Development Cycle Archive

What defines theSwordsmanrole in combat?

The role of the swordsman in combat is to be the in-close damage-dealing tank, able to dish it out and to take it as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the profession is under-powered. Let me put it to you this way:

Take the Fencer, to start. I see the Fencer as the kind whoshould dealout moderate damage quickly and often, perhaps inflicting "light" wounds here and there to achieve affects (such as cutting a gash open above the eyes so blood runs in them, blinding foes, or attacking the hamstrings to slow them down, which would potentially be a posture down attack in SWG, for instance), with quick, darting motions. The speed of the Fencer would prevent them from getting hit often, even by large monsters (which never seem to miss, as far as I can tell). The Swordsman however, is about dealing out large amounts of damage, fewer effects than the Fencer (as the profession is less about finesse than raw power). After all, we're using large, 2-handed weapons here. Classically, large weapons were not meant to be used to finesse your way through a battle, but to merely take down an enemy so fast that they didn't have a chance to respond. Now, in the real world, you didn't have 30 foot tall monsters bearing down on you, so things need to be updated a bit to make the game fun. So, in essence, the swordsman needs to have skills that allow them to decrease the damage they take. I don't yet understand how mitigation works, but so far, it is inadequate to the task. I still take gobs of damage, and I'm required to wear armor and be buffed by a doc (and occasionally chew on a Neutron Pixie or Tattooine Sunburn) in order to survive the toughest of battles. I think all but the very hardest of battles (Level 60 to 65+ creatures) should be survivable without a doc buff OR without armor (not both, you should need one or the other), and that simply is not the case. So, to sum up, my opinion of the Swordsman is that his job is to deal out lots of damage to lots of foes as fast as possible, and to be able to take hits, allowing him/her to (reasonably) survive the experience.

What basic combat elements should they possess?

The basic element of the Swordsman is damage, the ability to dish it out and to take it as well (and take it they should). Their ability to dodge should be lower than that of the TKA or the Fencer.

What offensive abilities?

The basics of the Swordsman's offensive abilities are already right there. Area Attack 1, 2, and 3 to posture down foes is useful, but AA1 and AA2 really don't deal out that much damage (I haven't gotten AA3 yet). Two-Hand Head Hit and Two-Hand Mind Hit can combine to make a very powerful assault, though personally I think that Swordsmen should have Body hits and Body bleeds, and that Fencers should have the Mind hits/bleeds, with Polearms taking the Action hits/bleeds. Lastly, the Two-Hand Spin Attacks can also greatly speed up attacks on enemies. I just wish there was a Two-Hand Spin Attack 3 at mastery. I don't know if Two-Hand Hit 3 is worth the raw damage yet, compared to dealing out damage to a whole group, or even attacking purely Mind. I only use Two-Hand Hit 2 at the moment to attack bases, nothing more, since I get comparable damage from both Spin and Head attacks, both of which are more useful. Being able to destroy a base faster doesn't really appeal to me (unless the damage of Two-Hand Hit 3 is so overwhelming that I can't ignore using it, which I doubt). I can't say that I disagree with much in the trees for swordsmen, other than the fact that well over half of what you gain in the offensive tree is defensive abilities.

What defensive abilities?

I feel the defensive abilities are adequate, definitely not overpowered. I will say that it would be nice to have an explanation of how Melee Damage Mitigation works, so we know if it is worth getting. There's not a lot in the way of defense here.

However, I will say that classically, there are many types of warriors who merely beat on their foes so hard and fast that their enemies simply could not afford to stop blocking in order to counter-attack. I propose that the current Counter-Attack ability be given to Fencers (if they don't already have it, and if they do, improve it) and instead, Swordsmen should have a sort of "Fury Attack", which instead of blocking and giving an unbeatable counter-attack, would instead "block" the enemy's attacks by activating an Intimidate as well as giving a boost to weapon speed during the course of that time frame. It would have a HAM cost similar to Intimidate alone, and would extend your 10 second Intimidate by 2 seconds per level up one of the trees (not sure which one, since this could go in any of them), with the final 2 second bonus being given at master. If you've also bothered to get master brawler, then you can get a VERY long time where you get to attack the enemy unimpeded. The down side is, this Fury Attack is a one-on-one attack, unlike the cone effect of Intimidate (which I think should be a radius, by the way... opponents to my sides can still be intimidated, after all), so if you activate a Fury Attack against one opponent, and then switch to another and reactivate Fury Attack, the first one is immediately allowed to begin attacking normally, since you've switched your attention elsewhere. So, you would Intimidate a group, and you would Fury Attack an individual. This might be over-powered for one-on-one PvP, but would be just fine for use in the GCW (where you're likely to face multiple foes). Also, this ability should negate Center of Being and vice-versa, since one inherently requires you to pay attention to very different things than the other.

