Weekly Developer Activities: 3/24/08

[artvan_delet]

Paladin Sacrifice I: not bad for a lower level paladin. Only requires level 4 paladin, with only 11 ap spent.

How much better is this spell than vicious?

PLEASE: Here's again hoping something, anything for Paladin levels past 11. Sacrifice 2,3?

[MysticRhythms]

It would be nice to get some clarification on Wrack the Construct. Is it always on? Is it a single swing? Does it stack with Sneak Attack when fighting Warforged?

While I love the WDA, they suffer from the same malady the online character guides do - very poor/incomplete information for several abilities/spells.

I like knowing what my abilities do before I pay the cost to get them.

[Drekisen]

someone pinch me....lol

[ArkoHighStar]

Which is Of course, Significantly different than "Always there" like our Standard Sneak Attack damage.

I would MUCH rather see an Enhancment line that would apply a Portion of our sneak attack against mobs that are natrually Immune...

First Tier your Sneak attacks do 25% damage to COnstructs/Undead
Second Tier Your Sneak ATtack do 50% Damage to COnstruct/Undead
Third Tier Yoru sneak attacks to 75% Damage tro Construct/Undead and you get a 20 Second Clicky that Reduces Enemy Fortification by 25%

2,4,6 Cost line so its not too easy to get. Way of the XXX Prereq.

I agree much better, given the power of the bards ability to fascinate constructs. it makes no sense to have any kind of timer on this especially given the cost.

[ArkoHighStar]

It would be nice to get some clarification on Wrack the Construct. Is it always on? Is it a single swing? Does it stack with Sneak Attack when fighting Warforged?

While I love the WDA, they suffer from the same malady the online character guides do - very poor/incomplete information for several abilities/spells.

I like knowing what my abilities do before I pay the cost to get them.

looks like an 8 second cooldown kind of like cleave

[MysticTheurge]

Maybe we can just get Golem Strike and Grave Strike added to the game as spells, and then rogues can simply UMD them off of wands or scrolls.

Please?

[Kisaragi]

# NEW Paladin Divine Sacrifice I

* Prereq: Paladin level 4, Paladin Extra Smiting I, 11 Action Points spent
* Cost: 1 Action Point
* Benefit: Giving up some of your life force to win the battle, you empower your next blow against your foe. This attack deals an additional 5d6 Good damage to evil opponents and increases the critical multiplier of your weapon by 1, but costs you 10 hp and 1 sp, whether or not the attack is successful.". (6 second cooldown.)
==========================
Boo!!!!
No seriously, as I've said before paladins do not have a lot of hp compared to fighters/barbarians. Making an ability require health like vicious weaponry is very bad. Especially with the fact you could be using it and wiffing away. 30 Damage max? That's going to do what to most creatures? Make them blink? Most of the decent leveled creatures in the game have 500 health and about an AC of 50+.

Honestly, I cannot figure out why the developers keep throwing barbed wire to the paladins of the game. You want to make this good? You pay so many life points and you get a constant buff/effect for the duration.

Good examples;

• Wrath of God - When you pay your life, you become a weapon of destruction for your God to destroy evil. You gain +5 to hit but are unable to use healing magic.
  
• Armor of God - When you pay your life, you become a protector of the innocent for your God. You gain +5 to AC but are unable to use divine spells.
  
• Healer of God - When you pay your life, you become a tool of mercy for your God. You gain Superior Devotion (highest heal level you can cast) and a increase to mp but your to hit is reduced by 1/2.
  
• Dead Seeker - When you pay your life, you become a cleanser for your God. You gain Favored Enemy: Undead while this is in effect but you are less effective against everything else. The effects of Favored Enemy: Undead increase the higher the paladin level you are.
  
• Divine Instrument - When you pay your life, you become adept at understand the works of God. You gain a bonus to your UMD for the duration. The bonus depends on how high your paladin level is. In exchange you lose interest in destruction and deal 1/2 damage while this is active.
  
• Divine Judgment - You pay your life in multiples of 10. When this ability is activated, you cannot be healed of this sacrifice. Your damage is increased by 10 for each 10 health you sacrifice for the duration. Your AC is reduced by 6 while this spell is activated.

1 time hit or miss like Smite Evil, Unyielding Sovereignty and Lay on Hands are too easily negated/interrupted/hard to use on the actual battle field. A good paladin shouldn't have time to figure out which clicky to use. They should be able to turn on the enhancement based on the situation.

If you want Paladins to tank, you have to give them abilities (to hit, ac, health, and damage) above what they have at base. If you want them to be able to support others you have to give them abilities that make it easy (UMD bonus and Healing Bonuses).

Currently pure paladins do one or the other, and are typically surpassed quite easily in effectiveness by other classes

Get it?

[Yaga_Nub]

[*] Paladin Bulwark of Good and Resistance of Good costs reduced to 1 point per level
[*]Paladin Bulwark of Good IV:[*] Cost: 8 Action Points Per the item above shouldn't this be 4 Action Points?[*] Prereqs: Level 15 Paladin, Paladin Bulwark of Good III, 48 action points spent.[*] Benefit: Your aura of good provides an additional +4 Armor Class bonus.[/LIST]
[*]NEW A few wight priests will no longer cast cure spells on themselves. BOOOOOO!
[*]It is now easier to see when standing in an incendiary cloud Thank the gods!
[*]Sirroco will now cause blindness only on critical hits, as per the description. Why change this now after 1 year or so of it being in the game? If it's because of the Radiance II item then that's bunk!!! It know it is easier but quit reusing crappy old code.
[*]NEW It is now easier to see when standing in an incindeary cloud. Why is this in here twice?

comments above

[MysticTheurge]

30 Damage max?

Actually... if the damage gets multiplied on criticals it's 150 damage max. Plus whatever you get for the normal +1 critical multiplier.

