Report 682

Report #682
Skillset: Paradigmatics Skill: Butterfly
 Org: Illuminati Status: Completed Nov 2011
Furies' Decision:
We will look into implementing solution 1.
Problem: Butterfly is too unpredictable to be used in its current state. The
effects simply do not justify a 10 power cost, and some of the more potent
effects are too good to have at a lower cost. This puts us in a bit of a bind
as, thematically, it's supposed to be chaotic and unpredictable.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Change butterfly to A] have a variable cost based on
 the effect it gives and to B] only take away power
 once the effect occurs, not on casting. If the caster
 doesn't have sufficent power to pay for the effect,
 it uses all remaining power and does nothing.
 Suggested power costs are listed in comments. The
 current chances for backfiring/double procs remain
 untouched.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: As solution 1, but instead it costs all remaining on
 casting and returns the "unused" power (if any) once
 the effect manifests. This may be easier to code, but
 would change the balance somewhat.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: As solutions 1 or 2, but slightly more interesting.
 Instead of having a fixed chance to backfire on the
 caster, it backfires if and only if the caster
 doesn't have enough power to pay for the randomly
 chosen effects.
Player Comments:
---[Iytha on 10/7 @ 02:24 writes]:
Proposed power costs are as follows: maggoting 10p, trueheal target 10p, spider
attack 2p, break limbs 3p, boulder 3p, fists 7p, displacement 5p, pit 5p,
astrology sphere 3p, diseases 2p, weed cloud 1p, beer rain 1p.
---[Enyalida on 10/7 @ 08:48 writes]:
Any of these solutions sound fine, though perhaps a short-ish cool down should
be introduced as well, so that you don't spam it trying to get a better effect
after not burning all your power. I understand that wouldn't really be a good
draw on your time, but hey, it does go through shields, yes?
---[Wobou on 10/7 @ 22:57 writes]:
As long as maggoting and pit have sufficiently high costs this works for me. I
fear that the solutions still won't make the skill useable though. The
fundamental problem is that both warriors and guardians are very power reliant
and this skill is a power skill that is not reliable, even if you lower the cost
an illuminati/templar is going to have plans for that power and that balance
that will pretty much always outweigh the possible benefit of butterfly. I don't
have a ready solution for this though as this is just a conflict between the
flavor of the guild and lusternian combat mechanics.
---[Iytha on 10/7 @ 23:18 writes]:
At least in my experience, Illuminati power usage is a reverse bell curve. At
the start of the fight, when we're dropping whispers, badluck and possibly
madfly, we burn through power like a fiend. The middle of the fight (when we're
just building insanity/soulless rubs) is typically rather power light, but then
ramps back up once we've got the point where we need to get a lock in place for
the illuminate/soulless fling. That middle bit is the perfect time to try for a
butterfly under blackout. Astrology would a somewhat different use, where you
shift a bunch of butterflies at the target just as the (power cost 0) meteor's
about to strike and hope for something that will either enhance the meteor
damage (maggot, sphere, boulder or fists) or keep them from running (spider
attack, break limbs, pit, and occasionally diseases) I'll leave off commenting
about the secifics of templar power tempos, but I'm fairly confident that they'd
get at least some use out of it.
---[Raeri on 10/8 @ 09:35 writes]:
Doesn't the butterfly construct allow a power-free cast of butterfly for every
Gaudi citizen? How would that interact with the solutions proposed?
---[Viynain on 10/8 @ 20:04 writes]:
Shouldn't affect it at all, since the butterfly will be the same
---[Iytha on 10/10 @ 07:39 writes]:
For Sol. 1, the butterfly doesn't drain power when the effect goes off. For Sol.
2, it doesn't cost power on casting and doesn't refund any power since you
didn't actually spend any. For Sol. 3, it checks to see if you have enough to
cast it without the construct butterfly, then fires/backfires as appropriate,
then skips the power draining step. All pretty straightforward, I think.
---[Veracruz on 10/25 @ 07:23 writes]:
I believe illuminati rp is based on chance and taking chances, If you were able
to set some control or limit to all your abilities wouldn't that kill the whole
value behind your rp. It's like rolling a dice for 10p and you either win or you
lose. I'm for solution 1 but nothing lower than 2-3p for a trans ability
---[Ushaara on 10/27 @ 00:14 writes]:
How about butterfly costing 5 power to raise a butterfly that you can use a
later point (like the free butterfly your construct provides), and then having a
straight 5 power cost to activate it in combat?
---[Iytha on 10/30 @ 23:38 writes]:
@Ushaara: That would allow you to cast one butterfly for 5p and have no more
butterflies until you spend 10p and two balances to prepare and use another.
That's no better than it is now.
---[Vadi on 11/15 @ 22:49 writes]:
I'd reluctantly support solution 1
---[Morbo on 11/21 @ 21:32 writes]:
Solution 1