Development Cycle Archive
Thread: In Concept 1-1: Combat Roles; Bounty Hunter
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
the master bounty hunter should be a ruthless killer. a professional, able to use many different types of weapons and styles of combat to overcome their foes.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
bounty hunters should be accurate and fast in combat with an umber of different weapons, specials, gadgets, and traps at their fingertips. as bounty hunters hunt sentient beings for a living, money should be no object and they should have the best weapons and equipment available.
What offensive abilities?
in addition to weapon diversity, bounty hunters should have specials for every occasion. whether it be knock downs, state changes, bleeds, burns, or pool targetable highly damaging shots, bounty hunters should be able to take out foes quickly. additionally, it should be expected that bounty hunters have a number of player traps or gadgets useful for fighting, such as poison darts, gadgets that might delay opponents attacks, or snare darts making opponents' combat styles less effective.
What defensive abilities?
i invision bounty hunters to be purely offensive. in my opinion, bounty hunters should lack a high amount of defensive skills. in long drown out battles, or in battles against multiple opponents, or even in battles where a heavily armed opponent "Gets the drop" on the bounty hunter, death should come quickly. in that respect, the bounty hunters prime mode of defense should be body armor. hopefully their highly tuned offensive abilities should offset their lack of defenses.
What unique abilities?
player traps used to take out enemys, combat bonuses against foes caught unawares, the ability to track players using droids over long distances, and even the ability to stealthily creep up on foes (and remain invisible to player radar)should all be considered bounty hunter unique abilities. additionally, a player bounties, in the form of a "Deathmark" or "jedi bounty" system should only be enforced by bounty hunters.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
buonty hunters should be expect damage dealers, as well as exploiters of defensive flaws. in groups, they should excell at dealing damage and if paired with good tanks (meat shields) or other professions used in crowd control, should really help in taking control of the situation and turning the tide for their allies.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
bounty hunters are, for the most part, solitary hunters in most respects. in hunting parties they should be considered a welcome addition to damage output, but most bounty hunters should be more concerned with hunting bounties in order to afford their expensive weapons and armor.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
in principle, anyone could find themselves with a deathmark (when failing high ranking missions with disreputable NPCs), however, i feel that bounty hunters will usually find themselves dealing with smugglers and jedi more often than, say, pikeman for instance. although, if a dancer fails to do a good job dancing for some of jabbas friends (lets say, a dancer failed some kind of high level jabba dance mission), it should be expected that jabba would put a price on her head as well, in which case a bounty hunter would be left to enforce said bounty.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
jedi population control. enforcers of the deathmark system. bounty hunters arent soldiers, they are assassins, and in long fire fights it can be expected that a bounty hunter wont last very long on the front lines.
I think Jest3r post hit the BH Profession right on target. (I love his response to What unique abilities?)
****Specialized equipment designed to give the Bounty Hunters that trade mark cool factor as well as a specialized advantage in 1v1 conflicts. from a post I wrote long ago as an example:
The BH should be able to Dominate any other combat profession 1 on 1... simply put period. However we cannot simply give the BH the upper edge which would lead them to be the supreme combat class for all situations, otherwise my beautiful GCW will be filled with only Bounty Hunters. Finally the Master BH also needs to own all the Dabbler BH types as well in 1v1.
My suggestion Leave BH as they are but give them a new toy. It would be a status symbol, it would have continuity, it would add to the Starwars feel.
I say give the BH the equivilant of a PvP trap. The design I would suggest would be a specially crafted subcomponent that would fit in any armor wrist bracer. equiping the bracer means the weapon is equiped and ready for use. the Graphical design could be exactly like Bobba/Jango Fetts wrist launcher. Allow it to be colored by the crafter.
Allow the BH to gain Nuero-toxin dartswhich apply states not damagein the investigation line, (so investigating and capturing marks would fall under this category). They would create these darts and drag and drop them much like power ups are dragged and dropped on weapons, giving the wrist launcher so many uses.
