Concept Elite Specialization - The Bladedancer

[Orpheal.8263]

# The Bladedancer

 

The Bladedancer is a Thief Specialization as a way to kind of brign back under this new term back the Assassin.

I don't think the Assassin has a chance to return, when we keep the term Assassin, it is somethign that I kind of think, fits better as enemy design for when we might weventually return one day to Cantha, that enemies among the intelligent races there are called Assassins - just like we see now in LWS4 Ep. 1 Dervishs and Paragons among our enemies returning - which is ok, but this just shows me, thast the term is then alrady used and out of question for a playable Elite Spec, which is why I think ,Anet should do the same with the Canthan Classes of GW1.

 

Bladedancers will add to the Base Thief Class following Features:

 

1) They give the Thief access to Offhand Sword

2) They enable the Thief to wield 3 Weapon Sets instead of 2, the third Weapon Set is a Elite spec integrated new Weapon Type that only this Elite Spec can use and is no equipable Item for that ANet has to make Skins like for all other usual Weapon Types - the Chakram - instead Chakrams change their design only via Gemstore

3) They improve the Initiative System with an additional Combat Stance Mechanic which changes how Initiative is gained and what Effects their Utility Skills will have based on various Stance Types

4) The Healing, Utility and Elite Skill of the Bladecancer are based on Dances, which function as like Stances

 

## Combat Stances

The Bladedancer uses Combat Stances to change his carienty of is Dance Skills and how the Initiative System works for the Elite Specialization.

Combat Stances will be put upon F2 to F5, Steal gets changed to Thievery, which disarms the enemy briefly and lowers their Attributes, but you don't gain anymore a Stolen Skill, but otherwise is still the same in functions/trait effects (Shadow Step).

F1) Thievery = Shadowstep to your Target, causes Disarmed, a Bladedancer unique form of Stun, which lowers also Power, Precision, Ferocity, Condition Damage and Expertise for 10 seconds by up to maximum 150 Points

F2) Tiger Stance = Offensive Style, while active grant your Stances you and nearby Allies increased Power and Condition Damage, Conditions you cause last in this Stance 20% longer.

F3) Crane Stance = Defensive Style, while active grant your Stances you and nearby Allies increased Toughness and Vitality, Boons you gain last in this Stance 20% longer.

F4) Snake Stance = Evasive Style, while active grant your Stances you and nearby Allies increased Precision and Ferocity, Conditions on you last in this Stance 20% less long.

F5) Panda Stance = Supportive Style, while active grant your Stances you and nearby allies increased Healing Power and Concentration, Utility Skills recharge in this Stance 20% faster

 

## Offhand Sword and Combination Skills

 

Skill 1) **Blade and Soul** (Offhand Slot 1)

A Combination Technique of your two Swords in which the first strike is unblockable, and removes a boon, followed by a second reverse hand strike that catches the enemy by surprise and causes Weakness and Confusion

 

Skill 2) **Flashing Blade** (Offhand Slot 2)

You leap towards you target and cause an unblockable strike, with that you cut through all enemies in line of sight, causing multile stacks of Bleeding, Vulnerability and Blindness.

The Skill works as Finisher and can be used like Heart Seeker to gain Stealth from Blindness Fields.

 

Combination Skill Sword/ Sword **Death Pirouette**

A deadly Counterattack with your two Swords. You block for a certain time all incoming attacks and so more attacks you absorb in the 3 seconds of blocking phase, so more hits will deal the following Counterattack spiraling Blade Dance Attack of the Death Pirouette extra to the enemy, causingthis way more damage, than usual, making it a perfect counter at situations when you are about to expect alot of incoming attacks in a brief time.

 

Combination Skill Dagger/ Sword **Red Lotus**

You strike the target with a fast offhand attack, followed by a shadow step backwards and a thrown dagger that Poisons the target and which explodes lastly, causing AoE Damage to the target and nearby foes and Burning.

 

Combination Skill Pistol/Sword **Shadow Blade**

You shoot with your pistol a target, shadow stepping to it on contact of the bullet, followed by a Shadow Blade attack, which removes Conditions from you and puts them onto your hit target.

