WATER GAUNTLET
Gauntlet, Abilities & Class Design
Spellbreak is a game I have a lot of passion for, and my favourite thing about it were the elemental gauntlets and how they interact with each other. I decided to create my own gauntlets, starting with the Element of Water.
ABOUT THE DESIGN
OVERVIEW
Gauntlets in Spellbreak are a magic versions of weapons seen in other videogames. For example, the Fire Gauntlet is a Rocket Launcher, Ice Gauntlet is a Bow / Sniper Combo, Wind Gauntlet is an SMG, and so on.
So when I decided to create new gauntlets, my first goal was to think about what elements and what weapons have not yet been represented in Spellbreak.
On top of that, I always had to keep in mind how new gauntlets / abilities would synergise with the already existing ones, as that is one of the main selling points for Spellbreak.
For my first design, I have set on a Water Gauntlet, as Water was the last missing traditional basic element (if we consider Ice to be a sub-element of Water).
And for the weapon type, I was inspired by continuous beam tracking guns, as it fit nicely with the water theme.
SPELL
For the main attack, taking inspiration from beam weapons like Trace Rifles (Destiny 2), or Symmetra's Photon Projector (Overwatch), the water gauntlet will shoot continuous hitscan beam of water as long as the player holds down the shoot button, which drains the player's mana in the process.
The beam of water will get bigger and stronger, the longer the beam is hitting a target, rewarding the player's precision.
In order for the players to reach the beam's full power capacity, they will have to hit their target and also sacrifice using other abilities that drain mana and interrupt shooting, most of which are movement based.
Since Spellbreak's movement is the core element for survival, this presents a "glass cannon" design, where players have to make a difficult choice between staying agile or dealing a lot of damage. (Similar to how the Stone Gauntlet is Designed)
SORCERY
All of the sorcery abilities in Spellbreak create something tangible in the world, be it a tornado, a boulder or a noxious cloud.
To keep the consistency of the sorcery designs, the water sorcery creates a tidal wave that travels a short distance in a direction of the caster's choosing, before it crushes down and disappears.
Sorcery abilities are also the ones that often present the best opportunities for elemental combinations with the other gauntlets. So while designing this ability, I have taken into account all the other elements and how they would synergise with the tidal wave.
DRENCH EFFECT
Spellbreak also includes a variety of status effects created by the elements, so I designed a status effect with a goal to create more opportunities for tactical and meaningful decision making.
I also made sure to give the Drench effect synergies with other elements, both positive and negative to create powerful combinations and useful counters against it.
CLASS ABILITIES
Before the game starts, the player will choose a starting gauntlet, that gives them 4 class abilities that get unlocked as the game progresses. These abilities enhance the capabilities of the chosen gauntlet.
For example, the Wind abilities help the player stay airborne more often, which is where the Wind Gauntlet is the most useful. Additionally, the abilities correspond to the theme of the gauntlet, as Wind is closely associated with Flight.
For the Water Gauntlet, I imagined water being a great conductor, so I have decided to mainly focus the abilities to enhance the power of the Drench status effect and the combinations it provides.
The numbers on the ability effects are only a prediction for balanced set of values. Playtesting would be required to tweak and balance them properly.