Emergent Darkness - A Collection Of DBD Perk Ideas

TankMagnet

(This Perk Idea thread was previously posted on the Steam Discussion Dead By Daylight Forums, on Sept 19, 2017, and I am now moving it to the new, dedicated, Dead By Daylight Forums. I have revised a few of the perks contained within to either fit better with the current game environment or to better describe specific interactions appropriate to them, but the thread is otherwise identical to its original iteration.)

Howdy my fellow survivors, or brutal killers. Yup, me again, coming your way with more custom Killer and Survivor Perk ideas.

Firstly though, let's get ye olde disclaimer out of the way.

The following is a **Wall Of Text**. If that's not really your thing then this may not be the topic for you, but thank you for your interest regardless.

Contained within are my personal ideas. These should not be taken as legitimate patch notes or as an official announcement in any way. Claiming this is in any way a legitimate announcement will result in the entity trolling you with bad perks.

By Reading this sentence you agree to post in a sane manner, and with positive criticisms and opinions... And please try to keep the trolling to a minimum. (I'm not as delusional as to believe there won't be trolling.)

On today's menu, we have Three Killer and Three Survivor Perks, all carefully crafted with explanations of their general use, and what the notable advantages and disadvantages of using each Perk are.

With that covered, let us dive right into the perks. As always I have endeavoured to attempt to make these perks as balanced as possible, but naturally that's why I need your help! Here we go with...

Killer Perks:

Well of Fury:

"The beasts dislike failing their master, and each successful escape seems to serve merely to drive them to ever more brutal acts."

For each successful Escape from your grasp, gain a Stack of Fury, increasing your movement speed when carrying a survivor by 1%/2%/3%, and pick up speed by 2%/3%/4%. 

Should a Survivor escape your grasp when you have 5 Stacks of Fury, Your successful attacks will Do Nothing/Inflict the Hindered Effect/Allow You To Kill One Survivor by your own Hand (provided they have been hooked at least once). 

Killing A Survivor in this Fashion will Disable Well of Fury for 120 Seconds, and Hooking a Survivor will remove 4/3/2 Stacks of Fury.

An Anti-Rescue Perk that gains power as your attempts to hook a Survivor are countered. Flashlight saves and bodyblocking will still be useful, however, over-use could cost a teammate their life if you aren't careful. Killers seeking to effectively use this Perk may desire to "allow" a survivor to escape their grasp, so as to build/retain Fury Stacks. 

The Kill effect obeys normal Memento Mori Rules, and as such requires a victim to have been hooked at least once, but is available once 5 Stacks are earned, even if you drop below 5 before using it.

Perk Advantages:

• Boosted Carry mobility and pickup speed make rescues difficult
• Powerful synergy with Agitation
• Allowing Fury to stack can make for a Painful Surprise for survivors

Perk Disadvantages:

• Effect does nothing if you already consistently reach hooks with victims
• Perk requires careful management to get full effectiveness
• Loss of Perk from Mori effect means long periods without any benefit
• Difficult to stack Fury if Survivors are skilled at evading you

Primal Hunt:

"They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I wish that were the case here, but unfortunately, these beasts have picked up a new trick, and it is dangerous. Watch your surroundings, they could be anywhere."

Unlocks the Hunt Ability.

By using the Action Button, A Killer may enter Hunting Mode for as long as the button is held. Hunt reduces your Terror radius down to 50%/35%/20% of normal over 3 Seconds, which it stays at until you cease Hunting/Stalking, and reduces your movement speed down to 80%/70%/60% of Base Movement Speed. 

If you possess the Stalk Ability, Then Apply Stalk's movement Speed instead, and then increase your movement speed by 3%/4%/5% while Stalking. 

Effects that rely on your Terror Radius function as though you have your natural Terror Radius while Hunting/Stalking. If you are Stealthy (from a perk such as Insidious or other means), retain its effect for 1/2/3 Seconds if you use Hunt/Stalk to move, and Stealthy is lost if you cease using Hunt/Stalk.

