Feedback:User/Khomet/Paragon skill updates

(original at http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/User:Khomet/Paragon_skill_changes) These are mostly minor tweaks with no drastic changes in functionality. If suggested skill behavior is different from the original it usually copies the behavior of an existing skill. Hopefully this will make the changes easy to implement. These suggestions were well received on Guild Wars Guru. (http://www.guildwarsguru.com/forum/dear-arenanet-please-expedite-paragon-t10441769.html)

Paragon skill update suggestions

These suggestions were conceptualized with PvE in mind. The paragon has a number of deficiencies compared to other professions, this is an attempt to balance the skills without major changes to the profession itself. I have attempted to make the skills more useful and less conditional while respecting the original intent of the skills involved. The changes described below should make the paragon more competitive with the ranger in terms of ranged damage, more competitive with the necromancer in terms of physical damage buffs, and improves the Motivation skills to be more competitive with the monk and ritualist in terms of healing capability.

Major issues to be addressed:

• ineffectiveness of offensive buffs compared with other professions
• lack of multi-attack skills and area effect damage
• lack of maintainable shouts to power skills such as Soldier's Fury, Soldier's Defense, Soldier's Stance, Centurion's Insignia, etc.
• many skills are so conditional that they are not suitable for general use
• overall weakness of Motivation skills
• energy management problems in 4-man environments (both PvE and PvP)

Notes: Some anthems were changed so that they provide benefits on every attack instead of ending on an attack skill. This was done intentionally so that paragons can achieve physical buffing similar to what Necromancers do with Orders. Other anthems that cause conditions (flame, weariness, crippling) may need attention as well. Some skills have two or more suggested variants with some pros and cons listed for each.

Command

"Brace Yourself!" 5 20

Shout. (20 seconds.) Allies within earshot that are not moving cannot be knocked down.

Compare to Ward of Stability.

"Help Me!" 5 10

Shout. (10 seconds.) Other allies' spells targeting you cast 50% faster. You gain 15...75...90 Health.

If this is a maintainable shout it can be used to power Soldier's Fury, Soldier's Defense, Soldier's Stance, Centurion Insignia, etc.

"Never Give Up!" 5 15

Shout. Allies in earshot gain 1..4..5 energy and an additional 1..4..5 energy if below 75% health.

Shout. (15 seconds.). Allies in earshot gain +1 energy regeneration. (5e over 15s)

I thought of two ways to change this skill, the first adds conditional energy gain so that the skill is not totally useless even if the condition is not met. The second option means less energy overall, but it is unconditional and can be used to power Soldier's Fury, Soldier's Defense, Soldier's Stance, Centurion Insignia, etc.

"Never Surrender!" 5 15

Shout. (15 seconds.). Allies in earshot gain 1..2..3 health regeneration and gain an additional +1..2..3 health regeneration if below 75% health.

Shout. (15 seconds.). Allies in earshot gain 1..4..5 health regeneration.

I thought of two ways to change this skill as well, the first adds conditional health regeneration so that the skill is not completely useless if the condition is not met, and yet preserves the original functionality of the skill. The second simply removes the conditional nature of the skill. Either way, if this is a maintainable shout it can be used to power Soldier's Fury, Soldier's Defense, Soldier's Stance, Centurion Insignia, etc.

Anthem of Disruption 10 1 15

Chant. (10 seconds.) Allies in earshot interrupt an action when using an attack skill.

If this sounds scary consider what Panic and Cry of Frustration do already.

Anthem of Guidance 4 1

Elite Chant. (10 seconds.) Attacks from allies within earshot become unblockable.

The anti-Aegis. If skills like this existed in GvG perhaps there would have been no need for all of the nerfs to defensive teams with Aegis, Ward Against Melee, Weapon of Warding, block stances, etc. Perhaps this should scale with Command?

Anthem of Envy 5 1 5

Chant. (6 seconds.) Whenever a party member hits a foe with physical damage, that party member does +3...13...16 damage.

Compare with Order of Pain. Possibly add a conditional so that it does not stack with Orders. Move this to Leadership to prevent secondary abuse. Also, the elite version of this (Anthem of Fury) is in Leadership.

Bladeturn Refrain 5 1 8

Echo. (20 seconds.) Target ally has 10...33...40% chance to block. Renewal: Whenever a chant or shout ends on that ally. Cannot target spirits.

Doubled the block chance to make this worth bringing in PvE. Possibly move this to Leadership.

Godspeed 10 20

Shout. (5...17...20 seconds.) Allies in earshot move 25% faster while not enchanted.

I think this fits the paragon much better than the original. Paragons don't have any enchantments, and other paragon skills (signet of synergy, natural temper) don't work if the paragon is enchanted, and there aren't any generally useful and maintainable party-affecting enchantments to power this. Instead what we see is all-assassin perma-shadowform speedclear teams using this to breeze through dungeons, like the speedclear I was in last night. :-\

Leadership

"Lead the Way!" 5 8

Shout. Target ally moves 25% faster for 1...4...5 seconds (maximum of 20 seconds) for each ally in earshot.

