Concept: Avatar Enhancements

[Keyln]

Overview: The general idea behind this is to give the Summoner tools and abilities that will enable the Summoner to enhance and power up his avatar. This will enable the Summoner to fully act within his class with the intent of making the avatar as powerful as any other party member. This will also enable the Summoner greater flexibility to respond to various situations as required. This will require major changes in how avatar perpetuation and summon magic works.

Avatar Enhancement: Avatar Enhancement (name can be changed) is a pet ability that will enable the Summoner to change the avatar's abilities depending on the ability used. The strength of the change is determined by the summoner's Summoning Magic level and the number of times that the same ability has been used. The same ability can be used multiple times for a multiplier effect that will greatly enhance the effect. However, the price for using this ability is an increase in the perpetuation cost that goes up each time the ability is used.

Each use has a 10 second global timer on all abilities.

Examples: Each ability enhances the avatar in different ways to make them more powerful. Note that there is a multiplier effect in play when increasing the skill level, and that there is a cap on how powerful they can be.

Please note also that the below are examples only, and that the names and stats are subject to change!

Astral Haste: Gives the avatar a haste effect. Haste effect = (1% + (Summoning Magic/100) * skill level) (Cap 25%)

Defense Crush: Enables the avatar to ignore a certain part of defense. Ignore Defense effect = (5% + (Summoning Magic/50) * skill level) (Cap 40%)

Accuracy Boost: Increases the avatar's accuracy. Accuracy Boost = (10 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (Cap +200 Accuracy)

Avatar Enspell: Gives the avatar an enspell effect for its respective element. Enspell damage = (1 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (No cap)

Astral Affinity: Increases the magical affinity for the avatar for its respective element. Magic Affinity (think magian staves or elemental staves) = (1 + (Summoning Magic/100) + skill level) (+10 cap)

Astral Regen: Allows the avatar to regain lost HP. Amount of HP regained = (1 + (Summoning Magic/50) * skill level) (+50 cap)

Astral Meditate: Allows the avatar to gain TP automatically. Amount of TP gained = (1 + (Summoning Magic/200) + skill level) (+10 TP/tic cap)

Avatar Perpetuation: Perpetuation rate is changed so that at base, for all levels, is set to 0 MP/tic. However, for each level of Avatar Enhancement is used, perpetuation cost is increased by 1. For example, if Astral Haste is up to 5, Astral Regen up to 3, and Astral Affinity is up to 1, the perpetuation cost is 9. (5+3+1=9). Perpetuation cost can be lowered by equipment or by cancelling an enhancement.

Astral Link: This is a special ability that will enable the Summoner to use the next Avatar Enhancement straight to level 5. This has a one minute recast timer, and is considered a normal job ability as opposed to a pet ability.

The goal here is to provide a way to revitalize the Summoner job class, and make it a full on party member that people will want to use while trying to keep things balanced.

Please share any thoughts and/or feedback, and please like this post.

[Daniel_Hatcher]

(1 + (Summoning Magic/200) + skill level) (+10 TP/tic cap)

(1 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (No cap)

(10 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (Cap +200 Accuracy)

..... Really!?!

[Keyln]

(1 + (Summoning Magic/200) + skill level) (+10 TP/tic cap)

(1 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (No cap)

(10 + (Summoning Magic/10) * skill level) (Cap +200 Accuracy)

..... Really!?!

As explained earlier, the numbers are not meant to be taken as balanced or tuned, but just to give an idea of how things could be, and how things could work.

[Jerbob]

I like this idea. It lets you adapt your avatar's abilities towards different situations and different playstyles, which is something I am always very interested in. I actually think the numbers are about right, considering how weak avatars are as things stand. The fact that the idea can be extended and enhanced as time goes on - new Enhancement pet abilities, gear bonuses and the like - is also very nice and would give SE a real foundation upon which to strengthen our job in the future rather than just dumping completely worthless Blood Pacts on us (hurr Pavor Nocturnus).

Any ideas for other Enchancements? Maybe some that sort of some of our annoying weaknesses such as Ward pact area of effect, Blood Pact activation time (aside from Shock Squall), how terrible Avatar's Favour is etc? Also, how would someone go about removing Enhancements if they wanted to adapt quickly to another role? It would be nice if there was a system other than manually removing Enhancements - a "clear" JA that gives you half as many Enhancement JA charges as there were charges active, or something similar.

Liked! ^^;

[Keyln]

I like this idea. It lets you adapt your avatar's abilities towards different situations and different playstyles, which is something I am always very interested in. I actually think the numbers are about right, considering how weak avatars are as things stand. The fact that the idea can be extended and enhanced as time goes on - new Enhancement pet abilities, gear bonuses and the like - is also very nice and would give SE a real foundation upon which to strengthen our job in the future rather than just dumping completely worthless Blood Pacts on us (hurr Pavor Nocturnus).

That's the general idea. I wanted to do something that would make Summoner a more powerful job in general when it's not using bloodpacts. I wanted to give the developers an idea that would change Summoner into something that would allow the Summoner to better use avatars.

Any ideas for other Enchancements? Maybe some that sort of some of our annoying weaknesses such as Ward pact area of effect, Blood Pact activation time (aside from Shock Squall), how terrible Avatar's Favour is etc? Also, how would someone go about removing Enhancements if they wanted to adapt quickly to another role? It would be nice if there was a system other than manually removing Enhancements - a "clear" JA that gives you half as many Enhancement JA charges as there were charges active, or something similar.

Liked! ^^;

The general concept is that Avatar Enhancements are something that's perpetual and continually active while the Avatar's out. So, I don't see it being used for bloodpacts per say. With that said, though, I can see Avatar's Favor working through this system. Perhaps something like Level Favor = (1 + summoning magic/200) + skill level. It's something that the devs will have to work out.

As far as having a "clear" JA, it's not a bad idea, although dismissing the avatar does clear out all of the enhancements at once. The big challenge will be building the enhancements into the avatar rather than clearing them out. If the summoner wanted to make small enhancements, he can simply remove them by manually removing the enhancement similar to any other buff.