Weapons & Equip Improving Summoner and Pre-Hardmode Ranger Progression

Zoomo

Lunatic Cultist
Hey everyone, Zoomo Here!

For a long time I have wondered why ranged get's snubbed in terms of early game armor. Melee and Magic got two each however Ranged has only ever had Necro. When 1.2.4 came out with a lot of new summoner stuff and made it into it's own class I saw the same thing. It seems unfair that while Melee gets Corrupt/Crimson armor then Molten and Magic gets Meteor then Jungle that the other two get left behind. This suggestion will aim to fix that while also adding to some of the less represented biomes.

Firstly I will go over the different Tiers. This suggestion focuses mainly upon Pre-Hardmode so I won't include Hardmode tiers. In Pre-HM there are really three tiers as I see it:
Armor Tiers.png

1 - Early Game Armors
These armors are the stuff you will start the game with, providing small stat boosts that are intended for early game play. They can be obtained without any prior requirements

2 - Niche Armors
These armors serve special purposes and provide less base stat boosts but have powerful special bonuses (e.g. no mana consumption for spacegun) this is where the problem lies currently. There are ones for Magic and melee but not the other two classes. To obtain these armors the player must have smashed at least one Shadow orb.

3 - Advanced Armors
These armors are based mainly around giving raw stat increases and are generally going to be able to be used further into the game and some ways into HM due to their higher stats. These armors require either the defeat of a powerful boss or require the player to farm a dangerous biome.

4 - Hardmode+ Armors
There are multiple tiers in this (HM ores, Post mech, and Ubers) however for the sake of this suggestion they will just be referred to as HM Armors.

The Problem here becomes obvious the other two classes could really use a niche armor! Summoner especially needs another tier due to their still lacking weapon options, and the set biome could really use an armor set based around so I thought, why not make the summoner set a snow biome set.



Part 1 - Summoners
Wolf dens
Currently the snow biome, while a neat alt for the underground, does not provide a large amount of progresion value until hardmode, with the majority of it's treasure being for the most part alts to underground loot. This makes the underground the prime candidate for a new armor set. Though currently there isn't any framework set up for the snowbiome to have an armor, this would be where wolf dens come in.

Wolf Den.png

(a mockup of how a wolf den might look)
Wolf dens would be Claustrophobic series of tunnels. They would be filled with Roots growing from the ceiling that when broken would drop boreal wood. at the end of the tunnels would be a open area In them the player would find wolves, a new and unique group of monsters who would be the basis of the wolf set. You might be thinking "wolves are already in the game though!" however the current wolves would be given a face lift and be renamed Direwolves.

There would be three types of wolves: Alphas, Betas, and Omegas. Wolves would spawn in packs with each type giving the other ones boosts and causing them to be formidable to those who are unprepared. Omegas are the lifeblood of the pack, they run back and forth between the player and the alpha awkwardly knocking the player around there would be from 4 to 6 in each pack. Betas would be the main attackers charging the player similar to unicorns, there would be 2 or 3 in each pack. If a Goblin Invasion has been defeated there would be one alpha in each pack, they would tend not to attack unless the player gets close, mainly buffing the other wolves in their pack, pre-Goblin Invasion all packs spawn without one and are thus less powerful.

Another interesting thing about how wolves will work is that upon there being no more of lower types of wolves they will transform into that type forcing the player to beat a certain type first if they want certain items and adding to the hunting feel.


Omega Wolf
Wolf Omega.png

Max Life: 28
Defence: 5
Melee: 16
Spawn: Wolf Den(in pack), Overground Snow(uncomonly)(at night & dawn/dusk)
AI: Omega Wolf (Will run back and forth from the Alpha wolf to the general distance of the player, if there is no alpha wolf will randomly run around)
Drops:
Wolf Pelt.png
Wolf Pelt 45% (1)
Fur Hat.png
Fur Hat 0.8% (1)
notes:
* Can appear in the overground snow as rarely as Undead miners
* Each omega in the pack boosts the Beta and Alpha wolves slightly



Beta Wolf
Wolf Beta.png

Max Life: 42
Defence: 6
Melee: 25
Spawn: Wolf Den(in pack), Overground Snow(uncomonly)(at night & dawn/dusk)
AI: Beta Wolf (Acts like a unicorn however if it successfully hits the player it will turn around and charge to attack them immediately again)
Drops:
Wolf Pelt.png
Wolf Pelt 50% (1-2)
Fur Coat.png
Fur Coat 0.8% (1)
notes:
* If there are no more Omega Wolves all Betas will become Omegas
* if they have lost health as a Beta they will have that percentage of their new total health as an Omega
* Can appear in the overground snow as rarely as Undead miners



Alpha Wolf
Wolf Alpha.png

Max Life: 68
Defence: 10
Melee: 23
Spawn: Wolf Den(in pack)(after a goblin invasion has been defeated), Overground Snow(uncomonly)(at night & dawn/dusk)(after a goblin invasion has been defeated)
AI: Alpha Wolf (Will hang back and usually only attack the player if they get close)
Drops:
Wolf Pelt.png
Wolf Pelt 65% (2-3)
Alpha Claw.png
Alpha Claw 100% (1)
Fur Hat.png
Fur Hat 0.3% (1)
Fur Coat.png
Fur Coat 0.3% (1)
notes:
* If there are no more Beta Wolves the Alpha will become a Beta
* if they have lost health as an Alpha they will have that percentage of their new total health as an Beta
* Can appear in the overground snow as rarely as Undead miners
* while the Alpha is alive all other wolves would get much greater stats



