Racial Customisations in Classes

Community General Discussion
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Ever wondered when a night elf priest would actually be able to feel like a Moon priest, or a Pandaren warrior, rogue, hunter would feel like they can utilise a measure of chi and brew that seems more a racial thing.

In fact, a gnome warrior or hunter feel more gnomish and less generic, well this is the answer , a system that gives a selection of racial spells themed on the race that can substitute cosmetically class abilities of your choice, so that your class feels a lot more it belongs to that race.

With character customisations coming in for the races, now is the perfect time to extend racial customisations to even the classes through this.

RACIAL CUSTOMISATONS IN CLASSES

TLDR Version It’s simple really,
This is where you swap 1 or 2 key class spells with a racial version on each race so it really feels a lot more like it’s the race playing that class rather than say a generic hunter or mage with a different skin. You can glyph the class version back in. [Race ability substitutes suggested below]

Because much of your character (like his race) also exists in the class whose abilities are seen just as much as the model.

Concept [Full Version]
When you think about it, your class mechanics/abilities are jas visible a part of your character as its body, especially decked in armor. A proper customisation options for races would not only involve the character model, but the classes it plays.

Races have some impressive and very distinctive class lore for certain classes. And find that a racial influence can be very distinctive, yet unreflected in the playable class’ abilities [Moonpriests? Tidesages? Drust Druids?]

Blizzard should take those classes in the races and give them some distinctive ability swap that screams their race.

Example:
Blizzard would select 1 or 2 key spells or fillers /features with a racial one but you can glyph the normal version back in. I suggest providing a 3rd AoE version, AoE s are very distinctive

Void elves for example will use a void bolt instead of fireball, shadowbolt, smite, etc, Twilight devastation or that nasty Void Beam from invasion enemies like King Phaoris in the minor horrific Vision in Uldum for some aoe abilities across classes, the tenatacle slap corruption effect replaces some melee weapon abilities. You can always glyph back to the normal

  • Blood Elves - swaps a key spell or two with a fire/sun version
  • Night elf/Nightborne - swaps 1 or 2 key or filler spells for moon/star arcane version (can glyph back)
  • Orc - swap say fireball for and a few others for a shaman like lavalash or frostbolt with an earthshard.
  • Troll - swap a spell or two with a blood version
  • Lightforged - swap a spell or two with Light version e.g. arcane shot or arrows are light arrows
  • Void elves - swap the key spam/filler spells of many classes or one of the frequently used spells with a void version.
  • Gnomes: replace some abilitieies or minions with machine bots and gadget versions
  • Goblins replace some with alchemy and explosive versions similar to the one in island expeditions

You get the jist:

  1. It has to be a frequently use spell, I suggest 1 key spell and 1 filler
  2. You can always glyph back to the normal one.
  3. Each class on each race is going to have a look at to see what might be done

There are creative ways to show that this is a certain race in that class: But note that not every class will likely have something.

Race by Race Customisaton Themes In Classes

Here are some examples that each race has based on their lore/core features. Now you may be able to think of vetter versions than I’ve listed, by all means do tell us about it.

  • Gnomes: Gadgests and gizmos: pets, minions, timed/delayed events can have replacements.
  • Goblins: explosives & alchemaic concotions.
  • Blood Elves: fire sun & light racial spell
  • Night Elves; Star & Moon arcane magic racial spell
  • Troll : Tiki mask voodoo & Blood effect
  • Forsaken: Defiled ground & undead minions
  • Pandas: Brews and Chi abilities
  • Draenei : Crystals
  • Dwarves: Titan aspects with unique visuals. related ability? Beer?
  • Orcs; shaman elemental spells & ancestral stuff
  • Tauren: Earth stampede (abilities cos the ground to shake as the Tauren stomps), Totem Stomp: replaces certain weapon & ranged abilities with a swing or throw of that iconic racial stomp
  • Worgen: Pack rush (aoe abilities) and ferocious frenzy (themed on Feral Worgen]

Humans: Mount up on horses for certain abilities? Human has nothing i can think of, because pretty every class, apart from Shaman and Druid are actually based on the human version. We are basically playing the human version off all these things. I f humans could be druids and shaman, then some abilities on those classes should be modified

Allied Races: Inspired By Island Expedition Teams:

  • Nightborne: Warp caster abilities & Chronomagic spell
  • Void Elves: Void abilities
  • Lightforged: Light Abilities
  • Zandalari: Loa aspects appear on certain spells: Each class has a Loa patron, that patron will appear and use its ability instead of your normal class ability.
  • Kul’tiran: Tidesage & Drust spell visuals
  • Dark Iron: Mole Machine for movement abilities & Golem
  • Mag’har Orc: Same as orcs
  • Mechagnomes: Same as gnomes
  • Highmountain tauren: Same as Tauren

Some of these would need a unique visual created for them.

Take a close look at the Island expedition teams, and what were used there, now see if some of those abiliteis can be used to substitute key class abiliteis, with the option to glyph out, and bingo you’ve got race customisations in classes.

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'Member when each race had their own unique melee and cast animations?

But ehm, yeah! I’d like this.

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Yeh, I remember that.

I am really hoping they add something like this that can scream “i’m a night elf” or I’m a blood elf, or void elf.

  • It really seems weird that void elf NPCs seem to be able to use melee, ranged, aoe abilities that have cool void effects, but the player void elf can’t.

