Introduction
Hello everyone, it is I once more, Dracula! The only thing necessary for evil boredom to triumph is for good men to do nothing. (Technically an Alucard quote, bite me.) Today we’ll be exploring some potential new weapon types and skills that could be added to the game to add a fair bit more build variety and opportunities for all the weapon build players. Enough said really, let’s get going!
New Weapon Types
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Flexible: This weapon type would include weapons such as whips, chain whips, manacles, kusari-fundo, lassos, or just a plain old chain. These melee weapons are characterized by their massive range but low damage and speed, having a stronger emphasis on range compared to the other two flexible weapon types. Basic attacks with flexible weapons would be the longest of any melee weapon type, and skills for this weapon type in particular focus heavily on controlling an opponent’s movement by binding or pulling them, or pulling oneself towards the enemy. Generally, this weapon type doesn’t have very good DPS at all, but it makes up for it with flashy moves that can hit absurdly wide or long but narrow areas with the right build. This weapon type, as well as all other flexible weapon types, could of course have dual or colossal weapons too, though it’s hard to imagine for a plain flexible weapon. Also, all flexible weapon types could potentially have a sweet spot mechanic where they do better damage near the edge of their range, making them harder to master but rewarding for those good at spacing out their opponent.
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Bladed Flexible: This weapon type would include weapons like chain blades, the urumi, rope darts, grappling hooks, chain-sickle, or other such flexible weapons that possess a small, sharp tip. Compared to regular flexible weapons, these have more of an emphasis on speed while trading off some of their range and a tiny bit of damage, making them the fastest but lowest range flexible weapons. They also of course would likely cause bleeding. Notably, this weapon type would be capable of making use of a lot of light bladed skills by simply holding the weapon by the point without ever extending it, granting it a little more versatility compared to the other flexible weapons. Due to this weapon type being more limited in range, generally movement controlling and mobility moves are less effective. Colossal weapons for this could be like swords attached to a chain or some other very large sharp object.
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Blunt Flexible: This weapon type would include things like meteor hammers, ball-and-chains, or really any flexible weapon that has a blunt object attached to the end. Compared to regular flexible weapons, these have more of an emphasis on damage while trading off some of their speed and a tiny bit of range, making them the hardest-hitting but slowest flexible weapons. The only movement controlling moves this weapon type gets are those involving knockback, however the skills exclusive to this hit hard and tend to have debilitating status effects. Colossal weapons for this could be a giant ball and chain for some super-strong prisoner, a large church bell on a rope, or a whole ship anvil with its chain still attached.
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Colossal Shields: This weapon type would include things like tower shields, pavises, or just other big slabs that can be utilized as a shield. These are strength weapons that cannot be used to block unless the user is actively holding the shield. When guarding with a colossal shield, there’s a longer startup. However, they have unrivaled blocking power and durability, and possess very slow, but defensive skills focused on making the player an immovable object or unstoppable force. Pretty much every skill has absurdly good clashing and/or in some way fortifies the user.
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Scythes/Reapers: Supposedly already planned so I’ll keep it short. Could see these having skills focused on armor piercing and arcing skills at odd angles to make them difficult to clash with or track in order to avoid.
Skills for New Weapon Types
Flexible:
- Tripwire: The user lashes out their weapon and wraps it around an opponent’s leg, tripping them and leaving them vulnerable for a few seconds to follow-up attacks while doing extremely little damage. Great for setting up combos or just interrupting your opponent mid-attack. For enemies that simply can’t be tripped, this should at least be good for breaking poise.
- Grapple: A long range grab skill where the user wraps their weapon around an opponent and either yanks them to the user if the user is on the ground, or yanks the user to them if in the air.
- Deafening Snap: The user readies their weapon and cracks it at an opponent, creating a loud sound as it lands that briefly deafens other players (minor accuracy debuff for NPCs) and it also does decent damage.
- Bloody Tears: Exclusive to dual flexible weapons of all three types, possibly exclusive to a unique dual flexible weapon that’s two whips. A continuous skill like surge or ray where the user starts up by cracking both weapons on the ground before unleashing a relentless barrage of rapid whip strikes that effectively has the same sort of hitbox as surge. The skill ends with an overhead strike with the ends of both weapons that creates an explosion at the point of impact. This is pretty much the attack Trevor Belmont uses to kill the visitor in the Castlevania anime.
Bladed Flexible:
- Heart Seeker: The user spins their weapon up before launching the end of it at their opponent, it homing heavily and stabbing through their body before retracting. Functions as an easy to land single target attack. If used in the air the user is pulled towards the opponent when retracting, but this will not pull an opponent towards the user on the ground unlike grapple.
- Cross Section: Dual bladed flexible exclusive skill in which the user extends both blades backwards behind them before swinging them forward and diagonally, creating an X shaped attack that lands instantly.
- Cyclone (Or some other fitting name if that’s already used for something which it might be.): Skill for both bladed flexible and blunt flexible where the user begins spinning their whole body and their weapon around them, hitting everything in a 360 degree radius around them several times with a wide but narrow hitbox. Because it hits several times it does very good damage if all strikes land.
