Class Morph Idea

TheShadowScout

I have been positing the basic notion for quite a while now... over and over again... and so I thought it maybe was about time I put some more work into this, make a basic concept and post this for discussion... to show people what I am thinking about when I repost the idea, and maybe get some (hopefully not too negative) feedback...

Anyways, here it goes (please don't hurt me ):

Personally I would think the best way to add more "classes" is to give each class, say, three different "class morphs", each with its own new skill/passives line. Perhaps becoming available after completing cadwells silver/gold... to reward people who do play through that – which incidentally would also give people the whole of cadwells gold to focus on making this new skill line… (a "reward" for finishing cadwells gold might be some alliance change quest, but that is another topic, to be discussed elsewhere…)
Some possibilities:


Dragonknight

Gladiator (offensive self buffs & warcries; color: red/orange)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Backhand Strike (physical strike with offhand for additional disorient, stamina skill)
- Morph1: Backhand Bash (+ increased physical damage)
- Morph2: Backhand Slap (+ taunt)
• Challenge (taunt & target does less damage against all other enemies/duration)
- Morph1: Intimidating Challenge (target does less damage against everyone)
- Morph2: Mocking Challenge (+affects nearby targets, max 3)
• Battle Cry (self-only weapon damage buff)
- Morph1: War Cry (+ stamina regeneration buff)
- Morph2: Battle Wail (+ fear AoE for short duration)
• Endurance (increase physical resistance & health recovery, stamina skill)
- Morph1: Enduring Rage (+ increased light/heavy attack speed & stamina recovery)
- Morph2: Enduring Spirit (+ increase spell resistance and cleanse debuff, magica morph)
• Empowered Shout (cone AoE damage & disorient)
- Morph1: Thunderous Shout (+knockback)
- Morph2: Empowered Scream (more channeled damage, disorient when channel ends/interrupts)

Ultimate: Blood Rage (increase attack damage and good heal/time)
- Morph1: Blood Frenzy (+ increased movement speed)
- Morph2: Berzerk Rage (+ increased resistance)

Passives:
• Tough-minded: increased spell resistance
• Arena Champion: reduce cost of gladiator abilities
• Battle Rage: gain stamina for every enemy killed
• Painbringer: gain ultimate when damaged

Pyromancer (flame resist and even more fire; color: yellow/blue - gas flame!)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Fireball (basic flame attack, + small burn DoT)
- Morph1: Explosive Fireball (+ explodes on impact, AoE to nearby targets)
- Morph2: Burning Fireball (+ higher and longer lasting DoT)
• Fiery Blasts (two big balls of fire doing random ground AoE; like NPC pyromancers use)
- Morph1: Fiery Bombardment (3 fireballs)
- Morph2: Blazing Blasts (bigger AoEs)
• Flame Shield (damage shield, does low burn damage if struck by melee)
- Morph1: Inferno Shield (+ burn damage AoE around shield on cast)
- Morph2: Flame Sanctuary (+ shield strength increases depending on health lost)
• Fire Rain (channeled AoE, like Scamps use)
- Morph1: Fire Hail (ticks faster, same damage in less time)
- Morph2: Burning Rain (bigger AoE)
• Summon Flame Atronarch (standard red-yellow flames, toggleable)
- Morph1: Summon Blaze Atronarch (yellow-blue flame, + AoE flame aura)
- Morph2: Summon Ash Atronarch (smoke-blackish, extra damage resistance)

Ultimate: Pillar of Flames (AoE flame DoT, centered around caster, + physical resistance)
- Morph1: Storm of Flames (+ miss chance for attacks against caster)
- Morph2: Pillar of Conflagration (+ extra burning DoT for enemies after leaving AoE)

Passives:
• Flame-Eater: gain flame resistance
• Heart of Fire: reduce cost of pyromancer abilities
• Fuel for the Pyre: gain magica for every enemy killed with fire
• Burning Pain: increase fire attack critical chance

Warlord (defensive group buffs, AoE standards, color: purple/gold)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Command (AoE stamina recharge & recovery buff)
- Morph1: Empowering Command (+ magica recharge & recovery buff)
- Morph2: Rallying Command (+ heal & health recovery buff)
• Standard of Smoke (Enemy miss chance against any target in large area)
- Morph1: Standard of Mist (+ HoT for every ally in area)
- Morph2: Standard of Ash (+ burn DoT for any enemy entering/in area)
• War Banner (increase group movement speed & stamina recovery, toggleable)
- Morph1: Battle Banner (+ increase group weapon & spell damage)
- Morph2: Siege Banner (+ increase group armor and spell resistance)
• Inspire (allies in range gain minor heroism each time you hit an enemy with a standard attack)
- Morph1: Leadership (+ extended duration for each enemy killed while active)
- Morph2: Presence (+ increased area of effect range)
• Standard of Pain (AoE snare and physical DoT while in area, similar to caltrops)
- Morph1: Standard of Harm (+ bleeding DoT in addition to area damage)
- Morph2: Standard of Denial (+damage increased by enemy in area)

Ultimate: Spirit Guard (summon two golden ghost warrior allies to fight by your side)
- Morph1: Spirit Army (summon four ghost warriors)
- Morph2: Soul Guard (+ extra power for summoned warriors, purple ghosts)

Passives:
• Veteran Commander: reduce cost of warlord abilities for every ally in range
• Combined Effort: weapon damage increased for every ally in range
• Strength in Numbers: stamina recovery increased for every ally in range
• Loyal Guardian: armor increased for every ally in range

Nightblade

Illusionist (illusion summoning, mind magic; color: red/black - NPC illusionist)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Paralyze (stun for duration)
- Morph1: Confuse (+ decreased damage after stun ends)
- Morph2: Debiliate (+ snare after stun ends)
• Distracting Visions (reduce target damage & give chance to miss with attack / duration)
- Morph1: Cursed Visions (+ DoT)
- Morph2: Horrifying Visions (+ chance to freeze in panic for a sec every sec / duration)
• Fright Strike (ranged attack that ignores some damage resistance)
- Morph1: Fright Blast (+ AoE damage around target)
- Morph2: Panic Strike (+ fear effect after hit / short duration)
• Sanctuary (damage shield, strength dependent on total caster health)
- Morph1: Shadow Sanctuary (shield strength increased by number of nearby enemies)
- Morph2: Midnight Sanctuary (enemies who strike shield have a chance to suffer blind effect)
• Phantasm (summon shadowy melee attack pet, duration)
- Morph1: Phantasmal Beast (+ extra toughness)
- Morph2: Phantasmal Wraith (+ extra damage)

Ultimate: Chaotic World (ground AoE, random effect on those within each sec, fear, stun, blind, etc.)
- Morph1: Chaotic Trap (+ DoT while in field)
- Morph2: Chaotic Presence (AoE moves with caster)

Passives:
• Illusion Master: reduce illusionist ability costs
• Fata Morgana: increase illusionist ability duration
• Perfect Illusion: reduce enemy spell resistance against illusion abilities
• Chaos Mage: gain ultimate for every illusion ability cast

Monk (melee support & assorted “martial arts” magic; color: blue/purple)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Acrobatic Jump (jump over opponent like rouge NPCs – auto-dodge next enemy melee attack)
- Morph1: Acrobatic Strike (+ auto light weapon attack while jumping, stamina morph)
- Morph2: Shadow Jump (+ re-initialize Shadow Barrier)
• Flash Bomb (AoE centered on caster, blinds enemies in area / duration)
- Morph1: Smoke Bomb (+ dense blue-black smoke cloud, enemy attacks into have 50% miss)
- Morph2: Toxic Bomb (+ thin purple smoke cloud, DoT damage for enemies in/entering cloud)
• Poison Dart (blowpipe dart, slow & poison DoT, stamina)
- Morph1: Poison Powder (shorter range but cone AoE attack)
- Morph2: Defiling Dart (+reduces all healing / duration)
• Power Strike (physical attack that bypasses half enemy armor)
- Morph1: Power Slash (+ Bleeding DoT / duration; stamina morph)
- Morph2: Nerve Strike (+ decrease physical damage / duration)
• Inner Strength (cost magika, gain stamina, martial artist bossfight recovery scream animation!)
- Morph1: Inner Might (+ also gain health)
- Morph2: Inner Power (+ gain increased weapon damage / duration)

