01-24-2025, 09:05 PM
After much talking and yapping I have made a list on what I believe would be good improvements for ruler without making it overbearing or changing how it plays fundamentally, this list is split into two parts, things I believe would be unanimously good to have, and things which are more out there and potentially not a good fit for ruler, but are still worth being given consideration.
1 - Bishop
Bishop is the least used of the promoted pieces for a reason, it lacks utility. its crest is by far the greatest of the crests for most allies, but the piece itself is often an afterthought and many times not even utilized with the crest. My idea for the bishop's move is to provide utility in both healing and resource generation, alongside a neat bonus for more mid-battle mineral generation.
Fianchetto
50 fp, 3 momentum, 4-5 turn cooldown
Gives all allies in a 3 wide circle radius health regeneration lvl 50 for three rounds. this move also triggers up to three non-seal enhanced enchantcraft effects on all enchants any affected allies have per ally, with a priority for crests. On top of that, the bishop digs up bishop crest level minerals around it.
2 - Crest dispelling
One of the biggest drawbacks a ruler can have is giving allies things they really don't want, primarily, crests of rook and knight. To alleviate this, the crests can have dispell effects so allies can remove them from themselves, with the bonuses eating the buffs usually entails.
Uncresting Ja'doube
1 momentum
Allows the user to move two tiles before consuming crest of knight.
Uncresting Fianchetto
1 momentum
shortens all debuffs by 1 round before consuming crest of bishop.
Uncresting Rookstar
1 momentum
Allows the user to make a basic attack within 6 range, with a -50% damage penalty, before consuming crest of rook.
Either the promoted pieces of the respective type cannot use these moves, or they revert to pawns upon using them and refund 2 geomaterial for the demotion.
3 - Automaton Energy
I am not going to suggest removing energy. It is a mechanic I actually quite like for ruler, instead I have two suggestions to make energy management less frustrating
3a - Non-base skills for pieces do not consume energy (this includes the likes of gemshard, guard, jetpack, the defensive enchant dispells, and so on)
3b - Labours is kept where it is in the enchant priority, fortunes is moved to the absolute bottom so that it is consumed last
The more out-there suggestions
these follow on in the standard day 1 "Ruler should have this" buff, the stuff that's been mentioned over and over, though I still feel they deserve some consideration.
4 - Auto-Pawns/Swift Enchanting
It's been said a bunch and it'll be said again! Ruler would appreciate streamlining, with these two ideas being brought up the most for this matter, I posit the addition of at least one of these, both for mainclass ruler. Either ruler could get an automatic pawn summon with appropriate geomaterial tax, or they could have enchants cost 2 momentum upon using cruel enchant, which could be another facet of arcane whip. Most other mages have ways to speed up their main gimmick, swift rune crafting for rune mage and hsdw for evoker specifically, this change is in-line for main class mage I feel.
5 - Labour Buff
Another simple suggestion, and one I've made before, I don't believe it is entirely necessary due to ruler's current performance, but it is an improvement in streamlining separate from momentum issues. Geomaterial is at it's scarcest further into battle, often rulers can be left with both no pawns for making rocks and no galren/stone dragon with the current popular playstyle involving relying on pawn break and dig order for minerals. Labours giving 1 geomaterial, or even 0.5 per turn would allow rulers to keep up mid-battle pressure when their pawns are at their weakest.
6 - Offensive Skills
Coming to the most vestigial part of ruler, the offensive whip skills! Ruler has an interesting niche in its slash and blunt damage magical attacks with its whip moves, though they face issues with usability and opportunity cost. a lot of the time they are simply not worth it. I shall list each skill and propose possible improvements to them if needed.
Rawhide slash
A skill great for material gathering, but not damage, it falls behind benten in both utility and the amount of resources gained. I propose the skill being able to crit (25% damage if it keeps 120% swa scaling, otherwise make it based on crit mod and have max scaling be 100%) and have those crits count for geomaterial generation.
Slicing Benten
Movement, good trickery, up to five refines, this move is quality, it is just where it needs to be, no improvements needed
Simple Shell
The Simple Shell/Complex Shatter combo is simply not worth it, it takes nine momentum to get the most value (that being shell, complex, and then a refine.), when stone dragon into drill gets more resources for less, its only advantage is energy, but it's both a miniscule amount and requires the full combo to perform, which is prone to misses and hesitation.
I recommend either or both the following, Shell getting a SWA increase to justify using it (I'm talking like, 130-140), or the ability to charge the closest automaton to you for 1-2 energy on hit.
Complex Shatter
Complex Shatter can stay as is, it being a long ranged basic attack aids crit rulers well enough, and with the simple shell buff it wouldn't need much improvement
Despot Drill
Make the guard break chance 20-25% per enchant instead of ten, guaranteeing a guard break after using 9-12 momentum to buff up first seems fair, considering how most every other guardbreak doesn't need requirement in the first place.
