TeshiAlair wrote:Also, dispel undead is interesting/useful because it provides a way for people going into necromancy to deal with undead. This isn't filling a necessary niche.
Right—and even then, I think "dispel foo" is questionable, though I will say "dispel undead" is at least less objectionable than other "dispel <thing>" spells that one might imagine.
kroki wrote:Would upping it to level 8th spell make it more reasonable?
Well, that would mean the spell is at least competing with stuff like "full HP heal" spell and half of the "turn invincible" spell. But those spells (revivification and death's door) have other costs and considerations that at least potentially make using them more of a careful consideration. This spell just seems like you'd spam it whenever demons are around. Unlike dispel undead you don't even have to target it or deal with the rather poor range.
The other problem that isn't solved by upping the spell level is that demons account for like 75% of the optional "beyond three runes" game content, and in those areas they are meant to be tough enemies that, with notable exception of holy wrath (which is a problematic brand anyway but let's not go there), can't be shut down by many powerful tools that work well elsewhere. (Demons are immune to silence, for example.)
Now the fact that demons are so prevalent in the "post-game" itself might be unfortunate and something that should change, since it means a lot of redundancy between Pan/Hell and to a slightly lesser extent Abyss. However, so long as it is the case, a mass "kill demons" spell is going to be extremely awkward in terms of usefulness and balance. Even a level 8 spell that basically kills or highly damages all demons in LOS is going to be nearly useless in most games and nearly useless for the first half of even those games in which it ends up being useful (because you are doing extended), and yet overpowered for a few specific areas.
Thursday, 24th July 2014, 04:24 
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