So this is just an idea i've been kicking back and forth after collecting some suggestions from the forum. There's no particularly new mechanics, but I think it meets a lot of the current demands in the meta and would be a suitable substitute for a raid Scholar.
Lore"
The Ala Mhigan resistance has a special forces unit of spies and saboteurs. Commonly known as dancers, they travel the realm to broker alliances and train guerillas under the pretext of dance. Wielding ornate but deadly discs called Chakram, they teach military tactics and coordinate martial practices under the pretext of dance. This same art is now employed for the purpose of training insurgents and fighting the Empire from within.
Meta
- Built to meet demand for a more TP-focused healer.
- Goad to interact better with other Dancers.
- Burning Heart works well with SCH to provide fast heals and DPS for healing SCH.
- Flowing Water works well with WHM to provide mitigation like a Fairy.
- Barrier mechanic works well with AST to provide MP efficiency.
- Pairs very well with BRD and MCH.
- Invites a more positive interpretation of dancers in Ul'dah areas.
Gameplay
Healing
Summary:
2 single target heal spells, 2 area heal spells, 1 cleanse, 1 instant cast emergency heal, 1 instant cast aoe heal, 1 raise (with built-in instant cast)
Reactive Barriers
It's similar to the proposed Shaman idea of a buff that heals the target when they get hit. Instead however, it is a reactive barrier which replaces itself with a progressively weaker barrier with every attack. This allows the Dancer some control over how much damage the tank is dealt while they're DPSing (like how the fairy handles healing for SCH). This type of heal is best against single targets but is less effective against many enemies. The alternative heal effect is better for speed runs as the added enmity from the aoe damage allows the dancer to safely burst heal after a large pull.
Healing Buff procs
Dancer is intended to be an alternate choice for a dps healer, able to fill in the demand for a dps-heavy healer like a Scholar. To promote this, Dancers are encouraged to use the DPS stance and maintain DoTs (like Bards) to maximize their healing efficiency.
Healing stance and DPS stance
The Dancer does not use cleric stance but has 2 stances that make their heals better suited for either damage or healing.
The damage stance is meant to compliment a Scholar by creating an effect similar to Ifrit's Radiant shield with their heal. The heal is weaker but it provides good AoE damage against groups. Heals are also faster in this stance to offset the movement-based mechanics common in melee combat.
DPS Mechanics
Summary:
1 heal/dps buff combo, 1 utility combo, 1 hard cc, 1 retreat/closer, 1 area attack,
TP and MP management
The Dark Knight has shown that players are capable of balancing both and the Dancer will force healers to do the same.
As mentioned, the Dancer will expend TP for attacks and MP for healing. To make this work, Dancers have significantly less max MP and Piety than other healers so it forces Dancers to juggle between TP and MP management and forces Dancers to really control MP usage when burst healing. During damage phases, the Dancer will have to manage TP when dancing.
To this end, Dancers have a lot of tools to recover either MP or TP and must work to maintain a balance between the two resources.
Dances as Utility
Summary:
1 hp buff, 1 physical debuff, 1 magical debuff, 1 dancer buff, 1 retreat mechanic, 2MP/TP regen mechanics.
Dances provide excellent utility and are more strategic in their use. This helps reinforce the idea that these dances are not entertainment but demonstrations of military tactics and so the specific dance chosen is one that works to put the enemy at a disadvantage or the party at an advantage.
The combination of dances and stances provide enough utility to offset the need for ACN and CNJ cross-classes, allowing the Dancer to make use of more thematically appropriate classes for utility.
Ideally, this encourages a playstyle where the dancer alternates between periods of heavy burst damage/MP recovery and heals/TP recovery.
Job Abilities
Abiliies
1 Striking Flourish (attack 1a/2a)
60 potency attack.
Flow: attack is ranged. Starts ranged combo.
Burn: attack is melee. 140 potency. Starts melee combo.
2 NAME I (heal)
400 cure potency heal to single Target.
