Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I, Runepriest.

As the Warhammer community establishes itself in game and the social "rules" that will define us as a game come into being, there have been a few blog entries on the nature of healers roles, healing and so on.

I play a Rune Priest and this is my manifesto.

  • I will always try to heal you if I can. Keep in mind, I seem to be the biggest target around.
  • I will always try to dps if you seem competent and not about to die. Sudden splash damage is not my fault. I cannot mitiage future damage without a Delorean.
  • I will always always follow my Ironbreaker or whomever else I seem to have become attached to.
  • In Mourikains Temple, I will always heal the dude with the thing.
  • You want healing? You will make sure I survive the trip. Letting the Rune Priest get ganked is a sure fire way to deprive yourself of support. This is not the same as me springing a Dwarf-bush or Dwarf-coy.

As for Rune Priests in general. I am having a blast. Like Arbitrary I am going for a Grimnir/Grungi mix. I'm rather comfortable in my main skills. My new favourite power has to be the bouncy Rune of Serenity. I've a tendancy to cast that, just to watch it pass from person to person. It's fun like that.

On a slight tangent, I want to talk about the most important bit about being a healer. Death.
As I mentioned above, Orrekai seems to be unnaturally attractive to both players and PvE mobs. There have been many times where critters and guys will bypass the entire team just to stand a chance of taking a swing at me. Yes it's good tactical sense to deprive the opposing force of support, but as it also happens in PvE it's become a bit of a joke that the game seems hard coded to want me dead.
My death, or the promise of it is the most powerful tool that exsists. Winning in scenarios isn't about you dieing as little as possible. It's about ruining the other guys strategy and then killing the living daylights out of them. A disorganised team is a losing team. There have been many times in scenarios where despite being behind, Order has either closed the gap (and still lost) or stolen a win due to a few players learning to work in concert.

Two of those players are myself and my Ironbreaker buddy Bregel. I will follow that man anywhere. Into the Realm of Chaos itself if needs be. It's a wonderful symbiotic relationship. I heal him and keep him going that much longer and he guard me. He also makes tons of grudges because well, I'm me and everything wants me dead. I am happy to take the sacrifice or peel off and lead the Destruction team on a merry (if brief) chase if it means he can last a little longer or achieve whatever it is we started to do. My death is a minor and fleeting debuff. I will soon be back up and running, able to assist in any way, even if that way is making myself a massive target.

That's what a Dwarf-coy is. I don't care if someone isn't flagged in the open world. Go hide around a corner team. I'll flag myself. They will not be able to resist juicy healer Dwarf, and then they're free game for us all.

So if ever we meet on Ostermark, if ever I seem to have suicidal tendancies and instead of healing you, I've charged at the bad guys with my shield on, a HoT ticking or just spamming fire runes. Thank me. I may not be healing you, but I've just bought you time to come together, work together and wipe the floor with anyone who couldn't resist turning to engage me.

Death may be the ultimate debuff, but being a Rune Priest is the ultimate taunt.

2 comments:

arbitrary said...

I'll write a proper response to this when not at work. Only to say that I adore the 'bouncy heal' (as I call it) and also cast it just to watch the effect (shh, don't tell anyone).

I'll maybe write a bit about some of my divebombing tactics also.

Sareini said...

As an Archmage, I feel your pain (sometimes literally :P ) It's like we mortally insult the NPCs' mothers or something...