Force Masters are ranged fighters that deal fire and ice damage to enemies from a distance. They wear a bangle around their wrist to allow them to cast. They can shoot off many different forms of abilities, ranging from fire explosions to Focus leeching techniques that deliver unavoidable attacks and grabs. Force Masters are the masters of control, and they can apply movement impairing effects to multiple enemies, allowing them to take on more than one foe at a time.
Force Masters play quite differently from the other classes in Blade & Soul. They are similar to the wizards and mages of traditional RPGs which have powerful elemental attacks from a distance, but low defense should the enemy close. Force Master combos don't chain very high like the other classes. Their skills are fairly simple, which places them in the "easy to control" group of classes. However, their lack of defense and low hit points make up for their ease of control. Force Masters have to be aware at all times—if they aren't, then they will find themselves dead within seconds.
This class can be played as three races: the Yun, the Gon, and the Lyn. The Jin are the only race unable to choose Force Master as a class.
Resource Mechanic
Force Masters use a resource called Focus to use their skills, represented by a series of circles beneath the HP bar. A Force Master has 10 units of Focus to spend. These will recover over time or by using certain skills that refill one's Focus.
Stances
Force Masters are always in one of two stances depending on what skills they use: Fire Mode or Frost Mode. Each stance has its own minor benefit to being in it, as well as skills that they can only use while in one or the other. For example, using Blazing Palm will switch you to Fire Mode, thus allowing you access to skills such as Blazing Wall and Short Fuse. Stances last ten seconds and are refreshed by using a skill that places you in a stance.
While in Fire Mode, you will automatically apply a stack of Ember to any enemy that delivers a critical hit to you.
While in Frost Mode, using a skill that would place you into Frost Mode (including the skill you used to change to Frost Mode) will give you a 10% buff to defense that lasts for five seconds.
Skills
The following list is incomplete.
Skill
Level
Focus
Range
Area
Cast Time
Cooldown
Prerequisites
Trainable
Blazing Palm
1
+1
16m
Target
Instant
Instant
Yes
Shoots a bolt of fire at the targeted enemy from a distance.
This ability stacks the Ember effect debuff on the enemy target, which you can stack up to five times. Ember lasts for 10 seconds, and its timer is reset each time you reapply the effect. These stacks can essentially be consumed by other skills such as Impact and Short Fuse to increase the damage those skills do.
Stance Change: Changes to Fire Mode
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Detonates on five Ember stacks. Secret: Creates one Flame Orbit on critical hits.
Stage 2: Does additional damage to Burning enemies and stacks more Ember on them.
Stage 3: Bounces between enemies within 8 meters and absorbs some damage dealt as HP. Secret: Recovers 5 Focus per enemy hit.
Barrage
10
-1
16m
Target
Instant
Instant
During Dash, Jump, or Glide skills
No
Fires three bolts that deal damage to a targeted enemy.
Skill
Level
Focus
Range
Area
Cast Time
Cooldown
Prerequisites
Trainable
Frost Palm
1
-2
16m
Target
Instant
Instant
Yes
Shoots an ice bolt at the targeted enemy from a distance.
This ability stacks the Chill effect debuff on the enemy target, which slows their movement speed for ten seconds. If you stack the Chill debuff three times, the stacks are removed and the enemy is afflicted with the Frozen status. You can stack two additional Chill debuffs after that.
Stage 2: Generates Frost Orbit on critical hit, doesn't increase Threat. Secret: Always critical hit Frozen enemies.
Skill
Level
Focus
Range
Area
Cast Time
Cooldown
Prerequisites
Trainable
Impact
1
0
Centered on Caster
2x10m
Instant
Instant
Yes
This skill deals direct damage to an area in front of you and has additional effects based on stacking debuffs already placed on the target.
For reach Ember stack on the target, this ability deals an additional flat amount of Explosion damage. After this is added, it does additional Flame damage based on how many Ember stacks are on the target past the first: 75% additional for 2 stacks, 100% additional for 3, 125% for 4, and 150% for 5. This is despite the tooltip claiming it does 75% additional damage.
If the enemy is currently in the Frozen state, Impact will knock them back five meters and stun them for one second. It then removes the Freeze state from the enemy. Using Impact in this way deals about five times the damage it normally would.
Both the additional damage from Ember stacks and the knockback/stun from the Frozen debuff can happen at the same time if the enemy has both.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Synergy with Frozen enemies (Focus recovery and HP absorption), short block to ranged attacks with Focus gains on block. Secret: Counters as well as blocks, does knockback on countered enemies.
Stage 2: Synergy with Ember stacks (Burn and explosion on 5), larger attack area. Secret: Additional damage.
Stage 3, Stage 4: See Force Blast.
Bolt Bash
4
-1
3m
Target
Instant
5sec.
During Phantom Grip
No
Deals a large amount of damage to a Phantom Gripped enemy. If the enemy is currently airborne, this doesn't cost any Focus.
Bolt Bash deals more damage the more Ember stacks the enemy has. (need more details: how? does it remove Ember stacks?)
Skill
Level
Focus
Range
Area
Cast Time
Cooldown
Prerequisites
Trainable
Dragonchar
1
-5
Centered on Caster
2x10m
Instant
Instant
Yes
Deals Flame damage in a rectangular area in front of you. Any enemies hit by it are given an Ember stack.
The skill also pierces Parry. If the enemy is currently afflicted with the Burning status, Dragonchar deals over double the Flame damage it normally would.
If an ally is in the area you use this skill on, cold-related status effects such as Chill and Freeze will be removed from them. (Unconfirmed: does it still deal damage to allies?)
