User:Tambora/Naturist

The naturist is a druid type class, using weather, plant, animal, and other types of nature based skills. The character uses different forms and summons to help it fight. Naturists in gameplay terms could have a variety of roles, melee, ranged, spell damage, area effect, utility, and some healing (Though healing is less of a focus than a restoration ritualist or healing monk.)

Naturist Backstory

While many of all callings gain some mastery of some facet of the natural world, none has the skill and power over it that a naturist does. Naturists call upon the strength, toughness, and speed of wild animals, the subtle powers of plants, the energy and fury of weather, and the raw spirits of the natural world to assist their allies and defeat their enemies. Many naturists spend time in the wild, equipped with nothing but a set of wooden charms, where the naturists absorb the powers around them, test their survival abilities, and learn new techniques. Naturist's powers allow them to take the forms of some element of nature, to better use its powers, and they also learn to summon avatars of all facets of the natural world to assist them in combat.

Naturist Attributes

• Nature Mastery (primary attribute): Increases the maximum amount of elemental minions by 1 per 5 levels, increases the duration of most forms. (note: I'm not exactly sure of a good way for naturist forms to be effected by this attribute.) Most Nature Mastery skills involve utility or support effects of some sort, such as enchantment removal and energy regeneration.

• Animal Mastery: Improves wild animal based skills. These skills mainly involve physical combat, enhancing melee damage, speed, and toughness.

• Plant mastery: Enhances plant based skills. Most of these skills involve causing conditions, healing, or interfering with enemies in other ways.

• Weather mastery: Enhances weather based skills. Weather based skills related mainly to direct spell damage, with most of the Naturist's Area Effect abilities.

Naturist Mechanics

Elemental Summons: Naturists can summon 2 + 1 per 5 levels in nature mastery of these summoned creatures. Elemental summons must be summoned whenever the Naturist enters a zone, but afterward last until they die or until the naturist enters a new zone. Elemental summons are damaged further by smiting skills, and do not loose health like minions. They are effected by spawning power, and are considered "summoned creatures" for related skills. Some elemental summons require energy to maintain, these will not be destroyed if energy goes to 0 with negative regeneration, they simply will keep energy at 0.

Forms: These forms work similarly to Dervish forms, though they are not disabled for longer after casting, and might have different artwork to allow naturists to keep some artwork and appearance in the form.

Naturist Equipment

Totem: 9-20 damage, 2-hand weapon, 1.5 second speed

• Nature mastery totem: Staff or Wand range, Chaos damage
• Animal mastery totem: Melee range, Physical damage
• Plant mastery totem: Staff or Wand range, Earth damage
• Weather mastery totem: Staff or Wand range, Lightning damage

Armor

• 70 armor vs. physical, no special bonuses.
• +1 energy regeneration (3 total), +5 energy (total 25)

Insignias

• Predator's insignia: +10 armor vs. physical, +10 armor while attacking
• Storm's insignia: +15 armor vs. elemental damage
• Summoner's insignia: +5 armor per elemental summon

Armor Art

• Barkskin Armor: Uses wood and leather, looks like the outside of a tree trunk, inflexible movement, thick looking.
• Grass Weave armor: Uses plant roots with some cloth. Thinner looking, flows more easily, more like spellcaster armor.
• Bearskin: Uses leather and fur. Acts like fur covered rangerish armor.
• Floating: Uses cloth and magic dust. Sort of like other types of spellcaster armor, but with sections that seem to float rather than drop.

Naturist Skills

Professions specific quests in certain parts of the game. I am assuming that the naturist and apothecary are found in prophecies, to give them the same number of home professions as factions and nightfall.

Naturist Quests

Pre-searing

Naturist Test

• Start: Naturist Aveena
• End: Naturist Aveena

Kill the river skale queen.

Start dialogue:

Hello there, young naturist. I am sure you are ready to go out into the widl and learn the ways of the beasts and storms, but first I think a test of your skill would be worthwhile. Kill a river skale queen to show your readiness to venture into the wilds.

End dialogue:

Good, you defeated the queen. Those creatures are child's play for most naturists, but the wilds are dangerous, and we must make sure that our new recruits stand a chance of survival. Good luck with you future adventures, I believe Haversdan will show you where ot go for further training.'

A New Naturist Trainer

• Start: Haversdan
• End: Oshek Windstorm (Wizard's folly)

Travel to Wizard's folly and speak to Oshek Windstorm.