At any rate, I know this sounds like an offensive ability, and to some extent, it is, but in reality it is a very defensive one. By preventing your foe from attacking you, you not only get to dish out a bit more damage, but you get to do it without getting hurt yourself! Well, except for the HAM costs of your specials, that is....

Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?

This profession should be the group's damage sponge, able to take a lot and give a lot. While I love the Creature Handler profession, the hero of the game should be the character, not the animal. This game needs a profession where the individual can actually take damage and keep on coming. Right now, it seems that the TKA is the one that does this. I personally don't agree with how TKA is done, I feel this responsibility belongs to the Swordsman.

How could/should they interact with other professions?

Taking this from a purely melee perspective, I have to include my thoughts on the other four elite melee professions:

Swordsman - In close, can deal out lots of damage and can take lots of damage.

Fencer - In close, can deal out moderate damage, but can deal out more types of state effects.

Pikeman - In not so close, the Pikeman should be able to fight with some range (and their weapons should look like they can too). They can deal out lots of damage like a swordsman, but are not designed to take a hit the way the Swordsman can. However, their skills are centered around keeping a foe from getting close enough to reach them, and thus avoiding damage altogether. So, they should have "keep-away" attacks and "push back" attacks in order to survive/thrive.

TKA - This one deals out too much damage, but should have all the state-affecting abilities they have, including knockdown, in order to survive, just as they have it. I don't feel the self-boost is fair though, since it is the only combat profession that can do so. Also, they take an amazingly small amount of damage (and can thus tank nearly anymeleeattack that I've seen), when they should be centered around dodging, same as a Fencer. However, as I stated, they should have all the state-affecting abilities they currently have, and that's their role in the group. A group with a Fencer and a TKA should be able to inflict all the states possible on the enemy, between the two, with a Swordsman and a Pikeman dealing out raw damage. A group such as this would be formidable, if they can get in close.

As for the Swordsman's place in a non-melee oriented group, their job as tank is more than adequate, with a Creature Handler's pets providing much needed relief (a Swordsman shouldn't be able to tank EVERYTHING, after all!), and their damage is decent as well (though a BH or Commando outshines them by far, from what I've seen).

What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?

Well, other than mind bleed and posture down attacks, with the occasional blind from Area Attack 3, the swordsman is dependent on others for any other state attack that is desired. I feel it should stay this way too. Naturally, if a Swordsman gets in over their head, they'll need a Medic or Combat Medic to save them, or a Doctor to revive them. Sometimes those state effects is all that keeps a Swordsman alive, when the foe is very powerful (high resists/armor, damage dealing abilities). They need CH pets with them in case they get knocked down or Dizzy, etc., so they aren't the sole targets. They might even need a Droid Engineer there (or Droid Handler, if that proposed profession goes into effect), just so that if they get incapacitated, something shoots them and takes the baddies off their heads, so they aren't stomped flat when they get back up! The Swordsman can deal out damage and take it, but there are still lots of ways that the Swordsman just can't solo the really dangerous stuff, they need help, and that's the way it should be.

What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?

As a purely combat profession, one amongst many, they really don't have a unique role in the GCW. The GCW is fought with blasters for the most part, and melee weapons (all except the lightsabre) are throwbacks to a more primitive time. With the improvement of technology comes the improvement of techniques for older, more traditional ways as well, and thus the Swordsman is just another combatant that has chosen a different route to fighting the GCW.

Alright, I've responded to Thunderheart's questions, now I'm going to put in a few more words:

First of all, the name of the profession is "Swordsman." Why is the best 2-handed weapon a hammer? At the very least, a monofilament-edged sword would seem to be the best weapon for the profession, something that requires Star Wars-like technology to make. Make our best weapon a sword, huh? Personally, I use a Two-Handed Cleaver, because it is faster and hits more often, but also because it is a sword. I only pull out my hammer if the enemy has a significantly lower Blast resist than Kinetic, but otherwise it is full-time sword for me! I just feel our best weapon should be a sword, is all.

Second, what's with the insanely high HAM costs for our weapons? In order to fight, I require a doc buff, simply to use my special abilities. Well, if I want to survive and win the battle, that is. Coupled with the current need to wear armor, those HAM costs just increase. Perhaps consider lowering them a bit? If you're worried about over-powering the Power Hammer by doing so, perhaps you could make it do less damage, especially if you're going to make a sword that is better than it, as I just proposed.

Currently, I make quite a bit of use of Center of Being, yet I still see my stats drop very quickly. Is this skill working or is it bugged? Same question for Counter Attack.

Lastly, why is it that the Swordsman does approximately the same amount of damage as a TKA master, yet attacks at half the speed and has half the special attacks?

Alright, I've said my piece, I'm done. Thank you for reading!