Allows for killer gameplay styles built around surprise and ambush, in exchange for mobility and map presence. Combos well with perks like Insidious and Monitor and Abuse, as you can set up ambushes that are more effective with naturally smaller Terror radius killers. 

Also combos well with perks that rely on Terror radius, allowing them to be used to facilitate earning additional time. Smart Survivors can however take advantage of this to potentially get more work done if they spot your trap before you can pounce. 

Base Movement Speed is the Movement Speed of the Original Killers, so naturally slower killers will be punished less severely by the Speed penalty.

Perk Advantages:

• Allows for Stealthier, ambush-oriented gameplay
• Combos effectively with stealth perks and Terror Radius perks
• Effect has no penalties if used on Michael Myers, who is naturally experienced in this style of play
• Allows for Mindgames when Patrolling Generators

Perk Disadvantages:

• Proper Utilization involves sacrificing precious time and map presence
• Keen eyed and eared survivors may spot you and ruin your ambush
• Speed Penalty if used on fast killers or killers other than Michael Myers is fairly drastic
• Perk provides no active benefits when not in use

Eternal Hex: Corrupting Influence:

"This affliction twists and turns, debilitating and horrific, in many different manners, much like the sinister fog from whence it came."

An Eternal Hex Rooting its power on Fear.

Draws out the innate connection to the Entity to afflict 2/3/4 Survivors with Twisting Affliction, which causes survivors to randomly suffer from the effects of one of the following Perks or Status Effects, rotating every 30 seconds, at 25%/30%/35% of it's Maximum effectiveness for 10/15/20 Seconds:

• Rank 1: Unnerving Presence, Sloppy Butcher, Blindness
• Rank 2: Adds Overwhelming Presence and Knock Out to the pool
• Rank 3: Adds Mangled and Ruin (affects the survivor only) to the pool

Hex has Dark Protection until the Killer injures 2 or Hooks 1/Injures 4 or Hooks 2/Injures 6 or Hooks 2 of the afflicted survivors at least once in a match, preventing the totem from being cleansed until this effect is lost. Effects increase in intensity by 5%/10%/15%, and rotate 5 seconds faster when the Totems protection is lost.

A new type of hex promoting a very different style of play. Eternal Hexes begin the match safe from being cleansed, but weak, similar to a normal perk, requiring keen eyed survivors to make note of the totem in order to return later. 

Allows for lower pressure killers to apply some map Pressure, however caution is necessary, as your actions as a killer will ultimately determine when the totem becomes vulnerable. 

If you need more pressure, intentionally losing the protection will intensify the effects, making the Totems effects strong enough to be debilitating in exchange for risking the totem. Ultimately the totem will become vulnerable through standard play, but the protection effect lets it have a presence initially.

Perk Advantages:

• Allows for persistent interference and pressure on low pressure killers
• Effects are all beneficial during a match
• Protection effect lasts until you decide to lose it
• Totem is guaranteed to get some use over the course of a match
• Killer has control over when totem becomes vulnerable

Perk Disadvantages:

• Careful management of survivors is required to keep it safe, lest protection be lost unintentionally
• Totem effects are not particularly powerful until protection is lost
• Survivors may intentionally put you in situations where you will break totem protection (ie. hook rescue situations)
• Afflictions are rolled randomly, so overall effectiveness will vary significantly

Survivor Perks:

Scamper:

"I won't go! I won't let you take me. Forget dignity, forget honour, forget all of it. Right now, all I care about is surviving! Defeating you!"

Unlocks the Scamper ability.

When in a Locker, press the action button to prepare to Scamper Out. When the killer begins to open your Locker, Succeed an Extremely Difficult/Challenging/Difficult Skill Check. 

If successful, dash past the killer, stunning them for 1/1.5/2 Seconds, and gaining 2%/3%/4% Movement Speed for 10 Seconds. Each time a Scamper check is attempted, the Skill Check gets 25% harder to succeed at, and Scamper can be used a maximum of Four/Four/Four, plus one additional time at its default difficulty when the exit gates are powered, times in a Single Trial. Causes Exhaustion for 40/30/20 Seconds.

