This is my first character class idea. It's a little unfinished (particularly the capstone in the last tree), and my names aren't exactly all that great. Feel free to suggest skill ideas as well as names (please include what the name references if it's not obvious). I also excluded any numbers for the most part. I've found that when you include numbers, but tend to get fixated on that instead of the overall idea. Anyways, hope you enjoy!
Skid the Trucker
Borderlands has lots of gun, but not a big @#$%in gun. Borderlands needs a big @#$%in gun. Meet Skid. Skid is Scooter and Ellie's long lost cousin that was abducted by aliens but managed to escape. As a result, he's deathly afraid of midgets because they remind him of aliens. He also cracks jokes he thinks are over-the-top hilarious – but they're usually horrible and lame.
Skill
Big Momma – Whip out Big Momma to shoot up to three rockets. Damage, Element Effect, and Fire Rate is based on your currently equipped grenade mod's total Damage, Element Effect, and Fuse Time. Activating your skill while Big Momma is out switches back to your equipped guns. Ammo replenishes over time and using Big Momma decreases movement speed.
Basically, activating your action skill pulls out a giant gun. The skill technically doesn't have a cooldown, but ammo takes a while to replenish. The rockets will home in on enemies to an extent, as long as you point it in their general direction.
Trees
Make Her Proud
Focuses on explosive damage, Rocket Launchers, and improving Big Momma. The tree should play out like a heavy gunner.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Boom Goes The Dynamite! - Increases explosive damage per rank.
Teir 1 (5 ranks): Long Haul – Increases backpack space per rank.
-- This skill ins't a back-handed comment on backpack space or anything. While the extra space is nice in lower levels, it's also meant to synergize with the capstone in this tree.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): This Is My Shootin' Hand – The lower the accuracy of a weapon, the more damage per rank it does.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Slayer – Kill Skill. Increases Fire Rate and greatly increases projectile Velocity per rank.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Don't Make Momma Jealous – Increases Rocket Launcher and Big Momma ammo capicity per rank.
Tier 3 (1 rank): Five Finger Death Punch – Melee Override. Leap towards an enemy, smashing them and releasing an explosion. 15 second cooldown. While on cooldown, you perform regular melee attacks. Enemies killed in this explosion will drop Rocket Launcher ammo in addition to their regular drop.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): For Her Pleasure – Increases Reload Speed per rank and increases the chance to replenish Big Momma ammo per rank when picking up Rocket Launcher ammo.
Tier 4 (5 ranks): Nothin' Like A Momma's Love – Increases the percent of explosive damage and damage done by Big Momma that heals you per rank.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): Chain Smokin' – Enemies killed with explosive damage or by Big Momma, well...explode. Effect can occur multiple times. Increases explosion damage by rank.
Tier 6 (1 rank): Here's My Junk – Items marked as trash in your inventory are consumed by Big Momma instead of standard ammo and increase damage.
Keep It Simple Son
Focuses on doing damage with non-elemental guns and improving general combat. The overall design goal was to create something that feels very much like guerilla-style tactics and gameplay.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): White Noise – Increases non-elemental damage per rank.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Run N' Gun – Increases hip fire Accuracy and movement speed while aiming.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Turtle Up – Greatly improves Damage Resistance and Shield Recharge Delay while crouched.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Going Commando – Kill Skill. Killing an enemy with non-elemental damage improves your Gun Accuracy, Reload Speed, Fire Rate, and Weapon Recoil and greatly increases your Weapon Swap Speed, Damage Resistance, Melee Damage, and Grenade Damage.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Been Working Out – Increases your Movement Speed and Damage Resistance per rank while using Big Momma.
Tier 3 (1 ranks): This Is My Boomstick - Firing Big Momma near midgets sucks them up and fires them at the cost of no ammo. Also allows use of Big Momma in Fight For Your Life Mode.
"From Ash to ashes."
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Alpha And Omega – Increases damage per rank against enemies with health above 80% or below 20%.
Tier 4 (1 rank): Fudge! - Gain the ability to pick up enemy grenades and barrels and throw them at nearby enemies.
"Merry Christmas!"
