New Warframe Idea: Vespa (A Wasp/bee-Themed Warframe, Bear With Me)

[GTG3000]

"...In my searching through the ancient infopages of Edaia we discovered, I managed to decipher one creature I took particular liking to. The names, like many things in this ancient datamass of knowledge, are mixed together, and I was unable to determine if the knowledge I'm looking through is attributed to one or two kinds of insects, but images, corrupted as they are, suggest that at least they were very alike, so I went with name, that was mentioned more - vespa. An ancient insect, known for ferocious fights and selfless attacks in swarms, the description seemed to fit my style, so I attributed the rest of my work into this warframe of mine, fitting it with proper armour and ability to fabricate miniscule drones, that I managed to achieve by modifying more common modules. If only there would be enough time to spread the designs..."

Notes, discovered along with the blueprint. Presumably, made shortly before the cryosleep.
 
 
"Vespa" warframe.
Inspired by looks of an ancient earth insect, this warframe is based around it's mobility-aiding and stunning abilities, excellently suiting for both acting as sniper fire support out of reach of the melee enemies or flanking attempts and as a melee brawler herself, her abilities providing both reach and opening for a powerfull melee strike.
Effective against infestation with it's melee brawlers, and, to a lesser degree, against both grineer and corpus, lacking proper abilities to deal with crowds of shielded enemies instantaneously.

"I am Vespa"

 

Don't forget to check out the fanfic I am writing about this frame!

Suggested names so far : Wespe, Vespidae, Rever, Hornet, Cabra. More ideas?

Colorscheme/outlook:

[edit]

Got some artwork commissioned from the all-awesome Panzer_the_Tank! Check out her thread if you haven't yet!



Concept artwork by the amazing PantsAdvance! See more of his art in this thread!


 

An addition by IMNotJellyAtAll (check out his tumblr

 

 

The most recent fanart, done by GunDownGrace (check out his art and fanfics):

 

 

The idea behind her look is more of 'having an exosuit', sort of a 'rocketeer' combined with proper armour. Like an astronaught, a tenno, that wished to be free. A tenno, who didn't want anything to stop her. A tenno, that wanted to soar through the darkness of the space and see stars first hand. And no enemies, no barriers and no obstacles were to stand in her way.
It's a rough sketch made by someone who can't imagine 3d objects, so any criticism is appreciated. Of course, the kind that comes with an explanation is somewhat more appreciated than "don't like it. -1.", but hey, an opinion is an opinion.

Base statistics:
Health: 75
Power: 150
Armor: 150
Shield capacity: 100
Shield Recharge: 18.8
Sprint Speed: 1.0
Polarities: 1x bar and 1x V

Abilities:

[edited for your convenience]

Ability A: Poison sting
Energy cost 25

Vespa performs a short-range (influenced by continuity) dash fist-first. Upon said fist colliding with an enemy, the target is ragdolled, receiving 100/250/350/500 finisher damage and a nifty souvenir in shape of the sting itself. The sting lasts for a second before exploding, ragdolling enemies around and dealng 150/200/250/300 viral damage with 100% proc chance.

 

Alternatively, for a ranged attack:

 

Vespa shoots out a rapid homing sting, that deals 100/250/350/500 puncture damage to target, burrowing into it. Upon second cast or death of target, the sting detonates, ragdolling enemies in a short range, and applying a 100% radiation proc.

Ability B: Aerial assist
Energy cost 10+ 2/second (additional 2/second for sprinting and 8/s for bullet-dashing)
Warframe utilities it's back-mounted thruster 'wings' to improve her mobility. While the ability is active, Vespa receives increased sprint and wall run speed, prolonged aim glide and unlimited bullet dash (while the space button is held), but each increasing the cost accordingly. Additionally, the ability augments her melee, giving her guaranteed crits on directional melee as well as increased directional melee lunge distance and fire proc on copter.

Ability C: Vengeful hive
Energy cost 50

Vespa produces a swarm of synthetic bee drones, surrounding herself with it. The bees swarm any target entering inner range (2/3/4/5 meters) or attacking Vespa while inside the outer radius (12/14/17/20 meters), depleting their shields and then stunning them for 6 seconds. While the ability is active, enemies have reduced accuracy while shooting at Vespa, in addition to warframe shields constantly regenerating at half the rate.

 

Ability D: Drone Barrage

Energy cost 50 + 5/second

Vespa becomes stationary, firing up her warframe systems to begin producing drones, starting with 10 at activation and producing an extra drone per second. Upon second cast (or upon energy running out), the drones are sent forth, homing at the enemies to deal 75/95/125/150 blast damage with a 1-meter AoE. The damage is increaced for each second the drones are in flight, along with their speed, at rate of 1,2 up to 4 times.

