Report 142

Report #142
Skillset: Necroscream Skill: WraithfulCanticle
 Org: Cacophony Status: Completed Feb 2009
Furies' Decision:
We will implement changes.
Problem: Necroscream has a really cool theme but is heavily centered around
plague afflictions that we believe are not on par with other bardb guilds. These
afflictions were not from a group that was created with bards in mind. Even with
Blackdeath, which is helpful, they are very easily cured being that only two of
the five are on the same healing balance, and they are of questionable benefit
to our other skills and a damage kill archetype. As many know there was a lot of
dicussion on the forums for brainstorming and Estarra offered a solution we
would like to run with.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Replace the actual functionality of the current
 WraithfulCanticle, changing it's current proc-type
 role. The new effect would be a song, that while a
 victim with plague afflictions upon them is able to
 hear, would suffer additional effects until the
 plague has been cured or they become uneffected by
 the song (ie, going deaf, captivate, etc). An example
 of this would be, my victim Charune has pox on him,
 while he able to hear my song in a negative fashion
 (enemied), he would also then be under the effect of
 confusion. Once he cures this plague, leaves the
 room, or becomes uneffected by my songs, the effect
 stops. As plagues are cured or afflicted, the effects
 of the song will increase. Here is the list of
 afflictions: 1-aff = Confusion, 2-aff = stupidity,
 3-aff = sensitivity, 4-aff = vapors, 5-aff =
 recklessness
Player Comments:
---[Xiel on 2/15 @ 03:28 writes]:
Could I get some clarification upon the proposition? Is this essentially asking
that if a target has a plague affliction passively given by SickeningPlague and
propagated by BlackDeath, depending on the number, a target who is hit with the
active WrathfulCanticle skill which gives a chance to afflict a target should
they be damaged to inflict a third affliction between confusion, stupidity,
sensitivity, blackout, or anorexia on top of the passive affliction, passive
hunger build, and active affliction that is currently in place?
---[Xiel on 2/16 @ 05:22 writes]:
After having talked to Ethelon, it seems that my understanding of this
proposition was further off than what I thought it would be. It seems the
proposal is not made to afflict folk with these afflictions, it's to stick the
effects of these afflictions permanently on a hearing target until the plague
afflictions are cured. In light of this, I'm even more against the possibility
of an uncurable confusion/stupidity/sensitivity/blackout/anorexia passively, for
no power imbued within a bard's song.
---[Synl on 2/16 @ 15:25 writes]:
Plague afflictions are easy enough to cure that I do not think any of these
would be a major problem except possibly for anorexia (in which case you need to
have -5- afflictions on you, so...). Sensitivity would not strip deafness and
only cause the damage increase, right?
---[Ethelon on 2/16 @ 21:09 writes]:
Aye, only the damage effect, as the deafness for fre would be to strong.
Something Xiel is missing, as Synl pointed out, is the fact these plagues are so
very easily curable without the victim ever having to use diagnose.
---[Sadhyra on 2/18 @ 18:43 writes]:
I am not sure if passive, non-curable sensitivity is fair, since bards can also
use minor-seventh to afflict with achromatic aura for increased damage and these
two damage augmentations would stack. Would the two, easily accessed like this,
be overpowered?
---[Synl on 2/18 @ 18:54 writes]:
One thing I'd like cleared up: would the person suffer all five effects with
five plague affs or only anorexia?
---[Ethelon on 2/19 @ 12:32 writes]:
There is no such thing as uncurable in this. Plaques are the easiest thing to
cure, considering 3 of 5 use the same sure, so even hidden you can auto-apply
and have a 60% chance to cure your affliction. Once 1 plague is cured, the
effect immediatley drops down a level, aswell, once you go deaf, leave the room,
lust the target, it stops. Out of all the affs, Sensitivity and Vapors possibly
are the most useful, though sticking 3-4 plague is next to impossible
---[Veyrzhul on 2/24 @ 16:16 writes]:
Just to make this clear, with this song and Sickening Plague/Contagion up, ALL
non-deaf enemies in the room receive four afflictions per tick passively? I
can't claim to know the exact results of this, but it seems very powerful.
Anyone more insightful care to comment?
---[Ethelon on 2/27 @ 12:28 writes]:
First, Contagion and Songs would not tick at the same time, considering these
are not Demense effects and we can't really time them with a cloud. Second,
Plague afflictions are one of the easiest affliction sets in the game to cure,
considering 60% of the time its liniment that will cure your aff, even if you
were to blindly guess, so the odds of stacking are very limited against anyone
with a system. Last thing to mention is, when is the last time you have EVER
been in group combat or even solo combat where the enemy is deaf? Yes, a bard
can spend 4 power to strip it, and then you put it back up a few moments later,
so what, one tick may make it through during that time... may. Deafness, Lust,
Not being Enemied, Capitavate.... all this and more stops it, so please consider
this when thinking about how OP the weakest set of afflictions in the game
sound.