Direwolf
Direwolf.png

Max Life: 300
Defence: 30
Melee: 65
Spawn: Wolf Den(in pack)(During Hardmode), Overground Snow(at night & dawn/dusk)(During Hardmode)
AI: Direwolf (Acts like a unicorn however if it successfully hits the player it will turn around and charge to attack them immediately again)
Drops:
Wolf Pelt.png
Wolf Pelt 100% (3-6)
notes:
* Replaces the current wolf enemy
* One spawns in every pack during hardmode, like a great protector of the pack

Husky Staff
Wolf Staff.png

from: Crafting -
Boreal_Wood.png
(25)
Wolf Pelt.png
(12)
Alpha Claw.png
(2) at Crafting Table
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a wolf to fight for you'
Attack Type: Ground Minion
speed: Fast
damage: 12
knockback: Weak
value: 25 silver
notes:
* Attack by quickly leaping at enemies, if they miss they come back to the player however if they hit they will immediately attempt to attack again (max 3 times)


Dire Claws
Direwolf Claws.png

from: Crafting -
Wolf Pelt.png
(13)
Alpha Claw.png
(3) at Crafting Table
power: none
tooltip: 'Incredibly Fast'
Attack Type: Broadsword
speed: Insanely fast
damage: 9
knockback: Strong
value: 30 silver
notes:
none


Hunting Bow
Hunting Bow.png

from: Crafting -
Boreal_Wood.png
(30)
Wolf Pelt.png
(12)
Alpha Claw.png
(1) at Crafting Table
power: none
tooltip: 'Fires spectral wolves with each shot'
Attack Type: Bow
speed: average
damage: 16
knockback: Very Weak
value: 25 silver
notes:
* Along with the arrow it fires a second projectile (travelling at the same velocity and arc) which is semi-transparent and overlays the arrow
* this projectile resembles a spectral wolf and will pierce enemies for 40% of the arrow + bow's damage
* after travelling a certain distance or hitting a wall the spectral wolf will fade like a magnet sphere projectile



Wolf Tooth Necklace
Wolf Mount.png

from: Crafting -
Wolf Pelt.png
(24)
Alpha Claw.png
(3) at Crafting Table
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a rideable direwolf'
Attack Type: Attack Mount
speed: Fast (average move speed for mount but is doubled when enemies are on screen)
damage: 26
knockback: strong
value: 60 silver
notes:
* this mount would autonomously bite at enemies which are near it hurting them and knocking them back.
* some other mounts would also attack, this would make mounts a new feasible type of summoner gear
* deals summon damage

Bee armor gives raw damage and summon ups. Wolf armor instead provides many less powerful but still helpful minor buffs to things like attack speed and minion range. The Warbanner would be a useful tanking item. More of a role for support players in pre-hardmode would be interesting.


Wolf Armor
Wolf Armor.png

set bonus: Decreased time between Minion attacks, Wolves are passive, slightly increased Minion size
set defence: 12
visual effect: The player is surrounded by wisps of snowy particles like an arctic wind


Wolf Hood
Wolf Hood.png

from: Crafting -
Wolf Pelt.png
(8)
Alpha Claw.png
(1) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+3 defence,
+1 increased max Minions,
+2% increased Minion speed and range of attack
type: hat
value: 20 silver
notes:
none


Wolf Jerkin
Wolf Cloak.png

from: Crafting -
Wolf Pelt.png
(16)
Alpha Claw.png
(2) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+5 defence,
+1 increased max Minions,
+4% increased Minion speed and range of attack
type: Shirt
value: 30 silver
notes:
none


Wolf Leggings
Wolf Leggings.png

from: Crafting -
Wolf Pelt.png
(10)
Alpha Claw.png
(1) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+4 defence,
+3% increased Minion speed and range of attack
type: Pants
value: 25 silver
notes:
none


Fur Coat
Fur Coat.png
Fur Coat Player.png

from: Dropped -
Beta Wolf 0.8% (1), Alpha Wolf 0.3 (1)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Accessory
value: 1 gold
notes:
*now you too can be 'thrifty'


Fur Hat
Fur Hat.png
Fur Hat Player.png

from: Dropped -
Omega Wolf 0.8% (1), Alpha Wolf 0.3 (1)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Hat
value: 1 gold
notes:
*+100% Cold Weather resistance


Warbanner
War Banner Player.png

from: Crafting -
Boreal_Wood.png
(20)
Wolf Pelt.png
(15)
Alpha Claw.png
(1) at Crafting Table
tooltip: 'Enemies are more likely to target you, Buffs nearby allies'
effect:
Enemies are more likely to target you
+2 defence
all allies near the player get:
+5% Damage, Speed, and Attack Speed
type: Accessory
value: 25 silver
notes:
* the range of the buff to allies is roughly 15 blocks out from the player and is denoted by a very faint glowing ring
* the flag portion changes to the color of the team you are on, if you aren't on a team it will display as above
* gives the aggro increase of two pieces of turtle armor (stacks with other increases)


