[dev1135] New Thief 2 hour ability

[hiko]

sneak-trick stance: give sneak attack and trick attack for 30sec.

robber:30sec duration, add steal effect on 1 melee hit/round,if nothing is stolen ,no buff absorbed force TH+ proc!

[Babekeke]

force TH+ proc!

Oh jeez, please don't let this be our new 2 hour. THF instantly goes back to bandwagon TH7 + max haste/acc and 2 hour to give highest TH in 30 secs then GTFO TYVM >.>

[Calatilla]

Oh jeez, please don't let this be our new 2 hour. THF instantly goes back to bandwagon TH7 + max haste/acc and 2 hour to give highest TH in 30 secs then GTFO TYVM >.>

This, THF doesn't need anymore placebo hunter, it needs a DD ability.

[SpankWustler]

I think the Development Bros have hit the bottom of the well for normal bad ideas with the new Red Mage SP, and thus they'll have to go meta for the incoming Thief SP. Thus, I think the new ability will be:

Roguish Shame: Another button to accidentally hit that will display how many years and days and hours you have spent playing FFXI. Unlike the normal function, this one somehow accounts for time spent AFK. Those are less hours spent AFK than you thought, huh?

[Delvish]

They just posted a new possibility for THF 2 hour. I like this one a lot better actually. I know most will say "oh great... a hour recast aura steal" but this one allows you to steal most anything including special abilities. This makes me think fighting a mob like MNK or even AV would be really exciting.

[Nebo]

They just posted a new possibility for THF 2 hour. I like this one a lot better actually. I know most will say "oh great... a hour recast aura steal" but this one allows you to steal most anything including special abilities. This makes me think fighting a mob like MNK or even AV would be really exciting.

It could be good. It could be as garbage as aurasteal is.

What I mean is, mostly, Aurasteal is useful....but only reliable as as utility dispel. Actually stealing and absorbing desireable enhancements is mostly a losing proposition.

Aurasteal just has too much flawed functionality... which is sad, becuase the IDEA of aurasteal is very good. But alas,you cannot specify which enhancement you steal...and it is attached to a 5 minute timer. So if you are after that haste and you get blaze spikes. You're out of luck..

Item steal takes prioroty...so if you are after those pesky paralyzing ice spikes and you get a bone chip instead....you are out of luck.

You cannot even attempt aurasteal with a full inventory (which is becoming an increasingly large problem).

This is not even to mention that Aurasteal shares a timer with lolSteal and lolDespoil. Which is not so much an issue because those two abilities are garbage and not worth using, but it is in issue in that steal interferes with Aurasteal.

But even Aurasteal, in all its gloriously flawed functionality and shame, could still be potentially better than this SP2 ability....simply because now, with Assassin's Bonnet +2, you can steal 2 buffs.

So if SP2 steals ONE buff at random (like aurasteal) with only ONE random chance to steal an SP ability...forget it. It's useless.

If it does steal only one enhancement effect in the abscence of an SP ability....then it is WORSE than aurasteal AND on a 1 hour timer.

Useless.

No. One enhancement effect is not strong enough. And stealing SP abilities must be priortised over all else when present.

That would be worth having. If you don't do someting like this....back to the drawing board.

[Babekeke]

Aura Steal, the 1 JA/JT that THF has that I didn't account for in my earlier post of thoughts for SP2 being a HQ version of something we already have.

The post by camate says:

Steals a beneficial effect from the target. (Effect duration: instant)

• For the effects that can be stolen, in addition to the same ones that are possible with Aura Steal, special abilities can also be stolen. (New special abilities are not included in this.)
• In the event that there is no beneficial effect on the target, it will result in a miss.
  *In this case the ability will be used and the recast timer will activate.

The bolded part implies to me that it's only dispellable buffs, and original 2 hour JAs. Which is a shame, as there are some mobs out there that get an un-dispellable Stoneskin or spikes effect, which could be very useful to be able to absorb. Particularly on mobs that don't have a 2 hour to dispel.

Now, let's see what SP are worth stealing...

Mighty Strikes - Very nice, particularly for the likes of exenterator.
Hundred fists - Very Nice.
Perfect Dodge - Time saver more than anything.
Chainspell - Useful more for just not having spells spammed on you, rather than being useful to have.
Invincible - Nice as a time saver or vs particularly nasty phys TP moves.
Blood Weapon - This could prove to be one of the best I think. Particularly Vs something dealing a lot of damage to you. Roll on THF/DRK^^
Meikyo Shisui - This is an odd one. Very useful if you're fast. If you're not fast will you only get 200%TP or 100% TP if it used a TP move or 2? Or will you always get 300% TP but only however many charges are left? Or do you just get the charges and no TP, since the TP is on activation? If stealing the SP is the same as if you just activated it, then this is very nice to steal

Benediction - N/A
Overdrive - N/A
Familiar - N/A
Eagle Eye Shot - N/A
Mijin Gakure - N/A
Wild Card - N/A
Astral Flow - N/A (at least, I think mob's AF is an instant ability - even if you can steal it, it's useless)
Call Wyvern/Spirit Surge - N/A (I think all DRG mobs use CW as 2H?)
Trance - N/A (unless /DNC and then slightly useful)
Tabula Rasa - N/A (or very limited use if /SCH, unless lolnewEmbrava/Kaustra are usable lol)
Soul Voice - N/A (unless /BRD, and then very limited use. And why are you /BRD?)
Azure Lore - N/A (unless /BLU and again limited use)
Manafont - N/A (unless /mage then slightly useful)

[Nebo]

I am concerned with the limitation of stealing SP abilities to SP1? Looking at the list, the majority of SP1 abilites cannot be stolen, as they are instant...and only a handful would be actually useful to the THF to "steal"

I'm sure it'll find some niche where its useful...I don't share the enthusiasm that others have shown though. This ability seams pretty weak...and again unneccessarily limited to me.

It may present a reason to bring more than one THF to a fight though...for certain monsters/events that use multiple devistating 2 hours?

[Arcon]

Nothing will ever present a reason to bring more than one THF, nor do I see why it should. In a group situation THF is a utility job, and there's hardly ever a need for two of the same utilities. We basically just got a situational Mighty Strikes, Hundred Fists, Meikyo Shusui, Blood Weapon, Chainspell, Invincible and Perfect Doge, all of which can be very useful when soloing. Not to mention it removes annoying effects from Monsters, which can be useful for the entire alliance during several events, Legion most notably comes to mind, but also some certain older content, like sky gods or sea jailers (including AV). So what if it can't steal every SP ability, it's still very useful with what it does.

This SP ability is pretty great overall, and I wouldn't want them to try and redo it again, because they'd only do a lot worse.

[Nebo]

Situationally useful? Yes. Great overall? I disagree.