Investigation I would have Stun Darts
Investigation II would have delay darts
Investigation III would have Dizzy Darts
Investigation IV would have KD darts
Master BH would have a dart that applies all of these states.
range 64 meters, speed of the weapon would be 30 seconds.
So basically as a Master BH you could fire a dart that applies all the states of stun dizzy kd and a 10 second delay, give the weapon a high accuracy. It essence in a 1v1 engagement the BH would be hard to beat, the long time between uses ensures the BH does not dominate multi person conflict such as my GCW, so while BH players would be highly sought after other professions would just as suited to the GCW.
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What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
The BH should be the ultimate hunter of the humaniod prey, The BH should be able to track down and close on thier intended individual target and have the means to take them down effectively and quickly.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
While BHs should have some profession defining combat skills in no single area should the basic combat skills exceed that of a master of that individual weapon type. Bounty Hunters have access to a wide variety of weapons, a jack of all trades which uniquely when put together allows them to take down most targets singley.
What offensive abilities?
On top of the basic combat skills, Bounty Hunters need some class defining tools and abilities that allow them to excel at 1v1 combat. More then likely this could be easily achieved via special gear that can supplement thier regular equipment to effect the target with state effects and such that give the BH a severe advantage, these special tools however should be designed so that the advantage lies completely within the aspect of the 1v1 combat and not in the greater actual war level combat conflicts (slow rate of fire as an example for the special weapon.) One such weapon could be a specialized wrist launcher worn and equipped bracer, examples are seen being used by Jango and Boba fett in the SW movies of thier specialized weaponry which defined them as bounty Hunters.
What defensive abilities?
Defensive abilities should be on par with all the other master level abilities, since BH takes so many skill points perhaps providing an equal number of ranged and melee defensive abilities in the single profession should be considered, since most others can dabble in other professions.
What unique abilities?
Specialized equipment designed to give the Bounty Hunters that trade mark cool factor as well as a specialized advantage in 1v1 conflicts. from a post I wrote long ago as an example:
The BH should be able to Dominate any other combat profession 1 on 1... simply put period. However we cannot simply give the BH the upper edge which would lead them to be the supreme combat class for all situations, otherwise my beautiful GCW will be filled with only Bounty Hunters. Finally the Master BH also needs to own all the Dabbler BH types as well in 1v1.
My suggestion Leave BH as they are but give them a new toy. It would be a status symbol, it would have continuity, it would add to the Starwars feel.
I say give the BH the equivilant of a PvP trap. The design I would suggest would be a specially crafted subcomponent that would fit in any armor wrist bracer. equiping the bracer means the weapon is equiped and ready for use. the Graphical design could be exactly like Bobba/Jango Fetts wrist launcher. Allow it to be colored by the crafter.
Allow the BH to gain Nuero-toxin dartswhich apply states not damagein the investigation line, (so investigating and capturing marks would fall under this category). They would create these darts and drag and drop them much like power ups are dragged and dropped on weapons, giving the wrist launcher so many uses.
Investigation I would have Stun Darts
Investigation II would have delay darts
Investigation III would have Dizzy Darts
Investigation IV would have KD darts
Master BH would have a dart that applies all of these states.
range 64 meters, speed of the weapon would be 30 seconds.
So basically as a Master BH you could fire a dart that applies all the states of stun dizzy kd and a 10 second delay, give the weapon a high accuracy. It essence in a 1v1 engagement the BH would be hard to beat, the long time between uses ensures the BH does not dominate multi person conflict such as my GCW, so while BH players would be highly sought after other professions would just as suited to the GCW.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
Specialized equipment see above, providing these hunters of humanoids and advantage in 1v1 conflict.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
BH should have an advantage over the single player, however in larger scale battles the balance of advantage should go toward the trained soldiers (commandos, riflemen, carbineers, pistoleers,pikemen,swordsmen,TKAs)
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
Of all the combat professions the BH should be the most self reliant, a wide assortment of weaponry they can use effectively in various situations, however as an example a pistoleer should be better at using a pistol. The benifit of BH should be from having access to the full variety of the equipment along with specialized equipment.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
In Large Scale Combats the role of the BH should be reduced to smaller scale engagements, Bounty hunters are not trained soldiers, thier role should be the focus of taking down a single specific target while the grand battle happens around them.
