Pitch your ideas for Class Scribing abilities!

Erickson9610 · May 15

With Subclassing and Scribing both becoming accessible in the base game this year, it's the right time for the community to discuss what sorts of Scribing abilities they'd like to see added to Class skill lines. I suspect that the cost in Luminous Ink to Scribe a Grimoire for a Subclassed skill line will be doubled, but at least Subclassing makes Class Scribing abilities accessible for every character.

If you want to see which Class Passive Abilities would work if you used a Grimoire for those skill lines, see my previous post here. Note that Wayfarer's Mastery for each of these Grimoires may play into these passive effects.

To get the conversation started, here's a rough idea of what each of the 21 Class Grimoires could do. These ideas are loosely based off of the theme of the skill line or the utility missing within the skill line. Some of these ideas have been suggested by the community before.

Sorcerer
1. Dark Magic — This Grimoire could conjure a dark orb of energy that can be made to deal damage to or immobilize enemies.
2. Daedric Summoning — This Grimoire could summon an atronach whose element changes based on the Focus Script used.
3. Storm Calling — This Grimoire might cast lightning that chains between enemies, like how Shrouded Daggers bounces between enemies.
Dragonknight
1. Ardent Flame — This Grimoire could summon a ring of fire around you, similar to Lightning Form.
2. Draconic Power — This Grimoire could serve as a projectile reflect spell, like Defensive Stance.
3. Earthen Heart — This Grimoire could create a volcano that periodically fires a molten projectile at an enemy within its range.
Nightblade
1. Assassination — This Grimoire could serve as a melee direct damage counter, where you counterattack with a dagger.
2. Shadow — This Grimoire could enable you to see enemies through walls like the function of Blood Scion, which is reminiscent of the Detect Life spell.
3. Siphoning — This Grimoire could drain Ultimate from your target and give you Ultimate.
Templar
1. Aedric Spear — This Grimoire could have you form a Phalanx, staggering your target or granting a damage shield to allies behind you.
2. Dawn's Wrath — This Grimoire could be a melee range spammable that hits the enemy with sunlight.
3. Restoring Light — This Grimoire could be a toggleable channel that drains resources while healing the lowest health target near you.
Warden
1. Animal Companions — This Grimoire could summon a wolf or senche that works similarly to Feral Guardian, but allows you to change the effect/damage type or creature with the Focus Script.
2. Green Balance — This Grimoire could summon falling leaves around an ally that periodically apply healing and/or buffs.
3. Winter's Embrace — This Grimoire could channel a stream of ice magic that deals damage in a conal area of effect.
Necromancer
1. Grave Lord — This Grimoire could raise a zombie that lasts until killed and does melee attacks that snare enemies.
2. Bone Tyrant — This Grimoire could raise a bone dragon that bites the target, which can have the option of using the Taunt Focus Script.
3. Living Death — This Grimoire could afflict the targeted ally with necromantic magic that heals other allies whenever the targeted ally takes damage, with the heal scaling higher the closer the targeted ally is to death (for example, apply this to your tank to give passive healing to the group).
Arcanist
1. Herald of the Tome — This Grimoire could apply a damage over time effect to the target that scales with the number of active Crux, where the damage type is determined by the Focus Script.
2. Soldier of Apocrypha — This Grimoire could reduce the cost of Core Combat Abilities while slotted on either bar, as well as offer the bonus of the Scripts you use to yourself when the ability is cast, with the cost determined by your lowest resource.
3. Curative Runeforms — This Grimoire could transfer the cost in resources of the ability to a targeted ally, where the cost is determined by the type of Focus Script used (for example, Physical Damage transfers Stamina from you to the ally, Magic Damage transfers Magicka from you to the ally, Generate Ultimate transfers Ultimate from you to the ally, and Healing transfers Health from you to the ally).

What would you all personally want to see? All of your ideas are welcome!
@ZOS_Kevin

kargen27 · May 15

I was going to start a thread kicking out an idea for a race Grimoire. I think this thread can handle both conversations though. I'm thinking maybe a Grimoire that when slotted on either bar would increase all race passives a certain percentage.

I have one quick thought on the Templar Aedric Spear suggestion coming from a healer perspective. Usually when healing you really don't want others behind you.

The others I'll have to kick around my noggin a bit.

Erickson9610 · May 15

kargen27 wrote: »

I have one quick thought on the Templar Aedric Spear suggestion coming from a healer perspective. Usually when healing you really don't want others behind you.

