The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

Suggestions for changing the Druid Class in order of importance:

1.) Reduce the cost of call lightning to 1

2.) Change Feeblemind to cost 1, and drop to 5th level.

3.) Change the incantation on confusion to x3 from x5

4.) Change regeneration to 1/life


The Druid class does not have reusable killing magic like a wizard, nor the wizard's versitility. They also do not have the healing capabilities of the healer (including res) and now the max on stoneskins is 2. This, coupled with the current spell costs, means a 6th level druid using only daggers will spend 12 of his 15 point on spells for 4th - 6th on 6 verbals, 4 of which (Call Lightning) can be stopped by pro magic or pro flame or protects.

Feeblemind does not stop the player from fighting or using abilities already in effect, so making it as high level and costly as F.O.D. doesn't make sense.

The confusion incantation is too long to make it effective at x5. Players can easily get out of range or make it to the druid before the spell can be cast.

Regeneration is only effective if you get wounded and survive an encounter long enough to finish the count. Not powerful enough to be a per game only spell. The other option would be to make it like a troll regeneration and bump the cost to 2. (Only flame will kill, or dispelling the enchantment).

These changes will increase the versitility of the class and will allow them to function in a more supportive role by allowing them to take offensive and defensive magics like other casters.


Comments?

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

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I think that if we were to change Regeneration to 1/life then we would need to bump the cost up to 2.

Changing it to match the monster ability could also work. As it stands now, we have a spell and an ability with the same name.

Call Lightning - I agree. Mostly due to the fact that it no longer stops FAD.

Feeblemind - I can see that. Never had much use for the spell in the first place. The high cost just made it a double no.

Confusion - Current incant is 70 syllables. Changing it to x3 would drop it to 42. By comparision Yield is 54. Not sure on this one. I'd really like to place it around the same as Yield, but that would be x4 with the current wording which would be an odd number of times when compared to other spell

Other items I had thought of.

Change plantdoor back to cost 1/life or possibly cost 2/life. You are no longer hidden in the tree, just protected by it. Also, they limited the magics you can cast to Verbals. There is no need to have the cost increased as well.

Change Petrify back to one point. It has been changed to that the heal double fireball doesn't work any more, and with Release there are even greater ability for people to get out of it.

However, as I stated with assassins. We need to focus on 2 or three of these. Don't want to go overboard

I'd say Call lighting to give them an offinsive boost. Plantdoor for a small defensive boost. I'm torn on a third option but I'm leaning towards a Regen option.

Petrify could be held off to see how the other changes work out. PLus druids still have Entangle and Acid Bolt to play with.

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A person is smart. People are stupid, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. - Agent K.

hehe I read your reply about petrify and was thinking "I just said that". Then I realized as I was editing and moving the order of things that I forgot to put it back in.

I know that we need to focus on 2-3 things, but IMO the Druid class is broken and needs an overhaul to make it on par with the other casters. I will see what other people thing from various Kingdoms.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

I'm thinking of heading up to ES this Sunday. If you'll be there, I'll talk to you more about this in person.

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A person is smart. People are stupid, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it. - Agent K.

This option is very tempting, and I think it would go far toward balancing the "enchantment factory" side of the druid class, but I have some concerns about it:

1) Unless I'm missing something, the only ways to kill a Scout with this and Protection from Magic would be Dispel Magic or a Flame Arrow. I think that's reasonable, but others might disagree.

2) If I had just killed someone wearing this enchantment, I would want to take their weapons away from them. I suspect this is going to cause arguments, no matter what the rule is.

3) The definition of Regeneration for monsters in the rulebook is totally different from that in the Dor. Is one of them going to change?

I am not in favor of the Troll regen, I just threw it out as an option. Making regen per life (suggested by Brennon on E-sam) is a better option.

So far the overhaul is getting good reception on the E-sam forums. I hope to talk to some of the summer monarchs before clan to see how they feel about it.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

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PLEASE tell me Call Lightning got changed to 1 point per usage.

Either give the points back or lower the BG ratio to allow more magic users.

Magic users are NOT supposed to be balanced on an individual level in a battlegame, and I dont think this nerf has helped them a whole lot.

Glad I dont play this class very often anymore.

Ciao

Tony

just my .02

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[align=center]Sirrakhis Larethian of the Emerald Hills
G R E E N D R A G O N S
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The changes will not take effect for a month, but for druids:

Call lightning is now 1 point.

Petrify is now 1 point.

Regeneration is now per life.

Feeblemind did not change.

I think this went a LONG way to rebalancing the class and making it playable again. Thanks to everyone for suggestions to take to the CoM. Special thanks to Tolken, Kodiak and Brennon for suggesting changes / providing wording to take to the CoM.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

Awesome, thanks for the early update.

I think you're right that this does a lot to help Druid. I'm bummed about Feeblemind, but I think this is probably going to be enough to bring it in line with the other classes.

I think i am gonna kiss Tolken...and maybe Forest too.

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[align=center]Sirrakhis Larethian of the Emerald Hills
G R E E N D R A G O N S
House Larethian-Got Newbs?[/align]

I think if feeblemind had been set as 2 choices it would have gotten some change.

1.) Drop to 1 point

2) move to 5th level.

But since it was all or nothing it did not have enough support.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

I am glad it wasn't suggested as two different changes, because it would have sucked if they had decided to give us Feeblemind at 6th for 1 point and not dropped the cost on Call Lightning. I feel that for Feeblemind to be a useful spell, it needs to be 5th and 1 point.

So overall, I'm pleased with the changes to Druid - Call Lightning and Petrify, two of the stereotypical Druid spells, are affordable again, and Regeneration is cheap enough to be worthwhile. I'm only bummed about Feeblemind because I think it's an awesome spell that's priced out of usefulness.

I agree. And I also think it needs both changes. But from what was going on in the meeting, I don't think it passing or failing impacted the other changes.

Still, perhaps next time (2008) we can try again, but if not I am still happy that we have a playable class again.

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Forest Evergreen

Puppet Master of the EH

"Of course you are Forest. You're like the Mr. Burns of EH." - Finn

(insert titles and awards here)

I would have traded all those changes for a 2 point spear though.

But thats just my own little pip dream.

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[align=center]Sirrakhis Larethian of the Emerald Hills
G R E E N D R A G O N S
House Larethian-Got Newbs?[/align]