Tier 4 (5 ranks): Equi, Equil - Balance, Just Balance – Doing non-elemental damage adds stacks of Balance. Each stack increases your Melee and Elemental Effect Damage as well as the Magazine and Fire Rate of non-elemental weapons per rank. Doing element damage consumes a stack of Balance. Max stack size: 25 stacks.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): Duck And Cover – Greatly increases Movement Speed while crouching or during Fight For Your Life mode and decreases enemies' awareness of you while crouched.
Tier 6 (1 rank): Elbow Grease – The first round in a magazine of a non-elemental weapon will slag an enemy.
Getting My Fix
Focuses on shock damage and stacks. The design goal of the tree is to give it the personality of a really bad electrician or mechanic, where things are slapped together, often fall apart, but they generally work better (barely).
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Shocker – Increases Shock damage per rank.
Static: Each time you shock an enemy, you gain a stack of Static. Each stack increases your Shock chance. With stacks of Static, firing with your shields down has a chance to shock you. Performing Melee attacks removes stacks of Static and releases a discharge. Max stack size: 100 stacks.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): We Have The Technology – Increases damage against armored units.
Also adds Static mechanic.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Razzle Dazzle – Each time you gain a stack of Static, you have a chance to gain an additional stack. This effect can occur multiple times in a row.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Twitchy – For each stack of Static, you gain an increase in Weapon Swap Speed and Movement Speed per rank.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Charge! - Kill Skill. Regenerate a percent of your shields and deal more Shock damage per each stack of Static per rank.
Tier 3 (1 rank): Resuscitate – Instantly revive someone at the cost of 50 stacks of Static. Additional stacks are consumed as extra Second Wind health.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Jury Rigged – Increases gun damage for each stack of Static per rank, but also increases the chance the gun jams when fired and you have to reload.
Tier 4 (1 rank): Look Towards The Light – Any Slag, Fire, or Corrosive weapon has a chance equal to its Elemental Effect Chance to also Shock an enemy. However, when shocking an enemy this way, there is an equal chance to shock yourself too.
"You can't help it."
Tier 4 (5 ranks): All Charged Up – Increases the regeneration rate of Big Momma ammo per stack of Static per rank.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): AC/DC – Increases the chance per rank to reflect enemy bullets while you have stacks of Static. Reflected damage is increased per stack of Static.
Skid the Trucker
Borderlands has lots of gun, but not a big @#$%in gun. Borderlands needs a big @#$%in gun. Meet Skid. Skid is Scooter and Ellie's long lost cousin that was abducted by aliens but managed to escape. As a result, he's deathly afraid of midgets because they remind him of aliens. He also cracks jokes he thinks are over-the-top hilarious – but they're usually horrible and lame.
Skill
Big Momma – Whip out Big Momma to shoot up to three rockets. Damage, Element Effect, and Fire Rate is based on your currently equipped grenade mod's total Damage, Element Effect, and Fuse Time. Activating your skill while Big Momma is out switches back to your equipped guns. Ammo replenishes over time and using Big Momma decreases movement speed.
Basically, activating your action skill pulls out a giant gun. The skill technically doesn't have a cooldown, but ammo takes a while to replenish. The rockets will home in on enemies to an extent, as long as you point it in their general direction.
Trees
Make Her Proud
Focuses on explosive damage, Rocket Launchers, and improving Big Momma. The tree should play out like a heavy gunner.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Boom Goes The Dynamite! - Increases explosive damage per rank.
Teir 1 (5 ranks): Long Haul – Increases backpack space per rank.
-- This skill ins't a back-handed comment on backpack space or anything. While the extra space is nice in lower levels, it's also meant to synergize with the capstone in this tree.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): This Is My Shootin' Hand – The lower the accuracy of a weapon, the more damage per rank it does.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Slayer – Kill Skill. Increases Fire Rate and greatly increases projectile Velocity per rank.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Don't Make Momma Jealous – Increases Rocket Launcher and Big Momma ammo capicity per rank.
Tier 3 (1 rank): Five Finger Death Punch – Melee Override. Leap towards an enemy, smashing them and releasing an explosion. 15 second cooldown. While on cooldown, you perform regular melee attacks. Enemies killed in this explosion will drop Rocket Launcher ammo in addition to their regular drop.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): For Her Pleasure – Increases Reload Speed per rank and increases the chance to replenish Big Momma ammo per rank when picking up Rocket Launcher ammo.