Thanks for the feedback! I wasn't entirely sure what else could be done for an Aedric Spear skill that hasn't already been done — we have spear throwing, spear stabbing, and even a shield. At first, I was thinking something that did extra damage to mounted players (akin to jousting) which would fit with the passive to increase damage versus blocking players, but that would hardly be useful.

Then I remembered the Phalanx Verse in the Infinite Archive and how it summoned a wall of soldiers who bashed enemies in front of them and gave a damage shield to allies behind them, like how you'd expect to be safer behind your tank who would block incoming attacks. That was the most interesting idea for a skill that uses spears and/or shields in a way that the skill line hadn't already, so I went with an adapted version of it.

I would like to see a better idea for an Aedric Spear Grimoire, though! Hopefully more people share their thoughts for their own ideal skills.

LunaFlora · May 15

these Grimoire ideas are pretty cool

Dixa · May 15

i'm not sure i would call scribing 'accessible'. for anyone who only plays one character it's actually pretty crap.

Erickson9610 · May 15

Dixa wrote: »

i'm not sure i would call scribing 'accessible'. for anyone who only plays one character it's actually pretty crap.

How so, @Dixa? The Class Mastery script scraps may be easier to acquire with multiple characters, but each of the other scripts are curated to the character you earn them from — it only takes a few days for an account with a single character to collect all of the scripts.

And with Scribing becoming free for all players this July, it will be more accessible than it ever was.

The point of this thread is to discuss what we would like to see from new Grimoires designed for our individual Class skill lines, though. Even accounts with only a single character can Subclass into any other Class skill line, so they'll get the chance to use any Grimoire made for any other Class. That's as accessible as it could possibly be.

Dixa · May 15

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Dixa wrote: »

i'm not sure i would call scribing 'accessible'. for anyone who only plays one character it's actually pretty crap.

How so, @Dixa? The Class Mastery script scraps may be easier to acquire with multiple characters, but each of the other scripts are curated to the character you earn them from — it only takes a few days for an account with a single character to collect all of the scripts.

And with Scribing becoming free for all players this July, it will be more accessible than it ever was.

The point of this thread is to discuss what we would like to see from new Grimoires designed for our individual Class skill lines, though. Even accounts with only a single character can Subclass into any other Class skill line, so they'll get the chance to use any Grimoire made for any other Class. That's as accessible as it could possibly be.

it only takes a few days on an account - if that account has mastered all forms of content that provide the scraps

that's fewer people than you realize. most players with one char will need a month or longer of daily gameplay.

there was zero reason to lock it behind so much vet content and writs you may not be able to complete because you haven't completed the 5 months or so it takes to research everything.

Erickson9610 · May 15

Dixa wrote: »

Erickson9610 wrote: »

Dixa wrote: »

i'm not sure i would call scribing 'accessible'. for anyone who only plays one character it's actually pretty crap.

How so, @Dixa? The Class Mastery script scraps may be easier to acquire with multiple characters, but each of the other scripts are curated to the character you earn them from — it only takes a few days for an account with a single character to collect all of the scripts.

And with Scribing becoming free for all players this July, it will be more accessible than it ever was.

The point of this thread is to discuss what we would like to see from new Grimoires designed for our individual Class skill lines, though. Even accounts with only a single character can Subclass into any other Class skill line, so they'll get the chance to use any Grimoire made for any other Class. That's as accessible as it could possibly be.

it only takes a few days on an account - if that account has mastered all forms of content that provide the scraps

that's fewer people than you realize. most players with one char will need a month or longer of daily gameplay.

there was zero reason to lock it behind so much vet content and writs you may not be able to complete because you haven't completed the 5 months or so it takes to research everything.

That's fair. ZOS should add more sources of Class Mastery Script Scraps.

Though, Class Mastery is irrelevant to the discussion of this thread — if anything, Wayfarer's Mastery would be more relevant, as that Signature Script would tie into the Class skill line's passives for the associated Class Grimoire. Class Mastery has a completely unrelated effect.

Vulkunne · May 16

Completely agree there is more room to diversify the Class Script effects however I think it's also fair to say ZOS is going to have its hands full trying to re-balance things for some time and so this would probably have to wait.

Aside from scribing, I think the concept of subclassing could move the goal post on some other class-specific things as well, such as class-specific styles and other related concepts. You don't necessarily have to make everything available for nothing but work could be done to re-align many of these things and make them more available for those choosing content relative to them.