Stance Change: Changes to Fire Mode
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Costs 2 less Focus, additional damage, wider range, additional Flame damage on CCed enemies. Mastery: Much more damage and boosts on additional usage.
Stage 2: (18sec cooldown) Costs 2 less Focus, Dazes and knocks back enemies. Volume 1: Pierces Defense instead of Parry.
Stage 3: See Blazing Beam.
Stage 4: See Ice Rain.
Blazing Beam
Dragonchar Tier 2
-2
16m
Target
Instant
Instant
Yes (Dragonchar)
Deals Flame damage to a target at range, afflicting them with 1 Ember stack. If the enemy is currently Burning, it deals a significant amount more Flame damage.
Upon upgrading, it will stack 2 Ember instead of 1 on a Burning enemy. The Mastery upgrade makes it so Blazing Beam generates a Flame Orbit upon dealing a critical hit.
Stance Change: Changes to Fire Mode
Ice Rain
Dragonchar Tier 2
-1
16m
Target
Instant
Instant
Yes (Dragonchar)
Deals Cold damage to a target at range. If you use it consecutively, it grows more powerful. (Unconfirmed: does it get faster like Sunder does?)
Upon upgrading, Ice Rain will deal over twice the normal Cold damage if the target is currently within range of Cold Snap. The Mastery upgrade makes Ice Rain recover 1 Focus on use while enemies are affected by Cold Snap.
Stance Change: Changes to Fire Mode
Phantom Push
4
0
3m
Target
Instant
5sec.
During Phantom Grip only
No
Inflicts damage to a Phantom Gripped enemy, knocks them back 15 meters, and knocks them down for 2 seconds.
Skill
Level
Focus
Range
Area
Cast Time
Cooldown
Prerequisites
Trainable
Dragonwhorl
4
+2
Centered on Caster
2x10m
Instant
24sec
Yes
Deals Cold damage in a rectangular area in front of you. Any enemies hit by it are Frozen for five seconds.
If an ally is in the area you use this skill on, heat-related status effects such as Ember and Burn will be removed from them. (Unconfirmed: does it still deal damage to allies?)
Upon upgrading, Dragonwhorl (and its other forms) will always generate a Frost Orbit on hit.
Stance Change: Changes to Frost Mode
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Absorbs all damage as HP and recovers Focus for each enemy hit, wider area. Undiscovered: Healing over time on critical hits.
Pulls a target in from a range and paralyzes them in the air in front of you for 4 seconds. It deals initial damage on use and more damage over time. The damage pierces the enemy's Defense.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Longer range and duration for longer cooldown, decreases Phantom Gripped enemy's Defense. Secret: Prevents enemies from using defense skills during Phantom Grip-related techniques.
Stage 2: Target a knocked-out ally to pull enemies, decreases Chi Recovery time needed for knocked-out allies. Secret: Creates a shield around allies using Chi Recovery.
Creates a fire wall on the ground that lasts five seconds and damages any enemy that steps into it.
If the enemy is farther away than 5 meters, Blazing Wall materializes two meters ahead of you; otherwise it comes right up on the enemy's current position. Using it during Phantom Grip puts it on top of the enemy as well.
Upon upgrading, Blazing Wall will stack Ember on every hit.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Detonates Ember stacks at 5, does additional damage on Phantom Gripped enemies.
A 1.5 second channel skill that afflicts a targeted enemy with Frost Prison. While affected by Frost Prison, the enemy cannot take any action, but they cannot be damaged. Lasts 8 seconds.
Frost Prison costs no Focus upon upgrading.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Chills after Frost Prison ends, affects area around target as well for longer cooldown.
Deals damage over time to a targeted enemy for five seconds. At the end of this 5 seconds, it will explode all Ember stacks and remove them from the target, regardless of whether they still had more time remaining. The more stacks are applied, the more damage it will do.
Upon upgrading, you'll stack an extra Ember if you land a critical hit on an enemy with Short Fuse on them.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Sacrifices the 5-second Ember explosion for double damage applied instantly, inflicting Deep Wound, recovering Focus over time, creating a Flame Orbit on hit, and being able to detonate it with Flame Reap instead. Undiscovered: Resets its own cooldown on critical hits.
Stage 2: Applies in an AOE around the targeted enemy and stacks extra Ember when detonated. Undiscovered: Can use 3 consecutive times, but not on the same enemy, for a longer cooldown.
Stage 1: Lower cooldown, creates three Flame Orbits on hit, doesn't increase Threat. Volume 2: Casts instantly without using Focus after getting a critical hit.
Stage 2: Instant cast for less base damage and additional damage per Ember stack and attack speed. Deals more extra if enemy is Stunned or Dazed. Secret: Always critical hits Stunned or Dazed enemies.
Stage 3: Deals half the damage, but to all enemies nearby (??), piercing Defense and stacking 5 Ember instantly, for a longer cooldown. Volume 2: Deals damage over time to enemies nearby instead of flat damage.
Deals Cold damage to an enemy from a distance. Upon upgrading, Snowball's cooldown goes down to 30 seconds.
Upgrades:
Stage 1: Does nearly twice the Cold damage to Frozen enemies, creates a Frost Orbit on hit, pierces Parry. Undiscovered: Cooldown resets on critical hits.
Stage 2: Halves damage in exchange for higher ranged attack speed, canceling the opponent's defensive skills, Freezing them, and making the skills unavailable for a while. Undiscovered: Dazes enemy.
During Fire Mode only, upon critical Fire Mode skill
Yes
Fires five bolts of fire at the enemy, piercing Parry and generating one Flame Orbit.
When upgraded, does more damage, stacks Ember on each hit, and deals bonus damage to Burning enemies. Undiscovered: On Critical 5 uses can be used again.