Ultimate: Battle Spirit (increased movement speed, dodge chance & stamina regeneration)
- Morph1: Warrior Spirit (+ increased defense & CC immunity)
- Morph2: Berserker Spirit (+ health & stamina recovery on damage done)

Passives:
• Sweeping Strikes: chance to make an additional second hit to nearby target on light attack
• Mental Discipline: add spell resistance
• Lethal Strikes: increase critical rating
• Combat Reflexes: basic 5/10% dodge chance against melee attacks only

Ranger (animal summoning and nature magic; color: brown/green)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Camouflage (reduce detection radius while sneaking, toggleable)
- Morph1: Scouts Camouflage (+ increase speed in stealth)
- Morph2: Snipers Camouflage (+ increase damage from stealth)
• Wolf Trap (much like the traps some rouge NPCs use, damage & immobilize/duration, stamina)
- Morph1: Poisoned Trap (+ poison DoT)
- Morph2: Bear Trap (+ snare after immobilizing ends and increased damage)
• Poisoned Weapons (add poison damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Envenomed Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Poisoned Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Call of the Wild: summons one creature to fight for you, dependent on area)
- Morph1: Call of the Pack (summon two creatures)
- Morph2: Call of the Beast (summon strong creature)
• Campsite (ground AoE, increases resource recovery for all allies in area)
- Morph1: Warded Campsite (+ increase resistance)
- Morph2: Trapped Campsite (+ immobilizing traps vs. enemies around perimeter)

Ultimate: Summon Swarm (AoE centered around target, DoT and spell interrupt / duration)
- Morph1: Summon Hive (+ duration)
- Morph2: Poisonous Swarm (+ extra poison DoT after swarm ends)

Passives:
• Woodrunner: add running speed
• Animal Mastery: add HP & damage to summoned creature(s)
• Tracker: increase detection range vs. other stealth
• Master Hunter: bonus damage against beasts (including werewolves!)

Sorceror

Cryomancer (ice magic, color: white/clear - NPC cryomancer)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Frost Touch (DoT & slow, like Ghosts use but faster cast)
- Morph1: Freezing Touch (+ freeze / duration, then normal effect)
- Morph2: Frost Throw (extended range, iceicle throw animation)
• Ice Wall (like the NPCs use, blocks/intercepts ranged attacks)
- Morph1: Frost Wall (+ cold aura around wall, doing DoT to any enemies nearby)
- Morph2: Ice Fortress (+ wall also adds to physical resistance while staying nearby)
• Icy Weapons (add cold damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Freezing Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Icy Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Winters Breath (fan shaped area frost attack, like DK fire breath, but ice)
- Morph1: Freezing Breath (+ lower weapon damage on hit / duration)
- Morph2: Winters Wind (+ minor pushback)
• Ice Spikes (random four AoE slow & DoT spots around caster, like the frost atronatrch)
- Morph1: Ice Pillar (one spike with larger AoE, freeze chance if hit by ice in AoE, like ice ogres)
- Morph2: Ice Cage (like warmages use, icy ring around caster, high DoT when stepping on it)

Ultimate: Summon Ice Wraith (strong version, duration)
- Morph1: Summon Winter Wraith (+ cold AoE aura on wraith)
- Morph2: Summon Frost Atronarch (big, strong, cold and nasty)

Passives:
• Winters Grasp: adds additional weak slow or snare effect to all cold attacks
• Cold Blooded: increases cold damage resistance
• Chilled to the Bone: frost attacks ignore some spell resistance
• Frozen Word: increases all cold damage

Necromancer (death magic and undead summoning; color: cyan - NPC coldfire)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Spectral Grasp (area snare, dodgeable, like lich)
- Morph1: Spectral Hold (+immobilize, then snare, like NPC necromancers)
- Morph2: Cursed Grasp (+ DoT, like undead death curse)
• Raise Undead (summon one skeleton, duration)
- Morph1: Raise Corpse (summon zombie, +special attacks – punch, vomit)
- Morph2: Army of Undead (summon 3 weak skeletons)
• Drain Strength (channeled, interruptable, do damage, gain magica)
- Morph1: Drain Life (+ also gain health)
- Morph2: Drain Power (+ reduce target spell damage for duration)
• Animate Dead (summon stronger undead, Draugr/Ra-netu, duration)
- Morph1: Animate Flesh (summon Flesh Atronarch)
- Morph2: Animate Bones (Summon Bone Colossus)
• Spirit Blast (like Mannimarco but smaller, two-tier AoE strike)
- Morph1: Spirit Bombardment (+area, Mannimarco sized)
- Morph2: Soul Blast (ignores some spell resistance)

Ultimate: Soul Cage (like the Lich spell, but with extra damage in spell area)
- Morph1: Soul Prison (+duration)
- Morph2: Etheral Cage (+area)

Passives:
• Gravesinger: undead pets get extra damage resistance/HP
• Necropotence: gain extra magica when necromancer pets are active
• Soul Render: do bonus damage against enemies affected by necromancer abilities
• Death Feeder: any time an enemy dies within 20 meters, gain health & magica

Spellsword (melee support & buff magic; color: yellow/orange – golden lightning!)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Force Bolt (magic projectile, does damage and minor breach)
- Morph1: Force Blast (+ AoE damage around target)
- Morph2: Curse Bolt (+ snare)
• Lightning Blades (adds lightning damage to caster and nearby allies, like DK molten W.)
- Morph1: Shocking Blades (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Lightning Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Lightning Charge (gap closer and shock damage on strike)
- Morph1: Blitz Charge (+ AoE shock damage around target on charge attack)
- Morph2: Lightning Steps (+ increased movement speed after charge)
• Thunderstrike (fan lightning attack, like NPC thundermaul but faster)
- Morph1: Thundershock (+ snare)
- Morph2: Stormstrike (+ knockback)
• Mystic Protection (all direct-target ranged attacks have miss chance / duration)
- Morph1: Mystic Shield (+ increased physical resistance)
- Morph2: Etheric Protection (miss chance doubled)

Ultimate: Thunderbolt (high damage singe file AoE shock strike hitting all targets in its path)
- Morph1: Dire Thunderbolt (does extra damage to targets affected by elemental effects)
- Morph2: Chain Thunderbolt (wider AoE path allowing for more targets struck)

Passives:
• Battlemage: spellsword abilities cost less to use
• Combat Meditation: heavy melee attacks also restore magica at 20/50% rate
• Energizer: casting a spellsword ability restores stamina
• Martial Arcane: heavy melee hits will empower your next magica attack

Templar

Shaman (nature magic, totems, summons; color: green/brown)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Coiled Lash (spectral ranged attack, like NPC shamans use)
- Morph1: Spirit Lash (+ ignores some defense)
- Morph2: Coiled Blast (AoE explosion on hit, doing damage to nearby enemies)
• Grasping Vines (like the Strangler AoE attack, AoE damage and snare while in area)
- Morph1: Thorny Vines (+ snare/duration after leaving area)
- Morph2: Grasping Roots (increased area)
• Pollen Cloud (like the Lurchers use, AoE damage)
- Morph1: Poisonous Pollen (+ extra poison DoT)
- Morph2: Irritating Pollen (+ reduced damage / duration)
• Protective Totem (like NPC Shamans use; +resistance AoE, but stun if totem destroyed)
- Morph1: Fortified Totem (no stun if totem destroyed)
- Morph2: Vengeful Totem (DoT for enemies within totem area)
• Floral Blast (cone AoE damage, like the Spriggans use, but stronger)
- Morph1: Toxic Blast (+ DoT)
- Morph2: Floral Gust (+ minor knockback)

Ultimate: Call on Nature (summon strong Nature Lurcher, like in that Greenshade quest)
- Morph1: Call on Spring (summon strong Rain Lurcher, self-healing)
- Morph2: Call on Summer (summon strong Fire Lurcher, flame AoE damage aura)

Passives:
• Naturalist: resistance to poison and disease
• Wilderness Totem: increase spell damage while in totem area
• Deep Roots: increase shaman ability durations
• Nature’s Blessing: gain ultimate every time activating a shaman ability

