Hello, Sector!
We're closing out our work on Scoundrel for now with a bang. That's all for Scoundrel, for now, but as always we'll be monitoring the changes and will address things as they come up. If you haven't been keeping up with the Updates board, we've fixed a lot of stuff for Scoundrel and added some new toys not included here, so check it out!
Since there are no Fury classleads (and Fury is next), this also means that the round of Classleads is now tied up. We implemented a lot of them, but for one reason or another weren't able to get to them all. If your classlead didn't make it through, we encourage you to resubmit next time. In a lot of cases it's not about the idea lacking merit, it's more to do with the balance of spending more time overcoming tech-related hurdles to implementing something versus keeping the momentum.
But okay, here we go, in no particular order:
- HAYMAKER: Much loved, much hated. It's really, really good, and we wanted to keep it good, but tone down its out of control damage scaling when affliction numbers get high, while also keeping its use in PvE about the same.
- Haymaker is now optionally limb-targeted. If you don't specify a limb, it hits the torso. Haymaker now only scales to affs of a subsystem depending on the chosen limb: internal (torso), muscular (arms/legs), or sensory (head). It additionally deals subsystem damage of that type. The base damage on it has gone up a bit, while the damage scaling formula has been tweaked so that higher affliction counts start to feel diminishing returns. This means it should be pretty much on par if not slightly better than what it was for normal PvE purposes, and for PvP purposes it's still a damage finisher, just not an oppressively so.
- AMBUSH: The damage has been touched down a slight bit.
- SPIN: Reworked. This is still a 2s reloading skill. Now, instead of reducing balance, the first time you use a gun attack with your PIECE within 5s, an additional bullet will be fired with average damage complete with payload/tip modifiers.
- SHOULDERROLL: Now accepts a target's name in addition to a prop, so you can SHOULDERROLL NERITUS to join my cover (probably shooting me with Gauge along the way).
- SHELLSPILL: Shellspill now causes a balance knock when someone attempts to use a melee attack against a target surrounded in their own spent shells. At the moment this is a 3.5s balance knock in exchange for the 2s cost of the reload ability. A BEAST with ramsets will simply crush the shells, naturally.
- Rapidfire and Ambush have received the "ranged abilities with cooldowns that can hit cover" treatment, meaning they can be targeted at props now and additionally hit the prop when they miss their target. Crackshot has also had the prop's name added to its CombatMessage.
- Hitting props with combusting payload lights flammable props on fire.
- STRANGLE: Channeled abilities like this are pretty niche in their application and usually aren't all that effective in most situations. For this reason and others, despite being the Guile trans skill, it's a dud. Since Scoundrel already has Unload and Pummel occupying the role of "niche channels," it was decided to simply replace the ability. Introducing...
- GUILE FIREBOMB. Plain and simple: light some alcohol on fire and toss it. How did it even take you so much training in Guile to get here? Save the best for last, I guess...
- FIREBOMB <TARGET|PROP> [item].
- When Firebomb hits someone, it explodes on their flesh, dealing damage and painfully cauterizing bleed stacks, inflicting more damage per stack, but curing the bleeds.
- When Firebomb hits a prop, if it is an Explosive prop, it deals serious damage to the prop. In most cases, the prop will explode.
- PROPS now contains more information about different types of props, and prop health. In case you weren't aware, explosive props are *dangerous* (and probably will need to be toned down slightly).
- You're a Scoundrel, so you have an infinite supply of flammable liquors at your disposal. But sometimes you want to add your special... uh... flavor. So you can optionally specify an alcoholic beverage in your inventory to throw instead. Works with drinks spiked with the Concentrated Alcohol Dispenser, too.
Happy 'splosions,
Neritus
