These suggestions are linked to the core idea of this topic and balance with other mechanics I'll be adding to this topic. In short, 300 primaries are freed up by making sprinting, combat maneuvering, and blocking secondaries. This allows new primaries to be added to every role.
The point of these suggestions is to allow players to pick a specialization within ranged combat and make that ranged combat specialization have a primary cost that justifies its value. Right now A LOT of things are given out for free. For instance, assyms, shortbows, and longbows all currently work on the exact same set of skills.
NEW / CHANGED SKILLS (AND SKILL REMOVALS)
Removed
Controlled Aiming - A bonus to holding your breath? If you're holding your shot after the arrow is drawn you're one of one things. Wrong. Other suggestions in this topic justify full speccing 4 primaries into foot archery which is 200-300 more points than any good build maker would do now.
Added
Bow Types
Assymrytical Bows(Primary): Archery damage is halved from what it is now. This skill adds 0-150% damage (Translating to 125% of current archery damage levels): when wielding an asymmetrical bow.
Longbows(Primary): Same as above but for longbows.
Shortbows(Primary): Same as above but for shortbows.
No longer can a dismounted MA switch from their assym to a longbow for free. You specialize in the bow type you use, or you pay extra to get more types. This change takes viable archery from a 100 point investment to a 200 point investment. The increased damage helps compensate.
Marksmanship
Marksmanship: Same as now but half bonus for torso shots and, a 20 second 10% cast time / swing time penalty for armshots, and a 10 second 5% movespeed penalty for leg shots. Additionally, headshots now have a 0-100% chance to interrupt casting regardless of the target's concentration.
A reward for going for headshots on weapons with travel time, wobble, and arcs. Yeah... if you're going for this bonus in PvP you are one of the three following things: an aimbotter, Legolas, or wrong. And PVE-only action skills shouldn't exist in a game like this. These penalties give rewards you can combo together strategically if you really are Legolas and rewards regardless of where you hit your target if you aren't.
Thrown Weapons
Most thrown weapons have a melee or thrown mode toggle found under keybinds. When toggled to thrown they use thrown attacks, when toggled to melee the use melee attacks. Melee damage is universally lower than non-thrown weapons of similar types. All 1h weapons except knives and slings are a 1h-weapon for blocking purposes*.
Thrown weapons are designed to be used effectively with a 1 primary investment just as thrown weapons were commonly used by infantry in history. However all of them benefit in different ways from a 200-300 point investment just as there were thrown weapon specialists in history.
Efficient Storage: 0-100% more thrown weapons can be equipped at once.
Javelins(Primary): Medium to long-range. Medium piercing damage. Can be wielded with a shield but not dual-wielded. Bypass bulwark* on non-equipment hits and ignore 50% pierce armor on equipment hits against the shield. Can only do thrusts in thrown mode. Cannot be parried. Standard stack is 5.
--Expert Javelineer(Primary): +0-50% damage against animals.
Javelins are primarily notable for their accuracy at decent range as well as their anti-shield properties. They are are a good choice for breaking the ranks of enemy melee combatants. Specializing in them increases their effectiveness against animals including ridden mounts, making sheild+javelin a powerful counter against mounted opponents (particularly MAs) and tamed beasts.
Throwing Axes: Short range. Wide hit arc. 15% move speed penalty for 10 seconds on a leg hit. Medium slashing/blunt damage. Can be wielded with shield or dual-wielded. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc or overhead for a vertical hit-arc. Can be parried. Standard stack is 3.
--Powerful Throw: 70% damage on a parry
--Offhand Throwing Axe: See Dual-Wielding*
Throwing axes are a medium damage short range throwing weapon that have a large arc they can hit with. They're primarily notable for a significant movespeed debuff on leg hits (Hitting legs was one of their primary uses historically). But they can be parried like normal melee attacks even when thrown. Specializing gives a slight parry bypass to allow some damage and more importantly, allow the debuff to get through.
Throwing axes mainly help in harassment against enemy melee combatants though a well timed axe can also slow a mounted opponent as well.