4 Mincing Minuet (Attack 1b)
40 potency attack.
Flow: Combo A1a: Ranged attack. 25 potency DoT over 18 seconds. 10% chance to grant Ardor buff every tick.
Burn: Combo A1a: Melee attack. 90 potency attack. Buffs self. Increased 5% skill speed for 18sec.
6 NAME (Protect)
Increases physical and magical defense of all targets for 1800sec.
8 Heathen Frolic (attack 2b)
120 potency attack.
Flow: Boost A2a: Ranged attack with 15% chance to increase cure potency of next heal by 100. Duration 20seconds.
Burn: Combo A2a: Melee attack with increased damage. Recovers 20% of damage as MP.
10 Cleanse
removes debuff.
12 NAME (Raise)
Raises target from Death. Can be cast in battle. 8sec cast time.
Flow: MP cost of Raise is reduced by 50%. Ardor reduces to no MP.
Burn: Cast time is reduced by 50% (4 seconds). Ardor reduces to instant cast.
15 Burning Heart (class mechanic)
Stance reduces range of attacks.
increases attack power and reduces cast time on most spells by 1 second.
18 NAME I (area heal)
300 cure potency area heal.
22 Quickstep (Movement Mechanic)
Grants increased movement (identical to Sprint) for 6 sec. 60sec CD.
26 NAME (Attack 3)
Flow: Ranged attack for 25 DoT over 18 seconds. Each tick has 10% chance to trigger Ardor. Teleports target 20 yalms back.
Burn: Teleport Dancer 20 yalms to Target's location and melee attacks for 50 potency. Starts combo for Mincing Minuet and Heathen Frolic.
30 Flowing Water (class mechanic)
Stance increase range of attacks
Allows Ardor buff. Ardor doubles next additional effect of all heal and raise spells affected by Flow and Burn. 24 second duration.
DoTs applied while in Flowing Water have 10% chance of granting Ardor.
30 NAME II (job mechanic)
300cure potency single heal.
Flow: applies a 200cure potency barrier for 30 seconds.Each hit reduces barrier effectiveness by 50cure potency. Barrier ends when at 0 potency.
Burn: Target of heal returns 75pot of damage when attacked for 30 seconds. Enmity gained belongs to Target of heal.
34 NAME (Recovery)
Recovers 10% MP and 100TP to entire party. 60sec CD.
Flow: Dancer gains 30pot MP regen. 18 seconds duration.
Burn: Dancer gains 30TP every tick. 18 seconds duration.
35 Slow Dance (job quest)
Slows attack speed of all enemies in range by 10%. Costs 30TP per tick. Dancer's movement speed is reduced by 20%.
38 NAME II (Area Heal 2)
200cure potency heal to area.
Flow: applies a 150cure potency barrier for 30 seconds. Each hit reduces barrier effectiveness by 50cure potency. Barrier ends at 0 potency.
Burn: Target of heal returns 35pot of damage when attacked for 30 seconds.
40 Jitterbug (job quest )
100 cure potency Heal every tick to all party members in range. 10% increase in max HP. Costs 30TP per tick. Dancer's movement speed is reduced by 20%.
42 NAME (Attack1c)
40pot DoT to a single target. Duration 28seconds.
Flow: Ranged attack. 10% chance of granting Ardor every tick.
Burn: Combo A1b: Melee attack. Melee attack where Total damage of DoT is dealt in an instant (360pot) to a single target.
45 Polka (job quest)
Reduces physical damage dealt by all enemies in range. Costs 30TP per tick. Dancer's movement speed is reduced by 20%.
46 NAME (Control 1)
40 potency attack. 30sec CD.
Flow: Ranged attack. Inflicts Silence 4sec.
Burn: Melee attack. Inflicts Stun 4sec.
50 Witch Hunt (Job Ability)
Reduces magical damage dealt by all enemies in range. Costs 30TP per tick. 20% slower movement speed.
