New profession suggestion : the Lich

[Meass.3521]

Hello, I’ve thought of it for a long time and I’m glad now to present my suggestion for a new class : the Lich.

(credit)

This class should be quite unusual and is supposed to invent a new concept of burst counter.

On the form, this aptly named profession relies its gameplay on health orb, or more precisely health orbs. Life is divided between many orbs, called phylacteries. As a Lich as we know in fantasy genre, it has to commit violent, criminal acts to keep or extend its power and prolong its life.

On the substance, I’ll state class guidelines including related specializations and weapons. So, of course, damage values, cooldowns and some other kind of consideration which aren’t really relative to design shall not be detailed. I do intend to suggest and provide ideas, but without necessarily give exact values.

Have a good reading.

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Guidelines :

Name : LichArmor : LightBase Health : Medium

First of all, unlike other professions, Lich has divided health in many pools. Those pools each get health points quantity, as below :

Every pools called phylacteries is available one by one and has an endurance bar which allows a single dodge. Once character is damaged, first phylactery is affected (on the top) :

Then, phylactery loses health until it reaches 0 and move to the next phylactery after a shorter or longer time.

For example, if character get 3,000 (direct or condition) damages and has 2,900 health points on the active phylactery (as second image), the latter will stand these 2,900 damages to reach 0. At this moment, phylactery is broken (with, why not, a sound or a visual animation) and an invulnerability is given to player. Healing for this time is inefficient and will be converted to barrier for next phylactery. Invulnerability duration depends of phylactery health 1 second before breaking it.

• From 76% to 100%, Lich get 1 second
• From 51% to 75%, Lich get 0,75 second
• From 26% to 50%, Lich get 0,5 second
• From 0% to 25%, Lich get 0,25 second

In any case, remaining damages (so 3000-2900=100) are deleted. After phylactery shattering, it becomes unavailable, which means healing is capped at every phylactery health points unless you’re out of combat. Last phylactery does not give acces to an invulnerability, then player’s down.

Profession mechanic skill :

This class has a single F1 skill, called Ritual of the Lich. This skill is the only way to get back a broken phylactery. Once activated, a bar appears next to F1 and you have to complete it inflicting a certain amount of damage depending of health phylactery for a limited period of time.

(yes, I put a kitten for skill picture)

Once blue bar reach red circle, after inflicting damage (or killing PvP/WvW players), half of active phylactery health is transfered to the previously empty phylactery. It isn’t broken anymore. For example :

Before transfer :

After transfer :

New active phylactery becomes top one until it reachs 0 again, then pass to the next and so on. Ritual has no cooldown, but when a phylactery is broken, you’ve to wait 8 seconds before using it, even if ritual fails.

That has been complex part of the class mechanic. The following consists to develop gameplay or modify it via elite specializations.

The class has 5 specializations each one containing 3 minor traits, 9 major traits, 4 utility skills and sometimes 1 healing or elite skill.

• Destruction : As its name suggests, this specialization encourage to break phylacteries to obtain several advantages or counterparties. It is more about offensive focus but enable defensive bonus too. Utilitary skills are stances effective when breaking phylacteries.
• Affliction : It greatly amplifies Ritual of the Lich using, granting many advantages on activating, during progression, at achievment or even failure. It also provide some utilitary aspects with skills.
• Blood fury : This specialization is the offensive option. It proposes many ways to improve DPS and to obtain advantages playing with bleeding conditions. Utilitary skills are signets, allowing access passive and active effects.
• Phylacteries guardian : Unlike Destruction specialization, this one encourages to keep its phylacteries as much as possible. It is the support aspects of primaries specializations and give access to advantages for allies or itself. Meditations are utilitary skills.
• Purgatory : This specialization is related to condition aspect. It’s giving advantages about condition efficiency and its utilitary skills add a corruption panel.

