Report 1439

Report #1439
Skillset: Nekotai Skill: ScorpionTail
 Org: Nekotai Status: Rejected Feb 2016
Furies' Decision:
As with other reports, we will hold off on changes to monk kata skills for the
upcoming overhaul.
Problem: ScorpionTail is an ability that used to sprawl anyone that hits the
user's stance. As stancing will be phased out (already phased out for new
warriors, maybe/possibly for upcoming monks) it is imperative to change the
ability, and is also a chance to address a possibly problematic side-effect of
ScorpionTail: It used to give a Nekotai a huge advantage against other
warrior/monks, especially multiple-hit specs (like BM, BC and all the monks)
because proning a target in the middle of their attack stack will cancel the
rest of it. The problem being that this effect is not applied to casters, which
causes warriors to have to face more obstacles than a caster in the same
situation, which can also argued to be unfair.
Solution #1: Instead of being a boost on stance, make ScorpionTail be
 dependant on wounds. After every 10 wound points taken, the user
 will sprawl the next person to wound the user (negates that
 attack, balance is taken as normal). This solution will keep the
 status quo with a slight nerf: a skilled Nekotai with proper
 stancing used to be able to repeatedly prone a target, it will no
 longer be possible as this now gives ScorpionTail a soft cooldown
 (in the form of needing a wind-up via being wounded). It is
 therefore the least recommended solution.
Solution #2: Change it entirely from its current defensive, momentum breaking
 effect into a strategic, offensive ability: Make ScorpionTail
 require a target. Make it cost 2p, take 2 seconds of eq, but not
 require balance to start. Cannot be started if user has any
 damaged leg, or is prone. (eg syntax: KA SCORPIONTAIL LERAD) Once
 started, everyone in the room should see a third person message
 (Lerad suddenly pulls himself backwards to balance on one leg.)
 After a 3 seconds delay, the target is afflicted with haemophilia
 - if they already have haemophilia, it will give +200 bleed
 instead. ADDITIONALLY, one of following three effects will also
 be randomly executed: 1) Target is paralysed and takes 3s
 blackout, 2) Target is sprawled and takes a 1s stun OR 3) Target
 is poisoned with one of the leg darts equipped, and takes 1000
 cutting damage (*damage will be reduced by resist/armour) and
 +250 bleed. After the 3 seconds delay, the ability will do
 nothing if: user is prone, user has a damaged leg, target is not
 in the room or target is shielded. If the user has ScorpionFury
 active, then target being shielded will not stop the attack
 (ScorpionFury razes the shield and lets the attack succeed) -
 otherwise, it will function just like any other attack hitting
 shield. No additional bal/eq should be taken upon the ability
 successfully resolving.
Solution #3: Suggestions welcome
Player Comments:
---[Lerad on 1/26 @ 06:11 writes]:
As usual, comments of support or objections with reasons or suggestions are all
welcome. Please comment as much as possible.
---[Wobou on 1/26 @ 06:56 writes]:
My preference would be for solution 2, the ability you've described sounds a lot
more fun and dynamic than another passive that impacts physical classes. The
effects seem inline for the power cost as it stands now.
---[Raeri on 1/26 @ 07:41 writes]:
I like Solution 2.
---[Lerad on 1/26 @ 12:20 writes]:
I've made some changes to solution 2, mostly to re-word it so it's less lengthy
(and take out the flavour text). I've also removed the wounds effect based off a
discussion on the envoy channel, since it was pointed out to me that we still
don't know how monks will interact with wounds, and therefore it is not a good
idea to make the ability do wounds for now (replaced wounds with a 3s blackout
instead) and I've also added in a consideration of how solution 2 will interact
with shields, again, based off an envoy channel discussion. Lastly, I changed
the haemophilia part of the solution so that it won't double up if the target
already has the aff. Please re-comment objections, if any. Suggestions are still
welcome
---[Enyalida on 1/26 @ 18:00 writes]:
I think that monks should have more interesting skills like this, instead of
more raw power. Solution 2 sounds fine, I'll defer to Wobou et. al on the
balancing.
---[Wobou on 1/28 @ 07:42 writes]:
Just to confirm your rewritten solution 2 still looks alright to me.
---[Allehnon on 2/3 @ 07:29 writes]:
Support solution 2
---[Tredian on 2/4 @ 12:09 writes]:
Solution 2 looks interesting, however, I'm thinking about other stoppers such as
entangle, stun, do actions cancel it, does movement cancel it?
---[Lerad on 2/16 @ 12:58 writes]:
Stun should stop it if the user is stunned when the ability resolves, yes.
Entangle is a prone, so is already included in the solutions. This ability is
NOT meant to be a channel ability, but a delayed ability. That means no actions
will cancel it. Regarding movement, it is not intended for the ability to be
started in one room, and then resolve in a second room, no - it should be an in-
combat ability, where the user uses it on a target they are fighting, not as a
sudden start-of-fight ability. With the power cost, it might actually be a cool
functionality... but it wasn't part of the original intent. Just make it so that
it can't be started unless the target is in the same room at the time, and you
should be able to prevent any cases of it being used alongside "movement".