Brainstorming - Active Skills

[Technomancer]

Since I've been here, I, amongst others, have been mainly focused on trying to create complete character classes which is a LOT to do. I've wondered about just trying to think of individual skills. Not trees, just single cool skills with maybe a passive or two to augment their functionality. I wanted to start a thread where folks could just jot down ideas and get feedback/suggestions. I guess I'll start:

Static Arc: Active. Missile attack. Fires a missile that continuously arcs electricity to any foes that the missile travels within a certain distance of. The missile can only arc to one foe at a time. Rank increases damage. (Hydra Rune can cause it to arc to multiple foes at once.)
Arc Spread: Passive. Increases the range from the missile that Static Arc can arc to foes.
Static Spray: Passive. Causes a Static Arc missile that hits a target to trigger an electrical spray centered on target that lasts for x seconds, causing damage to any foes within Static Arc range (including increased range from Arc Spread).

[theeliminator]

That Static Arc sounds a lot like my Ball Lightning.

Grease : Active, The caster creates a large patch of slick grease on target area. Enemies in the grease have thier movement slowed. If a fire spell hits the grease it sets it a blaze and all in the area suffer fire damage. If a cold spell hits the grease it freezes it, making it like rock, immobilizing all in the grease.

[kavlor]

I was going to start a thread like this because I have Ideas but no char to put them on.I wish I could remember them now.

One was an aura type skill that adds straight damage to everyones attack but Im sure I had more to this Idea anyway it would be a bit like an auto enchant except physical damage,it would only be a small boost but could be augmented by other damage enhancing skills.Oh a name for it 'Inspired strength'.

Not got a skill for this could be the above but I was trying to come up with a skill that actually does something for multihit spells like Charged bolt,it could be something that adds damage to each hit but is so low that single attacks would not benefit from it but multihits would(Frozen Orb,Charged strike are other skills) obviously Im thinking of it as a party skill.

[LaZeR]

@Techno- Be careful with Passives. It seems your Passives skills are pushing Skill Runes aside.

Anyway, the main problem with designing Active Skills is Skill Runes. You can't make a skill too simple, like Smite or something, because that's a no-brainer and no-fun(er). Yet you can't make a Skill too cool, because then, as Bashiok said, "and then when you put a Skill Rune in it....".

Anyway, some skills I would LOVE to see in D3:
Invisibility- Come on! Just think of PvP (:
Distraction- Kind of like the Wiz Mirror Image, but instead summons like 20 copies of yourself in a circle around a target that attack together the said enemy, but making no damage.
Protective Shell- Smaller Slow Time bubble that your enemies can penetrate. The cool thing would be that you can cast it on other players/monsters.
Rain of Arrows- Simply for the animation: You shoot an arrow to the sky, it vanishes in a flick of light and then hundernds of arrows fall down for the skies as an AeO spell.

I'll come to you later with some more (:

[theeliminator]

@Lazer- Invisibility goes against every belief that Diablo 3 is about. Jay Wilson said D3 is about nonstop action. Invisibility would promote players to skip mobs that they just didn't want to fight.

I had a idea for a skill much like the Rain of Arrows skill. I was going to make for my Myrmidons where they would throw a Javelin instead of an arrow. I decided not to add it for whatever reason.

Animate weapon - Active, The caster Animates a target weapon that’s on the floor or in his inventory. After animated the weapon floats in air seeking out targets to attack. The weapon has all the states and powers it had before it was animated. At the end of the spell the weapon is destroyed. (Look wise, think of the animated weapon traps in D2)

[Pyrohemia]

Although this shares a name with the D2 skill it is very different.

Fissure: Several large jagged spikes of rock violently thrust themselves out of the ground. Any monsters that are slain by the attack are impaled upon the spikes and others are sent flying from the momentum of the rock shards.


Psionic Force: When cast upon a single monster invisible telepathic force crushes and torments the enemy dealing damage over time. When the enemy dies their body is crushed completely and their blood and guts explode out of the top of their body with a loud pop.

Searing wind: Wind blown flames emanate from the lower torso of the caster. These flames are then blown by hurricane force winds into a circle of revolving fire that licks at the ground around and chars anything that it encounters.

Ice lance: A beam of solid ice rapidly grows from the hands of the caster and engulfs anything in its path. What is left is a bar of ice held in mid air by the frozen bodies of monsters that it has encountered. This acts as a barrier to enemies and leaves those it has encompassed completely helpless. If the beam does not meet any enemies to support it it falls to the ground after casting and cracks to pieces.

Hurl: The barbarian picks up a small enemy and throws it. This does tons of damage to the thrown enemy when it encounters anything solid at high speed, but also damages and potentially knocks back any enemies that encounter this air born monster as well.

Germinate: A viscous jungle flower slowly grows from the head of the afflicted victim. This flower sends roots out that pierce through the enemies limbs and organs and then rapidly digests the flesh of its host. Soon all that is left is a flower blooming at the top of a zombie shaped plant.

Thunder bolt: The user of this skills puts enough energy into their bow that when the arrow is released it surpasses the speed of sound. This gives off a large sonic boom that is often mistaken for thunder. The arrow instantly strikes and pierces any targets in its path before disappearing into the distance or embedding itself in a rock wall.

Inventing these was fun. I will likely be back with more

I really liked Rain of Arrows, LaZer, that would be a really fun skill to use and would look very cool.

[Kalara]

Hmm lazer, that sounds a whole lot like a post I made months ago in a thread "weapons for the 'archer' class"

I would also like to see a Rain of Arrows similar to what you would see from many archers peppering a battlefield with coordinated flights of arrows falling from the skies, something like a more concentrated wizard blizzard but with arrows. This could also work against monsters behind the first wave of attackers. Maybe put a minimum distance on it so it can't be use point blank.

You have some interesting and original ideas Pyro.

[theeliminator]

Psionic Force: When cast upon a single monster invisible telepathic force crushes and torments the enemy dealing damage over time. When the enemy dies their body is crushed completely and their blood and guts explode out of the top of their body with a loud pop.


Hurl: The barbarian picks up a small enemy and throws it. This does tons of damage to the thrown enemy when it encounters anything solid at high speed, but also damages and potentially knocks back any enemies that encounter this air born monster as well.

I like the Psionic Force skill though it don't seem like a spell that would have a cool effect outside of when it kills someone. How about if the target is slightly levitated?
I like the Hurl skill as well and its sad that it probly wont be in D3.

Energy Boomerang - Active, Caster creates a Energy Boomerang that is rotates around the waste of the caster damaging enemies that attack him. If the skills is activated while another boomerang is still around then the boomerang flies at the target mob, hitting all in its path then returns to the caster. The Boomerang stays in game till it deals x amount of damage.

[Pyrohemia]

I like the Psionic Force skill though it don't seem like a spell that would have a cool effect outside of when it kills someone. How about if the target is slightly levitated?

That is actually what I was visualizing when I created the skill, but I didn't think to write it down.

[LaZeR]

@Lazer- Invisibility goes against every belief that Diablo 3 is about. Jay Wilson said D3 is about nonstop action. Invisibility would promote players to skip mobs that they just didn't want to fight.

Maybe, but you can say the same about Horrify, which is by far a more "peaceful" skill than a "nonstop action" one.

To me, it wasn't Stealthy skill. Rather a stratigic skill, where you can disappear and attack the Fallen Shaman, for example, before fightning the little Fallens. Or as a panic skill, like Frost Nova, where you're swamped with enemies.

This would easily be balance with very short time period and with being disable upon an attack.