Furthermore, gameplay would be modified by 2 elite specializations

• Murderer : Considering initial class relies on burst counter, its own burst should be quite poor compared to other class. Murderer allows the Lich to drop invulnerability exchanging with stealthy and offensive aspect. It gives double dagger which may be thrown.
• Blood Mage : It allows Lich to become a real healer. Lich uses its life energy to heal or support allies, wielding staff and banners.

That is the summary. I’ll now start to discribe weapon skills before specializations and related skills.

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Basic weapon skills :

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Scepter (right hand) :

1. Strike your foe and steal some health points. (900)
2. You sacrify some health to bounce an orb of energy between foes. When a foe is touched, you get a bit amount of life. (900)
3. Channel your scepter granting protection and resistance for 1,5 secs. At the end, a small health part is sacrified and a blood wave break around you, damaging all foes (360 radius)

Axe (right hand) :

1. Bleed your foe.
2. You scarify your own skin extending your power by pain. You get 5 might and 1 bleeding for 10 seconds.
3. You’re so much approching madness you induce fear for 2 seconds and torment for 4 seconds to nearby foes.

Greatsword :

1. Slash your foe. Its open wounds make it bleed.
2. Lunge at your target (900)
3. You bash head’s foe with your greatsword, inflicting damage, torment and confusion.
4. If you’re in front of your foe, it’s pierced inflicting bleeding. If you’re behind it, you strike it inflicting direct damage.
5. You get stability and charge forward aiming your greatsword. Every new affected foe receive more damage than previous one.

Torch (left hand) :

4. You blow on torch flame creating a strong inferno inflicting direct damage and burning.
5. You set yourself on fire for 5 seconds and receive 3 burning stacks. All burning conditions heal you until the skill end, pulsating this condition around you.

Axe (left hand) :

4. Slash your foe 8 times, inflicting bleeding for every hit. If you’re wielding 2 axes, attack effects are doubled.
5. Use your axe to push back your foe.

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Specializations :

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Destruction

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Adept :

• Minor : Retaliation effectiveness is increased by 10%
• Major 1 : Recreate a phylactery also gives its whole endurance back.
• Major 2 : Stance gain reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 3 : When last phylactery is broken, your body releases a last life energy wave healing nearby allies. Downed skill 4 heals more.

Master :

• Minor : When a phylactery is broken, you gain retaliation for 6 seconds.
• Major 1 : If phylactery health drops below 50%, critical chances increase by 10%.
• Major 2 : If endurance is at 100% when a phylactery is broken, the next active phylactery will have an increased endurance regeneration by 25%.
• Major 3 : When a phylactery is broken, you gain fury for 8 seconds.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : Attacks you inflict while you’re invulnerable get a higher critical hit chances by 50%.
• Major 1 : If only one phylactery remains, you gain 200 power and 200 ferocity.
• Major 2 : You get an additionnal phylactery. Life points are equally divided between each phylactery.
• Major 3 : Healing values converted to barrier while invulnerable are doubled.

Healing skill :

• Stance. Damages you inflict heal your active phylactery and give barrier to other inactive phylacteries.

Utility skills :

1. Stance. Take no direct damage for 2 seconds. After these 2 seconds, you endure all damage that you should have endure at once (reduction damage are taken in account when attack struck). If the amount of damage exceed active phylactery health, surplus is deleted.
2. Stance. You break your active phylactery. Invulnerability is immediatly granted to you, except if the phylactery is the last, in that case, skill is cancelled and gets 1 second recharge. Gain 15 Might, Fury, Quickness, Alacrity, Stability and Swiftness. Boon duration will depend of phylactery’s life when breaking : 8 seconds if life is between 75 and 100%, 6s for 50-75%, 4s for 25-50% and 2s for 0-25%. Breaks stun.
3. Stance. Remove Weakness, Cripple, Chill, Slow and Immobilize. Your endurance regeneration is increased by 50% for 3 seconds.
4. Stance. You make an area around you, inflicting damages to nearby foes for 5 seconds. If in the meantime, you break a phylactery, damage are doubled.

