Monk Needs a Complete Rework

[Kabooa]

So, imagining that any and all existing Monk systems were removed, what are some (ideally modular) systems that could fit into Monk and spice up its gameplay? We've mentioned a Blitz system before (whereby recently used skills create a unique dynamic skill, perhaps with some skills lengthening the sequence that can be fed into a Blitz or the like), but what other ideas can we toss into the kit?

Building on the blitz system seems the ideal place to fit the Elemental Fists, perhaps as OGCD attacks with shared cooldowns. In this manner you have a set, tuned window of duration to design Blitz Skills with lingering effects.

"Riddle" effects are instead baseline Fist buffs that apply from using them. You balance the need to maintain Fist Elemental buffs with the need to input a certain string for your Blitz command.

[Shurrikhan]

"Riddle" effects are instead baseline Fist buffs that apply from using them. You balance the need to maintain Fist Elemental buffs with the need to input a certain string for your Blitz command.

As per the questions directed at TK, Perfect Balance, Stances, and the like... are the multiple choices of playstyles in any given moment in pursuit of this balance (between longer-term maintenance and the Blitz command most effective at the moment) an acceptable point of potential confusion along the path to mastering the job?
How does it avoid the fundamental issues faced by, say, making use of GL as anything more than maintenance or having choice in one's Stance (if ever balanced)?

Just asking as a means of probing, to be clear. I really like the idea, especially as anything that feels more like "maintenance" puts more emphasis on the penalties of loss than the benefits of reaching the given effect, and I feel your suggested system puts emphasis far more on the positives than any negatives, so long as the different Elemental buffs don't end up as just a checklist of 'keep up A, B, and C'.

[Kabooa]

How does it avoid the fundamental issues faced by, say, making use of GL as anything more than maintenance or having choice in one's Stance (if ever balanced)?[/I]

It's generally a matter of whether or not we would accept the possibility of things not overlaying or fitting together perfectly.

I, personally, don't see jobs that auto-correct themselves as necessarily well designed (Paladin/Gunbreaker come into mind), nor ones that require manual correction.

I think Greased Lightning should be a resource, and Chakra should be more of one, though for a quick answer and overall revamp wouldn't fit neatly into this, so for now we'll focus on the fists and their buffs.

By creating Blitzes based on inputs, we curtail some of the need for each fist to mathematically be equal in terms of potency output when it comes to their buffs - They're more the bonus than the reward, though it does create potential blitz buffs and command rotations that would be 'optimal'.

To perhaps make them a bit different, we make them OGCDs that rely on the Monk's stance. This also has the fundamental benefit that they can only take up one button. Opo Opo for Earth, Raptor for Fire, Couerl for Wind.

Fist of X
ability
Recast: 15
Effect: Deals Y potency, beginning or building upon a Blitz strike. Requires [This] Stance. Advances into [that] stance.

This allows for a trait to provide the 'Riddle' bonuses later on.

Riddle of Elements
Trait
Effect: Fist of Fire, Earth, and Wind provide additional bonuses upon use for 18 seconds.

The bonuses we choose here can ideally avoid being potency based, but lets try "Greased Lightning is a resource" as a background change so we can toy with that some. As a design idea, Greased Lightning's benefit is unchanged but comes at breakpoints on a 0-100 bar, and every 25 grants the bonus that a stack does now. The monk's gauge extends at the same break points when leveling up, so the 25, 50, 75, 100.

Fist of Wind: Extends the Greased Lightning Gauge to 125. New cap doesn't grant more bonus, but more resource to play with.
Fist of Earth: Reduces damage taken, removes conditional requirements on Opo Opo skills.
Fist of Fire: Increases Greased Lightning skill costs and potency.

We also create an additional, if not more, meaningful place for Six Sided Star - Similar to old Touch of Death by linking Fists to Stances. It becomes a corrective GCD. We can also reduce it down to 2.5s recast so it's not silly. I think we could add Chakra generation here, but for the scope of this post it can be left out.

I believe with this we have a solid foundation for priority conflicts.

[Shurrikhan]

<Directly Above>

Thanks. Solid explanations.