Tree Power!
Because of my hiatus from posting for a couple weeks this month, I’m coming a little late to a party started by Ghostcrawler on the official forums a week ago in which he asked whether being a tree was “fun”. The premise for the question was that Tree of Life form, unlike cat and bear forms, has no unique abilities; it merely supplements abilities already available to the druid in caster form, while precluding us from any damage or crowd control spells. Moonkin, on the flip side, enhances damage while disallowing the use of healing spells. The conversation goes on for 49 pages on the forum as I write, and has spilled over onto several blogs already. I don’t intend to hash out the whole question here. What I’d like to do instead, is to take a playful approach to the question and pose the following question to you all… if you were given a pass to be a Blizzard designer for the day and to create a new TREE OF LIFE ONLY ABILITY for us to play with (remember, the question is about the form being fun!), what would it be?
I have a few ideas of my own…
Weeping Willow
This would be a crowd control spell in which the casting tree would weep copious amounts of sap, slowing mobs within a given radius. Perhaps this would need to be triggered by the tree’s target/party/self taking a certain percentage of damage. The decrease in speed would accumulate the closer a mob came to the weeping tree (more sap = slower speed).
Descending Vines
How about a spell that a druid could cast to send vines to lift squishy party members (or the tree itself) out of melee damage for a given period of time? This would work similarly to a bubble, but perhaps only be effective specific to melee damage. The “vined” player could still cast spells from on high but avoid melee damage.
Leaf Drop
This one I envision as being similar to a Tauren stomping, or maybe a tree form version of a pushback spell. The druid could Leaf Drop, shedding all of their leaves in a huge, fast, deciduous dump that either stunned or threw back enemies close by.
Hedge Row
The druid would cause a leafy barricade to spring up in a circle around herself and her allies within a… what?… 10 yard range? 15? The barricade could temporarily shield damage, or possibly cause damage for any mob penetrating through it, or weaken the effect of spells cast or ranged attacks against members inside the barrier. Healing within the barrier could be buffed with a percentage of effect.
Unnatural Growth
A druid would grow perceptably for a short period of time. While in this enlarged state they could cast stronger or faster healing spells but perhaps suffer some sort of a movement debuff.
How ‘Bout Them Apples?
For a period of time, any incoming damage to the tree or the tree’s target would be reciprocated by apples being pelted at the mob inflicting damage or the target’s target. Apples could have a similar effect to insect swarm, causing a DoT and lowering the hit rating of the target.
hahaha!! I’m having a ton of fun thinking of these but it’s almost time for me to pick up my little girl and bring her home, so I’m going to throw the ball into the readers’ court. What fun tree specific spells or abilities can you all cook up? Sky’s the limit! Let’s have some fun…
There are 20 Comments to "Tree Power!"
Good to see you back, Syll! Any news on the employment front?
Tree of Life is primarily a healing form so I think any unique abilities should center around that. Perhaps a type of bloodlust effect (Rapid Growth?) that affects only heals. Or a single hit shield (Enveloping Bark?). Perhaps something akin to the DK’s pull that will yank a friendly target out of danger, breaking any movement impairing effects (Freedom Vines?)
Hardly unique ideas since they are all modeled after the abilities of other classes, but that’s as far as my thinking has taken me in this short time.
Running Elk’s last blog post..Mana regeneration and healing post 3.1
Hey Elk! Thanks for asking about the job front. Resume has gone out to a couple of places so cross your fingers, toes, roots and branches for me! =)
I looooooove the bloodlust healing effect and the dk pull to yank someone out of danger ideas! awesome!!!
Hi,
love the blog, I’m an avid reader!
Just commenting to say I have the imagination of a stagnant pond living goldfish so am rubbish at coming up with my own spells but I absolutely love yours!
The names are brilliant, and as a spell I particularly like hedge row.
The only ones I can think of apart from those are perhaps someting to do with roosting birds as a sort of DoT like Moonfire, ie birds roosting in our branches that fly for whatever thing is attacking us, but not a slow burner like insect swarm, rather something that hits for a shorter period of time.
Another one, I would like something to do with our roots, perhaps allowing us to spread our roots in maybe a ten yard radius and all those in the radius are stopped dead for 5 seconds/10 seconds if they are an enemy, and shielded if they are a friend.
Just a couple of ideas anyway!
