Feedback:User/Bernado/Active Smiting Prayers

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Currently Smiting Prayers are neither very effective nor interesting to play as they are mostly passive. I tried to make them more active.

First of all the use of Divine Favor, Healing and Protection skills, exspecially elites, needs to be limited for Smiters before buffing the line to prevent powerful defense and offense in one character. Of course there are many ways to do this. E.g.

10 Energy¾ Activation time3 Recharge time - Elite Spell. Heal target ally for 10...114...140 Health and remove one condition and one hex. For each Smiting Prayers skill you have equipped this skill recharges 200% longer.

    • The penalty stacks additively.

2 Activation time5 Recharge time - Signet. Heal target ally for 14...83...100 Health. All of your Smiting Prayers signets are disabled for 15 seconds.

5 Energy¾ Activation time3 Recharge time - Elite Spell. Heal target ally for 5...81...100 Health. Heal for an additional 30...98...115 Health if that ally is below 50% Health. For each Smiting Prayers skill you have equipped this skill heals for 12% less.

    • The penalty stacks additively.

Except of RoJ, which is kept from being overpowered by the rest of Smiting Prayers, Smiting Prayers elite skills are weak or usable in gimmick builds only. In order for Smiting Prayers to be effective and diverse at least some of these need to be made stronger, but the threat of monks taking healing or protection spells in addition to a Smiting Prayers elite must be payed attention to. Again all penalties stack additively rather than multiplicatively.

5 Energy¼ Activation time5 Recharge time - Elite Enchantment Spell. If target ally was attacking that ally is knocked down for 1 second and for 0...3...4 seconds causes knock down with his next attack. If target ally was not attacking for 0...3...4 seconds the next time target ally would be knocked down by a foe, that foe is knocked down instead. For each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped this skill recharges 100% longer.

    • This adds an active way of knocking down to the skill and allows to cancel attack skills if a skill such as Diversion or Ineptitude is used on the Warrior, but makes mindless usage do more harm than good.

5 Energy¼ Activation time5 Recharge time - Elite Enchantment Spell. For 0...24...30 seconds, whenever target ally hits with an attack, you gain 1 Energy. For each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped this skill casts 1 second longer.

    • Great cover Enchantment with nice Energy gain.

10 Energy2 Activation time20 Recharge time - Elite Spell. Invoke a Ray of Judgment at target foe's location. For 5 seconds, target foe and all foes adjacent to this location take 5...37...45 holy damage each second. For each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped this skill recharges 100% longer.

    • The removal of burning drastically lowers the damage this spell deals, but combination with my suggestion for Zealot's Fire allows to regain the old functionality.

5 Energy1 Activation time8 Recharge time - Elite Enchantment Spell. For 0...4...5 seconds, anyone striking target ally with an attack is knocked down and suffers 5...41...50 holy damage. For each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped this skill recharges 100% longer.

    • See Guardian.
    • Much more active, still not maintainable without the usage of other skills.

1 Activation time15 Recharge time - Signet. Target foe takes 5...41...50 holy damage and is knocked down for 0...2...3 seconds. This skill is disabled for 15 seconds and an additional 15 seconds for each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped.

    • An elite version of Bane Signet.
    • The disable prevents Mantra of Inscriptions from affecting this skill and the scaled knockdown duration prevents secondary abuse to a certain extend, which should solve the problems that lead to this skill's nerf.

10 Energy¾ Activation time2 Recharge time - Spell. Target foe takes 6...49...60 holy damage. If target foe was casting a spell on one of your allies, that foe is interrupted and takes an additional 12...98...120 holy damage. For each Healing or Protection Prayers skill you have equipped this skill costs 50% more Energy.

    • The high Energy cost prevents spamming, the low recharge allows flexible usage.

Smiting Prayers Spells targeting foes are not very effective at this time. By giving them effects other than pure damage they can be buffed without risking spikes coming up and allow for a more active way of protecting party members while dealing damage.

5 Energy1 Activation time7 Recharge time - Spell. Target foe takes 5...41...50 holy damage. If it hits a summoned creature, this spell does an additional 45...369...450 holy damage and recharges instantly.

    • Intended to be the basic damage spell of Smiting Prayers. The damage was lowered to make it less usable in spikes.
    • While mostly retaining its old functionality if no hostile summoned creatures are present, it now easily kills them even at full health and can be activated right again to get rid of their comrades, too.
    • Compared to Consume Soul it deals damage instead of life stealing, less of that and has a longer recharge, but recharges instantely when used on a summoned creature. These differences should justify Consume Soul's elite status, but in case Banish overshadowes it, Banish's additional damage could be lowered or the instant recharge be changed to a just faster one.

