the big massive work-in-progress heretic fix slash rebalance

[Kandiyaki]

i CAN and WILL fix her. feel free to comment with any balance ideas idk if i can do this all myself

Changelog

12/31/2024:

• ashen passage nerf

2024-12-30.12-55-53.mp4

1/1/2025:

• new ghoul examine string
• mansus grasp can now be dispelled by using it in hand
• nightwatcher's rebirth has had its range nerfed from 5 tiles to 3.
• the ashen blade is now made with a welder instead of a match.

1/3/2025:

• added heretic game preset to main gamemodes (not in rotation yet!)
• fixed loc strings for the ritual of knowledge
• nerfed multipathing. you can now only buy an alternate-path knowledge if you've already gotten the corresponding knowledge on your initial path. can up the requirement for balance if necessary

2025-01-03.16-21-41.-.Trim.mp4

TO-DO LIST:

• codex cicatrix doesn't work as a focus when opened
• multi-pathing is too easy. (maybe make it so you start with a lot of points, and make each path starter cost a lot? makes it difficult but not impossible)
• the in-game guide is way too wordy and has conflicting information. fix her
• flesh ghoul text is vague. im like 90 percent sure its some debug fallback text actually
• ashen pig is too spammable (higher cooldown? damage self on cast?)
• ash blade is too easy to make (welder plus knife? knife in hot room?)
• flesh knitting is built for a system that has surgery (replace w/ temporary organ failure?)
• mansus grasp can't be gotten rid of unless you use it on an item on the floor
• flesh heretic's blade ritual only uses red blood
• make it a major antagonist
• the whole thing is just. horribly clunky. (rewrite guide? use codex as guide maybe? i don't think i'm skilled enough to make it use less buttons)

🆑

• tweak: ashen passage will now play a sound and ignite the user upon exit.
• tweak: nightwatcher's rebirth now has a smaller radius.
• tweak: the ashen blade is now made with a welder instead of a match.
• add: flesh ghouls now have a unique text identifier when inspected.

[mqole]

suggestion. give the teleport a longer cooldown so heretics dont feel encouraged to spam hit & run tactics.

[Darkmajia]

for multi-pathing, its probably worth looking at tg and copying homework: you can only get specific abilities in adjacent paths. i suppose this is more of an issue with a current lack of paths since theyre all "adjacent" but i wouldnt hate to look into devving some new paths

as for the minor antagonist thing, we can just make her a main antag

[DinnerCalzone]

I think you would need some serious reworking of what heretics are doing and what their goals are to keep them a minot antag. Making them a major antag with their own gamemode preset like traitor or changeling would probably work the best.

[hivehum]

i know im the person who constantly crows against planning for future updates. but. i think it might be better to aim toward heretic continuing to be a minor antagonist because turning it into a major antag is going to eventually draw comparisons to cosmic cult