May Amaunator bless Heavy Maces!

[Tokaru]

In today's stream, Cordovan expressed desire for some serious Heavy Mace love. This seems to be something significantly lacking in
DDO, so I considered what classes would want to have a seriously powerful mace to use, and what kinds of issues these classes often
experience, particularly in difficult content. Here's some considerations...

Clerics usually are pretty weak overall, mainly because turn undead is fairly limited in scope and they don't have much utility in a party
outside of healing, buffing, and dealing light damage, which tends to be very taxing on spellpoints. An endgame-level Heavy Mace should be a significant boost for clerics (the most iconic user of Heavy Maces). However, clerics really don't need boosts to spellpower or any of the
aforementioned abilities, but can use some defensive benefits and boosts to physical damage (for warpriests) and turn undead.

Favored Souls are very similar overall to clerics, minus turn undead, and don't have much incentive to use Heavy Maces. DPS-based Favored
Souls used to be pretty common in DDO, and could be very powerful with a strong mace that incentivizes taking the Single Weapon Fighting (SWF)
feats.

Paladins are in a pretty good place overall right now, but there's room for a boost to SWF paladins, as well as vanguards. Smite Evil could also use a boost.

Fringe Benefits: Rogues often used heavy maces to combat undead in PnP (especially at lower levels), and maces were a very common source of the Disruption ability in later versions (particularly 3.0 and 3.5). Giving some mechanical incentives to use the weapon on builds that normally wouldn't consider using a mace adds some nice diversity, and some of the most ingenious builds (think two weapon paladins that used Chaosblades or the influx of crazy crossbow builds lately) have happened when really good named items are introduced to DDO's robust class and enhancement system.

Tie this altogether with a strong deity tie-in in a future raid (Amaunator's ascention to godhood, which directly follows the events of the Caught in the Web Raid and could potentially have some correlations with the events of the Thunderholme raids) and I came up with this:


Amaunator's Rule
Minimum Level:30
Heavy Mace (One-Handed)
Critical 15-20 x4
Base Damage Rating: 50.00
Base Damage: 4.0[2d8]+14
Attack Mod: STR,WIS,CHA
Damage Mod: STR,WIS,CHA

Avatar of Amaunator: Gain a +5 Sacred Bonus to Damage for each Deity-based feat related to Amaunator you possess.
If you have Damage Reduction as a result of a Cleric or Paladin-related ability, it increases by 90. If you do not,
gain DR 50/Silver.

Brilliance of Amaunator: All of your attacks with this weapon deal +10d6 Fire and +10d6 Light damage.

Divine Smite: Your attacks are treated as Lawful for the purposes of bypassing damage reduction. If you possess
the Turn Undead ability, you can expend one charge to automatically kill all undead within the burst (no save). Against
powerful undead that are immune to instant death, it instead deals 5000 damage. If you possess the Smite Evil ability,
each use of Smite Evil also triggers this effect.

Impact X: This Weapon's Critical Threat Range and Base Damage are increased.

Scion of Law: If your Alignment is Lawful Neutral, you gain a bonus to AC and all saves equal to the lower of your Wisdom and Charisma
modifiers, and you no longer take damage from any ability or spell that damages you based on your alignment.

True Conviction: You are immune to knockdown, fear, petrification, and dispelling effects that target you, including a Beholder's
antimagic rays. If you already were immune to knockdown, fear, or petrification, gain a bonus to PRR and MRR instead equal to this
weapon's enhancement bonus. This effect is cumulative for each immunity you possess.

Zealous Faith: If you have the ability to cast the Zeal spell, its effect is tripled. Gain a +5% bonus to Doublestrike for each
Single Weapon Fighting feat you possess.

Orange Augment Slot


This weapon is believed to have been created by Amnaunator before his ascension to godhood. It glows
with the power of the sun and grants its wielder incredible resistance to chaotic attacks and effects.

P.S. Yes, this weapon is very strong. It could function fine without some of the gratuitous boosts to base damage and critical profile and whatnot,
but it's essentially an artifact, and I don't think an ability of this magnitude would be out of place in Legendary content, seeing mobs with
30k+ HP and that can hit for 2k+ damage.

[Starla70]

I like it. The heavy maces do really need a couple of good ones added!

[PsychoBlonde]

*sarcasm alert*

I don't want valuable dev time to be wasted on crappy weapons. Only good weapons should get dev attention. This is just a waste of dev time.

*end sarcasm*

Actually, having a really cool heavy mace would be pretty friggin hilarious.

[Enoach]

Anything that makes weapon choice something more than 3 different weapon types works for me. Glad to see the heavy mace getting some love (possibly)

I actually enjoyed my time as a Heavy mace wielding Cleric.

I also think at this time Long Swords are still the weapon with the most Named in the game.

