Shattered Kingdoms

I really like the concept behind grep's idea, but despite planning to play my character to age death and despite seeing a few ghosts still kicking around, I am hesitant to take away a spell from shamans that they are able to use with or without the availability of a specific type of character in favor of something where they can only use the spell if a certain qualifications are met. So while I like it, maybe it can be in conjunction with something else.

Here is my idea. It still kind of needs a lot of fleshing out.



I see this as a shaman specific type of scrying spell. The corpse and all of the shaman's things are left (not sure if there is a way to turn off the rot timer for this or if there is a way to flag the corpse differently or actually if something like this is even possible.) In exchange they are able to go anywhere a spirit can go and can project to any where a ghost flag allows you. You would need a focus, so a person PC or NPC or the portal stones. There would either be a time limit to how long you can project or it could be mana based like a manifestation. An additional drawback, if needed would be that you need to be actually back at your corpse in order to return. If you are not at your corpse within the time/mana limit you go to the River and need to be rezzed/raised etc. I know it needs work, but I figured I'd post and see what people thought.

Edit: Additional thought, perhaps for PC's you can only project to those you have a doll for. That limits the ability a fair amount and keeps the dolls viable. I also like the dolls and would hate to lose them.

I think Thyki's idea is my favorite version of a scrying spell that I've heard. Keep posting ideas and discussing. In a few days I'll make another thread where we vote on the popular ones brought up here.

So far we have:
1) Some type of scrying spell (could be Thyki's, Snuffles, or some other version).
2) Terrus' idea of mangling limbs or maledicting someone, and only when you have a doll.
3) Grep's incarnate idea.
4) Nightwing's idea of a spell that lowers fort/wp/MR of a target.

Call me unoriginal, but there's always just the possibility of giving them gate, too.

I actually have a hard time deciding which of those would be my choice. On one hand I'd like to see some abilities being put into SK that would ease the search for foes, but on the other some of those ideas are really cool.

I would say to make use of the totem system already in place in the game and allow shamans to summon their spirit familiar. All animals would have the same hp, same combat strengths and weakness, have no special abilities with energy or supernatural hide. This will keep people from going for the totem with the best features, like they already do with lions. Perhaps add a restriction such as: As per spirit horde, this would be dependent upon the shaman having spirit aura up.

A skill to turn herbs gained through scouts into poultices that can be applied to people rather than have the person having to eat the herb or use a potion. A skilled shaman can take the benefits of the harsher herbs, leaving the undesirable effects behind, usually.

One could argue for a delay resurrection spell, which would make a character wait for X amount of time before being able to be resurrected, but such a spell is purely for griefing and as such shouldn't be added. Raise dead/breath of life would get around this spell. Still fun to think about the idea.

Shapeshifting. Unlike polymorph, this is not a spell ability that can be dispelled. Only animal forms can be chosen. This could also be tied in with the totem system and only allow the animal chosen through the totem quest be applied to the shaman, or a slight boost to stats while in said form for choosing their preferred totem. Say and yell would be disabled while shifted, but tells would still be appropriate. I would say to let them keep emotes, but I know people will do stupid things like write in the dirt and eventually get this disabled eventually, anyway, so that should be disabled as well. I am unsure as to if order should be kept or not. The AC of the items that the shaman was wearing gets incorporated with the natural AC of the animal they are becoming, as well as weapon bonuses into their natural attacks. Self-defense and brawling would be very good skills to learn. If a shaman should wear armour not of their weight class, like adamantite, then their damage and to-hit should suffer for it as well. Spells that the shaman was holding at the time of shifting comes with them. If the spell was not being concentrated upon, they are dispelled. The shaman would be unable cast further spells until they shifted back to normal. A timer should be applied for how often shifting can take place, but not on how long a shaman stays in shifted form.

I am also somewhat torn as to what to really vote for. I'm partial to my idea obviously, but I can't shake how cool the incarnate spell would be.

If the incarnate spell were used though I would really want to see something else added to. Something obviously less powerful but that would compensate for the very limited applicability of this spell.

For a two for one I would suggest the incarnate along with Travorn's poultice idea. Plus I think the poultice idea is a step towards trade skills!

Or the mangle limbs would go well with incarnate. Something obviously less powerful than a scrying spell either mine or snuffles or whatever other versions are thought up.

Also on one final note I am hesitant to support things like the shapeshifting or summoning of a spirit totem because they just seem like a variation of spells preexisting and not something unique for shamans. It is just summon elemental or polymorph with an animal instead. Not that the ideas aren't valid. I just like new unique class specific things. Something no one else can do anything even remotely similar too. That is what Voodoo is now, just in a kind of crappy unfortunate way,

I doubt this would be created, as I type this out I can envision a good number of code changes it would require. However - Astral form?

What I envision for Astral Form is the following gains:
Immune to physical damage (perhaps outside of party formation, like ethereal form)
Increase to magical power (spell level?)
Auto-bypass resistance (Woot MR barbs?)
Can not attack physically.
Concentration required increase for all spells.

Cons:
Leave their body/gear behind
Damage taken directly to mana (probably at a decreased percentage)
When spell drops, shaman returns to body, if it is in the room or carried by someone in the room. If it is not in the room, the shaman becomes a spirit.
More susceptable to dispelling magic.

I like the idea of mangling limbs, but I think it should take some time to do it, or, how about this.

Destroy right arm:
Each round of combat does some amount of damage, maybe 20% of the Right arm's HP (you know, when it's mangled, and you hit the right arm, you don't do any damage to the person anymore, iirc), and after 5 rounds of that, the right arm is severed.

Something like that.

Yeah, I'd rather roll a barb/swash/merc, aim mid and do it much much faster.

Then you roll a barb/swash/merc, but since this is a thread about what to compensate the nerfing of voodoo with, get out of here? In other words, your comment on the subject matter is useless. You are the weakest link. Good bye.