 

Alternatively, as suggested by MadDemon64,

 

Ability D: Drone Infestation

Energy cost 100

After a short windup, Vespa launches a single drone projectile that latches onto a target, and converts it into a walking nanodrone assembler, slowing it down and spreading a swarm around it that aggros enemies, along with damaging their shields quickly, with 25% chance of applying viral proc. Upon death of the host it explodes, blinding enemies in range.

 

Alternative abilities

Ability A: Wall scaling
Energy cost 25
Warframe utilizes it's powers to turn flat walls and ceilings into walkable surfaces, allowing to access greater heights and distances than with usuall wallrun, as well stay still on ceilings and fire your weapon from more efficient positions. Does not raise alarm (unlike Aerial Assist). lasts from 5 and up to 20 seconds at max level.
 
Ability A: Hover
energy cost 25
Vespa activates her thruster 'wings', allowing her to hover while sprinting, making her completely invulnerable to melee.

Ability A: Sting
energy cost 25
launches warframe forth in a melee strike, dealing weak AP damage and leaving poison DoT, knocking target over.

Ability B: Flight
Energy cost 25
Warframe activates it's back thrusters to allow for prolonged gliding and higher jump, as well as allowing for a limited double jump and navigating the battlefield without the need to come through crowds of enemies. Additionally rises sprint speed and adds guaranteed crit damage to slide-melee combo, as well as the slamming attack. Lasts as long as Volts' speed, wiki doesn't have any info on that sadly.

 

Ability B: Aerial assist (old)
Energy cost 10+ 2/second (or 8/second if out of stamina)
Warframe utilises it's back-mounted thruster 'wings' to gain ability to glide (with one-time sharp turn, executed with shift), jump higher, slide further and sprint faster, as well as ability to cling to and walk walls and receiving guaranteed crit on slide-melee and groundpound melee. While ability is active, Vespa is unable to move without sprinting (or jumping around, or sliding), forcing her to constantly deplete her stamina, rising energy drain to keep the speed up while without stamina. 

Ability C: Teleport Spike
Energy cost 75
Vespa sends out a powerfull projectile, dealing high AP damage and, if the target was killed, teleporting Vespa to it's impact site, creating a startling explosion.

Ability D: Stinger Swarm
energy cost 100
Vespa launches up to four homing sting projectiles, that speed up as they move, essentially dealing more damage with more distance travelled, causing an AoE blast, allowing the warframe to support her team from distance.
 
Ability D: Feral hive //moved it here since it's basically implemented as bastille. DE are awesome.
Mod cost 10, energy cost 100
Launches a massive cloud of synthetic insects, distracting and efficiently stunning everything where the cloud lands, with esception of shielded enemies, who retain ability to move and run away while their protection lasts. The insects slowly deplete shields of anything in range, including sprinting allies and Vespa herself (maybe nerfing too much, need opinions on this). Has massive range (cast on a distance?), upgrading increaces duration.

Ability D: Stinger Barrage //moved it here since we already have hysteria
energy cost 100
Vespa uses her shield energy to power her abilities, removing shield regen, but replacing melee with quick and powerfull (500-1000~ish AP damage) poison sting dashes and increacing her ground mobility with her thrusters, allowing to personally paint the floors with your enemies.

Is a part of Earth Mourners Cell suggestion.

Edited August 7, 2015 by GTG3000

[Lactamid]

If it gets a Wasp-! like Trinitys (lobster butt) i will simply refuse to revive any players using it

 

No bulbous butt so far, looking good actually.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Lactamid

[GTG3000]

How about a full wasp-like thorax? Thinner and more elegant, maybe more like a shaped thin cape, endint in a sharp point around the knees with a clear hint of what it hides by the sides?

Alternatively, thorax could be only deployed for the attacks at all, as part of the animations... I'm sure there is a way to make it look good.

Although there seems to be much fuss about trinity, why?

Edited April 7, 2013 by GTG3000

[GTG3000]

Haters gonna hate it seems. Oh well. Worth a shot.

[Toddwjp]

So were gonna get a scooter, a scooter based warframe.

But yeah nice idea,

[TunaMayo]

not sure about the other powers but i like the idea of ability one, but I would suggest that instead of wall scaling, the power be more about the fact that the frame is granted insect like feet, meaning they can run and stick to both walls and ceilings. This would be good for offense, dropping down on enemies, sneaking, attaching to the ceiling and dodging big enemies and rushing, using the flight and sticky feet in conjunction. I feel this would also add a new dynamic to the whole space ninja feel, allowing you to run on any surface you please for the duration of the power!

