If I comment on my other post, I’m talking about:
http://www.moraldecaymud.org/index.php?/forums/viewthread/133/
I apologize for the amount of information that’s going to be in this, but I
hope it’s also informative to other mages out there. I’m going to either
keep posting for the changes that need to happen, or stop caring about how
the class works. I’m fairly sure everyone knows what path I’m on right now.
Issues covered will be trance, spells and gear.
TRANCE (Thanks to Lynis and Grandpa for help with numbers)
Yes, this includes trancing crystal. However, I’m also going to touch on
passive mana regeneration. I still feel that trancing crystal should just be
added to the passive 6m/45s we get for being a mage. This would have to scale
but I’d be happy to drop numbers for every level. As it stands, the original
numbers that I posted ages ago were almost right on the money. Giving the
current time between trancing crystal ticks and normal game ticks would bring
the passive number up to around 20m/45s. Not only would this allow blasting
mages a little more flexibility for gathering their groups, but allow melee
mages the ability to stop and trance for a second when needed. As always, the
bulk of mana regen will still come from drinking as I’m sure it was intended.
I have found that trance does indeed scale, but how much is still almost
laughable. I say this because of the vast difference between what a level 10
mage and an aristo mage spends in mana. Yes, I know there is a difference
between how much either can drink, but trance should give more than an
incredibly minor boost to mana regeneration. At level 10, a mage will tick
8m/31.5s and a level 24 mage will tick 12m/20s. So, per minute the level 24
mage will gain roughly 20 more mana than the level 10 mage. Let’s just say
that the extra mana is barely a drop in the bucket vs mana consumption. I’m
under the assumption that the time between ticks is based on level and the
amount per tick is based on int. The amount per tick is also unchanged by a
player’s bless, which I hope is just an oversight, but it can change with
brains.
Something else that I hope is just an oversight is the difference between
normal trance ticks and trancing crystal ticks. At level 9, trancing crystal
takes 7 more seconds to tick, and at 24 it takes 6 more. If this was
intentional, please change it use the same formula as normal trance. Superior
trance (aristo skill) -should- also affect trancing crystal, why it doesn’t
completely baffles me. The time between trance ticks also does not change
past level 20 from the testing I did. A pattern I see repeating with a lot of
mage spells.
SPELLS
Spell failure should go away. I’d also love to see some sort of a warning
when a spell is about to fade, much akin to how it works with clerics.
Knowing the amount of time it would take to put this in, I’m sure I’ll never
see it though. The warning before shield, forceshield and talisman does need
to be lengthened though. Now, on to the actual spells…
Detect magic: If the magical nature of an item increases it’s armor class,
weapon class or magically increased accuracy (some items do list this),
detect magic should confirm this. There have been many wizards over the
years, so the power of the magical aura does not tell a mage anything of
significance. I’ve also always been a firm believer in bringing back old
inspect for fighters. Keeping weapon/armor information secret from the
players only rewards people that get the information from sources that
shouldn’t be part of the equation, and great items go unused because people
don’t understand what they do.
Bladechange: I’m fairly sure the change does not extend to the weapon’s
specials, so it limits how useful this could be for a mage. The recent
change was still very welcomed and I do use it sometimes.
Enchant: I’ve been harping on this for years, and for very good reasons. I’ll
cover this slightly in the weapon section as well, but there are severe
limitations on what a mage can enchant for themselves. This is very much akin
to how worthless phase armor is for mage (not needed for warrior mage either)
but it’s not as blatant. The argument of “they are already of magical nature”
is not a valid...what better use for an enchant spell than on a mage’s
weapons and armor. There are a grand total of two tunics that a mage can use
and neither can be enchanted.
Warrior Mage: I’ve tested this extensively along with the best gear I could
get my curious little hands on. On my final test I had Yulak’s Dagger and the
Serrated Bone Knife along with the WM gloves and a fully enchanted set of
armor. I made 100k less exp, drank more and had to make triggers to deal with
the micromanagement. It still needs work. My thoughts about triggered spells
(that would not stack with other mage spells) while using the mask would
still be the best solution to make this an awesome alternative way to play a
mage. If this was made to be a situational spell, the amount of gear that
you’d need to carry around to make it useful is also ridiculous. I’m also unsure
if the ability to wield better weapons is affected by greater weapon use with
this spell active, which it probably should be if it isn’t.
Seeker: I’m going to mention this in the casting time list too, but I’d like
to see the duration extended a little. Perhaps use haste’s duration formula
since they are used in conjunction most of the time.
Lightning Sheath: The number of bolts in a sheath needs to be greatly
increased. I do like how long it lasts when it doesn’t expend all of its
charges though. It’s unique in that regard.
CONTINUED…