Splash & Bolt spell primary stat damage

Splash & Bolt spells have been given Intellect- and Mysticism-based bonuses to base damage the same way that every other attack in the game works (touch spells = myst, melee = might, bow = aim).

This is probably the fourth or fifth crack at spell damage I have taken, and I like it the best. It's simple, direct, and a wonder why it isn't already in the game. It also only helps mage-focused characters - your Blast of Fire won't do any less if you're a hybrid, but if you're a mage, your blast of fire can do a couple points more.

All stat bonuses work as a percentage addition to base damage, beginning at 25, and ending at 65 in the stat. The thing is that, here, attack spells depend on a fusion of Intellect and Mysticism.

50 (Int + Myst) = +0% damage
60 (Int + Myst) = +5% 
74 (Int + Myst) = +12% 
100 (Int + Myst) = +25% 

I recognize that this gives Princess Soldier Shields a new implicit ability: +5% damage for all attack spells, since it gives +5 Int and Myst. I think that's a good thing, given the clear superiority of Jonas Shields at the moment.

**What kinds of damages are we looking at?**

Illusionary Wounds is a bit special. IW's base damage is 22 - (victim's intellect / 10). So a 50 intellect character will take 17 base damage from the spell. This value then receives a damage bonus from Intellect alone. A 50 intellect caster would get +25% bonus damage, doing (17*1.25) = 21 damage in the prior example. So competing intellects partially cancel out.

Now, for the Intellect & Mysticism-based spells. All of the below values are for 99 spellpower. All splash & bolt spells start at half damage at 0 spellpower and work their way up to max damage at 99 spellpower. Know that 99% + max Robes is only 70 spellpower! You will need more than just simple gear to reach these maximum ranges, and AMA/Dement will be your greatest enemy. The spellpower damage reduction comes after stat bonus damage.

Blast of fire: 15-23 base. 18-28 at 100 int+myst.
Explosive frost: 13-25 base. 16-31 at 100 int+myst.
Shocking fury: 12-20 base. 15-25 at 100 int+myst.
Splash of acid: 16-25 (range 3). 20-31 at 100 int+myst.
Vampiric drain: 12-18 (heals half damage done). 15-22 at 100 int+myst.

Fireball: 8-12 base. 10-15 at 100 int+myst.
Lightning bolt: 13-18 base. 16-22 at 100 int+myst.

**Complications for DoT calculations**

* All splash and bolt spells have postcast timers of 2 seconds, as compared to 1 second attack times for weapons and touch spells. **This immediately cuts their DoT in half comparatively.** These spells are best used as finishers to try to get the kill on somebody, or as attacks at ranges farther than melee. Trying to rely on these as main attacks won't get you very far, because they are just too slow. A 30 damage attack every 2 seconds is only doing 15 per second... not much better than a crappy hammer. They also give the victim tons of time and sound cues to put on a resist ring or log.

* That being said, these spells have a much higher hit rate, since they fizzle rather than use offense vs defense. They also have longer range than melee, so they can still be deadly given positional advantages and user skill.

* Splash and bolt spells have higher base damages than every other attack in the game. That means the primary stat is much more rewarding. Explosive Frost is a great example, gaining 4.5 average base damage at 100 int+myst.

* Some gear has weaknesses and resistances to certain spell damage types, and these resistances/weaknesses come into play after damage is fully calculated. This means that resistances are proportionally better the higher the damage. 20% cold resist from nerudite armor will cut cold damage by 3 if an explosive frost does 13. The same resistance will cut a 31 damage explosive frost by 7. This means that resistances and element choice are increasingly important.

* Mana Focus can boost blast of fire, explosive frost, and shocking fury by 5 damage, but this is not base damage, and gets no bonus damage from stats. Mana Focus boosts fireball and lightning bolt by 10 damage. So, yes, a mana focused 100 int+myst mage can Lightning Bolt for 26-32.

* Soldier-to-Soldier combat comes with a last-stage universal damage bonus of +15% that **also raises the damage cap to 35!** That 32 damage lightning bolt discussed above becomes 36 damage, doing 35 final damage (because the cap is 35). On anyone else, that 32 damage Bolt will do 30. 

**Final words**

Splash and bolt spells have always sounded cooler than they end up being in practice. They deserve to be beastly attacks that powerful mages can really hit hard with. They're part of the element and resist game, too, so having a 25 damage splash spell doesn't mean you're going to be hitting for 25. You have to choose your element and situation right.

There are a ton of factors that go into making these spells do their full potential. You need 99 spellpower, mana focus if applicable which is really hard, an opponent without the proper resist, and the right range and gear - and now you'll also need good Mysticism and Intellect. I think we should reward these spells for their difficulty of application, and these damage boosts seem like a good way to do that.