The AST Move Idea thread

[Morningstar1337]

Disclaimer: This is just a thread to suggest ideas for new Skills or Abilities for AST, not a thread for making it closer to WHM or SCH. Please try to be original with this. This is also a just for fun thread.

Okay so I want to see if anyone had new ideas for abilities for AST (like A way to flesh out the cards, maybe a sect that doesn't rip off its peers to the point of people wanting them to rip them off more, influences from other classes are fine :P) and to share my own.

My own ideas are

• Aspected Malefic: A nominal counterpart to Aspected Benefic, but with effects that are based on the card drawn, instead of the sect. 180 potency, DoT effect + mitigation or crowd control effects based on the card (DoT potency is 30)
• Crepuscular Sect: a Stance that replaces the Regen and Galvanize-esque effects with a Bloodbath-esque one. Allowing allies to drain HP from mobs with each attack
• Hyperion: A reversal of Wildfire. This is a buff placed a party member that stores part of the amount of health the target gets, and restores HP by that much when i is removes, Has synergy with Helios, Aspected Helios and SCH's Embrace for etymological reasons (Helios, Selene and Eos are Hyperion's kids) , but works well with other sources of healing, including Regen. Will not work with Benediction or Essential Dignity.
• Aspected Hyperion: The same, but applies the effect of the sect as a replacement (Noct's field will have a cap of 1500-2000 if applied that way, due to potentially high amount of HP restored this way)

[Roxas_Andrade]

• Aspected Malefic
• Crepuscular Sect
• Hyperion
• Aspected Hyperion

I'd like to see another attack skill, and Aspect Malefic sounds good. I just don't think it should be related to the cards... It could have like 100 potency and apply a dot or a debuff depending on the sect though, and obviously should be instant. AST lack an instant damage skill (not a dot).

I really liked this Crepuscular thing - not as a whole sect, but as a skill. Being able to throw a bloodbath on someone and be able to 'Time Dilation' it, would be AWESOME!

As for hyperion: If it were time based (like you had 10sec to heal the target person) one more sect suggestion: In one sect, it could store a healing ammount and heal the target at the end and in the other it could burst in a small aoe damaging enemies around...

I liked your ideas, OP, it would be nice if they were used...

[TatoRazzino]

Nice ideas! I loved you Hyperion thing and the new Sect, although Astrology won't back you up in that.

[loreleidiangelo]

I don't really have time to contribute anything meaningful before work, but I did want to comment that I like the general concept of this thread. In my opinion, the devs have (and will always) struggle to balance AST because of how they made it perform similarly to WHM and SCH in a vacuum. Well, I think the current "DPS check" meta of the raiding scene isn't helping either, but ultimately it feels to me like there was barely any attempt to be creative with the Astrologian job at all, minus a few select abilities, and that lack of creativity makes them VERY limited in the adjustments that they can make to the job going forward. At this point I'd love NOTHING more than a complete rework and overhaul of the job, but I just know it's not going to be done. :/ It really saddens me, because I loved the original concept the devs had put forward about AST, which was that it would be a more technical job to play healing-wise but that the buff system would be worth it. Imagine my disappointment when the skill list was revealed and the bulk of them were just Cure(Physick)/Cure II/Medica/Regen(Adlo)/Medica II(Succor)/Lustrate copies. The card concept was great, except the relatively punitive CDs on Draw and Draw-related functions is so long that most groups already play as though the card buffs in your arsenal don't exist.

I love the job, but I would have loved it more despite it's rocky start had it been it's own unique healer with it's own different healing method from the start.

tl;dr I love the idea of of brainstorming new mechanics and healing methods for AST but it also makes me depressed at how uncreative the actual job is by comparison.

[Nekotee]

Those ideas are fun !

I like the aspected malefic...
But i agree that pairing it with a card is not good, this means a 7 forms skill (or at least 4 if you see card as pair)
I think it should be an instant damage spell with a cooldown (15 sec)
Which give or could give the AST a bonus (next healing spell +10% potency or next damage spell +10% potency or +10% critical)
=> either a set buff that can be granted... Or to follow the RNGness of the card... A random buff
==> to be sadistic... Having a possible negative effect (-5% potency for 10 sec)

....