Reduced energy cost so this is more equivalent to "Make Haste".

Aggressive Refrain 15 2 20

Echo. (5...21...25 seconds.) You attack 25% faster. Renewal: whenever a chant or shout ends on you.

Removed armor penalty and decreased energy cost. The armor penalty is meaningless if you travel with an Imbagon, while it hurts the imbagon himself. The energy cost is also meaningless in PvE since it is maintained forever, it only annoys the player and causes problems if the character acquires death penalty.

Angelic Bond 10 1 10

Elite Chant. (10 seconds.) Allies within earshot cannot lose more than 10% maximum Health from a single attack; ends for each ally when it prevents damage on that ally. 50% chance of failure if less than 8 leadership.

This is balanced against Shelter and provides similar spike resistance to the entire group. This change would make this skill generally useful and help to lessen the ubiquity of the Imbagon.

Angelic Protection 5 10

Skill. (10 seconds.) Each second that target ally takes damage over 150...80...50, that ally is healed for any damage over that amount. Cannot self target. 50% chance of failure if less than 8 leadership.

Compare to Spirit Bond. Unlike Spirit Bond this cannot be abused by secondary paragons and has a much longer recharge. It must be used carefully.

Anthem of Fury 5 1 5

Elite Chant. (6 seconds.) Whenever a party member hits a foe with physical damage, that party member gains +1 adrenaline and does +3..13..16 damage.

This is a blend of Dark Fury and Order of Pain. Possibly add a conditional so that it cannot stack with Orders. You could argue that Order of the Vampire is still better but I think this would be a great addition to the game.

Awe 5 ¾ 10

Skill. Inflicts Dazed condition (5..13..15 seconds). No effect unless target is knocked-down.

Lowered energy cost and removed range restriction. Knockdown is a difficult condition for paragons to meet as it is.

Burning Refrain 10 1 10

Echo. (20 seconds.) Inflicts Burning condition (1..3..3 second(s)) on target and all adjacent foes. Renewal: Whenever a chant or shout ends on that ally. Cannot target spirits.

Ties in with the paragon's burning theme. Paragons and Warriors are likely to have more health than anyone else on the field, making the previous version of this skill useless in most situations. Compare with Mark of Rodgort and Blazing Finale.

Burning Shield 5 10

Skill. (3..8..10 seconds.) Inflicts the burning condition (1..5..6 second(s)) whenever foes hit you with a melee attack. No effect unless you are wielding a shield.

Defensive Anthem 10 15

Elite Chant. (4..9..10 seconds.) Party members in earshot have 50% chance to block.

Unlike Aegis, this cannot be echoed or lengthened and HSR mods do not apply to it.

Hasty Refrain 10 1 10

Echo. (8...20...24 seconds.) Target ally moves 25% faster. Renewal: every time a chant or shout ends on this ally.

Increased duration so that this refrain has a decent chance of being refreshed before it ends. Increased energy cost to compensate.

Hexbreaker Aria 6 1

Chant. (10 seconds.) Allies in earshot lose one hex when activating their next 0..1..2 skills.

Will help to counter hexway, and allowing skills to trigger this means the paragon can benefit from it as well. Secondary paragons cannot abuse this since it has no effect when they use it.

Natural Temper 3

Skill. (8...18...20 seconds.) You gain 33% more adrenaline. No effect if you are enchanted.

Doubled duration to make this more attractive. The condition still makes this difficult to use.

Soldier's Fury 5 1 5

Elite Echo. For 10...30...35 seconds, if you are under the effects of a chant or a shout, you attack 33% faster and gain 33% more adrenaline.

Removed armor penalty. I don't feel that there is any justification for it especially in PvE. We have other permanent IAS skills with no drawbacks (e.g. Soldier's Stance, Onslaught, Rapid Fire) so I don't think this is unreasonable at all.

Motivation

"It's just a flesh wound." 5 2

Elite Shout. Remove all conditions from target ally. That ally becomes immune to conditions for 1..8..10 second[s] if a condition was removed. Cannot self-target.

This gives IJAFW a unique and interesting effect.

"The Power Is Yours!" 4

Elite Shout. (3 seconds.) Allies within earshot gain 0..2..3 Energy regeneration.

Balanced against Blood Is Power. At 15 motivation this would be +3 energy for each ally over the duration, or 24 total energy divided among all characters. Blood Is Power at 15 blood magic would give +24 energy to the target over the duration (12s with +20% enchanting weapon). Of course BiP can be spammed on all characters so it would still lead to more energy gain than TPIY.

Aria of Restoration 10 1 15

Chant. (10 seconds.) Party members in earshot gain 30..78..90 Health with their next spell.

Reduced recharge time.

