05-18-2017, 05:25 PM
Ever since SL2 began, VIT is the main provider for a character's HP. In the old, RNG/growth-driven stat system, it accounted for 71% of a character's base HP and 100% of stat-based HP, each point granting 5 HP, and good growths for VIT were placed into the more physical classes, which typically boosted the more physical-oriented stats alongside.
Fast forward to the Great Reckoning and its allotted stat system. VIT accounts for 54% of a character's base HP and 77% of a character's stat-based HP, each point granting 10 HP at default, and beyond the influence of the soft cap, anyone can fill up VIT to whatever number they desire.
I believe there is a problem here. If you take a look at and the past and present samples, you'll notice a major difference: Whereas the old system made VIT more likely for certain setups compared to others, the new system leaves VIT completely open to all builds. Due to this, all builds are roughly equal when it comes to potential HP, allowing the squishy back-row wizard to take the same amount of punishment that a heavily-armored bodyguard can. Additionally, due to the nature of the allotted stat system, it places the vast majority of base HP into a single stat, demanding a minor percentage of the 210-point stat pool in exchange for a large amount of HP.
In light of all of this, I've come to believe that, while having 13 HP (per point) split among various stats is not a bad idea, putting 10 of that 13 into VIT makes it too easy for just about every single build to achieve solid durability. This is why I want to suggest the following change:
VIT will only give 7 HP per point.
STR will now give 3 HP per point.
And to answer some obvious concerns:
Why are you throwing some of VIT's +HP to a blatantly offensive stat? STR is rather binary: Either you use a STR-scaling weapon and pump it up, or you don't and you can (almost) safely ignore it. Due to various bonuses to Inventory Weight and Battle Weight, STR's secondary effects have had minimal impact to anyone who doesn't already have STR determining their damage in the first place. STR is also a very physical stat: A vast majority of melee weapons require STR in various amounts, and by default, most of those weapons have 'melee range'. (The ones that start off with a greater range usually have minor STR scaling)
Not to mention that STR is the only stat that doesn't already:
1. Confer powerful, offense-oriented secondary effects (I.e. increase Critical, grant Elemental ATK across the board)
2. Grant a defensive effect, such as damage reduction or status resistance
You are literally ruining builds with this suggestion. Going by an Average~Above Average standard for VIT allotment, you'd see roughly 90~100-ish HP lost for builds that don't bother with putting any points (directly) into STR. I highly doubt that builds are going to be ruined by this suggestion. At most, it'll make a few nerfs for high-damage skills/setups more necessary, and tank mages may have to include another stat in their setup to optimize HP.
In addition, it becomes possible for a few potential builds to rise up, since the nerf to VIT opens up the possibility of sacrificing the stat without completely ruining a character's HP. (though it certainly won't last longer than a build that didn't dump VIT)
(Number crunching involving the idea of dumping VIT with this change in mind
You're forgetting about the other defensive stats, scrub. While DEF/RES both pitch in damage reduction, each of them only covers one type of damage. (DEF = Physical, RES = Magical) VIT goes up against any and all damage. Yes, FAI/LUC could potentially stop big criticals, but no matter how much DEF or RES you have, they are still damage control, so your HP is what ultimately determines how many big hits you will survive. Not to mention that higher HP means more gained from any healing effects that base themselves off a percent of your maximum HP.
Let's also not forget that while there are various ways to get around DEF and/or RES, your only options for dealing with someone that sports some 1.0~1.2k Maximum HP is inflicting Cursed Wounds from either a specific weapon or a specific tree of skills in a certain class. This and the logic above is why HP bloating is an effective option, and a part of why I'm making this suggestion in the first place.
Fast forward to the Great Reckoning and its allotted stat system. VIT accounts for 54% of a character's base HP and 77% of a character's stat-based HP, each point granting 10 HP at default, and beyond the influence of the soft cap, anyone can fill up VIT to whatever number they desire.
I believe there is a problem here. If you take a look at and the past and present samples, you'll notice a major difference: Whereas the old system made VIT more likely for certain setups compared to others, the new system leaves VIT completely open to all builds. Due to this, all builds are roughly equal when it comes to potential HP, allowing the squishy back-row wizard to take the same amount of punishment that a heavily-armored bodyguard can. Additionally, due to the nature of the allotted stat system, it places the vast majority of base HP into a single stat, demanding a minor percentage of the 210-point stat pool in exchange for a large amount of HP.
In light of all of this, I've come to believe that, while having 13 HP (per point) split among various stats is not a bad idea, putting 10 of that 13 into VIT makes it too easy for just about every single build to achieve solid durability. This is why I want to suggest the following change:
VIT will only give 7 HP per point.
STR will now give 3 HP per point.
And to answer some obvious concerns:
Why are you throwing some of VIT's +HP to a blatantly offensive stat? STR is rather binary: Either you use a STR-scaling weapon and pump it up, or you don't and you can (almost) safely ignore it. Due to various bonuses to Inventory Weight and Battle Weight, STR's secondary effects have had minimal impact to anyone who doesn't already have STR determining their damage in the first place. STR is also a very physical stat: A vast majority of melee weapons require STR in various amounts, and by default, most of those weapons have 'melee range'. (The ones that start off with a greater range usually have minor STR scaling)
Not to mention that STR is the only stat that doesn't already:
1. Confer powerful, offense-oriented secondary effects (I.e. increase Critical, grant Elemental ATK across the board)
2. Grant a defensive effect, such as damage reduction or status resistance
You are literally ruining builds with this suggestion. Going by an Average~Above Average standard for VIT allotment, you'd see roughly 90~100-ish HP lost for builds that don't bother with putting any points (directly) into STR. I highly doubt that builds are going to be ruined by this suggestion. At most, it'll make a few nerfs for high-damage skills/setups more necessary, and tank mages may have to include another stat in their setup to optimize HP.
In addition, it becomes possible for a few potential builds to rise up, since the nerf to VIT opens up the possibility of sacrificing the stat without completely ruining a character's HP. (though it certainly won't last longer than a build that didn't dump VIT)
(Number crunching involving the idea of dumping VIT with this change in mind
Assuming 40 in stats given:
40 VIT = +280 HP @ 30~35 stat point cost
40 STR/SAN = +240 HP @ 65~75 stat point cost
Dumping VIT for STR/SAN is plausible, but it's a lot more points spent for a lesser amount of HP. Yes, you could throw in Aptitude, but VIT's cost will still be clearly superior to STR/SAN's cost.
40 VIT = +280 HP @ 30~35 stat point cost
40 STR/SAN = +240 HP @ 65~75 stat point cost
Dumping VIT for STR/SAN is plausible, but it's a lot more points spent for a lesser amount of HP. Yes, you could throw in Aptitude, but VIT's cost will still be clearly superior to STR/SAN's cost.
You're forgetting about the other defensive stats, scrub. While DEF/RES both pitch in damage reduction, each of them only covers one type of damage. (DEF = Physical, RES = Magical) VIT goes up against any and all damage. Yes, FAI/LUC could potentially stop big criticals, but no matter how much DEF or RES you have, they are still damage control, so your HP is what ultimately determines how many big hits you will survive. Not to mention that higher HP means more gained from any healing effects that base themselves off a percent of your maximum HP.
Let's also not forget that while there are various ways to get around DEF and/or RES, your only options for dealing with someone that sports some 1.0~1.2k Maximum HP is inflicting Cursed Wounds from either a specific weapon or a specific tree of skills in a certain class. This and the logic above is why HP bloating is an effective option, and a part of why I'm making this suggestion in the first place.