50 Eyes on Me (Job Capstone)
30 second duration. Designates one area for buff. Any ability cast will automatically proc any effects. Effect ends when you leave area.
52 Encore (Instant Heal)
Grants 2 heals. First is 600 cure potency. no cast time. Second is 300 cure potency, also no cast time. CD counter starts after second use. 60sec CD.
Flow: Grants a barrier equal to twice the potency of heal. Each attack against the barrier reduces barrier strength by 200.
Burn: Target gains a buff. Buff has 15% chance to debuff enemies attacking target. Debuff increases damage dealt to target by 10%.
54 NAME (Enmity Reduction)
Select one party member. 50% of enmity you generate for duration is transferred to Target. Healing spells are 20% more effective against the Target. Duration 21sec.
56 NAME (Area Heal)
300 cure potency heal to all party members. 90sec CD.
Flow: All party members recover 100 potency MP. Dancer gains 20pot MP regen for 21 seconds.
Burn: Deals 300 potency damage to all enemies in area.
58 NAME (Attack 3)
AoE 30potency attack every tick within a designated area. Persists 18seconds.
Flow: 10% chance of granting Ardor with every tick.
Burn: Buffs party members in area with 5% skill speed increase.
60 Forbidden Dance
The dancer's Raise, Recovery, and Healing spells gain the benefit of both Burn and Flow stances. Costs 60TP per tick. Dancer's movement speed is reduced by 20%. 120second CD.
Traits
8 Enhanced MND I
+2 MND
14 Enhanced MND II
+4 MND
16 Enhanced Mincing Minuet
Improves Attack 1B. Increases duration of benefits to 24 seconds
20 Improved Cleanse
Cleanse affects all party members in a very small area around target.
24 Enhanced MND III
+6MND
28 Maim and Mend
+10% to healing and damage
32 Burning Valor
Burning Heart increases accuracy dealt by 10%.
36 Double Time
Reduces Quickstep CD to 40sec. Quickstep also removes movement speed penalty while in effect.
40 Maim and Mend II
+30% to damage and healing.
44 Invigorating Heal
Heal I has a 15% chance of gaining the Dancer 30TP when used.
48 Enhanced Recovery
extends duration of Recovery to 30 seconds.
Crossclass
PUG:
featherfoot
second wind
haymaker
internal release
mantra
ROG:
Shade Shift
Goad
Jugulate
Story
30-50- Travel through city states, learning how to interpret individual city state military tactics in to dances that can be taught to the Resistance.
- Gridania teaches Polka (reduce physical damage),
- Ul'dah teaches Slow Dance (slows attack speed),
- Limsa teaches Jitterbug (increased max HP),
- Ishgard teaches Witch Hunt (reduce magic damage).
50-60- The Dancer and associates ask Ul'dah to raise funds for a training camp for Ala Mhigan resistance.
- The Dancer trainer npc gains the attention of a stalker/spy.
- Investigation reveals it is Holyfist Hammond, trying to learn how to be a modern romancer and woo NPC dancer.
- Hammond asks to train under you and you could use his martial clout for the operation.
- Cue training montages in the Coerthas mountains and Dravanian mountains as you whip Hammond in to shape.
- Ends with a dance battle against a real Imperial spy in Ul'dah.
60+
Travel around performing the operation of training Ala Mhigans and raising the resistance. Ends in a battle using the combined tactics and troops you trained in previous quests.
Itemization
Weapon: Chakram
Armor: Cloth: Healing Sets. May require new Materia system to slot specific secondary stats for skillspeed and accuracy.
Primary Stats: MND, DEX
Secondary Stats: Skill Speed, Accuracy, Determination.
Keep in mind the actual numbers and durations are estimates based off existing abilities and comparable classes. They are subject to change with testing. I also didn't bother coming up with names for all of the abilities, and the ones I do have are more placeholders because they get referenced.
Any thoughts or input is welcome. Or you can just Like if you support it.
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