Active Block+Magical Barrier and Defensive Abilities
So this is my first created Discussion but I felt it was a necessary and important one with all the talk about active block/dodge roll. This past stream got me thinking about defensive abilities since active block doesn't make sense with certain weapon types, particularly ranged and magical ones. A dodge roll or sidestep/backstep could be a universal ability, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but blocking with a wand+book or a bow? It just seems wrong. What could those weapon types be given instead as a defense? My suggestion is to give each weapon combo/group their own defensive ability. That way, it's up to the player how they want to tailor their play-style.
I think it's best for all these abilities to share a resource such as stamina/energy, to prevent spam or turtle meta. It should be a mechanic for rewarding well timed uses to avoid/block big hits or combos, not something you are constantly using by default. Energy seems to fit best considering mana already exists and to incorporate the magic shield part of my idea. Call it what you will.
Since we don't know specifically what weapon combos can be duel wielded, we will assume only weapons of the same type, so 2 melee or 2 magic. If it is possible to mix them, for example a scepter and a 1 handed axe, the defensive ability would have to be decided by either the main hand or off hand weapon equipped.
With this setup, every class would have 2 forms of defensives: 1 from your equipped weapons, and the 2nd being Universal.
Melee (dual wield, 2 handed) - Parry
Shield - Block
Ranged - Sidestep
Magic (Scepter, Staff, Wand, Spellbook) - Magical Barrier
Universal - Dodge
Parry - a weaker version of block, only works against melee attacks and mitigates a percentage of damage depending on weapon size (Dual wield starting at 50%, 2-Handed 75%). Can be upgraded through the weapon or class skill tree to block a higher % of the damage and/or defend physical projectiles (thrown weapons, arrows, etc.)
Block- The best form of defense, blocks a percentage of damage (Starting at 75%) from melee attacks and physical projectiles. Can be upgraded through the weapon and/or class skill tree to block a higher % of the damage, magical projectiles and directional magic attacks (frontal cones, channels). Blocking with a shield by default would drain less energy than all other weapon types, and the Tank class specifically would have access to more upgrades for it.
Magical barrier- blocks magical projectiles and directional magic attacks. Can be upgraded within the weapon skill tree and/or archetype to block physical projectiles, reduce energy loss from blocks, etc.
All forms of parry/block/magical barrier would have a 160 degree forward facing blocking angle forcing the user to be facing the right direction. This would make the user vulnerable from attacks from the sides and the rear. I think this part is very important because it allows for more dynamic gameplay where movement matters and it becomes possible to outsmart your opponent by using dodge or movement skills offensively to get around their defenses.
Sidestep- a shorter range form of dodge that allows the user to step/dash to the side or backwards depending on wasd keys, and avoid incoming damage of all types. Can be upgraded within the skill tree or archetype in various ways, like reduced energy cost, etc.
Dodge - a versatile defensive movement skill that can be used to avoid all types of damage by repositioning, avoiding projectiles or powerful attacks. Can be upgraded within the skill tree or archetype to roll further distances and/or cost less energy.
Personally I wouldn't give Dodge or Sidestep I-frames as I believe that takes half of the skill out of the equation. I think if you dodge roll into a fireball or some other attack you should take the damage, but that also depends on other decisions made regarding the combat direction. I think Intrepid are off to a good start to being able to go without it, as we know projectiles are not heat seeking like most other MMOs and melee attacks have a frontal cone, I-frames would not be necessary to make it a useful ability.
On top of this, I would make sure to include abilities available to the more offensive oriented class types that penetrate block/parry. For example, ranger could have a penetrating shot ability that bypasses block/parry but has a chargup time and has to be manually aimed, Fighter might have a devastating strike that penetrates block/parry that is very powerful but has a windup making it somewhat telegraphed/predictable. Tank could have impenetrable defense which is a short channel that can block all penetrating attacks if timed right.
So the general idea here is to provide a variety of defensives matching the weapon type that all have their strengths and weaknesses. Melee's defensive weakness is projectiles, Shield's while strong defensively has a lack of offensive build paths, ranged has the ability to avoid all damage types but requires skill and proper timing to do it, Magic's is physical damage. Each defensive ability can be specced into within the weapon and class tree to enhance them in some way. Certain classes would have higher availability of upgrades and be better suited for specific weapon types, such as Tank with shields, Fighter with dual-wield/2 Handed, and Ranger with bows.
