Weapon Concept: Barrier, Moldable Riot Shield.

[Faclan]

Special Thanks to;

OmegaDragotroid for idea bouncing, discussion, and review.

TukaramO for idea bouncing, discussion, and review.

'Ello all Tenno out there, long time player but first time actual poster to the forum. This is an idea I've been kicking around for awhile after seeing the Shield Lancers in game and playing a bit of Rainbow Six Seige and seeing the Riot Shield Operators there and how they make some of them distinct to each character. And after kicking it around in my head for awhile and finding out that two of the people I normally play with (Omega and Tukaram) were also for the idea we discussed the day before Thanksgiving and came up with the idea of different types of shield for each faction. But that night I spent most of the time I was trying to sleep to come up with how that would work and so now I will attempt to share the idea to you all and see what you think.

Keep in mind the stats, blocking percentages, and special abilities can all be changed, this is just a first run through of the idea.

 

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* Things shared by all shield forms;

Construction basics

First three combos

Total damage

Basic Melee stats; Spin attack, Wall attack, Leap attack, crit multiplier, crit chance, channeling damage and cost, status, and attack speed.

* Things different between the forms;

Construction special item

Damage spread

Basic shape

Special ability

Appearance

 

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The Basics and construction:

The Barrier, which will have a special name depending on the type of shield it is molded into, will be a bit shorter than a Warframe and about as wide as one. Despite the vastly different appearances of each mold they will all have a middle handle for holding. When not in use it will be on the frames back, and will do nothing - maybe provide some protection to rear attacks but thats up to DE. It will be tilted off to the left hand side when the Warframe is aiming over their right shoulder, and if they switch camera the shield will also rotate to instead be tilted right, so it doesn't get in the way of the camera.

When equipped it will be held in the frames left hand and allow them the use of their pistol to fire from behind the shield. Unlike Grineer Shield Lancers the Warframe will fire around the side rather than over the top to give a different silhouette. When the shield is out the frame can still walk at full speed, jump/double jump, and slide. But bullet jumping, sprinting, and rolling will be disallowed. The shield will also add a resistance to being staggered and knocked down when equipped, increased when crouched. For duel secondary the shield will act in a similar manner to a Datamass for firerate and damage. When standing normally without aiming the frame will hold the shield in front of themselves in an almost vertical or vertical position and point their pistol around the side for firing. The top of their helmet and feet will likely be exposed. Blocking percentages will be below. While standing and not aiming the accuracy of your secondary will be lowered. It shouldn't be impossible to use, just harder to get headshots with so there is a reason to aim. When the aim button is held down the frame will tilt the shield so it will be more horizontal, which will allow them to bring their secondary into the middle of their body and fire normally with normal accuracy. Crouching down will make hipfire slightly more accurate, increase the stagger and knockdown resistance, and increase the blocking percentage but make the frame slower. The shield will now be taller than the Warframe but will completely cover them. As before they can aim which will tilt the shield and let them shoot perfectly accurately.

Regardless of form the shields will have the same blocking percentages but it will vary based on the stance of the frame. Some of the basic stances and movement will be given a blocking percentage below - they may seem low but keep in mind that when the shield is held the blocking will always be active unlike normal melee weapons and the Warframe can fight back with their secondary or swinging the shield while enjoying damage reduction. And of course you need to be facing where the damage is coming from to block.

An example of the difference between standing normally compared to standing and aiming, from Rainbow Six Seige; http://images.akamai.steamusercontent.com/ugc/362904121307644606/845FE5B23C8728287E48C33D02E454C457AEF0BE/

Standing and not aiming/moving with the shield equipped = 70% blocking

Aiming while standing/swinging the shield while standing = 50% blocking

Crouching and not aiming/crab walking = 90% blocking

Aiming while crouching/swinging while crouched = 70% blocking

Jumping/double jumping/sliding with shield equipped = 50% blocking.

 

To construct the shield once the blueprint has been acquired (likely from the market) There will only be one shield to craft. This will take an X amount of Ferrite and X amount of Alloy Plate - to show the heavy armor you will be lugging around. The third component will be a Forma, to show that the shield will be more than just a hunk of armor to put between you and the enemy. The fourth item however the player will have a choice as to what they use. When the blueprint is clicked on the foundry will go to a second screen, similar to when you need to use another weapon in construction, and give you a choice.

 

Using X amount of Detonite Injectors will construct the Shield in the Grineer Style. This will change the shields name to 'Formorian Iron' and when the build time is finished the shield will start with the Greineer stance 'Offensive Crush'. The stance will also drop off of Shield Lancers (Or Kuva Guardins) and can be swapped out with other stances if desired - which will change it to another form. Appearance and specifics of this form will be discussed lower.