Question, Concept
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
Incredibly effective soloist of single humanoid/non-creature targets. It is the one that relies on unorthodox and "dirty" means, as well.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
High offensive output. High in damage, speed, accuracy, and versatility. Not very affective in the midst of large scale combat. No area attacks.
What offensive abilities?
Versatile and powerful. The ability to meet the situation with the tool that is most appropriate.
What defensive abilities?
Specialized defense that promotes the one on one idea. A potential would be something that either a) significantly increases the defense against the current target b) significantly decreases the offense of the current target to the Bounty Hunter. No defense to targets other than the one the Bounty Hunter is currently engaged in combat with.
What unique abilities?
Gadgets and humanoid tracking. Things that further add to the one on one and mercenary role. Potentially it could be the use of gadgets that are individually one time use and must be purchased.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
At most, the ability to track a target who is part of a competing group and the ability to leap into the fray in order to eliminate that said target. Very limited, otherwise. After the elimination of said target, the Bounty Hunter should be motivated to wait before entering combat again or should be penalized for engaging multiple targets. Gadgets could fill this by making prolonged combat against multiple foes extremely expensive or having to re-equip (each one time use gadget takes up a single action slot, once used, the slot is empty).
How could/should they interact with other professions?
Buying droids from DE, getting healed by medics and entertainers, weapons from weaponsmiths, armor from armorsmiths, buffs from doctors. Mainly interaction with support and crafting professions for the sake of preperation.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
Essentially none. Maybe partnering up for the harder targets. The partner's role would be dependent upon the type of target they are facing.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Killing Jedi before they have the ability to affect it and potentially dropping harder targets or group leaders. Being able to find opposing forces.
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
A Bounty Hunter is a tracker and trapper of NPC's Players. A Bounty Hunter should be to NPC's what the ranger is to creatures.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
A Bounty Hunter should possess special attacks that do not require specific certified weapons.
I.e. Like the basic overcharge shot for example, this is simply a special combat action that does not require you to have a specific weapon equipped, meaning a wider variety of uses and weapons can be utilised.
What offensive abilities?
A Bounty Hunter should be able to "debuff" NPC's and players through use of "gadgets" a new branch of trapping that goes up the BH tree from where basic trapping left off in the scout tree.
What defensive abilities?
The ability to stun, panic, disarm, ensnare and scatter NPC's in combat, Plus they should have decent defense modifiers.
What unique abilities?
A bounty hunter should make use of the trapping tree they have started in scout.
A bounty Hunter should be able to utilise new "traps" that can be utilised against NPC's and Players (not creatures). These work like standard traps with the ability to slow, poison, make vunerable vs melee and ranged and even stun for example.
The tracking tree should also be looked at. Maybe if Ranger got a better ability to hunt creatures.. the BH can get the abilty to hunt down NPC's and even players.
An ability to "mark target" should be added. This can only be used maybe once per hour. The player targets the NPC and uses the ability. Until that NPC is dead (or an hour passes) The BH has special "to hit" bonuses and maybe a few other advantages. MAYBE Once the NPC is dead the player can get a special money reward directly into their bank dependent on the NPC's CL.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
The ability to target and bring down designated NPC's easier. The ability to track NPC's. Provide debuffs and dot through use of trapps.
A Bounty Hunter can "tie up" NPC's and players through use of their traps and abilities.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
Bounty Hunters should be a vital group member when facing a raid or hunt which involves bringing down a high level NPC('s). They offer support to the true Combat professions when it comes to combat. Much like how a ranger offers support vs creatures.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
A bounty Hunter is not a pure combat class. They should require a group to take down high level content.
