In honor of my main (yes, it's weird, I know) finally reaching 200 after 2-odd years, I propose the following:
Type: Summoning
Cast cost: 5% Max MP + 100/150/200/250
Required Summon Amount: 10
[Land Mine]
Max HP: 1
Attack Power: ???
Accuracy: ???
Defense: 1
Magic Defense: 1
Dodge Rate: 1
Critical: ???
[Requirements]
Class: Artisan
Skill: Alchemy Craft(5)
Skill Point Cost: 1
Land mines are relatively passive invisible NON-MOBILE NON-TETHERED summons spawned by a craftable item from Advanced Alchemy Craft (1), so technically this is 2 suggestions in 1. They direct aggro (damage type: physical) at hostile units at very close range (think the crystals in Arumic Valley, but invisible). Mines possess the same status effect properties as explosives, ie mana burn, accuracy down (blind), damage over time (poison), stun (concussion) and def down. These mines trigger their effects on self-destruct and death.
Mines have very short attack range but large aoe (15 meters for Explosive Mines and 25m for Flashbangs)
Specifically for the accuracy down mines (flashbangs/???):
>Flashbang:
When triggered, applies Accuracy Down debuff to its target and spawns a smoky animation resembling [CLERIC] Mana Flame. Self-destructs.
damage over time (poison gas/???)
>Gas Mine:
When triggered, applies Poisoned debuff to its target and spawns a smoky animation resembling the viridian green of poison attacks and [CLERIC] Mana Flame. Self-destructs.
as well as defense down (claymores?)
>Claymore:
When triggered, applies Defense Down debuff to its target and spawns an explosive animation resembling the Champion aoe attack Achilles Heel Strike or something more appropriate (I know there's a really good explosive animation ingame, can't recall it - help?). Self-destructs.
Additonally, besides being able to craft and deploy these little buggers, Artisans with the benefit of some sort of True Sight (Third Eye, Mystic Eye, Second Sight etc) will be able to defuse these mines and convert them to their own use.
Play around with the concept and design here.
~*~
WHY???
Explosives are bad. Grenades are worse. The cast range is.. pathetic. The cast animation alone is ridiculously long on purpose. It looks cool of course, but it's more useful in PvM than PvP.
Having positioned mines will give artis a more powerful presence in PvP as well as more options in PvM, especially levelling on Orlo.
There is no reason that crafters should be forced to learn combat passives when they have the power of demolitions. Currently artis are forced to either skill combat skills and then reset at max (de rigeur, practically) or just plain leech exp if they max their crafting skills first. This is just nonsense. Sure, Gravity gets money from reset books. Sure, there's a free reset from the mayor. I just don't think we should have such a forced path for a class that is based on diversity, on having options, on being ALWAYS PREPARED. What artisan doesn't have a carefully sorted storage and likely a SECONDARY storage for multiple weapons and armor? OPTIONS. They define artisans.
Anyway, this suggestion isn't as finely tuned as I'd like but Read & Review, guys. This one's particularly close to my heart, so tell me the good, bad and the ugly (but be nice )