Report 399

Report #399
Skillset: Nekotai Skill: FinalSting
 Org: Nekotai Status: Completed Jun 2010
Furies' Decision:
Bleeding added.
Problem: In an environment where timed instakills are dominating the
battlefield, FinalSting is a largely unusable Transcendent skill. Used in the
intended method, 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. 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, no power
loss.) Also, barring alterations to the function of Sprongcree (see Report 380)
there will only be one or two chances to actually land a FinalSting, and 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.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: In addition to its current effects, add a delay on
 the poison afflicted via FinalSting, akin to the
 delay on regeneration affs. Alternatively, change the
 afflicted poison to a regeneration cure.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Add a significant bleeding effect to FinalSting.
 Amount should be similar to bleeding from sprongma at
 momentum 5, with a possible bonus from number of
 vessels on the target. This will allow for some
 utility without the dart.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Change FinalSting to be an instant death on hit if 4
 out of 7 Angknek afflictions are on the target at the
 time of hit. Angknek afflictions are sliced
 left/right bicep, sliced left/right thigh, punctured
 lung, sliced gut, and gashed cheek, all marjoram
 cures. At 1500 ka with no dart requirement, this
 should be plausible, if somewhat difficult to pull
 off solo and allow for a certain amount of synergy
 with other Nekotai and some warriors.
Player Comments:
---[Fillin on 6/28 @ 19:53 writes]:
Finalsting resolves too fast for solution 1 imo. I like the idea behind solution
3, but I think monks with tempered kata weapons are a little too fast for it to
be balanced. You could get all 4 affs plus poisons and kicks within the span of
one shieldstun.
---[Thul on 6/28 @ 20:24 writes]:
For solution 3, you still have to kick afterwards... that's mo5 plus 5 power and
its own action. I'd be willing to have it do 5 out of 7 instead if 4 isn't
enough.
---[Eamon on 6/30 @ 17:48 writes]:
With solution 3, wouldn't that make sprongcree darts even less used than they
already are? Also, I don't really get how solution 2 makes much of a change
except for the bonus to vessels... couldn't you just use a 5mo sprongma to get
that bleeding?
---[Thul on 6/30 @ 18:25 writes]:
Sprongma only targets gut and chest, while FinalSting can go anywhere. As for
sprongcree darts being less used than they already are, I am perfectly happy
with that outcome. No other monk guild has that sort of limiter on what's
supposed to be an important skill, and recent sprongcree changes have only made
it slightly more plausible to use the existing FinalSting in situations with
multiple targets.