Hybrid-ize Vampire and Werewolf

PvXGamer

This suggestion is based on the current push by ZoS toward hybrid-focused gameplay with the intention to promote build diversity.

The suggestion is that the vampire and werewolf skill lines get a slight rework along those same lines. Alter morphs to be one side magicka, the other stamina. Vampires could choose between skills that promote caster type skill OR melee martial artist type attacks. Werewolves could continue along the lines they are now or choose morphs that make them more shaman-like in skill use.

ealdwin

While I don't fully disagree with this suggestion, I also don't agree.

The main goal of the push for hybridization is to lower those barriers which restrict gameplay to either purely mage or purely warrior. To make it so that the attributes govern the frequency at which one can cast certain abilities versus others based on which attribute they require; so the choice in builds is what abilities one wishes to use rather than artificially determining weapons and armor weights—to bring build choice more inline with the spirit of the Elder Scrolls. Rather than warrior/mage, it makes it more possible to run knights, battlemages, nightblades, witchhunters, sorcerers, etc. (Look at Morrowind/Oblivion classes to see what I mean).

Creating a magicka/stamina version of every skill doesn't quite achieve that purpose, but rather continues to reinforce the mage/warrior dichotomy. Furthermore, it often results in poor choices between morphs since it relies on a simple binary of magicka or stamina. Rather, what should be done is keep Vampire abilities as spells and Werewolf abilities as feats, and adjust them so that there would be reason a warrior might opt to be a vampire or a mage a werewolf, and make sure the passive benefits are enticing enough to offset the lack of abilities. A vampire doesn't have to rely on their spells, but their nature should still provide benefit to the warrior. A werewolf doesn't have to provide spells, but should enchant the primitive nature of the mage.

The other alternative would be to create three vampire class to fulfill different purposes. The Clan of the Bat for quick, mobile combat abilities, the Clan of the Gargoyle for physical prowess, and the Clan of the Sanguine for powerful hemomancy.

Similar clans could be implemented for Werewolfs. Moon-Born for the more mystical, Hunt-Born for the more quick and mobile, and Beast-Born for the more physical and visceral.

Vevvev

Technically vampire is already hybridized, and lately some of werewolf's buffs have been pushed that way. If you're talking about the cost of the abilities, the way they scale, or the damage types of them I can see that needing more love.

RaptorRodeoGod

They can just do what they are doing to DK whip to all Vampire/WW skills.

Make the damage scale on the highest offensive stat.

PvXGamer

RaptorRodeoGod wrote: »

They can just do what they are doing to DK whip to all Vampire/WW skills.

Make the damage scale on the highest offensive stat.

The problem with the changes to whip, is that it still costs magicka to cast. The same would be the issue here. The vamp skills cost mag, the werewolf skills cost stam. So even if the damage output was dependent on your highest resource, you would still be 'gimped' compared to the opposing resource user due to the size of your corresponding resource pool when the skills you are using require the opposite resource to cast. A mag toon using werewolf skills that cost stam to cast will do way less damage than a stam toon using werewolf skills that cost stam to cast due to the need for the mag toon to use sustain mechanics well in advance of the stam toon even it everything is exactly the same with the exception of the primary resource pool.

A character with 20k mag and 30k stam will cast more werewolf skills before having to worry about their sustain than a character with 30k mag and 20k stam using the same werewolf skills. The opposite scenario would be the same for vampire skills.