User:Shai Halud/Asura and Sylvari: Golems and Jagganathen

This is the second in a series of articles meant to elaborate on my idea for combining mounts and companions (discussed in Mounts as Companions and More...). I will also be updating the Asura and Sylvari Customizable Race Specialization articles to make them compatible with this idea, for those who are interested.--Shai Halud 19:06, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Humanoid Mount Types

Asura and Sylvari are grouped together for a few reasons. Mainly, it is because they inhabit the two lowest rungs on the weight ladder, meaning that they will have similar needs, and their mounts will, therefore, have similar abilities. Also, both Asura and Sylvari are partial towards magic and require their mounts to protect them in battle.

To start off with, humanoid mount types do not allow the player character to attack with his weapon while mounted. Instead, the player controls the mount and its attacks. This means your attack power is not affected by your weapon but rather by the mount's stats. This is especially useful for sorcerers who find themselves caught in the thick of battle. Humanoid types increase the rider's weight rating, and are capable of throwing enemies. Also, a humanoid mount increases the armor rating of the player while mounted. Wile mounted, humanoid types also produce an aura that aides nearby allies.

While not mounted, humanoid types function more like human allies than other mounts do. They all remove specific buffs from their user while active. They also focus on defending and augmenting their users in combat. Those which do not actually heal or defend your character focus on trying to help you take down your targets more quickly. This is especially useful for Asura and Sylvari warriors who must depend on their magical abilities to deal major damage and sustain themselves in battle. Lastly, though it is of no particular importance, both of these mount types must be constructed rather than tamed.

Asura: Golems

If you read up on my idea for crystal matricies, then you already know a lot of this. For those of you with no idea what I'm talking about, evey Asura is given their own special personal crystal matrix at the beginning of the game. This matrix would appear in the window for race specialization management as a circular object with six slots arranged around the edge like markings on a clock and one large slot in the center. Each of these slots is for a crystal and each of theses crystals usually affords one buff and one race-specific skill. The crystal in the top slot provides your Asura with a personal energy shield and the one in the center is a golem control crystal

You would likely get your control crystal from a special mission around level 9 or 10. However, simply having a golem core does not afford you a golem. You must go to the Golem Foundry to have it configured and made.

Now, when you equip your golem core, it becomes linked to your bottom three slots (the ones in the 4:30, 6:00, and 7:30 positions) and your shield crystal. When your golem is out and helping you, you lose all benefits from the bottom three crystals. The golem, instead, receives these skills and passives to help it perform in battle. The shield crystal is shared and benefits you both. As to whether or not those benefits should be reduced or split, I’ll let the devs decide.

When the golem is made, its type and appearance will be determined by which crystals are equipped to your bottom three slots. There will likely be three basic types as listed below.

1) Hunter (Humanoid, Tall) – You’ll get one of these if you equip two or more touch or area attack carrying crystals to your bottom three slots or if you try to balance them out with three completely different types of crystals. Despite the fact that they carry swords and other warrior-like weapons, these are more like dervishes in that they use few weapon-based skills and rely instead on touch-spells and enchantments. These are programmed to lock on to any creature that attacks their master and annihilate it. If you are not being attacked, the hunter attacks your target instead.

2) Destroyer (Humanoid, Short) – These arise from equipping long-range attack-spells to your bottom three slots. They have large cannons for arms and fire beams or bolts of elemental power. They are very powerful and focus on helping you take out groups of enemies quickly. They try to maintain their distance from the enemy group and tend to attack your target, but not always.

3) Reinforcer (Insect-Like) – These come from equipping two or more wards or enchantments to your bottom three slots. They move around the battlefield attempting to provide support and protection to the entire party, but they’ll keep their attention focused on you most of the time. The reinforcers have no natural ability to attack, but instead cast a weak healing spell repeatedly to provide support.

Naturally, the golemancers at the foundry will counsel you on golem production and tell you what type of golem will arise from the three crystals you have equipped. They might even allow you to try out using a few training golems first, but once you have them produce a golem for you, your bottom three crystals are locked in place, even when the golem is not in use. In order to change out those three, you must have your golem melted down at the foundry. You can still change you the top three, though, as they have no impact on your golem’s appearance.

That said, for each type of golem, there would likely be about two different looks or models determined by the exact nature of the crystals in your bottom three slots for a total of six models in all. You would be able to control your golem much the same way you controlled your heroes in GW1. There might also be some special skills which you perform in tandem with your golem for special effects.

Though your golem’s energy and health are determined by its type and level (which would likely always be equal to your level) and the power of its skills would be determined by your “Genius” attribute (the Asura race-specific attribute). You may be able to upgrade it by finding more powerful golem cores hidden in remote locations throughout the world and bringing it back to the foundry to be recast. You might also find special parts for the three different types which you could pay to have fitted to your golem.

You might also have a special skill made available by the golem core which would cause your golem to go into overdrive, doubling or even tripling its power. As long as it remains in overdrive, the golem drains away at your energy and inflicts greater and greater exhaustion on your character. If you don’t deactivate the overdrive before you run out of energy, your golem will drain all your power before shutting itself down, leaving you defenseless.

That handled, we will now go over the golem's functionality as a mount. Golems may have handles on they're backs that will allow your Asura to simply hang on for the ride or you may actually be able to ride inside the golem. It might be a good idea to allow golems to carry a passenger as well in case one member of your party chooses not to bring a mount. In any case, your health and energy points as well as your defensive rating increase once you are piloting the golem. Once all the power of your shield crystal can be confused into your golem, its shield will create a small bubble around it which will augment the defenses of adjacent allies. You will also be able to move at increased speeds inside the golem, and its acceleration is very quick making it spectacular for close-quarters combat.