Van Guard
Vanguard-New.png

from: Crafting -
(1)
War Banner.png
(1) at Tinkerer's Workbench
tooltip: 'Enemies are much more likely to target you, Buffs nearby allies'
effect:
Enemies are more likely to target you
+6 defence
all allies near the player get:
+8% Damage, Speed, and Attack Speed
25% of damage done absorbed to wearer of Vanguard
type: Accessory
value: 9 gold
notes:
* the range of the buff to allies is the size of effect of the Paladin shield buff as well as merging both buffs into the 'Vanguard' buff, more on that later
* the dot in the middle to the color of the team you are on, if you aren't on a team it will display as above
* gives the aggro increase of 3 pieces of turtle armor (stacks with other increases)
* uses some of the colors of the old paladin's shield sprite
* damage absorption stacks with Paladin's Shield if you'r crazy enough to wear both



Wolf Pelt
Wolf Pelt.png
Wolf Pelt Placed.png

from: Dropped -
Omega Wolf 45% (1), Beta Wolf 50% (1-2), Alpha Wolf 60% (2-3), Direwolf 100% (3-6)
tooltip: none
max stack: 99
use: Placable, Material
value: 2 silver
notes:
none


Alpha Claw

Alpha Claw.png

from: Dropped -
Alpha Wolf 100% (1)
tooltip: 'The Claw of a powerful wolf'
max stack: 99
use: Material
value: 6 silver
notes:
none



Part 2 - Rangers
Floating Ruins
Everyone loves floating islands however if you look at them the can feel really out dated. Even with the revamp 1.2 gave them the sky houses scream of the less intricate architecture of pre-1.2 buildings. My proposition is to do away with the sky houses entirely and replace them with sky ruins, clusters of pillers and ruined looking structures with a sky mill somewhere throughout and a Sky chest in the center. Another Thing that would be changed about floating islands is that now they sometimes spawn with smaller floating islands nearby. These smaller islands are about a third to half the size of current ones and when close enough are connected by a small platform/platform staircase bridge. They would have ruins and sometimes even a skyware chest (without a special floating island item). The Main islands would also be slightly larger.

Floating Island Mockup.png

(a mockup of how the ruins might look)

This is all good and all but what does it have to do with rangers? well It is setting floating islands up to be more of a real biome and to have their own boss. The floating islands will hopefully feel more like their own small biome this way rather than a loot and forget/build a house on sort of place. The new boss Is the Grand Harpy, a smaller sized boss focusing more on speed than raw fortitude. The Grand Harpy about on par difficulty wise with the EoW/BoC.



Grand Harpy
"A shadow looms over the island"
Harpy Queen-Tail copy.png



Grand Harpy Body
Harpy Queen-2.png

Max Life: 2000
Defence: 12
Melee: 24 Feathers: 12 Shockwaves: 20
Spawn: Floating Island
(if not before defeated has a chance to spawn during the day every hour while at floating island height. She will only spawn once the player has both destroyed a shadow orb and opened their first generated sky chest. After the first battle every three unique sky chest openings or using the Champion's Medal will cause her to spawn)
AI: The Grand Harpy follows two sets of attacks, Aerial and Ground. She will attack the player with an aerial attack, stand still for a second or two and then attack with a ground attack, stand still again and repeat. She would have two aerial attacks and two ground attacks.

Aerial Attacks

In the Grand Harpy's first Aerial attack she will chase the player around, alternating between moving slowly and quickly lunging forward. If she catches the player she will hold them giving the Grappled de-buff and fly toward the edge of the island in an attempt to drop them off the island. If the player hurts the Grand Harpy enough to escape she will drop them (removing the Grappled de-buff) and fly back before proceeding into her next attack.

The Grand Harpy's second Aerial attack has her of flapping her wings back and forth while floating in one place pushing the player back a bit as well as firing spreads of feathers. She will fire 3 spreads of first 3 feathers, then 5, and then 3 again.

Ground Attacks

The first ground attack consists of the her landing and screeching causing 1 to 4 Cherubs to spawn, immediately after which she will leap forward towards the player and then jump backwards and back into the air.


In her final attack the Grand Harpy smashes into the ground sending shockwaves across the island, she will then be prone for a short amount of time. The shockwaves are each a block wide Sky metal colored crystal that stabs up from out of the ground in a wave moving across the island until they reach the edge or the shockwave has been travelling for a certain distance.

Grand Harpy Tail

Tail.png

Max Life: (Shared with Grand Harpy Body)
Defence: 0
Melee: 29
Spawn: Grand Harpy (attached)
AI: The Tail would act autonomously from the Grand Harpy, attacking a bit like the classic Mario chainchomp. It floats around attached to the Grand Harpy and occasionally but quickly pulls it's chain taught to attack the player. It shares it's health with the Grand Harpy however it has no defence making it a good target to attack.