They should require weaponsmiths and armorsmiths to make their weapons and armor (and traps). They should require medics to help heal and all sorts of combat classes to help them in the fight up to their chosen NPC.
A Bounty Hunter's ability to beat down their chosen NPC should be a vital asset in group raids.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Idea on BH tree:
Keep Investigatebut fix the droid trackin ability.Maybe add humanoid tracking.
Combine pistols,carbines and RIFLES in one tree. Have combat XP(which we all know is harder to get then individual weapon) to lv this tree. Having different weapons for different ranges uses, stat effects. Could also include traps in this category.
Keep LLC which should be used as the KD weapon, (been close to a lightning strike and even though it didnt hurt me it put me on my arse), which can also be used for an escape weapon- area KD. Slow down the rate of fire so this doesnt become a primary use all weapon and where someone doesnt exploit it to take out a crowd by constantly knocking them down.
NEW BRANCH: Don't know what to call it but it would be a stealth/speedbranch.This branch would due things like lower tef timer or even conceal it. Increase burst run. could even have like a faction camo so youcan walk up to a target in a crowd that you have bad faction with and take out your target before the whole crowd attacks agros ya. And dont forget stealth attacks. Most likely use investigate xp to lv this field.
Alot of people mention basic medical self treatment put that at only MASTER level. I hardly see Mbh's for the number of people that have dabbled in the field so this engourages to do become Master.
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
A fearless hunter that stalks his/her prey for the sole purpose of money. It isn't a matter of going out and raiding a town that belongs to an opposing faction, but rather the ability to hunt down key figures, targets, or marks that correspond to the mission encryption. Bounty Hunters are not meant to take on a squad of ten people, or even a small group of three, but be able to hit theirone target it effectively and quietly with perhaps a running battle thrown in for good measure. This isn't to say that the mark will die immediately, but the difference between taking out a PC to taking out an NPC can be seen by anyone in the trade and anyone who is a Bounty Hunter and takes the profession seriously knows that discresion will prevail over all out assault.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
Firepower and strategy should be the two foremost aspects of this trade from the start. Defense is *not* the key to winning any battle, but having weapons that do the damage that they should do and having the strategy to be able to use them effectively should be the most basic points of any serious Bounty Hunter.
What offensive abilities?
Again, the firepower issue comes back into play. As stated earlier in the thread, a Bounty Hunter should not be the most powerful entity on the battlefield, but to be completely honest, you won't see a Bounty Hunter out on any battlefield because there isn't any profit in it. The offensive abilities as they stand work in a semi-fashion that help or hinder us depending on what we are using. Better accuracy with the pistol and carbine weapons would work wonders for some of the Hunters that do not have access to the "Uber" weapons that other people possess.
What defensive abilities?
Bounty Hunters aren't meant to be a defensive tank, or run through the wilderness just popping things left and right without fear of damage. The mitigation on the ranged damage is nice and it does work somewhat, but when the fighting gets in hot and heavy, we cannot be expected to go toe to toe with a heavy hitting mark when the weapons are only good at 7+ meters. Melee Damage Mitigation 1 and 2 would be great, even though Melee Damage Mitigation 1 at Master would be awesome at this point. I can count the times I've had a mark close in on me and then kick the crap out of me because my weapon wouldn't fire and hit accurately at a close range.
What unique abilities?
