Report 1383

Report #1383
Skillset: Athletics Skill: Surge
 Org: Serenguard Status: Completed Sept 2015
Furies' Decision:
Approved for a variant on solution 1: Surge defense provides a mana malus in
exchange for having transmuting favour health (e.g. heals for 110% of mana
transmuted), numbers tweakable post-implementation.
Problem: Surge currently provides a 5/10 health buff in exchange for a -5/-10
health malus. Under the new overhaul system, however, most warriors will gain
little benefit from surge, and can achieve the caps of 10/10 or 13/13 health
without it. When weighing the cost of the malus, surge is often forgone. It has
therefore become a skill that no longer has much, if any, use in the athletics
repertoire. This report aims to replace its function.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Convert Surge to a defense that improves the ratio of
 mana to health conversion by transmute. Currently 85%
 of transmuted mana is converted to health. With surge
 up, it should be closer to 1:1.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Convert surge into a 3p timed defense that does the
 following: (1) Reduces time to writhe as well as
 balance loss from writhe (2) Reduces involuntary
 balance and equilibrium loss (eg. by knockdown,
 winding, whispers, shockstone) (3) Reduces the time
 for wafer to cure paralysis (4) Speeds up ice balance
 when applying to the arms and legs only. (5) Reduces
 stun time
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Convert surge into a 3p timed defense that has its
 own health gain tic throughout its duration. In
 exchange, there is a corresponding mana loss tic.
Player Comments:
---[Ushaara on 9/13 @ 14:29 writes]:
Agree fully with the problem statement. Support any of the solutions. As another
alternative, I was considering proposing that the defence give a recurring
health tick for a corresponding recurring mana cost. So still something for
greater survivability that requires care versus mana draining classes.
---[Rivius on 9/13 @ 15:00 writes]:
That seems like a good solution. It could be worked into solution 3 as its
drawback. What do you think?
---[Rivius on 9/13 @ 18:48 writes]:
I went ahead and changed solution 3 to reflect Ushaara's suggestion.
---[Kaimanahi on 9/15 @ 04:36 writes]:
Agree with the problem. I like Ushaara's idea, especially as it maintains value
in PvE like old surge. I support solution 3. Solution 1 seems kind of weak for a
near trans skill.
---[Celina on 9/16 @ 18:41 writes]:
Solution 1 or 3.
---[Shedrin on 9/16 @ 23:23 writes]:
Solution 3.
---[Lerad on 9/17 @ 15:20 writes]:
My apologies for having missed the chance to comment on this before the
finalization date. I'm a little concerned that solution 3 is basically
regeneration outside of the tiered regeneration system - just with a different
name. There are fewer such passive curing abilities in the game, and I
personally think it might undermine the system if we keep adding more. At the
same time, I like the idea of surge costing mana, to reflect the old surge's
mana-drop drawback for its hugely powerful effect. I think it would be a waste
to turn surge into a put it up, and refresh it when you can kind of defense that
is sorta boring and doesn't bring with it the oomph and impact to a fight it
used to. My suggestion would be to turn solution 3 into a burst healing kind of
ability, but at the same time tie it into the regeneration system so that we
don't create outliers over and over. This is actually an idea similar to
something I was keeping for my psymet regeneration ability, but I guess there's
no reason why we can't put it here as well as there (when I get down to making
that report): Make surge a 3p defense that lasts for only 20 (or 30) seconds.
During this time, regeneration ticks are halved in time (5s instead of 10s) and
cure a random affliction when they tick as well. As a drawback, while this
effect is active, mana regen is reduced to zero. This means four ticks in total,
therefore four afflictions, and 40% of max health AND ego healed, if the user is
at 10/10 regeneration for both, but spread out across 20s. Therefore you use it
sorta like a warrior version of green/gedulah, but instead of instaheal, it's
sustained heal over time. It also scales with proper regeneration buff
optimizations, which adds value to the regeneration system, and also prevents
the formation of outliers outside the system.
---[Ushaara on 9/19 @ 11:55 writes]:
Lerad's idea is interesting, and I would be fine with it either. Though would
reiterate that since the overhaul, caster classes who often have passive or
active heals outside the regen system can achieve 9+ health vital stats along
with high mana/ego vitals and regens. But it is more difficult for warriors to
stack mana vitals boosts. Warriors are thus less effective as 'tanks' than they
used to be with surge compared to those casters, and a passive heal would help
mitigate this difference and restore what was one of warrior's strengths
compared to caster classes.
---[Ryboi on 9/23 @ 22:09 writes]:
Solution 1 or 3.