Gameplay Addition Idea - Master Skills

I have a concept that I'm curious what the community would think of. Basically the premise is to include a "special" additional cross class slot for a "Master Skill". This slot would only be available for level 60 characters, would only be usable at level 60 or above content, and would be separate from the current slots, essentially allowing for an additional skill.....

Now, what is a "Master Skill" exactly? The idea is that you select one skill from any class/job, and make it so that it is usable by any level 60 class you have, ignoring the standard restrictions. For example, you could put Shadow Flare onto your Black Mage, Holy on your Bard, or Living Dead on your Ninja. Basically, you could select almost any one skill to be usable for any level 60 class you have....

Restrictions:

- No skills that require another skill to use, (kind of pointless to have Energy Drain or Ricochet if you can't have Aetherflow or Gauss Barrel).
- No Wanderer's Minute or Gauss Barrel on casters, since they would have the full benefit without the downside.
- One skill per level 60 class, with changing it requiring going to a specific NPC and spending a decent amount of gil/tomestones.
- If skill is enhanced by traits on the base class, the skill used as a "Master Skill" will not have those traits.
- Pet classes, (ACN/SMN/SCH/MCH), cannot have two pets summoned at once, (ie: No turret and other summon at the same time).
- Pets obtained form Master Skills are the lowest form available, (ie: Topaz and Emerald Carbuncle, as well as a Ruby carbuncle for Summon III).

Unlock Requirements:

- Level 60 in the class you want to use the skill on.
- Speak to a certain NPC to begin the unlock quest.
- Skill selected must be one you have unlocked on the other class.
- Quest consists of using said skill "x" number of times, as well as proving your proficiency with both the level 60 class and the unlock class by completing a quest-synced trial with both.

Now, all of this is just the basis for my concept, and as such it's not entirely fleshed out. I'm sure there would be quite a few adjustments to make. I'm also aware that for end game raiders, there would eventually be an "ideal" Master Skill for each class, or even in general. Even if there does become an ideal set up for raids, this would still provide a bit more variety for players to branch out when compared to other players of the same class, as well as providing more incentive to level up each class and see what all the skills are like. Even though they seem to be moving further and further away from the cross class system, (no new slots or skills post 50), I feel like it's something that should really be expanded on, and this would be my ideal way to do so....

So, what does everyone else think, good idea or bad? Also, if you could select any one skill to have on your main class, what would it be? For me as a MCH, I think I'd either go with Benediction just to have a method of self healing, or Shukuchi just because A) teleportation, and B) helping me dodge in spite of my latency.....

So it's basically just an an enhanced version of cross class skills? It'd still be broken in many ways and raids would be even more of a cluster ()@#$*%. You're basically "forcing" people to level up a bunch of classes they may not even like just to get skills to push that DPS out a little faster.

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

So it's basically just an an enhanced version of cross class skills? It'd still be broken in many ways and raids would be even more of a cluster ()@#$*%. You're basically "forcing" people to level up a bunch of classes they may not even like just to get skills to push that DPS out a little faster.

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" I'm also aware that for end game raiders, there would eventually be an "ideal" Master Skill for each class, or even in general. Even if there does become an ideal set up for raids, this would still provide a bit more variety for players to branch out when compared to other players of the same class, as well as providing more incentive to level up each class and see what all the skills are like."

I already pointed out that for raid content there would be an "ideal" skill more than likely.....

EDIT: The concept is more for the non-"max DPS hardcore raiders", though it would certainly help those players as well. As is, there is, (last I heard), an estimated less than 1% of the playerbase doing raids, which means that less than 1% of players would be "forced" to get skills they didn't like to push out DPS a little faster. There would occasionally be grief in the DF groups as well, but certainly no more than there already is.....

Yeah, I'm not much of a fan of the CCS (Cross Class Skills) system currently in game. I'd despise it more if it's expanded on, punishing people that may not enjoy playing other classes, moreso than it already does.

Thing is it would still get slapped with the "You must use X skill" for most DPS I'd assume that would be anything that adds damage % like Blood for blood or anything else of the sorts. Tanks would just grab another Defense boost, while I can appreciate what is trying to be done here, ultimately we would just fall into the same issue of people asking "what skill should I get for my master?" with everyone basically replying the same thing.

I get Hallowed Ground.
You get Hallowed Ground, and you get Hallowed Ground too!
EVERYONE GETS A HALLOWED GROUND!

Tetragrammaton for my Bard please
YEAHHHHHH

Trust me, you don't want shukuchi for dodging... But back on topic, I think it would cause too many balance issues unfortunately. It would also force all players to level all classes for optimal flexibility. I just see it being really messy.

While I like the idea of customizing your job, it would create balance issues, since the go to abillity would definitaly be hallowed ground for mechanic cheesing.

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Originally Posted by AlphaFox

Tanks would just grab another Defense boost

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Tanks don't need any more defense boosts. Give me Berserk or Darkside, please.

WAR/DRK can take FoF for even more deeps.

Yeah, no... there's a reason only classes have the ability to cross-class any cross-class ability and Jobs can't. The classes are meant to be the jacks-of-all-trades, Jobs specialists to a particular role. By giving Jobs the ability of classes, even if only for one ability, would damage the balance of said Jobs. Warriors with Invigorate would become incredibly potent tanks, much more so than they already are. And anything from rogue would be broken on any other Job.