  • It was always weird that NPC night elf/Nightborne priests, mages could use star and moon arcane spells , but in game players couldn’t unless you were a NElf druid.

  • How come Gnome players don’t have a ton of gizmos, mechanical pets, gadgets etc - this shouldn’t be based on a class, it should be every gnome being able to have this.

  • Imagine a blood elf able to call down a phoenix and use some sun spell ability in place of a normal one.

How they implement is up to them ofc, they could have a feature where a random spells animation is periodically replaced by a racial spell when you press a button.

OR

You can choose to use a racial spells animation instead, kind of like a permanent glyph to the spell.

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Yes please ! I played classic and had Starshards and Elune’s grace as passives it was actually amazing to be a Night Elf priest that has similarity to the original lore ! give Night Elves silve/moon colored spell effects !

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Yeh, that is one of the things this does achieve. Without needing to do things like class skin or major reworks to the system.

nothing would make a night elf character feel more night elfy than be able to use some star/moon spells in place of the classes standard spells,

the identifier would be simple to - in time you would easily be able to identify what the racial single , aoe, special, melee and heal abilities look like as they are the same across every class of that race.

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Give me purple fire please

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This is basically the jist.

I remember when I glyph Moonkin form to astral form, the appearance and name changes.

I’m thinking in the racial type you can have a selection of 7 spells (1 range, 1 melee, 1 aoe, 1 special, 1 heal, 1 aoe heal, 1 minion) and you can basically copy those onto an existing spell in its category.

AN idea for the UI would be in the racial tab of the spell book, if you select the racial aoe spell for example a drop down menu of all your classes aoe spells it can substitute will show up, so now every time you use that classs ability, the racial spell visual will instead show up.

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Honestly this would be easy to make, they can add the effects that are already in game. You can check Tyrande in Well of Eternity, Echo of Tyrande etc…She uses so many spells and effects that can be plastered on Night Elf priests.

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Yes, also when you use vial from the Moonwell when aiding Tarindrella you can cast Moonlight, Starfall arcane spells - Moonlight is a heal, Starfall an AoE, Moonlance for melee, Starfire for special, Nightfall for utility and Tranquility could be the racial abilities. Minons could be animals, that vary according to your class e.g. you can replace your water elemental with a moonkin that would instead Moonfire instead of frostbolt.

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What they should do is flesh out a detailed system.

It would be very very cool to see Night elves using star/moon spells - and giving the player the choice of whether they want some of their spells to be racial ones and make their Elf hunter or priest or mage or warrior feel ab it more Night elfy or whatever race they are.

It would go a long way.

Can you imagine the little gnomes with gadgets and gizmos sometimes being used instead of traditional abilities, like all of a sudden you have a huge Zapper gun, or switching stance suddenly has you in a mecha suit, or you can substitute your flesh pet for a mechanical one.

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Let my zandalari troll be a loa priest please.

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Yes,the spells could be a variant of green/gold would be so cool.

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I believe T&E and other influencers have suggested this kind of feature in the form of Class Skins?

Would certainly love moon-based spells for my Night Elf priest.

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Yeh, it would be so cool, you’d have the zandaalari abilities having one from each lower, or maybe even 2 - who’s to say that every race has to have the same number or type.

Will give a distinct feel to a Zandalari of every class.

Tbh - the actual issue comes to humans and to a lesser extent orcs… most classes are based on the human version - i.e. they are tailored to fit human

In fact on humans, only the hunter and possibly the warlock is not based on him.
Druids are based on the kaldorei - this is why you have moon/star spells because it is the only class based on their culture.
DHs - while originating from night elves too, the druid class maker’s brother, it is based more on fel legion so it doesn’t have nElf racial basis but legion.
Shaman - are based on the orc presentation of the class. Trolls would have a natural witch doctor variant that doesn’t show, but could be some of their racial spells -the way the Drustvar horde assault is done is perfect for Troll racials that can be substitutes across the board giving it a voodoo/witch doctor vibe.
Hunters - are actually based on a number of races. Marksman are based on a combo of the elven ranger (all elves) and the Mountaineer dwawrf when you switch to a gun.
Survival - the old version had overtones again of ranger and mountaineer, but also a classic animal hunter - the new version is based on the more Troll like spear wielding hunter, fits Tauren too, but it’s multi racial
BM - is based ofc on the Orcish BM, but many of the hunters animal magic abilities comes from the night elven druidic side, it’s only night elf druids in lore that go see through an animals eyes etc, but I can also imagine voodoo magic as well as other magic based races especially elves able to do the same thing.

All the other classes: Priest, Paladin, Mage, warrior, Rogue are all based on human. Mage frost magic is Kirin’tor even though the origin is the high elves - in fact, it is fire magic that seems more racially blood elven, meanwhile for night elves arcane magic would have a strong star/moon influence like you see in some of the Suramar npcs and Moonguard ones.

I would really like them to do something like this. Would open up the players to get more into the races and give them more cosmetic options in their abilties that reflect their race.

Worgen should have something that uses their teeth, one of the melee substitutes or maybe the special should have an animation where they leap onto the target and bite the head.

There aoe should be a flurry of clawas.

Forsaken should have some of the abilities be alchemy, like throwing a vial of death plague or something as maybe the special and a healing version of that.

Humans I guess can borrow something from the classes modelled after them, it won’t be too hard though.

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I always liked starshards spell in tbc for nightelves, i miss it even now…please bring it back :frowning:

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Someone should suggest this in the customisation threads:

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