Opinion/suggestion

[Delfestra Ruinvorn]

Okay. I'd been gone for about three months, came back and many things had changed. And so I am writing my opinions/feedback while things are still fresh in my head.

<b>Thing one</b>: Starfire. Why was it changed to do less? I can understand that (if you're level 40) about 400 or so pts of damage unsaveable is huge - but it IS a super epic spell, that you need to spend three feats to be eligible to get, or use one book - meaning you can use no other books. It is also onec per day/rest.

I think it was best balanced as it was...

Especially when you take into consideration the paladin greater smite/radius thingy. That does the same if not MUCH MORE damage...of an equally exotic type...huge radius...no SR save...and it can be done what, 10 times more often per rest period? Costs one feat, that unlike epic illusion is useful for other things...so that every paladin ever born will absolutely take great smiting. Epic illusion, not so much.

Plus, you don't have to go find it in game, like starfire. You just get it for being a paladin.

True, there is a balance built in that it is only vs evil things...but STILL. 10x or more per rest, no additional hoops to jump through, and you're not forced to choose between great smiting and something else awesome, the way you are with super-epics.

When you compare those two skills side by side...nerfing/altering Starfire and having Great Smiting be so absurd...something's out of balance there.

<b>Thing Two</b>: Difficulty increases:
OK, we all know that with LLs coming in, there has to be rebalancing going on. We accept this, it makes sense.

But, instead of just making things more damaging and huge-er, and making it harder for people who aren't amateur monks to survive...how about this:

<u>Change various attack forms from reflex saves to non-reflex saves...fort or will? </u>

This would have the effect of reigning in dexers, reigning in the amateur monk society...making non-evasion characters more viable/surviable...and make things harder for most characters out there while not preventing non-evasion characters from having a chance in hell.

It would effectively increase difficulty by increasing damage output to the most powerful types, and at the same time doesn't screw non-monks. STR-builds would save more often, giving them a hand if it was a fort-save...and even rogues could shine a little if it was a will save with their slippery mind double-rolling.

It would also prevent evasion types with high saves from walking around immune to everything, which makes things too easy and is part of why you're having to rebalance.

<b>Thing Three</b>: Lloth.
I also understand the need to make her harder, but adding random drow to the room is...aesthetically lame. When I first fought Lloth...I was WOWed by walking into a room and seeing one little drow...that split and split and turned the room into utter chaos (12 splits my first time in the fight).

It was cool. It was amazing. It was aesthetically pleasing, and it felt "new".

Adding Drow makes the fight just feel like this epic battle on the road to immortality is just facing more of the same junk as I'd fought for an hour to get there. It subtracts from the coolness factor of the battle.

My suggestion? Take out the drow guards. They're useless anyway. To make it harder - add a script to Lloth that randomly insta-kills in a gruesome fashion one or two people *with the immortal tag* every so often.

Effect? Fight is cool looking, wow-factor for newer players is there...and yet the LL people are reigned in by ending up on the floor. Also it encourages people to take non-immortals, if the immortals just keep being turned into rugs.

And maybe up the middle split numbers - more spiders = more chaos, and she is a goddess of chaos. If the middle splits more but there are as many or less end splits...then loot saturation isn't increased, but wow factor and fight difficulty is nastier.

<b>Thing 4</b> Housekeeping:
A few random housekeeping things I've noted. Nothing major.
- Cleric belt +10...isn't cleric only, despite giving cleric spells. May be an oversite.

Xanthene rainment - cool name, no story? Out of character for the otherwise absolutely awesome flavor of the server!
Story = awesome, interesting, engaging - a puzzle to put together other than just bashing monsters aimlessly. (Call me crazy, I love the ssithrak reading material - I've got a full set of their story in the bank, along with my dachy backstory book and more!)

Delfestra's Midnight Merlot: I am absolutely flattered you took that and put it in after me! Watch me smile! =)
(could you please make its effect something, anything, other than effect:alchohol? Belching off of wine...is so gauche.)

