High-level poison spell
Posted: Wednesday, 21st August 2019, 22:17
As a preface, I'm aware that poison magic is intended to be weak in the late game, and I don't mean that to change. Still, within those constraints, it might be fun to have a more exciting top end for poison mages. This might be achievable if these spells are pitched toward very niche, underpowered character builds and if they remain ineffective against poison-immune monsters.
So, what about
Pestilent Influence (level 8 Poison/Hexes, appearing in Book of Alchemy): Silently create darkness and miasma clouds at random in a large region. Does not alert enemies, although they wake up if they take damage.
The primary use case would be for stabbers, who could conceivably use the clouds for concealment and evasion while weakening crowds. I could be wrong, but I don't think stabbers with high Poison Magic are really a thing right now (despite being a flavorful combination)? Stabbers usually want a more reliable "plan B," and curare makes poison a little redundant.
Another major use would be for Vaults:5, where it seems pretty strong. But stabbers need all the help they can get on Vaults:5. Meanwhile poison magic is already pretty strong there (especially with Ignite Poison, which is in the same spellbook). Non-stabber venom mages may not need to invest all this extra skill in order to beat Vaults:5, but if they do invest it, the reward seems fair.
Another use is to block LOS, but I imagine that could be balanced. It seems like a lot of effort for a mega-Summon Butterflies. A minor use would be the combo with Alistair's Intoxication, which is in the same spellbook. The combination would greatly weaken enemies and make them more likely to stumble into miasma clouds, but it's using a ton of mana and spell slots and is still no use against nonliving enemies.
In general the biggest beneficiaries I can think of would be nagas, formicids, and DEEns, none of which seem to be in danger of becoming overpowered.
So, what about
Pestilent Influence (level 8 Poison/Hexes, appearing in Book of Alchemy): Silently create darkness and miasma clouds at random in a large region. Does not alert enemies, although they wake up if they take damage.
The primary use case would be for stabbers, who could conceivably use the clouds for concealment and evasion while weakening crowds. I could be wrong, but I don't think stabbers with high Poison Magic are really a thing right now (despite being a flavorful combination)? Stabbers usually want a more reliable "plan B," and curare makes poison a little redundant.
Another major use would be for Vaults:5, where it seems pretty strong. But stabbers need all the help they can get on Vaults:5. Meanwhile poison magic is already pretty strong there (especially with Ignite Poison, which is in the same spellbook). Non-stabber venom mages may not need to invest all this extra skill in order to beat Vaults:5, but if they do invest it, the reward seems fair.
Another use is to block LOS, but I imagine that could be balanced. It seems like a lot of effort for a mega-Summon Butterflies. A minor use would be the combo with Alistair's Intoxication, which is in the same spellbook. The combination would greatly weaken enemies and make them more likely to stumble into miasma clouds, but it's using a ton of mana and spell slots and is still no use against nonliving enemies.
In general the biggest beneficiaries I can think of would be nagas, formicids, and DEEns, none of which seem to be in danger of becoming overpowered.