[dev1017] Make Cover a Job Trait?

[Rorrick]

I previously posted this idea in a thread in the Paladin job forum, but in light of the impending job refinements I feel this perhaps deserves its own thread, and that it may get some more attention here than in the Paladin forum. Forgive me if I've erred in the placement of this thread. Anyway...

Instead of adjusting it as a job ability, why not make Cover a job trait? I see this as a simple way to make Paladin much more useful, or at the very least less of a waste of space.

Due to the lack of information as to the planned adjustment to Cover, I'm going to use how it currently functions for the purposes of my argument.

Cover's base duration is fifteen seconds. Unless whatever you're fighting is using an ability like Hundred Fists, or has exceptionally low delay, this results in at best a couple attacks being blocked. Most of the gear enhancing Cover becomes worthless as well, because it's very difficult to time the ability to coincide with blocking a spell or what have you.

In a perfect world, Paladins would always be the focus of the enemy's attention anyway, which makes Cover very situational. As a result, meriting the duration up seems like a waste when you can shorten the recast timers of abilities like Sentinel, Rampart, and Shield Bash, all of which are much more practical. Cover's apparent uselessness not only affects the ability itself, but essentially wastes space in our group one merit category, where a better effect might take its place.

And so, I propose the following changes: Make Cover a perpetual job trait, and change the group one merit as follows; decreases damage taken while covering an ally. Base of -6% damage taken at level 1, increasing by 1% per level to a maximum of -10% damage taken at level 5. (Whether or not this damage reduction would apply to the overall damage reduction cap of 50% or not is up to your discretion, but I feel it should be an exception to that cap in much the same way that Burtgang and Aegis bypass it.)

I feel this accomplishes several things, ultimately making Paladin marginally more useful. It would render Paladin's inability to quickly generate enmity and maintain the enemy's attention a moot point. It has no impact on Paladin's (positive or negative) offensive capabilities, nor would it affect its ability to solo. It negates the necessitation of a complete overhaul of the enmity system, makes some old equipment much more useful, and adds more variety to Paladin's group one merits.

On the whole, I feel this is a fairly simple, eloquent way to significantly enhance Paladin's usefulness, allowing it to shine a little brighter as the impenetrable wall I feel it is meant to be, without any drastic changes to the job or the game.

Edit: Grammar errors.

[Rya]

I don't know if this would work to be "always on" since it might need a target (?) -- can we just have equal recast/duration, like a handful of other abilities? It could still be longer, like 5min (or more) ... and you could choose to keep it active fulltime, if you wanted.

But this would also allow you to kinda turn it on/off at will. I remember Cecil! He did it until you told him to stop! :D

[Rorrick]

I was thinking Knight in FFIII style blocking, because targeting one person means you won't be covering anyone else if that person loses hate or dies. It also keeps you from being useless on things that spam Amnesia or otherwise prevent you from using JAs.

[Avidon]

Job trait: cover
I like it. To add to it though, you can have it activate as soon as the person with hate stands behind the paladin, the paladin will go into a lock down mode. It's defense increases but you are unable to act. If you need to act, simply move out of the formation. So you have an active cover at the ready, with the balance of a somewhat silence and amnesia effect. There also be a cool little stance in which the paladin takes :P

[Setto]

I personally think this is a great idea. PLD definitely needs some kind of change.

PLD is a great tank as in they take very little damage, but the problem is them getting and keeping hate. They just can't build hate as fast as the damage dealers can these days.

PLD is a great tank job but they need some more tools to make sure they are the ones taking the damage. Cover as a job trait would do this nicely. If not that perhaps some more hate tools.

SE please listen up and make some changes to PLD, they are in need of some REAL adjustments so they can be more useful.

[Lazus]

I personally think this is a great idea. PLD definitely needs some kind of change.

PLD is a great tank as in they take very little damage, but the problem is them getting and keeping hate. They just can't build hate as fast as the damage dealers can these days.

PLD is a great tank job but they need some more tools to make sure they are the ones taking the damage. Cover as a job trait would do this nicely. If not that perhaps some more hate tools.