[unbongwah]

Phosphor is actually pretty good for ML:14; note the 18-20/x2 crit spec. The problem, ofc, is there's nothing worthwhile after it. Forgotten Light is okay for a WIS-based cleric, I guess, if you just want something to swing once in a while. Magistrate's Scepter could've been okay if they'd given it a better crit profile.

Simplest change would be to buff Warpriest: get some crit bonuses to deity weapons in there so they're less laughable.

[Cordovan]

The livestream chat was just that - a personal opinion and fun chat along the lines of, "it would be awesome if there was a Sword of Shadow-power Mace in DDO." I meant Heavy Mace. I think the OP's weapon may be a bit...OP. That said, I'd imagine it would want a wide crit profile, decent base damage, boost to light spell power+light damage+light crit %. Wisdom to damage would be incredible. I think the Turn undead instakill might be a bit much, though...

[PsychoBlonde]

I love turn undead instakill. I'm sick of being up to my eyeballs in undead.

Next I want a light pick that turns constructs into astral shards. Gold Digger.

[Jetrule]

The livestream chat was just that - a personal opinion and fun chat along the lines of, "it would be awesome if there was a Sword of Shadow-power Mace in DDO." I meant Heavy Mace. I think the OP's weapon may be a bit...OP. That said, I'd imagine it would want a wide crit profile, decent base damage, boost to light spell power+light damage+light crit %. Wisdom to damage would be incredible. I think the Turn undead instakill might be a bit much, though...

You just described Forgotten Light. http://ddowiki.com/page/Item:Forgotten_Light_(Level_25) Whats missing is better than 2.5w and a slot or two.

[mna]

Phosphor is actually pretty good for ML:14; note the 18-20/x2 crit spec. The problem, ofc, is there's nothing worthwhile after it. Forgotten Light is okay for a WIS-based cleric, I guess, if you just want something to swing once in a while. Magistrate's Scepter could've been okay if they'd given it a better crit profile.

Simplest change would be to buff Warpriest: get some crit bonuses to deity weapons in there so they're less laughable.

... that, and attack/damage stat alternatives. Wis/Cha to attack/damage in the cores with deity weapons or something? (Hm. Wis to attack at l6 and Cha to damage at l12?)

Of course then there's the added problem of how to balance it so that the other deity weapons don't become even more overpowered... but that'll be a fairly minor thing.


(Apropos of divine feats... the Vulkoor scorrow needs persistence and a command bar, sort of like the Pale Master skeleton. That'd make it actually useful.)

[ForgettableNPC]

Heavy Mace? Check!
Devotion? Check!
Healing Lore? Check!
+5 Bonus? Check!
Good Damage? Check!
Red Augment Slot? Check!
WIS or CHA to Damage? Check!

25 Invasion Tokens to redeem them for one of these?...Meh.

[janave]

Interesting, but i think it is too loaded , this could be very well 3 different weapons instead.

Amaunator's Rule
Minimum Level:30
Heavy Mace (One-Handed)
Critical 17-20 x4
Base Damage Rating:
Base Damage: 4.0[2d8]+14
Attack Mod: STR,WIS
Damage Mod: STR,WIS

Effects:

- Each time you Turn undead while wielding the weapon you gain for 6seconds
(Stacking Holy Sword Buff also with +1W)
Deal additional 6d6 Light damage.
Sovereign Disruption Effect

- Divine Smiting: 1% chance that the weapon onhit produces the same buff you can trigger with Turn Undead.

- Double Strike +20% (nonstacking)

Red Slot
Orange Slot

I would probably put on actual restrictions tho to make sure its used by (at least 10) levels of CLR, FVS, PAL or UMD(sillynumber)


PS:

I was just thinking what would be totally awesome.
Make the weapon look like a masterwork heavy mace with ML30, when equipped by either a CLR, PAL, FVS with 20 levels, show the true stats on the weapon, it would be so much win

[FuzzyDuck81]

I'd like an epic version of this

[kmoustakas]

I do agree that maces in general are not as loved all things considered. But what would open opportunities more if there were a couple more deities introduced in ddo to add variance.

[HuneyMunster]

Would be nice to see epic heavy mace with similar profile to this, but with effects that would be fitting to divines along with wisdom for hit and damage.



Effects that could be on it

Greater Evil Bane instead of Elemental
On hit: Cure Light Wounds CL1 instead on Vampirsm
Sunburst
Holy/Righteous
Improved Destruction

Weapon uses Wisdom for hit and damage so will unlikely not be in the hands of a Two Weapon Fighting Barbarian for example using it for CLW.

[FranOhmsford]

I'd like an epic version of this

Why would any Cleric use that over a Triple Pos? Don't say 1st Lifer - A 1st Lifer {unless he/she's playing the AH} isn't going to fill out a Tome of Legends any faster than building a single GS weapon!
AND by the time you get either you may as well just grab an Oathblade from E-Star!

[FuzzyDuck81]

Why would any Cleric use that over a Triple Pos? Don't say 1st Lifer - A 1st Lifer {unless he/she's playing the AH} isn't going to fill out a Tome of Legends any faster than building a single GS weapon!
AND by the time you get either you may as well just grab an Oathblade from E-Star!

