Report 747

Report #747
Skillset: Harmonics Skill: Convoke
 Org: Institute Status: Rejected Dec 2011
Furies' Decision:
We disagree that the skill is necessarily clunky or needs to have the resonance
requirement removed. We are not inclined to make it a "clone" of other skills
that exist or a faster version of summon.
Problem: Convoke is the most clunky of the summoning abilities giving to the
guardian archetype. Currently, it costs at minimum 8 power when accounting for
the prerequisite resonance on the target. Beyond this, it is no better than
summon in planar. Infact, it shares the exact mechanics of summon if no timewarp
is brought into play. Convoke does decrease the amount of time it takes to
complete the summon if the target is timewarped, but due to the burst nature of
timewarp and the extremely quick healing of it, it is impractical that a target
would ever be timewarped enough for this to make a difference. Comparing this to
other guardian skills which can pull many people and split groups at no power
cost, Convoke is vastly inferior in both single and group combat. Furthermore,
as a class that has a major part of their offense cured by running, it is
important that a researcher have the possibility of summoning someone back into
their carcer and temporalbonds.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Remove the resonance requirement for convoke. Create
 two syntaxes for convoke CRYSTALSPIN CONVOKE (Target)
 and CRYSTALSPIN CONVOKE (Target) FULL. Have the first
 syntax cost no power, and work as if the target has
 no timewarp now. The second syntax will cost 3 power,
 and cut the summon time in half regardless of
 timewarp level, and remove all timewarp from the
 target. Then, if the target does have resonance cause
 the convoke to not be stopped by the target moving
 (though it should still be stopped by monoliths and
 anything else that stops summon).
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Remove the resonance requirement. Leave the syntax as
 CRYSTALSPIN CONVOKE, cause it to have a beckon affect
 on all adjacent rooms for any target that does not
 have quicksilver up.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Change it to a beckon skill with no other
 requirements, stopped by the same things as beckon
 and with no power cost
Player Comments:
---[Shedrin on 12/14 @ 20:39 writes]:
Based on discussions on the Envoys channel that a 0p summon with no other
requirements might be too strong (which I think is a valid concern), I propose
this adjustment to Solution 1: Make it only work on adjacent rooms only, like
Wisp. This would make it slower than wisp without the FULL syntax, but faster
when using the FULL syntax for 3 power. Not sure if the extra resonance effect
should be changed or not.
---[Enyalida on 12/14 @ 22:46 writes]:
If solution 1 has no range on it, I don't support it.
---[Sidd on 12/16 @ 20:48 writes]:
Solution 3 is probably best
---[Shuyin on 12/16 @ 20:53 writes]:
I have no problem with solution 2 so long as it's single target, so I'd pick
that one of the three suggested. Having it be wisp that requires resonance would
be interesting though
---[Iytha on 12/17 @ 00:54 writes]:
Disagree with all solutions provided. Solution 1 is a mixture of effects that
are too strong (0p ranged summoning) and effects that are perplexingly useless
(spending 3 power to make your summon movement-proof but not mono-proof).
Solution 2 is interesting (summoning everyone, allies and enemies alike, but
blocked by quicksilver), but does not solve the problems with the skill;
everyone who you'd want to summon will have quicksilver up by the time you
summon them. Solutionss 3 is balanced, but is a clone of an existing skill. I do
like Shedrin's wisp-like idea, though.
---[Ushaara on 12/17 @ 22:02 writes]:
The resonance requirement really limits convoke, especially given the lack of
alternative beckon-type abilities in Hallifax for separating groups in stand-off
situations. For that reason, I would be against solution 2 too. Out of the
suggested solutions, my preference would be for Solution #3, or Shedrin's
ammended solution.
---[Xenthos on 12/26 @ 20:14 writes]:
Since about the only thing one -can- do against a researcher much of the time is
'run' (that's the only valid cure to some skills, and certain other skills have
no cure at all except for sitting somewhere else and waiting for them to end),
researchers really do -not- need an overly easy way to summon people back to
them. Working to get to the point that you can use the skill is probably the
only way to retain balance.
---[Xenthos on 12/26 @ 20:17 writes]:
Also, Wiccans have been trying to get Wisp to be more of a beckon-clone for a
very long time now, given similar restraints that make it unuseable under most
circumstances (requiring trees on both ends, when nobody is going to leave trees
in their room excepting on Ethereal). It's pretty clear at this point that not
all guilds are supposed to have summon skills of an equivalent nature or
efficacy or general useability.
---[Xenthos on 12/26 @ 20:46 writes]:
Thus: No to group beckon effects (solution 2), no to straight up beckon clone
(solution 3). Something could be done with sol 1, I'm not sure I like the
solution provided as-is, especially as Wisp does have a power cost (1p per cast)
-and- has the terrain requirements that leave it wanting. Any chance on trying
to simplify the thing into one ability instead of the block of text and if /
else statements that it currently is?
---[Wobou on 12/26 @ 21:02 writes]:
I like Shedrin's modification to solution 1. I think most of us can agree that
wisp needs some slight buffs (like maybe not requiring the target room to have
trees) so I don't think this should necessarily be limited to where wisp stands
now.
---[Shedrin on 12/26 @ 22:24 writes]:
Ok so I thought more about this. I think there's two issues in play here. One is
anti-running, which is what Xenthos seems more concerned with, and one is group
combat initiation/pickoff, which is where Beckon's use lies. As it is, Convoke
functions like a (weak) initiation ability, but with a requirement more in line
with anti-runner. Personally, I don't think Institute need much more in terms of
anti-runner, and if they really desire something like that, they can go Tarot
for Empress, Fall, etc. As an initiation skill, any requirement that the
Researcher be in the room with the target beforehand to do something (timewarp,
resonance, etc) defeats the point of the skill.
---[Shedrin on 12/26 @ 22:24 writes]:
As an initiator, it needs something to make it more effective than generally-
available Summon. This can be achieved by removing the power cost and/or
speeding it up. Making it like Beckon allows it fulfill both initiation and
anti-running to an extent, which is noted to be too strong. Keeping it as a
delayed summon limits the anti-running power of the ability, allowing a target
to tumble out, and regain balance to drop a monolith or move more. Further, I
feel that it should be fairly spammable in order to be effective in catching an
unprepared opponent.
---[Shedrin on 12/26 @ 22:24 writes]:
Conclusion: Remove resonance requirement, make it faster than Summon, lower
power cost, ala Solution 1. This makes it just a superior Summon, which has
other uses than group combat stand-offs, so to limit that, the adjacent room
requirement is proposed. In comparison to Wisp, I am inclined to agree with
Wobou's comment that Wisp itself needs some buffs.
---[Enyalida on 12/30 @ 20:47 writes]:
That sounds fine, with the wisp conclusion as well.