 

Combination Skill Empty Hand/ Sword **Blade Reversal**

You whirl the offhand sword quickly around yourself in a defensive way, that reflects back incoming projectiles, hits nearby targets, while gaining Retaliation and Resistance meanwhile

 

## Chakram

The Chakram is the Bladedancers unique third Weapon Set that allowes this Elite Specialization to have more combat variety integrated, to have still a ranged weapon at hand when you want to go with your primary and secondary sets both for different melee builds. The Chakram, also known as Ring Blade is a throwing weapon.

 

1) **Whirlblade**

You throw your Chakram at your target, causing amage to enemies in line of sight while on the way to your target enemy, and when returning to you after having bounced two times between targets

2) **Shooting Star**

A more powerful unblockable throw, that causes Torment on contact and aoe damage as it explodes on contact.

3) **Spiritual Force**

Throw a Chakram, that can't be blocked, which on hit steals boons and which heals you based on a percentage of the damage it dealt.

4) **Flying Dragons**

Throw five Chakrams at once in a fanshape , each of it bouncing from a hit target once to a nearby target. Each of these Chakrams causes Bleedings.

5) **Shadow Gate/Shadow Flare**

Throw a Chakram at your Target and gain Swiftness and Stealth when it hits. Turns into Shadow Flare, while being in Stealth, throwing it at a target causes Burning.

 

## Healing

**Dance of the Falling Leaves**

Heal yourself, gain Vigor and gain Regeneration and lose a Condition the next 3 times you evade successfully an Attack, while having no Combat Stance active.

On Tiger Stance you lose not Conditions on evades but cause instead Conditions (Bleedings) on evades.

On Crane Stance, you lose not Conditions on evades, but gain additionally Protection aside of the Regeneration

On Snake Stance you gain not Regeneration on evades, but lose two Conditions instead and gain some Endurance back.

On Panda Stance you lose not a Condition on evades, but you heal instead nearby Allies a bit and they lose a Condition in your near.

 

## Utility Skills

 

**Dance of the Soaring Eagle**

While you have this Stance active do you and your nearby allies gain periodically Fury over the next x seconds and you gain Super Speed when you change meanwhile your Combat Stance.

On Tiger Stance the Fury changes to Might

On Crane Stance the Fury changes to Retaliation

On Snake Stance the Fury changes to Vigor

On Panda Stance the Fury changes to Regeneration

 

**Dance of the Mimicking Monkey**

While you have this Stance active does this Skill an arcane thievery on the skill with that you have been attacked last from your enemy, before this skill was on recharge.

When you use a copied Skill with Tiger Stance, then this will lower for a while the enemies Toughness and Healing Power Damage

When you use a copied Skill with Crane Stance, then this will lower for a while the enemies Power and Precision

When you use a copied Skill with Snake Stance, then this will cause Slow and lowers for a while the enemies Condition Damage

When you use a copied Skill with Panda Stance, then this will lower for a while the enemies Concentration and Vitality.

 

**Dance of the Rampaging Ox**

While you have this Stance active, you gain periodically Stability over the next x seconds and you gain Resistance when you change meanwhile your Combat Stance.

On Tiger Stance being attacked while you have this Stance active, will lead to reflecting the attack fully back, causing knockdown and gaining Retaliation

On Crane Stance being attacked while you have this Stance active, will lead to gaining Protection and performing a Counterattack, that will knockback the attacker

On Snake Stance being attacked while you have this Stance active, will lead to a Counterattack, that causes Poison, Torment and Cripple

On Panda Stance being attacked while you have this Stance active, will lead to a Counterattack with that you steal up to 2 Boons from your Target and share them with nearby Allies

 

**Dance of the Fleeing Rabbit**

While you have this Stance active, do you gain periodically Stealth every x seconds for 3 seconds and you shadowstep away from a Target to a random location when you change Combat Stances.

On Tiger Stance does change toe direction of the Shadow Step from away of target to closer to nearby target Shadow Steps and the interval of gaining Stealth is briefly shorter.

On Crane Stance to you receive 10% lesser damage of all sources, while being in Stealth and Falling Damage is reduced for you by also 10%

On Snake Stance do you gain Endurance over time back quicker when you are in Stealth

On Panda Stance you give the periodical Stealth instead to your nearby allies. and you lose Conditions on Shadow Steps.