On Death
When defeated the Grand Harpy causes a small amount of sky metal to spawn floating suspended in the air around floating islands and the message, as well as dropping the following:

Drops:
Sky Metal.png
Sky metal 100% (25-60)

Giant_Harpy_Feather.png
Giant Harpy Feather 33.3% (1) (I might try to add pre-HM uses for this, not sure if should be a drop or not)
Trophy.png
Grand Harpy Trophy 10% (1)
Lesser_Healing_Potion.png
Lesser Healing Potion 100% (5-15)


With the Grand Harpy out of the way the player will gain some Sky Metal, however they will need more. It will be scattered around floating islands forcing the player to be careful when they mine it lest they fall down to the world below. Sky metal will be combined with meteor bars to create a sort of steel which can then be used to craft gear.​

Maplewood Tree
Tree Example.png

Found in: Floating Islands (replaces the normal trees that are currently there)
mineable: Any Axe
drops:
Wood Item-Maple.png
Maplewood
Acorn.png
Acorn
notes:
* maple trees are shorter than average trees
Maplewood e.g..png


Starberry Bush
Starberry Bush.png

Found in: Floating Islands
mineable: Any Pick
drops:
Starberry.png

notes:
* Like some dye plants they take up only one tile despite being larger


Cherub
Cherub-Coat.png
Cherub-Wings.png
(First design are normal second are when spawned by the Grand Harpy)

Max Life: 48
Defence: 6
Melee: 15 Ranged: 7
Spawn: Floating Island (will spawn standing or glide in from off screen)
AI: Cherub (Acts like an archer except has a small flight and gliding ability will run and fly to get in a good position)

Drops:
Aviator's Scarf.png
Aviator's Scarf 0.4% (1) (not when summoned by Grand Harpy)
Feather.png
Feather 25% (1) (not when summoned by Grand Harpy)
notes:
* Are also summoned by Grand Harpy


Mystic mirror

Mystic Mirror.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(12)
Glass.png
(5)
Diamond.png
(3) at Anvil

power: none
tooltip: 'Heals Allies'
Attack Type: Healing Item (the player holds the mystic mirror aloft and a targeting circle appears around the mouse, holding it over a player will slowly regenerate their health and speed up the longer the target is held over that player)
speed: Fast
damage: 0 (heals: 2 - 20)
knockback: none
mana cost: 10
value: 50 silver
notes:
* Cannot be used on self
* Modifiers that give bonus damage



Bomb Bag
Bomb Bag.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(5)
Leather.png
(15)
Starberry.png
(10) at Anvil

power: none
tooltip: 'Bombs thrown do not destroy terrain'
Attack Type: Throwing (when used throws bombs from the players inventory which do their own damage added to the bomb bag's, when thrown from the bomb bag bombs do not destroy terrain, gets ranged stat increases)
speed: average (autofire)
damage: 14
knockback: none (bombs add the knockback)
value: 25 silver
notes:
* like an early game Missile launcher
* bombs thrown with the bomb bag still damage the player



Starduster
Starduster.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(12)
Flintlock_Pistol.png
(1)
Starberry.png
(6) at Anvil

power: none
tooltip: 'Your enemies are made of stardust, Hold to charge a more powerful shot'
Attack Type: Gun (Can be fired like a handgun type weapon manually by clicking repeatedly, however if the player clicks and holds the shot will get larger and more powerful)
speed: fast - extremely slow (velocity: average, no change)
damage: 10 - 32
knockback: weak
value: 1 gold
notes:
* makes a click when the button is pressed and a deeper click when fully charged, not unlike to the shotgun reloading sound
* normally fired bullets are normal width bullet however the longer it is charged the thicker the bullets get
* side by side comparison:
Projectile_14.png
Bullet.png

* This gives the flintlock pistol a use again, yay!



Phalanx Spear
Phalanx Spear.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(12)
Feather.png
(15) at Anvil

power: none
tooltip: none
Attack Type: Spear
speed: fast - slow
damage: 20
knockback: extremely strong
value: 30 silver
notes:
* The main feature of this spear would be it's high knockback and incredible length, reaching that of hardmode spears
* it would be most effective in pushing away lots of enemies



Valkyrian Arrow
Valkyrian_Arrow.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(1)
Feather.png
(1)
Wooden_Arrow.png
(20) at Anvil (makes 20)

power: none
tooltip: 'Leaves a damaging trail'
Attack Type: Arrow (leaves a trail of star particles similarly to the north pole which slowly float downward growing smaller over time and dealing damage to anything they touch)
speed: none (Velocity: Very Fast)
damage: 6
knockback: Very Weak
value: 50 copper
notes:
none


Flurry Feather
Flurry Feather.png

from: Crafting -
Spell_Tome.png
(1)
Soul_of_Flight.png
(15)
Giant_Harpy_Feather.png
(1)
Feather.png
(14) at Anvil (makes 15)
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons tons of razor sharp feathers'
Attack Type: Tome (Fires tons of feathers out which fly straight to the mouse before losing momentum and floating down like the spores that giant Fungi bulbs shoot, slightly inaccurate so the feathers will all go in slightly different places creating clouds of feathers)
speed: very fast (Velocity: slow)
damage: 24
knockback: none
value: 50 copper
notes:
* Because Souls of flight need some tome love too!

The ranger set would be based around Mobility and strength while airborne.