Start dialogue:

To learn more advanced naturist skills, speak to Oshek Windstorm. He is usually found in Wizard's folly, on the snow-covered mountain pathways.

End dialogue:

Ah, another young naturist hoping to learn the ways of the wild. I can teach you a few skills, but you must ultimately test yourself against the dangers of the world.

Reaping the Whirlwind

• Start: Oshek Windstorm (Wizard's folly)
• End: Oshek Windstorm

Destroy the Wolf Pack moving towards Oshek's position.

Start Dialogue:

Some naturists prefer the power of plants, others the abilities of a raging beast. I have learned to use wind, storms, and snow to my advantage. The land around these mountains is home to many wolfpacks, most of which will ignore humans, but some of which are aggressive and wild. While even hardened warriors flee from such an attack, a naturist should know no fear. Use the powers I give you to find and defeat a wild wolf pack.

Ending dialogue:

That was a well fought battle. Truth be told, most naturists run away the first time, you survived excellently. I see a bright future for you, young naturist.

Quest Description:

• Orteg would give you a set of area effect skills, at least one of which would have a slowing ability. You would be attacked by a large group of level 1 wolves with 1-2 level 3's mixed in, but the wolves would approach slowly to give time for the slowing spell to take effect.

Postular Growths

Start: Heather Grayson (Lakeside County, near the farm south of ashford) End: Heather Grayson

Cripple and approaching drunks and allow Pitney to catch them.

Start dialogue:

Why is a naturist like me spending my time near a civilized farm and village? I have focused my energy on the plants of the world, understanding how they grow, and what they can do. It is quite fascinating to watch these farm plants grow, and compare to the forests and wild grasslands in the outlying counties.

Unfortunately, Pitney has a serious problem that only an outside source can help with. No, not the wurm pests, anyone can deal with those. Recently, a collection of drunkards from the neighboring counties has been traveling to the fields, destroying the crops Pitney puts so much work into, than coming back even after being caught

While ascalon certainly has far larger problems than drunkards, I still think it's time to show those vandals what the plants of the world can truly do. When they next arrive at the fields, we will change into plant forms, and scare the living daylights out of the vandals.

Drunkard dialogue:

Heh, Farmer plants grew more plants

Give up farmer, go he-haw

(The drunkards approach the field)

wow, new sunflowers/trees (depending on the skill given in the quest)

Did they move?

Nah, your just drunk.

(When you start attacking)

Ahh, it's attacking!

Can't, move

(Pitney arrives)

You! Get out of my crops, you drunk scamps (Thesaurus.com is nice)

Ah, Heather, I though it was you. Thank you and this young naturist for that. Hopefully you'll scare them off for a few days. I really wish someone would through those drunks in jail, or at least have them pay for my crop damage, but law enforcement seems focused on larger issues.

End dialogue:

Well, we gave them quite a fright, didn't we. Hopefully they won't be back for awhile. I just hope this doesn't come back to hurt Pitney in any way.

Quest description:

• Heather Grayson would give you som plant skills, most likely a crippling skill, and poisoning skill of some sort, and a plant form of some sort. For the quest, you would than shift into the form and use cripples and poisons (or other attacks) to keep the drunks in the field and damage them until Pitney arrives. If the drunks got too low on health, they would turn green, and might try to run away. The quest would require you to be in a plan form to work.

Ways of the Predator

• Start: Beorn (regent valley)
• End: Beorn (regent valley)

Capture a deer and eat it.

Start dialogue:

So you wish to learn to fight as an untamed wild creature does? to learn to fight as an untamed animal, you must first gain some experience of life as a wild animal. While you cannot hope to gain the full life experience of such a creature, I can give you a taste of such a life.

All predators must learn to fight up close and personal with their prey. Unlike us humans, who either grow docile animals for slaughter, or kill from a distance with bows and traps, predators must engage of close fighting to gain any sort of meal. To gain this experience in combat, travel to the east of here, slay and deer, and eat it. Do not expect the deer to give up easily, it is fighting with its survival at stake.

End dialogue:

Was that kill tough? While the deer had much to fight for, the enemies you will face amongst the charr and other intelligent beings will be even more frightening. The charr in do not merely fight for survival, they fight for their warband, their friends, or for other causes. Remember the ferocity of the deer, and prepare for the tougher foes ahead.