A mediocre Bounty Hunter will just fly into the middle of a crowd and start blasting to hit their target, drawing the attention of people and not really knowing what they are getting into. A seasoned veteran would watch their target and get into the mode of following, watching where they are going and get into a routine of knowing their mark and their habits so that they could come back at a later time and 'retire' said mark with very little stress or problems involved. Strategy plays a bigger key in successful Bounty Hunting rather than just blind luck. Impliment the innate ability to see what a Jedi {and hopefully in the future, other PC's} is resistant to depending on the armor that the mark is wearing. The examination on NPC targets is dead on in tellingyou what he/she/it is resistant to, but on a PC, you have no way to really know if your weapons or your tactics are going to work.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
Bounty Hunters really aren't much use for anything but applying a bleed to a target and getting out of the way, staying out of the way and keeping themselves alive while the rest of the heavy hitters do their job and tack on the damage. I've never known a Bounty Hunter in Galaxies to be able to do much but fire a bunch of pistol shots and simply draw the aggro to become the first one to respawn in the cloning center and tell the rest of the group whether or not a Master Doctor is there to re-buff them.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
There are four professions that the Bounty Hunter should interact with at any given time and only one of those would be a regular occurance depending on whether or not the Bounty Hunter is actively tracking Jedi. The Weapon Smith for the weapons when they need to be replaced or repaired. Most people just go through weapons by spamming the special attacks, but perhaps an additional damage modifier for Bounty Hunters who have their weapons repaired every so often would work as well as giving the Weapon Smith a bonus for repairing said weapon a number of times. Armor Smiths to make or repair armor when necessary for the Bounty Hunter and creating the schematics for armor that is unique to that particular Bounty Hunter.
While I hate to steal ideas from others, it is disheartening to see that I am not the only one with Composite Armor and that without removing the Helmet, I look like the hundreds of others who have it, and that alone doesn't make me personally feel like I'm unique, but one of the masses that bought composite armor for the protection. A medic is always important to heal the wounds and heal the damage, but you would never really use the same medic twice unless there is a shortage of them on the server that the Bounty Hunter plays on and that doesn't seem to really be a problem.
The last profession to interact with, and I'm surprised that this wasn't brought up that I could see, is the Smuggler. Now, some of you reading this will look and wonder if I took a Gaffi-stick to the head a few times, but in therory, the Smuggler is there to smuggle illegal weapons, drugs and information. Currently, the only thing that a Smuggler can do that is worth anything in my eyes is slice the weapons, slice the armor and make the spice. Okay, all of that is great, but what about having the Smuggler gain the ability of knowing what planet a Jedi {or perhaps PC in the future} is hiding out on, perhaps with a thirty minute window of error and ONLY allow Master Smugglers to do this.
Reasonable fee for information could be declared in which a deal is worked out that the Smuggler gets 10% of the bounty for the information and the Hunter gets a good clue as to where his target is hiding at. With a Master Smuggler being able to do this only, that keeps the PvP template junkies from making money on something that they aren't really earning. What use is having the ability of making some extra credits on the side if you're willing to devote your time to the entire tree?
A Bounty Hunter relies on droids as of now to find their target, but when it comes to the Jedi, we can't track them with the droids and have to hope that one of them screws up and opens the ancient weapon in the middle of Theed so we can cap them.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
It's an un-written, but totally known rule that Bounty Hunters don't interact with anyone in the combat professions save for other Bounty Hunters, and even then there is no trust there. Dependencies would only work if you're getting ready to raid and turn an NPC, which requires you to have a Master Squad Leader, a Master Commando, a Master Bounty Hunter and a Master Smuggler {if I remember correctly}. Aside from that, there isn't any reason to have any interaction with any other combat profession save for the occasional hunt into the wilds, in which the Bounty Hunter is there to stick a bleed and get out of the way.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Bounty Hunters are there for the sole-purpose of making money and making a name for themselves. They don't care about the politics, the back-patting or the rise to power, but rather the thrill of the hunt and the feel of the hard-credit in their accounts. Having Bounty Hunter Quests would be a good idea that go far and beyond the standard mission terminals. Although the 'Dynamic Missions' are nice, they really don't add much of a feeling other than frustration of trying to stumble onto a Jedi. Including Bounty Hunter Quests that give the hundreds of NPC's that stand around something more to add to the content would be great and add to the feel. Perhaps a Master Bounty Hunter only Themepark would be a good addition with some rewards ranging from Mandalorian Armor to Specialized Bounty Hunter weapons that aren't much different than what we have now, but with DOT's and higher damage qualities.