Valkyrie Armor
Valkyrie Armor.png
Valkyrie Armor 2.png
(two possible designs)

set bonus: 18% Increased Ranged Damage and Velocity while airborne
set defence: 13
visual effect: Feathers will occasionally drift off of the player


Valkyrie Headdress/Hat
Valkyrie Headdress.png
Valkyrie Hat.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(7)
Feather.png
(15) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+3 defence,
+4% increased Velocity and Ranged Speed
type: hat
value: 30 silver
notes:
none


Valkyrie Chainmail/Shirt
Valkyrie Chainmail.png
Valkyrie Shirt.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(15)
Feather.png
(12) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+6 defence,
+4% increased Velocity and Ranged Speed
type: Shirt
value: 35 silver
notes:
none


Valkyrie Greaves/Leggings
Valkyrie Greaves.png
Valkyrie Leggings.png

from: Crafting -
Valkyrian Steel Bar.png
(10)
Feather.png
(8) at Crafting Table
tooltip: none
effect:
+4 defence,
+3% increased Velocity and Ranged Speed
type: Pants
value: 30 silver
notes:
none


Aviator's Clothes
Aviator's Costume.png

set bonus: none
set defence: none
visual effect: none


Aviator's Hat
Aviator's Hat.png

from: Bought -
Clothier 5 gold (when at floating island height)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Hat
value: 3 gold
notes:
none


Aviator's Jacket
Aviator's Jacket.png

from: Bought -
Clothier 5 gold (when at floating island height)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Shirt
value: 3 gold
notes:
none


Aviator's Pants
Aviator's Pants.png

from: Bought -
Clothier 5 gold (when at floating island height)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Pants
value: 3 gold
notes:
none


Aviator's Scarf
Aviator's Scarf.png
Aviator's Scarf_equipped.png

from: Dropped -
Cherub 0.4% (1)
tooltip: none
effect:
none
type: Vanity Accessory
value: 20 silver
notes:
none


Sky metal

Sky Metal.png

from: Dropped -
Grand Harpy 100% (25-60)
Mined -
Sky Metal Ore Block
tooltip: none
max stack: 99
use: Placeable, Material
value: 7 silver
notes:

* appears in small chunks floating around floating islands upon the defeat of the Grand Harpy
* subsequent defeats will spawn diminishing amounts based upon how much there is in the world
* when it generates it would produces a large amount of shine particles



Valkyrian Steel Bar

Valkyrian Steel Bar.png

from: Crafting -
Sky Metal.png
(3)
Meteorite_Bar.png
(1) at Furnace
tooltip: none
max stack: 99
use: Placeable
value: none
notes:

* GoT anyone?


Sky Metal Brick

Sky Metal Brick.png

from: Crafting -
Sky Metal.png
(1)
Stone_Block.png
(1) at Furnace
tooltip:
max stack: 99
use: Placeable
value: none
notes:

* sparkles in the light


Starberry
Starberry.png

from: Mined -
Starberry Bush
tooltip: 'Tastes like gunpowder'
max stack: 99
use: Consumable (bomb), Material
value: none
notes:

* these act as a new type of bomb, they explode immediately upon hitting blocks OR enemies
* An optional partial tier skip for the nightmare pickaxe, has the same mining power and can thus blow up hellstone
* it explodes with little stars instead of puffs of smoke, these stars deal extra damage to things that might not have been in the blast radius



Champion's Medal
Champion's Medalion.png

from: Crafting -
Feather.png
(10)
Meteorite.png
(8)
Gold_Bar.png
/
Platinum_Bar.png
(8) at Demon Altar
tooltip: 'summons the Grand Harpy'
max stack: 99
use: consumable
value: none
notes:
none


Maplewood

Wood Item-Maple.png

from: Mined -
Maple Wood Tree
tooltip: none
max stack: 99
use: Placeable, Material
value:
notes:

* used to make furniture, equipment, and all other things wood can make

Grappled
Grappled.png

effect: Causes the player to not be able to move and be suspended in the grasps of the user, they may still attack and must do so to escape
duration: Infinite until the player has damaged the user enough to be dropped
cause: Grand Harpy 100% (when in charge attack)
notes:
* while in effect the player looks as if they are falling (apart from their arms when they attack
* the player takes full fall damage even if they have accessories that would normally prevent it
* if the player is dropped while under this effect they will obviously be unable to attack the enemy to free themselves and thus are doomed to the fall

Part 3 - Hardmode Summoner Gear and Pendants
Hardmode ore armors and summoner goodies!
I was originally not planning on doing any hardmode stuff but after looking at it I realised that Hardmode Summoners need changing as well. I've decided to remedy this by creating a set of hardmode ore summoner hats.

The next part was simply something I think would help change summoner from what it is right now, the don't do anything build to a more strategic class. They are pendants, each roughly change how your Minions act. The pendants are not one of the main things and I'm still not sure whether they would be good to have or not but I figured I would throw it out there and see what you guys think of it.

This portion of the suggestion will also include some cool summoner loot that I thought of while creating the rest of the suggestion too, so yay for more summoner stuff!


Crab staff
Crab Staff.png

from: Looted -
Underwater chests

power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a Crab to fight for you'
Attack Type: Ground Minion (walks towards enemies and jumps at them)
speed: fast
damage: 13
knockback: weak
value: 1 gold
notes:
* Only one Crab can be summoned at a time, unless the player is using a summoner potion


Necronomicon
Necronomicon.png

from: Mined -
Necronomicon Tile

power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a skeleton to fight for you'
Attack Type: Ground Minion (the skeletons run back and forth at enemies madly, sending off little crystal shard like bone shards which damage enemies a bit.)
speed: fast
damage: 20
knockback: average
value: 25 silver
notes:
* Found in the lower parts of the dungeon at the caverns level rather than the entire dungeon like the Waterbolt, is also not quite as common than the Waterbolt
* As it appears placed:

Necronomicon Placed.png



Creeper staff
Creeper Staff.png

from: Mined -
Crimson Heart

power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a Creeper Eye to fight for you'
Attack Type: Floating Minion (Flies at enemies to attack in melee, however has to fly all the way back to the player before attacking again)
speed: fast
damage: 9
knockback: Average
value: 10 silver
notes:
* Thought weak damage wise it is superior to the Slime staff due to it's ability to have multiple summoned at once.


