Any consideration into changing this skill should take into account ALL of these things listed below:This skill allows the Rogue to do increased damage when concentrating with a melee weapon or fist. It takes an uninterrupted 5 second count to use this skill. Once the count is made the Rogue’s next offensive damage call must be the critical strike. If they make another offensive move, or use another skill, the strike is wasted. Rogues can do 4 points of damage at this level, and simply calls ‘4’ when they strike.
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Improved Critical Strike – Charged skill
This skill allows the Rogue to do increased damage when concentrating with a melee weapon or fist. It takes an uninterrupted 10 second count to use this skill. Once the count is made the Rogue’s next offensive damage call must be the critical strike. If they make another offensive move, or use another skill, the strike is wasted. Rogues can do 8 points of damage at this level, and simply calls ‘8’ when they strike.
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Master Critical Strike – Charged skill
This skill allows the Rogue to do increased damage when concentrating with a melee weapon or fist. It takes an uninterrupted 15 second count to use this skill. Once the count is made the Rogue’s next offensive damage call must be the critical strike. If they make another offensive move, or use another skill, the strike is wasted. Rogues can do 12 points of damage at this level,
and simply calls ‘12’ when they strike.
>Critical Strike isn't as potent as Channel, as it is melee weapon and not surging packet delivered effect that can be thrown over barriers and from a MUCH greater distance.
>Critical Strike isn't inferentially magic damage
>Critical Strike is WAY easier to defend against (physical blocking, parry, non magic damage reduction or immunity)
>Critical Strike requires an item to use (a tagged weapon) Channel does not. If a PC is captured, Critical Strike can be nullified by searching and removing his weapons, channel cannot.
>If Critical Strike is being considered to alter charge time, based on channel (because of some silly everything MUST be the same paradigm)....it should do the same damage as channel(...then be moved to Empath...and then removed as it would be a redundant skill). Fair is fair...