Crusader (melee support and aura-style buff magic; color: white/gold – holy light)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Divine Blessing (damage & spell resistance buff to self and nearby allies)
- Morph1: Divine Protection (+ small chance for enemy spells to reflect)
- Morph2: Holy Blessing (+ duration refresh chance at suffering damage)
• Crusader Aura (caster AoE aura, weapon damage buff for all allies in aura range)
- Morph1: Fanatic Aura (+ magica & stamina regeneration boost)
- Morph2: Paladin Aura (+ HP regeneration & healing received boost)
• Sanctified Ground (ground AoE, allies increase all resource regeneration in area)
- Morph1: Sanctified Soil (increased area)
- Morph2: Holy Ground (+undead and daedra take DoT in area)
• Blessed Weapons (add magic damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Sanctified Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Blessed Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Divine Light (DoT magic damage AoE aura around caster, + enemy miss chance in aura)
- Morph1: Holy Light (+ extra damage vs. undead & daedra)
- Morph2: Divine Flare (+ miss chance persists / duration after leaving aura)

Ultimate: Divine Wrath (Pillar of Divine Flames, high single-target DoT & snare)
- Morph1: Holy Wrath (extra damage against undead and daedra)
- Morph2: Divine Punishment (less initial damage, but AoE explosion & knockdown when DoT ends)

Passives:
• Divine Favor: reduce crusader ability costs
• Enduring Faith: increase crusader ability duration
• Holy War: increase critical strike chance
• Judgement: casting a crusader ability restores stamina

Witch-hunter (counterspells, spell resistance/shields, silencing; color: purple/red)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Spirit Shackles (immobilize and magica drain, broken by any other damage)
- Morph1: Spirit Chains (+ snare after shackles broken/end)
- Morph2: Soul Shackles (+ magica DoT after shackles broken/end)
• Purge Curse (removes all harmful effects from target, DoTs, debuffs, etc…)
- Morph1: Deny Curse (+ gives immunity to harmful magic effects / duration)
- Morph2: Purge Magic (+ also removes beneficial effects, shields, buffs, pets, etc…)
• Spell Shield (increases spell resistance)
- Morph1: Mystic Shield (+ added physical resistance)
- Morph2: Spell Mirror (+ reflects first spell cast back on caster)
• Chant of Silence (prevents spellcasting for a short duration)
- Morph1: Stroke of Silence (+ damage if cast at spellcasting target)
- Morph2: Chant of Muteness (+ stuns if cast at spellcasting target)
• Magebane (damage after duration depending on target magica use while effect active)
- Morph1: Empowered Magebane (+extra base damage irregardless of magica use)
- Morph2: Overcharged Magebane (damage dealt as AoE explosion)

Ultimate: Negate Magic (yes, -exactly- the one the sorcerors have too, just color-shifted)
- Morph1: Suppression Field (as sorceror)
- Morph2: Absorption Field (as sorceror)

Passives:
• Spiritual Fortitude: add spell resistance
• Inquisitor: reduce cost for witch-hunter abilities
• Fervor: gain magicka every time damaged by a spell
• Injunction: increase witch-hunter abilities duration

Another possible idea was to not only have an added skill line with its own flavor of visual effects, but maybe even morph the existing effects to match.
So for example if a sorceror goes necromancer, their spells might be color-shifted to necromancer "coldfire" cyan, and if they turn cryomancer, their dark magic crystals will turn ice-ish in effects, spells will get color-shifted to white-blue or white-purple, or a nightblade going ranger would have their reddish effects recolored to something nature-ish green & brown... that sort of stuff. For more visual goodieness and varietee between classes.
Perhaps even morph the spell effects to some degree... like, for summoned armor might look daedric on normal sorc, worm cult / lich on necromancer, and ice armor on cryomancer, etc.
That idea might perhaps take a bit too much coding to be viable though... I'd be happy with pure color shifts.

...of course, all those quick ideas are just very rough concepts, without much consideration but character fluff. I merely tried to give some options, and went for three instead of just two "magica-specialization / stamina specialization" - It's supposed to be more for added character diversity then anything else after all.

Thus for example with nightblades, there might be one magica-caster based with "illusionist", one stamina melee based with "monk" (Yes, a nod at the old D&D class of the name, the first “martial arts” powered class I remember in fantasy gaming) and one pet based as "ranger" since nightblades mesh very well with bow, and giving them woodland creatures for the "hunter" playstyle would seem applicable.

Similar thoughts for the sorceror - spellsword for stamina sorcerors, cryomancer since ice staves have no matching skill line yet (while fire and lightning staves sort of have), and necromancer because all too many people really, really want that...

Templar... the druid/shaman is a very natural idea, between breton wyressess, argonian treeminders and bosmer spinners, nature magic meshes very well with Templar healing and sunlight-powered spells; crusader is for stamina templars as the class name has been appearing in TES games before, despite tamrielic religions having less a focus on "cross" then where the name originated, and my "witch-hunter" idea is kinda inspired by the spanish inquisition (Yes, I know noone expected that ), its "warhammer" imperial counterpart and also "Dragon Age", I admit it... seems logical to set up the aedric-flavored templars as natural enemies of the more deadric-flavored sorcerors...

Dragonknight I had the fewest ideas, since I kinda dislike that class. More fire magic for dragonknight magica-casters with pyromancer is a natural first thought... so then I went with "leader-style group play support" and "berserker-style single combatant" flavors, though there may be better ideas then those...

The skills itself are also just rough concepts - some I am quite happy with, others I feel might benefit from more thought and ideas… but it's a start I suppose, a proof of concept kind of notion, something like that… with ample room for refinement and reworking.
(also note that many of those I "borrowed" from existing mobs without knowing the actual in-game name of the abilities, just by remembering what I could from the time some mob used them unsuccessfully against one of my characters, so please, don't get too hung up on the names I used here, all right? )

In any case, since more diversity is always something I would love to see... much more fun having more choices in realizing your "perfect" character, especially since the limited number of skills one can actually use at any one time (5+U) makes people having to think and choose anyhow, so adding more active skills only increases a characters choices, not exactly their power...

Tonnopesce

Awesome ideas but TLDR I’ve stopped on dk's piromancer and Templar witch hunter this two are great! Zos must give you a job...

Brrrofski

The ideas aren't bad, but you post this like every 4 hours...

Sausage

Excellent idea! Class Morphs sounds excellent from marketting point of view too, gives nice little innovative twist to ESO. Definitely would make ESO more original. I dont know if its realistic though, how much it'd time it'd take to do all those, probably a ton. I think sub-classes should be integrated into gears.

TheShadowScout

Brrrofski wrote: »

The ideas aren't bad, but you post this like every 4 hours...

What? Oh, noes! It can't have been that much... Say it aint so! I am pretty certain I usually wait at least six hours between repostings!

Of course, that's only the basic idea. This is the advanced version. See? It has all more details... blame @Gidorick for that, been telling me to add more detail since... well... for many months! And now I finally finished fleshing it out a bit, so... there we are.

Also, rejoice! Since from now on, I need not repost the thing, but can always just link to this thread when the matter comes up!

Shardaxx

I agree, adding class specialisations would be better than adding new classes because it would enable people to extend their existing characters instead of having to start new ones and play all the same content over again which is rather boring.

Gidorick

YAY! Finally a version I can favorite and link in other posts!

Artjuh90

Brrrofski wrote: »

The ideas aren't bad, but you post this like every 4 hours...

haha so i'm not the only one who notices this. said the same in a different post of his

TotterTates

Love the concept, though PVPers would be upset if it was linked to PVE content... heavens forbid.

altemriel

TheShadowScout wrote: »

I have been positing the basic notion for quite a while now... over and over again... and so I thought it maybe was about time I put some more work into this, make a basic concept and post this for discussion... to show people what I am thinking about when I repost the idea, and maybe get some (hopefully not too negative) feedback...

