Forums » Crafting and Gathering

Secondary crafting...

    • 510 posts
    September 26, 2018 4:33 AM PDT

    I would like to propose a secondary system of crafting that requires a certain level of crafting to even gain the skill.  Imagine an adventurer who actually makes useful items for a group - not just one person.  Let me give an example:

    Imagine I am Nephretiti the lvl 40 Enchanter.  I am also a lvl 40 Jewelcrafter.  Through a major quest line I gain the ability to craft an item called "Smoke and Mirrors".  This is basically a worked gem-stone with concentrated Enchanter abilities that results in a larger throwable gem.  When used, the gem will create a duplicate of the entire group you are in that will draw agro to the location of the gem.  All mobs within agro radius of the gem move to that location.  Attacking a single target within this group of mobs will shift the agro of that one target to the player drawing agro.  All other mobs return to their path/spawn after a short amount of time.  The Enchanter/Jewlcrafter can then retrieve the now empty gem'stone for future crafting of another "smoke and Mirrors".

    Now imagine I am Frank the tank.  I am also a lvl 40 armorer.  My engineering questline results in me being able to craft small barricades of varying types.  My favorite is three small walls of thin shields that do no damage, but does affect the pathing of incoming mobs.  You can have other walls that do damage, but the downside is you only get two walls etc.  I create these portable barricades and bring them with me to my camp while grouping later.  We find a fine spot and Frank sets forth a creates a return path for the puller using the barricades and natural terrain.  Neph then throws her Smoke and Mirrors to pull mobs out to an area, Frank pops an arrow into the butt of an orc, and he agros Frank - tearing ass into the barricade system trying to get at the group.  All the while the group is able to make a couple of extra ranged attacks on the orc before it turns into the melee fight that will ultimately result in the orcs death.

    Fizzleschtix is a Summoner.  His Engineering degree results in him being able to create a large catapult or or some other engineering device.  Only Summoners could do this as moving that sucker around is a pain.  But the Summoner uses a kind of Dimensional pocket for his pets anyway - so he can create a SINGLE device and place it in his DP and when he joins the group, he sets up his catapult in the group area behind Franks barricades.  The next time Neph sets of the Smoke and Mirrors, Fizzy launches teh catapult and BULLSEYES! the entire mob chasing the gem-stone.  He gets a massive AoE hit that does about 15% damage to all mobs in the area.  The downside is that all the mobs now want his ass.  They have to thread Franks Barricades and take another 10 to 15% damage from the one or two extra ranged attacks.  Because Fizzy's catapult IS so bulky, his time delay is gonna be huge - maybe 5 minutes.  I want him to have this device - but I don't want it overpowered.  Let Fizzys device be one of several to choose from, but can only have one at a time.

    Doc is a cleric.  He is also a Tailor.  His engineering skill allows him to hand out emegency first aide kits with a long re-use timer on it.  Again, I am afraid this might be overly powerful so we would need to adjust all of the numbers behind all of these skills.

     

    I think you're starting to get the idea here.  Create a secondary crafting/adventuring skill that results in being able to have grouping devices/skills/abilities.  Wizard + alchemy = grenades, Ranger + Alchemy = tipped arrows, Rogue + alchemy = traps placed on the ground - right in between Franks barricades.  Of course you need to have other options as well.  Say the Wizard is a tailor.  Then no grenades.  Instead what he gets to make is Chinease Thumb Screws.  Set them on a mob and the mob is "mezzed" for a short time trying to get out of them.  What if the wizard is a Weaponsmith?  He gets to make classic D&D darts of varying design.  The important thing to point out here is that these items should be CRAFTED.  Let it be a requirement that it MUST be crafted and that it none of it is permanent.  One of the goals here is to create a system so that ALL tradeskill classes can create consumable items instead of just Alchemist/Fletchers/Cooks.  Hmm.  think of this:  an Enchanter/cook.  Bakes cookies that increase ONE aspect for a short time.  Neph chooses LUCK cookies so rare-drops increase by 2%...

    • 1785 posts
    September 26, 2018 7:38 AM PDT

    It's an interesting idea.  Where I'm struggling with it personally is trying to think of how you give every class/profession combo a unique secondary - because that matrix gets really big really fast.  Or maybe you do it based on role/profession instead?  That still gets pretty big though.

    • 510 posts
    September 26, 2018 9:50 PM PDT

    Aye - it can.  I guess I have an overactive imagination  :)

     

    • 1315 posts
    September 27, 2018 12:03 PM PDT

    In general I think this has a good base idea.  For game balance reasons I would shy away from specific Combat class + Crafting Class combinations yielding a unique combat power.  I can see four implementations of similar concepts that use most of the idea without effecting game balance.

    1: Player Vs Environment consumables made by crafting classes.  These consumables would be alternatives to the combat class player vs environment utility powers if you do not have the appropriate combat class in your group.

    2: Combat consumables that specific classes can use but do not need to be crafted by the user.

    3: Skills or ability morphs that are researched and created by different crafting classes for combat classes.

    4: General Player Vs Environment challenges that can be solved by crafting class skills, maybe a door that only opens by smithing a key in the moment.