Curse

Redwinter · Oct 02, 2006, 05:13 PM // 17:13

For the next chapter, I think that they won't add new classes per se, because after 3 expansions with new classes, a 4th without would just seem pale in comparison.

What I might actually expect, though, is an expansion that adds new races. The timing would be good, I think, as it'd inject a lot of interest back into the game 2 years after its original release.

So...

Chapter 4: Firebrand

Eleven years ago was the Searing, the destruction of a whole nation at the hands of the Charr, an event that sent shockwaves through the world, setting off a chain of events that would see the fulfillment of a prophecy, the resurrection of a murderous envoy to the dead, and the release of an dark and ancient god.

Take on a new mantle, shed your illusions of heroism, and see why it happened... Continue the story, eleven years after the Charr found the girlchild in the freshly created wasteland, with the legendary Firebrand marking her forehead. The human who has become their Sorceress Queen.

PvP centric expansion.

1 new race, the Charr. Giving them access to the old professions would just be silly, injecting a need for 20 new class skins with a minimum of 20 face/hair appearances for each.

As such...

Berserker - The Charr Berserkers are brutal warriors wielding powerful two-handed weapons, capable of dealing devastating damage at the cost of a portion of their life. This is made easier by their primary attribute, Endurance, which raises their maximum life.
Comment: I think that primary attribute is a natural conclusion to draw for something that winds up 'tanking', and while it wouldn't work alongside the warrior, it fits for a new race that doesn't get access to the warrior class.

Shaman - The Charr do not worship the gods of humans, but the powerful and wild spirits of the land. Shamans take on the role of leaders, healers and diplomats, a role they play with potent area-of-effect heals and shouts. To these ends, the Shaman's Vision attribute enhances your spell range and area of effects.
Comment: I wanted a healer concept that didn't parallel the monk so closely. The shaman would fall somewhere between ritualist and paragon, but would be intended to play more like a heal/prot combination.

Stalker - The Stalker is a spear wielding Charr who uses cunning over the brute strength of her Berserker comrades. With a focus on mobility with leaps and charges, and the ability to catch foes unawares, the Stalker is a foe you want to keep your eye on. What's more, she can definitely keep her eye on you with her Awareness attribute, which gives the ever-alert Stalker a wider sense of the area and the capability of her opponents.
Comment: Purely brainstorming. Awareness seems interesting to me, but would probably need a mechanical edge.

Wilder - The Wilders are Charr who tattoo their flesh and dye their fur in runes to better their attachment to the lesser powers and wild spirits of the land. Drawing its power from Chaos, the Wilder quite naturally benefits from Chaos attribute, which gives it chances at faster cast time, recharge time and cheaper skill costs, but bring a small measure of unreliability.
Comment: I envision it as a more self-centered mesmer type.

Summoner - With their natural ties to dragons, the ancient titans, wild spirits and the gods so young they are as of yet unnamed, it is only natural that the Charr would make direct use of them in battle. The Summoner brings forth servants to aid his allies in battle, from lesser fire spirits to the inspiring Titans.
Comment: Think necromancer with a bit less in the way of hexes, and short lived minions with more 'oomph'.

Sorcerer - Sorcerers have existed since the first of races used magic to create flame. They hold no pretense of style or effect, but prefer a focus on raw volume: size, effect, destruction. Wielding the powers of raw energy, the Sorcerer is truly a terror on the battlefield. Emphasizing this raw power is the Sorcerer's management of Orbs - brought forth with skills before battle or during a moment's break in the action, an Orb is a collection of energy that can be used to boost one's energy reserves or supercharge a spell.
Comment: I wanted a variant on Elementalists that seemed like it might work, and Orbs kind of 'clicked'. Overall, I imagine the Sorcerer falling between Ranger and Elementalist in style, as a caster with a consistent sort of damage and effect we see in the ranger.

PvP mode: Battlefields

Battlefields are an eight person event that pit two NPC armies against one another. The two armies are balanced against one another, but that balance can be broken by players. Players are set at the battle lines, and work to lead their armies against the foe, break through enemy lines and wipe out their targets.
Can be Human vs. Human, Human vs. Charr, Charr vs. Charr, etc.

PvE feature: Opposition Missions

There are two storylines here. One tells of the Charr's battle against the humans in an attempt to reclaim something ancient and forgotten. Another tells of the humans trying to end the battle against the Charr, once and for all.
Many of the missions have two stories to tell, and pit a team of Humans against a team of the Charr. This isn't always two groups combating one another, but might see them working on two opposite sides of the map for competing goals.

The Story, the Charr

Take on the role of a young Charr who serves the Sorceress Queen, a human girl found with no memory and a branding long told of in Charr legend. With the Sorceress Queen at their back, the Charr fight the last vestiges of the forces of man. When the Sorceress Queen tears Time itself asunder, the Charr will venture into the past to alter history itself, from the ancient times when the rivalry began, to the enactment of the Searing and the Cataclysm that destroyed Orr.

The Story, the Survivors of Ascalon

When the Searing happened, the Northern reaches of Ascalon were cut off from the rest of Tyria. For two years they tried to get messages past the tribes of Charr that had infested the area, and failed. It wasn't long after that when well intending heroes forced the Charr out of Southern Ascalon and Tyria, into the lands of the survivors of the North.
Now, as mere hundreds of men survive among the united tribes of the Sorceress, several heroes get a window of opportunity to go back in time and alter history, undo the Searing and save Orr.