 

## Elite Skill

 

**Dance of the Sneaking Rat**

While you have this Stance active, recharges your Thievery Skill 20% faster and you gain Stealth after using Thievery, while also being immune for the duration of 3 seconds to Reveal Effects, if Thievery was used on a Target with more than 50% Health

On Tiger Stance do you cause Torment and Cripple on usage of Thievery to your Target.

On Crane Stance do you gain Aegis on usage of Thievery and Attributes get decreased for a longer time.

On Snake Stance do you recharge an Utility Skill if there is one currently recharging, for the cost of becoming Poisoned and Weakened.

On Panda Stance do receive nearby allies when you use Thievery a Target the Attributes that have been lowered on the Enemy by 50% as Attribute Boosts.

[Dahkeus.8243]

I like the idea of offhand sword as long as they can give it a decent role with strong damage in PvE.

 

Out of all the thief specialization suggestions I've seen, this is still my favorite.

[Orpheal.8263]

## Traits

 

Minor Adept > **Combat Dancing**

Unlocks Offhand Sword, Combat Stances, Dance Skills and the Chakram as integrated 3rd Weapon Set unique to the Bladedancer.

Using the Chakram while in Panda Stance makes its Initiative Costs get decreased by 1 and Whirlblade steals Boons, which it gives then to allies, that are in the line of sight of the attack

 

Major Adept > **Claws of the Tiger**

Changes your Initiative Gain from Regeneration Style to Attack Style, letting, you recover Initiative now based on the amount of Hits you do. Increases the Chance of Critical Hits by 10% and lets Critical Hits cause Bleedings.

Major Adept > **Feathers of the Crane**

Changes your Initiative Gain from Regeneration Style to Retaliation Style, letting you gain Initiative whenever you receive Boons and grants you Retaliation whenever you take damage every 5 secondsfor a duration of 1 second. You receive 10% lesser Damage of all sources, while you have Boons on.

Major Adept > **Fangs of the Snake**

Changes your Initiative Gain from Regeneration Style to Condition Style, letting you gain Initiative whenevr you deal a certain amount of Conditions. Increases Expertise in % based on your Condition Damage

 

Minor Master > **Paws of the Panda**

Improves the basic Regeneration Style Initiative Gain and lets you gain Initiative, when you change Combat Stances or cleanse Conditions.

You and nearby allies gain for a second Resistance, when you use Dance Skills.

 

Major Master > **Long Claws**

Increases the range of your Sword Skills and increases the amount of targets they can hit from 3 to 5, while being in Tiger Stance. Sword Skills deal 10% more Damage

Major Master > **Strong Wings**

Increases your Toughness based on your maximum Attack Power and makes you more resistant to Hard CC Effects by reducing their Durations for you by 25%, while being in Crane Stance

Major Master > **Venomous Scales**

Being attacked can grant you randomous Venom Skill Effects which you spread also to nearby allies and increases slightly Vitality based on your Condition Damage, while being in Snake Stance

 

Minor Grandmaster > **Wild Fur**

You and nearby allies gain Fury, when you change your Combat Stances or when you use Dances. The Fury will last longer, when it was give by changing your Combat Stance, than when usiong a Dance. On Stance Change, its 5 seconds, on Dance usage, its 2 1/2 second.

 

Major Grandmaster > **Flexible Muscles**

Increases the range of your Leaps from Heartseeker and Flashing Blade by 150, Both Skills deal now additionally Torment based on how much initiative is left over.

So lesser Initiative you have, so higher the Torment you deal. Every 3 Initiative lesser = 1 Torment Stack more.

Major Grandmaster > **Down Manteau**

Reduces Fall Damage for you by 25%, Gain Protection, Regeneration and Vigor, if you get attacked by Hard CCs or if you suffer Fall Damage. Increases also Stealth Durations for you if you have any of thse 3 Boons on you by +2 seconds

Major Grandmaster > **Infrared Sight**

Makes it possible for you to see stealthed targets, while you are self in stealth, you can see in stealth also traps now and safely remove them and replace them in stealth with your own random Thief Traps to surprise foes who think their traps are still active, that they run in your traps now, if they run in their own trapswhile they hope they lure you into them.