What if, instead of busting the tank, bosses executed healers?

[PondHollow]

It would be the tank's job to fend and mitigate this attack, using themselves as a meat shield.

It seems like a more rational strategy for the bosses to use, and would make battles less contrived.

[Enla]

I mean I wouldn't mind a few attacks that target the healer primarily that require some fancy enmity work by the tank in order to keep the healer alive. Though I can't imagine it'd be in anything less than an Extreme mode because I don't really trust the average dungeon tank to pull it off, and no so much because it'd be hard so much as I don't trust anyone in dungeons these days.

[Joven]

I mean, wouldn't that technically be the same thing as a tankbuster because the tank is still taking the hit and if done improperly 1 or more people die?

[Rosenstrauch]

There's a thread on the tank board tossing about the idea of making Cover a role ability instead of Paladin exclusive. I could see this sort of thing just becoming the "Remember Cover Exists" mechanic if that were the case.
But I do like the idea of having mechanics where the healer is specifically targeted and the party has to mitigate and/or heal them through it.

[Driavna]

It would be the tank's job to fend and mitigate this attack, using themselves as a meat shield.

It seems like a more rational strategy for the bosses to use, and would make battles less contrived.

This mechanic already exists in some fights, usually target random people with tethers or something similar. Then we have a lot of stack markers that exclusive target healers.

[Shougun]

Healer buster, just take all their mana and add pacification on top of that (can't use abilities for the duration of the debuff). Then do something like titan stomps right after that, oh they'll feel it...

More seriously though, definitely should include other roles in fights when it feels cool- they do that already sometimes, I don't see why they wont do it some more in the future.

[Stepjam]

I wouldn't be against mechanics that require use of targeted party mitigation I suppose.

[Tlachtga]

So....Spear of the Fury from Thordan Extreme? Mechanics like this would also assume that tanks are generally competent, and we all know that's false.

We already have tons of mechanics that target healers exclusively anyway. And there's been mechanics in the past where successful execution depended on your teammates and it was absolutely AWFUL.

I'm speaking about Phantom Train Savage's tether ghosts, of course. No greater feeling than having your stupid teammates drop the light at the back of the train when you're on melee/tank.

Yea, I'm not a fan. I'd rather my mistakes/deaths be my own fault. Not someone else's.

[ItMe]

That idea has possibilities.
Like,
Boss could tether each healer to a tank. What happens to one happens to the other.
Then launches a buster.

Cool idea.

[Cyreil]

They technically have tried it already with Mr. Sloppy. But the closest I can think of how it being done is through the tether mechanic.