Hallo, all! I’ve just been thinking up a way to shake up the Thief’s traitlines a bit, so here’s what I’ve come up with. I moved several traits around, combined others, and even created some new ones. The goal is to make each traitline more well-defined.
Notice that this does not include Daredevil. These changes are for the base Thief. Daredevil changes can be based on these, however, though I’m not the one to do that.
First, here are some traits that I made baseline…
Preparedness: Every Thief needs the extra 3 initiative. In doing so, Trickery becomes less needed.
Side Strike / Flawless Strike: Every Thief should be working to flank its targets, and should be rewarded for doing so. “Side Strike’s” critical hit chance is unchanged. However, “Flawless Strike’s” damage increase is now based on flanking instead of health, granting a 5% increase to all direct damage instead of a %7 increase to critical damage.
Sleight of Hand’s Recharge: The trait Sleight of Hand still exists in the Trickery line, but no longer includes the Steal recharge increase. The 20% recharge is now baseline. The actual trait has had its daze duration doubled to 2 seconds to make up for this.
Now, on to the traitlines…
DEADLY ARTS: The purpose of this line shall be for conditions (mainly poison) and other methods of damage other than direct damage such as venoms and traps. Even though it is most effective for Condition-Thieves, its focus on poison’s heal reduction and weakness application can be benificial to Power-Thieves as well.
Adept Minor:
Serpent’s Touch: No Change
Adept Majors:
Poisoneer: Formerly “Dagger Training”
This removes the requirement of using a dagger to apply poison. All weapons now have a chance to apply poison on hits.
Uncatchable: Moved from Trickery
No change other than the traitline. It’s a condition-based skill and similar to traps, so it fits in Deadly Arts.
Trapper’s Respite: No Change
Master Minor:
Lotus Poison:
The cooldown has been lowered to 4 seconds to match the duration of weakness applied. The goal is to give the Thief the chance to keep the target weakened continuously, increasing the sustainability of the Thief in close combat.
Master Majors:
Trapper’s Respite: No Change
Leaching Venoms: Moved from Shadow Arts
No change other than the traitline. It’s venom-based, so it fits in Deadly Arts.
Pressure Striking: Moved from Trickery
No change other than the traitline. It’s condition-based, so it fits in Deadly Arts.
Grandmaster Minor:
Resistant Strain (NEW): Replaces “Exposed Weakness”
Every time the Thief applies a condition to the target, three pulses of 1-second vulnerability is also applied, one after the other. This has a cooldown of 3 seconds.
Because Exposed Weakness mixed conditions with direct damage, it has been replaced with a trait that focuses purely on conditions. This trait’s goal is to make conditions more difficult to cleanse by blocking the actual damaging conditions with a weak non-damaging condition.
Grandmaster Majors:
Venomous Aura: Moved from Shadow Arts
No change other than the traitline. It’s venom-based, so it fits in Deadly Arts.
Bewildering Ambush: Moved from Trickery
No change other than the traitline. It’s condition-based, so it fits in Deadly Arts.
Potent Poison: No change
CRITICAL STRIKES: This traitline is focused on direct damage and attacks. It no longer focuses solely on critical hits. Several traits have been combined in one form or another.
Adept Minor:
Keen Strikes: Combined “Keen Observer” and “Unrelenting Strikes”
No changed to the original traits.
Adept Majors:
Finishing Touches (NEW):
Do 50% more direct damage to downed targets.
This trait is simply to help Thieves finish off opponents that have been downed. Not every Thief has Impact Strike or Shadowstep available after a fight. This will help avoid getting into downed duels with Rangers and Necros, or simply help in team fights.
Sitting Duck (NEW):
Do 10% more direct damage to targets that are stunned or have movement impairing conditions.
This trait can make up for the loss of Exposed Weakness. It can also be combined with “Ankle Strikes” and “Panic Strike” with great effect.
Signets of Power: No change
Master Minor:
Sundering Tolerance: Combined "Sundering Strikes and Practiced Tolerance
No change to the original traits.
