Pets & their skills

[Dezdrehel]

Imo Fairy Dragon ( I believe it's what you meant )

I really mean Faery Dragon.
This is a small dragon, 2-3 feet long with butterfly like wings, which can be found on mystic forests or other faery land.
They are rather michievous but usualy good creatures.

They are known to be good spell caster.
Their breath weapon is a gaz that provoque comatose. (i don't see how to simulate sleep effect in diablo)

Since it's not a real dragon and has nothing to do with "fairy", we have relative freedom for his choice spells.

I've tried to make it different from other pets, so his lack of aura, etc..
But i think his skills are too close from the classic D2 ones, so more work is needed.

[Mathiu Silverburg]

We were talking about the same creature, but my name is based on ad&d 2nd edition monster manual handbook. I can add that it's also called pseaudodragon. About the rest I agree with you in 100% !

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Dezdrehel]

We were talking about the same creature, but my name is based on ad&d 2nd edition monster manual handbook.

That good, we understand each other.
Having the monster manual 2 AD&D 1 st edition now in my hand, the name is spelled "Faerie Dragon".
The first description line say:
This chaotic offshoot of the pseudodragon...

The pseudo dragon is described in MM1 ADD 1st edition.

I don't have ADD 2nd edition, we jump directly to the third.

Well, we use similar source, this make discussion more simple.

For the name, Fairy look like justice (fair), and we are designing the pixie class pet. I think Faery or Faerie look better, but that my opinion.

I don't understant why you prefer fire based attack and holy element for thid pet ?

[Mathiu Silverburg]

I agree Faerie looks better. Unfortunatelly about your other questions I cannot give you decent answer ( I don't have my 2ed mm rihgt now ) but somehow I remeber ( I've played also a lot of old rpgs - maybe somewhere there ) that faerie dragon use light element attack, what would correspond to holy. And about fire - I think that homm4 misguided me, I must have subconsciously take their metalic-red color for corresponding to fire element.

In shorer way: I don't have logical explanation

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Joel]

Sorry to have not commented this before.
The Pixie looks nice and so does the Mephit.

For the Dragon, I think something more based on pure
magic and enchantements could be nice.

For the skills, even if the remaining skills are not know now, you can also try to find 'skills ideas' and I'll see how they can be done

[Dezdrehel]

Works on the Faerie Dragon to make it more spell caster.

what do you think of:

Faerie Dragon

1. Cone of cold
2. Hold monster (like freezing effect, but monster do not turn blue)
3.Charm monster
4. Power word Stun
5 Detect enemies (make enemie appear in red on the automap)
6. Haste (make partie move and attack faster)
7. Cloudkill
8. Meteor Swarm
9. Mirror image (make 2-4 decoy)
10. Mordenkainen sword (summon scimitar to fight for you)
11. Mass enchant (cast sorc enchant on the partie)
12. Grease (effect like the spider web which slow movement)
13. Polymorph other (change subject to chicken)
14. Evard's black tentacles (like the Baal tentacles)
15. fire shield (monter take fire dam when attacking you)
16. cause curse (we can choose a curse from the necro skill)
17. Keen edge (give deadly strike)
18. Displacement (50% miss chance, can be simulated by giving blocking chance)
19. Magic Missile
20. Mage armor

There is also the various fireball and lightning bolt, these are obvious skills.

Well, i've put many skill, so we can discuss ideas and see what would be possible and nice for this pet.

[Mathiu Silverburg]

My first and fast comment about the skills:

5)as far as I know it's not possible. It was before Lod but blizzard changed sth ( perhaps in code ) that removed such possibilty.

- Mathiu Silverburg

[Dezdrehel]

For the detect enemie ....

** EDITED BY JOEL **
to prevent rampant discussion on you know what related to enemy on automap display

Edit.... humm, well, Joel know where to find the information.

Sometime interesting source code come from site that should not be named.

[Dezdrehel]

I've read more carefully the topics on new class skill, and i got some ideas for the faerie dragon.

