Lair Larrikin
Posts: 19
Joined: Friday, 25th May 2012, 10:14
Location: UTC+1
Darkness Hexes/Earth and maybe the new (new) Stalker
The other day, my HOEE came across a book with Darkness. That made me think about how it would be pretty nice for EEs to change the playing field in favour of their low ranged conjurations. Plus I'd like more elemental tie-ins for Hexes, and more schools usable with Earth apart from Transmutations and Conjurations.
Thinking about that led to other ideas, and so I have three related ones:
1. Darkness: Hexes/Earth level 6 or 5
2. Slow: Hexes/Earth (same level)
3. yet another Stalker variant with Hexes, Transmutations, Earth
On reflection, I've thought it best to start discussion with all of them together, we can always split off another thread if it seems indicated.
Anyway, proposal the first:
1) Make Darkness a Hexes/Earth spell at level 6 (or even 5)
Why?
- lower level to offset increased difficulty due to dual instead of single school
- Provides an interesting option for EEs, offsetting the low range of their conjurations
- Hexes-using stabbers focusing on Darkness can also pick up Passwall
- possibly could provide a capstone spell for a new new Stalker background focusing on earth, with Hexes and Transmutation support
- Flavour: Where Transmutations and Conjurations tend to work with the physical aspects of the element, Hexes make use of the metaphysical. Earth is matter in its truest form, elementally opposed to movement and light. Earth is the midwife of darkness.
Why not (arguments from IRC, slightly paraphrased for teh lulz)?
failure rate bad for hex using stabbers, invis plus failed darkness BAD BAD BAD
The lowered spell level should help a little, plus picking up some earth would be good for stabbers anyway (passwall! maybe pretrify)
EE don't need the help
Well no, but this wouldn't make 'em OP either, would it?
EE need their XP for bashing things with earth staves
Depending on race, I think it'd be possible to do both
earth is totally not about darkness, if anything it'd be cold or necro
Ok maybe a point there, (I'd say flavour wise they're about equal), but I think gameplay wise the more interesting synergy is with Earth magic. For necro, low sight range has anti-synergy with your pets. For ice, you'll want to hibernate stuff from real close anyway, or use reasonably ranged conjurations, and if you're refrigerating you want as much sight range as possible
2) Make Slow a Hexes/Earth spell, too
I think it would be cool flavour wise, and help make Hexes more interesting/varied.
Bad for Arcane Marksmen. I guess they could use Earth for Leda's Liquefaction later, but they'd need Transmutations for that as well, and that'd probably spread their XP too much. Maybe they could get a pure Hexes spell instead that just prevents movement, but does not impede attacks (or Hexes/Translocations? AMs should like Translocations).
Wizards would get and require another spell school. A plus, I think, since flexibility is their watchword. They'd be even more wizardy.
Possibly replacing stone skin in the EE spellbook, if one wanted to make 'em less about bashing things with staves and more about battlefield control. Dunno about this one.
Could go into a revived hexes/transmut/earth stalker spellbook
3. YASV: Yet Another Stalker Variant
This one would focus on Hexes, Transmutations and Earth to support stabbing and/or melee.
Spellbook:
1: confusing touch? \
2: stone skin? S2S? >--> some help for enabling stabs or mitigating a failed stab needed here. AC bypass spell maybe?
2: slow? /
3: PASSWALL
4: PETRIFY
5 or 6: DARKNESS
Playstyle should be fairly obvious. Sneak 'n stab, with magic. Be slightly more resilient but less stabby than an enchanter.
- For this message the author jwb has received thanks:
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