evolving the changeling - classes and upgrades

[misto]

changeling has potential! changeling wants to grow! changeling wants to CHANGE!

sucking fluids/eating ppl will gets u both dna points (fuel/ammo of abilities) and evo points (unlocks buffs and new abilities). evo points are permanent and assigned in a rpg skill upgrade tree sort of way. dna points remain as spendable fuel/ammo.

just as the traitor has an incredibly diverse list of goodies to buy, just as the wizard has a spell/gear list to customize, why not alternate paths of changeling?

stealth changeling path: a path focused on refining and tweaking the current core nature of the changeling, the strange stealthy killer who whittles down the crew in silence. if we cant think of new powers for it, we could settle for upgrades that reduce the cooldown timer on some current abilities, reduce points cost for what abilities it has that cost dna points, etc

possible upgrade ideas for stealth changeling specialization:
-gain ability to scrunch up and use mail chutes like traitor mailman suit lets ppl
-lower cooldowns on stings
-improved chem types in stings (hallucinogenic sting especially could stand to be buffed)
-cheaper dna point cost for dna stings

mommy changeling path: evolves into a minion spawning class. there are various biological alien/mutant antag threads that may be examined for ideas to steal

https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=6999
https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=8181

the changeling is already beginning to grow a little in this direction with the current existence of handspiders.

if the changeling reverts out of this minion master form for a new form, the minions it has spawned will probably have to either die off or suffer weakening, to prevent someone from raising a bunch of minions and then respeccing into a new form to have their cake and eat it too

beast changeling path: a path focused on using your points to further tweak and buff your horror forms health, speed, damage, etc. for rampaging purposes. sick of being too scared to use horror form and always saving it for the shuttle? try this path. may eventually wind up being a powerful brute similar to the werewolf, but hopefully better, and made up of writhing human limbs

possible upgrade ideas for beast changeling specialization:
-buffs to your health, stamina, and stun resistance that apply to both human and horror forms.
-improved arm transformations.
-upgrades that reduces how fast horror form eats dna points for fuel to let you stay in it longer.
-upgrades to damage, shorter cooldowns, points cost reductions of horror form abilities.(please note that i still kind of hate changeling screech for its incredibly good and long lasting aoe disarm and would like to see it nerfed a little as horror form receives new goodies, but thats personal nitpicking)
-upgrades to horror form health, damage resists, speed, etc. this form will still probably have to retain basic ling abilities if perhaps on longer cooldowns for when it finally does burn out its rampage dna point fuel supply. checks and balances


picking a path locks you out of the goodies the other paths offer because you are focusing your energies. however, the changelings nature is to change, so it should be possible to find a place to hide out, revert in a way similar to the healing coma, and respec your class/points. this will help encourage diversity of changeling and experimentation in approaches

or would you prefer that there is no fixed class/path shit at all and you can picky upgrades willy nilly to mix and match this shit?

blease give feedbackand more idea

[Gannets]

Getting to pick some abilities, blob style, with yr dna points would be a neat thing for changelings.

[Sundance]

Boy ... with all this talk about upgrades and classes.. this sure sounds like a mode I suggested some time back
:I

[Frank_Stein]

Some stealth ideas:

• Improved lesser forms: Turn into more critters
  
• Husk camo: Make yourself appear as a dead husk
  
• Mute Sting: Make the target unable to speak
  
• Deaf Sting: Make the target unable to hear
  
• Improved hallucinations: Make the target see all mobs as a selected form
  
• Active camouflage: Have your skin tone blend to match the tile underneath you
  
• Mimic Clothes: Use your abilities to generate the appearance of wearing a certain jumpsuit
  
• Decoy: Create a weak, NPC version of yourself
  

[atamusvaleo]

Boy ... with all this talk about upgrades and classes.. this sure sounds like a mode I suggested some time back
:I

Quiet, Sundance! Get back in your cage! 

(Can you link to it? Maybe some of those ideas would work well here.)

Some stealth ideas:

• Improved lesser forms: Turn into more critters
  
• Husk camo: Make yourself appear as a dead husk
  
• Mute Sting: Make the target unable to speak
  
• Deaf Sting: Make the target unable to hear
  
• Improved hallucinations: Make the target see all mobs as a selected form
  
• Active camouflage: Have your skin tone blend to match the tile underneath you
  
• Mimic Clothes: Use your abilities to generate the appearance of wearing a certain jumpsuit
  
• Decoy: Create a weak, NPC version of yourself
  

Nice. Blind Sting should definitely be an option as well. Guess what it does!

[medsal15]

More stings:

• Sleepy sting: Pretty obvious.
  
• Death sting: Have you tried capulettium? It's fun to use.