Aria of Zeal 10 1 15

Chant. (10 seconds.) Allies in earshot gain 1..5..6 Energy with their next spell.

Reduced recharge and activation time.

Ballad of Restoration 10 1 15

Chant. (10 seconds.) Party members in earshot gain 15..63..75 Health the next time they take damage.

Reduced recharge time.

Energizing Finale 5 1 10

Echo. (10..30..35 seconds.) Target ally gains 1 Energy whenever a shout or chant ends on that ally. Cannot target spirits.

Increased recharge so that this can only be maintained on a few characters.

Inspirational Speech 10 1 15

Chant. (10 seconds.) Party members in earshot gain 30..78..90 Health with their next attack skill.

This is like Aria of Restoration for physical attackers.

Mending Refrain 10 1 8

Echo. (20 seconds.) Target ally has +2..3..4 health regeneration. Renewal: whenever a chant or shout ends on that ally. Cannot target spirits.

Duration and effect increased slightly to make this more attractive. ZOMG it can counteract poison or disease :-\

Compare with Recuperation.

Signet of Synergy 1 8

Signet. Heal target ally for 40...88...100. You are also healed for 40...88...100 if you are not enchanted. Cannot self-target.

Reduced recharge slightly. The conditional effect still makes this less desirable than Signet of Rejuvenation and Ghostmirror Light.

Song of Power 15 2 30

Chant. (5...17...20 seconds.) Allies in earshot gain +4 Energy regeneration. Ends when using a skill.

Reduced energy cost. The energy is regenerated before the chant ends (even on a paragon) so the high energy cost is a needless annoyance.

Song of Restoration 10 1 10

Elite Chant. (10 seconds.) Party members in earshot gain 45...97...110 Health with their next skill.

Reduced recharge to make this elite-worthy. This was balanced against Light of Deliverance, but unlike LoD there is no way to increase the potency of this skill or echo it or reduce the recharge time.

Zealous Anthem 5 1 5

Chant. (6 seconds.) Whenever a party member hits a foe with physical damage, that party member gains +1 adrenaline and +1 energy.

This would be useful in areas with energy denial, including environmental effects. Because it triggers on every attack it is useful even if you don't have enough energy to activate an attack skill.

Spear Mastery

Chest Thumper 5 5

Spear Attack. Inflicts Deep Wound condition (5..17..20 seconds) if target foe has Cracked Armor. Inflicts Cracked Armor condition (5..17..20 seconds) if target is not already suffering from it.

Aside from making the skill more useful in general, this change allows Chest Thumper to satisfy its own condition with multiple hits.

Cruel Spear 7

Elite Spear Attack. Deals +1..25..31 damage. Inflicts Deep Wound condition (5..17..20 seconds).

Removed conditional effect.

Disrupting Throw 5 ½ 10

Spear Attack. Interrupts actions and deals an additional +5..20 damage if target was casting a spell.

Removed conditional effect and added conditional damage. Compare with Savage Shot and/or Savage Slash.

Harrier's Toss 5 ½ 10

Spear Attack. Deals +5..17..20 damage. Deals an additional 5..25..30 damage if target is moving.

Reduced energy cost.

Maiming Spear 5 5

Spear Attack. Deals +5..17..20 damage and inflicts Crippled condition (5..17..20 seconds) if target foe is Bleeding.

Increased damage.

Merciless Spear 6

Spear Attack. Inflicts Deep Wound condition (5..17..20 seconds).

Removed conditional. Compare to Dismember.

Mighty Throw 3

Spear Attack. Deals +5..17..20 damage to target and 10..34..40 damage to all adjacent foes.

Adds some area effect damage capability. Cost and recharge (if any) should be balanced appropriately. I don't think this is really that impressive when compared with Whirlwind Attack or Death Blossom.

Slayer's Spear 5 2

Spear Attack. Deals +1..8..10 damage. Hits up to 3 foes adjacent to your target.

Compare to Volley. This gives paragon the ability to attack multiple targets like the ranger.

I chose Slayer's Spear for this functionality because the original is pretty useless and the skill icon fits this idea pretty well.

Spear of Redemption 3

Spear Attack. Deals +5..17..20 damage and removes a condition.

Removed conditional condition removal. (lol)

Stunning Strike 7

Elite Spear Attack. Deals +5..25..30 damage and interrupts target and all adjacent foes. Inflicts Dazed condition (4...9...10 seconds) if target has a condition.

Added AoE interrupt capability, reduced cost slightly.

Unblockable Throw 7

Spear Attack. Attack target foe twice. These attacks cannot be blocked.

Compare with Sun & Moon Slash.

No Attribute

Remedy Signet 1 4

Signet. You lose 1 condition and 1 hex.

Signet. You lose 2 conditions.

I have two ideas for this one, personally I feel that the first option is more interesting. Compare with Antidote Signet which removes up to 4 conditions at once.