SE please listen up and make some changes to PLD, they are in need of some REAL adjustments so they can be more useful.

you right pld need change. They do have problems keeping hate too, but even with this parties just don't have a reason to invite them. They have probably the worst, or close to it, dd in the game atm, which usually would be fine, but not with the capping hate within seconds and even if pld could there still are no reason to invite them over another job.

As far as the idea of a cover job trait is concern it sound good on paper but just wouldn't work and still people wouldn't want pld over anything because a dd can just be cured bomb anyway. It wouldn't work because what if there more then 1 pld in the group? or what if there was 10? would dmg just not be taken by anyone in the party or would it just be spit between pld? Also considering you lose enmity by taking dmg and dd already can hold the hate cap easy enough, it just wouldn't be practical.

Like you mention though the JA should have a lower recast time, look at shield bash for example, it does it every 5 mins (less with merits) does between 20-50 dmg (more if you have something like a Aegis) and doesn't always stun. This this should be reduced to a 1-2 min recast timer and less if merited. sentinel and rampart maybe push those down to 3 mins. Divine Emblem reduce that down to 5 mins to start.

Still won't get us invited to parties though, there no reason for a "tank" when you got dd that can survive enough to be cured bomb.

[Rorrick]

It wouldn't work because what if there more then 1 pld in the group? or what if there was 10? would dmg just not be taken by anyone in the party or would it just be spit between pld?

I missed this before, but whoever is standing in front of everyone else will be taking the damage. You could have an alliance of Paladins but only the one at the front of the proverbial congo-line will be taking the damage. Cover doesn't block AoE TP moves either so those will continue to hit everyone.

[Lazus]

I missed this before, but whoever is standing in front of everyone else will be taking the damage. You could have an alliance of Paladins but only the one at the front of the proverbial congo-line will be taking the damage. Cover doesn't block AoE TP moves either so those will continue to hit everyone.

Actually i misread your original post and thought it mention something about just having a pld in the party to take a certain amount of dmg from each person that take dmg (I know my apology for that)

But now we on a whole different thing, is this would not only break pld, but would eliminate any control in battle. Although Enmity and survivability in aby may not be a problem as long as you keep hate off the mages. Outside aby this would have dire effects o not only pld but other jobs as well. For example, thf, they are suppose to be able to control over where hate is going, with this JT won't need it, just have a pld stand in front of the one with hate and no problem, tank won't even have to use anything else and they can tank.

[Rorrick]

There's a game outside Abyssea where MP is finite and some of the new Voidwatch NMs have clearly been to the gym. Obviously not everything needs PLD's unique level of survivability, but not everything should, because then you've created the opposite problem. Not everything should be dependant on one job (tanking, healing, whatever), just like like one job shouldn't be useless at everything.

I agree that most of Paladin's ability timers (Divine Emblem's timer can only really be described as a joke) need to be retooled in the face of abilities like Counterstance and Third Eye. However, I feel that, in the interim, making Cover a job trait would be a good stop gap. It's the only ability that has always been essentially worthless, and it's the one thing I think can be adjusted without everyone screaming OMG BROKEN. While I don't think Paladin's offense is the worst in the game, I do think that any buff to it would be stepping on the toes of jobs like SAM, MNK and WAR, and pulls Paladin out of the role SE has been trying to carve out for it.

Making Cover a job trait won't necessarily make Paladin more desirable, but it would undeniably make it more useful, and it certainly wouldn't make it any less desirable.

[Lazus]

There's a game outside Abyssea where MP is finite and some of the new Voidwatch NMs have clearly been to the gym. Obviously not everything needs PLD's unique level of survivability, but not everything should, because then you've created the opposite problem. Not everything should be dependant on one job (tanking, healing, whatever), just like like one job shouldn't be useless at everything.

You right there is stuff outside aby (thankfully) but still usually a mnk, nin or thf is all that is needed for most of it too, pld may have 1 maybe 2 of the new voidwatch NMs that make them desire again, but it still limited.
How would making cover a JT be any ore worth it, pld still won't be able to keep hate, and if a evasion tank or a mnk with counter and a ton of hp can do it well enough to be cured bombed? (and this is for in and outside aby)