Soph
Espreya’s last blog post..After much thought…
hahaha! Love the ideas, Soph! I’m just imagining me cruising around Dalaran with attack birds in my branches. mwahahahahaha!!!!
I like Running Elk’s idea of a DK-like ability that pulls a friendly out of danger, like, say, a rogue that hasn’t noticed that he’s standing in the fire. Or how about some passive ability (like Moonkin Aura) that heals all rogues in the raid a percentage of what the tank is healed for? ;^)
I’m thinking the apples spell could be more like an instant-cast AoE (as opposed to channelled like Hurricane), that has a spinning animation. Imagine apples flying outwards like Fan of Knives. Also, add a threat-reduction-over-time buff to Weeping Willow and make it channeled, sort of like an emergency button: stop everything and get out of trouble.
How about an AoE roots effect for trees, Undergrowth? It would work something like Frost Nova.
LMAO!
Good read, and some of those might actually work.
I like the one where vines would act like a bubble.
I have another idea for apples. [Fall Harvest] Tree sprouts fruit, for the next 3 minutes party and raid members can click on tree and recieve an apple. Apple is food similar to mage table but weaker, and scales with tree level.
Also I like ideas that use new mechanics to make things different or simulate reality. [Thick Bark] Every minute gain one [Bark Layer] up to three stacks. This is a passive ability only available while in tree form. [Thick Bark] reduces damage by 5%, up to a max of 15%. Any damage will remove one charge.
This would be something that would be neat in pve, without being overly OP for PVP, and with the long charge time and ease of removing it wont give that much of a benifit.
I dont think Tree’s should have any kind of damage ability because it will either be so weak as to be pointless and you should shift out. Or overpowered to where nerfs will be cried. So maybe a defencive ability like [Timber!] Fall on target in melee range and stun them for 3 seconds. This ability can only be used on targets currently attacking you.
That attackers only thing will keep the stun from being OP, its an escape ability.
[Fall Harvest] Tree sprouts fruit, for the next 3 minutes party and raid members can click on tree and recieve an apple.
Maybe this could also contain sap or apple juice, for casters to drink. Would fit with the whole “bring the player, not the class” concept for WotLK, having a second class that can provide raid food/drink. For an added bonus, they could make it so people have to gather the apple/juice from the tree instead of a static table, and the druid can have fun leading the raid in a merry chase to obtain sustenance. =^)
[Timber!] Fall on target in melee range and stun them for 3 seconds.
Trying to imagine the animation for this, and now I can’t get the image of Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, falling on and demolishing the coffee table. =^)
Fruit of the Harvest:
Why should mages be the only ones who can summon food? I say trees should have a Fruit of the Harvest ability, where a small fruit tree sprouts up, from which people can grab stacks of yummy health/mana regenerating food.
AoE Entangling Roots:
Simple, it roots everyone within x yards for y seconds. If Shaman can do it, why not us?
Healing Treants:
Summoning trees should not be limited to Moonkins. In fact they are better suited to Tree form. Big tree summons three little trees. To differentiate them from Moonkin trees, they run around healing people.
Tornado:
Cyclone, hurricane, typhoon… time for tornado. The tree summons a tornado, swirling the wind around him and knocking anyone back that comes within melee distance for 5 seconds.
Angry Tree:
The tree turns red, and for 30 seconds can cast any spell (not including feral abilities) that is normally prohibited while in tree form, while also keeping all of the normal benefits/buffs of tree form.
View from a Branch:
Up to two players can jump onto one of your branches (arms) at any time, and enjoy protection/sanctuary from enemy damage. Their physical size is reduced by 50% while on a branch. The tree is a vehicle to them and they are unable to cast or do damage. Jumping on to a branch clears all the player/passenger’s debuffs and doubles his health/mana regen. While a player is sitting on a branch, a vehicle interface is in effect for him, with the only option being to leave (similar to a passenger on a chopper or siege tank). If the tree dies with players on his branches they are thrown out.
@mental knife…. omg now you ruined it for me. I can never be happy until I have little saplings running around shooting off HoTs for me! AWESOME! lol!
This was a great article – thought provoking. All the ideas suggested were great – Descending Vines especially would be an interesting class mechanic!
And I do like Mental_Knife’s idea of Fruit of the Harvest as well – it really does make sense that druids ought to be able to provide food (specifically fruit) for their party. If Blizz did implement this, I’m sure they wouldn’t let druids choose what type of fruit they would be, but it did remind me of this post from The Druid Team – Let’s Germinate.