[GTG3000]

Well, that's exactly what I ment to add with those two abilities - a great deal of flexibility and mobility increace. A warframe, that could either drop on the enemies like that, avoiding getting captured and quickly repositioning, as well as allowing for a slower-pace location-exploring approach. Sugestions on ability names are highly welcome!

[Waidas]

It's a nice idea, but the first two skills would either be too much situational or OP, like when you are flying or attached to a wall you will just get shot by everything in the room and their cats... And an ultimate that hits only 4 targets max is gonna be complained about, imo it would be better to just make it single target massive damage, but then there's balance issues and what not...

[TunaMayo]

how about the ulti, instead of another sting, is that the frame calls upon bugs and S#&$ (like you get in infested maps flying about) to distract all enemies in a radius, causing chaos and enemies to panic and shoot everywhere.

[GTG3000]

It's a nice idea, but the first two skills would either be too much situational or OP, like when you are flying or attached to a wall you will just get shot by everything in the room and their cats... And an ultimate that hits only 4 targets max is gonna be complained about, imo it would be better to just make it single target massive damage, but then there's balance issues and what not...

Well, you are getting shot at by everyone and their rolling balls of misery already, if you come out into the open. You shouldn't play rambo with no support.

As for the ultimate, every projectile could deal aoe damage, how about that? Although I guess coding the projectiles not to home in on the same group would be tricky.

how about the ulti, instead of another sting, is that the frame calls upon bugs and S#&$ (like you get in infested maps flying about) to distract all enemies in a radius, causing chaos and enemies to panic and shoot everywhere.

That sounds nice. But ut has to be distant, not directly around the warframe... Like the bee plasmid in bioshock?

Edited April 7, 2013 by GTG3000

[TunaMayo]

yeah so either like the bee plasmid, or like a sphere of bugs around the frame, either or. Anything to stray from the, press 4 to kill everything, current set up.

[Waidas]

Well, you are getting shot at by everyone and their rolling balls of misery already, if you come out into the open. You shouldn't play rambo with no support.

As for the ultimate, every projectile could deal aoe damage, how about that? Although I guess coding the projectiles not to home in on the same group would be tricky.

I still think 2 movement skills might be obnoxious, maybe both flying and climbing walls on the same skill (called wasp mode: activate :D) with flying being slower... As for the ultimate I would say a powerful utility skill, or maybe hive revenge, where when you activate it for a certain time every time you get shot a lot of (space) wasps comes out of your body and attacks the enemy that shot you.

[GTG3000]

Well, personally I don't fancy the concept of a 'smart button' skill... Though it could be done that way, yes, rising it's lasting time... Sort of like long-lasting volts' speed, but not so fast and with flying/ceiling walking and slide/groundpound melee crits, all only for 50 energy! But that leaves the opening for the first ability then...

She could lack 25-energy abilities, and have the 'vengeful hive' as a sort of armor-ability, with it, stunning any enemy in range, that shoots at her?

Edited April 7, 2013 by GTG3000

[Shyster]

What about a protective ability called hive skin or something, when hit releases a swarm of bees on the enemy.

[GTG3000]

Look at the feral hive ability - an ability, that allows to stun attacking enemies, if they're close enough.

Or do you mean like one-time melee charge?

[AscendantWyvern]

I know I shouldnt...buuuut

Anyway...it sounds cool if some tweaking is done, like your proposal for flight. It seems like a rather useless ability and a waste of energy when you have parkour, and access to all areas naturally. I say the same thing about Excaliber's super-jump.

[GTG3000]

Well, it's supposed to allow you to cross massive (compared to just jumping and then sliding...) distances in flight, and access hard places in heat of battle... Bonus points for faster movement, higher jump, melee crits and actually stopping on one place on the wall. I mean, okay, people can make crazy parcour feats for sure, but I never have seen anyone actually pull that stuff out in a mission. I guess it's just the point of view, if you're awesome emough to parcour on your own, or use abilities like speed and super-jump.

Tweaking is, indeed, in order, and any suggestions are appreciated!

Edited April 8, 2013 by GTG3000

[AscendantWyvern]

Yeah, I fully understand the IDEA behind the flight ability, I just feel like it would be a waste of an ability slot for the warframe later on, once the player gets adjusted to the concept of the maneuvering with warframe, just like how Super jump is.

