Report 571

Report #571
Skillset: Shofangi Skill: Crunch
 Org: Shofangi Status: Rejected Mar 2011
Furies' Decision:
Handle in upcoming report.
Problem: Crunch is a 275 ka unarmed grapple ender which acts as the Shofangi's
instakill. According to the AB, it becomes more effectual with multiple use and
higher head wounds. While testing the skill, it seems to give approximately
200-250 wounds per use(as an Aslaran), and does not seem to work below medium
wounds at all. From further testing, it is shown to take anywhere from 6(with
10000 wounds, quite unachievable for a monk) to ten forms to achieve a kill,
totalling twelve to twenty forms, half of which can easily be cancelled.
Furthermore, it requires a grapple as a prerequisite, which with the recent
change to monk speed, is difficult to pull off against a non-acrobat with no
speed boost as a race with a speed boost, coming to the point where the writhing
beats out the grapple entirely. The inability to pull off this move with any
degree of success, along with the high requirements associated with it, require
a change to the skill.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Change Crunch to a 750 ka kick that has two effects
 if the head is targetted: If at five momentum and
 target is sprawled and does not have the affliction
 damaged head, afflict the opponent with damaged head.
 If at five momentum and target is sprawled and has
 the affliction damaged head, instantly kill the
 target and subtract five power from the user(assuming
 the user has the power, otherwise fail). Upon use,
 subtract one momentum. Upon a kill with this method,
 reset the user's momentum to zero. At any targetted
 location, it should cause some form of wounding, but
 always require sprawl.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Change Crunch to a 450 ka kick that increments a
 counter on the target when the head is targetted,
 requires sprawl, and drops 1mo. If this counter
 reaches seven and the user has at least 5 power,
 decrement five power from the user, instantly kill
 the target, and reset the user's momentum to zero.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Change crunch to do the following: If used on head,
 cause new affliction "Brittle skull" at five
 momentum. If it afflicts, have it drop extra
 momentum. Add to "Stomp"'s head target the following:
 If target has brittle skull and user has 5+ power,
 kill the target and reset the user's momentum to 0.
 Along with this, adjust one-handed and unarmed
 grapple speed to allow a grapple to be viable.
Player Comments:
---[Xenthos on 2/22 @ 22:39 writes]:
Report 416. The problem reads pretty much exactly the same.
---[Ircria on 2/23 @ 03:36 writes]:
Yes, except for a couple major differences. First, I make mention of the recent
speed nerf to monks. This nerf has made it so, even with the speed mod as a race
with a level 2 balance enhancement, a normal(read:non-contorted) writhe will
beat out the balance time on the grapple, meaning the grappler will likely not
make it to the crunch. Yes, I will admit, this report has been made before(and
quite recently as well), but things have changed to the point where revisiting
it seems necessary. As well, REPORT 416 offered a single solution which, if I
understand it correctly, was unlikely to be passed in any case because of what
it proposed.
---[Ircria on 2/23 @ 03:41 writes]:
Also, after reviewing report 416's comments, I have gleaned that the main issue
that brought that report was contort, which is understandable. However, this
report is being brought on because normal writhes are escaping the grapple, even
with the aforementioned speed bonuses. Also taking into account the other
comments in 416, one of the main detractors was the low ka cost and the unnerfed
greenlock. I fully intend to try to offer a solution which brings, at the very
least partially, crunch in line with the other monk instakills ka-wise. Also, in
that time, a report on the greenlock has been offered and accepted to "nerf" it.
---[Nydekion on 3/11 @ 09:39 writes]:
I think shofangi is really going to need to tone down on the regen affs and easy
green-locks in the skillset before a regen-based instakill is considered.
Especially since the solutions offered here do not cost power on failure (which
is relatively unique amongst physical-type instakill abilities). Chances are the
costs offered in the solution are too low anyhow in comparison with other monk
instas, even: finalsting costs 1500 ka and is delayed, gahtirak'sho costs 1500
ka and has a regen cured prereq, ughathalogg costs 1500 ka and is delayed, etc.
Not to mention that there are a number of other ways to easily give damaged head
without needing the kick.
---[Ircria on 3/17 @ 01:45 writes]:
In our last two reports, we have willingly cut our own greenlock and our most
problematic regeneration affliction. The not costing on failure was an oversight
on my part, and it should cost if the kill fails. The costs currently there,
with the addition of that, would put it directly in line with boost requirement
of other kills, while adding an extra cost(drop to 0 momentum upon success,
which as far as I know, is not done by any other monk instakill). And I was
unable to find other ways to inflict damaged head. Could you fill me in on that?
---[Raeri on 3/17 @ 09:31 writes]:
I believe when concussion is cured, you are left with damaged head.
---[Ircria on 3/17 @ 18:37 writes]:
Ah. In that case, solution one is likely less than balanced, and as the report
is finalized, I must ask that solution one not be implemented should the report
be accepted.
---[Raeri on 3/18 @ 07:11 writes]:
To clarify, crunch takes all balances, yes? If so, I think I'll go with Solution
3. The momentum reset seem unnecessarily complex - if it drops mo to use ,
considering a followup form to complete the stomp plus the loss of mo due to
target change, you'd be dropped to 1mo or so anyway. Or just possibly make
Crunch more likely to succeed, since the current complaint is partly because of
the low success rate even when it gets executed.
---[Nydekion on 3/18 @ 12:30 writes]:
Solution 3 carries the same problems with exceptionally low requirements as
opposed to the other monk instakills, especially with the ease that shofangi can
reapply a greenlock with regular success. It doesn't make much sense to
implement an insta that has fewer requirements than gahtirak'sho, kills faster
than ughathalogg or final sting, and costs just 100 ka to stomp (and being that
it's a kick, would entirely bypass parry and rebounding)? Heh. Even if we
consider the 5 mo used to afflict with brittle skull, the full insta could still
be pulled off for 760 ka. That's just entirely not balanced when every other
insta available to monks cost 1500 ka with additional requirements.
---[Raeri on 3/18 @ 23:42 writes]:
Not that I'm against having it 1500ka as with all the other instas, but I'm
going to point out that stomp on non-leg body parts only works on prone targets
(you get a message about epicly failing to reach if they're standing). And
crunch should be taking leg balance to do as well, so it'd require a second form
to attempt the prone+stomp.
---[Nydekion on 3/19 @ 04:00 writes]:
...and if you don't require 1500 ka in the form with a stomp, shofangi can just
boost and use a hook modifier on a shofa attack before the stomp in the same
form to guarantee the hit without much effort.