10 Energy¾ Activation time12 Recharge time - Hex Spell. For 1...5...6 seconds, every time target foe deals damage that foe takes 66% of the damage it causes (maximum 1...48...60 damage).

    • A offensive version of Holy Wrath.

5 Energy1 Activation time5 Recharge time - Hex Spell. For 6 seconds, every time target foe is the target of an enchantment, the caster of that enchantment takes 15...67...80 holy damage.

    • Simple change to make the skill more active. Also I changed the damage and damage type slightly to equal Scourge Healing.

5 Energy1 Activation time5 Recharge time - Hex Spell. For 6 seconds, every time target foe is healed, the healer takes 15...67...80 holy damage.

    • Simple change to make the skill more active.

5 Energy1 Activation time5 Recharge time - Hex Spell. For 6 seconds, every time target foe sacrifices life, he sacrifices 0...200...250% more than the normal amount.

    • Now is a real thread to somebody using sacrifice-skills but more active.

10 Energy¾ Activation time10 Recharge time - Hex Spell. Target foe takes 5...41...50 holy damage. For 6 seconds that foe takes 0...28...35 damage whenever initiating an action of the same type as the one he is currently performing.

    • If moving is included as a type of action this may be mentioned.
    • If the target was moving he takes damage whenever he starts moving. For skills the damage occurs at the start of the activation, for attacks whenever a new swing begins.
    • The foremost problem with this skill is to define of what type an action is, e.g. if Unyielding Aura is an elite enchantment spell, an enchantment spell, a spell or a skill. Suggestions:
      • distinguish between spell, signet, pure skill, attacking and moving with every action having only one type.
      • use the most specific type excepting elite status of the action currently performed by the foe and deal the damage whenever an action of that type or a subtype is initiated, e.g.: A Ranger is hit by Smite while using Troll Unguent and now activates Lightning Reflexes and Burning Arrow. As a result he takes damage twice. On the other hand an elementalist hit while using Fire Attunement would take no damage by the activation of Flare.

5 Energy9 Recharge time - Spear Attack. If this attack hits, it deals 4...33...40 holy damage. If it hits an attacking foe, this attack deals an additional 5...41...50 holy damage.

      • An other way for Smiters to deal damage with all the advantages and drawbacks of attacks in comparision to spells and signets.
      • The damage is not additional but replaces the base damage.

5 Energy1 Activation time9 Recharge time - Spell. Spear of Light flies toward target foe and deals 26...50...56 holy damage if it hits. Spear of Light deals 15...51...60 more damage and interrupts if it hits an attacking foe.

5 Energy1 Activation time10 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. For 45 seconds, while wielding a spear, target ally's attacks hit for 5...21...25 holy damage.

      • The damage is not additional but replaces the base damage. Thus it only helps those who use a spear without having skilled into spear mastery e.g. idle casters or warriors building adrenalin from afar.
      • Doesn't affect foes anymore but still should be more fun to use than the current version.

Signets are an important part of the Smiting Prayers line but were toned down not to be to effective in spikes. I decreased the damage and recharge time to make their secondary effects more important while incorparating a clause intended to prevent abuse in conjunction with Mantra of Inscriptions.

1 Activation time15 Recharge time - Signet. Target foe takes 3...25...30 holy damage. If target foe was attacking, that foe is knocked down for 0...2...2 seconds. This skill is disabled for 15 seconds.

1 Activation time15 Recharge time - Signet. Target foe takes 3...25...30 holy damage. If that foe was attacking, you gain 1...8...10 Energy. This skill is disabled for 15 seconds.

1 Activation time15 Recharge time - Signet. Target foe takes 3...25...30 holy damage and +1...12...15 holy damage for each adrenaline skill that foe has. This skill is disabled for 15 seconds.

15 Recharge time - Signet. For 0...5...6 seconds you cast Smiting Prayers spells 50% faster for each enchantment on you (maximum 110% faster). This skill is disabled for 15 seconds.

The two Wrath skills have just to few range to be good, but making them target a foe would be overpowered.

10 Energy2 Activation time20 Recharge time - Spell. For 5 seconds, foes adjacent to target allies initial location take 8...27...32 holy damage each second.