Throwing Swords: Short range. Wide hit arc. Significant slashing damage. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc or overhead for a vertical hit-arc. Can be parried. Standard stack is 3.
--Versatile Fighter: Increases melee damage with throwing swords.
--Offhand Throwing Sword: See Dual-Wielding*
Throwing swords are the highest damage thrown weapon held back by their low range and ability to be parried. Specializing in them allows them to do damage comparable to other 1h swords in melee though this is balanced by low blunt and piercing leading to an ineffectual thrust as well as weakness against certain armors (They're curved Saduucan style swords if you have trouble visualizing this).
Throwing Knives: Short range. small hit arc. Light piercing or slashing. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc overhead for a vertical hit-arc, or thrust for a piercing attack on a single point. Cannot be parried. Increase effectiveness of poison applied to them. Standard stack is 10.
--Quickdraw: Increase attack speed and draw/sheath speed. This bonus is also applies to daggers when swapping between daggers and thrown knives.
--Offhand Throwing Knife: See Dual-Wielding*
These weapons have low damage and mainly serve as a way to poison enemy combatants. However they are light and come in large stacks making them a very spammable weapon.
Slings: Long range. Good blunt damage. Long charge time, high stam drain. Can be wielded with shield but not dual wielded. No melee. No parry. Cannot be blocked. Standard stack 15.
--Expert Slinger: Decreased wind-up time.
Slings are the closest thrown weapon to bows. Their notable changes are that they do blunt damage and can be used with a shield. Slingers with sheilds should do very well against enemy archers which is their primary intended role and do good damage against everything if left uncontested. However slinging while moving stams them quickly.
*These items reference mechanics from my melee suggestions: https://mortalonline2.com/forums/threads/foot-melee-skill-changes.7648/#post-69035
AMMUNITION CHANGES
Hotbarring ammunition no longer links a specific stack in your inventory but will fully replenish ammunition if it is available in inventory. However there is now a timer added to replenishing a stack. These timers tend to be longer for thrown weapons making the efficient storage skill more important for thrown weapon specialists.
The point of these suggestions is to allow players to pick a specialization within ranged combat and make that ranged combat specialization have a primary cost that justifies its value. Right now A LOT of things are given out for free. For instance, assyms, shortbows, and longbows all currently work on the exact same set of skills.
NEW / CHANGED SKILLS (AND SKILL REMOVALS)
Removed
Controlled Aiming - A bonus to holding your breath? If you're holding your shot after the arrow is drawn you're one of one things. Wrong. Other suggestions in this topic justify full speccing 4 primaries into foot archery which is 200-300 more points than any good build maker would do now.
Added
Bow Types
Assymrytical Bows(Primary): Archery damage is halved from what it is now. This skill adds 0-150% damage (Translating to 125% of current archery damage levels): when wielding an asymmetrical bow.
Longbows(Primary): Same as above but for longbows.
Shortbows(Primary): Same as above but for shortbows.
No longer can a dismounted MA switch from their assym to a longbow for free. You specialize in the bow type you use, or you pay extra to get more types. This change takes viable archery from a 100 point investment to a 200 point investment. The increased damage helps compensate.
Marksmanship
Marksmanship: Same as now but half bonus for torso shots and, a 20 second 10% cast time / swing time penalty for armshots, and a 10 second 5% movespeed penalty for leg shots. Additionally, headshots now have a 0-100% chance to interrupt casting regardless of the target's concentration.
A reward for going for headshots on weapons with travel time, wobble, and arcs. Yeah... if you're going for this bonus in PvP you are one of the three following things: an aimbotter, Legolas, or wrong. And PVE-only action skills shouldn't exist in a game like this. These penalties give rewards you can combo together strategically if you really are Legolas and rewards regardless of where you hit your target if you aren't.
Thrown Weapons
Most thrown weapons have a melee or thrown mode toggle found under keybinds. When toggled to thrown they use thrown attacks, when toggled to melee the use melee attacks. Melee damage is universally lower than non-thrown weapons of similar types. All 1h weapons except knives and slings are a 1h-weapon for blocking purposes*.