- Silver Serpent: A skill perhaps exclusive to unique bladed flexible weapon such as an urumi where the tip of the weapon is manipulated as if it has a mind of its own, curving through the air as it homes in and pierces through as many targets as a possible while not being possible to clash with, though it can still be blocked or parried. This skill can pierce through the same target multiple times and on pulling the weapon free every target pierced takes additional damage scaling with how many times they were pierced.
Blunt Flexible:
- Falling Star: The user throws the end of their weapon high up in the air before yanking it down with both hands, sending the tip hurtling where they aimed their cursor. When it lands it creates a decent sized explosion and causes a fair amount of knockback to those hit. Can hit targets mid-air sending them hurtling towards the ground where they take additional damage on impact, though it’s pretty difficult to land without accuracy homing.
- Momentum: A skill that can only be used on the ground where the user spins up their weapon vertically at their side, releasing in an underhand throw sending the end hurtling at their opponent. If it lands it does heavy damage and pushes the opponent with the end of the weapon like a grab, releasing them at the edge of the user’s range and applying further knockback to send an enemy flying.
- Pass: A grab skill that functions as a heavier damage but slower grapple. The user throws their weapon around the opponent, having the end wrap back around to them where they then grab the end and yank with both hands either themself or their opponent toward the other the same way as grapple. After the user and their opponent are close the user hits them with the blunt end of the weapon that they caught in their hand.
- Divine Punishment: A skill perhaps exclusive to a colossal blunt flexible weapon related to Sisyphus that’s a giant boulder or perhaps usable on any colossal blunt flexible weapon, the user holding the end of their weapon over their head before throwing it with all their might. While slow, this projectile cannot be stopped by any means and will auto-win any clash due to the weapon’s shear weight and momentum, crushing the target it hits for massive damage.
Colossal Shields
- Immovable: A skill where the user slams their shield into the ground and stands firm, guarding for the duration of the skill. All armor piercing is half as effective against this, the user’s shield loses no durability when blocking and gains a small blocking power bonus, and the user is fully immune to knockback and grabs so long as a blocked attack hits them from the front. The user cannot move or turn in any way while this skill is in use, making flanking an effective counter.
- Unstoppable: The user goes into a sprinting stance before charging forward on the ground while able to turn slowly, being immune to all knockback and grabs as they block any attack that hits them from the front, though the user’s shield will lose durability and gain no blocking power bonus with this skill. When the user hits something, the target takes hefty damage and receives knockback. The technique stops after a set distance, when the user releases the skill, or when they run into a wall, creating a small explosion on impact with a wall.
- Rampart Crush: The user jumps high into the air before placing their shield under them, rapidly falling towards where they aimed. Any attack that strikes from below is completely negated, and this technique creates a huge vertical explosion on impact from the sheer weight of it. This technique costs some durability to use due to the user smashing their shield into the ground and all.
- Fortress Body: A mode-type skill where the user braces their entire body, becoming immune to knockback for the duration, gaining a little bit of resistance, and gaining a lot of damage reduction on their dodge reflex.
Scythes/Reapers:
- Reap & Sow: A skill where when used in the air the user spins around once before creating a wide-arcing horizontal slash that applies knockback. When used on the ground it’s instead a spinning downward vertical slash that knocks an opponent onto the ground.
- Scythe Throw: A fairly simple skill, the user throwing their scythe creating a rapidly spinning projectile that also spins clockwise as it flies, embedding itself into the environment or target.
- Undercut: A short-range vertical slash that does hefty damage and has a massive armor piercing bonus, effectively slipping the weapon under the opponent’s chin and past any sort of guard. This also extremely briefly pins an opponent in place since you’re literally impaling them from below for a quick follow-up attack of some kind.
- Soul Eater: A skill exclusive to perhaps a wave magic imbued scythe or knight (spirit/weapons exclusive) weapon, the user holding their scythe aloft as it grows larger the longer the technique is charged. When released, the user rushes forward and unleashes a wide slash that not only does good damage with plenty of range, but it also siphons a significant amount of energy from the opponent and gives it to the user.
Conclusion
With these new weapon types, the game would gain a ton more flavor, enabling players to have long but low-damage melee weapons with tons of style, absolutely beastly shields for the tankiest players, or scythes for those edgy people or those trying to find a way to get around those tanky players and their defenses. None of the skills I’ve mentioned here should hold weight in your rating I hope, as these are really just random ideas thrown around and aren’t set in stone inherently with the weapon types.
Yes, I am fully aware of how tricky it is to implement something like a flexible weapon, given that animating it to look good and properly connect with opponents and the environment at varying ranges would take quite a bit of work, either using beams or actual 3D models. However, you can’t tell me they wouldn’t be awesome. As for colossal shields, that’s an easy one, same with scythes. Every one of these weapon types adds huge cosplay potential and opens up more avenues for players to play exactly how they are dreaming of. Anyway, if you liked this suggestion, please feel free to throw me a vote or rating, and lemme know your thoughts on all this and potentially some ideas of your own.
- Flexible (+Dual & Colossal)
- Bladed Flexible (+Dual & Colossal)
- Blunt Flexible (+Dual & Colossal)
- Colossal Shields
- Scythes/Reapers (+Colossal)