If this could be done, it would have to be limited to OGCD skills only. Though personally this wouldn't really work so well... I would prefer a potency Mastery tree for existing skills instead.

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Originally Posted by AlphaFox

Thing is it would still get slapped with the "You must use X skill" for most DPS I'd assume that would be anything that adds damage % like Blood for blood or anything else of the sorts. Tanks would just grab another Defense boost, while I can appreciate what is trying to be done here, ultimately we would just fall into the same issue of people asking "what skill should I get for my master?" with everyone basically replying the same thing.

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This. People think all classes are samey now? This would just make the problem more apparent. The more choices we have, the less choices we have.

I feel like you're likely to get a better reception for this if it was limited to the job itself (for and from which the skills would be learned) and/or very specific CCSs--something that can give a different gameplay, rotations, and/or priorities while retaining the original role and average output.

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Originally Posted by MilesSaintboroguh

This. People think all classes are samey now? This would just make the problem more apparent. The more choices we have, the less choices we have.

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Yes and no. Options are ultimately limited by the combat undermechanics themselves, and, given our relatively simple system, might be quickly exhausted, such that giving more options to each job would inevitably cause further overlap of options or tools, and thereby gameplay and identity. But if the undermechanics were more expansive, we could have more options without causing such overlap (at least in any noticeable manner).

What I meant is the problem stems from the community's obsession with perfection and optimal builds. Sure, you can make your cross skills however you want, but in harder content, it's either play this way or get out of the party.

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Originally Posted by Fevelle

I get Hallowed Ground.
You get Hallowed Ground, and you get Hallowed Ground too!
EVERYONE GETS A HALLOWED GROUND!

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Yeah, I can see that being one of the top picks. That 7-min CD is killer though :\

Other choices?

Berserk (+50% attack power for a cleansable 5 second downtime? Sure!)
Fight or Flight (+30% damage? Sure!)
Holmgang (its better than Living Dead, and only a 3-min CD. Also stops knockback)

Um...ok, no one is going to pick anything other than those 4 for any serious content. Maybe Benediction or Tetragrammaton (for a healer), but for DPS and tanks its most likely going to be Berserk or Fight or Flight (unless you *need* Hallowed/Holmgang to survive something)

While I can certainly get where you all are coming from, I'm always baffled by how contradictory the community is on things. People are always complaining that they want more options, then whenever an idea is discussed that relates to granting more options, they start complaining that more options are pointless because of the BiS nature of the raiding community.....

IF this was implemented, would it only be Class skills (as the current cross-class ones are limited too) or include Job skills?

Cause if it includes Job skills then yes, Hallowed for DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYS

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Originally Posted by Gamer3427

While I can certainly get where you all are coming from, I'm always baffled by how contradictory the community is on things. People are always complaining that they want more options, then whenever an idea is discussed that relates to granting more options, they start complaining that more options are pointless because of the BiS nature of the raiding community.....

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Because this isn't more options. People aren't going to be customizing their builds from a wide variety of choices, here. They're going to be using Hallowed Ground or Holmgang if there's a mechanic to cheese, and Berserk or Fight or Flight otherwise, because these are the really standout skills that are only supposed to be part of very specific toolkits.

You aren't giving people more options at the high end. You're just making sure that everybody has to have Warrior and/or Paladin at level cap before they even look at content.

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Originally Posted by Gamer3427

While I can certainly get where you all are coming from, I'm always baffled by how contradictory the community is on things. People are always complaining that they want more options, then whenever an idea is discussed that relates to granting more options, they start complaining that more options are pointless because of the BiS nature of the raiding community.....

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More options are desired, but they need to be the right kinds of options. Most of the time the options proposed are seriously flawed.

There's wanting more options, like more hair styles or fashions, but this is more akin to adjusting game play. Adjusting game play requires more effort than flicking a switch on the server to change something's accessibility. There's the matter of game balance. And I hope to the Twelve you mean only class abilities (though I already mentioned how that'd be questionable), Job abilities would break the game entirely (as well as not work at all given all Job abilities are quest rewards. Extra Jobs are special). Hallowed Ground seems the popular example but there's others that are just as game breaking, like Benediction or Spineshatter Dive.

Not sure the point of arbitrary restrictions (WM/GB) seeing as the point was to take a skill without restrictions. Ignoring the hypocrisy, casters would all take the free 30% with reduced cast time (WM/GB cast times are less than casters) and all others will take the free 20% from the ninja poison. Maybe even ninja would take the WM/GB. Not really much choice when there exist permanent buffs... Not sure how WM/GB would affect heals, but it does clearly affect non-bard/machinist skills used by the caster.

Edit: As pointed out above, WM/GB are indeed not class skills. Since the poison explicitly states that only physical moves get boosted then casters would probably take berserk, seeing as no one cares about pacification. Ninja can take berserk too, since they can time ninjustu to be used here.

Reading the title only, i was actually hoping this would be a tad unique and add onto the limit break mechanics in some fashion. I'm a bit dissapointed it's just a cross class skill idea.

Players would just determine which skills are best and the customization will be sucked right out of it.