Okay well the ghost of Rapid Strike has risen again to haunt us. Here's the current version of the skill:
During combat they initiate, the unit with this skill can choose to take a 20 hit penalty. By doing so they gain a second attack if they were not able to make one already, as if they were doubling the enemy. This does not effect the target's capacity to double attack this unit.
The skill in this current form does have some drawbacks. If you're already doubling an opponent, you essentially do not have a skill, which can deincentivize speed growth. Also its kind of clunky and inelegant in how the skill works. A couple reworked versions were proposed today.
Alpha: -20 hit on all attacks allows the unit to make an additional attack. This additional attack would do half DAM. This version produces 1.5x DAM compared to not using the skill if the pirate is only capable of a single attack, 2.5x if they double. These calculations assume the pirate does not hit or crit, incidentally.
Beta: The unit takes -15 hit and a 3/4 DAM penalty on attacks they make, and gains one additional attack. This version produces 1.5x DAM on a single attack, and 2.25x DAM on a double.
Either of these options are simpler to implement than the current Rapid Strike. I was a little reluctant at first but the more I considered it the more I liked the idea of version Beta, but that's just, like, my opinion man.
Either of these skills mean that the Pirate is going to burn through their weapons faster and get less value per attack than if they were not using it, but that's another factor to the cost of the skill, the other factors being the hit penalty and damage reductions.
The other skill coming up for discussion is the new Mage skill for the new age, Arcane Barrier.
Alpha Version comes down to thus: The unit with this skill may use their action to expend a QL from an anima tome in exchange for a beneficial effect. This effect lasts until the unit uses this skill again, overwriting the previous buff, is reduced to zero hit points which removes the effect, or is subjected to an effect that would strip buffs from the unit.
Fire tomes grant DEF, Thunder tomes grant RES, Wind tomes grant DR (or eva, this is still under discussion). The exact bonus is based on tome rank.
E and D rank tomes provide a bonus of 1 (or 5 for eva), C and B rank tomes provide a bonus of 2 (or 10 for eva), and A and S rank tomes provide 3 (15 you get it)
The idea here is that the mage can use resources to set up a defensive boost that is capable of persisting for the entire battle if they let it. This is also why the bonus is relatively low, in order to restrict a skill with high uptime from overbalancing anything.
Beta version: arcane barrier: use your action and a ql from a tome to gain a MAG/2 shield with effects:
MT/2 DR if wind
MT retaliation damage for attacks if fire
MT*2 bonus evade if thunder
This is going to be tested in FEF3 according to Solymr. I don't have a lot to say about it right now.