Post DT Poll: What Weapon Types would you like to see added to XIV?

[Shougun]

I would love to see a Spiritualist type of caster! Using a Pendulum and syphoning the power of the Gods/Elements/etc. to create spiritual magic! I think it would be cool! Also, if you could get a combo in which you just slap the enemy with the pendulum like a whip like RDM has a melee combo, but this one would be ranged!




[The image is not mine, I found it on the internet, and clicking on it gave me an error, so if anyone knows who drew it, please let me know! :3]

Just thinking aloud but a new game gimmick mechanic could be timed spell attacks, like a Legend of Dragoon or Shadow Hearts. Where when you do these swing attacks there is a range in the pendulum swing that if you cast the spell again it'll do bonus effects. While the theme isn't terrible pertinent to me on this idea, lets use your soul reference.

So if you attack the enemy, then press the skill again it activates Rending Requiem, causing an AoE damage effect and perhaps a +1 second to monster action (adds time to monster cast times and auto attacks, bosses probably will ignore) that deals more if the monster is closer to the pendulum (like two concentric aoe circles, where the most center is the highest damage, your gimmick meter will auto calculate the timing you need and will ignore if the monster moves if you nail "good" at the time of cast). This means the "good" zone is a bit based on your position. Perhaps all the skills have abnormally high range, and therefore you can increase AOE damage but also increase casting time by distance.

For example if you use the pendulum attack at a great distance it is more of a linear attack, as it will be struck down to the enemy target, increasing casting time but greatly increasing the potential AoE, alternatively if you're closer you'd be smacking things relatively quickly and the AoE is really just a circle. To think about it, imagine the pendulum has a damage collision zone these are two concentric circles that deal damage and the target is where the concentric most circle lands, now these two spots can be 'activated' to deal damage AGAIN and create effects. So there is no 'line' aoe marker, but if you imagine sending out a circular aoe in a straight line it ultimately makes a.... line! lol. Additional effects will be based on the used spell but certainly there can be self buff spells too, like Lingering Sorrow which causes the explosions to leave a stack-able DoT debuff to those in radius (each attack done, any attack, by your pendulum after receiving the DoT will cause the DoT to reset duration and increase potency slightly).

These gimmicks can definitely transcend into other mechanics, like if you did a whirlwind swing over around you attack you would then be activating these explosions in circular patterns around you. Later levels could allow you to temporarily have two pendulums (which the gimmick applies to both), two hands, which adds to the activation "schedule" (like Shadow Hearts), and then even a repeater that creates an 'echo' of one hand's pendulum which adds to those effects TOO.

Further you might add construction mechanics like you can create shards which your gimmicks also apply from. So at max level you might have 3 to 5 shards placed around the battle field while you're swinging around multiple pendulums, echoes in both hands, all of which are exploding and responding to you. Fireworks