Parrying(pasive): Attacks against this unit from enemy champeons with the same or less SPD than this one have their damage reduced by this champeons DMG. This effect costs 1 AP to trigger and can not trigger if this unit is Paralized, Distracted or Stunned. (still working on the wording) The idea of this ability is a version of nohkando for non-martial art characters with swift light weapons. This ability is for squishy fast champs to tank without the use of defense stat and with the possibility to buff the tanking effect by increasing Atk and Spd. Edit: I think that the effect having no max triggers per turn and costing only 1 ap is balanced(up to debate), you can see that the ammount of conditions and possible workarounds are greater and the attacks STILL land so any on-hit effect applys. Counters comparison: Nohkando: Costs 2ap to trigger. The attack completely misses. Counterable by AP removal, precision or by applying Paralized, distracted or stunned to this champ. Parrying: Costs 1ap to trigger. The attack dmg still lands but is reduced. Counterable by AP removal, SPD reduction on this champ or SPD buff on attacking champ, Atk reduction on this champ, or by applying Paralized, Distracted or Stunned to this champ. Here is an example of a boring cheap melee champ design for SL: Art: I picture a serpentor(known to have thin blades and high spd) being able to stop attacks with its graceful sword technique and lightnning reflexes. Serpentor Fencer Atk: 7 Def: 0 HP: 43 Rng: 1 Spd: 5 Attack Physical Spur: This champion has +1 DMG and +1 SPD for each opposing champion within 4 spaces. Parrying U1: Tempo, Ready 1, Pace (options to get non-spd based AP) U2: Enrage 1, Protective, Regen 2 (options to get dmg for increased dmg reduction with parrying. Regen for filler) SL has also access to "Serpentor's Scale Armor" (Zeal: Speed, HeartStrike), "Poison Fang" for AP gen and Terminus from "Forced Transfusion". The entire AP subtheme in draksars would work great with a design like this. **Note this champ is a boring low-spd melee which SL has a billion of. its just an example on how very low stats could work with this ability, Parrying could also be used succesfully for support role champs too or squishy glass cannons, not just warriors. As for the animation and sound i picture the trigger to be the Parrying champ's attack animation at the same time as the attacking champ's animation with the sound of "block" (which is that *cling* metal sound). That way this ability gives the feeling of metal hitting metal and if this is given to a champ with a gun then that champ would be shooting and blocking a sword or arrow with a bullet, which would be really cool.
I like it! feels very ninja, Salaman and Ferren Ninja could have it, along with some paladins I suppose. makes me wonder why no one thought of it earlier.
Thank you! I totally see a couple Ferrens and Salamans having it (Salaman Privateer for example) as well as the Serpentors in SL and some others like Boghopper Blackhand, a gunslinger tortun(totally applyable to a champ with quick guns, its also curious how it would work with Stability, would only relly on increasing damage to tank properly), would work awesomely with Leoss (support ones or quick ones like Chirai), Vashal, a multi-armed Stitched, could also be another option for Aspect of Violence in the Scale Armor upgradepath, A Hyaenid too because that theme is about debuffing opponent.. I have a couple cool support designs in mind with this ability
I think the numbers need some tweaking to make it viable but I like the concept. For instance maybe you could restrict the ability with a min-max amount of dmg that can be reduced and/or making it an activated ability on a cooldown (for 0 ap and 4 turns for instance). As you put it my first thought is that it would make any kind of damage boost a super combo as it would be buffing two key stats at the same time.
Parrying Stance This champion gets -1SPD. Whenever this champion is attacked, the dmg is reduced by the amount of dmg that this champion has to a minimum of three.
I dont see it working as an activable, dont really like activable deffensive abilities.. instead of the opponent changing strategy to take the champ down they can just wait for the effect to wear off.. cant be a surprice ability because you need to save AP for the triggers and the AP saving element is something i want to keep.
Well that's where we disagree then. I disklike the AP saving aspect and passive nature of nohkando as to me it feels like you are being encouraged to be inactive. It's also the kind of thing that will require some amount of hard counters to balance out (as does nokhando). Hard counters aren't going away from this game anytime soon but I don't see any need to encourage them or passive play in general. It's preference I suppose but mine would be to avoid the concept all together if done as you described...
Well then what you dislike is it being a defensive ability because passive use of ap is also used in abilities like Blitz but in this one instead of spending AP in your turn for an attack you are saving it so its used in your opponent turn for defense.. it does not encourage inactive play, it encourages better AP management and positionning. I listed all the counters Parrying has and all factions and themes have acces to at least 3 of them (Reducing the champ spd below the attacker's speed, reducing the champ DMG, increasing the attacking champ's SPD above the parrying champ's spd, applying distracted, stunned or paralized. Remember that the attacks still land and still apply any effect on succesful hit), it even has more counters than nohkando. I dont know what you meant by encouragin hard counters..
Okay then I dislike passive "defensive" abilities. I suppose Blitz is technically passive but it's one that is tied to the act of moving (same with Bold). I see them both as abilities that encourage players to move and attack (be active) in order to get any benefit from it. You make good points for the most part here and you are right about the three pronged aspect of your proposed ability (Spd of attacker, spd of defender, dmg of defender) allowing more counter measures than nohkando and other defensive abilities allow for. You're correct it wouldn't require a hard counter to deal with because countermeasures allowing you to play around it already exist in the game. I hadn't fully considered that before but it makes sense. I would be 100 percent for nohkando being rebranded or removed and replaced by "parrying" as you described it I would like it better. I would hate to see both of them in the game at the same time but i've learned to live through worse. I suppose we will have to agree to disagree that it doesn't encourage inactive play. If you are being rewarded for saving AP you are being rewarded for choosing to be less active (moving, attacking, activating abilities, etc.) on your turn to make use of this defensive ability. That doesn't mean your proposed ability doesn't ALSO encourage careful AP management and maybe better positioning as well. It's just that it would be my preference that if it did make it into the game it would be as an activated ability.