Just some food for thought and my two credits worth.
*** What defines the Bounty Hunter role in combat?
The Master Bounty Hunter (yes, MASTER) should be the ultimate 1 on 1 or even 1 on 3 when using every ounce of what makes him or her a bounty hunter. I'm not just talking about weapons/armor, but other unimplemented factors and unique abilities that will allow a Master Bounty Hunter to survive most even battles.
The idea is to be able to have a chance to take down (kill/capture) any NPC or PC target in the game. All the tools and skills are at the bounty hunter's disposal, its up to the player's experience and dedication to his or her art that makes the hunt a success.
Bounty Hunters are not soldiers in the Imperial Army, and should not be treated as such in concept. If a Bounty Hunter just sticks to weapons/armor like a Pistoleer/Carbineer/Rifelman/TKA/Fencer/Swordsman/Pikeman would - they should be at a disadvantage every time (I'm not saying they shouldn't win, but it would be the player's skill instead of the character's template).
Bounty Hunters also require the most dedication to obtain mastery in their field (217 skill points). This means more combat related arts should be packed into the bounty hunter tree than is common is most other professions - gearing the most advantageous skills at the very top of the fields of investigation and master bounty hunter.
*** What basic combat elements should they possess?
(NOTE: I'm reiterating many ideas thrown around the BH Forum since Beta)
BH Weapon Mastery - In addition to the general increase in ability the bounty hunter gains with experience in many weapon styles, the bounty hunter should get a unique bonus to attacks using bounty hunter specific weapons (The Scatter Pistol and Light Lightning Cannon to start). This includes gaining unique specials for use only with these weapons that should aid a bounty hunter in his role, and not general combat (specials to disable opponents for capture, diversionary tactics to lower a target's awareness, etc.)
BH Specific Weapons - Many times though this post, you will see an emphesis on the equipment used by the bounty hunter. This should be the bounty hunter's greatest strength and weakness. Bounty Hunters should not be relying upon weapons found outside the profession to do bounty hunting work (general combat and warfare are different stories). Top line stun weapons, restraint weapons certifications should litter the bounty hunter trees. In the Star Wars storylines, various famous bounty hunters (assumably masters) used unique weapons not commonly found among other combatants and made them extremely effective.
Technical Knowledge - A Master Bounty Hunter should understand every inch of his or her equipment, and how to use it at its most effective. Since I doubt this can be implemented as stated, there needs to be some sort of representation of this fact in the bounty hunter profession. A bounty hunter lives and dies by his or her equipment. The Bounty Hunter should be able to apply innate bonuses to weapons, armors, traps, droids, and so forth based upon his or her progression through investigation (the more the bounty hunter works at their craft, the better they are at using their equipment).
Droids - The Bounty Hunter should be the only profession allowed in the game to (legally) use advanced combat droids. This is another "equipment" factor.
Combat Advantage - A Bounty Hunter should have the ability to use the fact the he or she is in fact a bounty hunter. Some in the BH Forum call it /focusofthepredator or Reputation. A form of intimidation.
Dirty Tricks - A Bounty Hunter is also a scoundrel, much like the Smuggler, and to a lesser degree should have secret tricks in order to capture targets. Something along the line of special components built into the armor or equipment that give added functionality (such as a hidden weapon).
*** What offensive abilities?
The Weapon Makes The Bounty Hunter - Bounty Hunter should need beyond "top of the line" weaponry in order to be at his or her very best.
The use of restraint and crippling attacks - This might end up overlapping carbineers, but the Bounty Hunter shouldn't be an all out damage occupation. However, when done properly they can reduce their target's offensive and defensive abilities to zero - and then make the easy kill if they wish. The downside of this will be the necessity of suprise or delay in order to effectively cripple an opponent.