[VonBek]

1 time hit or miss like Smite Evil, Unyielding Sovereignty and Lay on Hands are too easily negated/interrupted/hard to use on the actual battle field. A good paladin shouldn't have time to figure out which clicky to use. They should be able to turn on the enhancement based on the situation.

I feel some sympathy here. Konstantin would have more fun if triggering Smite Evil didn't equate with "Smite Empty Air While the Mob Dances and Capers"

[Zenako]

Actually... if the damage gets multiplied on criticals it's 150 damage max. Plus whatever you get for the normal +1 critical multiplier.

Variable damage is supposed to be a static add to the final total, fixed damage get mulitpled by the crit factor. (Magic weapons, str, enhancements, FE, etc are all fixed boosts and get mulitpled. Stuff like Fire or Burst gets a single add at the end. At least that is the way it is supposed to work.

[ArkoHighStar]

Actually... if the damage gets multiplied on criticals it's 150 damage max. Plus whatever you get for the normal +1 critical multiplier.

yes but comparing it to say barbarian improved crit, it is rather weak

[Kisaragi]

Actually... if the damage gets multiplied on criticals it's 150 damage max. Plus whatever you get for the normal +1 critical multiplier.

Ok compare this to a DPS Ranger/Rogue, Sorcerer, Barbarian/Fighter focused on damage. Does it even come close to Rage? Maximize? Empower? Backstabbing Bonus? Multi-shot? And those don't require health costs for something that could miss every time.

[MysticTheurge]

Variable damage is supposed to be a static add to the final total, fixed damage get mulitpled by the crit factor. (Magic weapons, str, enhancements, FE, etc are all fixed boosts and get mulitpled. Stuff like Fire or Burst gets a single add at the end. At least that is the way it is supposed to work.

It's not really that simple.

Exception: Extra damage over and above a weapon’s normal damage is not multiplied when you score a critical hit.

So, it really just depends on whether the damage is considered "extra damage" or an increase to the weapon's normal damage.

Either way, it's not the main benefit of the attack, the increased multiplier is.

[MysticTheurge]

yes but comparing it to say barbarian improved crit, it is rather weak

Yes. And that enhancement is overpowered. I'm glad they're not matching new enhancements to it and hope they reconsider the current effects of said barbarian enhancement.

Ok compare this to a DPS Ranger/Rogue, Sorcerer, Barbarian/Fighter focused on damage. Does it even come close to Rage? Maximize? Empower? Backstabbing Bonus? Multi-shot? And those don't require health costs for something that could miss every time.

And none of those characters will have the defensive capabilities of a paladin.

[Eladrin]

yes but comparing it to say barbarian improved crit, it is rather weak

You're not likely to see any new enhancements at the power level that Barbarian Improved Critical is currently at. There are some interesting synergies out there between certain item enchantments and other Paladin abilities with Divine Sacrifice. (Such as Bodyfeeder, noted earlier in the thread, or the Virtue spell.)

Edit: And Mystic Theurge beats me to the comment, again.

[MysticTheurge]

Edit: And Mystic Theurge beats me to the comment, again.

/makes another tick mark on the board.

[MysticTheurge]

NEW A new click and hold to attack option has been added to the game and is defaulted to on.

Is this going to be mappable to other keys?

[EspyLacopa]

Good examples;

• Wrath of God - When you pay your life, you become a weapon of destruction for your God to destroy evil. You gain +5 to hit but are unable to use healing magic.
• Armor of God - When you pay your life, you become a protector of the innocent for your God. You gain +5 to AC but are unable to use divine spells.
• Healer of God - When you pay your life, you become a tool of mercy for your God. You gain Superior Devotion (highest heal level you can cast) and a increase to mp but your to hit is reduced by 1/2.
• Dead Seeker - When you pay your life, you become a cleanser for your God. You gain Favored Enemy: Undead while this is in effect but you are less effective against everything else. The effects of Favored Enemy: Undead increase the higher the paladin level you are.
• Divine Instrument - When you pay your life, you become adept at understand the works of God. You gain a bonus to your UMD for the duration. The bonus depends on how high your paladin level is. In exchange you lose interest in destruction and deal 1/2 damage while this is active.
• Divine Judgment - You pay your life in multiples of 10. When this ability is activated, you cannot be healed of this sacrifice. Your damage is increased by 10 for each 10 health you sacrifice for the duration. Your AC is reduced by 6 while this spell is activated.

Hmm. Dwarven Paladin: 374 hp. . .then -50 Divine Judgement. So, Melee with 324 hp and damage with a one-handed weapon of 1d8+60, 3d8+180 on crit.

[RavenStormclaw]

You're not likely to see any new enhancements at the power level that Barbarian Improved Critical is currently at. There are some interesting synergies out there between certain item enchantments and other Paladin abilities with Divine Sacrifice. (Such as Bodyfeeder, noted earlier in the thread, or the Virtue spell.)

Edit: And Mystic Theurge beats me to the comment, again.

Eladrin I noted that this is Divine Sacrafice I does this imply that there may be higher tier enhancements along this line to come? No specifics just a yea or nay would be helpfull.