But...

Will changing such key moments in history have too immense an effect?

Kattox1 · Oct 02, 2006, 06:17 PM // 18:17

This may be the best chapter concept I've ever read and also a convienient way to tie up the "where's Gwen" debate. You've done yourself proud Redwinter.

My only bit of worry is how Anet is supposed to handle adding 6 more character classes to pvp without monumentally destroying balance. You might say that the Charr should play in different arenas without any gaming with humans but that would create a rift within the community

Redwinter · Oct 02, 2006, 08:39 PM // 20:39

I didn't say anything about Gwen.

And yeah, balance would be heck. It helps, though, that the Charr are an inclusive race. Meaning we wouldn't have to worry about Berserker/Warrior. Just the 6 classes as standalones. They're also more or less based off of the base professions, so there's nothing overly groundbreaking to throw things outta whack.

So yeah, balance would be heck, but I can't imagine another way of implementing it.

Kattox1 · Oct 02, 2006, 10:26 PM // 22:26

Quote:

I didn't say anything about Gwen.

*scans over text*
Good god you didn't did you... ahhhh. Pretty obvious though.

Quote:

we wouldn't have to worry about Berserker/Warrior.

Oooooh. I was looking forward to making an E/So (ele/sorceror) and supercharging a meteor shower... I guess some things just aren't meant to be

*walks off and sulks in corner*

chappo · Oct 03, 2006, 12:36 AM // 00:36

Love the plot line and I'd love to see Gwen come back.
People would want a lot more new content though. Think people are paying £40 a pop for characters they've already seen and proffesions they've already used.
I think this would make a good expansion like sorrow's furnace tho. I really think they should implement it some how as it will tie up loose ends. Like Where the charr came from and why they attacked to start with.

/Signed as a free expansion

actionjack · Oct 03, 2006, 03:37 AM // 03:37

Haha.. someone like my new core for new race idea too....

Anyhow.. a good one.. very innovating and interesting...
make me want to write another expansion draft too....

figliaperduta · Oct 03, 2006, 06:03 AM // 06:03

Oh.

Oh.

I want this, so badly. How much? *begs*

Though, I'd like to see some more of the Charr classes we see in Prophecies, list of which is here.

And I am EXTREMELY curious about the eventual path of the storyline. The only downside that I see is that this appears to be more of a PvP focus, and there are a fair number of us who PvE almost exclusively. So, I would like to see some more development in that area.

The opposing sides reminds me a bit of Factions, but taken to a much greater extreme. I can definitely see the appeal for PvP players. One of my major problems with GW is the lack of ability to be Evil, as opposed to just being the good guy all the time. What about those of us who wanted to join the White Mantle after completing Bloodstone Fen mission? Not that the Charr are evil, mind you--just the different perspectives on the situation sounds very fascinating.

Question: would there be additional items/skills for human players as well, or would those be reserved for Charr? I can see things like the Warrior's Ogre-slaying Knife ("It has +9 against ogres!" but only 1-4 base damage), except adapted to serve against Charr or Humans, as need be. We get a bit of this, also, in the 'of ________slaying' weapon mods (there is one 'of Charrslaying,' which some number of 'Ascalon'-class weapons possess), but the potential for the expansion here is incredible.

I'd also be interested in learning a bit more about the Mursaat (the 'Unseen Ones' of the White Mantle) and their abilities against the Charr, as that is one match-up we have not yet seen.

...then again, I would like to play a Mursaat.

Excellent work, and I look forward to hearing more.

fig

Redwinter · Oct 03, 2006, 01:34 PM // 13:34

Actually, I was just responding to the 'Your predictions for chapter 4' thread, it got too long, so I posted it in the Sanitarium.

I'm working on a more fleshed out campaign, but not this one. This is just a raw concept, and I encourage others to add to it.

figliaperduta · Oct 04, 2006, 08:55 PM // 20:55

If we get to see Gwen, her class needs to be Me/W Illusionary Weaponry, or something similar. I'm back in Pre-Searing for the first time in a long time (been playing Factions a lot), and one comment stuck out...

'I'm going to be a famous hero someday. I'd like to be a Warrior, but the Mesmer armor is so pretty!'

Ohh, I want to play with this so badly. Can I, can I?

X Bane Claw X · Feb 20, 2007, 05:54 AM // 05:54

This sounds like a great idea! I'd love to play as a charr or a centaur. And not only would this be adding new missions within previous chapters , but would open a doorway to new PvP aspects of non-human VS human instead of creating other types of faction. Though the only thing I could see going wrong with this idea is that it will get even closer to how WoW is with the horde vs alliance or w/e the other one is called. On another note, anyone else like to see a 1v1 arena? I know there are scrimmages you can do within your alliance but you do not benefit from any title, other than self proclaimed, and theres no point system to work at. Just a thought...

Tide to Go · Feb 20, 2007, 04:58 PM // 16:58

congrats......you found the profile of guildwars project:Firebrand

we do need something with another pre, because id love to go for a LDo***

whatever the campaign is called.