 

Using X amount of Fieldron will construct the Shield in the Corpus Style. This will change the shields name to 'Vault Door' and when the build time is finished it will start with the stance 'Drone Defense'. The stance would likely drop from Shield Drones and perhaps Corpus Techs (why will be explained lower). As with the other shield types this stance can be changed out to change the shields special attack, damage spread, and form.

 

Using X amount of Mutagen masses will build the Shield in the Infested Style. The name of Barrier will be 'Juggernaut Hide' and its stance will be 'Infest'. The stance will likely drop with a high chance off of Mutalist Alad V and with less of a chance off the Juggernaut. As with the other stances changing it will give a new damage spread, special ability, and appearance.

 

Finally using another Forma (Or X amount of Orokin cells, haven't fully decided) will construct the Shield in the Tenno Style. The name will be 'Lotus Wall' and its stance will be 'Void Sanctuary'. The stance could be a reward for finishing a certain relay, or perhaps researched in the Tenno lab, or drop off of enemy Spectres. As with the other shields the stance can be swapped out.

 

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The Animations and shared stats:

As stated up at the top the items shared between each form is the total damage, its basic melee stats and combos, and construction basics.

As construction has already been covered I will go over what I have thought of for basic animations.

But first the total damage of all the forms will always be 60, just split differently for each form.

But the basic combo as well as the quick attack combo would be as follows.

(Clearing) E E E - A cross body swing from the frames left to right with the shield of choice, then back right to left, before bringing the shield back and jamming it forward. This final hit will always proc Impact regardless of the shields damage spread.

(Monsoon to trees) E E E (hold aim/block) E - After jamming the shield forward the Tenno takes a step forward while bringing the shield back before bashing forward with their weight behind the shield. This will knock down enemies and leave them open to ground finishers.

(Hurricane) E E E (pause) E E E E E  - Instead of bashing the frame plats the shield on the ground and then proceeds to spin around it with themselves nearly horizontal - good for headshots. This will encompass a full 360 degress around them and can be repeated up to four additional times. But if attempted to do more than that the frame will fall off, and then need a moment to get their shield and get back up. It would look somewhat similar to a Pommel horse spin.

(Collapse) (Charge attack) E - A full 360 degree spin with the shield held up at head level perpendicular to the Warframe. This attack knocks down enemies it hits. This is a powerful charge attack but one that will have a long recovery time after the strike so it won't be spammed constantly.

(Turtle Strike) (During Knee slide) E - The slide animation will involve the Frame basically laying the shield over themselves as they slide, and when they attack they will raise it up like a turtle shell and spin with that. It wont have much range but has an increased defense rating of 70% compared to the normal 50% for sliding with the shield.

(Shatter) (Airborn) E - A basic ground slam but one with a few unique properties. It will have an enormous range but will do very little damage. Instead it is made for destroying enemy deployable that may be harassing you or your team (Grineer Latchers, Corpus Sapping osprey balls, and the like). It will not knock down enemies.

(Dessert(As in Eat this)) (Wall running/air attack) E - The Frame would hold their left arm to their chest and twist it so that the shield would stick out perpendicular to themselves. This would then be driven into the enemy and knock them down.

(Flatten) (Downed attack) E - Raising the shield up with both hands the Tenno will slam it downwards with the bottom of the shield impacting the unfortunate enemy.

 

Weapon Statistics; Subject to change based on feedback.

Physical damage - 60 (See lower section for damage spread)

Crit chance - 5%

Crit damage - 1.5x

Status - 30%

Channeling cost - 5

Channeling damage - 1.5x

Slam attacks - 1 (But made for destroying deployable)

Slide attacks - 100

Wall attacks - 100

Attack Speed - .8 (Its big and made for blocking, it should be slower)

 

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Unique parts of each form:

An important note about the special abilities of each form, each will have a 30 second (could be lower or higher, or perhaps mods could affect this) cooldown between uses as they are made to be powerful abilities to make up for the sub par weapon damage stats.

They will also be triggered by holding down the alt fire button for half a second, where as tapping the alt fire button will instead fire the alt fire of the secondary weapon if it has it (Azima, Kulstar, Castanas, Talons, Stugg)

* Formorian Iron (Offensive Crush) - The Warframe will charge forward at increased sprinting speed, much faster than they are able to move normally with the shield and perhaps greater than their normal sprinting speed. It will be somewhat hard to steer the Frame during this but when they come into contact with an enemy they will deliver a mighty shield bash. This will send the enemy flying, deal 4x normal swing damage (slightly higher than a charge attack), and reduce the targets shield or armor (whatever it has) by half permanently. While charging the frame is immune to staggers and knockdowns and gains 90% damage resistance. There is a max range (affected by Reach) and when a strike is made it is made in a small AoE (affected by Reach), but hitting a wall and not a target will stun the frame for two seconds.