Elite skill :

• Stance. Activate Ritual of the Lich. If you complete ritual bar during limit time, you gain an additionnal phylactery for 20 seconds. Life points of this phylactery corresponds to total life points divided by total phylactery number. This one has a single use, once broken, it can’t be recovered unless you use this skill again.

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Affliction

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Adept :

• Minor : Activating ritual makes your attacks unblockable for 2 seconds.
• Major 1 : The time required to acces ritual after breaking a phylactery is reduced by 25%.
• Major 2 : Activating ritual cure confusion.
• Major 3 : Weakness duration is increased by 50%.

Master :

• Minor : Activating ritual makes your next attack inflict immobilize for 1 second.
• Major 1 : When ritual bar is completed, it cures 3 conditions.
• Major 2 : Activating ritual breaks stun.
• Major 3 : Hit an immobilized foe inflicts weakness for 4 seconds.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : The needed damage amount required to complete ritual bar is reduced by 10%.
• Major 1 : When ritual is activated, every successful hit gives quickness for 1 second.
• Major 2 : When ritual is activated, boons can’t be converted or removed for 4 seconds.
• Major 3 : If ritual fails, life energy accumulated is released in offensive form and strike nearest foe, in proportion to progression bar (1200).

Healing skill :

• Every 2 seconds for 10 seconds, you regenerate health.

Utility skills :

1. Deal a head-butt to your foe inflicting strong direct damages.
2. Inflict weakness and 15 vulnerabilities to a foe for 5 seconds.
3. Transfer conditions from nearby allies to yourself. After a second, you transfer all your conditions to the target. If you’re targetting no one, you keep conditions.
4. You make a smokescreen on your foe pulsating blind every second for 3 seconds.

Elite skill :

• Release a large smoke area where foes periodically receive blind and vulnerability for 8 seconds.

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Blood fury

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Adept :

• Minor : Ritual of the Lich grants fury for 5 seconds when activated.
• Major 1 : Gain power based on your vitality : 10%.
• Major 2 : Axe skill 2 grants now boons to 5 allies. For each allie who benefits from these boons, you receive 1 bleeding. Axe skills gain reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 3 : Induce fear for 2 seconds and torment for 4 seconds to nearby foes when you take falling damage or use a heal skill. Take less damage from falling.

Master :

• Minor : Gain stability for 4 seconds when using a healing skill.
• Major 1 : Deal increased direct damage per condition on your target.
• Major 2 : Deal increased damage striking foe that is stunned or knocked down. Control duration are increased by 20%.
• Major 3 : When you swap weapons, you inflict bleeding to nearby foe.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : Bleeding duration is increased by 33%.
• Major 1 : Your direct damage are increased by 1% for every bleeding stack affecting target (maximum 20%)
• Major 2 : Gain 3 might for 8 seconds activating a signet which gain reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 3 : When you suffer from bleeding, each hit you endure give you might for 4 seconds.

Healing skill :

• Signet.Passive : When ritual is activated, phylactery recovers some health and cure conditions every second.Active : Remove 3 conditions, heal yourself and gain health bonus for each condition removed.

Utility skills :

1. Signet.Passive : Faster endurance regeneration.Active : You dodge back.
2. Signet.Passive : Grant 180 Ferocity.
   Active : You jump to your target, then knock down it for 2 second.
3. Signet.Passive : Ritual bar gain periodically a small quantity of progression.Active : Up to 50% of ritual bar progression can be consumed to proportionally improve your power.
4. Signet.Passive : Reduce incoming damage by 10%.Active : Revive nearby allies.

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Phylacteries guardian

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Adept :

• Minor : Regeneration effectiveness is increased by 10%.
• Major 1 : At the end of an invulnerability, you gain regeneration for 5 seconds.
• Major 2 : Gain protection for 3 seconds to all nearby allies when using a healing skill.
• Major 3 : If you get resistance, it also reduces duration of movement-impairing conditions by 66%.