You've seen it's critical profile, right? It's basically a blunt version of a scimitar, with better damage dice. For an Amaunator warpriest, or a multiclassed warpriest/whatever, it's a pretty sweet bit of kit. Coronation is another nice one from those turn-ins & has the critical profile of the cranium cracker mentioned above, but it's a morningstar so won't benefit from faith enhancements or even from shilleighlalalala (or however you finish spelling that) like the cranium cracker will as a wooden club.

IMO having morningstar as the faith weapon for Amaunator would have made more sense overall, since hey, the name itself is linked to the sun for, huh, a sun god, and that way they would have Braisingstar as an epic faith-linked weapon with pretty significant kick.

Incidentally, I suggested that they add Phosphor to the 10th anniversary freebie as a combination of a boon to those guys plus a nice high-heroics ooze beater, but no luck sadly.

[FranOhmsford]

You've seen it's critical profile, right? It's basically a blunt version of a scimitar, with better damage dice. For an Amaunator warpriest, or a multiclassed warpriest/whatever, it's a pretty sweet bit of kit. Coronation is another nice one from those turn-ins & has the critical profile of the cranium cracker mentioned above, but it's a morningstar so won't benefit from faith enhancements or even from shilleighlalalala (or however you finish spelling that) like the cranium cracker will as a wooden club.

Oathblade also has the Double Crit Profile {15-20x2 in the wiki pic but that may be with enhancements added}. Yes it's 6 levels higher but significantly easier to get!

IMO having morningstar as the faith weapon for Amaunator would have made more sense overall, since hey, the name itself is linked to the sun for, huh, a sun god, and that way they would have Braisingstar as an epic faith-linked weapon with pretty significant kick.

Oh I'd agree fully with this suggestion!

Anything to give Morningstars a Boost!

I still wish they did both Bludgeon & Pierce Dmg as they should!

Incidentally, I suggested that they add Phosphor to the 10th anniversary freebie as a combination of a boon to those guys plus a nice high-heroics ooze beater, but no luck sadly.

The list is really weak for a Cleric in my opinion - With most Clerics being Good Aligned Litany needs upgrading, Eardweller breaks at the first sign of dmg! Gauntlets of Eternity are meh these days. And Celestia unfortunately is more a Rogue/Bard weapon {though my swashies took Balizarde} than a Cleric weapon.

I guess my alt Clerics would have taken a Phosphor over the 100k xp they settled for {They're never gonna be Ranged so Quiver = No} if it had been available.

[FuzzyDuck81]

The list is really weak for a Cleric in my opinion - With most Clerics being Good Aligned Litany needs upgrading, Eardweller breaks at the first sign of dmg! Gauntlets of Eternity are meh these days. And Celestia unfortunately is more a Rogue/Bard weapon {though my swashies took Balizarde} than a Cleric weapon.

I guess my alt Clerics would have taken a Phosphor over the 100k xp they settled for {They're never gonna be Ranged so Quiver = No} if it had been available.

Yeah the upgrading part is the trap.. I guess the price of tome of legend pages will really shoot up if they haven't already.

I disagree with Celestia being mostly rogue & bard.. good for ninja monks too! Also its the faith weapon for Vulkoor followers, is nice for anyone who wants an epic ooze/rusty beater even if the DR-bypassing aspect is broken, or who wants to run a gnome since shortswords are in their racial enhancements - I'm actually levelling a frenzied berserker gnome now with the plan to use Celestia on it later and.. um... wait. A frenzied berserker. Using a blade made of light. I just made DDO Kylo Ren, didn't I?

[JOTMON]

Bring on the Sentient Weapons..
Customizable weapon upon crafting.. you can build whatever weapon you want.. no pigeon holed weapon choices.

...


Off to start a Sentient weapon thread...


....

https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...ntient-Weapons

[unbongwah]

Why would any Cleric use that over a Triple Pos? Don't say 1st Lifer - A 1st Lifer {unless he/she's playing the AH} isn't going to fill out a Tome of Legends any faster than building a single GS weapon!

Tome pages drop in Orchard wilderness, so you can solo-farm for them (as well as tapestry & shield fragments), though the drop rate seems pretty low. But good luck solo-farming Shroud...

Also note the improved crit spec (18-20/x2) whereas Pos3 hvy mace would have base 20/x2 profile.

Oathblade also has the Double Crit Profile {15-20x2 in the wiki pic but that may be with enhancements added}. Yes it's 6 levels higher but significantly easier to get!

By that logic, why bother farming for heroic gear at all? "You've only got <x> more levels to go until epics, so just farm epic gear!" But then, why farm for ML:20 gear at all? "You've only got <x> more levels to go until level cap, so just wait to farm ML:30 gear!" And that ignores the people who may prefer heroic leveling / HTRing to epics.