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[Idea] Cavalier - Sword, Bow and Shield

Back in Diablo 2, the Barbarian was a fairly multi-talented character that while strongly focused in melee combat, had some ranged skills (though limited) and auras to give players the general flavor of these play styles. In Diablo 3, it seems the latter two aspects seem to have been downplayed in favor of the Barbarian's melee combat prowess. As such, I thought I'd try to introduce a similarly designed character to take the Barbarian's old spot.

In terms of the flavor, Diablo 3 currently lacks a character of the medieval West European archetype, something I think needs filling. Furthermore, I thought I'd try to finally give the game a hero that didn't hail from lands far away but rather homegrown from Khanduras itself for a change. And with that, I give you, the Cavalier.



Personality: Posh, foppish and histrionic

Interactions: Mixed bag; some are very polite while others aren't impressed with the Cavalier's behavior

Main attributes: Strength and Dexterity

Play style: Fast, good at killing individual targets, requires forethought

Unique features:
  1. Able to use shields as weapons a la Dual Wielding
  2. Instead of Mana, uses Confidence, which starts at 50%, going up with every kill and critical strike. Slowly returns to 50% after combat.

Back Story:

Following the doomed war against Westmarch, many of the Knights of Khanduras returned home to find it was not as before. King Leoric seemed spiraling into insanity and there were rumors of a darkness lurking deep beneath the cathedral. Sensing the end was near, some of the Knights left for their estates near the northern border. Not long after, many of the townsfolk followed, seeking refuge in the Knights' fiefdoms as the Kingdom of Khanduras collapsed on itself.

Over the next few years, these estates flourished into small, independent city states with the Knights as their rulers. Given their peerage, it comes as little surprise that the noble families insisted on educating their children in both, martial arms and more scholarly endeavors. Entsteig's close location meant they were well taught in the way of the bow whilst their parents' background provided equal training with the blade.

But as their knowledge grew, so too did their questions. They could not understand how their parents could abandon their homeland to its fate. They saw it as an act of betrayal, a badge of shame each of them carried. As such, many of these 'Cavaliers', brash and inexperienced with the outside world, eventually ventured back to Tristram, each of them determined to redeem their family's honor. Along with the hope of claiming its throne as their own.


Skill Trees (and some examples)

Close Combat ~ Focuses on melee weapons
Scorpion Strike - Swift, sword thrust which deals bonus Lightning damage. Bonus increases with each subsequent strike. Critical strike stuns target.
Peacock's Tail - A flashy attack that only deals small damage but raises the Cavalier's Confidence regardless of fatalities.
Monkey Fist - Powerful kick which deals Knockback. Critical strike stuns target.
Dragon Spear - Harpoon which when hitting enemies, pulls them to the Cavalier. If targeting ground, pulls the Cavalier to its location.
Shield Specialization - Increases chance of blocking and damage from Shields.{Passive}
Swashbuckling - Gives % chance of deflecting attacks back at enemy. {Passive}

Ranged Combat ~ Focuses on ranged weapons
Spread Shot - Fires arrows in a fan shape.
Tracer Shot - Draws enemies to a certain location.
Frost Shot - Deals bonus cold damage and slows target. Critical strike freezes target.
Aimed Shot - Deals increasing damage the longer the Cavalier waits before firing.
Kiting - Fires at a specified target continuously, even while moving.
Increased Penetration - Gives % chance that certain skills will penetrate through enemies. {Passive}


Survival and Academics ~ Everything else
Stealth - Renders the Cavalier temporarily invisible.
Search Object - Methodically search a corpse or opened box for a chance for extra drops.
Battle Orders - Temporarily increases the Cavalier and the party's health and stamina.
Battle Commands - Temporarily increases the level of all active skills for the Cavalier and party members.
First Aid - Temporarily increases the target's health rejuvenation.
Anatomy - Increases chance of critical strikes. {Passive}
Ecology - Detects nearby enemy units on the map. {Passive}
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