So I've thought about this a decent little bit since it was originally suggested. Thematically, a staff caster also carrying a spellbook is perfectly consistent, and it only makes sense as a way to round out build options and flexibility for what is currently a relatively lightly used setup (staff caster).
I do think its a much bigger deal than "just add something that equips here." It would need drawbacks, or choices that are more than just "add this, and its better." Not saying the game is very balanced right now, but dropping something new in like this is how you break balance rather than add variety and buff levers.
That said, I think its worth exploring, so here's what I came up with:
- Change the Dual Wield skill, so that it allows equipping of 2x 1H melee weapons, or the equipping of a book opposite a staff. This means <20 characters, or players without lvl20 in DW, cannot use a spellbook. Give spellbooks a delay (in the 30-50 ballpark, depending on the book) even though they do not actually attack, so that equipping a spellbook slows down your staff attacks until you level DW higher. * this means that, theoretically, you could use a low-CD spellbook with lvl100 DW to speed your staff up too * It also means that gems treat your character as DW instead of 2H.
- provide expensive, store-sold, Rare versions @ lvl25, 50, and 75. Then use lvl100 LGs.
- Rare versions:
- Book/Greater-book/Spellbook of Illusion - 3%/4%/5% bonus to auras + Delay:32/34/36
- Book/GB/SB of Destruction - 2%/3%/4% bonus to damaging gems + Delay: 35/38/40
- Book/GB/SB of Protection - 1%/2%/3% damage mitigation + Delay: 34/36/38
- allow tempers on spellbooks, and stat bonuses on spellbooks (considering the staff damage nerf of DWing, I think this is a needed payoff on top of proc bonuses)
THEN:
LG ideas:
Tome of Ravaging Fury:
Int:5 Cnc:5 Mst:5
Delay:46
Your damaging spells deal 5% more damage, and have a small chance to deal an additional 25 flashburn damage
Tome of the Warrior Monk:
Str:8 Dex:3 Agi:4
Delay: 32
Your staff gains all two-handed weapon bonuses, and gains an 8% bonus to the likelihood of striking with an attack.
Tome of the Everliving:
Pst:4 Mst:4 Dur:1 Pre:3 Mre:3
Delay: 51
Your healing gems have a small chance to heal an additional 10% and lower their target's Cleanse cooldown by 5%
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