Anyways, here it goes (please don't hurt me ):

Personally I would think the best way to add more "classes" is to give each class, say, three different "class morphs", each with its own new skill/passives line. Perhaps becoming available after completing cadwells silver/gold... to reward people who do play through that – which incidentally would also give people the whole of cadwells gold to focus on making this new skill line… (a "reward" for finishing cadwells gold might be some alliance change quest, but that is another topic, to be discussed elsewhere…)
Some possibilities:


Dragonknight

Gladiator (offensive self buffs & warcries; color: red/orange)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Backhand Strike (physical strike with offhand for additional disorient, stamina skill)
- Morph1: Backhand Bash (+ increased physical damage)
- Morph2: Backhand Slap (+ taunt)
• Challenge (taunt & target does less damage against all other enemies/duration)
- Morph1: Intimidating Challenge (target does less damage against everyone)
- Morph2: Mocking Challenge (+affects nearby targets, max 3)
• Battle Cry (self-only weapon damage buff)
- Morph1: War Cry (+ stamina regeneration buff)
- Morph2: Battle Wail (+ fear AoE for short duration)
• Endurance (increase physical resistance & health recovery, stamina skill)
- Morph1: Enduring Rage (+ increased light/heavy attack speed & stamina recovery)
- Morph2: Enduring Spirit (+ increase spell resistance and cleanse debuff, magica morph)
• Empowered Shout (cone AoE damage & disorient)
- Morph1: Thunderous Shout (+knockback)
- Morph2: Empowered Scream (more channeled damage, disorient when channel ends/interrupts)

Ultimate: Blood Rage (increase attack damage and good heal/time)
- Morph1: Blood Frenzy (+ increased movement speed)
- Morph2: Berzerk Rage (+ increased resistance)

Passives:
• Tough-minded: increased spell resistance
• Arena Champion: reduce cost of gladiator abilities
• Battle Rage: gain stamina for every enemy killed
• Painbringer: gain ultimate when damaged

Pyromancer (flame resist and even more fire; color: yellow/blue - gas flame!)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Fireball (basic flame attack, + small burn DoT)
- Morph1: Explosive Fireball (+ explodes on impact, AoE to nearby targets)
- Morph2: Burning Fireball (+ higher and longer lasting DoT)
• Fiery Blasts (two big balls of fire doing random ground AoE; like NPC pyromancers use)
- Morph1: Fiery Bombardment (3 fireballs)
- Morph2: Blazing Blasts (bigger AoEs)
• Flame Shield (damage shield, does low burn damage if struck by melee)
- Morph1: Inferno Shield (+ burn damage AoE around shield on cast)
- Morph2: Flame Sanctuary (+ shield strength increases depending on health lost)
• Fire Rain (channeled AoE, like Scamps use)
- Morph1: Fire Hail (ticks faster, same damage in less time)
- Morph2: Burning Rain (bigger AoE)
• Summon Flame Atronarch (standard red-yellow flames, toggleable)
- Morph1: Summon Blaze Atronarch (yellow-blue flame, + AoE flame aura)
- Morph2: Summon Ash Atronarch (smoke-blackish, extra damage resistance)

Ultimate: Pillar of Flames (AoE flame DoT, centered around caster, + physical resistance)
- Morph1: Storm of Flames (+ miss chance for attacks against caster)
- Morph2: Pillar of Conflagration (+ extra burning DoT for enemies after leaving AoE)

Passives:
• Flame-Eater: gain flame resistance
• Heart of Fire: reduce cost of pyromancer abilities
• Fuel for the Pyre: gain magica for every enemy killed with fire
• Burning Pain: increase fire attack critical chance

Warlord (defensive group buffs, AoE standards, color: purple/gold)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Command (AoE stamina recharge & recovery buff)
- Morph1: Empowering Command (+ magica recharge & recovery buff)
- Morph2: Rallying Command (+ heal & health recovery buff)
• Standard of Smoke (Enemy miss chance against any target in large area)
- Morph1: Standard of Mist (+ HoT for every ally in area)
- Morph2: Standard of Ash (+ burn DoT for any enemy entering/in area)
• War Banner (increase group movement speed & stamina recovery, toggleable)
- Morph1: Battle Banner (+ increase group weapon & spell damage)
- Morph2: Siege Banner (+ increase group armor and spell resistance)
• Inspire (allies in range gain minor heroism each time you hit an enemy with a standard attack)
- Morph1: Leadership (+ extended duration for each enemy killed while active)
- Morph2: Presence (+ increased area of effect range)
• Standard of Pain (AoE snare and physical DoT while in area, similar to caltrops)
- Morph1: Standard of Harm (+ bleeding DoT in addition to area damage)
- Morph2: Standard of Denial (+damage increased by enemy in area)

Ultimate: Spirit Guard (summon two golden ghost warrior allies to fight by your side)
- Morph1: Spirit Army (summon four ghost warriors)
- Morph2: Soul Guard (+ extra power for summoned warriors, purple ghosts)

Passives:
• Veteran Commander: reduce cost of warlord abilities for every ally in range
• Combined Effort: weapon damage increased for every ally in range
• Strength in Numbers: stamina recovery increased for every ally in range
• Loyal Guardian: armor increased for every ally in range

Nightblade

Illusionist (illusion summoning, mind magic; color: red/black - NPC illusionist)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Paralyze (stun for duration)
- Morph1: Confuse (+ decreased damage after stun ends)
- Morph2: Debiliate (+ snare after stun ends)
• Distracting Visions (reduce target damage & give chance to miss with attack / duration)
- Morph1: Cursed Visions (+ DoT)
- Morph2: Horrifying Visions (+ chance to freeze in panic for a sec every sec / duration)
• Fright Strike (ranged attack that ignores some damage resistance)
- Morph1: Fright Blast (+ AoE damage around target)
- Morph2: Panic Strike (+ fear effect after hit / short duration)
• Sanctuary (damage shield, strength dependent on total caster health)
- Morph1: Shadow Sanctuary (shield strength increased by number of nearby enemies)
- Morph2: Midnight Sanctuary (enemies who strike shield have a chance to suffer blind effect)
• Phantasm (summon shadowy melee attack pet, duration)
- Morph1: Phantasmal Beast (+ extra toughness)
- Morph2: Phantasmal Wraith (+ extra damage)

Ultimate: Chaotic World (ground AoE, random effect on those within each sec, fear, stun, blind, etc.)
- Morph1: Chaotic Trap (+ DoT while in field)
- Morph2: Chaotic Presence (AoE moves with caster)

Passives:
• Illusion Master: reduce illusionist ability costs
• Fata Morgana: increase illusionist ability duration
• Perfect Illusion: reduce enemy spell resistance against illusion abilities
• Chaos Mage: gain ultimate for every illusion ability cast

Monk (melee support & assorted “martial arts” magic; color: blue/purple)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Acrobatic Jump (jump over opponent like rouge NPCs – auto-dodge next enemy melee attack)
- Morph1: Acrobatic Strike (+ auto light weapon attack while jumping, stamina morph)
- Morph2: Shadow Jump (+ re-initialize Shadow Barrier)
• Flash Bomb (AoE centered on caster, blinds enemies in area / duration)
- Morph1: Smoke Bomb (+ dense blue-black smoke cloud, enemy attacks into have 50% miss)
- Morph2: Toxic Bomb (+ thin purple smoke cloud, DoT damage for enemies in/entering cloud)
• Poison Dart (blowpipe dart, slow & poison DoT, stamina)
- Morph1: Poison Powder (shorter range but cone AoE attack)
- Morph2: Defiling Dart (+reduces all healing / duration)
• Power Strike (physical attack that bypasses half enemy armor)
- Morph1: Power Slash (+ Bleeding DoT / duration; stamina morph)
- Morph2: Nerve Strike (+ decrease physical damage / duration)
• Inner Strength (cost magika, gain stamina, martial artist bossfight recovery scream animation!)
- Morph1: Inner Might (+ also gain health)
- Morph2: Inner Power (+ gain increased weapon damage / duration)

Ultimate: Battle Spirit (increased movement speed, dodge chance & stamina regeneration)
- Morph1: Warrior Spirit (+ increased defense & CC immunity)
- Morph2: Berserker Spirit (+ health & stamina recovery on damage done)

Passives:
• Sweeping Strikes: chance to make an additional second hit to nearby target on light attack
• Mental Discipline: add spell resistance
• Lethal Strikes: increase critical rating
• Combat Reflexes: basic 5/10% dodge chance against melee attacks only

Ranger (animal summoning and nature magic; color: brown/green)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Camouflage (reduce detection radius while sneaking, toggleable)
- Morph1: Scouts Camouflage (+ increase speed in stealth)
- Morph2: Snipers Camouflage (+ increase damage from stealth)
• Wolf Trap (much like the traps some rouge NPCs use, damage & immobilize/duration, stamina)
- Morph1: Poisoned Trap (+ poison DoT)
- Morph2: Bear Trap (+ snare after immobilizing ends and increased damage)
• Poisoned Weapons (add poison damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Envenomed Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Poisoned Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Call of the Wild: summons one creature to fight for you, dependent on area)
- Morph1: Call of the Pack (summon two creatures)
- Morph2: Call of the Beast (summon strong creature)
• Campsite (ground AoE, increases resource recovery for all allies in area)
- Morph1: Warded Campsite (+ increase resistance)
- Morph2: Trapped Campsite (+ immobilizing traps vs. enemies around perimeter)

Ultimate: Summon Swarm (AoE centered around target, DoT and spell interrupt / duration)
- Morph1: Summon Hive (+ duration)
- Morph2: Poisonous Swarm (+ extra poison DoT after swarm ends)

Passives:
• Woodrunner: add running speed
• Animal Mastery: add HP & damage to summoned creature(s)
• Tracker: increase detection range vs. other stealth
• Master Hunter: bonus damage against beasts (including werewolves!)

