Give caster specialties deferred damage boost

[Angelus_dead]

I suggest that something like the following be added to most of the upcoming spellcaster specialty prestige enhancements:

Fire Savant I
In addition to the other effects, whenever you inflict fire damage on an enemy, it suffers +20% damage from fire for the next 6 seconds. A successful Will save reduces the increase by half.

Fire Savant II
The 20% increase to fire damage you apply to enemies can stack with itself once, for a total of +40% while both are active.

Fire Savant III
The 20% increase to fire damage you apply to enemies can stack with itself twice, for a total of +60% while three are active.

Obviously all the other sorc specialties would have an equivalent, and some wizard specialties might share that idea in a weaker, generic way. And I'd also say that the Sacred Exorcist Cleric enhancement could provide that effect, applying to alignment damage spells (Good, Law, etc).

Gameplay Results
This effect gives a good increase to the spellcasting DPS of those characters, but doesn't give them any help in wiping out weak mobs with a single AOE. It only applies to fairly strong enemies, who already last long enough that it takes more than one spell. That is the kind of opponent for which spellcaster DPS most needs help.

Also notice that this change is a party-friendly effect, which improves DPS not just for the character who has it, but also for other spellcasters, and even weapon attackers using items with corresponding energy damage.

[Eladrin]

This one's going on the whiteboard. I very much like the party-friendly aspect of it.

[Angelus_dead]

PS. If possible, I would amend that rule so that the damage penalty can only apply once per spell (or attack). That means that standing in a Wall of Fire would not be enough to crank a monster to +60% and leave him there; you'd need to keep pounding it with fire... which should be simple, since the specialty also provided free use of Fireball.

[Valiance]

While his tone sometimes can leave a little bit to be desired you guys really need to give AD a new title like "Honorary Game Developer" or even better get him on a freelance development contract.

If I spent as much time coming up with ideas for my business as AD does for this game I'd be rich.

V

[TreknaQudane]

This one's going on the whiteboard. I very much like the party-friendly aspect of it.

Heh, I think that would be a better use of the Fire Dark Fire finisher for monks ;p

[Angelus_dead]

If I spent as much time coming up with ideas for my business as AD does for this game I'd be rich.

Ideas are $0.10 per twelve-pack. Success is 1% inspiration 99% perspiration, etc.

[sephiroth1084]

That's a really solid idea there, A_D. And I'm glad to see Eladrin jump on it. Hope this one comes through in some fashion.

[sephiroth1084]

Heh, I think that would be a better use of the Fire Dark Fire finisher for monks ;p

Something like this would also be pretty nice. The Dark-path finishing moves are really weak, since they don't work against the really important stuff in the game. Maybe we can get this tacked on (to a lesser degree)? Like +5-10% damage from the element used?

[Visty]

for clerics it would not only be nice to have it for aligment based spells but also for negative and positive spells to get a small healing over time from time to time

[Borror0]

Ideas are $0.10 per twelve-pack.

I would price them even lower when talking about design (game or otherwise).

[Riggs]

Interesting idea - except for one thing.

Sorcs dont need yet MORE dps enhancements over wizards. Considering the main value of a wizard is useless in DDO - variety of spells - as most spells are rarely needed.

Sorcs already get a dps capstone, 50% more sp in general, faster casting times = faster dps. They dont need more.

How many people play sorcs now? And how many wizards?

And yes clerics need damage enhancements very badly too.

[Angelus_dead]

Sorcs dont need yet MORE dps enhancements over wizards.

Wizards could have it too, as I briefly mentioned. One could think of simple ways to make both Archmage and Wildmage grant a more flexible version of the feature. Since it's easier for us to guess what the sorcerer specialties will do, it's simpler to describe the suggestion in terms of them.

And yes clerics need damage enhancements very badly too.

I'm guessing that the three cleric specialties will come out as:
Warpriest: Weapon damage, melee survival, and Haste buff.
Radiant Servant: Healing + Turning
Sacred Exorcist: Offensive casting

Thus the Exorcist could be a place for this kind of thing... suppose you cast Holy Smite and then the mobs were taking extra damage from every Holy or Pure Good attack from your party. Of course that'd be even better if DDO characters got a Holy Word spell, which they really should considering that Horoth has Blasphemy. (Note that it would be acceptable if Holy Word functioned like "Greater Holy Smite", instead of directly duplicating the D&D effects)

[RhapsodieInBlue]

I actually think that if they are going to add Savant prestige enhancements, they need to make the first tier grant the metamagic feat Energy Substitution: Element. This would allow you to cast Polar Ray (Fire), Cone of Cold (Fire) et cetera. In pen and paper, this metamagic feat is a requirement for entering the prestige class, and iirc after level 2 of the prestige you gained Automatic Energy Substitution: Element, which is more in line with the way metamagic feats work in DDO.

Also, when it comes to Archmages...some of the key elements are kind of pointless in DDO, such as Arcane Shaping. Since friendly fire is a non issue, who cares if you can put safe spots in your fireball. I don't know what the PrEs actually do for wizards, but I think it's one of the sillier prestige classes to adapt. I think the Incantatrix would be a much better line to add, and it sure would make things interesting!

[Ustice]

Nice idea. *clap*

I can see other abilities that are based on this idea making the game even more fun.

[Chaosprism]

Great idea angelus.


As for wizards though I'm still very strongly leaning toward the SCHOOL speciality side, rather than the elemental side (where the sorcerer savant's are).

Also I think the elemental enhancements, should be split into 5 types.
Instead of fire and cold being together, acid and lightning being together.
Have all 4 separate.

Fire
Cold
Lightning
Acid
Force (+ repair)


Wizards when "specialising" should become more versatile somehow in their SCHOOL.