What's the point of Stunning Blow?!

[Quarterling]

/rant ended

Zaodon explained to me the complete mechanics which I now understand. I just wish that the Stunning Blow feat would not break the attack cycle...

All stuff below this line is what I said prior before my rant so it won't be confusing for potential new readers.
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Really, REALLY?!

A fortitude save is required to stun an enemy for six seconds with no auto-crit. Sap is more useful here as it lasts for like three times longer and doesn't need a save. Granted sapped enemies break from the sap once they get hit, but with the tiny duration that stunning blow gives coupled with no auto-crit, what's the point?

I got one of my current characters with stunning blow on Lamannia to see if stunning blow was nerfed just like the caster's hold monster. I guess your main source of income is forcing people like me to buy Turbine Points so that I can get a feat swap to remove this now useless feat.

A caster can just switch in and out of their hold spells with ease, while it takes time and real money (Turbine Points if you're a level 20, because I am not spending two years to find and grind enough dragonshards to get a flawless gem) to swap feats.



...

[TheDearLeader]

A Wizard can just switch in and out of their hold spells with ease, while it takes time and real money (Turbine Points if you're a level 20, because I am not spending two years to find and grind enough dragonshards to get a flawless gem) to swap feats.

Fixed that for you.

[Quarterling]

Fixed that for you.

Oh yes, I don't really see sorcs having a reason to pick up any hold spells at all come update 9.

[phalaeo]

Fixed that for you.

Well, to be fair, Turbine is offering spell swap pots for Sorcs and Bards- where is the free feat swap for those who no longer want Stunning Blow?

[TheDearLeader]

Oh yes, I don't really see sorcs having a reason to pick up any hold spells at all come update 9.

Loss of a feat to the PrE, which would have been Greater Spell Penetration of Enchantment Focus?

Loss of AP-based Spell Penetration in order to fit in Savant?

Introduction of Spell Resistance to Mass Hold Monster?

Re-raising of Epic DCs?

Having this costly PrE do less damage, and do nothing to boost DCs, not even of the spells that are intended to be used with the PrE?

Yes, I agree, having Hold spells on a Sorcerer come U9 is going to become much less of a priority, because having a Sorcerer at all come U9 is going to become much less of a priority.

[Zaodon]

The point of stunning blow is to stun monsters, making them unable to move and/or attack the party, and allowing you to deal extra damage to them.

As of update 9, nothing has changed to the above, with the exception that the "extra" damage went from (a weapon crit) to (a normal attack which could crit or not * 150%).

[Jaid314]

Oh yes, I don't really see sorcs having a reason to pick up any hold spells at all come update 9.

nothing better at level 9, pretty much.

but that's beside the point. it's still CC, it still increases your damage (just not by autocrit anymore), and it's still an excellent feat worth taking on just about any melee that has room for it and can get a decent DC.

[TheDearLeader]

The point of stunning blow is to stun monsters, making them unable to move and/or attack the party, and allowing you to deal extra damage to them.

As of update 9, nothing has changed to the above, with the exception that the "extra" damage went from (a weapon crit) to (a normal attack which could crit or not * 150%).

That'd be great - if we had Stunning +10 Rapiers, Scimitars, and Falchions.

Instead, all the weapons in game with the "Stunning" Suffix have some of the worst critical profiles possible.

[The_Phenx]

Yes and if your the only one swinging a weapon that would be true.

Stunning blow will be in some cases just as effective as it used to be. In same rare moments more so.

*50% damage is nothing to shrug off...because its ALL damage.

SO your monk friend with 5 different bursts is gona destroy stuff. Or that barb with the red dragon armor...

[Zaodon]

That'd be great - if we had Stunning +10 Rapiers, Scimitars, and Falchions.

Instead, all the weapons in game with the "Stunning" Suffix have some of the worst critical profiles possible.

Since stun damage bonus now applies to all damage, simply stun with the +10 club of stupidness, then watch the mob die to a 3000 point polar ray.

[Quarterling]

The point of stunning blow is to stun monsters, making them unable to move and/or attack the party, and allowing you to deal extra damage to them.

As of update 9, nothing has changed to the above, with the exception that the "extra" damage went from (a weapon crit) to (a normal attack which could crit or not * 150%).

So if I understand this correctly...

A weapon normally does 100 damage.
Attacking helpless mob = 150 damage.
Get a critical for x2 damage = 300 damage instead of the regular 150?

I guess I can live with this then. A nerf, but not so bad that I will want to get rid of the feat.

But does anybody know if Turbine has plans of removing that horrendous "new animation" that breaks your attack cycle for when you attack with stunning blow?

[knightgf]

Before, it seemed that if you had stunning blow, improved critical wouldn't matter if a mob was stunned anymore, because they were automatically crit, period. Now, improved critical is a excellent combo to stunning blow, and its a shame I don't have enough feats to put it on. Still, Stunning blow > Improved Critical if you can have a high enough DC.

[Trillea]

So if I understand this correctly...

A weapon normally does 100 damage.
Attacking helpless mob = 150 damage.
Get a critical for x2 damage = 300 damage instead of the regular 150?

I guess I can live with this then. A nerf, but not so bad that I will want to get rid of the feat.

This is correct.

[oradafu]

Since stun damage bonus now applies to all damage, simply stun with the +10 club of stupidness, then watch the mob die to a 3000 point polar ray.

Not all damage gets bonus damage. Sneak attack and glancing blow gets no extra damage on helpless (aka stunned) mobs.

[Zaodon]

So if I understand this correctly...

A weapon normally does 100 damage
Attacking helpless mob = 150 damage.
Get a critical for x2 damage = 300 damage instead of the regular 150?

I guess I can live with this then. A nerf, but not so bad that I will want to get rid of the feat.

But does anybody know if Turbine has plans of removing that horrendous "new animation" that breaks your attack cycle for when you attack with stunning blow?

A weapon normally does 100 damage, with x2 crit multiplier.

Live:
Attacking helpless mob = 200 damage, plus special effects (holy, pure good, etc.)

Update 9:
Attacking helpless mob (non-crit) = 150 damage, plus 50% bonus to special effects (holy, pure good, etc.)
Attacking helpless mob (crit) = 300 damage, plus 50% bonus to special effects (holy, pure good, etc.)

[Krag]

Live:
Attacking helpless mob = 200 damage, plus special effects (holy, pure good, etc.) plus all crit-specific effects (seeker, burst, life stealing, banishing, etc.)

Fixed

[Zaodon]

Fixed

Same after update 9 if you crit.

[Krag]

Same after update 9 IF you crit.

Allow me to demonstrate the point.
On live my barb dualwielding h.picks gets +40 damage on rolls 2-20 from seeker alone.
In U9 it changes to +60 damage on 19-20. Feel the difference.

[Zaodon]

Allow me to demonstrate the point.
On live my barb dualwielding h.picks gets +40 damage on rolls 2-20 from seeker alone.
In U9 it changes to +60 damage on 19-20. Feel the difference.

And you get +50% damage from holy, shocking burst, etc. on all hits, thus evening it out (in fact, you'll likely do more damage to held mobs with update 9).

[Jaid314]

And you get +50% damage from holy, shocking burst, etc. on all hits, thus evening it out (in fact, you'll likely do more damage to held mobs with update 9).

nah, i wouldn't go so far as to say you'll do more damage than previous. because previously, you'd be getting crit stuff on every single hit, and that's pretty big.

however, it's still going to be an excellent feat, it will still add both crowd-control and damage increases, and i'll still have it on every char that can reasonably use it.