Sorceror

Cryomancer (ice magic, color: white/clear - NPC cryomancer)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Frost Touch (DoT & slow, like Ghosts use but faster cast)
- Morph1: Freezing Touch (+ freeze / duration, then normal effect)
- Morph2: Frost Throw (extended range, iceicle throw animation)
• Ice Wall (like the NPCs use, blocks/intercepts ranged attacks)
- Morph1: Frost Wall (+ cold aura around wall, doing DoT to any enemies nearby)
- Morph2: Ice Fortress (+ wall also adds to physical resistance while staying nearby)
• Icy Weapons (add cold damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Freezing Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Icy Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Winters Breath (fan shaped area frost attack, like DK fire breath, but ice)
- Morph1: Freezing Breath (+ lower weapon damage on hit / duration)
- Morph2: Winters Wind (+ minor pushback)
• Ice Spikes (random four AoE slow & DoT spots around caster, like the frost atronatrch)
- Morph1: Ice Pillar (one spike with larger AoE, freeze chance if hit by ice in AoE, like ice ogres)
- Morph2: Ice Cage (like warmages use, icy ring around caster, high DoT when stepping on it)

Ultimate: Summon Ice Wraith (strong version, duration)
- Morph1: Summon Winter Wraith (+ cold AoE aura on wraith)
- Morph2: Summon Frost Atronarch (big, strong, cold and nasty)

Passives:
• Winters Grasp: adds additional weak slow or snare effect to all cold attacks
• Cold Blooded: increases cold damage resistance
• Chilled to the Bone: frost attacks ignore some spell resistance
• Frozen Word: increases all cold damage

Necromancer (death magic and undead summoning; color: cyan - NPC coldfire)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Spectral Grasp (area snare, dodgeable, like lich)
- Morph1: Spectral Hold (+immobilize, then snare, like NPC necromancers)
- Morph2: Cursed Grasp (+ DoT, like undead death curse)
• Raise Undead (summon one skeleton, duration)
- Morph1: Raise Corpse (summon zombie, +special attacks – punch, vomit)
- Morph2: Army of Undead (summon 3 weak skeletons)
• Drain Strength (channeled, interruptable, do damage, gain magica)
- Morph1: Drain Life (+ also gain health)
- Morph2: Drain Power (+ reduce target spell damage for duration)
• Animate Dead (summon stronger undead, Draugr/Ra-netu, duration)
- Morph1: Animate Flesh (summon Flesh Atronarch)
- Morph2: Animate Bones (Summon Bone Colossus)
• Spirit Blast (like Mannimarco but smaller, two-tier AoE strike)
- Morph1: Spirit Bombardment (+area, Mannimarco sized)
- Morph2: Soul Blast (ignores some spell resistance)

Ultimate: Soul Cage (like the Lich spell, but with extra damage in spell area)
- Morph1: Soul Prison (+duration)
- Morph2: Etheral Cage (+area)

Passives:
• Gravesinger: undead pets get extra damage resistance/HP
• Necropotence: gain extra magica when necromancer pets are active
• Soul Render: do bonus damage against enemies affected by necromancer abilities
• Death Feeder: any time an enemy dies within 20 meters, gain health & magica

Spellsword (melee support & buff magic; color: yellow/orange – golden lightning!)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Force Bolt (magic projectile, does damage and minor breach)
- Morph1: Force Blast (+ AoE damage around target)
- Morph2: Curse Bolt (+ snare)
• Lightning Blades (adds lightning damage to caster and nearby allies, like DK molten W.)
- Morph1: Shocking Blades (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Lightning Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Lightning Charge (gap closer and shock damage on strike)
- Morph1: Blitz Charge (+ AoE shock damage around target on charge attack)
- Morph2: Lightning Steps (+ increased movement speed after charge)
• Thunderstrike (fan lightning attack, like NPC thundermaul but faster)
- Morph1: Thundershock (+ snare)
- Morph2: Stormstrike (+ knockback)
• Mystic Protection (all direct-target ranged attacks have miss chance / duration)
- Morph1: Mystic Shield (+ increased physical resistance)
- Morph2: Etheric Protection (miss chance doubled)

Ultimate: Thunderbolt (high damage singe file AoE shock strike hitting all targets in its path)
- Morph1: Dire Thunderbolt (does extra damage to targets affected by elemental effects)
- Morph2: Chain Thunderbolt (wider AoE path allowing for more targets struck)

Passives:
• Battlemage: spellsword abilities cost less to use
• Combat Meditation: heavy melee attacks also restore magica at 20/50% rate
• Energizer: casting a spellsword ability restores stamina
• Martial Arcane: heavy melee hits will empower your next magica attack

Templar

Shaman (nature magic, totems, summons; color: green/brown)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Coiled Lash (spectral ranged attack, like NPC shamans use)
- Morph1: Spirit Lash (+ ignores some defense)
- Morph2: Coiled Blast (AoE explosion on hit, doing damage to nearby enemies)
• Grasping Vines (like the Strangler AoE attack, AoE damage and snare while in area)
- Morph1: Thorny Vines (+ snare/duration after leaving area)
- Morph2: Grasping Roots (increased area)
• Pollen Cloud (like the Lurchers use, AoE damage)
- Morph1: Poisonous Pollen (+ extra poison DoT)
- Morph2: Irritating Pollen (+ reduced damage / duration)
• Protective Totem (like NPC Shamans use; +resistance AoE, but stun if totem destroyed)
- Morph1: Fortified Totem (no stun if totem destroyed)
- Morph2: Vengeful Totem (DoT for enemies within totem area)
• Floral Blast (cone AoE damage, like the Spriggans use, but stronger)
- Morph1: Toxic Blast (+ DoT)
- Morph2: Floral Gust (+ minor knockback)

Ultimate: Call on Nature (summon strong Nature Lurcher, like in that Greenshade quest)
- Morph1: Call on Spring (summon strong Rain Lurcher, self-healing)
- Morph2: Call on Summer (summon strong Fire Lurcher, flame AoE damage aura)

Passives:
• Naturalist: resistance to poison and disease
• Wilderness Totem: increase spell damage while in totem area
• Deep Roots: increase shaman ability durations
• Nature’s Blessing: gain ultimate every time activating a shaman ability

Crusader (melee support and aura-style buff magic; color: white/gold – holy light)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Divine Blessing (damage & spell resistance buff to self and nearby allies)
- Morph1: Divine Protection (+ small chance for enemy spells to reflect)
- Morph2: Holy Blessing (+ duration refresh chance at suffering damage)
• Crusader Aura (caster AoE aura, weapon damage buff for all allies in aura range)
- Morph1: Fanatic Aura (+ magica & stamina regeneration boost)
- Morph2: Paladin Aura (+ HP regeneration & healing received boost)
• Sanctified Ground (ground AoE, allies increase all resource regeneration in area)
- Morph1: Sanctified Soil (increased area)
- Morph2: Holy Ground (+undead and daedra take DoT in area)
• Blessed Weapons (add magic damage to attacks for caster and nearby allies, like DK Molten W.)
- Morph1: Sanctified Weapons (+attacks increase duration)
- Morph2: Blessed Armaments (+damage increased against low health targets)
• Divine Light (DoT magic damage AoE aura around caster, + enemy miss chance in aura)
- Morph1: Holy Light (+ extra damage vs. undead & daedra)
- Morph2: Divine Flare (+ miss chance persists / duration after leaving aura)

