Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 undrave Apr 07, 2009 19:54:59	So I've been thinking about homebrewing an elemental class for quite a while now and started work on a handful of classes too. The problem is that why the result are passable I feel like I've been going at it in the wrong angle. Especially with that stupid Chaos Sorcerer stepping on my ideas' toes... darn Arcane catch-all power source and its ill-defined origin! But there is two ideas floating around for Elemental classes that seam reasonable for me: the Transmuter (probably a controller) and a heavy armored character who merges elementals and other elemental chaos entities with his equipment for effects. Probably as a heavy armored striker, something we don't get right off the bat so far (you need feats for a Striker to get Scale or Plates). I got a few ideas but I feel I can't start working on it until I beat one major hurdle... I need a name for it dangit!! And 'Binder' isn't really gonna cut it, too Warlock-y. I'd like it to follow the 4e pattern of one word classes too. So far I've come up with only lame ones like 'Fusionist', 'Melder', 'Chaosreaver' or 'Harvester'... You guys have any idea?
#2 pigknight Apr 07, 2009 21:05:45	Geomancer?
#3 Janx_14 Apr 07, 2009 21:44:11	Melder? Forger? "I see your axe is made of well forged iron, but mine is made from the blood of a primordial." I do like the idea of a decently armoured (probably scale, plate is too defendery) warrior who perhaps can warp his armour/weapon for attacks, though of course still uses normal enchanted items. My advise would be to try to avoid getting too defendery though, some people are real explosive over the Avenger. Transmuter sounds fine for a controller.
#4 undrave Apr 07, 2009 21:55:25	The two builds I had in mind were 'Maelstrom Melder' and 'Abyssal Ripper'. Each with their own style of nasty dailies. One would turn himself into a living zone with lots of Armor of Agathys style power and other auto-hits while the Abyssal Ripper would pull out demons from the Abyss and force them into the enemies to inflicts on-going damage and debilitating ailments by attacking. since my main flavor is the guy forcedly pulling elemental entity from their home plane I think a magical gauntlet would make a fine implement for that class.
#5 pigknight Apr 07, 2009 22:01:04	In that case I'll make my own geomancer!
#6 doneisi Apr 07, 2009 22:01:42	Shaper? Bender?
#7 undrave Apr 07, 2009 22:25:08	Geomancer is too linked terrain effect. That would be a Transmuter build if you ask me. Melder, Forger and Shaper are actually the best ones so far... Altough isn't the Shaper related to Psionics? and since I'm not adapting Avatar: The Last Airbender I don't feel right using 'Bender'... OOH! Just had a flash...how about 'Chaosmith'? Like a blacksmith who uses chaos as material?
#8 pigknight Apr 07, 2009 22:41:55	Sounds like a paragon path.
#9 undrave Apr 07, 2009 22:46:52	Yeah it does a little. Plus I don't even know how to call powers from the Elemental Source :p
#10 bartleby42 Apr 07, 2009 23:04:30	How abouts elemental binder? You can drop the elemental part, and force your PCs to forget about the 3.5 binder class, if you prefer.
#11 Janx_14 Apr 07, 2009 23:25:30	The two builds I had in mind were 'Maelstrom Melder' and 'Abyssal Ripper'. Each with their own style of nasty dailies. One would turn himself into a living zone with lots of Armor of Agathys style power and other auto-hits while the Abyssal Ripper would pull out demons from the Abyss and force them into the enemies to inflicts on-going damage and debilitating ailments by attacking. since my main flavor is the guy forcedly pulling elemental entity from their home plane I think a magical gauntlet would make a fine implement for that class. That sounds kind of more like a controller than a striker, though the first could be passed as striker with controller ties...summoning tends to be more the domain of the controller. You could possibly go the 'pet' route like the beastmaster ranger though. Every now and then i glance at the WoW warlock, and while i've never played the actual class, i like the look of their demonic minion. Perhaps Abyssal Reaper works with him and his demon, while the melder is his own weapon. You could also make the Abyssal Reaper not demon based from the start, and have Abyssal Reaper as a paragon path for the 'pet' spec (which would be an elemental normally). And Chaosmith as a paragon path for the melder. However, striker's always have one big issues. How do you come up with a nice damage mechanic?
#12 undrave Apr 07, 2009 23:33:17	My class doesn't 'summon' exactly, they change the attributes and shape of their equipment by fusing it with raw elemental chaos power, usually in the form of entities. Like turning his armor into a whirlwind of stone that pelts nearby enemy and increase his REF defense or his gauntlet into a jagged edged blade that causes sonic booms and inflicts acide damage whenever it hit. That sort of thing. Doubling on damage type would also be common. I'd rather come up with something with less baggage than 'Binder' if I can... As for damage bonus? I got this idea of giving them the choice of 2 out of 4 (or 5) basic 'elemental' they're more adept at pulling out of the Elemental Chaos in the form of encounter powers. A bit like Channel Divinities but they would be the source of their bonus damage and would indicate the damage type of that bonus damage. 2 basic one lets you pick two different type of damage. they would also have some initial effect I haven't quite come up with yet.
