Caster buffs

[sonuvalich]

1) Make a Google account
2) Go to https://drive.google.com and log in to that account
3) On the left, click "Create" and select "Spreadsheet"
4) Make your spreadsheet same as you would in Excel
5) When done, you can choose to share it to everyone, to anyone with the link, or to certain Google accounts...I suggest using to anyone with link and post the link in the forums
6) Profit

[thaelis]

Lotus, I'd be delighted to compile a spreadsheet of which spells differ from Pathfinder.

I can't quite figure out how to make a Google document though. I think that would be best, since I don't have much experience with discrepancies in Divine spells, I'd need Kusco or someone to check and add to that part of it.

[Phantom Lamb]

If someone wants to work within Lotus' snarky parameters, they can use that thread as a starter.

[Lotus]

Oh, I'm not going to work out of a forum thread with assorted pieces of text useful, not useful, and completely unrelated. No, someone will create a concise, legible document or spreadsheet from which I will input changes.

Or someone will not, and I will do nothing at all.

[Phantom Lamb]

I hear ya, trying to steer it in a more actionable direction though.

[kuscotopia]

I think Kasso is referring to nerfed spells like Mage Armor and Shield of Faith.

We were riffing off of Kasso's second point (see: "additionally;").

[Phantom Lamb]

http://www.sundren.org/forum/showthr...=nerfed+spells

This was the beginnings of this effort a while back.

[Lotus]

Similarly, if one were to document discrepancies between PnP and NWN2 spells, I'd be more inclined to visit those spell scripts where possible.

[Lotus]

If someone wants to compile a document listing all of the spells with discrepancies between description and mechanics, I'll be glad to update the .tlk.

[Phantom Lamb]

I think Kasso is referring to nerfed spells like Mage Armor and Shield of Faith. I agree that SOME of them should be restored given the changes to the resting system, such as Shield of Faith duration. But it's not me making those changes, at least not on my list as a priority as of now.

What frustrates me more is the documentation of these changes. In most cases, spell descriptions were not changed to match the nerfs, making it harder to really track down what was changed and what wasn't. Funny, because we usually do very well documenting things here... *snicker*

[kuscotopia]

Hear, hear.

Burst of Glacial Wrath
It's a cone. Nuff said. It also can't actually kill people, lol.
Comparison: Meteor Swarm is pretty much better in every way. It has versatile casting options, a much larger range and a vastly larger AoE, and can actually kill people instead of just making them immune to your other spells.

Haha, yes. Despite the title, Burst of Glacial Wrath offers very little wrath. I have often wondered if it actually had more utility as a defensive spell for protecting low-level (N)PCs.

In addition, being the earthen sort, I would suggest improving of:

Earthquake/Bombardment: The damage output of both these spells are incredibly low and usually rendered useless by damage reduction. Furthermore, the knock down effects are neat but not overwhelmingly impressive. In my dream world, the damage cap would be increased to be at LEAST competitive with 7th level druid spells and the knockdown duration variable (extended earthquakes sound like my kind of party) and more competitive.

Crumble: Super specific (only affects constructs) and I feel as such it should be more potent to compensate. Either that, or elevate it to be an area of effect.

[thaelis]

I was thinking about resurrecting this topic then saw that Kasso already did!

Buffs+Missile Storms is virtually always the most viable combo. There are some other useful spells, granted, but offensive nukes are certainly not it.

I agree that most offensive spells should get a moderate damage boost (~25-33%), to compensate for everyone's max HP. And Missile storm should allow a Reflex save (possibly at -5 penalty or they might be a little weak)

I'm of the opinion that everything should allow saves. Otherwise you end up with the scenario where we only memorise the no-save spells as they seem overpowered. In fact they aren't, it's just that they have a 100% chance of success whereas everything else has 5% or 30% success rate depending on what you're fighting.

Also, some of the spells were weaker than PnP to begin with, like NWN2 Chain Lightning only doing 1/2 damage to secondary targets (does full damage in PnP). So you're getting double shafted. You do 35 damage instead of 70 and the enemy has 300hp instead of 200hp. You need 9 Chain Lightnings to kill them instead of 3 in PnP!!!

There are certainly very effective ways for Wizards to kill someone, but it isn't very fun repeatedly spamming the same combo, and it feels cheesy since most classes have no way to resist (yet another reason I'd prefer if everything allowed saves).

Of course, you guys probably have more important stuff to do. Like running events. And real life

*My 2 cents officially submitted*

Addendum: Healing magic could also do with a bit of a 'kick', to make it preferable to potions. Maybe a built in Lesser Vigor to lower level heal spells and Vigor to higher level ones.

[Rekov]

I wouldn't mind seeing some buffs to some ice evocation nukes. Ice Storm is obviously still amazing.

Dark Bolt
Pros: Half magic damage. No save for damage. Fort save for 1 round stun.
Cons: 1d8/2lvls (max 5d8). Requires ranged touch attack. Requires being in melee range.
Comparison: Fireburst's worst case scenario for damage is the same as Dark Bolt's best case. Fireburst has greater range, doesn't require a ranged touch, and can hit any number of targets instead of just one.

Cone of Cold
It's a cone. Nuff said. You have to be in melee range, and through the magic of NWN2, you'll hardly ever hit more than two people.
Comparison: Firebrand: Equivalent damage, but is much longer range and cannot damage allies. Cone of Cold is flat out worse.

Burst of Glacial Wrath
It's a cone. Nuff said. It also can't actually kill people, lol.
Comparison: Meteor Swarm is pretty much better in every way. It has versatile casting options, a much larger range and a vastly larger AoE, and can actually kill people instead of just making them immune to your other spells.

Also, and this might be my imagining, but it seems like a vastly disproportional amount of stuff is entirely immune to cold damage compared to the other elements. Will Sundren's campaign of flagrant religious persecution of its Aurilite players ever cease!?

[ManUtd4Ever]

Can we have these spells fixed back up to what they were?

I agree. I thought Phantom Lamb was looking at some of these a while back.

Cheers!

[Kaybrie]

The chief reason that many of spell-casters buffs were nerfed years back has been amended through accessible faction equipment and extensive buffs to fighty-classes.

Can we have these spells fixed back up to what they were?

Additionally; looking at some of the lesser used nukes/heals in the game that have faded into obscurity because throwing an unbuffed fighter at a horde is better then every offensive spell in a spell-casters arsenal. And every health-restoring spell save Heal, Regeneration, and Greater Restoration has only niche functions at best.

Edit; Unless the spell caster prepares Greater Missile storms in all spell slots, this spell maintains pretty good function as a nuke.