Eater staff

Eater Staff.png

from: Mined -
Shadow Orb

power: none
tooltip: 'Summons Eaters to fight for you'
Attack Type: Floating Minion (summons three tiny eaters which will swarm an enemy)
speed: fast
damage: 3
knockback: Extremely Weak
value: 10 silver
notes:
* Thought weak damage wise it is superior to the Slime staff due to it's ability to have multiple summoned at once.



Antlion staff
Antlion Staff.png

from: Crafted -
Antlion_Mandible.png
(4)
Topaz.png
(5)
Sand_Block.png
(50)
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons an antlion to fight for you, this is not a bad idea'
Attack Type: Turret Minion (Shoots sand projectiles at enemies)
speed: average
damage: 8
knockback: Strong
value: 15 silver
notes:
* It's sand particles probably wouldn't place as blocks due to it not requiring ammo unlike the sandgun


Bramble Staff
Bramble Staff.png

from: Crafted -

Jungle_Spores.png
(10)
Stinger.png
(10)
Vine.png
(2)
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a bramble bush to protect you'
Attack Type: Turret Minion (Will fire out brambles which act like Vilethorns but curve one way or the other)
speed: fast
damage: 18
knockback: Extremely weak
value: 1 gold

notes:
* The bramble projectiles have roughly two thirds of the length of a Vilethorn

The summoner helmets will embody the same effects of their fellow helmets.


Cobalt Headgear
Summoner Cobalt.png

set bonus: +14% increased Minion speed and range of attack, +2 increased max Minions
set defence: 16
visual effect: The player leaves an after image when moving
tooltip: none
effect:
+1 defence,
+8% Minion speed and critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 1 gold 50 silver
notes:
none


Paladium Helmet
Summoner Paladium.png

set bonus: Greatly increases life regeneration after striking an enemy, +2 increased max Minions
set defence: 19
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+1 defence,
+9% increased Minion damage
type: hat
value: 1 gold 50 silver
notes:
* the ranged one's name will be changed from helmet to hat


Mythril Headgear
Summoner Mythril.png

set bonus: +1 increased max Minions +12% increased Minion knockback, +3 increased max Minions
set defence: 23
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+2 defence,
+12% increased Minion critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 2 gold 25 silver
notes:
none


Orichalcum Hat
Summoner Orichalcum.png

set bonus: Flower petals will fall on your target for extra damage, +3 increased max Minions
set defence: 25
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+2 defence,
+10% increased Minion range and player movement speed
+6% increased Minion critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 1 gold 50 silver
notes:
none


Adamantite Hat
Summoner Adamantite.png

set bonus: +18% Minion speed, range, and knockback, +3 increased max Minions
set defence: 27
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+3 defence,
+1 increased max Minions
+14% increased Minion damage
+6% increased Minion critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 2 gold 40 silver
notes:
none


Titanium Hood
Summoner Titanium.png

set bonus: Become immune after striking an enemy, +3 increased max Minions
set defence: 29
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+3 defence,
+15% increased Minion damage
+10% increased Minion critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 2 gold 40 silver
notes:
none


Hallowed Helmet
Summoner Hallowed.png

set bonus: +2 increased max Minions +18% Minion speed, Range, and knockback, +4 increased max Minions
set defence: 29
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect:
+4 defence,
+12% increased Minion damage and Size
+8% increased Minion critical strike chance
type: hat
value: 5 gold
notes:
* the ranged one's name will be changed from helmet to hat


Cybernetic Hat
Summoner Cybernetic.png

set bonus: 'Energy orbs gather around the player on successful Minion attacks, guarding the player,+4 increased max Minions'
set defence: 29
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect: (this is not the energy orbs)
+3 defence,
+15% increased Minion damage and critical strike chance
+10% increased Minion Speed
type: hat
value: 5 gold
notes:
* each time a successful hit is made an energy orb will orbit the player once before disappearing
* any projectile which hits an orb is blocked, the orb does not get destroyed when this happens
* max of 6 orbs at once
* just figured I would include this here, if you are unfamiliar with the cyber it is one of my other suggestions and can be view through the link in my signature



Chlorophyte Hat
Summoner Chlorophyte.png

set bonus: 'summons a powerful leaf crystal to shoot at nearby enemies', +4 max minions
set defence: 36
visual effect: None
tooltip: none
effect: (this is not the energy orbs)
+5 defence,
+25 increased Minion size,
+16% increased Minion damage
type: hat
value: 6 gold
notes:


Scary Mask
Scary Mask.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (while at the beach)
tooltip: 'Minions are much larger'
effect:
Minions are twice as large, increasing their hitbox
type: Accessory
value: 15 gold (buy)
notes:
* IS sold pre-hardmode

The following is an idea which I'm not too sure about, I would really appreciate feedback whether it is good, bad, or not even an idea that should be implemented at all.


