how does nighstalker change my game

[Hirsch I]

and how should I react to it? which builds it favors and which ones it messes up?

[ontoclasm]

It makes your LoS smaller. That means enemies can't see you until you're close to them, and vice versa. I guess it has "synergy" with melee, stabbing, and short-ranged stuff, and harms long-ranged stuff, but neither to a great amount. My first win was with a DsCj that had Nightstalker and constantly used IOoD - probably the spell most hurt by having a small LoS. The main effect is that it takes frickin' ages to explore.

[Siegurt]

I'd say particularly fire/ice storm are harmed by it (It's sometimes slightly more difficult to be able to find a square to target with ice storm wherein you won't harm yourself) Of the spell schools Earth is probably harmed the least, since Iron shot and LCS are both shorter ranged anyway, and even slightly helped since with nightstalker 3 you can probably target things as soon as they come into your LOS, and hitting a smaller area with shatter isn't really that big of a problem.

I'd say it's greatest synergy is with a stabbing build, melee builds get some help but not lots..

[dck]

I'd say being able to storm things that are completely unable to fight back at least three times before they even come into sight isn't really harmful.

[cerebovssquire]

It kind of hurts ranged, but like most other changes, this isn't a huge effect. It helps that firing ranged weapons in melee is just as strong. Same goes for spells, of course. The help it gives primarily melee characters is nothing they can't get by reading ?fog where the effect would be required.
Expect it to affect your character's power somehow, but it isn't game-changing, especially if you get the mutation at a point where you have already raised some skills. Don't react to it at all.

[BlackSheep]

It also gives a very large stealth boost. I train Stealth a lot earlier with NS.

[Hirsch I]

well, bummer. if nightstalker should not be reacted on at all, then Demonspawn is in serious need of a rework. wich facets are truly game-changing? everything seems like a nice bonus, nothing more...

[ontoclasm]

if nightstalker should not be reacted on at all, then Demonspawn is in serious need of a rework.

What? You can redirect your character into a sneaky stabber to mesh with nightstalker if you desire, but if you don't want to, it won't cripple you. Sounds perfectly designed to me. I mean I guess we could make it so every demonspawn you play has like a 1/3 chance of getting a mutation that utterly ruins all the skills you've been working on, but that doesn't strike me as fun.

[duvessa]

I can't think of a single Ds mutation that should result in a significant change to your strategy and if I had to name one anyway it certainly wouldn't be nightstalker.

[Hirsch I]

I always tought Demonspawn was meant to make the player adapt to the facets it gets. I'm not saying Ds is not well designed, it is my favorite species. thanks, nice people. you guys never fail to enlighten me.
EDIT: this is not sarcasm.

[Sandman25]

Ds became my favorite species too. I always try to adapt, for example I branch into magic with magic regeneration, swap to light armour with spines or start planning extended with rTorment. Ignoring mutations would not be as fun IMHO

[Hirsch I]

yeah, my tought exactly. but I think I should focus on optimal play until I get my first win, at least.