Planetarily buff passive freeze (Ds T3)

[removeelyvilon]

Hello my friends. I realize there have been a lot of Ds mutation threads lately and balancing these mutations is a constant and ongoing process but I wanted to focus on one mutation in particular:

The tier 3 mutation passive freeze.

To be blunt, passive freeze is a joke. It does pitiful damage especially if you consider how late you are likely to get the final evolution of it (that's like XL 20-25+), and only if you actually get hit AFAIK. Oh, and it can be resisted. Plus the slowing ectothermic creatures effect is very likely to matter at this stage of the game, if by some grace of god you manage to actually connect a passive freeze.

I mean seriosusly, your ultimate demonic trait is... the gimpeded version of a level 1 (one) spell? A. Level. ONE. Spell. In your late twenties. It's the game's way of kicking you in the knee cap.

In terms of counter effects, it is outclassed by spiny (T2) and in terms of "ice" facets, icemail (T2) beats it by a landslide. I take my super-powered permanent version of ozocubu's that works with any armour over a puny counter attack, thank you very much. And neither of those waste your T3 slot.

Also, pretty much every other T3 undoubtedly beats passive freeze by a landslide. Robust and augmentation are obviously much, much stronger; black mark can be a little iffy but it's still much better. I don't actually know about hurl hellfire as I don't have much experience with it, it sounds like its either worthless or very good, but even if it is actually as bad as passive freeze (very, very hard to imagine) it is at least fun (something that passive freeze is not).

The only good thing about passive freeze is that it's first stage is rC+, but then again, ice mail provides that, too.

I suggest to bolster its damage to reasonable levels, make it irresistible (hold your horses tavern police, it's still only going to trigger if you actually get hit and don't block/dodge just like spiny. But if it does trigger, it would be nice if it hit) and make it capable of either slowing anything that doesn't resist cold (not only cold-blooded monsters) or work like a pesudo flash freeze effect.

[duvessa]

Black mark and damnation are good at 3rd level but it's extraordinarily rare for tier 3 mutations to reach 3rd level before the last few XLs, so in practice they do functionally nothing like passive freeze. Robust and augmentation are the only tier 3s that are good before extended. Honourable mention for damnation against e.g. zot:5 aliches, I guess.

Anyway, the game now has five player melee retaliation effects (minotaur headbutt, riposte, spiny, passive freeze, foul stench) and three of them are Ds mutations. Pretty sure there's room to trim that down.

[Speleothing]

When I hear the words Passive Freeze, I think aura, not retaliation. If that gives anyone any ideas.