Report 643

Report #643
Skillset: Nekotai Skill: FinalSting
 Org: Nekotai Status: Completed Jul 2011
Furies' Decision:
We will drop the cost to 1425.
Problem: FinalSting is a largely unusable, both as a transcendent skill and
instant kill. The skill costs 5 power and 1 momentum to cause an affliction
which will only stack with escozul, and cures on a 1.5 second timer to reduce
the Crotamine death to a six seconds. In the situations where it's possible to
get FinalSting off (i.e., the target is choked, or the target has been
greenlocked and does not know Green,) it is more efficient to just bleed the
victim to death-- at a cost of no momentum, nor power loss. Also, Sprongcree
limits a Nekotai's ability to land a FinalSting to one or two chances, keeping a
FinalSting in reserve limits a Nekotai's combat options. In summary, FinalSting
is in need of improvement to function in either solo or group capacity. This
report seeks to build upon REPORT 399 by providing additional solutions that
should not rewrite core game mechanics (i.e. poison curing) or the way
FinalSting presently functions. Rather than require certain prerequisite
conditions be met, I would prefer the Nekotai to strategically work to keep the
target from curing out. The recent fix to Ootangk makes this strategy somewhat
more feasible.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Decrease Finalsting ka cost from 1500 to 1425 for a
 single nekai, or 1250 to allow for nekai+nekai OR
 single angknek combo. This will allow for envenoming
 (i.e. dulak), thereby slightly increasing the odds of
 Finalsting crotamine sticking.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Decrease Finalsting ka cost from 1500 to 1150 to open
 a wider range of possibilities: nekai+nekai+creehai
 or shocree, angknek+angknek+speed, angkai, etc. This
 builds upon ideas presented in Solution #1.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Decrease Finalsting ka cost from 1500 to 1050 for
 reasons stated in Solution #2. Likewise, also reduce
 ka cost of Ootangk (a monk grapple with a % chance to
 fail cures) from 500 to 450 to allow for
 Finalsting+Ootangk combination.
Player Comments:
---[Janalon on 7/14 @ 20:38 writes]:
Although Ootangk has been a part of the Nekotai skillet for some while, it has
only recently been fixed through multiple 'bug' reports. Ootangk is a bodypart-
based grapple that applies a chance for cures to fail on the respective
bodypart- head : sipping, chest : smoking, gut : eating, arms/legs :
salves/potions/medicinebag. Initial testing showed a failure rate of 36 sips out
of 50 (roughly 75%) when applied to head, an consumes the appropriate cure
balance on fail. It requires 500 Ka (momentum 4+) and causes loss of one
momentum level.
---[Enyalida on 7/14 @ 21:27 writes]:
While difficult and largly pointless to use, Finalsting seems in line with
Ughathalogg (also somewhat difficult and pointless to use), only lagging behind
it somewhat due to Ug being a regen cure. I'm also fairly sure that Finalsting
is easier to mask under blackout (with help) then Ug, which seems like the
intended use for it. I'd support so1 at most, assuming that the proposed use
still requires 5mo and power, but it seems to me that none of the special
finishers were really intended for solo use. With that in mind, I feel like
Finalsting being buffed too much could be problematic. Don't quote me.
---[Enyalida on 7/17 @ 15:55 writes]:
Okay, after getting more information on how Ug works, I support solution1 and/or
a change of timing on Finalsting to make the cure window somewhat smaller.
---[Janalon on 7/17 @ 18:53 writes]:
I just want to point out that even with Solutuon 3's Ootangk+Finalsting in the
same kata form, this solution still might not work. FinalSting currently reduces
crotamine death countdown to six seconds, and antidote is on a 1.5 second
recovery. Even with one (theoretically) continuous Ootangk, the victim would
have four opportunities to attempt to cure out. Considering the statistical 75%
fail to curing, the victim could still possibly cure once in the four
opportunities presented. All of that is an armchair assessment. In the real
world, there are conditions like lag and group combat tactics that makes these
assumptions "messier' in application. I would forsee two to three forms to pull
off. -2mo from the FinalSting+Ootangk (as outlined in solution 3), plus one to
two more Ootangk forms to finalize the kill bringing the monk somewhere between
3mo or 2mo. With a successful kill and change of target, the monk is back down
to 1mo. Everything as I've presented sounds mostly fair game.
---[Janalon on 7/24 @ 02:14 writes]:
Once again we are nearing the end of an envoy cycle with real lack of comments
(flashback to REPORT 618), even after requesting comments through ENVOYS. Only
this time there was some discussion on the Forums which might be of some use:
http://bit.ly/qpNWt5 I understand there is a fine line between fixing something
that is broken, and buffing to OP-- this report is trying to achieve the latter.
After some in-guild discussion, it came to light that perhaps FinalSting might
be achievable IF one nekotai FS the opponent, and a second Nekotai coordinated a
5mo Ootangk, 4mo Ootangk (though target still has a chance to tumble out and
spam antidote), though 500 ka cost somewhat prohibitive towards this end. I
would like to see Ootangk lowered to 450 ka to also allow a 3mo Ootangk without
mods to open up this group kill tactic for FinalSting.
---[Iytha on 7/24 @ 20:17 writes]:
Finalsting should certainly be made easier, at least to the degree proposed in
solution 2, as I feel that allowing for the use of shocree would definately
help. I am hesitant to support solution 3, as I am uncertain about the effects
that decreasing the ka cost on Ootangk would have on the rest of the nekotai
offense.
---[Nydekion on 7/31 @ 23:47 writes]:
Solution 1 by dropping the ka cost from 1500 to 1425 is fine.