Feedback talk:User/Derikvyreflame/Unarmed Skills

Great suggestion. Beyond even your own countering of potential criticism by defending it as adding "Flavor", I can see this having true utility. I think it would be fair and realistic to make the unarmed skills relatively "weak" as compared to the skills equipped when holding a weapon. But usually the criticism of "weak" translates into "doesn't do a lot of damage". Though that may be true, there's more to skills, builds, and playing the game than just how much damage a skill can do. Being unencumbered by a weapon, shield, bow, focus, staff, sceptre, etc. in that unarmed hand, it will move faster. Translation: the "cast" time and recharge time for unarmed skills will be much lower as compared to weapon/item-based skills. So on a per hit basis, the unarmed skill may not do much damage, but it can be spammed very quickly and would likely use far less energy. Or, as you described, it can bring additional skills to the table that would not otherwise be available to a player wielding a particular weapon class.

For example, let's assume a sword wielding warrior has no knockback, knockdown, or dazing skills available to him or her as they would if they were wielding a hammer. But by going unarmed with one of their hands, now they can perform a punch that knocks down or a backhand that interrupts or dazes. Granted, the duration of these may not equal what would be possible when wielding a hammer, but it still gives the sword-wielding warrior options outside of the typical sword-and-shield skill set.

I like the idea of a necromancer being able to poison (or better yet, inflict disease) with a mere touch of their hand. That certainly is befitting of a necromancer. This could even be taken one step further and tied into attributes such that the unarmed skill grows in power (either through duration, number of stacks of disease or poison, a reduction in energy cost or cast time, etc.) the more points are put into the linked attribute.

Not every situation will be appropriate for going (partially) unarmed, but I can certainly think of a few in which I would want a very fast cast, short recharge, low energy cost skill at my disposal at all times because it's integral to the profession I'm playing rather than the weapon or item I'm wielding. End result = this suggestion adds more variety and build options for players as well as making professions even more distinct from one another. Think of it as downed skills without being downed if that helps at all. Could even make these the default skills players start the game with prior to finding, earning, or buying their first weapon or item. Guild Wars 3 perhaps 00:17, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

Firstly, thank you for your comment! I don't know why I said flavor... It kinda sounds like im defending it before anyone is saying anything ^^" slightly childish lol.

Anywho, I'm glad you agree on some of the points. Low recharge, low cast, low energy skills with slightly dimmed efect was what I was thinking of. The possibilities are quite large. Imagine if you have your hand empty. A skill called grapple would be like a touch range skill where you take hold of the enemy, stopping them from moving (movement alone, to clarify lol), however lasts only a couple seconds and has a chance of failure, perhaps being boosted by certain traits. (Just brain storming ^^)

And at the necromancer touch skill, I was at first going to put disease (vile touch XD) but remembered: there's no disease condition in the game... yet. ooo, another suggestion! lol

But yes, overall this would help add more variety and more skills, and without just copy-pasting skill effects, as it seems A-net is trying to avoid.

P.S. - Norn brawling just became incredibly more likely ;D Derikvyreflame 06:25, 23 July 2011 (UTC)

When i think of unarmed combat i think of the martial arts like Kung Fu, Muay Thai, Sambo, Karate and such. It would be awesome to have unarmed skills and animations based such fightning styles, not to mention that there is a huge variety in types of martial arts (excluding Boxing since thats just punching and can hardly be concidered a martial art) with a large variety of styles and method of fightning. I see the soldier classes using styles that rely more on brute force and grappling while the caster classes could be using precision attacks like pressure points attacks, naturally the techniques (rather than skills) are enhanced with abilities that come with the profession. It is something i can imagine pretty well but don't see happening when GW2 comes out. However it is content that can be introduced with an expansion when new skills are introduced and it gives the devs some more time to work on it. If you would ask them to add it to the game now it will only increase their work and postpone the release of GW2 even further, and that is something no one wants (except WoW players and Blizzard). Anyways i'm glad to say this is a good suggestion of yours, much better than your Reaper's Sweep suggestion ;P. Da Mystic Reaper 13:17, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

Lol, why thank you xD. I realize that it would take a bit more work, but the only really troublesome part would be the creation of the skill animations. Icons and the skills themselves, however, could be implemented relatively easily. If they do need to postpone it till another campaign/expansion, I think the Canthan setting would be fitting, tying in with the real world Shaolin monks and other martial arts. Derikvyreflame 18:22, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

It would be most suitable for a canthan expansion indeed. Right now it's mimicing the time period of 1600 of japan when they eliminated all forgeign contacts, there was also an era when only samurai were allowed to wield a weapon and can make a good foundation for a background of unarmed combat. Let's say that

During his reign emperor Usoku enforced a law upon it's people that forbids the posession of weapons except for those who are priviliged to wield a weapon. To defend themselves from monsters, crime and corruption it's people in secret combined the art of unarmed combat with the powers of the heroic professions to create a new powerful unique martial art unseen before. Tought and preserved by the heroes of the people to the people they now seek disciples beyond the vast seas to pass on their knowledge.

Well something like that. For the skill names and their animations Anet just has to look to the current exsisting martial arts and their techniques. it requires more time than you think since it isn't just skill naming and animation but also to create balanced skills wich is alot more difficult to do, that by now has been proven already. Da Mystic Reaper 19:56, 19 September 2011 (UTC)

Ah yes, balancing would be a hard pressing factor to implement.

I like the lore you provided behind it as well. Having the Ministery of Purity and Dragonguard(?) being the only ones able to legally use weapons would be an interesting way to incorporate unarmed skills. Even having events where you rally the citizens of a gathering to fight against the Ministery, and NO ONE has any weapons. (Mosh-Pit... All I'm gonna say >u<) This could also be an interesting fork in the road for your personal story, where you can choose to a.) "join" the ministery to achieve the license to use weapons, b.) become one with the people and teach them to use unarmed combat, or c.) be a flat out rebel and bring weapons regardless, causing all the guards to become hostile...

I like the 3rd option best XD Derikvyreflame 20:09, 19 September 2011 (UTC)