Master Majors:
Ankle Strikes: Formerly “Ankle Shots”
Again, removing the weapon requirements. Now, any critical hit has the chance to cripple the target. Chance to cripple has been lowered to 50%, and cooldown has increased to 10 seconds.
Critically Rolling (NEW):
Every consecutive critical hit increases your next attack’s direct damage by 1%. Resets to 0% when a direct attack does not do critical damage. Maximum of 15%.
Actively Passive (NEW):
Signets’ passives are always in effect.
Grandmaster Minor:
Ferocious Executioner: Combined “Ferocious Strikes” and “Executioner”
No changed to the original traits. Moved “Executioner” here from Deadly Arts. “Ferocious Strikes” affects a target until it hits 50% health, then “Executioner” will take over.
Grandmaster Majors:
Glancing Precision (NEW):
All attacks that would normally result in no damage will result in a Glancing Blow instead.
This trait allows a Thief to do some damage to targets that are otherwise protected from direct attacks such as targets that are blocking or have immunity from direct damage (not including evasions).
Invigorating Precision: No change
No Quarter: No change
SHADOW ARTS: This traitline is now focused purely around Stealth. Again, some traits have been combined, and some have been modified to make them not useless. Also, there are a few additions that add some fun Thief-vs-Thief scenarios.
Adept Minor:
Shadow’s Embrace: No change
This was moved to be a minor to improve build diversity. Now, there are actually real choices in the Adept Major slots.
Adept Majors:
Concealed Defeat: Combined with “Last Refuge”
This trait now does what its name implies. In addition to reducing Deception skill recharges, the Thief will now use Blinding Powder on becoming downed instead of creating a Smoke Screen. This will give the Thief a few seconds of Stealth in order to reposition before the opponent even knows it has been downed.
Ninja Nursing: Combined “Merciful Ambush” and “Cloaked in Shadow”
Yes, it needed to be done. You don’t have to choose between Blind on Stealth and Shadow’s Rejuvenation. You revive allies faster as well as grant them Stealth… which will also blind nearby enemies. The Stealth on fall damage and reduced falling damage remains.
Shadow Protector:
In addition to Regeneration applied per Stealth application, 3 seconds of Resistance is granted only when initially entering Stealth.
Master Minor:
Meld with Shadows:
In addition to the 1-second extension to Stealth, striking a Stealthed target removes Revealed from you and also applies 3 seconds of Stealth. Can be combined with “Hidden Thief” and “Shadowsight” for invisible Thief battles. Yes… invisible Thief battles.
Master Majors:
Hidden Thief:
In addition to granting Stealth on Steal, it Reveals the target for 4 seconds. Can be combined with “Shadowsight” to target Stealthed enemies.
Hidden Killer: Moved from Critical Strikes
No change other than the traitline. It’s Stealth-based, so it fits in Shadow Arts.
Revealed Training: Moved from Deadly Arts
In addition to its power increase, this trait grants immunity from being Revealed by opponents. However, you are not immune to Stealth Disruptor traps or leaving Shadow Refuge.
Grandmaster Minor:
Resilience of Shadows: No change
Grandmaster Majors:
Shadowsight (NEW):
You can now see and target Stealthed opponents. When you are not in Stealth, you will see the opponent’s “ghostly” form. When you are in Stealth, you will see the opponent as completely visible.
Keep in mind that this trait is competing with Shadow’s Rejuvenation, so it must provide significant value. In combination with “Hidden Thief,” you will be able to Reveal opposing Thieves. And you will also be able to take full advantage of “Meld with Shadow’s” new Stealth-granting ability.
Shadow’s Rejuvenation: No change
Elusive Shadow (NEW):
Entering Stealth grants 2 seconds of evasion.
Again, it’s competing with Shadow’s Rejuvenation. This will finally allow the Thief to use Stealth to escape channeling skills like “Rapid Fire.” Yes, it will also make using “Shadow Refuge” safer, though not completely.
