Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Mcnancy Feb 20, 2009 22:49:44	The way I see it, the Warden and Druid are splitoffs from the older versions of the Druid. I don't really like the way they did it, they left both lacking in Identity. I think neither of the two are at their full potential for either theme or mechanics, and I think a lot of it can be fixed by just trading some stuff around and expanding on it. So I'm going to start building new versions of both classes and I wanted hear what you guys have to say about some of the Ideas I have. I want to make the Warden all about shapeshifting with predator and guardian builds, and Druid into the sculptor of the battlefield with plant/earth and storm/weather builds So for I've got these ideas and goals for changes to the Druid and Warden: Duid's stats will stay Wis with Con vs. Dex but the Warden's stat's are changing to Str vs. Dex with Wis Druid's giving the Warden primal aspect(uses str instead of con), wildshape and beast form powers(new ones). I just feel shapeshifting be better used in the hands of a defender, and it's only a burden to a controller. No more military weapons, shields or guardian's might for Warden. All the Warden's powers will be Beastform and Implement via Totems and target Ref, Fort and Will. Half the powers attack with Str(primal guardian) and the other half use Dex(primal predator), both builds use Wis for bonuses. I'm thinking reach and pulling/sliding/trip powers for Str and mobility, bleeding, slowing and multitarget powers for Dex. The Warden would still get it's daily Forms and some Utility Forms, so that they can add to their wildshape throughout the encounter. at the begining of a fight they could turn into say a bear or a bearlike hybrid, then they activate a form and become a winterclaw bear or a lashwillow bear or a blackvenom bear or a just a more feral bear, towards the end of the battle you will have become the primal spirit itself or maybe just a very scary dire bear (it's all in how you flavor it). I'm not sure about nature's wrath, I may keep it or change it, what do you think? I'm not sure if I should keep the name or rename it to something like Wildshaper The best race for either build is a Shifter, but Half-Orcs make for a more balanced Warden Next Post is the Druid.
#2 Mcnancy Feb 20, 2009 22:57:23	Druid is getting a new builds feature similar to guardian's might, not sure what to call it (any ideas?) They pick between: Earthstrength: uses Con for AC and give something else (any ideas?), here's a picture for the concept. WildStorm: something involving Dex and elemental damage, not sure yet (any ideas?) So I'm thinking powers wise, one build uses the terrain as it's weapon and other uses the weather, both use all kind of effects and conditions. Earthstrength creates different types of battlefield features; ice, walls, pits, briars, spikes and such. Wildstorm is all about AoEs and moving enemies around. I can see a Dwarven earthstrength Druid jamming their staff(or slamming an implement hammer) into the ground and sending a shockwave across the battlefield, turning the ground beneath their enemies to mud. I see an Elven wildstorm Druid beckoning in the air around them with their hands as they conjure the Firewinds of the east burning, pushing and tumbling those in it's way. I've never built my own classes before, so I'm not sure if I'm on right the right track, any feedback helps, thank you.
#3 vebrandsson Feb 20, 2009 23:09:19	With what you seem to be doing here I don't see why you don't just switch the names of the two classes, looks like you'll get about the same end result. If you think the classes lack identity why are you swaping things between them degrading what identity they do have further?
#4 Mcnancy Feb 21, 2009 0:47:46	With what you seem to be doing here I don't see why you don't just switch the names of the two classes, looks like you'll get about the same end result. If you think the classes lack identity why are you swaping things between them degrading what identity they do have further? Simply put, I want the Druid, being the controller, to have all the enviormental control and the Warden, being the defender, to have all shapeshifting. Instead of them both being a sort of half defender half controller, I want them to be more specialized(for lack of a better word), to strengthen both their identities and roles to an extent.
#5 Novacat Feb 21, 2009 1:59:23	Might not you ought to at least wait until they're, I dunno... published, before you go changing them?
#6 Mcnancy Feb 21, 2009 12:35:48	Might not you ought to at least wait until they're, I dunno... published, before you go changing them? Why?
#7 Mcnancy Feb 21, 2009 14:39:36	I'm thinking I want WildStorm to be adding your Dex mod to atttack roles while bloodied, does that seem off to anybody? Still not sure about what EarthStrength will do.
#8 vebrandsson Feb 21, 2009 16:35:56	Why? You may want to see what they really do beyond level 3 before you go rewriting them completely.
#9 Mcnancy Feb 21, 2009 17:23:17	You may want to see what they really do beyond level 3 before you go rewriting them completely. I'm sorry, I really don't understand how that would help, how would higher level powers solve my problem? Perhaps somebody could explain why I need there to be all 30 levels of a class before I start building my own? I can do the first 3 levels, just to get started, can't I?
#10 vebrandsson Feb 21, 2009 21:31:51	This is true, though you only see one level of dailies and utilities so you don't get the feel for what they can really do. Also alot of the things you feel may be missing or need tweaking could very well be there in the form of feats which you've not seen any of yet. There are a lot more holes in our knowledge of the druid, warden, and the rest of the ph2 classes than people care to realize.
#11 Mcnancy Feb 23, 2009 0:42:41	This is true, though you only see one level of dailies and utilities so you don't get the feel for what they can really do. Also alot of the things you feel may be missing or need tweaking could very well be there in the form of feats which you've not seen any of yet. There are a lot more holes in our knowledge of the druid, warden, and the rest of the ph2 classes than people care to realize. I'm not trying to add missing things or "tweak" anything, I want to rebuild both their concepts and approarch to tactics. I'm pulling some ideas from one into the other and vise versa, they're cool ideas in concept and approach, but both's role can offer almost half of the other's powers so much more. At this point I'm just trying to come up with the build features, I haven't even reached making powers for level 1 yet, so I'm not worried about past what they'll be able to do past three quite yet.