Let's Brainstorm! (melee combat!)

[Woot]

It's an often noted fact that melee simply CANNOT keep up with UA, What with the maneuvers, and the IP to attack, What can we do to rectify this?
I sadly have few ideas on how to handle this, But I'd really like to see it happen, any ideas would be appreciated, I'm sure there is a way, Let's find it!

Off the top of my head my ideas are:
-Add penetration like punch, though significantly less, to account for the massive damage from weapons
-Add a No IP attack for axes and swords 0.75 damage same weight (slash for swords, Gash for axe)((this may be a bad idea))
-Add a maneuver named parry for melee, mimics Dash!, adds a little defense based on delta, gives IP based on defense weight is 1.0 so you still want to use your shield when you can (need axe or sword to use, can't parry empty handed) this would also bring b12s to the forefront I'm sure they need a lot of IP, and they can't equip a shield so they are forced to increase both UA and melee
-Add metal shields that have deflection/armor (I've mentioned this before I believe)


That's all the ideas I have for now, feedback would be appreciated of course, I'm sure there is fatal flaws in balance somewhere there that escapes me.
Let's see what we can come up with, if we find something that catches jorb and loftar's eye, we might get to see melee fighting on the rise!

[ninja_yodeler]

i would like shields to have hitpoints, that could possibly be repaired, and metal shields that give some deflection

[boshaw]

I would like to be able to slice the neck of a person and watch them bleed to death as they run away.

[cloakblade]

lol sorry melee needs a little buff but any of these would be silly. Though I would love to see a maneuver that bases off your melee to their melee or UA with a weight of your melee. I also like how your maneuver for melee is better than any maneuver that UA currently has.

[SacreDoom]

I would like to be able to slice the neck of a person and watch them bleed to death as they run away.

Yes.

[Alubag]

Make bloodlust, death or glory and oaken stance use either your UA or MC for weight, whichever is highest.

/thread

[rye130]

Make bloodlust, death or glory and oaken stance use either your UA or MC for weight, whichever is highest.

/thread

That's stupid, no UA is underpowered then.

[TeckXKnight]

I can't get behind any changes said so far in this thread. They're far from realistic and terribly imbalanced.
I'd like to see some moves geared just towards melee. I'd be neat if, rather than directly benefiting the melee fighter, they actively hurt the melee fighter.
Perhaps something to the extent that Boshaw mentioned, such as a non-stacking move that costs Combat Advantage and Initiative but in exchange ignores armor and defense and instead deals base 5% of your damage directly to your opponent in the form of bleeding, so a damage over time effect, and is multiplied by a melee delta modifier.

While that looks both over powered and paltry at the same time-- I actually have to run so I can't crunch numbers and rework the idea at all.

[cloakblade]

The only reason I'd be hesitant to adding a piercing strike type damage is simply because of the idea of multiple people just dispatching someone very quickly due to their high quality battle axes. Then again I guess it matters what the numbers are if its a 3x advantage move then sure why not you probably have the game already. If its 2x with a 6 IP cost it might be hard enough to maintain to where you couldn't just run up to someone and quickly start bleeding them dry.

Though I do like the idea of making melee have something unique to them other than valor strike (only somewhat unique) and lots of damage.

[Woot]

-Add a maneuver named parry for melee, mimics Dash!, adds a little defense based on delta, gives IP based on defense weight is 1.0 so you still want to use your shield when you can (need axe or sword to use, can't parry empty handed) this would also bring b12s to the forefront I'm sure they need a lot of IP, and they can't equip a shield so they are forced to increase both UA and melee

Was pretty tired when I wrote the rest, this is the one I stand by the most, the metal shields idea has merit, but this one is the one I'd like to see most.