Wizard Revamp (Extremely WIP) (Rough Draft)

[UrsulaMejor]

Here's some wizardy shit i've been tossing around in my head for the last week or so

THREE primary ideas:
(I) move half of the spells away from "powers on a timer" by introducing the concept of the cantrip meter
(II) limit the cantrip idea at the start by tying it to equipment
(III) give wizards a magic forge (arc smelter+ reclaimer), alchemists table (workbench) and cauldron (potion maker) to create new equipment.


I. CANTRIPS
----1) The Meter
--------a) the meter starts at a base 50 with regen rate 1/s
--------b) the wizard hat and robes each add 25 to max power
--------c) the wizard staff adds 1/s to regen rate
--------d) if you've ever played a game like Diablo with a mana meter this is basically the same exact

----2) The Cantrips
--------a) All "free" spells we currently have are cantrips
--------b) There are 5 groups of cantrips
--------c) at spawn, you pick 1 to specialize in and 2 to drop
--------d) you pick one of each group you didn't drop, 1 extra from specialty
--------e) leaves tons of room to adapt the wizard spell lineup with cool little shit that might not be worth spending a whole spell point under the old system
--------f) this allows much easier theming / diversity in wizards and provides a framework for balancing ideas

----3) The Groups (THIS LIST OF SPELLS IS NOWHERE NEAR COMPLETE)
--------a) Evocation (Damage/missile )
------------ i. Magic Missile (10 points)
----------------- you switch to "gun mode", where each left click shoots a missile that acts like the target was pushed over and deals 5 damage. fires like a pistol, each shot costs 10 points. (pgdown to exit mode quickly)
------------ ii. Spark (30 points)
----------------- you fire a bolt of charged lightning that works like a VERY weak power gloves. Stuns like power gloves on solar power only, deals ~20 damage?
------------iii. Prismatic Spray (25 points)
----------------- you fire seven bolts that automatically home in on different targets, turns them a random color, and blinds them partially like a pie to the face
--------b) Transportation (travel spells)
------------i. Mist Form (10/s points)
----------------- just like old spell, but a toggle
------------ii. Ride The Lightning (50 points)
----------------- teleport to a clicked point, draw a line of lightning to it that damages people in the way
------------iii. Spark Transmission (5/s points)
----------------- like a voltron
------------iv. Warp (10 points)
----------------- teleport randomly
--------c) Divination (tracking/locating spells)
------------i. Clairvoyance (40 points)
----------------- Works just like it does now, instantly locates a human's exact location
------------ii. Locate Person (5/second points)
----------------- Works sorta like an ID tracker. When you turn it on, you select a person and you get a pinpointer display that points you toward where that person is.
------------iii. Locate Object (3/second points)
----------------- Points toward the nearest heirloom object for you to steal and transmute.
--------d) Transmutation (aids with materials stuff below, turn stuff into other )
------------i. Forcewall(20 points)
----------------- works just like those force wall generating handhelds. spawns a random 1-5 size wall where you click (must be adjacent tile)
------------ii. Knock (30 points)
----------------- works like current knock
--------e) Illusion (obvious)
------------i. Doppelganger (20 points)
----------------- spawns a cloud of smoke and a fake
------------ii. Darkness (15 points)
----------------- Same as current blind, but longer and sans stun

----4) Main Spells
--------a) If a spell is too powerful to be a cantrip, it's a main spell
--------b) you get 3 main spells, for a total of 7
--------c) they work exactly like they currently do
--------d) e.g. fireball, shocking grasp, clown's

II. EQUIPMENT
----1) The Goods
--------a) As opposed to vampires and changelings and wraiths, which get more powerful based on killing, wizards will "level up" by creating/finding/stealing magical equipment to replace/accompany their starting equipment
--------b) create staves/wands/orbs to improve regen rate or give you access to a certain cantrip while held (+2 orb of warping)
------------i. The Staff of Cthulhu is a 5/s bonus regen staff to get you an easy start if you pick it
--------c) create robes/gloves/hats to boost maximum cantrip power capacity, reduce main spell cooldowns, and improve armor values/stun resist/explosion resist (+20 gloves of fire resistance)
------------d) create shoes/masks/belts for random other effects (+1 belt of holding)

----2) At Home Craftsmanship
--------a) create materials in the forge, assemble on the alchemical table
--------b) be one snazzy motherfucker!!!
--------c) new objective: craft a certain set of rate items to summon something bad?