The crepusculum sect is marvellous! Yeah a third one that could give AST a new face !
But a drain effect... Isn't that the same as the war skill...
And it would be weird on caster XD
Like... Fire IV ! 12000 dmg critical... Drain 1200hp (supposed 10% leech effect) -> why do i bother healing ?

...

I like the hyperion one, not fan of the aspected version XD

[Ghishlain]

I figure I'd play along since I like the idea of new skills and "what ifs".

Guided Hand - Ability
Recast: 90s
Grants "Fated Draw". Next time the AST uses their "Draw" ability, they will draw the exact same card they drew previously.
Duration: 10s

Just some inspiration while doing work.

[EDIT] More ideas~

Blessed by Fate - Ability
Recast: 120s
Grants "Blessed Draw". Next time the AST applies a card effect via "Draw" or "Spread", the card they apply will also be granted their "Royal Road" effect. This effect stacks with any existing Royal Road buff.
Duration: 10s

ie - If you used Blessed by Fate then use Balance (via Draw or Spread) while you already have an extend effect via Royal Road, whomever gets Balance'd will get the +50% potency bonus (since Balance gets Royal Road'd into Enhance) as well as the one minute duration from Extend.


Divergence - Ability
Recast: 60s
Range: 30y
Radius: 10y
Reduces all healing over time effects by you on target by 50%. Extends effect of all healing over time effects by you to party members around the target.
Duration: The time remaining on the original target's effects


[EDIT 2] This is a lot funner than I thought it would be. *Keeps contemplating*

[Yhisa]

Hmm why not have this

Draw
= draw a card and hold it infinitely until used
= royal road, spread are gone
= astrologian now have 2 card slots availible

Shuffle
= send 1 card in ur hand back to ur deck and draw anothet
= u pick the card u want to send back out of ur 3 slots
= shuffle will now cause the next card to be drawn to be more powerful, but is still random

Celestrial opposition
= no longer stuns
= allows you to place both cards held on all allies for 50% of there potency


Stella
= now is a dot that adds slow to the target but have cooldown

Malefic 1
= now effects malefic 2
= stacking buff once u hit 3 stacks, cause ur next malefic 2 to cost half the mp and is instant

Duirnal/nocturnal sect
= remove the hot/ shields
= have the sects benefit the group depending on the sect we are in
= the sect will effect certain spells and abilities for the astrologian depending on what sect they are in

[Morningstar1337]

Hmm why not have this...

Um...this thread is for brainstorming new ideas for abilities/spells, not changing the existing ones...

[Ghishlain]

Combustion - Ability (... I couldn't think of a better name >>; )
Recast: 45s
Consumes Combust and Combust II damage over time effects by you on target.
Potency: Equal to amount of potency remaining on the damage over time effects. Cannot exceed 400 potency.

ie. if 27s of Combust II and 15s of Combust remaining, it'll do (45 potency * 9 ticks) +(40 potency * 5 ticks) = 605 potency of damage. Since it's greater than 400, it's reduced to 400 potency of damage.


Eclipse - Spell
MP Cost: 631
Cast: 2.5s
Diurnal Sect: Deals fire damage over time.
Potency: 45
Duration: 21s
Nocturnal Sect: Deals unaspected damage with a potency of 260.

[Jacost]

Grand Cross - Ability
Recast: 60s
Places Slow, Heavy and Blind on target and all enemies nearby for 10 seconds.

To give AST some mass-pull mitigation in line with Holystun and Shadowflare.

Alignment - Ability
Recast: 60s
Heal all nearby party members for 200 potency.
Diurnal Sect: Also gives a 50 potency HoT for 15 seconds.
Nocturnal Sect: Shields for 130% of amount healed.

For that AoE ohshit button we so desperately need.