Give venom mages ignite poison

[Bart]

As the title says, I propose to add ignite poison to VM's starting spell book. Currently the background is in an awkward position where it has no tools to deal with early rPois threats, but instead is given a very situational level 5 alistair's intoxication.
Ignite poison would be a helpful addition, because it can ignite mephitic clouds (poor man's conjure flame), reduces the need of kiting, somewhat encourages hybridizing and in general makes use of poison magic way more interesting.

[KoboldLord]

Is 'encourages hybridizing' a euphemism for being an xp tax that requires training of two skills that are unlikely to be otherwise useful, rather than a skill that a VM hybrid is actually likely to use, e.g. a weapon skill?

I'll admit handing out Ignite Poison in the VM starting spellbook fixes the problem that you almost never have a character with useful poison and Ignite Poison on the same run, but as a spell in a starting spellbook it would need to have a less horrendously dysfunctional set of skill requirements.

[bcadren]

I once cleared a (Simulacra) Ice Cave with just Meph Cloud and Ignite Poison...(My FeVM win's first book other than the start book was Fire and B.Fire wasn't online yet).

I'd support this change, but there is a small issue...it would take VM from one of the weakest book starts to -by far- the strongest.

[lethediver]

Devs are ok with Venom being the worst school late game, why not have it be the best early game?

[dynast]

AI is only in the game to confuse the player.

[PleasingFungus]

Is 'encourages hybridizing' a euphemism for being an xp tax that requires training of two skills that are unlikely to be otherwise useful, rather than a skill that a VM hybrid is actually likely to use, e.g. a weapon skill?

I'll admit handing out Ignite Poison in the VM starting spellbook fixes the problem that you almost never have a character with useful poison and Ignite Poison on the same run, but as a spell in a starting spellbook it would need to have a less horrendously dysfunctional set of skill requirements.

the nice thing about multi-school spells is that you generally don't actually have to train all of the schools to get them usable

even training spellcasting is often a better idea

[Quazifuji]

I'll admit handing out Ignite Poison in the VM starting spellbook fixes the problem that you almost never have a character with useful poison and Ignite Poison on the same run.

I think most of the other arguments in this thread are good to, but if nothing else, I support this proposal for this reason. Ignite Poison's an interesting niche spell that I never really bother with, but it would synergize really well with the starting venom mage book.

[genericpseudonym]

I'll admit handing out Ignite Poison in the VM starting spellbook fixes the problem that you almost never have a character with useful poison and Ignite Poison on the same run.

I think most of the other arguments in this thread are good to, but if nothing else, I support this proposal for this reason. Ignite Poison's an interesting niche spell that I never really bother with, but it would synergize really well with the starting venom mage book.

It seems like ignite poison should be in at least one book with other poison spells, even if it's not the VM starter book.

[bcadren]

I say we do do this, as a test, but do note that it does make some areas extremely easy. (OTR + Ignite Poison is similar damage output to Ozocubu's Refrigeration vs targets without rPois or rF (IE All of Spider, Orc, Elf, most vaults and Shoals, etc.)