Tier 4 (5 ranks): Nothin' Like A Momma's Love – Increases the percent of explosive damage and damage done by Big Momma that heals you per rank.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): Chain Smokin' – Enemies killed with explosive damage or by Big Momma, well...explode. Effect can occur multiple times. Increases explosion damage by rank.
Tier 6 (1 rank): Here's My Junk – Items marked as trash in your inventory are consumed by Big Momma instead of standard ammo and increase damage.
Keep It Simple Son
Focuses on doing damage with non-elemental guns and improving general combat. The overall design goal was to create something that feels very much like guerilla-style tactics and gameplay.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): White Noise – Increases non-elemental damage per rank.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Run N' Gun – Increases hip fire Accuracy and movement speed while aiming.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Turtle Up – Greatly improves Damage Resistance and Shield Recharge Delay while crouched.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Going Commando – Kill Skill. Killing an enemy with non-elemental damage improves your Gun Accuracy, Reload Speed, Fire Rate, and Weapon Recoil and greatly increases your Weapon Swap Speed, Damage Resistance, Melee Damage, and Grenade Damage.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Been Working Out – Increases your Movement Speed and Damage Resistance per rank while using Big Momma.
Tier 3 (1 ranks): This Is My Boomstick - Firing Big Momma near midgets sucks them up and fires them at the cost of no ammo. Also allows use of Big Momma in Fight For Your Life Mode.
"From Ash to ashes."
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Alpha And Omega – Increases damage per rank against enemies with health above 80% or below 20%.
Tier 4 (1 rank): Fudge! - Gain the ability to pick up enemy grenades and barrels and throw them at nearby enemies.
"Merry Christmas!"
Tier 4 (5 ranks): Equi, Equil - Balance, Just Balance – Doing non-elemental damage adds stacks of Balance. Each stack increases your Melee and Elemental Effect Damage as well as the Magazine and Fire Rate of non-elemental weapons per rank. Doing element damage consumes a stack of Balance. Max stack size: 25 stacks.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): Duck And Cover – Greatly increases Movement Speed while crouching or during Fight For Your Life mode and decreases enemies' awareness of you while crouched.
Tier 6 (1 rank): Elbow Grease – The first round in a magazine of a non-elemental weapon will slag an enemy.
Getting My Fix
Focuses on shock damage and stacks. The design goal of the tree is to give it the personality of a really bad electrician or mechanic, where things are slapped together, often fall apart, but they generally work better (barely).
Tier 1 (5 ranks): Shocker – Increases Shock damage per rank.
Static: Each time you shock an enemy, you gain a stack of Static. Each stack increases your Shock chance. With stacks of Static, firing with your shields down has a chance to shock you. Performing Melee attacks removes stacks of Static and releases a discharge. Max stack size: 100 stacks.
Tier 1 (5 ranks): We Have The Technology – Increases damage against armored units.
Also adds Static mechanic.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Razzle Dazzle – Each time you gain a stack of Static, you have a chance to gain an additional stack. This effect can occur multiple times in a row.
Tier 2 (5 ranks): Twitchy – For each stack of Static, you gain an increase in Weapon Swap Speed and Movement Speed per rank.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Charge! - Kill Skill. Regenerate a percent of your shields and deal more Shock damage per each stack of Static per rank.
Tier 3 (1 rank): Resuscitate – Instantly revive someone at the cost of 50 stacks of Static. Additional stacks are consumed as extra Second Wind health.
Tier 3 (5 ranks): Jury Rigged – Increases gun damage for each stack of Static per rank, but also increases the chance the gun jams when fired and you have to reload.
Tier 4 (1 rank): Look Towards The Light – Any Slag, Fire, or Corrosive weapon has a chance equal to its Elemental Effect Chance to also Shock an enemy. However, when shocking an enemy this way, there is an equal chance to shock yourself too.
"You can't help it."
Tier 4 (5 ranks): All Charged Up – Increases the regeneration rate of Big Momma ammo per stack of Static per rank.
Tier 5 (5 ranks): AC/DC – Increases the chance per rank to reflect enemy bullets while you have stacks of Static. Reflected damage is increased per stack of Static.