Aaand thats it for my silly lil suggestions! I would highly recommend checking out the other ruler suggestion thread (https://neus-projects.net/forums/showthr...?tid=11665) for more inspiration for making ruler a class people feel less frustration over. I hope these ideas are well recieved!
1 - Bishop
Bishop is the least used of the promoted pieces for a reason, it lacks utility. its crest is by far the greatest of the crests for most allies, but the piece itself is often an afterthought and many times not even utilized with the crest. My idea for the bishop's move is to provide utility in both healing and resource generation, alongside a neat bonus for more mid-battle mineral generation.
Fianchetto
50 fp, 3 momentum, 4-5 turn cooldown
Gives all allies in a 3 wide circle radius health regeneration lvl 50 for three rounds. this move also triggers up to three non-seal enhanced enchantcraft effects on all enchants any affected allies have per ally, with a priority for crests. On top of that, the bishop digs up bishop crest level minerals around it.
2 - Crest dispelling
One of the biggest drawbacks a ruler can have is giving allies things they really don't want, primarily, crests of rook and knight. To alleviate this, the crests can have dispell effects so allies can remove them from themselves, with the bonuses eating the buffs usually entails.
Uncresting Ja'doube
1 momentum
Allows the user to move two tiles before consuming crest of knight.
Uncresting Fianchetto
1 momentum
shortens all debuffs by 1 round before consuming crest of bishop.
Uncresting Rookstar
1 momentum
Allows the user to make a basic attack within 6 range, with a -50% damage penalty, before consuming crest of rook.
Either the promoted pieces of the respective type cannot use these moves, or they revert to pawns upon using them and refund 2 geomaterial for the demotion.
3 - Automaton Energy
I am not going to suggest removing energy. It is a mechanic I actually quite like for ruler, instead I have two suggestions to make energy management less frustrating
3a - Non-base skills for pieces do not consume energy (this includes the likes of gemshard, guard, jetpack, the defensive enchant dispells, and so on)
3b - Labours is kept where it is in the enchant priority, fortunes is moved to the absolute bottom so that it is consumed last
The more out-there suggestions
these follow on in the standard day 1 "Ruler should have this" buff, the stuff that's been mentioned over and over, though I still feel they deserve some consideration.
4 - Auto-Pawns/Swift Enchanting
It's been said a bunch and it'll be said again! Ruler would appreciate streamlining, with these two ideas being brought up the most for this matter, I posit the addition of at least one of these, both for mainclass ruler. Either ruler could get an automatic pawn summon with appropriate geomaterial tax, or they could have enchants cost 2 momentum upon using cruel enchant, which could be another facet of arcane whip. Most other mages have ways to speed up their main gimmick, swift rune crafting for rune mage and hsdw for evoker specifically, this change is in-line for main class mage I feel.
5 - Labour Buff
Another simple suggestion, and one I've made before, I don't believe it is entirely necessary due to ruler's current performance, but it is an improvement in streamlining separate from momentum issues. Geomaterial is at it's scarcest further into battle, often rulers can be left with both no pawns for making rocks and no galren/stone dragon with the current popular playstyle involving relying on pawn break and dig order for minerals. Labours giving 1 geomaterial, or even 0.5 per turn would allow rulers to keep up mid-battle pressure when their pawns are at their weakest.
6 - Offensive Skills
Coming to the most vestigial part of ruler, the offensive whip skills! Ruler has an interesting niche in its slash and blunt damage magical attacks with its whip moves, though they face issues with usability and opportunity cost. a lot of the time they are simply not worth it. I shall list each skill and propose possible improvements to them if needed.
Rawhide slash
A skill great for material gathering, but not damage, it falls behind benten in both utility and the amount of resources gained. I propose the skill being able to crit (25% damage if it keeps 120% swa scaling, otherwise make it based on crit mod and have max scaling be 100%) and have those crits count for geomaterial generation.
Slicing Benten
Movement, good trickery, up to five refines, this move is quality, it is just where it needs to be, no improvements needed
Simple Shell
The Simple Shell/Complex Shatter combo is simply not worth it, it takes nine momentum to get the most value (that being shell, complex, and then a refine.), when stone dragon into drill gets more resources for less, its only advantage is energy, but it's both a miniscule amount and requires the full combo to perform, which is prone to misses and hesitation.
I recommend either or both the following, Shell getting a SWA increase to justify using it (I'm talking like, 130-140), or the ability to charge the closest automaton to you for 1-2 energy on hit.
Complex Shatter
Complex Shatter can stay as is, it being a long ranged basic attack aids crit rulers well enough, and with the simple shell buff it wouldn't need much improvement
Despot Drill
Make the guard break chance 20-25% per enchant instead of ten, guaranteeing a guard break after using 9-12 momentum to buff up first seems fair, considering how most every other guardbreak doesn't need requirement in the first place.
Aaand thats it for my silly lil suggestions! I would highly recommend checking out the other ruler suggestion thread (https://neus-projects.net/forums/showthr...?tid=11665) for more inspiration for making ruler a class people feel less frustration over. I hope these ideas are well recieved!
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