistically weak condition. Increasing the degeneration from this skill increases the damage significantly assuming the bleeding is not removed. Instead of reapplying bleeding to creatures under 90%, this now deals damage to those already bleeding, making recasting this spirit as often as possible a tactics that could prove useful.
 * Skill. (6 seconds) The next time your animal companion dies, it is resurrected with % health and you gain 5 energy.
 * Skill. (6 seconds) The next time your animal companion dies, it is resurrected with % health and you gain 5 energy.
 * Skill. (6 seconds) The next time your animal companion dies, it is resurrected with % health and you gain 5 energy.

This skill would allow Beast Masters to keep their pets alive for less energy, especially after Expertise is factored in. The short duration means it need to be timed well, which shouldn't be too difficult if someone pays attention to their pet. The effect is still very narrow and is shadowed by Comfort Animal.

Expertise

 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: interrupted skill is disabled for +20 seconds. Hits for only.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: interrupted skill is disabled for +20 seconds. Hits for only.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: interrupted skill is disabled for +20 seconds. Hits for only.

This skill can lock down 2 of an opponents skills because the recharge is only half of the disable. Secondary rangers can use this skill to it's full effect, as damage isn't even close to the point of this skill. Using it on recharge on foes that must cast often, such as solo monks in 4v4 arenas, almost guarantees hits eventually. I'm an awful ranger interrupter, and I can still hit with it half of the time. By increasing the recharge, mindless spamming is discouraged, and the skill's powerful effects are still just as powerful.
 * Elite Stance. ( seconds.) You attack 15% faster and gain +2 to Marksmanship.
 * Elite Stance. ( seconds.) You attack 15% faster and gain +2 to Marksmanship.
 * Elite Stance. ( seconds.) You attack 15% faster and gain +2 to Marksmanship.

Nerfing the attack speed should be enough to weaken this skill for PvP. A rule of experimentation is that you only change one variable at a time. When testing the waters for skills like these, nerfing both effects at once will not tell you which one worked and which was fine the way it was, if at all.
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Doubles adrenaline gain for creatures in range. Creatures in range receive 20% less from healing. Creatures gain 5 health when they hit with an attack.
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Doubles adrenaline gain for creatures in range. Creatures in range receive 20% less from healing. Creatures gain 5 health when they hit with an attack.
 * Elite Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Doubles adrenaline gain for creatures in range. Creatures in range receive 20% less from healing. Creatures gain 5 health when they hit with an attack.

While this probably won't convince anyone to bring this, health gain will further help warriors and paragons within range as well as introducing an effect that helps the ranger who cast it. Knowing that your healing will be reduced would allow you to prepare, while their Restoration Magic or Healing Prayers users would suffer.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) You gain energy whenever you hit with an attack. You lose  energy whenever you miss with an attack.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) You gain energy whenever you hit with an attack. You lose  energy whenever you miss with an attack.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) You gain energy whenever you hit with an attack. You lose  energy whenever you miss with an attack.

Increasing the duration and curving a ranger's energy loses when they miss may help convince people to use this elite. If necessary, only one may be implemented at a time, although most energy management elites are negligible.

Marksmanship

 * Bow Attack. Interrupts a spell. Interruption effect: inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds).
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts a spell. Interruption effect: inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds).
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts a spell. Interruption effect: inflicts Dazed condition ( seconds).

Dealing a small amount of damage does not help this skill, which already had a huge drawback in it's energy (even with Expertise it's a large amount and not a guaranteed shot when you do time it right due to block, strays and the like). Increasing the recharge to prevent mindless spamming and removing the low damage should make rangers interested in this skill again.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was not a spell.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was not a spell.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was not a spell.

Decreasing the bonus damage and recharge and restricting it to non-spell skills makes it the opposite of Savage Shot. If you expect to see a lot non-spell skills, like Signets, then this would be your better option.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was a spell.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was a spell.
 * Bow Attack. Interrupts an action. Interruption effect: deals + damage if that action was a spell.

Increasing the recharge prevents it from being too easily spammed. In 4v4 arenas, this can easily shot down one foe's Resurrection Signet because of the recharge. When used in tandem with Disrupting Shot, one ranger can shoot down 2/3s of an organized party's resurrection attempts. (Assuming the monk has no resurrection, which is normally the case.)
 * Bow Attack. Deals + damage. Two foes near your target take piercing damage.
 * Bow Attack. Deals + damage. Two foes near your target take piercing damage.
 * Bow Attack. Deals + damage. Two foes near your target take piercing damage.

