Cinematic Clashes
This is not a player vs player clash suggestion. Instead, it is a story/boss clash system in which you can trigger cinematic clashes against a boss during certain attacks or these can automatically happen in a phase transition.
The idea as a whole is this.
Scenario 1: Cinematic Clashes (Grabs/Stuns(?))
During certain moves a boss will enter an attack phase in which they will stop receiving full damage and instead begin to take “posture” damage. Yes, this is very similar to a souls/FF16 mechanic, and it works in a relatively similar way.
These attack phases can differ, from standard (continues to attack while charging something or preparing a skill), and cataclysmic attack in which they are stationary but can still pose a threat by unleashing lesser attacks. The cataclysmic attacks can be countered in a few ways, either by parrying them (applies to rushes from the boss), or by just causing them to lose control of the attack and it backfires (standard posture break).
When a boss’s posture is broken, the boss will be stunned for 10 seconds where they take 1.5x damage on the next attack (working on an Ultimate Art spell/technique suggestion so you could do that here if that is added), or they can be grabbed to initiate a cinematic grab. In the case of a cataclysmic attack parry, this is an automatic grab (assuming the boss was weakened enough, say, 20%/25% of the posture bar left). In both scenarios, the boss takes significant damage, but they remain stunned for a short period of time as they perform a recovery animation.
Note:
Upon taking the 1.5x damage hit, they will automatically recover.
In all honesty, this idea can be considered optional or tacked on. The main idea for this suggestion lies in scenario 2.
Scenario 2: Cinematic Clashes (Phase transition)
There could alternatively or alongside the aforementioned scenario be clashes initiated by the boss themselves. These clashes are the usual quick time events, and can be used to relocate the player and the boss to a new area.
Here is an example using a hypothetical General Julian boss fight:
General Julian is pushed back in a cutscene before he blasts the player back with a series of glass explosions. The player is largely unharmed by these explosions but as they blocked/dodged the attack, they looked up to see Julian had suddenly disappeared. In a critical moment Homelander Julian yells “I WILL END YOU [Player First Name]!!!” before repeating the attack used to knockout the player back in Ravenna. The player having time to react, and now being stronger than before can perform a quick time event to initiate a class themed button mash event.
Let’s assume this takes place in Fort Castrum. I’ll probably clarify that this is in a fairly large yet cramped room given the scale, and the player in the cutscene is likely around the middle of the room (imagine Argos arena, maybe a bit larger. Julian will attempt the attack from behind the player, but in anime fashion or just overconfidence/arrogance yell out his attack.
Mages/Paladins:
Creates a small barrier of magic which stops Julian but he continues to push onward. During this time the player will struggle to push back against Julian, but after much struggle Julian’s injuries from Morden hit him (you held out long enough) and you go on the offensive. Switching from a barrier to a powerful blast/beam of magic you launch him away from you and through a wall and the battle gets taken outside.
Warlocks/Berserkers/Juggernauts:
You punch Julian in the face, temporarily dazing him before he charges a glass curse attack in his hand and tries to blast you with it. Grabbing this hand you both enter a struggle, in which if you succeed you will crush Julian’s arm before kneeing/punching (boxing) him in the stomach. Following this, you will then kick (iron leg)/punch him through a wall, taking the battle outside.
Conjurors/Warriors/Knights:
You and Julian enter a clash, blade against a body of power glass magic. Upon succeeding the clash, you will slash Julian and damage their physical body. Julian quickly mends his injury, but as he does you prepare a secondary slash which slashes and pushes back Julian. Cleaving through a wall and launching him outside.
Vitality/Warden:
I don’t know, maybe the player tenses their body and tanks the attack. Having seen this Julian is shocked but continues the assault. The player and Julian trade several blows before the player blasts back Julian with their spirit weapon.
Hybrids/Imbues:
For the aforementioned hybrids with imbues, their attacks have the imbue aura and possibly the last attack has some of that aura as well as it breaks the wall.
Savants:
Could be whatever their highest stat is, or it could be its own unique cinematic. If it is whatever their highest stat is, then this could also apply to the other hybrids.
Note: most if not all success cutscenes that occur will have Julian become vulnerable due to an injury from Morden.
Failure could either result in the player receiving heavy damage into the start of the next fight, or them just dying. In this case, the cutscene that plays out is Julian smashing the player through Fort Castrum and eventually landing somewhere else with the player either being defeated or barely surviving.
Personally, I don’t really expect Vetex to add something like this, but it’d be good for phase transitions at the very least. The only problem with this is that it might make the mirages kinda wonky, but if this is the final boss of the sea kind of thing and it has something special tied to it then it shouldn’t be that big of an issue. One solution could be having the player meditate at Fort Castrum, and like in Peroxide they get teleported somewhere else in the server where they can have their own boss fight against the boss. Alternatively, if they are in a party they can wait and perform a group meditation and join in together in the boss fight. From there, either the player who hits Julian into Phase 2 or did the most damage in Phase 1 will trigger the cinematic clash.
At the end of the day, this is just an example and not a Fort Castrum suggestion. It’s more so an idea for a potential few bosses in AO, mostly for curse users or major antagonists.