The damage spread of the Iron will also change to 60 Impact, as Grineer weapons often favor Impact to better fight the Corpus.

Appearance wise the shield will resemble the standard Shield Lancer Shield, but will be slightly taller and thicker. Around its perimeter will be a strengthening band. Under the viewing port would be 'Greed KILLS' in Grineer text. And all around the shield would be various scratches and dings to show that this weapon was forged in battle. The main shape for the Iron is 'Square'.

The main shield body would be Tint color 1.

The bar around its body would be Tint color 2.

The Grineer text Tint color 3.

And the various scratches and tents Tint Color 4

Energy color would bathe the shield in it when its special ability is active, and leave trails in that color while the frame is charging.

 

* Vault Door (Drone Defense) - The Warframe will raise the shield above their head in a 'cheer' like pose for a short duration. During this animation they cannot fire and lose all of their blocking ability. But after the short animation completes they will release a radial sphere from themselves (determined by energy color and Reach). This fully recharges the shields of the user, and gives allies (other Warframes, Pets, Defense targets) in range of the sphere 50% of their shields instantly. If the 50% would exceed the maximum amount of shields the target has they will instead be granted overshields. The user of Drone Defense will also gain 50% overshields.

The damage of the Vault Door will also shift to 60 Puncture, so the operator can more easily pierce through the thick armor of the Grineer.

While on the Warframes back the shield would look just like two Provas stuck on the top and bottom of a handle, but when equipped or swung the Provas will start to faintly glow and release a shield in the shape of a slightly bulbous Oval reaching from the top to the bottom of the Provas. It would be taller than it is wide and would have a curve away from the frame. The main shape of the Door is 'Oval'.

Tint color one would be the silver metal parts of the Provas

Tint color two would be the handles of the Provas

Tint color three would be the red button on each Prova

Tint color four would be the normal energy color for the Prova, changing the light blue lights on the basic model and small fluctuations in the shield when it is deployed.

And energy color would affect the color of the shield itself and the radial wave.

 

* Juggernaut Hide (Infest) - The Warframe rears the shield backwards and prepares for a strong stab with the sharp bottom of the shield. This animation takes about a second to wind up and strike. When striking the frame will take a step forward and stab forward. If it successfully strikes an enemy both the frame and the enemy become immune to damage for three seconds as the enemy is 'Infested'. This will look similar to a Nauseous Crawler grab effect. When completed the enemy is turned into an ally with the health they had when the stab was made. There is no time limit for the ally but you can only do one infest every thirty seconds. This is only possible on enemies able to be affected by melee finishers - so no bosses.

The damage spread of the Hide is 60 Slash, to better cleave through the weak to feed the Infestation.

The most easily seen part of the shield is the bottom of it, which narrows into a lethal point with teeth like serrations running up and down the edge of the shield. On the face of it would be a mish mash of infested flesh as well as those little spore like infested tubes sticking out of some of the panels. There would be a base under it that looks more solid than the rest. The main shape for the Hide is 'Triangle' with a wide top and sharp point pointed downward.

Tint one would be this base.

Tint two some of the infested panels and flesh

Tint three the other infested Flesh and the bottom of the teeth.

Tint four the tubes and tips of the teeth.

And energy color would look like it was seeping and bleeding out between the panels, and enshroud the bottom of the shield during the stab animation.

 

* Lotus Wall (Void Sanctuary) - Similar to a charge attack the frame will raise up the shield and spin around before throwing it toward their cursor location. When it lands the shield will stick to the ground, or wall, and emit a circular zone of Void energy (affected by Reach and energy color). This takes away the shield from the user but any ally inside of the bubble gains 70% damage reduction (Tenno out of their frames will gain 95% damage reduction). This does not affect defense targets except when they are people. While also inside the bubble Frames will gain two energy a second. Enemies can still fire into the zone no problem but if walked into the enemy will be dealt the total damage of the Shield, standard smack damage, each second they are inside it. The field lasts for twelve seconds and then returns to the User who threw it.

The damage spread of the Wall would be 20 Impact, 20 Puncture, and 20 slash - so the Tenno is ready to face any enemy.

The main feature of the Wall would be the Lotus Emblem (similar to her helmet) proud and in the center near where the Warframe would hold it. Above and below this are Lotus outlines (similar to the ones in the void as semi walls) which held hold onto the triangular pieces of reinforced plastic (for lack of a better word) that you find in the void as well. The main shape of the Wall is 'Diamond' as the two triangles above and below the lotus symbol are symmetrical.