Ultimate: Divine Wrath (Pillar of Divine Flames, high single-target DoT & snare)
- Morph1: Holy Wrath (extra damage against undead and daedra)
- Morph2: Divine Punishment (less initial damage, but AoE explosion & knockdown when DoT ends)

Passives:
• Divine Favor: reduce crusader ability costs
• Enduring Faith: increase crusader ability duration
• Holy War: increase critical strike chance
• Judgement: casting a crusader ability restores stamina

Witch-hunter (counterspells, spell resistance/shields, silencing; color: purple/red)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Spirit Shackles (immobilize and magica drain, broken by any other damage)
- Morph1: Spirit Chains (+ snare after shackles broken/end)
- Morph2: Soul Shackles (+ magica DoT after shackles broken/end)
• Purge Curse (removes all harmful effects from target, DoTs, debuffs, etc…)
- Morph1: Deny Curse (+ gives immunity to harmful magic effects / duration)
- Morph2: Purge Magic (+ also removes beneficial effects, shields, buffs, pets, etc…)
• Spell Shield (increases spell resistance)
- Morph1: Mystic Shield (+ added physical resistance)
- Morph2: Spell Mirror (+ reflects first spell cast back on caster)
• Chant of Silence (prevents spellcasting for a short duration)
- Morph1: Stroke of Silence (+ damage if cast at spellcasting target)
- Morph2: Chant of Muteness (+ stuns if cast at spellcasting target)
• Magebane (damage after duration depending on target magica use while effect active)
- Morph1: Empowered Magebane (+extra base damage irregardless of magica use)
- Morph2: Overcharged Magebane (damage dealt as AoE explosion)

Ultimate: Negate Magic (yes, -exactly- the one the sorcerors have too, just color-shifted)
- Morph1: Suppression Field (as sorceror)
- Morph2: Absorption Field (as sorceror)

Passives:
• Spiritual Fortitude: add spell resistance
• Inquisitor: reduce cost for witch-hunter abilities
• Fervor: gain magicka every time damaged by a spell
• Injunction: increase witch-hunter abilities duration

Another possible idea was to not only have an added skill line with its own flavor of visual effects, but maybe even morph the existing effects to match.
So for example if a sorceror goes necromancer, their spells might be color-shifted to necromancer "coldfire" cyan, and if they turn cryomancer, their dark magic crystals will turn ice-ish in effects, spells will get color-shifted to white-blue or white-purple, or a nightblade going ranger would have their reddish effects recolored to something nature-ish green & brown... that sort of stuff. For more visual goodieness and varietee between classes.
Perhaps even morph the spell effects to some degree... like, for summoned armor might look daedric on normal sorc, worm cult / lich on necromancer, and ice armor on cryomancer, etc.
That idea might perhaps take a bit too much coding to be viable though... I'd be happy with pure color shifts.

...of course, all those quick ideas are just very rough concepts, without much consideration but character fluff. I merely tried to give some options, and went for three instead of just two "magica-specialization / stamina specialization" - It's supposed to be more for added character diversity then anything else after all.

Thus for example with nightblades, there might be one magica-caster based with "illusionist", one stamina melee based with "monk" (Yes, a nod at the old D&D class of the name, the first “martial arts” powered class I remember in fantasy gaming) and one pet based as "ranger" since nightblades mesh very well with bow, and giving them woodland creatures for the "hunter" playstyle would seem applicable.

Similar thoughts for the sorceror - spellsword for stamina sorcerors, cryomancer since ice staves have no matching skill line yet (while fire and lightning staves sort of have), and necromancer because all too many people really, really want that...

Templar... the druid/shaman is a very natural idea, between breton wyressess, argonian treeminders and bosmer spinners, nature magic meshes very well with Templar healing and sunlight-powered spells; crusader is for stamina templars as the class name has been appearing in TES games before, despite tamrielic religions having less a focus on "cross" then where the name originated, and my "witch-hunter" idea is kinda inspired by the spanish inquisition (Yes, I know noone expected that ), its "warhammer" imperial counterpart and also "Dragon Age", I admit it... seems logical to set up the aedric-flavored templars as natural enemies of the more deadric-flavored sorcerors...

Dragonknight I had the fewest ideas, since I kinda dislike that class. More fire magic for dragonknight magica-casters with pyromancer is a natural first thought... so then I went with "leader-style group play support" and "berserker-style single combatant" flavors, though there may be better ideas then those...

The skills itself are also just rough concepts - some I am quite happy with, others I feel might benefit from more thought and ideas… but it's a start I suppose, a proof of concept kind of notion, something like that… with ample room for refinement and reworking.
(also note that many of those I "borrowed" from existing mobs without knowing the actual in-game name of the abilities, just by remembering what I could from the time some mob used them unsuccessfully against one of my characters, so please, don't get too hung up on the names I used here, all right? )

In any case, since more diversity is always something I would love to see... much more fun having more choices in realizing your "perfect" character, especially since the limited number of skills one can actually use at any one time (5+U) makes people having to think and choose anyhow, so adding more active skills only increases a characters choices, not exactly their power...

awesome!!!

@ZOS_GinaBruno @ZOS_KaiSchober @Wrobel

Hiero_Glyph

A few caveats need to be added.

1) Each specialization should require its own quest to unlock.

2) Each specialization should have its own skill tree.

3) Only one specialization can be active at a given time.

4) Players may change their active spcialization at any time once any quest requirements have been completed.

This would make it more of a sub-class system and give players flexibility in play style.

TheShadowScout

Hiero_Glyph wrote: »

A few caveats need to be added.

1) Each specialization should require its own quest to unlock.

2) Each specialization should have its own skill tree.

3) Only one specialization can be active at a given time.

4) Players may change their active spcialization at any time once any quest requirements have been completed.

This would make it more of a sub-class system and give players flexibility in play style.

The idea is to "morph" the class to gain access to that one new skill tree as imagined above. Choose one out of the three, naturally.

With an possibly option to respec that morph, just like any skill morph or curing vampire, etc.

Now a quest to unlock each... that was more then I had dared to ask for.
But it -would- definitely be cooler that way!

bloodenragedb14_ESO

love it, support it, need it......

I WANNA BE A NECROMANCER DAMMIT

ive been one in every tes game, this one is sorely lacking in some death magic

Tryxus

TheShadowScout wrote: »

Illusionist (illusion summoning, mind magic; color: red/black - NPC illusionist)

Spoiler

Skills:
• Paralyze (stun for duration)
- Morph1: Confuse (+ decreased damage after stun ends)
- Morph2: Debiliate (+ snare after stun ends)
• Distracting Visions (reduce target damage & give chance to miss with attack / duration)
- Morph1: Cursed Visions (+ DoT)
- Morph2: Horrifying Visions (+ chance to freeze in panic for a sec every sec / duration)
• Fright Strike (ranged attack that ignores some damage resistance)
- Morph1: Fright Blast (+ AoE damage around target)
- Morph2: Panic Strike (+ fear effect after hit / short duration)
• Sanctuary (damage shield, strength dependent on total caster health)
- Morph1: Shadow Sanctuary (shield strength increased by number of nearby enemies)
- Morph2: Midnight Sanctuary (enemies who strike shield have a chance to suffer blind effect)
• Phantasm (summon shadowy melee attack pet, duration)
- Morph1: Phantasmal Beast (+ extra toughness)
- Morph2: Phantasmal Wraith (+ extra damage)

Ultimate: Chaotic World (ground AoE, random effect on those within each sec, fear, stun, blind, etc.)
- Morph1: Chaotic Trap (+ DoT while in field)
- Morph2: Chaotic Presence (AoE moves with caster)

Passives:
• Illusion Master: reduce illusionist ability costs
• Fata Morgana: increase illusionist ability duration
• Perfect Illusion: reduce enemy spell resistance against illusion abilities
• Chaos Mage: gain ultimate for every illusion ability cast

I love everyone who comes up with an Illusionist class/skill/weapon idea Have a box of cookies.