#13 Janx_14 Apr 07, 2009 23:50:14	Yeah it does a little. Plus I don't even know how to call powers from the Elemental Source :p Manifestation's perhaps? Well, i'm definitely on board for the armour thing, it oddly reminds me of a more elemental version of those freaky weapon guys from Quest for Camelot (which i haven't watched in ages, but found the villains interesting) I was just kinda tossing the pet idea out there. As its one of the other types that isnt used alot. -Edited out previous opinion of damage feature- I actually kinda like the striker damage idea.
#14 jboygold Apr 07, 2009 23:55:59	Fusionist?
#15 undrave Apr 08, 2009 0:20:01	Manifestation's perhaps? Well, i'm definitely on board for the armour thing, it oddly reminds me of a more elemental version of those freaky weapon guys from Quest for Camelot (which i haven't watched in ages, but found the villains interesting) I was just kinda tossing the pet idea out there. As its one of the other types that isnt used alot. -Edited out previous opinion of damage feature- I actually kinda like the striker damage idea. Manifestation could work... I'll think about it. I was actually thinking that the dailies (and some utilities too) would use a new 'Meld' keyword (or something) and each keyword would be followed by the body slot it melds with like 'Meld(Armor)' or 'Meld(Arm)' and so the meld would last all encounter long or until you meld something to that same slot. At Epic you could be tricked out with an elemental in each part of your body and your weapon(s)!
#16 wrecan Apr 09, 2009 16:23:26	a heavy armored character who merges elementals and other elemental chaos entities with his equipment for effects. Elemental Smith or Primordial Smith (or if you're really wedded to the one-word name) Elementsmith or Primordialist
#17 undrave Apr 09, 2009 17:02:51	Its not that I'm wedded to the idea but I seem to recall hearing that it was a goal of the developpers to keep the class names to one word and use combination for Paragon Paths and stuff. I'm just following the style. A source of extra damage I had in mind was that when the (and here let's use the placeholder name 'Melder' to make my explanaition easier) Melder hits someone with a damage type that target becomes vulnerable to further attack of that type. That vulnerability would last until the end of the Melder's next turn, so you can rack up the damage by continuously hammering at the same target with the same energy type. It would also be very controller in style because your allies could also benefit from it.
#18 half_dragon_infernal Apr 09, 2009 22:40:19	I like the idea of vulnerablity. Maybe vulnerability equal to Con Mod, and have it be a Con-based class.
#19 undrave Apr 09, 2009 22:58:31	I was gonna have the attacks use CON, and depending on which of those 5 or so basic elemental you get either CHA or WIS for your riders... maybe you could choose between CHA mod and WIS mod for the vulnerability?
#20 rwmagpie Apr 10, 2009 6:16:52	How about 'Imbuer'?
#21 Janx_14 Apr 10, 2009 18:08:05	hmmm, Imbuer does seem to have a ring to it.
#22 undrave Apr 10, 2009 18:26:12	Imbuer gets the point across, it isn't bad at all, but it feels clunky to pronounce outloud :p at least to me ^^;
#23 Mechalibur Apr 10, 2009 18:31:17	Geomancer is too linked terrain effect. That would be a Transmuter build if you ask me. Geomancer literally would mean Earth-Caster. Doesn't really have much to do with terrain (unless you've been playing Final Fantasy Tactics too much) I think there was a geomancer in Complete Divine that had animal parts or something...
#24 erk_ Apr 11, 2009 10:51:57	Feel free to prefix any of these with Elemental. Channeler Weaver Sorcelator Sigilist Infuser ...
#25 undrave Apr 11, 2009 16:23:12	Infuser is pretty nice!
#26 RPJesus Apr 11, 2009 21:27:50	+1 to primordialist
#27 undrave Apr 15, 2009 3:16:16	Hmm... I don't want to tie a class to primordials too much though for fluff reasons.
#28 pigknight Apr 15, 2009 12:56:40	Smith.
#29 erk_ Apr 16, 2009 15:13:35	You could also go with an ol' classic name, like Evoker...
#30 larz_fang Apr 18, 2009 5:26:51	You could also go with an ol' classic name, like Evoker... To me, Evoker is too much like Invoker because essentially those two things (invocation and evocation) mean the exact same thing. My vote goes to Infuser.
#31 undrave Apr 19, 2009 23:05:25	I think I'll go with Infuser. It rolls off the tongue. Just need a good catchy name for Elemental Powers, something that would work for both this guy and a Transmuter controller...
#32 Johnathan_Vagabond Apr 20, 2009 9:27:34	Adnexus - to combine, to bond Arma - defensive weapons Chaos - chaos (I was surprised) Commutabilits - changeability Ostium - Door (portal, entrance, mouth) Elementum - elemental Infensus - aggressive weapons Infurnus - the region below From these roots I have bastardized the following names that, despite a complete disregard for grammar, sound cool. Armanexi Infenexus Infenselum Armutabilis Chaonexi Infurnex Infurnarium Chaostium In english, well, I suppose these are just normal bastardizations Warbinder Warsmith Warforger