This is a needed update for Paladin's skills to both be more pleasant to use for the user and better focus Paladin's identity as a duo-support class, more specifically as a protector and guardian to really help keep 1 party member alive, with a tiny bit of full party effects sprinkled in.
The biggest thing is introduce a new skill which will be called [Vow] here.
This will function near-identically to Lynn's [Focus] skill, including having the special party member window interface look very similar and can be dragged to whatever location on the screen you want it at, except that Paladin cannot [Vow] himself because he will always gain self effects from the skills.
(Only changed skills will be mentioned.)
Job 3:
NEW SKILL: [Vow]:
Active while inside of a party of at least 2 or more.
Cycle through party members with every use of this skill, dedicating the currently selected target as the [Vow] target.
The [Vow] target will gain benefits from certain skills.
MODIFIED AND BUFFED: HP Recovery:
Instantly heal 50% HP for yourself and your [Vow] target, and apply a regeneration buff of 1% HP every 0.5 second for the next 60 seconds.
If used repeatedly within the last 10 seconds, the instant heal is reduced by -10% HP, down to a minimum of 10% HP.
REWORK: Parashock Guard:
Toggle: Self gains 20 Weapon Attack. Party members gain 10% damage reduction, including attacks that deal % HP damage.
MODIFIED AND BUFFED SLIGHTLY: Divine Shield:
Passive: When self or [Vow] target take a hit, 100% chance to grant 20 Weapon and Magic Attack and block up to 15 attacks for the next 90 seconds, attacks that deal % HP damage are reduced by 25% instead.
The same target cannot receive this effect again for 30 seconds once activated.
Job 4:
REMAKE: Magic Crash:
Cleanse all buffs on nearby monsters and all abnormal status effects on self and party members.
For the next 10 seconds [increases with buff duration], self and the [Vow] target is immune to abnormal status effects.
Cooldown: 60 seconds.
MODIFIED: Divine Blessing:
Active: Self gains 20% Final Damage for 200 seconds.
Passive: While this buff is active, the [Vow] target gains 5% +1% per 6,000 STR increased Final Damage, up to a total of 20% Final Damage.
NOTE: This removes the party Final Damage bonus from Divine Echo, it gets moved to Divine Blessing instead. Also, 5% + 15% scaling = 20% total for clarity.
REMAKE: Guardian:
Toggle: Self gains 50% increased healing from skills and potions.
The [Vow] target, when it takes lethal damage, will cause the user to lose 50% Current HP to prevent death from the [Vow] target, making it invincible for 3 seconds and healing it to full HP. This can occur once every 120 seconds against the same target.
HYPER SKILLS:
MODIFIED: Sacrosanctity:
Grants self and the [Vow] target invincibility.
NOTE: This skill works identically to how it does now, this will make it easier to invincible a party member with the new [Vow] system.
Job 5:
MODIFIED: Divine Echo:
For the next 30 seconds, self gains 75% Final Damage and your offensive skills will mimic based on your current [Vow] target's location, dealing only 40% of their Final Damage.
Cooldown: 60 seconds.
NOTE: All other flavour text and effects are deleted here thanks to the new [Vow] skill that helps really streamline Paladin and makes for a more pleasant experience to play as. This skill would be turned into a simple buff for Paladin where the mimic skills apply to your current [Vow] target. For clarity, you can move to where the mimic skills are being summoned at within the same duration if there is more than 1 party member to change targets to.
BONUS NEED AND WANT: Hammers of the Righteous:
Skill change to an infinite duration toggle that while active, the hammers will keep spinning around Paladin allowing for a lot more enjoyable and fun experience where, when strong enough, Paladin can just jump around and kill monsters without the need of using their main mobbing attack skill.
For bossing, this would be more pleasant with it always being on rather than needing to resummon the hammers every 60 seconds.
Cooldown would be reduced to 1 second from 60 seconds as a toggle.
Comments
Right now it’s unnecessarily difficult to target a specific party member. I know multiple late-game Paladins who don’t even bother using it properly because of how clunky it feels. Paladins should have the focus-style skill, similar to Lynn, that lets them designate a specific party member to receive Divine Echo. It would make the skill more reliable and much more practical in real boss scenarios. You would also be able to track how long f.e. Sacrosanctity is active and warn the party member when it runs out.