Dancer Archive
Thread: Battle Dancers
I don't think dancers need any more 'battle skills' than the bonus' to melee/ranged defense we get at master.
As it is, whenever my PA goes on a hunt, I'm dragged (kicking and screaming sometimes) along. Not because I'm a good pistoleer, it's because every now and again the ranger drops a camp for healing, and they want me to Dance to heal up those mind wounds, the TKAs, Docs and Riflemen want my mind buff and the light banter I come out with while everyone waits on the Docs getting everyone else healed up.
I've trained up the Pisotleer tree, that's where my combat skills come from. I see no reason to start adding 'combat' skills to a profession that is not combat orientated.
"I don't think dancers need any more 'battle skills' than the bonus' to melee/ranged defense we get at master."
I don't think dancers should be useful as dancers in combat, but I do think they should add more than a puny 7 points to ranged defence and melee defence.
"to be quite honest. dodging blaster fire isn't reasonable at ALL."
Why? These are not lasers - they're energy weapons. They are a packet of energy propelled out of a gun barrel just like a bullet from a gun. From what I've seen of the movies they travel significantly slower than a bullet, so dodging them is perfectly reasonable if you have very fast reflexes.
"Neither is focusing light or energy to a single point a.k.a. lightsaber"
Light or energy in a lightsaberisn't focused to a single point. It's just another packet of energy contained within a certain volume (i.e. the length and width of the blade). When it's switched onhe lightsaber sets up an energy field containedwithin its limits - it contains the energy just like a blaster bolt contains its energy, or like a tractor beam pulls in a ship. That's how I understand it. Think of it not as a light beam, but as energy confined within a certain space.
SlickRiptide wrote:
Let's say you're right. Let's say that in real life a master dancer is in magnificent physical shape. We put Mikhail Baryshnikov in a room with a Green Beret and let 'em go at it. Who do you suppose will win that fight? My money's on the trained soldier. Make it the reigning world kung fu champion? I'll still go with the martial artist. I'll even lay you odds if you really think that Mikhail would have even a fighting chance in that matchup just because he has great reflexes and physical coordination.
To make this a valid comparison, you would have to give Baryshnikov Green Beret training - then, all else being equal, the dancer's grace and skill will give him an advantage over a non-dancing equal.
None of this addresses the question I asked - If entertainers are entitled to combat skills, then why aren't other non-combat professions also entitled to combat skills? It has nothing to do with having a chip on one's shoulder and everything to do with balanced game design. Entertainers were never designed to be a combat class. Chefs weren't designed to be a combat class. Architects were not designed to be a combat class.
In SWG, Chefs and Architects can also learn how to wield a blaster. Luke Skywalker was a simple moisture farmer
We're not talking about reality here, we're talking about making the game more fun by giving players a wide variety of options which they can combine however they choose.
Having said that, there isn't much about what a chef or architect does that involves physical exertion (nor really musicians for that matter). But dancers earn our +7 ranged/melee defense bonus by virtue of what we do for a living, and what we've trained for all our virtual lives.
"To make this a valid comparison, you would have to give Baryshnikov Green Beret training - then, all else being equal, the dancer's grace and skill will give him an advantage over a non-dancing equal."
Thank you Sinda. That's exactly the point I've been trying to make. Finally someone has got it.
"Having said that, there isn't much about what a chef or architect does that involves physical exertion (nor really musicians for that matter). But dancers earn our +7 ranged/melee defense bonus by virtue of what we do for a living, and what we've trained for all our virtual lives."
Wrong! We get that simply by being EliteMaster Entertainers. Musicians get the exact same bonus. What I'm saying is that either musicians should NOT get the agility bonuses, AND dancers should get MORE agility bonuses that help themif they also pursue combat professions.
Tandava said it best. Absolutely....
it's comments like this post that seem to say... 'combat is the most important part of the game.'
IMO if you don't like the social aspects of the entertaining professions... then pick up a secondary, combat profession. Why is it important for dancers to have some edge in combat?
As for the original poster's battle dancer idea... it just doesn't fly. There is no lore based reason for dancer's to be able to cause a significant change to a battle. i.e. why should this happen: Stormtrooper 1 says, 'Cease fire..! something is going on... can't control... myself.... must put ... weapon... down.... must... watch.... dancer....' yeah right.
What the original posteris hinting at is really doing what every other MMOG has done.... making a bard type class. I am so utterly happy that SOE didn't fall in the rut that Ao, Daoc, EQ and every other MMOG did - by making a music class some sort of combat oriented class "My music charms you!" or "the chords of dissonance injures your mind for 30 points." SWG made a social aspect to a MMOG. Something really fantastic. *gasp* entertainers are socalites....
IF you find the social aspects of entertainers completly boring... then pick up a side profession... say... carbineer. But why... oh why.... make entertainers have some use on a battlefield? It will just make the lore even more worthless... and turn the game into another cookie cut version of EQ version 32