Warrior's Pendant
Warrior's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after Skeletron has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Destruction'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Minions are a third larger than normal, otherwise act the same as normal
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:
* effect stacks with the scary mask


Defender's Pendant

Defender's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after Skeletron has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Protection'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Minions will circle the player as a shield, if anything hit's a Minion it will receive damage and the Minion will disapear
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:

* when under defender effect Minions have lowered speed


Theif's Pendant
Theif's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after Skeletron has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Retrieval'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Minions will fly out, pick up items, and bring them back to the player.
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:

* when under theif effect Minions have lowered damage


Hunter's Pendant

Hunter's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after the Wall of Flesh has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Persistence'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Minions will actively attack the monster with the highest max HP and continue to attack it till they have killed it, if another npc with higher max HP spawns they will start to attack that one instead
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:

none


Paladin's Pendant
Paladin's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after the Wall of Flesh has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Attention'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Each Minion will draw enemy aggro with the strength of a piece of turtle armor, causing enemies to actively seek out summons
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:

* when under paladin effect Minions have slightly lowered range


Master's Pendant
Master's Pendant.png

from: Bought -
Witch Doctor (after the Wall of Flesh has been defeated)
tooltip: 'Control'
effect:
While selected in the player's hotbar Minions fly toward the cursor
type: Non-Equip
value: 10 gold (buy)
notes:
* when under the master effect Minions do not actively try to attack any monsters and must be guided into them
* ranged summons will still fire their projectile at enemies



Part 4 - Changes
changes, changes, changes​

So All of this new gear is great but there are still plenty of things that need tweaking for the summoner class to be a valid class. I am also taking this time to add a few tweaks here and there for Pre-Hardmode in general to balance things that are currently in need of balancing.


Summoner Crits and PvP
Of anything I want to get into the game it's this. Critical strikes are a very important mechanic in combat and the fact that summoners can not benefit from them makes no sense to me.
Also, it's no fun when everyone is doing pvp and your summoner based class is worthless. I can understand that it would be annoying with homing weapons and I believe they shouldn't home but it would be cool to be able to play as a summoner (especially if the pendants were made a thing) in pvp.


Bee Armor and Beehives
While a passable armor currently it isn't really up to snuff with the other advanced armors. The beehives are also a biome that could be expanded a bit, not so much as the floating islands however I believe each should be double the size they are currently. The next thing I would change about the Beehives is that they would be post Eater of Worlds. To access one the player must mine in with a nightmare or higher tier pickaxe.

Bee Armor
Bee_armor.png
Bee_armor_female.png

set bonus: 10% increased Minion damage
set defence: 14
visual effect: tiny bees fly around the player (new effect because effects are cool)
tooltip: none
effect:
3 increased max Minions (pants would give one as well)
+13 summon damage (no change)
+14 defence (shirt gives 6 defence opposed to it's current 5)
type: hat
value: 2 gold 40 silver
notes:
none


Larger requirements for Jungle Gear Crafting
Before 1.1 the jungle stuff took a large amount of time to create, however now it seems like it can be obtained with minimal collection of materials. I have raised the cost to create a midpoint between the two levels.

Blade of Grass
Blade_of_Grass.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(15)
Stinger.png
(16)
(revamped sprite)

Thorn Charkram
Thorn_Chakram.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(12)
Stinger.png
(18)
(revamped sprite)


Ivy Whip
Ivy_Whip.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(10)
Vine.png
(3)
Hook_%28crafting_material%29.png
(3)


Jungle Hat
Jungle_Hat.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(9)
Jungle_Rose.png
(1)


Jungle Shirt
Jungle_Shirt.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(17)
Stinger.png
(15)


Jungle Pants
Jungle_Pants.png

From - crafting
Jungle_Spores.png
(12)
Vine.png
(2)

Buffing Skeletron
Face it, Skeletron is a pushover right now, he has been nerfed so severely that the player can easily take him on while in early game armor. Fighting him in Niche Armors is a joke. I propose he be buffed so that the players will usually want to go for getting the Niche armors and relatively good weapons before taking on the guardian of on of the most important and fun areas in game.

Skeletron Head
Skeletron_Head.png

Max Life: 5500
Defence: 12 (0 while spinning)
Melee: 35


Skeletron Hands
Skeletron_Hand_%28NPC%29.png

Max Life: 1000
Defence: 14
Melee: 25


Spider Armor Change
One thing that dawned on me while I was considering whether or not to make summoner hardmode armors was that spider armor is still just kind of sitting there. Then I had an idea, so the hardmode spiders grant weapons to two classes, the spiders for summoners and the poison staff for mages. So why not turn the spider armor into a frost armor antithesis. Spider armor would now give Minion and Magic bonuses in the same manner that Frost armor gives bonuses to melee and ranged. The spider staffs and the poison staff would still be obtainable from the start of hardmode though.