I actually have an Illusion Staff idea, but this looks pretty cool too. Except the Phantasm tho, but that's due to my personal dislike for pets

illusionarythade

I adore this, I need shaman and ranger so much

ajwest927

I like it

Ra'Shtar

Shaman doesn't go very well with the templar theme.

dodgehopper_ESO

@TheShadowScout I just had an interesting idea. I know there's been a lot of suggestions in the past from some people for DK's to be able to convert their powers to cold effects. The reasoning was that dragons two major forms of attack are either fire or ice (as evidenced by Skyrim) although I have to add that there was a third known variety (the eel looking dragons) that represented poison/fire. At any regard Cryomancer might work for the DK in this framework as well as Sorc. Just a thought.
Personally, I'd like to just see Ice become more common than having Ice Comet and Ice Staff.

Gidorick

Hiero_Glyph wrote: »

A few caveats need to be added.

1) Each specialization should require its own quest to unlock.

2) Each specialization should have its own skill tree.

3) Only one specialization can be active at a given time.

4) Players may change their active spcialization at any time once any quest requirements have been completed.

This would make it more of a sub-class system and give players flexibility in play style.

You have some good thoughts idea here @Hiero_Glyph . I would LOVE quest lines for classes... I would even love if they introduced quests for each of the 4 classes that we currently have. Each part of the quest could require a different class level to complete and once you reach the end of the quest line you are given the choice to morph... once you morph you get a whole different quest to play through.

Upon morph, I'm wondering if it would be best for the player to RETAIN their old skills while they open up the new class skill tree. I think it would be because the other option is for the player to "reset" and have to level their new skill and I would like the old skills of the original class to remain viable for play after the introduction of these class morphs. If a player wants to remain a Dragon Knight, they should be able to. This would mean that all the new classes should be equal in power to the current classes... and not more powerful.

IF ZOS were to go the route of having the class morphs being more powerful and cutting off our access to the old class, I would think we should also get the choice to continue our current class, increasing the power of the core classes to be comparable with the morphs.

I agree that only one specialization should be active at a time but flat out disagree that players should be allowed to switch the class morphs. I like the idea of this being a specialization of their class. This way, especially if we have the quests as mentioned above, players would be encouraged to try out all the quest lines and classes with different characters.

replayability!!

notimetocare

Eh... hate to interrupt the ***, but I think the idea is awful tot he flavor of a TES game. There is too much limitation and specialization in this system. Classes in the first place are limiting to a TES theme, but they required for an MMO so I have yet to complain about what is in now. Adding in 3 subclasses is just too much. Even games that have 4 classes and 2 subclasses are just irritatingly limiting (current example being swtor that a friend urged me to join him on). Leave it as is or just actually push for a full new class that only has the 3 class restricted skill lines.

Gidorick

Your Skyrim-only status is showing @notimetocare

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Intrinsic_Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Classes

Every core TES game prior to Skyrim had predefined classes. Now, Oblivion did allow for Custom Classes (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Character_Creation#Custom_Classes) which I think would be cool with ESO but to say that the "idea is awful to the flavor of a TES game" is just incorrect.

Even Skyrim's world had classes, but they were only used by NPCs (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Classes) I always took the class-less nature of the player in Skyrim to be a symptom of him/her being The Dovahkiin.

dodgehopper_ESO

Gidorick wrote: »

Your Skyrim-only status is showing @notimetocare

http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Arena:Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Daggerfall:Intrinsic_Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Classes
http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Classes

Every core TES game prior to Skyrim had predefined classes. Now, Oblivion did allow for Custom Classes (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Character_Creation#Custom_Classes) which I think would be cool with ESO but to say that the "idea is awful to the flavor of a TES game" is just incorrect.

Even Skyrim's world had classes, but they were only used by NPCs (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Classes) I always took the class-less nature of the player in Skyrim to be a symptom of him/her being The Dovahkiin.

Just to correct things here, classes were 100% customizable in Morrowind as well. Additionally it was possible to max out the 'Knight' class lets say, and still be a tip top wizard in Morrowind. There were more efficient ways to build with some classes or custom classes than others but at the end of the day it depended what you wanted to do. The point is that 'do anything' has been a part of the series for 15 years or more. I've never played Arena or Daggerfall but they were a long time ago. The point: Skyrim-only status isn't really correct. I also would prefer the game moved toward a more 'classless' design, in the same way it was in Morrowind/Oblivion/Skyrim: Where the class was the starting point, but the sky was the limit by end game.

All of that being said I still think extra class morph skill lines would be cool. Like you I want more replayability.

Gidorick

Thanks for the clarification @dodgehopper_ESO. It's been a while since I played Morrowind so I don't recall the custom classes in that game.

The point is, a classless system isn't derivative of the TES series. Perhaps a class based, but malleable system, would be better for ESO. Something like... your class determines your passives but any player can choose any active skills. Many passives directly benefit certain active skills but that would be the choice of the player...

Hmm... that could be interesting.

TheShadowScout

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

I just had an interesting idea. I know there's been a lot of suggestions in the past from some people for DK's to be able to convert their powers to cold effects. The reasoning was that dragons two major forms of attack are either fire or ice (as evidenced by Skyrim) although I have to add that there was a third known variety (the eel looking dragons) that represented poison/fire. At any regard Cryomancer might work for the DK in this framework as well as Sorc. Just a thought.
Personally, I'd like to just see Ice become more common than having Ice Comet and Ice Staff.

The reason I went with Cryomancer for Sorcs is that my ideas would be add-ons, not substitutions. And adding ice magic to a class soo deeply steeped in fire magic as dragonknights... just felt wrong. While sorcerors tend to be more on the caster side anyways, meaning destro staves, meaning it would be a natural fit to let them have a skill line option to mesh with their ice staves...

And yeah, I always thought it "meh" that fire staves have DK flame skills to mesh with, and shock staves Sorc lightning, but ice staves get nothing... thus that particular idea!

Gidorick wrote: »

I would LOVE quest lines for classes... I would even love if they introduced quests for each of the 4 classes that we currently have. Each part of the quest could require a different class level to complete and once you reach the end of the quest line you are given the choice to morph... once you morph you get a whole different quest to play through.

I always adore games that take notice of our character chouces. I loved it in Dragon Age when you got a different intro taking you to the one "plotline convergence point" depending on class. I loved it in mass Effect when you had some special dialouge pieces, or quests appear depending on background...
I would love it in ESO if we had special "Dunmer only" or "Nightblade only" quests that took a better look at the background fluff of those races/classes.
And like I mentioned... I didn't dare ask for extra quests to unlock class morphs, but I would looooove to see it done that way!

Gidorick wrote: »

Upon morph, I'm wondering if it would be best for the player to RETAIN their old skills while they open up the new class skill tree. I think it would be because the other option is for the player to "reset" and have to level their new skill and I would like the old skills of the original class to remain viable for play after the introduction of these class morphs. If a player wants to remain a Dragon Knight, they should be able to. This would mean that all the new classes should be equal in power to the current classes... and not more powerful.

I imagine those "class morphs" as additions to the old skill lines. After all, no player likes it if they loose something they worked on and got used to, so they definitely ought to retain all "classic" class skills. Just gain one new additional sklill line that's limited to their new "morphed" class.
Meaning all Pyromancers would still have all the other DK skills, just with an additional "pyromancer" skill line. All Monks would still have all the old nightblade skill lines, just with an additional "monk" skill line.

Oh, and palette shifts.
Meaning a ranger using a assassination skill would not get the nightblade reddisch effect, but a palette-shifted brown or green effect, to make the new "morphed class" actually -feel- different as a whole. Even if its only in the eye of the beholder.

But in terms of power, none of the new skills should in any way be more powerful then the ols ones. Add more options, yes, since people are still limited to what they put on their active ability slots. But in no way they should be more powerful then any common run of the mill "classic" class skill. More flavor, not more power.

Gidorick wrote: »

I agree that only one specialization should be active at a time but flat out disagree that players should be allowed to switch the class morphs. I like the idea of this being a specialization of their class. This way, especially if we have the quests as mentioned above, players would be encouraged to try out all the quest lines and classes with different characters.

It shouldn't be a "specialization" in that its easy to switch. Not like the champion points, where you just redistribute the points.

