This is misleading. While your point that neg inflict won't work on a fair number of creatures, neither would the lost eles on a fair number. It's still an offsetting benefit.
I was under the impression that the neg inflict was added to offset the lost elements and keep lash power relatively even - but when it doesn't work, it doesn't offset. Is this wrong?
Hell definitely - but for Ely and Abos, its next to worthless. Abyss, I'm not yet sure. So many critter types, and I don't yet know if X monster is Outsider + Animal, or Outside + Undead, for example. So I'm not in a good position to say for Abyss. But for Ely and Abos...not so much. And a good chunk of Malbolge.
True. I just didn't want the argument of "PMs have the same problem, so don't adjust anything because its the same" to get any further.
Probably. But I wanted to try and explain *why* it was too few.
At max, a double demi lash with 20
base wisdom will have 4 level 4s. My old FA lash had 20 base from 2x on up. I'm pretty sure my Pharlan lash had 18 base when I reinced into Pharlan. Still, 4 level 4s. My BG and BK both had...4 level 4s. Crit immunity's too important to sacrifice any of those as FoMs, and now FoM's one of those spells you need to have up to avoid X status effect...so there you go.
I'd be happy with 55%, honestly. My own self-only buff should equal what the bard can hand out, else why have it?
Even in a party server, some classes should be able to take care of themselves, else why give them the skill? Its a class benefit to be able to OMG DIED rebuff without having another class do it - in case said other class is busy, in limbo etc.
And there is a point when too many buffs to hand out severely slows the party down, forces extra rests, and compels people to change their gear setups. I mean, with breachable crit immune, it means that I have to wear breach and mord immunity wherever I can, I can get screwed by mass mords, and MSD. If I am a party buffer - like my cleric, for instance, I don't want to waste my time buffing tanks that are not protected...because after the first spawn, their buffs are gone to glab mord or corney breach, and I've wasted my time and slots, and the party's time holding still to buff 4-8 people.
Self buffs, well, you protect yourself or you don't, and you're responsible.
But, generally speaking, I personally feel that if a class has something as an in-class skill or spell, it should work well - and if its
self only (like lash conceal is) then it should be better than or at least equal to the mass party buffs that everyone's going to get just by standing close while the druid/ranger/cleric does their buff cycle.
Otherwise, why bother having it? Why put in the work to mod it especially for lashes if its worse than what an absent minded druid casts when they rest?
Probably. I play with the log off, for lag. But I'm not basing my character around one zone. I'm building a character I can take to ANY zone. Obviously I'll be stronger in some areas than others - but as long as I can do my job and contribute, I'm happy. You need listen for high conceal monsters, period. If you don't have it as a tank, go reinc.
Same with Concentration. If you don't have 70+ then go reincarnate. Because you'll hit that conc check for daze or disarm, and you might be curse-songed (abo, hell, abyss all have that) or there may be a bunch of thrushes (dc 75 with a decent flock).
Especially around disarm checks - because if you get disarmed as a tank, you are now forcing the cleric to waste rests for a new IOF, or you are doing your windmill impression and failing to do damage with no GMW at all. That makes you a party liability.
Or, if you're a smart lash, you have +14 selfcast bladethirst...and can get back in the game. But even then you'll have to do 1 weapon per rest, because whips cannot be dualwielded, it makes it harder to have multiple weapons with good GMW - and having multiple weapons is now mandatory.
I'd support max-feat bladethirst becoming +15 for that reason.
Yeah. Trying to combine monster weaknesses with avoiding monster heal elements is very, very hard. I admit the recent pit fiend change has made me quite angry, because my anti-PF/Maleb swords are Acid/Cold/Sonic/Div/Neg/Pos. Now they are junk. They were very expensive to craft. The cornegon thing isn't a problem, because my fire swords had elec on them, so I wouldn't've used them anyway, and my abo longsword's still perfect for them. But I can't ever use my abo sword on a pf again...
5 new areas of KV data to putter through, after having already worked out the best combinations for Abo/Ely/Hell?
Crafting...is a luxury, and easier said than done. I already carry 4 crafted Dis longswords on my BG, 2 abo swords, 1 toyshop, 1 ssithrak. Thats a lot of swords.
I'd almost rather just have 5 8d12 elemental weapons that let me craft the accompanying 2d12 exotic to whatever I wanted (to avoid healing combos). That would simplify my weaponry significantly...but thats not how our system works.
Because with a 6 damage weapon, the more monsters have different weakness/healing combinations, the harder it is to have a weapon that doesn't combine the hurt + heal elements for the same critter at the same time.