Improve Condensation Shield

[dolphin]

In its current form, CS is kinda bad. It has a short duration, requires normal Shield skill to be effective (making it a 3-school spell), cannot be used in conjunction with a real shield, and is dissipated with a single puff of flame (but this last item is a whole 'nuther ball of wax). The first three things mean that training Shields with it is an SOB, especially the inability to use it with a shield.

Therefore I suggest two things to improve the usefulness of the spell. First, instead of using the Shields skill only in the SH calculations, use the average of Ice Skill and Shields Skill, assuming it provides approximately a buckler's worth of shielding. Second, allow the use of real shields during the spell, but add only a small fraction of the shielding CS would provide to the SH value (up to 5-8?).

If this is implemented, this would make CS useful, perhaps more useful than L4 spell has any right to be, so it might need to be moved to an L5 or L6 spell.


{Wiz Testing: Human. 15 Str, Int, Dex.
10 Spellcasting, Ice, Transmutations, 0 Shield - 11 SH
10 Spellcasting, 27 Ice, Transmutations, 0 Shield - 15 SH
10 Spellcasting, Ice, Transmutations, 10 Shield - 16 SH
10 Spellcasting, Ice, Transmutations, 27 Shield - 23 SH
10 Spellcasting, 27 Ice, Transmutations, 27 Shield - 27 SH (max. at this Int)

Also, +2 SH for every +5 Int}

[Galefury]

What, CS uses shield skill? I was pretty sure it uses ice skill to calculate SH. Also it didn't seem weak to me when I used it on a Transmuter.

[galehar]

What, CS uses shield skill? I was pretty sure it uses ice skill to calculate SH. Also it didn't seem weak to me when I used it on a Transmuter.

It uses both. It uses ice skill to calculate base shield property and then apply shield skill to it like a normal shield.

It's no longer dissipated by a single puff of flame. I changed that so fire attacks reduce the duration of ice armour and shield instead of instantly dissipating them. 1 point of damage reduce the duration by 1 aut (10 Absolute Unit of Time = 1 turn). Since condensation shield has a short duration, it will still be easily dissipated by most fire attacks, but hopefully not the weakest ones. I'm open to feedback and suggestions concerning this feature.

I don't think allowing stacking with a real shield is a good idea. It would make the spell a no-brainer, since shields are pretty good. Currently it's useful for Tm and users of 2 handers. The latter doesn't see much use, but I think it's more of a problem with 2 handers not being strong enough or shields being too good rather than a problem with condensation shield.

[Jeremiah]

Currently it's useful for Tm and users of 2 handers. The latter doesn't see much use, but I think it's more of a problem with 2 handers not being strong enough or shields being too good rather than a problem with condensation shield.

And possibly also because of those that do use 2-handers, most are either worshipping Trog, wearing heavy armour or both, which doesn't fit too well with spellcasting.

[dolphin]

I guess my concern with your last point, galehar, is the dominance of the Shield skill in the SH of the spell. Either you train Shields or the spell isn't very good for a L4 spell. (Compare it to Control Tele, Passage of G, Ice Form, Throw Icicle, Sticky Flame, Petrify, Dispel Undead, Animate Dead, OTR, Alistair's, Flight, Insulation, Enslavement, Summon Scorpions, Summon Elemental. It seems to me that CS isn't in that class of spell. Most of these are generally useful or extremely useful in specific circumstances.)

To train shields, it is optimal to wear a buckler (not use the spell) in most cases, even if you plan to use the spell later on. However, while you wear a shield in your attempt to get decent Shields skill, CS is useless to you, unless you are in Ice Form. So giving a few points of SH while you raise your Shields to good levels seemed like a visible enough boost that you would use it, but not be OP.

Another way to deal with the dominance of the Shield skill is to reduce its importance, or make it a non-factor, so that you can still get good (17-23) SH without necessitating a skill you otherwise plan not to use.

Also, the description of the spell seems misleading, ("This spell causes a disc of dense vapour to condense out of the air surrounding the caster. It acts like a normal shield, but its density (and therefore stopping power) depends upon the caster's skill with Ice Magic. The disc is controlled by the caster's mind and thus will not conflict with the wielding of a two-handed weapon."), in that Ice magic would appear to be the dominant factor in the SH of CS, not Shields.

[galehar]

Good point. We could change it to make it independent of the shield skill. Maybe use Ice/2 instead of shield (haven't looked precisely at the numbers).

[Jeremiah]

Maybe the shield should only be affected by fire if you actually block something fiery with it. (Or are hit by something that engulfs the whole area, like fireball.)

[dolphin]

Elliptic improved the duration of Condensation Shield and replaced Freezing Cloud with CS in the Book of Frost (IE).

Wikied.

[Jeremiah]

Maybe with this change, Freezing Cloud should be put in some other book instead, as this will make it very hard to find. Though maybe no harder than Bolt of Fire currently is.

[galehar]

Maybe with this change, Freezing Cloud should be put in some other book instead, as this will make it very hard to find.

He did. He put it in the book of conjurations.

[smock]

Are folks using CS yet?

[njvack]

What if CS's duration was extended by firing ice spells through it?

[ElectricAlbatross]

Are folks using CS yet?

CS was pretty awesome in a recent OgIE game of mine. It's not at all annoying to use effectively, now that you only need the spell memorized to start training Shields skill from level 0. Swinging around a giant spiked club with CS and Ozocubu's Armour going was a lot of fun, and effective.

CS together with Ozocubu's makes the IE book very suited to a hybrid playstyle, which I think is a great thing.