ACROBATICS: This traitline is all about defense without Stealth. Speed and evasion are focuses. Passive defenses are lessened. More traits are combined. The goal is to make the Thief harder to pin down.
Adept Minor:
Expeditious Dodger: No change
Adept Majors:
Instant Reflexes:
This still gives passive evasions, but in a different manner. There is no health threshold. Whenever a single strike reduces your health by 25% or greater of maximum, you will auto-evade the next strike. Basically, it will act like a blind, only you will get an evasion credit for it, assisting other traits that are based on evades. This will have a cooldown of 5 seconds.
Pain Response:
This trait will reduce its effectiveness along with its cooldown. The cooldown will now be 3 seconds. It will remove one condition (now including Confusion) and will apply 2 seconds of Regeneration.
Basically, it will not go wasted as condition removal any longer.
Vigorous Recovery:
In addition to the Vigor, this trait will now grant 50% Endurance on heal.
Master Minor:
Feline Grace: Combined with “Endless Stamina”
No change to either original trait… unless we are allowed to have the old Feline Grace back.
Master Majors:
Guarded Initiation:
In addition to its original benefits, this trait will now protect the Thief from harming itself while its health is above 75%. That means no more stunning yourself, fearing yourself, or burning yourself based on your opponent’s traits.
Soap on a Rope (NEW):
This trait effectively replaces “Hard to Catch,” though that trait still exists. The purpose of this trait is to make the Thief very difficult to pin down, while doing so without passives. What it does is make every utility a stun-breaker.
Swindler’s Equilibrium:
Removes the weapon requirement. Because this is Acrobatics, it also removes the damage increase. However, you also gain 10% endurance for every evasion. There is no longer a cooldown. If you evade several attacks at once, you are rewarded for it.
Grandmaster Minor:
Hard to Catch:
Increases movement speed by 25%. Also refills 100% endurance when you break a stun (on a 15 second cooldown).
The movement increase is to help the Thief avoid attacks without evading, flank the enemy, and get somewhere quickly without the Shortbow. Swiftness is still helpfull, however.
Grandmaster Majors:
Assassin’s Reward: No change
Don’t Stop: No change
Upper Hand:
No changes other than to removed cooldown. Again, if you evade, you get rewarded.
TRICKERY: This focuses mainly on Steal and other “tricks” and “controls” that don’t really fit in any other line.
Adept Minor:
Kleptomaniac: No change
Adept Majors:
Flanking Strikes: No change
Thrill of the Crime: No change
Trap Awareness (NEW):
You can now see where enemy traps are placed. You also auto-evade any trap that is placed on top of you (cooldown of 10 seconds).
Master Minor:
Panic Strike: Moved from Deadly Arts
No change other than the traitline. It is more of a control effect than anything, so it fits in Trickery.
Master Majors:
Bountiful Theft: No change
Improvisation: Moved from Deadly Arts
No change other than the traitline. It’s only Steal-based, so it fits in Trickery.
Trickster:
With the recent upgrade to “Bountiful Theft,” tricks will now remove 2 conditions in order to compete.
Grandmaster Minor:
Lead Attacks: No change
Grandmaster Majors:
Mug: Moved from Deadly Arts
No change other than the traitline. It’s Steal-based, so it fits in Trickery.
Quick Pockets:
Initiative gained on weapon swap is now 6. This allows at least one use of any skill.
Sleight of Hand:
No longer reduces Steal recharge (that is made baseline). Instead, dazes the opponent for 2 seconds on Steal.
And there you have it. The names and numbers could use some work. But one of the main goals is to make each traitline serve its own purpose. Another goal is to expand build diversity by presenting true choices. One way of doing that is to combine weak or useless traits together or moving them to other positions. That is what lead to vacant trait slots, which resulted in my new traits… whether they are too powerful or just crazy. Alternatives are welcome.
EDIT: Corrected “Keen Strikes”
(edited by Kageseigi.2150)