Cloak of Shadows (712)

Posted By Nilven

Comments and Questions by Desorceri  /  Eredhen

Another post by Nilven

From GSIV Preview

Posted by Nilven as an announcement on Sorcery changes.

(Sorcerer Discussion Board / January 13, 2003)

The following is just a design concept whose exact details have not been fully decided upon nor approved. The concept is a unique one and as such the parameters stated here will probably undergo a lot of change before they are complete. Originally, the concept was rejected because of various balance concerns. After explaining some of the restrictions I had in mind, the idea was able to get reserved support.

Note that because of this spell's unique position in the game, it's subject to much revision to get it right as well as completely being scrapped if we decide it's not a feasible project coding-wise or balance-wise. The latter option is just a worst case scenario type of thing if the spell proves too difficult to balance, I foresee the coding as doable, although quite complex and lengthy. I don't intend to just scrap a project after I and the rest of the team have put work into it.

As my posts in other areas of the boards have indicated, I'm not a big fan of conventional DS spells. There are only so many spells you can have that add +20 to DS without those spells becoming tiresome. 712 will hopefully be that kind of unconventional spell.

I don't really see DS or TD as a major problem of the sorcerer profession. What I do see as a problem of the sorcerer profession is that if a sorcerer gets hit even for a minor amount of damage or a small stun, it'll usually result in death. If a sorcerer is incapacitated, he'll usually die. In a good number of areas (for example), if a sorcerer gets call-winded, or to a lesser extent just stunned for 2 or 3 rounds, he's minced meat. Most sorcerers can often survive the first, and most times even the second hit, but anything past that and they'll be spending lunch at Lorminstra's place.

Cloak of Shadows is probably going to have a retributory aspect added to the spell. It will be a backlash type of spell, except it won't backlash damage, it'll backlash spells. This concept was originally inspired by Romulus's defensive maelstrom idea. In short, he had the idea that a maelstrom could be cast by a sorcerer to surround himself and anything trying to attack him would be injured.

Cloak of Shadows will help to alleviate that issue above somewhat, by acting as a retributory spell shield. Now, that probably doesn't make much sense yet, so keep reading.

A sorcerer will cast CoS and he will then select what sorcerer-list spell he wants to use as his retributory spell. This won't be a constant, the sorcerer can choose a different spell every time he casts 712. The way in which this selection will be made has not yet been decided, it may be done by casting that spell immediately after activating the 712 spell shield, or we may utilize some verb like CHANT or a verb that we create for this purpose.

Now, the sorcerer has his spell shield active and goes out hunting. He's minding his own business when a big bad tsark swings at him, and misses. This will NOT activate the spell shield. It's supposed to be a retributory type of spell and misses will not do anything special.

However, lets say the tsark hits the sorcerer and stuns him for 4 rounds. The spell shield will then activate, and cast whatever retributory spell the sorcerer has selected on the tsark, using a normal CS/TD warding roll. Basically, what this spell has just done is it has allowed the sorcerer to cast a spell at the tsark after being incapacitated. It'll allow one spell "lash" per hit that the sorcerer sustains. There will be strategy involved in choosing which spell you want to store for your retributory hit based on the area you're hunting.

Not sure you can kill the thing with MD or DC? Try torment if you're willing to use it while stunned, that way the thing will be dead or you'll be dead but the latter is probably likely anyway if you don't kill it.

Don't want to use Torment? Use Mind Jolt to incapacitate it.

Is it an area that swarms a lot and incapacitating one creature won't do you any good? Try using Quake.

As you can see the options that this aspect of the spell will provide will be varied. There will likely be some restrictions on what spells can be used and how they can be used. For example, I don't see you being able to aim a limb disrupt on a spell lash, it's something I see as more reflexive than controlled.

The spell will still drain mana when cast from the shield, and the shield will probably require intermittent infusion of mana into the shield to keep it running. There are couple of other modifiers I'm thinking of that I'm not ready to discuss yet.