Spider Armour
Spider_armor.png
Spider_armor_female.png

set bonus: Venom spurts are occasionally shot from the players mouth (similarly to chlorophyte's leaf turret), inflicting Venom on nearby enemies. Magic and summon attacks have a chance to apply Venom
set defence: 30
set effect: when hurt the player makes a spider like noise


Spider Mask
Spider_Mask.png

from: Crafting -
Spider_Fang.png
(8)
Hallowed_Bar.png
(10) at Mythril Anvil
tooltip: none
effect:
+16% increased Magic and Minion damage
+1 max Minions
type: hat
value: 5 gold
notes:
none


Spider Breastplate
Spider_Breastplate.png

from: Crafting -
Spider_Fang.png
(16)
Hallowed_Bar.png
(20) at Mythril Anvil
tooltip: n/a
effect:
+6% increased Magic and Minion critical strike chance
+10% increased minion speed
+1 max Minions
type: shirt
value: 4 gold
notes:
none


Spider Greaves
Spider_Greaves.png

from: Crafting -
Spider_Fang.png
(12)
Hallowed_Bar.png
(16) at Mythril Anvil
tooltip: n/a
effect:
+8% increased movement speed
-5% mana consumption
+1 max Minions
type: pants
value: 3 gold
notes:
none


Feedback

Whelp, that's it. Thanks for reading! If there is anything that you liked, didn't like, didn't understand, or thought could be different, please respond below. As always I appreciate feedback and would love to know whether other people like the idea. Thanks again![/spoiler]
 
Last edited:
I'm aware sprites aren't working, I'm furiously fixing them all as fast as I can right now.%:sigh:
 
I spy, with my little eye, a Zoomo thread that no one has liked yet. Whoops, not anymore. Guys, one thing you will eventually learn is that "zoomo" is a synonym for "face-meltingly beautiful".

The best part about the wolf set is that it fits the overall flavor of the summoners, being quite primal and ancient-ish. (Not feeling too eloquent right now.)

By the way, PvP for summoners. (In case there were any people who read the first few paragraphs, saw a few sprites, hit the like button and left.) That's an important point that I hope with all my might will be addressed in 1.3. I'm of the opinion that allowing homing capabilities to extend to PvP wouldn't be as broken as you would think. However, if that's not an option, we could always try manual targeting, which I elaborated upon in an old thread of mine.

But wow. Another thread by Zoomo. These go straight into the history books, they're all that good. Anyone reading this who isn't following Zoomo, don't you dare miss anything this guy has to say. You will be regretful.
 
I spy, with my little eye, a Zoomo thread that no one has liked yet. Whoops, not anymore. Guys, one thing you will eventually learn is that "zoomo" is a synonym for "face-meltingly beautiful".

The face-meltingly beautiful part wasn't applicable before you turned up because the sprites weren't working. So yeah...
 
The face-meltingly beautiful part wasn't applicable before you turned up because the sprites weren't working. So yeah...
Oneof my pet peeves: people who complain and withhold support because a thread wasn't published in the exact form it should have been published in.

Not implying that you don't support Zoomo's thread, but maybe we could leave that little hiccup behind us at this point and move forward?
 
Oneof my pet peeves: people who complain and withhold support because a thread wasn't published in the exact form it should have been published in.

Not implying that you don't support Zoomo's thread, but maybe we could leave that little blemish behind us at this point and move forward?

All I'm saying is that your disbelief about no one having liked the thread yet on the grounds of Zoomo's sprite quality was explained by the fact that said sprites weren't visible. Nothing more, nothing less.
 
ok sprites are working now! :D

-EDIT-
ok, anyone no why random extra spoilers are appearing which I can't seem to remove?
 
All I'm saying is that your disbelief about no one having liked the thread yet on the grounds of Zoomo's sprite quality was explained by the fact that said sprites weren't visible. Nothing more, nothing less.
Well, now it looks like there's only two of you left!

Thanks, guys. When you see something you like, use that button. To be perfectly honest, I would have liked the post even if the sprites were broken when I saw it, because Zoomo is not only an artist, but a visionary in game design. The ideas should speak for themselves. I would have hated to see hours of Zoomo's effort denied by someone, forever, because of a single technical error.
 
If I think I've put some effort into my work, I can look at Zoomo's thread and say "Let's just write ten :red:ing more pages." Seriously, though, I can't understand how a member can put so much effort and time into one suggestion. Honestly, well done.
 
Reading through the whole thing right now, but I've caught an oopsie: The sprites for the Beta Wolf's drops are mixed up. You put the Fur Coat sprite where the Wolf Pelt should be and vise versa. :p Will proceed reading the rest of the post. ;)
 
Oopsie #2: Classic copy/paste error.
Husky Staff
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a wolf to fight for you'
Attack Type: Ground Minion
speed: Fast
damage: 13
knockback: Weak
value: 25 silver

Hunting Bow
power: none
tooltip: 'Summons a wolf to fight for you'
Attack Type: Ground Minion
speed: Fast
damage: 13
knockback: Weak
value: 25 silver
You got the notes for each one right, but the basic stats never got tweaked in the transition. :confused:
 
One or two things were not carried over from when I lost progress while working on it I guess, thanks SzGamer227. XD
 
One or two things were not carried over from when I lost progress while working on it I guess, thanks SzGamer227. XD
I'm sure I'll find more... just give me a minute and I'll post anything else I find in chunks.

(You must have been a bit tired typing up the Wolf section... :p)
 
Honestly, there is one item that I feel deserves a mention: The Scary Mask. I think that I see where you're worried. It might look weird and might not work for Terraria. But it's pure genius. Seriously, it's probably my favorite idea here. My only complaint would be the fact I think it's too cool not to be an armor set bonus. How about it could be a new Spider set bonus so spider armor doesn't get outclassed by the new HM ore helmets?

EDIT: I didn't read the Spider armor bonus spoiler. :p

How about for Spooky armor? It is currently outclassed by Tiki (and now Hallowed) anyway.
 
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