Elemental Environment Interactions

SamuraiWindu

I really like how the abilities of the Mage archetype speak to the theme of manipulating reality. https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Mage I think there is an opportunity to take this concept farther by allowing some of the Mage’s damaging abilities to interact with environmental hazards and obstacles. Arch Lightning, for example, may ignite flammable objects such as grease puddles, dry vegetation, flammable gasses, and combustible minerals; cause trees and wet rocks to explode; or, upon striking a body of water, become indiscriminate in targeting friend or foe for all touching the body of water within a large radius. Ice Prison could extinguish flames; stopper geysers; or freeze the edges of waterfalls, revealing otherwise inaccessible ledges and caves. Ice Sheet might solidify patches of cracked ice, pools of water, quicksand, molten rock, pools of lava, et cetera, forming floating platforms or otherwise making the surface safe to walk over. Implosion could ignite flammable objects; create obscuring fog clouds upon impact with water; create choking smoke upon impact with fire or lava; or cause thermal fractures in ice, rocks, and crystals causing them to break loose. Prismatic Beam might sanitize swaths of slippery, sticky, or poisonous mold; compel giant mushrooms to shrivel up, change shape, or release their dose of toxic spores; or cause crystals to radiate bright light, potentially revealing secrets similar to how the Mage’s Detection ability works. Quake may fracture terrain, erupt geysers, collapse sinkholes, release noxious gasses, or agitate saturated soil into quicksand.

Innocuous looking vegetation might conceal skulking foes, be poisonous to the touch, have thorns that cause bleeding damage to passersby, or grasp and constrict unwelcome trespassers. Sinkholes, thick vegetation, ice and rock formations, et cetera could hide secret pathways, conceal forgotten treasures, or shelter sleeping foes.

Perhaps the Ranger archetype’s Track ability (https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Track) could reveal these natural hazards and obstacles as interactive, thereby synergizing with the Mage archetype’s capability to interact with them. This quality of the Track ability would be in contrast with the Mage’s Detection ability which reveals illusions and magical hazards (https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Mage's_detection), and the Rogue archetype’s ability to discover hidden doors, traps, and additional treasures (https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Rogue).

The interactions described here may have overlaps with the intended effects of the Cleric archetype’s Cleanse ability (https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Cleanse). Perhaps Cleanse could dispel magical hazards, rather than harmful environmental effects, thereby synergizing with the Mage’s Detection ability. Perhaps the Summoner archetype can create some of the magical hazards that the Mage can detect and the Cleric can cleanse (https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Summoner).

FuryBladeborne

I don't think IS has announced any kind of interaction between abilities and the environment. I have been watching to see as it something that I am interested in. The MMO Fractured that is currently in development is supposed to create a lot of effects such as being able freeze water to walk across and then unfreeze it while the enemy is on it to drown them.

Yuyukoyay

Depends how they would balance something like this. It can't make too much of a difference otherwise it will just piss people off that their damage is being replaced by the environment. They have to do it perfectly otherwise it will just be a negative.

SamuraiWindu

Yuyukoyay wrote: »

Depends how they would balance something like this. It can't make too much of a difference otherwise it will just piss people off that their damage is being replaced by the environment. They have to do it perfectly otherwise it will just be a negative.

I see these environmental interactions as something players would look for out of combat. The Ranger in the party might find tracks that lead to a raging waterfall. How do you proceed? The Mage has you covered. In this way, the Mage's damaging abilities become utility abilities in the right situation.

If a misplaced Arch Lightning happens to blow up a tree or set a bush ablaze during combat, it simply amounts to a cool effect.