So I have an idea for heretics rework in mind. Gib feedback.
As we all know, heretics is a great idea for an antag, but the execution is very underwhelming. They are generally weak and it is hard for them to achieve anything. It’s not very fun to play as a heretic, as most of your spells/boons are pointless, and playing as security feels like it’s a greenshift, often validhunting a heretic who is out in space doing whatever. These are the main ideas of this pull request.
Big idea here is that heretics will be easier to hide early game, easier/more dangerous to go loud late game, as they will provide more of a threat.
Grasp can lay runes
Instead of the book, now your mansus grasp will be used to lay and hide runes. Books can still be used to harvest reality tears and other stuff, explained below.
Why It’s Good For The Game
The reasoning behind this is that the mansus grasp hand/item is easier to disguise and impossible to hide. In theory, if you lose a book and cannot lay a rune, it is possible for heretics to be completely unable to craft items. Books are always a dead giveaway and will lead to heretics valid hunting.
Fascination trauma and conversions
Now, nonbelievers who read the Codex Gygax will gain a fascination trauma. People can also be fascinated by a new curse, fascination curse, which will replace the grippling curse. When mansus grasp will be cast by those fascinated, they will become followers of said heretic. Heretics may have only a limited number of followers.
Why It’s Good For The Game
Gaining followers is a means for heretics to deal with security without relying on their powers, and also do their tasks more effectively. They will be able to raise a small cult (up to 3 people) with people who willingly read the book. Fascination curse is lategame curse. Also, it makes sense lore wise.
Research
These are stealthy ways for heretics to earn Ascension Points.
Artifacts spawn through maints. They don’t do anything until ‘researched’ by heretics to earn Ascension Points. Once researched, they are bestowed with a different ability (eg healing or damaging a random organ, dealing certain amount of damage, etcetera) and can be used by anyone. They will spawn in maints on all game modes, but only have functionality during heretics.
Heretics are able to read the Codex Gygax. They need to stand still and read for a long while. At the end of the reading, they will receive Ascension Points and recieve random damage.
Why It’s Good For The Game
First of all, tears in reality are super obvious and give out the game mode in the first 5 minutes of the game.
Artifacts are less obvious; they will spawn in maints in all game modes so they won’t give out the mode of the game.
Reading the gygax is also a non obvious, stealthy way of getting Ascension points.
Damage from Gygax can be mitigated by artifacts, so these mechanics work together
Economy
Heretics have a weaker, stealthier early game and a stronger lategame. The points and economy will be adjusted accordingly. Points are no longer stored in books (yes, right now, each book stores the research points) and will instead be stored for each heretic. This will make them less reliant on their shitty gear.
Why It’s Good For The Game
Heretics are weird at the moment. Their spells are weak and the only way to gain research is to go loud and start a station wide (not just sec) validhunt. This new economy will give incentive to heretics to take a stealthier approach and use strategy more often.
Good idea? Please give feedback and opinions.