Lore
When Oryx conquered the realm, the elements were tilted out of balance and the alignment of planets deviated from their sacred harmony. As fickle malevolence washed over Oryx's domain, the Astrologist's Association, once worshipped and renowned for its clairvoyance, lost its acclaim. Nowadays, what few astrologists remain are considered eerie cultists on par with necromancers, if not ominous shadows.
To rescue the innocent from slaughter and reclaim their former glory, the remnants of the Association have assembled in a quest against the Mad God. Though a peaceful and stoic sect before, the astrologists have transformed their heavenly instruments into lethal weapons of havoc and carnage. Some say that the terror of Oryx fades day by day, and there are even whispers of the return of the Astrologist's Association. In their conquest, however, the astrologists seem to walk ever closer to the cult that they strive to prove they are not. After all is done, what have they accomplished? What boundary remains between them and the slaughtering machines they have sought to destroy? This much remains unclear. Whatever; all that matters is that the astrologist is fun to play! DescriptionThe astrologist is a wand/robe class. His ability is the astrolabe:
When the spacebar is pressed, the astrolabe draws an invisible straight line starting from the astrologist's position and pointing in the direction of the cursor's position for a certain set range and targets any enemy within a certain (small) range from the line. This mirrors the goals of historical astrologists (finding the alignment of objects, in this case enemies). The targeted enemies are then afflicted with a new status effect called bound: all enemies bound with the same astrolabe line take damage when any bound enemy is attacked. However, binding is not perfect: thus, enemies bound together will only take a fraction of the incoming damage. For example, if enemies A, B, and C are bound together and the bond strength (fraction of damage) is 50%, B and C will receive 50 damage if A is attacked for 100 damage. A will still receive the full 100 damage.
To illustrate my point, here is an example of use with a visible line for clarity: With one exception (later), astrolabe lines do not stack: this means if enemy A is bound to both enemy B and C but enemy B is not bound to enemy C, enemy C does not take damage if enemy B is attacked. Again with one exception, only enemies (not obstacles) can be bound. Another detail is that damage affects each bound enemy with regard to their own defense: if, for example, an invulnerable enemy is bound to a vulnerable enemy, attacking the invulnerable enemy will not damage it but will damage the vulnerable enemy.
Note that "length" refers to the length of the line (overall range) while "range" refers to the range from the line. A range of 0 means that enemies will only be bound when their hitbox is touching the line. The astrologist is unlocked by reaching level 20 on sorcerer and mystic. Stats
This is basically standard for a robe class with high attack and wisdom.
The AstrolabesExplanation of Untiered Astrolabes:
Crystal Astrolabe: This astrolabe is the exception to the stacking rule, but it only stacks with itself. Thus, multiple users of the crystal astrolabe can create a "web" of bound enemies, which drastically amplifies damage. Furthermore, the strength of the web increases 5% for every stack, making this astrolabe very potent for groups of enemies. Drops from crystal prisoner. Pirate King's Anchor: This astrolabe is the exception to the obstacles rule: it can bind obstacles as well as enemies, thus enabling safer attacking. Furthermore, it damages enemies on contact, unlike other astrolabes. Drops from Jon Bilgewater. Astrolabe of Nores: This astrolabe looks amazingly overpowered: it has a strength of 100%, damages many enemies for 500, and inflicts slowed and dazed to a whole chain? WTF!!!!!! However, the caveat is that (1) it has a range of 0 (2) it has a sky-high MP cost and (3) most importantly that it requires hitting EXACTLY 4 enemies to trigger (otherwise, it's useless). Imagine the skill required to gather 4 (and no more than 4) enemies in an almost perfectly straight line and aim correctly; this, I feel, merits the mass daze, slow, 100% efficiency, and heavy damage. Drops from Xaklor. Class AnalysisPlaying the astrologist requires a high degree of skill: if aiming is inaccurate, the effects of the astrolabe will be near zero. I believe that the astrologist would be valuable in both co-op combat and solo combat with its unique ability and furthermore that, when used correctly, the astrolabe is able to provide both great crowd control and great boss damage.
That's it for now. Tell me what you think!
~POWER |