Master :

• Minor : If all phylacteries are intact, movement speed is increased by 25%.
• Major 1 : Gain vigor when successfully evading an attack.
• Major 2 : Using meditation skill now cure 1 condition. Meditation gain reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 3 : Reduce damage dealt to you from nearby foes by 10%.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : If your current phylactery health is above 90%, gain 200 Concentration.
• Major 1 : If endurance isn’t at the maximum, successful hit heals you.
• Major 2 : Scepter skill 3 give boons to all nearby allies. Duration of these boons is increased by 50%. Scepter skills recharge is reduced by 20%.
• Major 3 : Removing a condition to yourself heals nearby allies.

Healing skill :

• Meditation. Instead of beeing broken, next phylactery reaching 0 life points resists, half regenerates and recover its whole endurance.

Utility skills :

1. Meditation. Gain quickness for 2 seconds for each intact phylactery.
2. Meditation. Create an area to the targeted location where all allies gain regeneration for 5 seconds and resistance for 2,5 seconds. Water field.
3. Meditation. Gain protection for 5 seconds. Breaks stun.
4. Meditation. Copy boons from your target to you without remove them (same duration as mesmer signet of inspiration).

Elite skill :

• Meditation. Allies gain protection, regeneration and resistance. The more active phylactery is old, the more boon duration will be increased.

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Purgatory

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Adept :

• Minor : Gain 120 condition damage while wielding a torch.
• Major 1 : Gain superspeed when inflicting bleeding (cd : 20s)
• Major 2 : Blocking an attack cure 1 condition.
• Major 3 : Run faster when wielding a one-hand weapon, also reduce duration of movement-impairing conditions by 33%.

Master :

• Minor : When Ritual of the Lich is completed, you gain 5 Might.
• Major 1 : When using greatsword skill 5, you also gain protection and resitance. Greatsword skills gaind reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 2 : Moving while you get swiftness increase your condition damage by 10%.
• Major 3 : If you gain barrier when you heal yourself and being invulnerable, you convert 3 conditions into boons.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : Inflict confusion to a foe if you stun or knock it.
• Major 1 : When Ritual of the Lich is activated, critical have a chance to inflict burn. Burning damage is increased by 10%.
• Major 2 : Attack speed is increased by 20% when you suffer from bleeding.
• Major 3 : When a phylactery is borken, it blows up and stuns nearby foes.

Utility skills :

1. Bleed your foe for each strike it deals on you for 3 seconds.
2. You cast a bloody shield around you, blocking the next 3 attacks.
3. Convert 3 conditions into boons.
4. Corrupt 3 boons on your foe into conditions.

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Elite Specializations

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Murderer

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Double daggers :

1. Throw a dagger to your foe (900)
2. By a powerful strike, you throw a dagger which bounces between many foes. Teleport to last foe the dagger targeted. (900)
3. Shoot a slow and precise dagger which makes low damage if it strikes in front of your foe but makes much more damage if it strikes from behind. (900)
4. You dodge behind a nearby foe and strike it quickly, inflicting bleeding and damage.
5. You dodge back for 1/2s evasiveness duration.

Adept :

• Minor : Gain acces to double daggers. Instead of be invulnerable, break a phylactery give now up to 4 seconds stealth depending of phylactery health one second before breaking it.

  • From 76% to 100%, you get 4 seconds.
  • From 51% to 75%, you get 3 seconds.
  • From 26% to 50%, you get 2 seconds.
  • From 0% to 25%, you get 1 seconds.

• Major 1 : Gain vigor for 4 seconds using murderer skills which gain reduced recharge by 20%.

• Major 2 : Activating Ritual of the Lich do not reveal anymore.

• Major 3 : Gain fury when successfully evading an attack.

