dpeg wrote:The discussion about language and grammar is very interesting (really!), but it does neglect one point:
The original move ("Hellfire" --> "Damnation") was a clear gain, from the player point of view. (I'm thinking of a new player, who now cannot be misled to think of rF; I realise that a veteran player has to make a mental adaption. I am confident our players can do that.)
After that, you can ask, and this is what this thread is about: is the new word the best word? The answer is probably no. However, there won't even be any concensus about a best word, and the next potential gain (improving "Damnation") is, in my opinion, smaller than the first one. You can also call this is a kind of inertia: the actual issue is solved, and what's left is a flavour question that's not urgent.
As a non-native speaker, I cannot say how odd "damnation" reads in the messages that Crawl throws out. For me, it seems good enough.
The main problem is that as was pointed out, "damnation" is the wrong kind of word.
"Damnation" is a state of being like "bliss" or "nirvana" or "free"
Imagine a healing ability and saying someone "threw bliss at you" it doesn't make any sense.
For me personally, it is just a matter of good grammar.
A "damnation blast" (or burst) wouldn't be ideal, but it would at least communicate with sensible words.
Literally "damnation" is to be in the state of being damned, it means "someone or something is or has been damming you" you can't shoot someone with a state of being, you can *impose* a state of being on someone (by damning them) and the thing you shoot at them could have or be associated with a state of being (a damnation blast or burst) but you just can't shoot someone with a state of being.