Report 136

Report #136
Skillset: Glamours Skill: DeadlyPattern
 Org: Spiritsingers Status: Rejected Feb 2009
Furies' Decision:
We do not believe it needs changing.
Problem: As it stands currently, DeadlyPattern exists as a sort of anomaly
within the Glamours skillset in that it a) acts like the already pre-existing
LowMagic skill, b) does not provide any level of conjunction with any other
skill in either Glamours nor any Music specialization I see, and c) provides no
incentive to use the skill to strip the faeleaf/earwort defenses because it
neither provides the afterimage/earache of the other avenues by which bards have
access to to strip these defenses by.
Solution #1: Change DeadlyPattern from an active skill into a passive skill
 much as the other patterns work within Glamours. However, instead
 of passively doing its current effect of stripping general
 defenses, have it act as a form of mental relapse - causing the
 target to suffer the last mental, focus-mind cured affliction to
 be reafflicted on a tic time of 12s - 15s and lasting for 60s -
 90s as the other patterns do. As an illusion, it can be dispelled
 and will fade in time as all illusions do and requires power to
 cast. And just to reiterate, no, it will not be this effect and
 passive defense stripping - the proposal has been and will just
 be this instead of defense stripping.
Solution #2: Keep it an active defense strip, however changed to raise the
 number of defenses stripped should a target be unblind. An
 additional function of an indication of what defense(s) were
 stripped whenever DeadlyPattern is used would be appreciated as
 well.
Player Comments:
---[Shuyin on 2/15 @ 18:42 writes]:
Eh? passive defense stripping that follows you wherever you go? On top of
another effect? This should definitely cost quite a few power to do this, then
---[Synl on 2/16 @ 00:18 writes]:
While I can understand that DeadlyPattern should be changed to something
slightly more useful, I do not see the need for another passive effect in
Glamours. Why not just speed up the eq so it's slightly better than Spring -
stripping defenses is hardly a useless ability, after all. Seems like a simpler
solution.
---[Xiel on 2/16 @ 05:12 writes]:
It seems my wording confused some people. No, the proposal has not been nor
would be passive defense stripping - it will just be this mental relapse that
has been proposed to cost power indeed. And speeding up the equilibrium still
would not make using DeadlyPattern far more preferable than either Flaring nor
BlankNoting because of the reasons stated above, and stripping defenses such as
waterwalk or quicksilver does nothing for the Glamourist bard.
---[Synl on 2/16 @ 15:21 writes]:
What is the suggested power cost on this ability? I simply do not see the need
for bards to gain another passive affliction effect, on top of songs and other
Glamours abilities. More active abilities plz.
---[Romero on 2/16 @ 16:18 writes]:
Having spoken with some glamour bards, they much prefer it the way it is versus
having it changed to what Xiel wants. The passives are far suited to the glamour
bards of Spiritsinger rather than the glamour bards who use afflictions like
plague and such.
---[Sadhyra on 2/16 @ 16:27 writes]:
Regarding stripping defs, deadlypattern only strips blind, deaf, insomnia and
umm quicksilver, I think. It is really limited in what it does. My suggestion
for this (which I discussed with Lendren and he liked) was making the defences
it stripped a selection from a list useful to bards. Then, toss in a mechanic
similar to colourburst - if the target is not blind, 2-3 defences are stripped,
versus just one. This would make the skill work well, both thematically and
combat-wise.
---[Synl on 2/16 @ 21:22 writes]:
I like Sadhyra's solution, but would have to see which defenses are suggested be
added to the list - some of the defenses should be less worth stripping to bards
(ie. waterwalk, etc.). Furthermore, stripping 3 defenses if the target is not
blind seems a tad much.
---[Xiel on 2/17 @ 02:03 writes]:
I agree with Synl in that I like Sadhyra's proposition as well, but three
defenses stripped a pop would be wonky. If a cohesive list is found for proposed
defenses to be stripped however, I'm all ears to hear about it.
---[Sadhyra on 2/18 @ 18:08 writes]:
3 might be too much, I agree, however it would be nice if the skill primarily
stripped in a bard-friendly way, with the majority of the defences removed being
things which augment bard skills. However, for this skill to be worth its depth
in the Glamours skillset (2nd to last skill), I think it should also include a
note to the bard about what defence has been stripped, to make it a viable
tactic in combat. Perhaps follow the colourburst theme - indigo twists of colour
indicate that a sensory defence has been rendered useless (ie blind/deaf
strips), while yellow flashes of light indicate a weakening of the opponent's
body (stripped some warrior buff, whatever), etc. Or, hey, if you guys want to
just go with "You manage to scathe away x's blindness" I'm not gonna complain.
^_^
---[Sadhyra on 2/18 @ 18:10 writes]:
Regarding the solution given, as nice as it would be to relapse mental affs, I
think bards need more active attacking options and avenues, rather than more
ways to just stack passive effects, so I don't like the current solution as
written.
---[Ethelon on 2/19 @ 12:41 writes]:
I like the proposed multiple strip solution here in teh comments as it would
work with any of the Bard guilds, unlike a mental relapse, which really doesn't
help all the guilds equally. Why not make the stripping ability like that of the
low magic strip, where I believe it hits any non-power defense? Instead of 3
defenses, on not being blind targets have only 2 stripped and the bard gets a
message or indication as to what is stripped
---[Xenthos on 2/21 @ 19:11 writes]:
3 defenses stripped per cast is excessive. Is your suggestion "2 defenses
stripped if the target is not blind, only blindness stripped if they are blind,"
Ethelon? In that case, that seems acceptable, though I'm not sure they'd need
to know what defenses (outside of Blindness) were actually stripped.
---[Sadhyra on 2/24 @ 03:01 writes]:
If only blindness was stripped, it would be somewhat pointless, as other
glamours skills do this already, with better results. Being told what defences
were dropped is a way to make the skill more viable (right now, it's worse than
lowmagic's equivalent). However, I think the list of defences it takes down
needs to be increased as well, since as is, even the absurd stripping of 3
defences with the skill will be as pointless as stripping one, since all it's
going to take down is insomnia, blind and deaf, which we can do far better
already in conjunction with other skills.