Tint one would be the Lotus symbol.

Tint two would be the gold struts connecting the lotus symbol to the armor panels.

Tint three would be the plastic armor panels themselves.

Tint four would be reinforcing structure inside the panels to make a pattern inside.

And tiny four would be a faint energy flow over the armor panels and then Sanctuary itself.

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Questions from me and additional thoughts:

Thank you for taking the time to read this! I will put some questions I have about this weapon idea here as well as additional thoughts I had about it but didn't want to put in the main proposal.

- Perhaps there could be a mod that allows you to use your primary weapon instead of a secondary behind the shield? It could be like a corrupted mod that allows that but slows the swing speed of the shield. Maybe call it something like Overkill.

- I was kicking around ideas for a Corrupted version of the Shield and a Sentient one but I didn't really have a definite idea on their appearance and ability them to put them in. The basic idea I had was that the corrupted one would fire out a ball shaped like the neural sentry eye that when it hits the ground or an enemy it would make a radiation explosion to take over those targets with the voids madness. Where as the Sentient one when activated would make the frame immune to the first three types of damages it receives for about ten seconds.

- I couldn't decide on weather the shield should give status resistance or not. It would be good as a shield if it did but I'm worried it could be too strong if you could both not be knocked over and not be affected by Status.

- In Conclave I would imagine the defenses would need to be toned down or maybe hip fire accuracy lowered even more. So people couldn't just turtle endlessly.

Edited November 25, 2016 by Faclan

[Rounpositron]

TL;DR

[BezNazwy2506]

You did an immense work here, rly like your concept, it looks interesting and doesn't seem overpowered. Maybe DE will implement it to warframe, would be great to see it along with new enemies.

[Faclan]

Thanks BezNazwy :)

[Markashi]

Rather than one blueprint for 4 different shields, why not one blueprint per research lab? :P

Other than that, I'd love to see an actual shield implemented in the game as a melee. 

[voltocitygel]

Want. I made a concept for something similar a long while ago. Love the idea of using a shield and lex. Maybe include a smaller shield for blocking / throwing (channel your captain America because why not. (Actually the glaive inspired this, I thought of it when I was playing around with it and my lex after playing through dark sector.))

also why not expand the melee x gun combo to allow people to use a sword and a gun at the cost of some melee block % / channeling? It'd be fun to use a sidearm alongside a sword or dagger. 

[Faclan]

22 hours ago, Markashi said:

Rather than one blueprint for 4 different shields, why not one blueprint per research lab? :P

Other than that, I'd love to see an actual shield implemented in the game as a melee. 

That could be a way to spread out the blueprint. But I had thought that having one blueprint that can be split would help show that this shield can be modified later. Though if you wanted to split it into four or more (if the sentient/corrupted ones existed) that would be more Mastery and make sure the shields were different. It would make the stance card have to be something else though.

 

20 hours ago, voltocitygel said:

Want. I made a concept for something similar a long while ago. Love the idea of using a shield and lex. Maybe include a smaller shield for blocking / throwing (channel your captain America because why not. (Actually the glaive inspired this, I thought of it when I was playing around with it and my lex after playing through dark sector.))

also why not expand the melee x gun combo to allow people to use a sword and a gun at the cost of some melee block % / channeling? It'd be fun to use a sidearm alongside a sword or dagger. 

That could also be an idea, but I think having melee/gun for other weapons would be a lot harder since most melee stances have your frame using both hands. That would need a lot more animations if you could use pistol/sword for example and still keep the ability to channel with the melee weapon. At least thats what I think - would be a fun mechanic though.

Edited December 2, 2016 by Faclan

[voltocitygel]

6 hours ago, Faclan said:

That could also be an idea, but I think having melee/gun for other weapons would be a lot harder since most melee stances have your frame using both hands. That would need a lot more animations if you could use pistol/sword for example and still keep the ability to channel with the melee weapon. At least thats what I think - would be a fun mechanic though.

I was thinking that doing it would sacrifice channeling. Makes sense, considering they use the same button and you're not focused solely on melee. Animations would need changing though- maybe make an altereration to each stance to include said secondary into it's attack animations, much like a gunblade. 

This actually links into another idea I've had for awhile. Linking two weapons so they can be equipped together in one slot, and be used simultaneously. Like for example, (what I would do), link my spira and my dread, so I could throw daggers with my non-bow hand with alt fire. They'd probably share a mod set. Could do the same with secondary and melee weapons, so long as they didn't already have an alt fire function. Just an idea I've always liked- faster flow and switch between weapons, for more engaging gameplay. (Think elves in LotR films, and how they switch between ranged an melee combat without hesitation, or even removing their bow from their left hand.)