Second Ability of the Thrown Weapons. As of 1.0.10 the thrown weapons has been really really good to me. I murder things with little thrown items. Amazing damage. But then there is this ability "Monster Toss" and I don't know how to use it right. You would think that you could toss one monster at another monster (maybe randomly grabbing a monster in melee range). Instead it doesn't seem to work like that. (using it next to monsters in melee range does use the ability but little else happens, maybe minor damage. As far as I can tell, clicking on it and then activating it on a monster causes a Melee weapon animation, and hits the monster, regardless of distance. Sometimes the monster is knocked back one square and it doesn't look like they get a move that turn... not quite sure. It does practically no damage and gets no benefits from multipliers or anything else. What am I missing here? How is this ability supposed to be used? I use it all the time, trying new things, but can't find anything here or elsewhere explaining it.
Monster Toss is an ability designed to allow a ranged character to move monsters in melee with him/her out of melee and into throwing range. It functions exactly as you have described. Use it on a character adjacent to you, they take melee damage and are knocked back (unless the resist the effect, which happens.) It's not very useful unless you have a decent melee power.
It's a shame the knockback effect is completely unreliable. The devs tried to make it better by adding a second knockback effect in the latest update. Even with two separate knockbacks you still often end up with the monster staying exactly where it started. On a 32 turn cooldown it's pretty much useless. Not surprising considering both it and the Fleshbore proc abilities were "thrown" in as easy substitutes for cooler stuff because of time constraints.
I agree here. I think the cooldown is the biggest thing...why is it so long when Unarmed gets two knockbacks with 6 and 11 12 turn cools? And Psionics has an almost free one with 0 cooldown?
It has two knockbacks? I had no idea. Why are you allowed to use it on monsters that are far away? Well thanks for the info. I might have to remove it from my bar. If the Devs get around to it. I would suggest simply allowing you to activate it and click on target location or monster and then it randomly grabbing a monster within melee range and tossing them to that location (or until it collides with some other object). If it hits another monster that one would take standard throwing damage.
I think the Thrown Weapons tree needs work all around. Monster toss should act as a melee-range knockback in NESW directions from player only, with the number of tiles the monster is thrown being determined by somehow. If there is a monster on the tile the thrown monster would have landed on, the thrown monster bounces off and lands on the nearest empty tile. Whether the thrown monster hits another or not, it takes a small amount of determined by when it reaches the end of its flight. If it hits another monster the hit monster takes that same amount of damage too. (Should be a relatively small amount of damage, this isn't a "damage" skill) The capstone should make it so that all "retrievable" throwing weapons (i.e. not bombs, flasks or puffballs) can ricochet off the first target and strike another monster in first target's immediate proximity for the same amount of damage, and any effects that were applicable (not necessarily actually applied though) to the first target are applicable to the second as well (such as the fleshbore from Australian Technique). Also, there needs to be a activated thrown skill that puts a monster's eye out. Seriously. Large penalty to and (if an enemy's reaches a certain low level it should make them effectively totally blind and you should be invisible to them, they should also be incapable of using skills that require a specific target, including resurrection skills.) and a chance of paralysis/stun. EDIT: Crossposting in Suggestions
