Samurai/Bard Hybrid

[Silva]

Originally posted by xregg
stretch marks from working out for the last 16 years

Unless your talking about the red part which is a misty womans face tattooed on my bicep. Hard to see it on that angle though.

Oh I see it now, I thought it was the plague at first.

[JazyaVechette]

So, I'm assuming the class would (initially, 1-50 title) be called a 'Ronin'?

In order to preserve the Eastern 'flavor' of the class I think there would need to be a couple of things done. Factoring that, and game balance in general, here's some ideas.

*Strict race choices. Human or Erudite... maybe High elves.
*Custom armor graphics. Perhaps a new armor 'class' of wooden?
*Dual-wield, double attack. 1h and 2h weapons usable, fights on Ranger 'damage table'.
*"Song" Lines comparable to Bards: Haste, Regen, Resists, Over-haste.
*'Crippling' endurance-based melee utility attacks: Snare, Slow, reduce NPC chance to double attack, riposte, flurry, etc... possibly -stat debuff modifiers.
*Sneak and Hide, unlinked. (not like Rogues) but do give success/failure messages.
*AA steed would be a nice touch.
*Weapon-based special attacks (similar to backstab requiring a primary piercing weapon) using old 'skill' system.
*Combo ability allowing special attacks to be chained together, or endurance-based 'combo' attacks.

[VelMonk]

That's Super Human Samurai Spider Man, not an EQ class.

[Remfin]

Your idea sounds exactly like a Samarui/Bard in FFXI...I think they've got you beat by almost 2 years

[Iannis]

Samurai should be a subkit in the warrior portfolio, really, not a unique one. Sort of like how the Sword Saint (Kensai?) was a spinoff kit in warrior. Samurai could sacrifice most armor and across-the-board weapon mastery for extreme skill with dual-wielding katana and wakazashi, heightened evasive ability, and chanting themselves into a frenzy.

Plus it would just cut down on the zillions of level 1 samurai running around named Kenshin or ..uh, what was the guy in Ninja Scroll...etc.

[Cybsled]

I've always liked Samurai-type characters in mmorpgs. Hopefully the Blademaster elite class in WoW will be pretty cool (and maybe, hopefully, not just for orcs) ;p

[JazyaVechette]

That's Super Human Samurai Spider Man, not an EQ class.

I'll assume you were primarily referring to the the stamina abilities - these are very similar to the 'utility' Rogue abilities on Test. While true, they do provide *some* utility, Endurance even in its current form is already too precious to burn up; I doubt these other 'toys' will often be used (besides sneak attack and tendon slice)

Anyways, tell me if this is a "Super Human Samurai Spider Man":

Melee DPS: Comparable to Ranger
Melee+Combo DPS: Between Monk and BS'ing Rogue.
Damage avoidance: Comparable to Ranger
Damage mitigation: Comparable to Beastlord

WAR/MNK/ROG Archetype AA's.
Class AA's include: Steed, Acrobatics, Ambidex, Fear Immunity, PE.
PoP Class AA's include: Ferocity, FoTA, Ingenuity, Combo Haste
*'Vanish' (aggro wipe+2tick invis, 1hr) "Ronin creates a puff of smoke which fades to reveal no trace of them"
*Final Strike (Guaranteed max crit hit, at end of next combo - 90sec refresh)

Now it's all fun to think up new classes that'd be cool to play, but what EQ really needs IMO is not another DPS class. What I think we need is a Healing class (between clerics and druids) with minor slows and CC abilities.

[Sarrin Kanth]

Just so you know, this idea isn't for EQ. Secondly, FFXI did Samurai horribly... and putting bard as a secondary in FFXI to a Samurai would only be penalizing yourself.

[Remfin]

I don't see what FFXI did wrong with Samarui. I think most people just expect Samarui to also be ninjas from the movies they see And Bard sub is exactly what the started of this thread wanted. Whether that sucks in the game is up to the game

[Sarrin Kanth]

Wrong, i never said i wanted bard as sub class. I wanted a combination of it into one class as to not gimp, instead make it unique.

Samurai/Bard in FFXI is gimped.

[Pokn]

Just to add on to Furor's point about War's gettin battle chants...

There were also really close ties to Bards and Rogues in D&D pen and paper type games. Early on in the game I always just figured that "songs" would come the way of the pure melee classes.

There's the Rogue pov.

Here's the monk one... Late Kunark they introduced the all class Epics. What does the Monk effect n the gaunts remind you of? That's right..it's basically a bard haste song. Ditto the turn in robe for the Epic.

The Monk epic is probably the closest to adapting bardsongs to the melees that Verant/SoE ever came to introducing them into the game.

The funny thing is that the Berserker class is supposed to be somewhat like this "samurai" class you describe. Who knows how thatll effect balance?

[Sarrin Kanth]

All i have read is that they have axes and throw boulders. Can you post a link where someone like me who is not in beta can get information on these berserkers.