Anea’s last blog post..Anea gets Twisted
[...] Sylly over at Rolling Hots made a blog post about the recent discussion about Tree Druid’s, and getting a unique ability for the [...]
I like the ideas, some are a bit too PvP oriented for me, but all good.
I made a blog post with some of my suggestions on my new blog which should be linked below.
Xylch’s last blog post..Tree Power!
Awesome, Xylch! welcome to the blogosphere! I’m excited to head on over and check out your new site! =)
Hmm this is a tough one but how about the tree pulling out a crazy rake that sweeps away any mobs for a few seconds or perhaps with the tree dance they can bump someone out of the way.
I know its bad hehehe.
Cathy’s last blog post..Laying Out the Rules for Pugs
hahaha! lovin the rake. swat! begone, pesky mobs!
I just thought of an interesting one in tribute to mega man.
[Leaf Shield] Create a spinning barrier of leafs that reduces all damage by 30%. Lasts for 8 seconds or upon movement. When player moves, the Leaf Sheild is hurled in the movement direction ahead of you causing damage and mild knockback.
I like that, Mythology! nice thinking! I like the shield/damage idea there.
Well, as a sort of backlash type ability which would be an interesting one to see for a healing druid…
[Creeping Vines] An ability that roots both the druid and their target in place, saying perhaps that the druid ‘takes root’ to bind the enemy with their own limbs or such. Until either the target or the Druid takes so much damage or the spell is canceled.
Perhaps something that works like an area-wide cover.
[Nature's Canopy[H]/Elune’s Shadow[A]] The Druid channels the life giving power of the earth mother/Elune to become a large tree or such, incoming attacks on nearby party members becoming decreased by perhaps 2/4/6% or so for perhaps the next 20 seconds with a substantial cooldown similar to Bloodlust/Heroism. It would certainly be a great mechanic on those fights where you just KNOW something really big and mean is gonna happen, but it couldn’t be overblown like bloodlust used to be back in BC.
[Elder Tree]
Turn into a giant tree that makes you unable to move but doubles the bonus healing stat for all your direct healing spells and HoT spells. (lasts 30 sec.)
or
Turn into a giant tree that makes you unable to move but heals all party and raid members within 30 yd. for X damage every sec. (lasts 15 sec.)
[Mending Root]
Connects a root to a friendly target, healing him for X% of the healing effect whenever you heal a party member. You can only root one target at any given time. (lasts 3 min.)
[Seedling Spawn]
Spawns 3 to 5 seedlings that attach to party members. Every party member that has a seedling on his shoulder will be healed for X damage every 5 sec. (lasts 30 sec.)
[Furious Growth]
Traps all enemies within 30 yd. for 5 sec. in roots, stunning them.
[Shielding Vines]
Encase a friendly target in vines, absorbing up to 1000 damage. (lasts 15 sec.)
[Hidden Seeds]
If the caster dies while in Tree form, his hidden seeds sprout, resurrecting him. The resurrection takes 10 sec. because the seeds need to grow.
or
If the friendly target dies while the druid is in Tree form, the target gets resurrected over 10 sec.
[Leaf Dance]
Launch a volley of leafs into the air of the targeted area. Friendly targets in the area get healed for X damage and enemy targets in the area take X damage.
[Tree Sap]
Tree sap covers the friendly target’s body, reducing the chance that melee attacks will hit him by 50%, blades just seem to deflect of the greasy sap!
[Spirit Leaf]
Launch a spirit leaf at a friendy target, healing him and surrounding party members for X damage (very big heal, big cost, big cooldown).
[Rapid Growth]
You grow rapidly, increasing your stamina, intellect and spirit for 50. Lasts 30 sec.
[Energizing Wind]
The Tree releases a gust of wind in a cone in front of him, restoring 1000 mana, 15 energy, 15 rage or 40 runic power to all friendly targets inside the affected area.
[Root of Protection]
Grab a friendly target, pulling him towards you and healing him for X damage. 50% of his threat is transfered to you.
[Tree of Life]
Summon the real Tree of Life, Lord of Nature, to you location. Every second the Tree of Life heals the party member with the lowest health for X damage. The Tree of Life will help your party for 15 sec.
p.s. I don’t play a druid, so I don’t know if some of these abilities already exist and i also don’t know if they are greatly OP or UP. Just wanted to share some of my ideas