Mines Malingerer
Posts: 45
Joined: Monday, 2nd March 2015, 11:55
Singularity in current trunk is way OP.
Don't get me wrong, it's an awesome spell and all, but it's just TOO good at this point.
I'll try to list issues from MOST game-breaking to those less obvious.
1) Singularity can be used to block narrow points. This is 100% reliable, 100% safe, nothing can plausibly go past it or destroy it (without a blink or something). This means that you can just block anything (Cherebov, Antaeus, serpent of hell — you name it) by placing singularity in one-tile-wide doorway. And then you can stand to the side so that you can see the doorway itself (so you can re-cast singularity as needed), but you don't have LOS to anything on the other side (so nothing hostile can target you or blink to YOU or whatever). In the end anything and everything on the other side of the doorway is blocked and takes constant irresistible damage, while you are free to just channel MP (or heal, or whatever).
Proposed fix — make singularity blink enemies around it's center when they are next to it. That way everyone will be blinked to the other side of the choke point (every other turn, at least).
2) Singularity BOTH roots and works outside of LOS: you can just cast it and and move safely out of LOS of whatever is being turn apart, then "rinse and repeat". It's not unlike firestorm or summons hitting things out of LOS, except that it's much easier to pull and roots it's victim for long enough to allow player to move away, heal and channel MP as needed. Proposed fix — singularity should expire in one turn when out of player LOS.
3) Singularity has smart friendly fire. This is just uncalled for — firestorm damages you, so should gravitational collapse. Proposed fix — make singularity hostile to everything (just make sure XP for it's kills goes the right way).
4) MAYBE it's worthwhile to make singularity a "channeled" spell (like searing ray) on top of everything above. Say, 4(?) mp/turn, starting fireball-sized and gets more powerful and larger the longer you channel it, but then it quickly (1-3 turns depending on how large it is at that point) loses power and disappears if you stop channeling for more than a turn or two. This way player has the choice between keeping things safely rooted and under constant damage OR casting some other spells (moving, getting MP, healing, etc) at the cost of quickly losing the singularity.