III. FORGERY, ALCHEMY, POTION-Y
----1) The Forge
--------a) mining is an option, but obviously boring!
--------b) melt down an thing for "forge points"
--------c) spend forge points to magically spit out materials
--------d) certain things are worth a lot of points, like the captain's hat, people's heirloom items, or other things of PERSONAL value to someone

----2) The Table
--------a) take materials from forge craft items here
--------b) basically a special magical workbench
--------c) abilities based on purity of the material, partially randomized

----3) The Cauldron
--------a) crafting armor sound boring? try better living through chemistry! magical chemistry
--------b) you start with a book of potion recipes and a dispenser for the witch chems
--------c) mix in cauldron ONLY in order to make potions
--------d) if you fuck it up, you won't know until you drink the potion and find out its a potion of pain instead of healing

EXAMPLES: I think the changes I'm suggesting will seem very complicated until you see an example.

Example 1: Shock Johnson (My UrsulaMajor)
Let's say you start as a wizard. You pick your name (Shock Johnson).
Now you get to pick from the 5 groups; 1 specialty, 2 groups to drop. Shock Johnson wants to be lightning themed, so he picks Transportation as his specialty and drops Illusion and Transmutation.

For evocation, he gets one cantrip. He picks:
- Spark, because it shoots lightning
For Transportation, he gets two because its speciality. He picks:
- Ride the Lightning, because more lightning
- Spark Transmission, because traveling along wires is lightning-y
For Divination, he picks his last cantrip:
- Clairvoyance, so he can find his assassination targets

For his Main spells, he picks Shocking Grasp, Soulguard, and Staff of Cthulhu

Now he's a pretty robustly themed lightning wizard! His cantrips are all pretty costly, so he chose the Staff of Cthulhu so that he would get a much larger regen without having to work too hard for it (crafting? the fuck is that. I want to shoot sparks) He spends the round jumping out of wires and shocking people to death. Zap Zap

Example 2: Conor The Magical (By conor12)
Causes chaos, hit and run, fart and laugh.
Cantrips:
Prismatic Spray - Deals with crowds well (Evocation)
Phase Shift - Helps with escaping, good combo with forcewall (Transporation)
Magic Missile - Some direct damage if I need it (Evocation)
Forcewall - Helps with escaping, good combo with phase shift (Transmutation)
Spells:
Teleport - Got to have nine lives
Summon Golem - Dealing damage, cause chaos
Blind - Deals with problematic players

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
TO REPLY TO THIS THREAD:
1) If you're going to suggest a cantrip, please put it in this format:

Cantrip Group: [spell name] (Point Cost)
-Spell Description

2) If you're going to offer a criticism/concern about a mechanic, please be specific about what your concern is and suggest how to fix it or explain why you think it can't be fixed (e.g.: Conor12 had a concern about how Knock might be too cheap at 15 because it damages cyborgs, and might need a higher cost, so it was bumped to 30) (someone on IRC said cantrip selection might be too complicated compared to how it's currently. I've got a couple alternate ways tossing around to make it simpler but if you agree, suggestions would be great)

3) If you have a specific question in order to clarify something you're not sure you understand, feel free to ask and I'll answer ASAP

4) If you want to say you don't like the idea, I respect your opinion, and I encourage you to express it, but please don't sit around in the thread yelling it over and over again (If i've ever done this to you I'm sincerely sorry + I am shit)

[Amuys]

Make cooldowns fatigue based like wrestling

[Ali0en]

Mmm, nah. Wizard is great as it is. This is too complex for what it is.

[BaneOfGiygas]

Mmm, nah. Wizard is great as it is. This is too complex for what it is.

I beg to differ, honestly, because this encourages one thing that Wizard rounds don't have much of these days: Variety.