Traps and Gadgets - Bounty Hunters shouldn't rely on their weapons to be a Bounty Hunter, or else there is no distinguishment in combat between them and soldier classes (Pistoleer, Carbineer, Rifleman, TKA, Pikeman, Fencer, Swordsman). In an one on one situation, if both the BH and a soldier just used weapons the bounty hunter should be at a disadvantage. They need to use traps and gadgets to even the playing field (or even give themselves an advantage). Items to exploit or add weaknesses, prevent escape (especially logging out), make an escape, make unique changes to a player's GUI (such as blinding another player by making their screen black out for a duration). A Bounty Hunter shouldn't survive an encounter without these items (save for luck, and skill).
*** What defensive abilities?
The Armor Makes The Bounty Hunter - Bounty Hunters are not soldiers and should not have formal defensive training (Defenses vs, etc.). However, like in weapons, the armor should make the bounty hunter's defense. This should be interpreted to mean that Bounty Hunters get access to specialized (or customized) armor types that will resist certain attacks.
Knowing When to Fight and When to Wait - Preparation is key to a Bounty Hunter. Studying the target, learning his or her strengths and weaknesses, having access to weapons/traps/droids to exploit the weaknesses and armor/equipment to protect against the strengths should be the bounty hunter's defense. The Bounty Hunter is a *hunter* not a soldier. The wrong move, the wrong equipment, the wrong timing and the bounty hunter dies.
*** What unique abilities?
Specialization - The Bounty Hunter, with its enormous cost, should be allowed two specializations of combat and/or non combat professions. (Think of it sort of like the Jedi Profession's ability to branch their development). Single training to strengthen aspects of the Bounty Hunter (possibly to the detriment of other skills) in order to provide a unique feel and play style to each bounty hunter. Such things like weapon specializations, tracking, slicing terminals, defense, piloting, trapping, poisons, etc. Look at it as the preferred method the bounty hunter wishes to use to get his or her job done. Perhaps going so far as to adopt a similar system of developing/training a bounty hunter as the Jedi have.
NPC / PC Trapping/Devices - Items to add or remove a target's ability to perform a certain function. Draining weapon power (condition), removing a special resistance from armor, blinding an opponent, slowing movement, scaring off creatures - examples of possible equipment ideas. An indirect combat approach, using time to apply the proper combination will help guarentee a bounty hunter's success. Use the wrong combination or run out of time and the bounty hunter will surely fail.
Investigation - Bounty Hunting is more than "Get a bio-signature, launch droids, kill." Our targets should have defenses against traditional tracking methods and bounty hunters should be left to using different methods - terminal records, players, dynamic npc stool pidgeons, spies, etc). Its significance has to due with the bounty hunter's ability to be a bounty hunter in a pvp environment.
*** Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
NPC/PC Information - The Bounty Hunter should be able to utilize his or her ability to prepare before combat to help a group take down an NPC/PC, assuming there is time to do so. This is learning strengths and weaknesses, applying effects, etc. - assuming the group has time for the bounty hunter to do so.
TEF Sharing - The Bounty Hunter should be able to share a TEF with other players in the group in order to take down a target. This should be considered hiring mercenaries to assist with a bounty.
*** How could/should they interact with other professions?
The Equipment Makes The Bounty Hunter - Bounty Hunters should live or die by their equipment. Weapons, Armor, Droids, Traps, Devices - all should be non BH craftable, thus forcing the Bounty Hunter to rely on the quality and expertise of other players in order to get their job done.
PvP Bounty System - Bounty Hunters should be hired by other players in order to make detrimental status effects to an opposing side. Since non-Jedi players do not suffer permadeath/skill loss, an alternate form of losing should be enforced - such as temporarily prohibiting a certain player from grouping or using certain skills for a short duration. Effectively, taking a player out of an opposing faction's way for a period of time. For example, wounding/capturing a famous Rebel Squad leader prior to a planned imperial invasion of a rebel city. Taking a smuggler out of business for a day so a competitor could get a jump on the spice trade. Enforcing dishonest trade practices by prohibiting a competitor's suppliers from collecting resources. Time and expense (and bribery/counter bounties, bounty'ing the bounty hunter, etc.) will help keep the system in check.
