Storm of Vengence

[Zorinar]

Hi all,
I noticed a few things really weird with how SOV works and I think it is buggy.

As I understand it, in FK it causes immediate blindness. The spell is, in fact, not supposed to cause blindness but deafness due to the thunderclap sound it makes (save applicable of course). Although it is supposed to hinder vision to 5 feet in later rounds, but anyone making melee or touch attacks like harm spells should be within 5 feet.


Also, the spell takes 10 rounds, each round doing funky things, but... the caster MUST concentrate on it, that means they cannot cast other spells during this time, and if they lose concentrate the spell cannot proceed to the next round as I understand it. In FK, I see priests spam cast SOV. I believe this is completely against canon to have the full effects of the spell and be able to spam it.

Thanks:)
For your view pleasure: from http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/stormOfVengeance.htm


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Storm of Vengeance
Conjuration (Summoning)
Level: Drd 9, Clr 9
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 round
Range: Long (400 ft. + 40 ft./level)
Effect: 360-ft.-radius storm cloud
Duration: Concentration (maximum 10 rounds) (D)
Saving Throw: See text
Spell Resistance: Yes

This spell creates an enormous black storm cloud. Lightning and crashing claps of thunder appear within the storm. Each creature beneath the cloud must succeed on a Fortitude save or be deafened for 1d4×10 minutes.

If you do not maintain concentration on the spell after casting it, the spell ends. If you continue to concentrate, the spell generates additional effects in each following round, as noted below. Each effect occurs during your turn.
2nd Round

Acid rains down in the area, dealing 1d6 points of acid damage (no save).
3rd Round

You call six bolts of lightning down from the cloud. You decide where the bolts strike. No two bolts may be directed at the same target. Each bolt deals 10d6 points of electricity damage. A creature struck can attempt a Reflex save for half damage.
4th Round

Hailstones rain down in the area, dealing 5d6 points of bludgeoning damage (no save).
5th through 10th Rounds

Violent rain and wind gusts reduce visibility. The rain obscures all sight, including darkvision, beyond 5 feet. A creature 5 feet away has concealment (attacks have a 20% miss chance). Creatures farther away have total concealment (50% miss chance, and the attacker cannot use sight to locate the target). Speed is reduced by three-quarters.

Ranged attacks within the area of the storm are impossible. Spells cast within the area are disrupted unless the caster succeeds on a Concentration check against a DC equal to the storm of vengeance’s save DC + the level of the spell the caster is trying to cast.

[Keltorn]

EDIT: Jeez, sorry for a long post. Short version: I think the spell's working as intended. It cannot be made to work like D&D's version.

You're right about all these things, but I think this implementation of Storm of Vengeance isn't buggy, it's just a compromise. The FK version is different becauce this game can't replicate that spell the way it was intended in D&D.

It doesn't deafen because deafness isn't coded yet (though I, for one, look forward to that getting implemented), the blindness is probably in place to simulate concealment (like you said, those in melee should be getting 20% miss chance instead of 50%), it's supposed to last ten rounds (if concentrated on) but it's also supposed to be castable from a bare minimum of 1,080 feet away and cover a 360 foot radius (good luck breaking that caster's concentration when you have to move for several rounds looking for a target you can no longer see), and... It just kind of goes on.

With the way the game is built right now, the proper implementation of Storm of Vengeance isn't doable. We're going to need, bare minimum, tactical movement, range, and area to be implemented before spells like this can work correctly. I think the way the spell is set up now is really designed to try and balance the spell as best as possible. If anything, I think it's pretty weak. My low level wizard got hit with it three or four times before successfully fleeing and surviving. It definitely isn't doing the canon spell's 10 rounds of hurt in one round, and it doesn't last additional rounds. It's not having its full effect, but it also doesn't have to be concentrated to keep it running.

I have seen this spell getting spam-cast by NPCs (and only NPCs; PCs don't have that many spell slots), but I've also been hit with more than a dozen consecutive Flensing spells from a single enemy. Heck, I've seen a drunken sailor popping out 15th level spells (Elminster himself only has 13th level spell slots; he shouldn't have multiclassed!). NPCs definitely have some odd spellcasting quirks, but I think those things are intentional.

[Zorinar]

There are a lot of spells that we cannot imitate D&D correctly, but when speaking about range all spells fall into that catagory. No spell works correctly range wise. However, the blindness part of this spell works like the blindness spell, it prevents spell casting. Right now, blindness does not invoke a melee attack miss chance, nor does not reduce dexterity bonus as it should. That is something that can be fixed, a miss chance can be implemented instead of it being pure anti caster.

[Gwain]

is this in pk's or spars only? I have not really encountered mobiles with this spell. If its in spars couldn't you just request the spell not be used?

[Enig]

Sorry, but I fail to see how blindness can be considered 'anti-caster'. Blindness will prevent you from attacking a specific target but you're still able to cast spells on the person who's attacking you - by not choosing a target offensive spells will automatically pick the closest hostile - and you're still able to use area of attack spells. True sight, a spell available to every primary spellcasting class (clerics, druids, and wizards), is also an effective counter to blindness, rendering it completely ineffective.

Anyways, it's a good point that we should maybe think about adding a deafened state (-4 initiative, auto-failure to listen, and +20% spell failure w/o silent spell).

[Zorinar]

Sorry, but I fail to see how blindness can be considered 'anti-caster'. Blindness will prevent you from attacking a specific target but you're still able to cast spells on the person who's attacking you - by not choosing a target offensive spells will automatically pick the closest hostile - and you're still able to use area of attack spells. True sight, a spell available to every primary spellcasting class (clerics, druids, and wizards), is also an effective counter to blindness, rendering it completely ineffective.

Anyways, it's a good point that we should maybe think about adding a deafened state (-4 initiative, auto-failure to listen, and +20% spell failure w/o silent spell).

Enig,
Unless this has been changed, the last time I tried to cast while blinded I received the invalid target message, with area of attack spells, with target spells, and with spells during combat that should auto target. I have not tried targeting self but I suppose that would fail as well. Interestingly, it has no effect on fighters even though they have a blind-fight feat. Thus, I label it an anti-caster spell. Its a sure win spell, just like a lock spell.

When Zorinar gets SOV'd, I cannot even cast an area attack spell, I can do nothing. Not that I mind, because I know many lock spells that all guarantee victory, assuming one can get them to "lock" before the other "locks" onself, but in the case of blindness I have a particular sore spot because as a lower level wizard I went out of my way to get it only to find out it does nothing to mobs and cost me a death in the process.

[Mele]

Are you typing a target out with AOE spells, or just typing c 'aoespellname'? In all of my time on FK personally, I've never been unable to AOE while blind.

[Enig]

The command 'cast <spell>' will target the mob or PC you're currently engaged with, without requiring you to see them.

[Zorinar]

Ok, I take this back, I am now able to cast AOE spells while blind. This is a first for me

[Selveem]

I think there's a chance you can still miss, though, because you're blind.. right? I think I remember seeing someone target incorrectly with a fireball because they were blind.

[Enig]

I tested this out by blinding a mortal character on the test port and using AoE spells and found no evidence of any penalty caused by blindness that causes spells to miss.