Also - if you have time, could you make a random location teleportation script? I think it would be funny to write a wine for a 'porting Port. Since everyone uses the word "port" in place of teleport...I thought a Port that would 'port you would be hilariously silly. But we don't want it to be helpful like town port gems, just absurd.

Right - back to the flipside. Workworkwork!!

-D

[fusa]

Smites for a paladin is only 3 times per rest and only works against evil creatures, unless you are a blackguard. Also the area that targets isnt as large as starfire.

[Delfestra Ruinvorn]

...hmm, am I confused? Smite is not linked to charisma like turn undead? And great smiting doesn't add three on top of what they normally get? (My books are not here, so I can't refer to them).

Still...it is gross, unresistable, and multi use without having to quest for it or spend 3 feats that have no other real applicability.

Kinda silly to nerf Starfire, which is still a one shot per reset that takes more feats, or a book which precludes using another book, and has to be acquired in game.

[FunkySwerve]

A few interesting ideas in there, but you REALLY need to do your homework before posting something like this, or it's not particularly helpful to anyone.

A few points:
Re: smite - 1 time per day +2 if they take extra smiting. Only way to get it to do more damage is with extra feats which serve no other purpose, and you have to bump CHA some at the expense of STR or DEX. Check the Customization forum, all the details are there. Also, I'm reasonably sure that Starfire was never nerfed. Check the Server Update Archives in the Mod Update Info forum.

Reflex saves - there are a ton of non-reflex saves, ESPECIALLY in new areas, but reflex saves and higher ac are what dexers get for less damage. Have a poke around the desert and you'll see what I mean.

Xanthene raiment - NONE of the random loot has descriptions, save those submitted by players. Look in the random loot forum.

The merlot - Flattered? You put in a drink request, we do it for everyone. If you want a script attached to it, however, you have to do it yourself. Check the drink requests thread in the Drunken Monk forum, Baldy did this before he became a DM.

[Delfestra Ruinvorn]

Homework - so very true. Makes ones intelligence look like foolishness.

Smite - 3x per day does look a lot less insane than something powered off of turn undeads, plus it has the added bonus of only working vs evil (or good). Still, it was the contrast between the two that had me so up in flames originally.

As to Starfire, I didn't see anything listed to alter the spell...were monsters altered to better defend against it? It seemed to do less vs certain opponents...Dachy most obviously. It also did about half of expected damage against the new monsters in the desert, but since I'd never fought them before there was no comparison point. I'd thought it was a casualty of monster upgrading, but if the spell isn't different, perhaps monster stats are? (Or, I've been away 3 months and am missing something else)

Reflex saves - I *did* notice in the new areas I went into (Desert, from Vashyk ruins all the way through the furrows) that reflex was no longer the flavor of the day, which was really neat to watch all the 1 monk 39 something else level people become yoyos. Living Sand is now #1 on my grabby-hand list just to keep them away from me! (I love it! difficult but doable is fun!!). I also get a kick out of watching everyone else implode while I sit behind a Greater Spell Mantle or two. Of course, then monsters turn me to stone and beat me silly, so it all balances out in great fairness.

The other thing I love about the desert is the way the monsters have different 'weaknesses', so I have to really think about spell prep to take advantage of those defensive holes. It's most fun when monsters effected by different things are all in the same group. Less of a "oh just cast X and forget it"

But I am more talking about altering *existing* critters during your process of revamping existing monsters in the mod to compensate for LLs, like upping Lloth for example.

Altering the save type allows you to make an encounter harder for most people without making it impossible for non-LLs...and while Dexers will always have a higher reflex save, and thus MAKE more reflex saves...I'm more talking about reigning in the level 1 monk level 39 something else crowd - like 1 monk 1 pal 38 sorc...or 1 monk 4 pal 35 cleric...character builds which are not specialized as dex fighters and yet walk around totally fearless of things like dragon breath and exploding guardians and meteor swarms.