*** What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
PvP Bounty System - See Above.
Soloist vs. Group Player - The bounty hunter's role will determine his or her dependancies on other combatants. If the bounty hunter is hunting marks/single targets, then the only reason a group is necessary is to take down a particularily challenging mark (npc/pc) - (this hints towards TEF sharing). For any other situation, the bounty hunter should be considered an average combatant (battlefield situations, critter hunting).
*** What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
PvP Bounty System - See Above.
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?
Jedi Assassin / Jedi Hunter. They should have all the tools to go one-on-one with a Jedi and have a chance to kill them. Droids that work on real player Jedis.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
What offensive abilities?
The offensive abilities are about right. However, perhaps introduce a BH flamethrower.
What defensive abilities?
BH need to be heavy on the offense (which they are), but probably need a bump in melee defense for Jedi hunting.
What unique abilities?
All the tools / gadgets / attacks should be tailored for Jedi killing.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
BH should be mainly a solo death artist.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Jedi
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Jedi Killers
Thunderheart wrote:
* Profession Lifespan
What is the profession’s role in its novice state and how should the skill progress over the course of a player’s time investment in the profession? At all times any given profession should have a distinct role and value in combat. As a player progresses from Novice to Master, the profession should reflect something special about the profession and also be fun to play.at nov, we are as useful as nov. pistoleer or carbineer. we have a few specials that give us a tactical edge. we start gaing our offense as we go up. we gain the ability to boost our offense(read below for more) in the investigation tree. then as we go up the tree, the duration goes up, and down time grows shorter(it should always remain short usage/high(very high) downtime). at master, we should gain abilities that combine several status in one shot per weapon ( kd/stun carbine shot, intimidate, dizzy pistol shot, High attack, low accuracy LLC shot.)
Given the basic considerations listed above, please answer the following questions:
What defines theBounty Hunterrole in combat?1V1 master assasins. we should not Pwn in group combat. we are masters of stealth, we make a quick kill, etc etc.
What basic combat elements should they possess? skills that give them "first-strike" adavantage.examples are human traps, specials that debilitate the target (kd-dizzy, except not as unbalancing or overpowered)
What offensive abilities?as discussed in the BH forums,we should have a special that increases our offense several fold, but only for a few short minutes with a long recharge(2-5 hours has been suggested) these few minutes will give us the edge we need to take down our targets, and our targets only (we are BH/assasins, not gruts or fodder for the rebellion or empire.our concern is our mark only.)after the effect wears off, we should remain somewhat of a challenge (our specials will still work) but in1on 1 vsa maxxed out template, we should lose.
What defensive abilities?little to none. we dont need them if we can do our job right (hit the target befre they know whats hapened
What unique abilities?Human traps, ability to boost our offense temporarily, etc. PLAYER BOUNTIES ARE CRUCIAL. with player bounties, we wont have to rely on the gcw to pvp, and instead can actually do our jobs as hunters and assasins. our main skill (powe/offense boost) will give us a definite edge but only during the time we need it(hunting marks, etc)
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?None. we are solo players. our skills are meant for 1v1. if we are in a group, we should be assigned to kill the groups most difficult prey, but we take a tremendous risk because if we are attacked by 2 or more peolpe, we should get destroyed rather quickly.
How could/should they interact with other professions? one idea that has been floating around is Bounties assigned by master politicians. while it seems nice, i dount itll work. besides that, we dont interact with others, unless we hire them as informants.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants? simple. we own in 1v1 when we have the surprise advantage, or we are using our powerboost. anyother time, we should be as threatening as a nov. pistoleer/carbineer. if we play our cards right, we can handle ourselves vsd other classes, but it will be hard.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?kill high ranking officials for bounty missions assigned by the opposing side. besides that, we should not WANT to be in the civil war( give us a reason Not to want to be in the gcw, but rather worry bout getting our bounty missions.)
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