Quest Description:

• For this quest, you would be given some beast skills, and sent to fight a deer. The deer would be a difficult close combat fight, and would attempt to run away with low health unless slowed.

Post Searing

The Raincaller

• Start: Naturist Aveena (Old Ascalon, near the bridge that across the river leading to regent valley)
• End: Naturist Aveena

Protect the naturists, and assist them in their attempt to summon rain to ascalon.

Start Dialogue:

Some of the scribes in ascalon have been discussing an ancient legend, telling of a horn with the power to summon storms and rain, that a long ago king used to great effect against the charr. While many scribes and naturists doubt the existence of this artifact, it has given us naturists an idea. If rain is truly as dangerous to the charr as this legend claims, than those of us in ascalon have much to gain from learning to summon rainstorms. A group of naturists should be arriving soon to perform a summoning ritual.

Unfortunately, we have reason to believe that a group of charr has discovered these plans, and are sending raiders to disrupt the ritual. While the charr's fear suggests that this plan has some merit, we will still need someone to assist in defending the storm summoners.

End dialogue:

Those charr were weakened, I see, so at least this strategy has some use in battle. We will need to keep improving the summoning ritual, so that fewer naturists are needed, and the summoned rain will cover a wider area. Perhaps we will one day summon enough rain to make ascalon green again.

Quest Description:

• For this quest, a group of 8 or so storm summoners would arrive a few seconds after accepting, form a circle, and start casting summoning spells. Some moisture and rain would start falling in an area about 2 times as wide as the summoning circle. While the summoning would take place, several groups of 6 or so charr would attack. The charr would loose hit points while fighting within the rainy area, and would attack every few seconds. The last group of charr would contain a boss, but would only have 4 fighters. When the summoning finished, the rain would remain for a few minutes afterward, but eventually the terrain would go back to normal.

Feral Creature

• Start: Priestess Rashenna (serenity temple)
• End: Priestess Rashenna

Find Beorn, and engage him in combat ot convince him to return to human form.

Start dialogue

Hello [Character name], I see you are surviving as well as anyone in these tough times. I wish I could say as much for others, those who have lost family, friends, or livelihoods.

There is one such victim to the south, a naturist called Beorn. Ever since the searing, he has been wandering the land south of here, in his bear form, searching for any wild animals to fight, aside from the devourers that have infested the land. We have sent several priests to clear his mind and bring his senses back, but it seems beorn is gone completely, and they have not made any progress.

It may be that beorn needs ot see a fellow naturist to truly be brought to his senses. If you wish, find beorn if you can, and fight him, than try to bring him back to sanity.

On meeting Beorn

*Beorn Growls*

On defeating Beorn

You're a human?

I should have known, this land cannot support much of anything after that searing.

I suppose I must accept it, the animals here are gone, and won't come back anythime soon.

Beorn Dialogue:

You must understand, I have given my life to living amongst the wild animals of the world, learning from them, testing my strength against them, understanding them. I should have accepted lit long ago, though, that the wild lands that I devoted mylife to have been annihilated, and won't come back for a long time. Tell priestess Rashenna that I have recovered my sanity and will be joining the army to use my fighting skill against the charr as best I can. At the very least I can punish them for the destruction they have caused this land.

End dialogue:

It is good that Beorn has recovered his sanity and will join the ascalon army. He is quite a skilled fighter, though may have trouble adapting to regimented and controlled army life.

Quest description:

• Beorn would be found, in bear form, towards the south of the Pockmark flats crater. The character with the quest would fight him until he turned green, when he would say the dialogue above. The character would than talk to Beorn, than talk to Rashenna to complete the quest.

Regrowing Ascalon

• Start: Priestess Rashenna (Serenity Temple)
• End: Heather Grayson (Regent Valley)

Protect Grayson while she plants her seeds in the required locations of regent valley. Report the results.

Start dialogue

While Beorn seems to believe ascalon lost, others have been searching for ways to make life bearable in the wasteland we live in today. One of these naturists, Heather Grayson, tells me she has developed seeds for plants that can survive in the dry lands we live in today. She does say that she needs protection to plant these seeds, and requests any assistance she can get. If you wish to help her, she is just outside Fort Ranik in Regent vallley.