Like the Eye of the North monster skill and Splinter Weapon, this skill should always Splinter out on hit. However, I'm assuming that it was not implemented this way because Preparations would affect the two non-targeted foes, making conditions like Poison and Bleeding to be spread too easily without an elite. By making it non-attack damage it would avoid this problem, while still allowing this skill to have an effect worth considering.

Wilderness Survival

 * Preparation. (18 seconds) Your arrows inflict Burning condition ( seconds). You have -40 armor when activating this skill. No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.
 * Preparation. (18 seconds) Your arrows inflict Burning condition ( seconds). You have -40 armor when activating this skill. No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.
 * Preparation. (18 seconds) Your arrows inflict Burning condition ( seconds). You have -40 armor when activating this skill. No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.

This would be a big change, as Burning is a very powerful condition. However, because of Burning Arrow this skill would just be very weak alternative to that skill, there are plenty of drawbacks that keep this under check and burning does not stack over multiple uses.
 * Stance. ( seconds) You have a 75% chance to block and +24 armor against elemental damage. Ends if you become hexed or enchanted.
 * Stance. ( seconds) You have a 75% chance to block and +24 armor against elemental damage. Ends if you become hexed or enchanted.
 * Stance. ( seconds) You have a 75% chance to block and +24 armor against elemental damage. Ends if you become hexed or enchanted.

Like Natural Stride, this new form would be able to use often. Instead of an IMS, it offers armor against elemental damage - something which may only be more useful in certain areas, or to secondary rangers. The end condition it the same as Natural Stride to keep consistent and because I can't really think of anything else that would be better.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows deal + fire damage and inflict Burning ( seconds). No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows deal + fire damage and inflict Burning ( seconds). No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows deal + fire damage and inflict Burning ( seconds). No effect unless you're wielding a fire weapon.

Like the huge change to Conflagration above, this changes this from a spirit that's likely to be killed quickly to a powerful preparation. It has fewer drawbacks and extra damage added on to it to separates it from the non-elite counterpart. As preparations cannot be removed they are more powerful than spirits and having similar functions doesn't hurt elite/non-elite preparations as much as it does to spirits (Barbed Arrows is probably more popular than Melandru's Arrows, really).
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows inflict Bleeding condition ( seconds) and deal + damage to enchanted foes.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows inflict Bleeding condition ( seconds) and deal + damage to enchanted foes.
 * Elite Preparation. (24 seconds) Your arrows inflict Bleeding condition ( seconds) and deal + damage to enchanted foes.

This is currently a weaker version of Apply Poison - weaker because it disallows you to bring an elite bow attack and because you can not control the second condition (your foe being enchanted). Increasing the duration allows rangers to attack more and set up less, having a larger window in which to benefit from their elite.
 * Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Creatures within range have -1 health regeneration for each condition they are suffering. Spirits are not affected.
 * Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Creatures within range have -1 health regeneration for each condition they are suffering. Spirits are not affected.
 * Nature Ritual. Creates a level spirit ( second lifespan). Creatures within range have -1 health regeneration for each condition they are suffering. Spirits are not affected.

Would benefit condition teams better than transferring condition around once the enemy starts dying.
 * Trap. (90 seconds) Affects adjacent foes. Inflicts Crippled condition ( seconds). Easily interrupted.
 * Trap. (90 seconds) Affects adjacent foes. Inflicts Crippled condition ( seconds). Easily interrupted.
 * Trap. (90 seconds) Affects adjacent foes. Inflicts Crippled condition ( seconds). Easily interrupted.

This trap only deals a condition, is campaign specific and does not deal damage. It is inferior to Barbed Trap in every way, except energy. And since when did Rangers worry about that? Alternatively, having this deal another condition (except bleeding) may make it more useful.

No Attribute

 * Elite Bow Attack. You shoot an arrow that moves twice as fast. Unblockable.
 * Elite Bow Attack. You shoot an arrow that moves twice as fast. Unblockable.
 * Elite Bow Attack. You shoot an arrow that moves twice as fast. Unblockable.

Making this unblockable helps it overcome the fact that it deals no damage, does not interupt, causes no conditions and doesn't even travel as fast as Called Shot. This way this skill could be used to ensure that a Preparation's effect is caused on your target, and quickly.
 * Stance. (8 seconds) You move 25% faster. Renewal: Whenever you take elemental damage.
 * Stance. (8 seconds) You move 25% faster. Renewal: Whenever you take elemental damage.
 * Stance. (8 seconds) You move 25% faster. Renewal: Whenever you take elemental damage.

While still weak compared to other IMS stances in the ranger line, this would be able to use to more than 33% of the time. The energy increase would force people to use it where they think they are going to be hit, to make it last longer.