It should be a "morph" that can be reversed by redoing ALL skill points (which in itself is enough of a PITA to make that an suboptimal idea), but whose skills each need to be maxed and morphed on their own. Switch to a new class morph, and you have to max and morph all the new class skills. All over again. Without having cadwells gold to help you do it through quest XP.
I wouldn't do it. I'd keep one morph per character, and someday buy more character slots to try all the morph flavors...

dodgehopper_ESO

@Gidorick I'm still really hopeful for a Spellcrafting system. I'd be even more excited if they had some kind of 'weapon technique' system as the fighters guild analogue of what spellcrafting would be. Throw in spears, spear and shield, and shuriken and I'd be happy as a clam. I miss those weapons from Morrowind.

TheShadowScout

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

I'm still really hopeful for a Spellcrafting system. I'd be even more excited if they had some kind of 'weapon technique' system as the fighters guild analogue of what spellcrafting would be. Throw in spears, spear and shield, and shuriken and I'd be happy as a clam. I miss those weapons from Morrowind.

Once I get more details on those done, I may post another topic on my take on the desire of having of additional weapon-ish skill lines... (which I too mention every now and then when someone brings up the topic. Just... with less copy/paste then I used for my class morph idea...)
Because I am missing many things along those lines myself. Polearms. One-handed and magic. Brawling. Bardic Guild playing musical instruments. Even more options for less then choice-ridden skill lines. Crossbows for bow. Alternatives to staves for casters. that sort of thing...

Spellcrafting... well... I dunno about that.
I am kinda opposed to letting people have completely free choice in abilities, since... well... it'd end up with everyone running around with a similar super-effective mix... and I wish to see more choices as viable, not pigeonhole everyone in a set of "must have" spells.
I had always hoped spellcrafting would not relate to class skills, but instead let us make consumable spell scrolls instead... like putting class skills to paper, since then it wouldn#t matter all that much, as such one would be an consumable option, likely difficult to create and thus saved for emergencies rather then fired off at every corner...
But hey, that's me.

dodgehopper_ESO

TSW seems to do fine with a class-free system. The game has a lot of decisions you can make, a lot of different roles (healer, dps, support, tank), etc. Its combat system is pretty rapid though not quite as elegant as ESO's. I'm not sure I agree with the notion that it would boil down to 'the same OP' builds or such that people assume it would be. In reality we don't have a lot of options anyway. If you're a Stamplar you know for instance you must slot at least one aedric spear skill, and you're probably going to use cleansing, rune focus and repentance on a bar. In fact if you're a magplar those skills will probably crop up as well. The passives are actually the more confining element of the Classes right now.

TheShadowScout

ESO could have done fine with a classless system too, if they had balanced it all for that from the start. Meaning way less "nifty skills", way more "lust like the other ones" abilities.
But that ship has sailed and sunk quite a while ago.

I have hopes for whenever they might do a Fallout MMO...

But with ESO, we have to work with what we have, since it would be financial suicide for them to throw away all their work and redo the game system completely at this point. Expanding it like they did with the chamion system, yes, adjusting it as they will do with the veteran rank removal, yes, but a complete redoing it, that'd break their backs.
Thus an idea one can "tack onto" the existing system... to give those pigeonholed classes a new skill line to make choices from!

Jusey1

I actually agree. This allows the player to possibly morph their character more into their own rightful image.

For example, I'm having fun playing as a Paladin but that's pretty tricky to do. However, that Crusader idea would better suit my playstyle and allow me to actually enjoy playing as Paladin. Assuming you might still have some access to healing magic as well for both ye'self and ye' allies.

Gidorick

TheShadowScout wrote: »

Thus an idea one can "tack onto" the existing system... to give those pigeonholed classes a new skill line to make choices from!

I feel like this is the most efficient way to make suggestions for ESO. Just about all the suggestions I make takes into consideration what is already in the game. To suggest that they scrap a system and replace it with another isn't really productive.

This is why I like the class morph concept. It's an expansion on the design that this game already has. It's not really productive when someone just wants a redesign of this game to make ESO just like some other game.

TheShadowScout wrote: »

show previous quotes

dodgehopper_ESO wrote: »

I just had an interesting idea. I know there's been a lot of suggestions in the past from some people for DK's to be able to convert their powers to cold effects. The reasoning was that dragons two major forms of attack are either fire or ice (as evidenced by Skyrim) although I have to add that there was a third known variety (the eel looking dragons) that represented poison/fire. At any regard Cryomancer might work for the DK in this framework as well as Sorc. Just a thought.
Personally, I'd like to just see Ice become more common than having Ice Comet and Ice Staff.

The reason I went with Cryomancer for Sorcs is that my ideas would be add-ons, not substitutions. And adding ice magic to a class soo deeply steeped in fire magic as dragonknights... just felt wrong. While sorcerors tend to be more on the caster side anyways, meaning destro staves, meaning it would be a natural fit to let them have a skill line option to mesh with their ice staves...

And yeah, I always thought it "meh" that fire staves have DK flame skills to mesh with, and shock staves Sorc lightning, but ice staves get nothing... thus that particular idea!

show previous quotes

Gidorick wrote: »

I would LOVE quest lines for classes... I would even love if they introduced quests for each of the 4 classes that we currently have. Each part of the quest could require a different class level to complete and once you reach the end of the quest line you are given the choice to morph... once you morph you get a whole different quest to play through.

I always adore games that take notice of our character chouces. I loved it in Dragon Age when you got a different intro taking you to the one "plotline convergence point" depending on class. I loved it in mass Effect when you had some special dialouge pieces, or quests appear depending on background...
I would love it in ESO if we had special "Dunmer only" or "Nightblade only" quests that took a better look at the background fluff of those races/classes.
And like I mentioned... I didn't dare ask for extra quests to unlock class morphs, but I would looooove to see it done that way!

show previous quotes

Gidorick wrote: »

Upon morph, I'm wondering if it would be best for the player to RETAIN their old skills while they open up the new class skill tree. I think it would be because the other option is for the player to "reset" and have to level their new skill and I would like the old skills of the original class to remain viable for play after the introduction of these class morphs. If a player wants to remain a Dragon Knight, they should be able to. This would mean that all the new classes should be equal in power to the current classes... and not more powerful.

I imagine those "class morphs" as additions to the old skill lines. After all, no player likes it if they loose something they worked on and got used to, so they definitely ought to retain all "classic" class skills. Just gain one new additional sklill line that's limited to their new "morphed" class.
Meaning all Pyromancers would still have all the other DK skills, just with an additional "pyromancer" skill line. All Monks would still have all the old nightblade skill lines, just with an additional "monk" skill line.

Oh, and palette shifts.
Meaning a ranger using a assassination skill would not get the nightblade reddisch effect, but a palette-shifted brown or green effect, to make the new "morphed class" actually -feel- different as a whole. Even if its only in the eye of the beholder.

But in terms of power, none of the new skills should in any way be more powerful then the ols ones. Add more options, yes, since people are still limited to what they put on their active ability slots. But in no way they should be more powerful then any common run of the mill "classic" class skill. More flavor, not more power.

show previous quotes

Gidorick wrote: »

I agree that only one specialization should be active at a time but flat out disagree that players should be allowed to switch the class morphs. I like the idea of this being a specialization of their class. This way, especially if we have the quests as mentioned above, players would be encouraged to try out all the quest lines and classes with different characters.

It shouldn't be a "specialization" in that its easy to switch. Not like the champion points, where you just redistribute the points.

It should be a "morph" that can be reversed by redoing ALL skill points (which in itself is enough of a PITA to make that an suboptimal idea), but whose skills each need to be maxed and morphed on their own. Switch to a new class morph, and you have to max and morph all the new class skills. All over again. Without having cadwells gold to help you do it through quest XP.
I wouldn't do it. I'd keep one morph per character, and someday buy more character slots to try all the morph flavors...

Ooh. Ok. Yeah that sounds like it would be awesome. That way a player who really loves their current class abilities can just stick with those abilities if they really want to.

I could also get on board with the whole respec aspect instead of just switching between the classes willy-nilly.

Gidorick

I just had a little thought about the quest line for the classes. Remember how in the older tes games you had to answer a series of questions and then the game would suggest a class for you? I was really love that creation process.

That could be how this class quest line could work. each quest you go on gives you 3 ways to complete the quest and depending on how many quest you complete in whichever way you get a recommendation of what class you should morph to. Of course you wouldn't have to be that class. It would just be a recommendation based on your choices.

And then that specific classes quest line would be really specialized for that class.