Riffing off of the question of scrolls of brand armor @Noob asked here, I started thinking up ideas for new armor brands. I think some of these fit best on specific pieces of aux armor, and indicate so where relevant. All feedback welcome!
Format:
Name - [armor types I think this might be best constrained to] Description of effect. (critique, caveats, and commentary)
- Spikes - [body] evoke to gain Thorn status effect, dealing damage in a fashion similar to Quills talisman form but slowing movement speed while active. Wears off on it’s own after a bit. (Aiming to have a risk reward moment when surrounded. You can flee to safety, or be aggressive and evoke this effect, hoping small fries break themselves on you.)
→ Alt: Instead of slowing movement, damages you when you move as if you had Barbs applied to you. - Panic - [boots] After being reduced below 30% health, next movement takes no time and doesn’t provoke AOO (attacks of opportunity). Resets when health returns to full. Attunes at full health. (Attempting to give an escape option that still allows for some creativity in use.)
- Blink Panic - When taking damage, small chance to blink (This might be better as a mutation? If so, higher mutation level either encouraged blink to blink farther away, or maybe it gives you the choice of location.)
- Jump - [boots] Evoke to move 2 spaces in one move skipping over space in the middle. Takes 2x normal move time. Has cooldown.
- Trample - [boots] When attacking In melee range, push target out of their space and instantly move into the space of target. Max once per turn. (Attempting to make melee more interesting and tactical than “stand still and swing weapon”. Might work better if it only activated on kill.)
- Pull - [Gloves] When attacking in melee range, small chance to move 1 away from enemy attacked, pulling enemy into vacated space. (Attempting to make melee more interesting and tactical than “stand still and swing weapon”. Might work better if it happened 100% of the time.)
- Duel - [Gloves] Gain moderate slaying bonus when next to exactly 1 enemy. (Assume better than +4 ring of slaying bonus. Maybe +6, or whatever the “just right” amount is. Rewards tactical positioning.)
- Brawl - [Gloves/Any] Gain slaying bonus for each adjacent enemy. (Maybe +2 or +3 per enemy, whatever the “just right” amount is. Attempting to reward aggressive/risky play.)
- Smokey - [Body/Cloak] Releases smoke clouds when damaged, or maybe when dealing damage, it maybe when moving. (Dealing/Taking damage makes it a defense against ranged attacks/spells. Moving makes it a different sort of escape mechanic.)
- Frozen blood/Fiery Blood -[Any] Create freezing / burning clouds adjacent to you when damaged. This maybe also gives partial resistance to those clouds. (Attempting to give versatile tool that can be used as either passive damage or an escape option for those with clever timing. This might work better as a mutation, with higher levels increasing cloud change and granting invulnerability to that cloud.)
→ Edit: This is essentially already the demonspawn mutation (thanks for the callout @Noob) so I’ll leave it here for posterity but I’m no longer considering it. - Haymaker - [Gloves] Attack speed is slowed 0.1 deca aut, weapon damage boost similar to harm, i.e. 33%.
- Slippery - [Boots/Cloak] Lowers self accuracy but gives evasion multiplier.
→ Alt: Increases movement speed instead of giving evasion multiplier. - Piercing - [Gloves/Body] Weapon attacks damage enemy in space directly behind primary target, like a cleave attack but piercing.
- Magic Mapping - [Helmet/Hat] As the Sense Surroundings good mutation, probably at level 1.
- Enemy Detection - [Helmet/Hat] As the Antennae good mutation, probably at level 1.
- Accuracy Up ÷X - [Gloves/Helmet/Hat] Increases accuracy as much as X slaying bonus. Default values than slaying normally comes at since it doesn’t increase damage, maybe +8.
- Lash Out - [Gloves] Increases chance of offhand punch attack.
→ Alt 1: Guarantees aux offhand punch attack if hand is empty.
→ Alt 2: Allows aux offhand punch attack even if both hands are in use.
→ Alt 3: Increases chance of all aux attacks triggering. - One Size Fits All / Ghostly / Stick On - [Any Aux Armor] Can be worn even if race or mutation restrictions would normally disallow. (Attempting to give an exciting, unexpected, small AC boost that can’t stack with other egos.)
- Hot Foot - [Boots] Creates a short lived damaging fire effected in the spots you walk on. Perhaps only happens if you stand in one place for multiple turns. Does not provide protection from that effect, though effect only activate when you walk out of a space. (Attempting to give an escape option that requires clever tactical use. Enemies that fly or are immune to fire or already on fire would still move into it, but otherwise clever positioning could let players get away from a bad spot.)
- Clarity - [Helmet] Same as the good mutation. (If that’s too strong, maybe it reduces duration of such effects and is called Focused or Clear or something.)
- Unstoppable - [Boots] You can still move when paralyzed or asleep and are immune to mesmerize and fear. (An alternative to high Will for keeping safe from some very dangerous effects, but doesn’t let you do anything but move when under their effects.
- Kicking - [Boots] Gives an auxiliary kick attack.
- Headbutt - [Helmet] gives an auxiliary headbutt attack
- Charge - gives a stacking slaying bonuses when moving directly towards an enemy. Slaying bonus is removed after next attack. “Just the right amount”, maybe +3 bonus per space moved, max 20. (Would likely need some Wu Jian restrictions to prevent too-optimum strategies with martial arts. Probably it get used by martial arts attacks and like acrobat doesn’t accrue from movements that trigger martial arts.)
- Mana Aggression - [Boots/Any] Regain 1 mp when moving towards an enemy.
- Slaying Mana - [Any] Non-weapon slaying bonuses apply to spell damage. (Gives a reason for slaying to be useful for spellcastors, which could be really fun for Hybrid characters. Maybe spells get 1 MP more expensive if needed for balance.)
- Spell Boosters on Armor - Actually a suite of effects, and something already happening on trunk. My list would be: earth on boots, forge on gloves, air on cape, ice on scarf, alchemy on gloves, summoning on hat (not helmet, like rabbits out of a hat theming), forge on shields, any on body armor, translocations on boots. Hexes/Necromancy/Fire/Conjurations have no obvious place to me. Maybe only those on body armor, or maybe it’s okay to not have all of them represented.