Player Expansion Preview/Discussion (Protectorate Champions)

OpieOP

 

my name is diablo and i like fs

edit:
My runes are OP and I like what I see.

 

First, what about changing the champ's name from Garu Frost Mage to Wintertide Mage? I feel a lot of Garu are named with the Garu XXXXX naming mechanic. Wintertide Mage is simple and has a naturalistic sound to it. If that sounds too archaic, Winter Mage could work as well.

As for the champ, it is pretty far from where it started (Garu War Mage) but is a decent source of AoE for KF with Frost Cone 3. It also provides alt. ranged damage for garu decks. I am assuming Frost Barrier is Force Barrier? If so, I do love me some Force Barrier. Iceguard should be able to work well with Hibernate. If possible I'd change Amp: Frost to Freeze so that you can have to option to crystallize a friendly champion (Crystallize) and an opposing champion (Freeze).

Also, since the original champ was solely a KF champion, here's an updated flavor-text for the champ (unless you have something better, of course)...
Wintertide Mage- "After many repeated requests from Godwin, the wizards of J'thir relented and trained certain select Garu in the ways of frost magic. For those that could withstand the elements beyond the forest, the honor of becoming a Wintertide Mage was the reward."

Edit: Any chance you could PM a pic of how this champ's artwork turned out? I'd love to see it early!

 

Not to press my luck because Serpentine Mass looks amazing, but what do you think of replacing Poison 2 with Crushing Charge? After seeing the artwork preview for this rune, it seems to fit. Impact Strike could work as well.

Also, could you PM me the flavor-text for this rune so I can give it a nod of approval?

 

@Sokolov regarding the mechanized salaman. I don't think it's OP i think it will be a good rune though which of course from the playerbase translates into OP. and not good translates into shoebox.

But anyways for mid 70 nora it has sapping armor which is one of the best defensive abilities in the game and then it's 2nd upgrade path offers it up a lot of mobility for it to constantly harrass while is also has decent enough damage. it's just a really efficient melee beater is all but i don't think it's something you need to be concerned about breaking the game.

I do however think that the cannibal will be pretty awful. 83 nora plus mercenary is a huge investment quest kill enemy is also essentially a wasted ability slot since he's going to get that 25 hp heal off his attacks anyway and the abilities not worth it for the damage and defence alone.

In general i find his build strange, i've always felt like mercenary units should be the kind of units you rush in to a battle wreak havoc with until they die, while this guy is a stealth unit who is made to survvie a really long time.

 

Do you like Cooperation on it? I guess it would help to make the champ a bit cheaper and heal a little more but seems pretty "meh" to me. The rest of the champ looks useful for the price.

 

Seems more like an Augmented Salaman than a Mechanised Salaman.

 

I guess people didn't catch my drift that I play only FS https://www.poxnora.com/users/viewprofile.do?u=diablozIII . Anyway to change my name btw.

Anyway for arguments sake.

Jelly looks okay, you would have to compare it to chronomancer, and I would probably rate her ability set over this one. The reason why is how few super champs haste targets would be useful within jellies, although fishkisser/moog pulls is always nice for collective. Another thing to note is also how infrequently voidmage is used in psy. Perhaps that is voidmages own problem though and not spatial dypslasias? Though you will be playing it jelly and it is an unbuffed aoe a lot of the time, and tidal wave for +2 nora would almost always be more useful in just about every case I can imagine this ability being used for as the burst is more consistent and genuinely useful for things like drown (lol) and swamp things. Whatever happened to the old version? As my OP statement was more of a circlejerk as to how perceivably decent/good/OP the old one was. This one is simply underwhelming.

Anyways the salaman was exactly what the theme needed. Currently privateer was playing a dual "buff"/CORE-tank role. This was very awkward as after he died, you lost every source of his buff, unlike the other sources where you can feasibly use them as supporting units in the backline to buff up your front line composing of sally hunters, investigators as semi-tanks (gets rekt by everything when privateer isn't around) alongside berk.

Mech Sally takes the burden off his hands and gives you an excellent front line tank in the context of Sally with 58 HP tough 2/sapping (probably tough) and a range of strong upgrade 2s. The balancing factor is that he wont be abused in meta/collective (from what I can tell).

^ It probably wont be run in meta since dreadeye symbiote is the only feasible equip on him there. Sounds decent in theory but no one is running hydraxor + aquatic talisman for similar reasons. Not to mention you are already starved if you want to play correctly and use 2x marsh song 2x hippo 1x reverb 1x mist and 2x banners.

 

We already had it via tortun mystic.

 

Since i only play IS...

Dwarven Harlequin (IS)
This is more a imp or moga then a dwarf bard with current abilities
Abash, Amplify Sonic, Antagonize (would be fun with abash), Carouse, Charm, immunity: Sonic

Solution 15
Remove battlefiend its just to powerful ability to be used
Quest: Damage is also crazy good, should be changed unless the ability is planned to be nerfed, wonder if anyone uses Pureblood Plainswalker without quest:damage?
change Seismic Leap for Leap unless its a 2x2 Titan it shouldnt have seismic leap.
maybe add Magic Turret or Fire Turret depending on graphics


Grintmaw Monotone (IS)
Change range 1-4 it is very good should be 3-4 i just hate range 1-4 almost nothing should have such range .-)
what trolls lack are commander, AP gen, would be nice if it had drive, battle drum, empathy, invigorate or other abilities that we are forced to use dwarfs for.

Sarghavian Vanguard (IS)
a more powerful and faster version of Renegade, and a Vanguard without the vanguard ability is tricky dodge, evasive, tough2, if its the vanguard it need abilities to survive being the frontline, sure vanguard+arrow eater and IS/UD split rune would be crazy

Lost Tribe Cannibal (IS)
13 dmg,7spd,55 hp, scrapper and life siphon? no thanks i would like to use some of my other meleerunes also.

 

since i'm too excited about this and just have a mind-storm inside I'm not gonna post anything.

 

what's frost barrier?

 

-and frost lance?

I will post first thought about mechanics:
Sunrake Maple (KF)
-upgrade abilities and defaults:

U1: Inspire (Default), Grace of the Dead 1, Grace of the Dead 2
U2: Flamestrike (Default), Flameburst, Fire Eater
As flamestrike scales off directly of attack and flameburst doesn't, I think defaults should be either flamestrike+grace of the dead or inspire+flameburst, as inspire and flamestrike don't work well together (counterintuitive, hard to play combination)

 

Frost lance is the reworked Freezing Strike from this thread. At least I believe it is. @Sokolov Is it a new ability?

 

Are you sure that Serpentine Mass isn't just a Vothsair in disguise?

 

Yeah, and I whined a bunch when it came out, too.

 

Regarding Serpentine Mass with Arrow Eater, I'd be fine replacing it with Spontaneous Regeneration (Colossal Boa once had it and it was neato), Slithering Symbiosis (snake-producing version of Stitched Symbiosis), or Recruit Serpent (snake-producing version of Recruit Snowcat). I'd like to see it released as designed with Arrow Eater but am open to some other abilities in the 14-15 nora price range. Something that fits this epic art....

 

Scale Armor is 10 and suitably serpentine.

Maybe couple with a complimentary defensive ability.

 

It should be propogate serpent I stead of those