It seems to me that eeeeveryone puts 1 level into monk as a matter of course, which tells me that the balance is off in the favor of evasion/immunity to attacks with reflex save...which tells me that altering many of them would make encounters "harder" to most of the population without making them too hard to do without 1-monk characters.

Merlot - well, yes, flattered, because I've been on servers or around DMs before who didn't give a damn about doing something like this, and showing appreciation for your effort is a good thing! I am no ingrate, and you and your staff have done a wonderful job both with making a fun place and also being personable and involved...but not favoritist or clichy. A fine line to walk with ultimate power, and so it speaks well to the character of all the DMs that such fairness, objectivity, and yet personal attention around. It'd be easy to give your buds instant items of any kind they ask for, but you guys *don't* - and that makes the server a better place!!

I'll see about scripting...I can't script to save my life, but belching after wine is just so irritating to my sensibilities that I'll give it my best!

[hiryuu]

I haven't confirmed it, but the rumor is Dachy's reflex save was upped, so it's quite possible he's making the reflex save for half when he wasn't before. Same for the desert creatures.

[FunkySwerve]

All of Dachy's, Dusty's, and Ssssy'is' saves were upped awhile back, since they were WAY off due to field overwrap (they wrap to low values when they get too high). Should be just right now.
Funky

[doomsdaybringer]

[quote <b>Thing one</b>:
Especially when you take into consideration the paladin greater smite/radius thingy. That does the same if not MUCH MORE damage...of an equally exotic type...huge radius...no SR save...and it can be done what, 10 times more often per rest period? Costs one feat, that unlike epic illusion is useful for other things...so that every paladin ever born will absolutely take great smiting. Epic illusion, not so much.

-D[/quote]
............
Great smiting that does 400s*2 cost 11 feat and need 25 cha(without buff). And it only be used 3 time a day, so in the end ur build will have low st and ab because u would need at least put 5 point (most likely more since that you would need a sub race with +2 cha and put 16 point in to cha and left u with only 14 point in other state) in to cha and also 10 of the 11 feat u need is epic feat.

[Xcercs]

i agree great smite IS balanced .... u can only use 3 times a day and once that is done you are left with poor ab and next to no useable or effective feats ... even with taking the feats to grant gmw +13 ur ab will still be low ...

as for every1 ranting on that things are becomming unfair next time you log into HG read the yellow text ... it will tell you the server is considered to be in beta testing and thus all changes CANT BE COMPLAINED AT we are all classedc as beta testers and our input and ideas are much appreciated what the HG team dont want is people crying because the build they spent 3 monsth making becoimes useless because something has been changed ...

[Delfestra Ruinvorn]

xcercs said:

as for every1 ranting on that things are becomming unfair next time you log into HG read the yellow text ... it will tell you the server is considered to be in beta testing and thus all changes CANT BE COMPLAINED AT ..

I'm neither trying to rant nor complain. I am giving my feedback based on what I encounter, with my skillset and from my perspective of having been off for 3 months.

The DMs are free to ignore, take, alter, or do something else entirely with my opinions and ideas...I offer them when I perceive that something may not be having the effect they intended, or effecting the players they intended...and offering suggestions which may be a different way to meet goals they already have.

This is the best server I have ever played on, and I want it to continue to be so and even get better, if possible. Which is why I offer feedback.

If I was inclined to whine, bitch, and moan...I'd just not play and say nothing, instead of trying to warp my schedule around so as to find playing time while carrying two time-intensive jobs and RL obligations also.

If I was looking for personal power, I'd make tons of characters trying to get the build that crushes the game most, instead of staying with an "imperfect" build and making it work for fun and socialness.

So, I'd thank you to understand that I am trying to offer suggestions and opinions from my perspective...not rant, bitch, or complain about something being unfair.

[doomsdaybringer]

next time do ur homework first:P
ur "opinions" on those pally build are mostly untrue and seem real unfair for those who have one of them since those smit pally build do require some pre-planing