The skills which you have equipped to your golem will replace your racial skill bar, but now these skills will have increased effects. Burst spells can knock down adjacent enemies, Touch spells arc between enemies as chain lighting did. Enchantments and hexes last longer, and beam attacks can fire either a focused beam or initiate a 360 degree spin damaging all enemies in the area. These skills, however, exhaust your golem as running at increased speeds would. Unlike the case of the Norn, simply riding your golem and using weapon attacks or skills does not cause any exhaustion. Also, golems aren't quite on the same level as transformations when it comes to sheer power. Their weapon attacks are only moderately powerful and cannot knock anyone down, nor can they charge enemies and knock them down.

To be honest, it might be more beneficial for Asura warriors not to ride in their golems. If they command the golem to attach their target, it would mean attacking twice as quickly as the could on their own. Then again, it might also be a good idea for sorcerers not to use a golem as it would remove from them some Asura buffs which are especially beneficial to magical professions. Fighting from inside a golem is actually probably not the best way to defeat enemies, but it does dramatically increase your chances of surviving or, at least, escaping a close-quarters battle.

Sylvari: Jagganathen

The Sylvari mounts are animated plant constructs called Jagganathen. The singular form of the word is "Jagganath" which, if you couldn't guess, is the Sanskrit word of which "Juggernaut" is a mispronunciation due to a certain nation's accent. "Jagganathen" is the plural form that I've made up. I, of course, call them this because of their similarity to the Kurzick juggernauts featured in the Factions campaign and because of my use of Hindi words in my article, Sylvari: Seeds of the Dream. Since some people seem to think there is a connection between the wardens of Echovald Forest and the new race of the Sylvari I am beginning to think the name is especially appropriate.

Anyway, in Ventari's Garden, the inner sanctum of the Sylvari capital where the seeds of the dream are harvested, there are several trees which have grown up in the Great tree's shade. These trees, so close to the central cortex of the Sylvari collective consciousness, are influenced by the Dream of Dreams. Deep beneath the earth, their roots tangle together and join to give form to those dreams. But these constructs lay dormant and mindless in the soil until a Sylvari comes to claim them. All Sylvari can feel these creatures when they are nearby, but by only eating the pit of a fruit which grows from the trees in the garden can they bond their minds to one and dredge it from the depths.

To put it simply, once you reach about level 10, you'll be sent on a mission to prove yourself worth of a Jagganath. When you complete this quest, you will be given a fruit from the garden and by eating it, you will create for yourself a Jagganath mount. Like with the Asura, there are three types of Jagganath. The type you receive is determined by the type of Manipura Seed you have equipped yourself with as Sylvari communicate with their Jagganathen through their bellies (a little more on that later). The benefit of that Manipura seed will then be shared with all allies adjacent to the Jagganath while you are riding it. Jagganathen also borrow the benefits, but not the skills, of two of your other seeds while they are active. Each type of Jagganath has its own skill bar, which can be customized somewhat with other Sylvari skills, but each Jagganath can only use skills from seeds of the same archetype as itself. The Sylvari can choose which other two seeds they sacrifice on their Race Advantages window.

The three basic types, based on the Archetypes from my Seeds of the Dream article, are listed with a few details below:

1) The Anima – The Anima is the female helper who aids men in their perception of and dealings with the opposite sex. Here, she represents the healing powers of the Sylvari race. Anima Jagganathen are the most humanoid. They resemble a tall slender woman with purple, glowing eyes. They are adorned with flowers and made from green vines. They are powerful healers with strong vampiric attacks, and can even take the place of a human monk. They are very beneficial to Sylvari warriors and offensive sorcerers as well as healers and buffers who need a helping hand.

2) The Child – This archetype is a small child who has wisdom and abilities far beyond his years. He represents the innate knowledge and wisdom that come only from within. These Jagganathen are more diminutive than the rest. Their legs are always shorter than their arms and their torsos are short and plump. Their heads are slouched into their torsos and feature large, glowing blue eyes. They are adorned with glowing fungal growths and made from tangled golden brown roots. Their skills are powerful enchantments and summons. Their physical attack drains energy and is quite powerful. They are pretty useful all around as enchantments are always beneficial and its physical attack comes in handy..

3) The Shadow – The Shadow represents everything we hate and fear about ourselves. He is a dark figure who is the most combative of the Sylvari archetypes, but he also inspires their protective instincts. The Shadow Jagganathen resemble several demons from the Desolation and Realm of Torment in GW Nightfall (especially this one and this one). They are black all over with glowing red eyes. They are made from gnarled bark and thorny vines. The Shadow is the only type that has purely offensive attacks. His attacks are very powerful and cause bleeding.

When riding a Jagganath, Sylvari lay with their bellies flat against its back. This connects their minds directly and allows the Sylvari complete control of their Jagganathen. They can run at high speeds and do not exhaust readily. However, though their skills and attacks do not exhaust them, they do tax their Sylvari heavily. In the heat of battle, Sylvari lose their concentration and begin having difficulty distinguishing between themselves and their Jagganathen. This causes an effect similar to severe drunkenness in GW1. Eventually, (and this is after you've already lost all real ability to see) your Sylvari will simply fall off his mount and the Jagganath will attempt to protect you until you recover.

The real reason for this is that the Jagganath really can be a little too useful in battle. Stealing energy and health and inflicting automatic bleeding as well as a healing aura and the fact that most skills are still accessible while riding it? It is a little too much, but it was important for the Jagganathen to be of real value in battle as the Sylvari so often need a partner with abilities unlike their own. Jagganathen are all also capable of charging an enemy and knocking them down and its skills are upgraded while you're inside it. It takes some time in battle before you begin to lose consciousness and that amount of time increases with your Dream of Dreams attribute.