All right, check it -- my BL2 buddy and I were talking back and forth over headsets while playing the other day, and he was like 'What would a combat mortician be like?' He was wondering this because he read this: INSIDE THE BOX.
So I thought about it, and BAM, here's the answer.
PADRE BALTAZAR
The good father came to Pandora to retrieve his brother, a Vault Hunter. Upon arriving at Pandora, however, he found the place was as bad as his brother said, and worse still. While he did get the chance to send his brother's remains (what little there were) home, he chose to stay and help the good (relatively speaking) people of Pandora. He wound up adopting a small community and serving as their spiritual center, and wound up wearing several other hats in town as well, including town mortician. Things came to a head for him the day the bandits came, in far greater strength than they once had. Things were looking bad for the people of his small town, and Baltazar was lined up for the chopping block with everyone else when he started praying extra double hard. He'd lost his faith's symbol in the initial attack -- he was instead holding the eridian artifact his brother died retrieving. Something in the artifact heard him, and a wave of power radiated outwards. The bandits fled in terror, permitting the people of to liberate weapons and mow them down. Realizing that there was significant power in eridian artifacts, Baltazar swore to his adopted town that he would return with the strength to protect them permanently.
Appearance: Basically, Borderlands does this guy. Hat's bigger, clothes are blacker, and facial hair is way more awesome. His brother's eridian artifact dangles about his neck.
Action Skill: PHOBOS WAVE
This is a nova-shield style burst that does moderate explosive damage and causes enemies hit with it to run away in fear. Bosses and those unable to run do not flee but take a damage penalty to their attacks (base 25%).
MIDDLE TREE: Eridian Apocrypha
All about making Phobos Wave cooler. Low levels give alternating bonuses (increased fire rate when it's on cooldown, increased reload speed when it's ready), Middle levels alter the stats (increases damage reduction for bosses/lengthens fear duration). The game-changers are the wave replenishing his shields (tier 3) and reloading all his guns, replenishing his grenade stock, and adding the fear effect to his grenades.
LEFT TREE: Combat Mortology
All about the kill skills. Low levels are minor bonuses (increased elemental chance, melee damage bonus), Middle levels are more robust (increased fire rate, increased crit damage). Game changers are 40% weapon swap speed all the time, 80% when magazine's empty, and he can throw grenades without an animation (doesn't have to stop firing to throw). Ultimate is that he regenerates rocket launcher ammo so long as a kill skill is active.
RIGHT TREE: Relic Hunting
All about passive bonuses, specifically those gained from picking up stuff. The low level skills grant him bonuses based on what he picked up most recently (last picked up a grenade/grenade mod? Decreased fuse time! Last picked up money? Better chance of rare loot!). Middle skills are bonuses based on how diverse his inventory is. Game changers are a damage bonuses based on how full his backpack is, and the ultimate is a low, all around bonus (like Duty Calls) to him based on how much Eridium he's carry.
There, how's that? Sound like fun?
So I thought about it, and BAM, here's the answer.
PADRE BALTAZAR
The good father came to Pandora to retrieve his brother, a Vault Hunter. Upon arriving at Pandora, however, he found the place was as bad as his brother said, and worse still. While he did get the chance to send his brother's remains (what little there were) home, he chose to stay and help the good (relatively speaking) people of Pandora. He wound up adopting a small community and serving as their spiritual center, and wound up wearing several other hats in town as well, including town mortician. Things came to a head for him the day the bandits came, in far greater strength than they once had. Things were looking bad for the people of his small town, and Baltazar was lined up for the chopping block with everyone else when he started praying extra double hard. He'd lost his faith's symbol in the initial attack -- he was instead holding the eridian artifact his brother died retrieving. Something in the artifact heard him, and a wave of power radiated outwards. The bandits fled in terror, permitting the people of to liberate weapons and mow them down. Realizing that there was significant power in eridian artifacts, Baltazar swore to his adopted town that he would return with the strength to protect them permanently.
Appearance: Basically, Borderlands does this guy. Hat's bigger, clothes are blacker, and facial hair is way more awesome. His brother's eridian artifact dangles about his neck.
Action Skill: PHOBOS WAVE
This is a nova-shield style burst that does moderate explosive damage and causes enemies hit with it to run away in fear. Bosses and those unable to run do not flee but take a damage penalty to their attacks (base 25%).
MIDDLE TREE: Eridian Apocrypha
All about making Phobos Wave cooler. Low levels give alternating bonuses (increased fire rate when it's on cooldown, increased reload speed when it's ready), Middle levels alter the stats (increases damage reduction for bosses/lengthens fear duration). The game-changers are the wave replenishing his shields (tier 3) and reloading all his guns, replenishing his grenade stock, and adding the fear effect to his grenades.
LEFT TREE: Combat Mortology
All about the kill skills. Low levels are minor bonuses (increased elemental chance, melee damage bonus), Middle levels are more robust (increased fire rate, increased crit damage). Game changers are 40% weapon swap speed all the time, 80% when magazine's empty, and he can throw grenades without an animation (doesn't have to stop firing to throw). Ultimate is that he regenerates rocket launcher ammo so long as a kill skill is active.
RIGHT TREE: Relic Hunting
All about passive bonuses, specifically those gained from picking up stuff. The low level skills grant him bonuses based on what he picked up most recently (last picked up a grenade/grenade mod? Decreased fuse time! Last picked up money? Better chance of rare loot!). Middle skills are bonuses based on how diverse his inventory is. Game changers are a damage bonuses based on how full his backpack is, and the ultimate is a low, all around bonus (like Duty Calls) to him based on how much Eridium he's carry.
There, how's that? Sound like fun?