In prettu much every wizard round I've been in, it's been: Wizard teleports to part of the station, wizard magic missiles everyone in the room, wizard fireballs room, wizard phase shifts away, crew yells out wizard's location, maybe the wizard cluwnes a few people if they feel like it, rinse and repeat as necessary until wizard is dead. Every single round. There's little to no wiggling room for gimmicks or diversity in playstyle, just Ei Nathing and Mol Hotoving and then Phee Cabbuing away.

[Iatots]

Ok first things first, this sounds like a gamemode where the wizards get to be "player 1"s and everyone else is stuck playing some kind of shitty mob with a madcatz controller.
I am also sure that without admin intervention decent wizards would spend the first month or so simply killing everybody and then experimenting with the forge/cauldron for 2 hours straight uninterrupted.

Now that I voiced my main concern:
1) Add in a hangar on the wizshuttle with the wizzputt so that spellforgers/potionbrewers don't have to sacrifice a spell slot for getting to and from the station/candy shop all the time.
2)For the potion system, I am guessing/hoping we are avoiding chem 2.0. Can't really think of how this works though as very few objects on station could be ingreients IMO.
3), 4) etc coming tomorrow, it's late here and I am sleepy.

[UrsulaMejor]

Ok first things first, this sounds like a gamemode where the wizards get to be "player 1"s and everyone else is stuck playing some kind of shitty mob with a madcatz controller.
I am also sure that without admin intervention decent wizards would spend the first month or so simply killing everybody and then experimenting with the forge/cauldron for 2 hours straight uninterrupted.

Now that I voiced my main concern:
1) Add in a hangar on the wizshuttle with the wizzputt so that spellforgers/potionbrewers don't have to sacrifice a spell slot for getting to and from the station/candy shop all the time.
2)For the potion system, I am guessing/hoping we are avoiding chem 2.0. Can't really think of how this works though as very few objects on station could be ingreients IMO.
3), 4) etc coming tomorrow, it's late here and I am sleepy.

0) "Simply killing everyone" is probably going to be a little harder under this system. I intended it to be an interesting, diversifying nerf at first that transforms into a buff if the wizard survives long enough to make some cool shit. Otherwise, if you choose to play wizard the old way you can still do it, but it'd be a little tougher despite the cool new spells

1) viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4126#p45793
wizpod!

2) It's just recipes to make Marquesas' wizardy potions, if you've seen those. In my head they're more about precise measurements/steps (turn twice, add this, then do this) than collecting chems around the station, although there might end of being a little of that

[Amuys]

Give them the Banish to the Abyss spell from Crawl.

[Frank_Stein]

I think, at the very least, The manna bar and the ways equipment effects it are some pretty sound ideas and something to consider experimenting with.

[icarus]

i like a lot of the changes to the wiz itself, but they don't really need a furnace and all that other cool crafting stuff. wizards who spend the first 30 minutes making golems on the derelict are nerdy enough already

[Natsumehack]

Maybe add a medium cost Summoning spell, which in a puff of smoke.

1-5 random(or the same type) of Hostile to crew NPC's spawn.

There would be a big pool of what can summoned, and you get no pick.

You could be being chased, when you summon five hostile Shitty bill's who begin to go to town on the crew.

[thehman03]

People get wiz so very little these days can we not ruin their fun more than having a life span of around 15 seconds.

[atomic1fire]

I kinda like the idea of wizard being able to level up.

Mostly because it would make wizard the nerdy antagonist.

I AM A LEVEL 10 MAGE, YOU WILL BOW BEFORE ME.

[APARTHEID]

And yet, the crew can't storm the wizard's shuttle to get at a unique furnace, workbench, and chemical dispenser that only a rarely-spawned antagonist role has regular access.

Put some magical blueprints out in space or allow us to take the damn shuttle already! There's no reason those jerks should be coddled and made comfortable to tinker as long as they wish in silence.

[UrsulaMejor]

People get wiz so very little these days can we not ruin their fun more than having a life span of around 15 seconds.

this would drastically increase their lifespan by giving them a wider range of cool abilities that they can make more powerful by stealing Yug Natas's grandma's basketball and refining it into magical points for a tattered robe of fire resist +2

or something to that effect.

I'm not sure how your complaint applies to this at all. at best it'll raise longevity, at worst it will remain exactly the same.

[Cogwerks]

I like the cantrip classes and spellpower bar ideas a lot.