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I just wanted to report this as it could be somewhat problematic. Been testing the earth reaver spell lately, never really used it before. Seems that the amount of time it stuns your enemies with each casting is a good bit longer than the time it takes to cast the spell again, which means that if you can cast earth reaver once and keep casting it, no one can do anything about it.

This isn't necessarily a bug, I mean the spell is an attack/stun spell, and it doesn't do a lot of damage, it's just something that it seems like people could take big advantage of. Maybe the amount of time it stuns your enemies could be lessened or altered slightly, or the spell made higher-level. I just wanted to report it in case it was problematic so people more in-the-know could take a look and pronounce it good or not-good to use.

This was discussed a few months ago and it was determined it was fine for use, other issues were brought up about just memorising 20 earth reavers and soloing areas with no damage done to the player. However it didnt seem feasible to code against things like that, people should just know better I suppose.

I would guess that's because you can start casting a new spell as soon as your old spell is done casting (instead of one spell a round).

That means that you can cast a second earth reaver BEFORE the effect of the first one (which supposedly lasts 1 round) is over.

Add to that the fact that you are normally not supposed to be able to attack while casting spells, and I guess you have the main sources of unbalance.

I guess the duration could be reduced again, but wouldn't that make the spell next to useless?

Perhaps use of Earth Reaver could set a flag on a room (which would have some sort of random factor... so that you never know exactly how many uses you will get out of the spell) which counts how many times Earth Reaver is used and then when it reaches a certain point... the Earth is so torn up in the area you start getting other sorts of damage... the chance of an earthquake in the room which would affect everything badly perhaps... just some sort of negative to continually tearing up all of the ground around you. There are other spells which could probably use a sort of effect like this as well, spells which set flags which change the nature of the room or cause peripheral damage.

Maybe restrict where it can be used? Something like underground or only outside?

Seeming as I play a priest of chaos, I've been using Earth Reaver for a long time. I'm not the kind of person who looks for ways to "beat the system", so I've never tried the repeated Earth Reaver attack, except when my character was in trouble, and then it's just to get a moment to cast a healing spell.

I don't see a problem with being able to repeatedly hit creatures with the spell. It does damage automatically, yes, depending on resistances, but the stun depends on saving throws. There is usually a high chance that the creature - a creature worth killing, that is - will save and won't be stunned. I've never had the stun work time after time after time after time. If you've mastered or grandmastered the spell, then I would think you deserve to have it repeatedly work.

As a side note, I find many of the area affect spells aren't overly strong anyway, and could use some guidance to rp on the receiving end.

I think the best thing to do would be to put the spell system into revision, specifically, so that there is a code mechanic to restrict a caster to physically casting one spell per round (two, if quicken spell is active).

We COULD, while we're at it, revise the multi_hit function to NOT trigger attacks from a player who is currently casting. THAT would balance it. and make priests much more tame in their solo-ability

Kregor wrote:We COULD, while we're at it, revise the multi_hit function to NOT trigger attacks from a player who is currently casting. THAT would balance it. and make priests much more tame in their solo-ability

Or we COULD make concentration actually feasable to receive skill gains in, so that when suddenly these fighters are getting all their hits in while the priest/wizard cannot cast as much, it will actually be a matter of skill as to if the spell is disrupted.

I have played quite a few casters... I think I have gotten maybe 2 concentration skill gains on any of those characters... in YEARS. I don't play casters fully bedecked in armor. I got cloth and/or leather.

I want my +23 skill ranks plus items to concentration checks at level twenty. I need them.

Checks and balances, Kregor

Kregor wrote:I think the best thing to do would be to put the spell system into revision, specifically, so that there is a code mechanic to restrict a caster to physically casting one spell per round (two, if quicken spell is active).

Yay for it, it will bring balance and spellcasters will be a more interesting class to play since they will have to think about casting spells or fighting, and if spellcasters can't fight at every moment classes focused in fighting would be more respected and liked by those spellcasters.