Hork bunch-> release a bunch of two or tree homming missiles targeted at dead body, they hork corspe upon impact.
Dragon wrath->act as thunderStorm, but use animation of baldur's gate flame stike. do fire damage (i don't know it's possible to use skill anim from other game)
Magic missile->homming missiles that use the succube missile and do magic damage.
Stun armor->act as the third sorc armor, but instead of throwing back a frost bolt at ranged attacker, it throw a stun bolt.

Well, i'm putting skills ideas, we should go on next stage and define the 6 skills of this pet.

[Joel]

Nice.

Yes indeed time for skill harvest !!

First, i've look at my Act layout, and I hope you wouldn't mind if I swap Mephit and Pixie in the pet devellopement tree.

So :

Chapter 1 - Act 3 Pet is Mephit
Chapter 2 - Act 3 Pet is Pixie
Chapter 3 - Act 3 Pet is Faerie Dragon

-----------------------

Mephit : using Diablo 1 Bat gfx (I think)
There primary attack is throwing peebles.
1. Taunt.
2. Dust Devil (tornado + stun)
3. Mysterious Dream. (aka slow curse)
4. Bloody Pact. (+ lifesteal aura)

Var 1
5. Attract
6. Blindness

Var 2
5. Fire Seeds (enchant peebles to explode on strike)
6. Boulder (increase size of a peebles and throw it magically)

Pixie : using a reworked druid spirit gfx (anything better ?).
There primary attack is launching dart.

1. Legerdemain (find item)
2.
3. Fly-by (evade passive skill)
4. Golden Dust (+mag% aura)

Var 1
5. Lingering Chant (Confuse effect + nice sound fx)
6. Mirror Image (using Decoy dunno if possible)

Var 2
5. Magic Dart (aka Magic arrow)
6. Sting of Womai ( multi-element dart using vengeance)

Faerie Dragon (still no gfx)
Spit acid bolt (like Act II worms)

1.
2. Cone of Cold
3. Magic Missile
4.

Var 1
5.
6. Cause Pain

Var 2
5. Color Spray (aka Orb of Destruction)
6. Faerie Fire

Do you see the pattern ?
A physical attack using the Rogue Merc ability to launch arrows and two variations based on the idea of havoc/ranged like Dez speak of.

Any comment ?

[Xcolibri]

What kind of stuff can it throw ?

What if it spits? Maybe even with acid?

[Joel]

hmmm an acid spitting dragon, original I tought
ANd it remains 'physical' in some way.

To add variation, the mephit could throw simple peeble, the pixie piercing dart and the acid spit could have poison damage attached.

[Dezdrehel]

Nice idea, the acid spitting.
ADD black dragon spit acid too.

Peeble for the mephit is excelent, correspond with the creature type. 8)

Still thinking for the others skills... need time to make good combinaisons

[Dezdrehel]

What do you think of this:

Faerie Dragon

1. Acid spit -> Phys. dam. and poison dam (to simulate lasting acid)
2. Magic Missile ->throw some homing missiles that do magic damage
3. Cone of cold -> We could use a cone shaped artic blast (druid skill), it look cool.
4. Golden presence -> as redemption, but hork the corpse it redeem

Var 1
5. Charm creature -> Conversion missile
6. Pain -> Iron maiden

Var 2
5. Orb of destruction ->as frozen orb, but do magic damage
6. Faerie fire -> curse that disminish enemies defense, and amplify the damage they take.

[Joel]

1. Acid spit -> Phys. dam. and poison dam (to simulate lasting acid)

Hmmm, prefer keeping this as primary attack, not skills.

2. Magic Missile ->throw some homing missiles that do magic damage
3. Cone of cold -> We could use a cone shaped artic blast (druid skill), it look cool.

OK, they're in.

4. Golden presence -> as redemption, but hork the corpse it redeem

... why not, but what is 'horking' stuff ?

Var 1
5. Charm creature -> Conversion missile

tss tss Conversion doesn't work with hireling ....

6. Pain -> Iron maiden

Nice too.