[GTG3000]

Well, that's what the melee crits are in for - to keep it useful. Not to mention that no matter how good you get, you can't glide further away from the same height than by wallrun-jump (that isn't quite as reliable for me, but maybe I just need pracrice). But I agree, it's way more satisfying if you cross uncrossable pitfalls without the use of abilities.

[TunaMayo]

This could be a completely stupid suggestion but anyway...

This is my suggestion for a new power, it could be an ulti, or a high cost power, dependent on how powerful you would want to make it.

It is just another stab at a potentially unique power.

Call to Arms:

Vespa, being a queen insect or w/e, calls upon minions to come to her aid. This would effectively create multiple clones of Vespa that attack and fight like a warframe would. They would act as decoys, but ones that did damage and the damage would scale according to the weapons that Vespa has equipped. Upgrades increase life/duration.

opinion?

[GTG3000]

This could be a completely stupid suggestion but anyway...

This is my suggestion for a new power, it could be an ulti, or a high cost power, dependent on how powerful you would want to make it.

It is just another stab at a potentially unique power.

Call to Arms:

Vespa, being a queen insect or w/e, calls upon minions to come to her aid. This would effectively create multiple clones of Vespa that attack and fight like a warframe would. They would act as decoys, but ones that did damage and the damage would scale according to the weapons that Vespa has equipped. Upgrades increase life/duration.

opinion?

It's a good idea, though a bit out of theme... Maybe those could be decoys, reflecting the damage, dealt to them? Or more like 'action bomb' decoys, that rush into the action and distribute received damage as a radial stun/aoe? I like it, but it requires some work.)

[AscendantWyvern]

This could be a completely stupid suggestion but anyway...

This is my suggestion for a new power, it could be an ulti, or a high cost power, dependent on how powerful you would want to make it.

It is just another stab at a potentially unique power.

Call to Arms:

Vespa, being a queen insect or w/e, calls upon minions to come to her aid. This would effectively create multiple clones of Vespa that attack and fight like a warframe would. They would act as decoys, but ones that did damage and the damage would scale according to the weapons that Vespa has equipped. Upgrades increase life/duration.

opinion?

It seems like the OP's Feral Hive ability without the "deadly swarm" theme. I personally LOVE the Feral Hive Ulti idea and hope it gets into the game, so unfortunately, I'll have to say the OP has the better Ulti idea.

THAT SAID, that ability can probably fit another Frame better, one that is focused on such things like physical light or copies.

[GTG3000]

Well, the feral hive is only supposed to lower shields/startle, not kill, though it might be made to, although I think that there are more than enough pure nuke-ubers, and having an ability that would allow you to stagger all the enemies in a big range, even if that would mean having your shields slowly depleted as well as you move in the cloud, would be quite nice for people, preferring fast and furious melee, or sniping helpless 40-level targets. Perhaps, it could be launched at a distant location, somewhat like an AoE stun missile, but with a cloud of wasps instead of a puny projectile... Or would that be too OP? I wouldn't want it to become a free get out of jail card, with it's range... I mean, if it can be launched forth, the ability would be pretty much overpowered and broken, since even, say, Mag's Crush requires you to run out into the open briefly. Of curse, the impact on friendly shields wouldn't be too great, more like the vacuum hazard, but in exchange you would get a constant (for a limited time) field, that paralyzes every enemy that was in range, or entered the range while it's active. Or would it be better if it was a single burst, that paralyzed targets in range?

It would be nice to hear some opinions on this, maybe my vision is clouded (by bees).

Also, conveniently, Corpus have word "Beecloud" plastered all over the place, they call their robot control system that. The more you know.

Edited April 9, 2013 by GTG3000

[AscendantWyvern]

I knew about feral hive being "mostly" non-lethal, but I figured the DOT would be significant enough to make it room clearing if you didnt shoot anything. I prefer the idea of it being mass crowd control than a standard "insert theme then clear room" and having the entire room screaming "NOT THE BEES AAAHH" instead is much more fun :D

[GTG3000]

I knew about feral hive being "mostly" non-lethal, but I figured the DOT would be significant enough to make it room clearing if you didnt shoot anything. I prefer the idea of it being mass crowd control than a standard "insert theme then clear room" and having the entire room screaming "NOT THE BEES AAAHH" instead is much more fun :D

Bees. My god.

Well, that's the whole idea... Although it would allow to clean the room anyway, no one's taking your weapons away, after all... I guess it would require some more brilliant screaming audio, like one they made for the capture target.

Although the question remains - would it be too op, if it was allowed to be launched forth, as opposed to being generated around the warframe?