    • This gives the spells range while not making them to offensive.
    • Non-elite versions of RoJ

The two Strikes have not much offensive potential for a monk because of their touch range, but could be changed to melee banishing skills.

5 Energy1 Activation time8 Recharge time - Skill. Touched target foe takes 10...46...55 holy damage. If knocked down, your target takes an additional 10...46...55 holy damage. For 1 second target foe takes 20...92...110 damage whenever that foe hits with an attack.

    • Not Hexes, but irremovable skills.

The most powerful skills in Smiting Prayers currently are some of those affecting allies. If the rest of Smiting Prayers ist buffed these spells need to be toned down in order to maintain balance.

5 Energy¼ Activation time3 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. For 8 seconds, the next time target ally would take damage or life steal, the foe dealing the damage or life steal takes damage equal to that amount of Health instead (maximum 10...50...60).

    • I lowered the damage maximum to be more in line with Vengeful Weapon. On the other hand it now also applies to life steal as Reversal of Fortune, Life Sheath and Vengeful Weapon do.

5 Energy¾ Activation time4 Recharge time - Spell. Remove a condition from target ally. If a condition is removed, adjacent foes suffer 0...12...15 holy damage per foe affected (maximum 0...48...60 damage).

    • Recharge and casting time are now more in line with those of Dismiss Condition and Mend Ailment to make it viable for removing conditions. To make it balanced the damage has been linked to the number of foes affected and the area of effect reduced. This also encourages skillfull usage.

5 Energy1 Activation time12 Recharge time - Spell. Remove a hex from target ally. If a hex is removed, foes in the area suffer 0...16...20 holy damage per foe affected (maximum 0...64...80 damage).

    • Change aimed at rewarding skillfull usage and lowering the power of Smite Hex slightly.

On the other hand there are some skills targeting allies that could use a buff.

25 Energy2 Activation time15 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. For 8 seconds, foes adjacent to target ally take 10...22...25 holy damage each second.

5 Energy¼ Activation time8 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. For 2 seconds, the next time target ally receives damage that would be fatal, the damage is negated and one nearby foe takes 30...206...250 holy damage.

    • An animation on the target should be implemented in order to give warriors a chance to react before they deal about 500 damage to themselves.
    • More dangerous, more active.

Vengeance is a very interesting resurrection skill that suits Smiting Prayers, though it is not very viable and can't be treated like a real resurrection skill in terms of balancing. My goal is to make it useable as an emergency resurrection skill to fullfill an important goal before really resurrecting the ally or to reach the position to do so.

10 Energy3 Activation time30 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. Bring target dead party member back to life at full Health and full Energy. For 30 seconds, that party member deals 0...24...30% more damage and takes 2% less damage for each rank in Divine Favor. When this enchantment ends, target party member dies. Deaths while under the effects of this enchantment do not incur a death penalty.

    • Move to Smiting Prayers (this also allows the usage of a 40/40 set).
    • The damage reduction reduces the amount of Energy needed to keep the resurrected party member alive until he dies.
    • The activation time makes the effort more adequate to the reward.

Zealot's Fire and Smiter's Boon both had very passive mechanics that encouraged mindless spamming and were overpowered until they were nerved/removed from play. While my suggestions still are passive, they now do not allow combining heavy damage and powerful healing in one character anymore and deal more harm than good if used wrong.

-1 Upkeep5 Energy¼ Activation time30 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. While you maintain this enchantment, your Smiting Prayers Spells also inflict Burning for 0...2...3 second[s] on every creature affected by them. Whenever you didn't cast a spell for 2 or more seconds you have +1 Energy regeneration.

    • Move to Divine Favor.
    • "every creature affected by them" includes those affected by secondary effects, e.g. foes damaged by Smite Hex
    • This is essentially an assault mode switch. By activating it most Divine Favor healing on your Smiting Prayers skills is negated, but any foes affected by them take a nice amount of damage.

-1 Upkeep5 Energy¼ Activation time30 Recharge time - Enchantment Spell. While you maintain this enchantment, your Smiting Prayers Spells heal every creature affected by them for 0...38...48 health. Whenever you didn't cast a spell for 2 or more seconds you have +1 Energy regeneration.

    • Divine Favor, remove PvP-version.
    • "every creature affected by them" includes those affected by secondary effects, e.g. foes damaged by Reversal of Damage
    • This is essentially a defence mode switch. By activating it Divine Favor healing is doubled but also applies to foes thus drastically reducing the damage dealt by Smiting Prayers.