Master :

• Minor : Fury give now 100 ferocity.
• Major 1 : Dagger skill 1 improve range to 1200. Daggers skills recharge is reduced by 20%.
• Major 2 : Gain ferocity based on your precision : 10%.
• Major 3 : If revealed, you get Swiftness.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : Gain might for 5 seconds every second when you’re stealthy.
• Major 1 : When you grant yourself stealth, you create a decoy using same skills as double daggers. It is shattered when you’re revealed.
• Major 2 : Stealth last 50% longer.
• Major 3 : Grant yourself stealth cure 2 conditions.

Healing skill :

• When you go down, stomp a foe or inflict an amount of damage in the next period of time, you consume life force to recover phylactery health and double its value for 3 seconds.

Utility skills :

1. All nearby foes you hit during the last 3 seconds are revealed.
2. Grant stealth and superspeed for 3 seconds.
3. Create a decoy on you with same skills as double dagger. This decoy can be created only if you are stealthy and is shattered when you’re revealed.
4. Your attacks are unblockable for 4 seconds. Gain 5 might for 8 seconds. Breaks stun and cancel reveal effect.

Elite skill :

• You throw two daggers to your foe. If you struck in front of it, you inflict strong damage, blind and bleeding. If you struck from behind, you inflict moderate damage, you knock it back for 2 seconds, lunge at it and remove your daggers inflicting more damage.

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Blood Mage

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Staff :

1. If you target an allie, a small amount of your phylactery health is transferred to heal it to double value. If you target a foe, you inflict damage. In both cases, the more link is maintained, the more effects are powerful. (1200)
2. In return for a small amount of phylactery health, your foe is taunted for 4 seconds. (1200)
3. In return for a small amount of phylactery health, teleport yourself to a foe or allie target. If this target is suffering from bleeding, these are cured and you receive heal depending of bleeding stack number. (1200).
4. In return for a small amount of phylactery health, you create a small area to the targeted location where foes get bleeding and stun for 2 seconds. (1200)
5. Your life energy blows up in a area you targeted and heals allies. The more active phylactery life points are low, the more it improves healing (improve each 25%). (1200)

Adept :

• Minor : Gain acces to staff. Healing allies also lightly fills ritual bar.
• Major 1 : First hit you receive in combat is cancelled.
• Major 2 : Gain toughness based on your healing power : 10%.
• Major 3 : When ritual bar is completed, you gain resistance for 5 seconds.

Master :

• Minor : You revive allied players 10% faster.
• Major 1 : Increase healing power of nearby allies by 100.
• Major 2 : When you revive an allie, it’ll get back 20% additional life points (non-cumulative between players).
• Major 3 : Banners periodically heal allies. They gain reduced recharge by 20%.

Grandmaster :

• Minor : When Ritual of the Lich is activated, outgoing healing effectiveness is increased by 10% while wielding a staff.
• Major 1 : Wield a staff increase your vitality by 250. Staff skills gain reduced recharge by 20%.
• Major 2 : When you’re suffering from bleeding, you receive health every second. The healing quantity only depends on your healing power and healing effectiveness (it continues to heal even while under resistance effect).
• Major 3 : Healing skills break stun.

Healing skill :

• Banner. You break your active phylactery and transfer its life energy to a banner. Life points sacrified is given to allies each time to its exact amount, which can be increased by your healing power and healing effectiveness.

Utility skills :

1. Banner. Increase outgoing damage of nearby allies by 5%. Every broken phylactery at the skill cast improve this value of 5% (up to 15%). Banner cast cost a small amount of your health.
2. Banner. A smoke area is created for many seconds, providing a smoke combo area to all allies. Banner cast cost a small amount of your health.
3. Banner. Consume life energy of nearby allies. After 5 seconds, it releases an energy wave healing allies and inflicting damage to foes, depending of consuming amount. The more players spent time in banner area, the more it improves quantity. Banner cast cost a small amount of your health.
4. Banner. It periodically cures movement-impairing conditions. Banner cast cost a small amount of your health.

