Let's talk Debuffs!

[Hioki]

Clarify for me, because maybe I'm just not getting it, but if the only difference between a stun and a knockdown is a stun has a set duration and a knockdown has animation frames... what really is the difference? You're still unable to perform an action for a set period of time, whether that period of time is represented by a number counting down or an unavoidable character animation.

In one you are still standing another you are down on the ground. A stun will never offer follow up or allow for exploitation. A knockdown will put one prone on the ground, and if you code and develop it properly, allow players or enemies to exploit the situation and follow up with specific downed status abilities.Knockdowns also tend to cause a longer downtime due to having the duration of a stun but also requiring recovery animations to get into standing position. Knockdowns are also notorious for ignoring recovery abilities that normally 'break' you out of binds/sleeps/stuns simply due to animation frames. There are a few cases where knockdowns will determine tank swapping or positional changes as to prevent exploitation from the enemy. There are more differences but these are the major ones I can give you.

I don't quite like the idea of being forcibly bound to a single spot, at least in the hands of the player. Holmgang I accept, as you can position yourself accordingly and the enemy reacts to you, but the other way around forces you to be locked into a spot you may not like, a position that is decided by the enemy's AI.

Now you're getting it! You don't like it! It's annoying, it's different, and it's a debuff and you'll find a way to deal with it!

That said, the Fetters debuff already does this. This is the debuff placed upon you when trapped in Titan's Granite Gaol, but also the debuff applied to you if you get caught by a crawling zombie in the Siren fight of Pharos Sirius (which essentially covers nailed).

The fetters debuff lowers determination and thus damage. Also goal and nailed differ in one requiring damage to a target from players and another requiring the action/animation of a player digging you out or you struggling for freedom.

Again, this debuff already exists (to an extent) in the form of the Charmed debuff. During the Siren fight, if you get charmed, you start attacking your allies.

Again, it doesn't. Enraged is the action of attacking anything around you without mercy. You fight anything that happens to be in range whether it's a player, an enemy, or that super important object you needed to protect.

I'm not a fan of the imagery of being nailed into the ground like an actual nail; feels way too Looney Toons and doesn't thematically fit in this setting.

Not at all, it fits perfectly fine in a game.

I'm not sure why people have a fear that they might have to do something interesting or deal with something unique. The debuffs in the game are already ridiculously boring and uninspired why keep it that way? Also the thread isn't criticizing every detail in the OP. It's: What kind of devilishly devious debuffs would you or like to see added to the game? It's fine if you say that you can't get behind some of mine but at least don't ignore the base reason of the thread. Gotta use that imagination once and a while!