Report 622

Report #622
Skillset: Druidry Skill: Thornlash
 Org: Hartstone Status: Rejected Jul 2011
Furies' Decision:
While we do not necessarily disagree with the 'problem' outlined, we note that
there has been some sentiment that druids want to move away from relying on
thornlash so it is curious why there is a movement to strengthen it. We feel any
significant upgrade should focus on the writhe time. Regarding ignite, we will
investigate having ignite on a thorlashed victim cause greater damage/burn
levels and possibly stun or throw the victim off balance.
Problem: While useful in groups of druids, thornlashing and thornrending pale in
comparsion to the synergy of most other guilds, and are group-based skills in a
class that dosn't appear to be intended to stack with itself. A few problems
plague thornlashes: one, by keeping yourself ablaze, you become essentially
immune to thornred, as you cure out of thm on a tic, against guilds (and to
lesser extent communes) that are not equipped to really capitalize on ablaze.
Two, the intended malus to writhing thornlashes (bleeding) is eradicated with
the ease of ignite curing out of all lashes, or having an ally ignite out.
Removing that feature would make even two druids together too powerful, a random
number seems like a good middle ground. Additionally, when multiple druids are
in the same room (that must be forest for thornlashes anyway), in nearly all
cases, the time and power spend on thornlashing would be better spent on sap.
They can't be done concurrently, but thornlashes will not add to sap sticking
capabilities.
Solution #1: Remove the feature of ablaze that allows continual and passive
 curing out of thornlashes.
Solution #2: Make ignitning lashes ignite away 1-3 lashes, instead of all.
 Damage backlash should depend on total lashes, not lashes
 removed.
Solution #3: Re-allow the concurrent usage of sap and thornlashes/thornrend.
Player Comments:
---[Iytha on 7/11 @ 03:50 writes]:
Solution 3 is nonviable. That combination is disallowed for a very good reason.
I prefer solution 1 to solution 2 for reasons of simplicity and making combat
less random, but solution 2 is also reasonable. What sort of damage would you be
looking at from 1, 2, 3 and 4 thornlashes at ignite?
---[Xenthos on 7/17 @ 14:53 writes]:
What do you mean re-allow? It was never allowed in the first place! What about
ignite (being set aflame) burning out all of the lashes, but the 'flame tick'
only removing one lash per? That would encourage actively having to deal with
it instead of just letting the tick keep you clean.
---[Wobou on 7/28 @ 18:05 writes]:
This is probably my own ignorance but what is the "very good reason" that sap
and thornlash can't be used together? It's not as painfully obvious to me as the
jinx + choke/aeon limitation for example. I personally don't think allowing them
together would make either sap more likely to stick or a thornrend more likely
to work but I am probably missing something. I think there needs to be a "lower
level" change because the real issue is the effectiveness that enchantments have
against druids. Perhaps an affliction that either protected sap/thornlash from
other's enchantments or something to punish them for being ablaze? The latter
might make ecology too nutty though.