Finally, don't expect this any earlier than mandatory reallocation at the earliest. As has been indicated, and as many of you have surmised, there's something rather big related to mandatory reallocation. To release something so new prior to that would be shortsighted, even if it was ready, which it isn't, in fact coding has not yet begun on this project.

And lastly, recall that nothing here is written in stone, mostly it's written in sand for the time being. Please, I'd rather not see sorcerers posting the following two days from now: "Nilven posted that we'll definitely get such and such" or "Where's the retributory aspect of CoS, I thought it was coded already." If that becomes the case, expect me to be much more tightlipped about our plans in the future.

Comments, thoughts? Post them in the Sorcery Spell folder.

Nilven

Comments and Questions by Desorceri, January 14, 2003

I think this is a great spell idea.

The idea of feeding it mana to keep the counter-attack spell running sounds a bit "bard song-like" if not laborious. In such cases, can the drain be automatic or shall we all be making a script/macro? While creating the code to choose the counter spell, can you also create an on/off code for the spell?

Since this is a counter-attack and basically a "last effort" spell, can some skills or stats be applied to help increase the effectiveness of the spell? (i.e. a fraction of spell aiming, dex bonus, wisdom bonus, discipline bonus (force of will), or combination of skills/stats can be added to the CS)

Or if we don't want the spell to be affected by stat/skill bonus, perhaps it can be like sacrifice and only give that powerful counter-attack once every 20 minutes.

Would only attack spells be allowed as the back-lash or perhaps say 108 or 130?

If only attack spells are allowed, would they only be from the 700 list or 400/100 too?

How high up the 700 list would be allowed? 20? 50? 75? 99?

And lastly, how would this affect other players?

Steven/Desorceri

Comments and Questions by Eredhen, January 14, 2003

Nilven,

 I very much like the idea. I was hoping that this type of thing was what you were talking about when you mentioned that there would possibly be more to the spell. It reminds me of both the defensive maelstrom and the nethershield.

 I understand that the entire thing is tentative, but I have one concern - that being the use of mana at the point of strike.

 We have already fed mana into the CoS to designate the retributive spell. This 'sets up' the strike. We must also feed mana into the CoS to keep the retributive spell active. I can understand both of these as it takes mana to designate the spell, and mana to keep the full power of the retributive strike. In each of these cases I have control of the mana flow and can decide when and if to infuse more mana into the spell.

 However, if I am stunned and the spell strikes, it will attempt to use my mana for the strike. If I have a great deal of mana still that's no problem. If I don't have enough my nerves are fried. Second shot comes around and I'm toast anyway because of nerve damage - exactly what I was trying to prevent by using the spell.

 If mana has been infused to start the spell, and mana has been infused to keep it active, why must it draw more mana at strike?

 Would it be possible to set up a 'pool' (limited by certain factors) that the strikes could draw from first? When we first designate the retributive spell we cast the spell and set up a mana pool. This pool starts out with as much mana as the spell set as the strike spell, but can hold more mana than just that amount, based upon or limited by certain factors. This pool slowly drains over time, requiring the infusing of more mana into the pool to keep the spell active. Mana for all strikes are drawn from this pool. If the pool falls below the amount needed for the spell it would either not strike or draw mana from us (however the spell is set up). If it falls to zero the retributive spell ends.

 We would also need a way to assess the mana pool - how much can this one hold, how full is it, do I need to recharge it now... etc. It would also be nice to be able to drain the pool at will, or change the retributive spell as desired.

 Eredhen

Posted by Nilven, January 15, 2003

Area effect spells like FI and FM won't be focusable so I don't think we'll be including them as usable with the spell shield. I'm not sure yet on non-sorcerer list spells (like 410) being utilized in the spell shield.

Nilven

From Changes to Existing Spells
under the GSIV preview pages

712 Cloak of Shadows
This spell will retain its defensive capabilities, but will have an added retribution effect. If a sorcerer casts this spell at herself and CHANTs the number of an appropriate spell (see table below), the spell will be cast at the target if the sorcerer endures a physical attack.