Thrown weapons are designed to be used effectively with a 1 primary investment just as thrown weapons were commonly used by infantry in history. However all of them benefit in different ways from a 200-300 point investment just as there were thrown weapon specialists in history.
Efficient Storage: 0-100% more thrown weapons can be equipped at once.
Javelins(Primary): Medium to long-range. Medium piercing damage. Can be wielded with a shield but not dual-wielded. Bypass bulwark* on non-equipment hits and ignore 50% pierce armor on equipment hits against the shield. Can only do thrusts in thrown mode. Cannot be parried. Standard stack is 5.
--Expert Javelineer(Primary): +0-50% damage against animals.
Javelins are primarily notable for their accuracy at decent range as well as their anti-shield properties. They are are a good choice for breaking the ranks of enemy melee combatants. Specializing in them increases their effectiveness against animals including ridden mounts, making sheild+javelin a powerful counter against mounted opponents (particularly MAs) and tamed beasts.
Throwing Axes: Short range. Wide hit arc. 15% move speed penalty for 10 seconds on a leg hit. Medium slashing/blunt damage. Can be wielded with shield or dual-wielded. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc or overhead for a vertical hit-arc. Can be parried. Standard stack is 3.
--Powerful Throw: 70% damage on a parry
--Offhand Throwing Axe: See Dual-Wielding*
Throwing axes are a medium damage short range throwing weapon that have a large arc they can hit with. They're primarily notable for a significant movespeed debuff on leg hits (Hitting legs was one of their primary uses historically). But they can be parried like normal melee attacks even when thrown. Specializing gives a slight parry bypass to allow some damage and more importantly, allow the debuff to get through.
Throwing axes mainly help in harassment against enemy melee combatants though a well timed axe can also slow a mounted opponent as well.
Throwing Swords: Short range. Wide hit arc. Significant slashing damage. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc or overhead for a vertical hit-arc. Can be parried. Standard stack is 3.
--Versatile Fighter: Increases melee damage with throwing swords.
--Offhand Throwing Sword: See Dual-Wielding*
Throwing swords are the highest damage thrown weapon held back by their low range and ability to be parried. Specializing in them allows them to do damage comparable to other 1h swords in melee though this is balanced by low blunt and piercing leading to an ineffectual thrust as well as weakness against certain armors (They're curved Saduucan style swords if you have trouble visualizing this).
Throwing Knives: Short range. small hit arc. Light piercing or slashing. Can do side attacks to make a horizontal hit-arc overhead for a vertical hit-arc, or thrust for a piercing attack on a single point. Cannot be parried. Increase effectiveness of poison applied to them. Standard stack is 10.
--Quickdraw: Increase attack speed and draw/sheath speed. This bonus is also applies to daggers when swapping between daggers and thrown knives.
--Offhand Throwing Knife: See Dual-Wielding*
These weapons have low damage and mainly serve as a way to poison enemy combatants. However they are light and come in large stacks making them a very spammable weapon.
Slings: Long range. Good blunt damage. Long charge time, high stam drain. Can be wielded with shield but not dual wielded. No melee. No parry. Cannot be blocked. Standard stack 15.
--Expert Slinger: Decreased wind-up time.
Slings are the closest thrown weapon to bows. Their notable changes are that they do blunt damage and can be used with a shield. Slingers with sheilds should do very well against enemy archers which is their primary intended role and do good damage against everything if left uncontested. However slinging while moving stams them quickly.
*These items reference mechanics from my melee suggestions: https://mortalonline2.com/forums/threads/foot-melee-skill-changes.7648/#post-69035
AMMUNITION CHANGES
Hotbarring ammunition no longer links a specific stack in your inventory but will fully replenish ammunition if it is available in inventory. However there is now a timer added to replenishing a stack. These timers tend to be longer for thrown weapons making the efficient storage skill more important for thrown weapon specialists.