Middle dialogue (Heather Grayson)

You've come to help plant these seeds? Wonderful. I have been carefully breeding these seeds ever since the searing, but the charr, bandits, grawl, and other dangers have prevented me from planting them.

• Dialogue at seed sites:

Site one

No, no, that won't do at all.

Site two:

Good, it seems to take the ground well, I'll be checking back in this one.

Site Three

I can't tell with thisone, I will need to watch it carefully

Site four

Excellent, just what I had hoped

Site five:

Pests! Get away, vile creatures

End dialogue:

Thank you for protecting me for that journey. It seems two of my seeds will work well, one may require more work, one is a failure, and one will simply draw pests. You may be wondering how I could tell just from putting the seeds in the ground, but when one spends as much time studying plants as I do, you can learn to sense how the seeds and their surroundings are interacting. I only hope that these plants are successes,with them, we could begin to regrow ascalon.

Quest description:

• Heather grayson would be just outside Fort Ranik. After talking to you, she would join the party as an ally, and would travel with the characters to the five seed planting sites. At each site, she would kneel, that say some dialogue about how the seeds were working or not working. At the last seed, some insect like creatures would spawn, and attack the party.

The Summit windbeacon

• Start: Oshek Windstorm (Yak's bend)
• End: Oshek Windstorm

Kill the stone summit windmasters, and cast a clear sky spell of your own on the location.

• Start dialogue:

Such power! Such fury! Thhese mountain gales and snowstorms are truly an example of nature's power, and I would love to travel these mountains and learn from them someday. Unfortunately, even without the stone summit, these mountain storms are deadly to the refugees, so the studying will wait until we can complete the crossing.

Unfortunately, if the natural weather of these mountains wasn't enough, it appears that the stone summit are deliberately trying to summon dangerous storms, winds, and snow onto the routes the travelers are taking. The summit's casting location does seem a better one than most for influencing the weather, so when you are finished clearing the summit's casters, you yourself should attempt a spell for quieting the weather for the duration of the crossing.

End dialogue:

Yes, I can see thestorms clearing somewhat. There is little you can do against a hostile land like this, but every bit helps. At least we have one less stone summit concern to worry about.

Quest description:

• The stone summit windmasters are on a ledge on the path to Iron horse mine. The character would have to kill the 4-5 windmasters, than either cast a temporary quest spell, or use an item in some way, to cast the "storm clearing" spell.

Crystal Desert

Dunes of Despair, Thirsty River, Elona Reach:

• Thirsty river has a nice setup with 6 professions, that would be difficult to add 2 professions to in an elegant way, so instead of adding extra forgotten bosses for the naturist and apothecary professions, I would probably have these professions done by sand giants, minotaurs, and such. In Elona Reach, the two bosses would be in the first section of the mission with the minotaurs. In thirsty river, the bosses would also be in the beginning section with the sand giants. In Dunes of Despair, the two bosses would similarly be in the earlier part of the mission.

Dragon's Lair

• The Naturist aspect environmental effect would be to have some of the crystal structures spawn enemies (crystal guardians most likely, but also possibly crystal spiders, or crystal creatures using naturist skills). The enemies would bespawned every 30 seconds of so, using a special animation, and structures could spawn enemies multiple times.

The Naturist's path

• Start: Abshaf (augury rock)
• End: Abshaf

Kill the three Venomsnakes (apothecary profession enemies) in skyward reach.

Start Dialogue:

Do you wish to understand the waysof the naturist? Many believe the desert a poor, empty wasteland, worthless for learning of thenatural world's power. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The harsh life of the desert has forced life to adapt in ways other creaturescould only dream of. One such creature is the venomsnake, a creature producing poisons that can kill most animals within a few short minutes. Test yourself against these potent predators, and see if you have the understanding to become a naturist

End Dialogue:

So, you successfully killed the venomsnakes. Many warriors from my homeland, who could easily defeat the larges and physically strongest of predators, have been felled by the bite of a venomsnake, mistakenly believing it to be a lowly, weak creature. You may have the making of a naturist after all, and if you wish, I can teach you to become one.

Quest Description:

• You would travel into skyward reach and fight a group of venomsnakes, including a boss. The venomsnakes would look sort of like cobras and/or rattlesnakes, and would use apothecary blowgun skills, though would fight at melee range. Venomsnakes would also have been added as normal desert creatures if the apothecary and naturist professions were actually introduced.