An exhaustion Perk that allows for high risk high reward gameplay in a chase, using lockers as chase breakers to attempt to extend the duration of a chase, or allowing a last ditch effort to escape if discovered by the killer and forced to hide in a locker. 

Combos with other Exhaustion perks due to its low Exhaustion timer, but also has a hard limit on how many uses it can get. Perks to improve Skill Check zones will combo very effectively with Scamper.

Perk Advantages:

• Combos well with other Exhaustion perks and High risk high reward perks
• Allows Lockers to have a use during chases other than avoiding attacks
• Rewards players who have good reflexes
• Combos very well with perks that improve Skill checks
• Max rank allows for use as late game escape tool

Perk Disadvantages:

• Provides no statistical benefits when not in use
• Failing a Skill Check will result in being caught by the killer
• Skill check window is very tight
• Limited use
• Vulnerable to effects that affect Skill checks
• High Risk, High Reward means margin for error is slim

Diversity:

"Look, I know we are all different, from different places, countries, probably even times, but it doesn't matter anymore. We live together or die together. Are you with me?"

You naturally are skilled at bringing people of completely different backgrounds together into an efficient team. 

For every 4/3/2 Unique Perks (Perks you do not also have equipped) your teammates have equipped, grant all Survivors a 2% bonus to all Interaction speeds and any item efficiency. 

If you are sacrificed then your teammates will gain the maximum possible effect of the Perk for 10/15/20 Seconds, before losing the perks benefits, unless another player is using Diversity. 

Only one instance of Diversity may affect a survivor at any time, and the highest rank will take precedence when multiple instances of the Perk are present.

A Perk that encourages, as the name suggests, loadout diversity. Assigning roles to each teammate can lead to everyone performing any action much faster, while encouraging team play as each person can cover for shortcomings of other teammates. 

Combos well with other perks that improve your own or your teammates ability to perform actions. Bringing an extra copy of Diversity can allow for constant effect while also granting a powerful boost if one of the users is sacrificed.

Perk Advantages:

• Promotes Build Diversity amongst team
• Powerful Effect that gets stronger the more unique perks your team has
• Survivors with empty/no perks count as having unique perks
• Effect benefits team further if you are sacrificed

Perk Disadvantages:

• Teammates may have Perk synergies that rely on shared perks
• Effectiveness dependant on teammates loadout
• More than one copy of the effect does nothing until one of the players is sacrificed 
• Specializing in one area means sacrificing abilities in other areas

Sound Mind:

"My friends always told Me I was good at keeping a level head. If only they knew how important that little quirk of mine has become..."

You are adept at keeping your cool in tense situations. Reduce the effect of any Killer Perk that affects you within their Terror Radius by 10%/15%/20%. 

Additionally, You Recover from Status Effects and Passive Effects (Such as Madness) 3%/6%/9% Faster and reduce the Remaining duration of Exhaustion by 6/8/10 Seconds when hit by the killer in a Chase.

A utility Perk that allows one to mitigate, but not completely counter, many different effects. Terror radius perks are very potent, and this can offset them, and reduced madness buildup can allow oneself to stay stealthy longer. Reduction on Exhaustion during a chase can also allow for more intermixing of different Exhaustion perks.

Perk Advantages:

• Counterplay against Terror Radius Perks
• Aids in Stealth Gameplay styles vs Killers who rely on Passive/Terror Radius Effects
• Allows for synergistic combinations of Exhaustion perks or more rapid use of a single Exhaustion Perk
• Covers many bases in a Single Perk

Perk Disadvantages:

• Jack of All Trades, Master of None Perk means effects are noticeable but not significantly strong compared to specialized perks
• Each effect can potentially be useless or incredibly helpful on a per-match basis
• Provides benefits that aren't necessarily essential if you are skilled enough
• Effects have no notable benefits outside of Chases or the Killers Terror Radius

There you have it folks! Three Killer and Survivor perks, with unique mechanics and interactions with other perks!

What did you like? What did you Dislike? What would you Add? Remove Entirely? I look forward to your positive comments and critiques and as always... Happy Hunting Killers, and I'll see you by the Campfire Survivors. Hopefully none of us will be... Dead By Daylight.