Elite skill :

• Banner. Create an area where foes can’t receive boons, allies periodically clean their conditions and heal themself. Banner cast cost a small amount of your health.

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That is my new class suggestion. Do not hesitate to tell me if it gives you desire to try it, if you have any idea or suggestion which would be interesting or if there are some problematic points. I am aware that this description may be incomplete (even if its lengh suggest the opposite), but the idea wasn’t to think about meta or balance, but rather give you an idea about what I had in mind.Thanks a lot for reading my suggestion, I’m looking forward to reading you. :)

[Eekasqueak.7850]

Too similar to Necromancer in concept. I think we have enough classes and they should focus on improving what we have

[Scar.1793]

Yup not a Necromancer theme at all...

As Eekasqueak said we already have enough professions. Anet can’t go like Blizzard for 2 simple reasons:

• They already have issues to properly balance the classes that already exist.

• Not enough money or manpower to create a pure team dedicated to class balance like Blizz.

“Don’t you guys have phones?!”

[Batel.9206]

As others have said, it does seem to be a little too close to the Necromancer profession.

However, I love the idea behind it. I could see this, or parts of this, being the next elite spec for the Necromancer! :D

[Noha.3749]

I love and respect the time you took with this, but im kinda with the rest of the commentsection here, its too similar to a necromancer and we dont need more professions.However i can see some parts of it being put into a new elite for either necro or revenant.

Give revenants a greatsword and the ability to invoce some famous/infamous Lich! would be quite similar to reaper necros though, but every profession elite takes a little bit of another existing professions "benefits". Revenants can invoke a bunch of "relatively" good guys to his aid, need more dark stuff for rev :)

[Aplethoraof.2643]

This is far too similar to a necromancer.

That being said, it would make a delightful necromancer e-spec.

Didn't they say they weren't going to make more classes, anywho?

[Lily.1935]

@Aplethoraof.2643 said:This is far too similar to a necromancer.

That being said, it would make a delightful necromancer e-spec.

Didn't they say they weren't going to make more classes, anywho?

They also said that necromancer would apply confusion as one of its conditions, but that has yet to happen. They also said necromancer was supposed to be an attrition profession but its mechanic is bad for that. They also said necromancer would be the home for monk players from gw1 but that didn't happen. They also said they'd fix the female necromancer axe auto animation but that never happened.

Don't believe everything they say. You'll just end up disappointed. And if a new profession does make it in, Ritualist is a likely candidate. If it doesn't become the inspiration for a necromancer shaman spec or is actually just a necro spec.

[Stand The Wall.6987]

I think its pretty sweet. read up to the weapon skills and some of those puppies need to be toned down.

[RedShark.9548]

@Lily.1935 said:

@Aplethoraof.2643 said:This is far too similar to a necromancer.

That being said, it would make a

delightful

necromancer e-spec.

Didn't they say they weren't going to make more classes, anywho?

They also said that necromancer would apply confusion as one of its conditions, but that has yet to happen. They also said necromancer was supposed to be an attrition profession but its mechanic is bad for that. They also said necromancer would be the home for monk players from gw1 but that didn't happen. They also said they'd fix the female necromancer axe auto animation but that never happened.

Don't believe everything they say. You'll just end up disappointed. And if a new profession does make it in, Ritualist is a likely candidate. If it doesn't become the inspiration for a necromancer shaman spec or is actually just a necro spec.

Sure dont believe all they say, but also think about it.A new class will almost never happen, its waaay too expensive to make a entirely new one, it would also make balance even harder->more money needed for balance teamAnd there would be a shitstorm of ppl. Demandinh that their main armor type gets a fourth class aswell, which they needed to adress by creating 2 more classes that will even further enhance the money and balance problems

They will just stick withespecs and maaaybe someday we will get ones tgat actually Change how you play the class

[Theros.1390]

Really interesting. Some skills just need some balance, but for a launch that would be nice. Hope to see this around IG some day :o