Var 2
5. Orb of destruction ->as frozen orb, but do magic damage
6. Faerie fire -> curse that disminish enemies defense, and amplify the damage they take.

Very nice.

So just 2 skills left for the faerie dragon, what about the pixie ? (looka t the updated one I post)

[Brother Laz]

Horking = diabloii.net'ism for spamming Find Item.

[Joel]

\me has lost his D2 to english dictionnary ...

[Dezdrehel]

mmmm, let's see

Hmmm, prefer keeping this as primary attack, not skills

Cool, that make one free skill
We should put Magic missile as the first.
so
2. Flame Blade -> cast enchant on allies

but what is 'horking' stuff ?

he he, the word "hork" come from the sound the barb make when he use find item.
This skill is the upper grade of "better stuff" find aura.

tss tss Conversion doesn't work with hireling ....

Argg, So may be a form of psychic hammer that affect only one creature, and always do the convert effect ???

About gfx, there diferents mephits in BG2, scpecialy in the introduction.

[Joel]

Enchant skill is already taken by another player.
For the conversion, in fact, ALL conversion spells faiel dto be used on hireling.
cause the game check for an hireling owner to see if it's an hireling too ...

I'll check the BG2 mephit :p

[Dezdrehel]

For the conversion, in fact, ALL conversion spells faiel dto be used on hireling.

Arrhhh, but when the assy's Shadow Master cast Psychic hammer, it works. And he convert monster !!

Well, the SM is not an hireling.

mmmm, i'll continue on this, beta is nearing, and it would be best to have all pets working.
(but i think the faerie Dragon will be accessible only in act 11 and after)

[Joel]

I'll test it, maybe it's work
Anyways, it's just planning as the beta will only activate the 4 first act pets.

maybe it's time to let these here and find the skills for the first ones (hawk/tiger/mephit/golem)

hawk and mephi is Ok, staytiger and clay golem.

[Dezdrehel]

I've just looked at previous post on tiger and golems. I didn't understood very well that skill/objects stuff.
I think the body part object for golems is an excelent one.

well, i'll do as the pixit class, lmk if i'm wrong.

Tiger
1. Rake -> do bleeding damage (open wound)
2. Vicious strike-> critical hit (passive)
3. Dodge -> evade melee attacks
4. pounce -> jump on enemie, stunning him (like the druid bear attack)

Var 1
5. Bloodlust -> attack drain life
6. Hardness -> barb iron skin

Var 2
5. Steel claws -> -x to monster def per hit
6. Frenzy ->Like fanaticism but not an aura, affect only the pet.

This is the first feline pets, so no great skills. (but not a useless pet )
I think of a Roar skill which would act as shockwave, but for a later predator.

Will continue with the clay golem.

P.S. for the pixit gfx, why not use the sylph of HoMM4

[Joel]

They look nice, however remember one thing :

I can't make skills that add special effect to attack (like open woudns etc ...)
I can however put them on pets equipments ....

For the golem i tohught about soemthing slow but devastating attack and for the clay golem some kind of 'auto-reapir' aka regenration of HP.

PS : have you a screenshot o the sylph can't find it ...

[Dezdrehel]

Hummm,

I've e-mailed you the sprite (and not the sylph as i thought) of HoMM4

I see the problem with open wound. That also mean that crushing blow won't be possible as golem's skill too.

Is it possible to simulate open wound with a poison effect which doesn't turn green the victim ??

The problem with golem is that no skill is needed to make massive damage and having high defense.
I see stun as "natural" skill effect like smite, but i think the golem won't be smart and follow its target if the knockback take effect. Same for charge...it will try to charge while in close range.
We could give it thorn like the IG, or aura like the FG but would have a look of déjà vu.
Well, i'll pursue my investigation.

[Joel]

Well there is the 'burn' damage type that is unresistable physical damage.
But the hireling won't get XP from monsters killed by burn. but oh well ...

For the golem, what about a Stomp attack (shake screen and dmg) ?
charge is nice even if they do so at close range.

A defiance aura maybe ??