Combat Ideas.

[Padishar]

Ok since I find non-combat related things somewhat boring, (Can anyone say foraging?) I focus manily on well hunting. After awhile, it starts to get boring, since really there's not alot to be done with this combat system, so I thought about it awhile, and came up with some ideas that might make combat more fun and maybe more active. So please, tell me what you think:

First maybe some more combat moves. This'll give more of a variety to players to use and of course the more skill you have, the more moves you can perform. And the RT and Damage would vary from move to move. Some moves would have a lower RT but a lower damage, where as other moves would have a high RT band have a higher damage potential. Also some moves wouldn't even do damage, some would cause only stuns or knockdowns, or disable your opponent in some other way that lasts a small duration. Or maybe disarms them of their weapon or something similar.

The increase of combat moves is what sparked my next idea, which is combos. Combo's would be moves that flow into each other naturally such as something like Slash and then Backslash. Combo's could reduce the time of certain moves and also increase the chance of stun, knockdown and critical attacks. At lower levels, combo's would be harder to perform, but as you gain more skill, your sucess rate of performing combos become higher and higher.

Next would maybe be a slight change to the engagment system. Since I think all it really is right now and correct me if I'm wrong is, Advance <critter> <range> and then attack. to make this more interesting, you could make it so you could advance to the sides or the back of an opponent. This would change from the current system where you could be attacked by 6 or 7 critters at once to only being able to be attacked by 4 at a time. Attacking from the sides or back would make things easier to hit as well as a chance at causing more damage. You could TURN right, left or behind to face different opponents. Also being surrounded causes additional penelties to your attack and defense, which tactics helps you negate and with enough skill, you might actually receive an advantage, like having an opponent attack you, you dodge, and it attacks the opponent behind you.

Again this next idea has branched off of the above one. Making Leap available to everyone, with enough acrobatic skill. And as they have more and more they would be able to leap side and leap behind things.

But to compensate guardians for losing a professional ability, guardians would gain the ability to Leap Attack, which would be instanly engage with an enemy like Leap does, but you'd also make a medium attack. And again more skill, you can attack from behind and whatnot.

I think I remember reading this suggested somewhere else, but having a "Charge" attack, which instantly engages you with the enemy while also making a melee attack. This would be for non-guardians, but instead of Acrobatics this could use Athletics. It would be more fatiguing that Leap Attack and would cause less damage.

Backflip and Backkick would be more acrobatic moves that would disengaged you from combat and disengange you from combat, while making an attack respectively. Backkick would be a guardian only move prehaps.

Having Athletics play a larger role in combat, and having some athletic based moves, like tackle, which knocks you opponent down and stuns them, but knocks you down too. Or if it doesn't already, having it add to your stamina pool so you can perform the higher fatiguing, higher damage attacks more oftens.

These are a few ideas I've had, so tell me what you think, or if they are even plausible. If I have anymore I'll post them, depending on the feedback I get.