Shattered Kingdoms

For the cast time, mana cost, int requirements, who it can target (any dark priest, necro, hellion or deep-elf period), and its taunt like effect it is a bit of a silly spell.



It's pretty much like hellfire, which would be fine, except that bog also can prevent someone from fleeing which hellfire does not do, and the damage from it seems far higher in terms of a threshold.

I'd like to propose one of the following changes:

1) Increase cast time of spell to 1 full round (roughly a 33% increase to what I believe it is now)
or
2) Instead of creating a nimbus, force the target to flee the room breaking rank.
OR
3) Make the nimbus have a reduced chance to appear when group odds are imbalanced (what taunt does)

That'd pretty much bring the spell into line without having the default tactic be c bolt;c bolt;c bolt; c bolt in a group vs 1 as a gank method which I don't see as the intent of the spell. This drive-by use of it has even seasoned vets like Lothoriel holding +reflex objects in his hand with his deep-elf just in case.

#3 is my personal choice, but as with any proposal you offer multiple choices!

Disclaimer: yes I'm aware it is a 'nerf' but I view it as one that addresses a thematic concern as well as a balance issue. I'm just not a big fan of the concept that spells/skills should lend themselves to group vs 1 abuse akin to how taunt was.

Bad idea. And im not justifying why.

I'll give that the concept is to root a necromancer to the ground so a holy word can take out all his undead, then kill him in the next...but remember, we're also talking about hellions, priests, and just any deep-elf in general.

Its a limited spell to begin with. Hellfire can be cast on anyone. So because of its limits its fine the way it is.

That rationale would only work if taunt wasn't able to be used on anyone. Or if paladins didn't also get a plethora of other spells, etc etc. I recognize decreasing the chance for the nimbus to appear would force the paladin to perhaps use a spear of faith or another spell, but this would only be if the number of folks in the group they're targetting is less akin to taunt.

The odds of this occurring (when counting even a single necromancer's undead) makes it unlikely it will happen often, but provides a good check for thematic concerns and reduce the likely hood of drive-by abuse.

Looks to me like someone is QQing because they got killed. Leave it as it.

Enchant your gear better.

Bolt of glory is just fine. The necromancer class just sucks hardcore because for all their weaknesses, vulnerabilities and extra prep time they still can't do jack squat against lighties and/or anyone with ranged damage.

Necros are awesome. You lost a 2v1 because you chose poor tactics and then made a typical blunder of trying to recite a scroll that you were not even holding. Necros do not need a buff of any kind. There were a dozen ways you could have won that fight, and several ways (one of which is very easy), you could have escaped with your life.

There were not a dozen ways I could have won that fight even in the slightest. In fact, against a Hammer Warrior it is impossible for a necro to win any fight, even if that Hammer warrior is a stupid race like gnome. All it takes is one walk-in holy word, and then the Hammer warrior will actually outdamage the undead because undead have crappy HPs. Conversely, a paladin could literally sit in the back row with <REDACTED> dirt up, and then spam 'c bolt undead' and in 4 rounds all 8 undead will be dead.

Necros can't do squat against anyone who can cast BoG or holy word, because those two spells totally screw over undead. I mean crap, you beat the trash out of my necro with Vinoria who killed all my undead before they even got a swing off, because undead HP is at best mediocre and divine wrath does double damage.