Shattered Kingdoms

What is everyone's opinion on iWin spells?

No... I have not been hit by one in a veeery long time.

Generally, I am fine with iWin spells, buuuut, they are too easy to get off (minus final strike).

I don't have a problem with iWin spells in principle, but I definitely think they should only be viable against poorly enchanted and unprepared opponents. Petrification, for example, is one of the easiest spells in the game to resist. It still lands too frequently on enchanted opponents for my taste, though. I don't think charm person is less likely to land than other spells, but it should be. At least its casting time has been increased and it's not scribable anymore. Final strike still shouldn't exist, and voodoo still needs to be nerfed/changed/removed. FoD seems to only one-shot naked people and poorly enchanted elves, which is appropriate.

I think that covers all the iWin spells. As far as iWin skills go: there are enough defenses against backstab, and critical cleaves are rare enough as it is, I think.

The Iwin spells just are not used enough because against people who are vulnerable there are just easier ways to kill. The problem with I win spells are their balance with skills to stop them. Both of these things are not very tactically friendly, aka all or nothing tactics do not enable change of battle plans very well.

The main spells I have an issue with are FS because it just isnt used or really useful for anything but grieving. Voodoo because it makes for lots of lame situations similar to summon wars. Petrification because lose of all the gear is kind of harsh and leads to Jloot retaliations. FoD is feels like an almost reasonable Iwin.

Something I would like to see with Iwin spells is split them up into multi casts.
Example reduce the cast time of FoD by 1/3 damage by a 1/3 and if you get hit by 3 FoDs in say 10 ticks you save vs instance kill. Each time after that the chance increases.
Same for Petrification only you probably dont have to reduce the damage part of petrification as it is next to nothing.
Works with voodoo as well although you would actually likely need to tune the damage up as heal quaffing would be the normal response.
It could even be added to BoG perhaps only 1/2 casts rather than 1/3rd casts.
I dont know if it would work with holy word.
Could be added to Magma but probably doesnt need it.

I feel a major change like this makes the I win spells more of a pushing tactic making the "race against time" the Iwin "cast times" feel at lot more like a battle. You can test out someones resistance with the spell and switch to different tactic mid combat. Rather than cast ... ... ... Damn he enchanted his gear/Woot fail enchanters!. Would also hopefully limit the I got bashed well casting an Iwin spell I guess I lost.

Depetrification is still a thing. . . .

You mean the spell that the sorc casts to insta-bash you with no buffs after the fight is over?

Oh, [REDACTED]. My bad, Edoras.

I didn't know that depet-bash made people more likely to deliver a full junk/loot of an opponent than a straight kill.

Thanks for setting my dumb [REDACTED] straight.

Never been a fan of the existence of petrification, and the fact that you need another spell called depetrification to remove it.

Uninspiring.

If iWin spells are deemed too harsh, it would not be hard to fix them. Voodoo could give a fortitude save for reduced damage. Simple. Petrification could give two saves. First, a reflex to dodge the ray altogether. If that fails, a fortitude to shrug it off. Charm could be restricted similarly to persuade, such that it will not function against someone already in combat. FoD probably doesn't need to be altered.

FS is pretty pointless and no NPC should be able to train it. That would be a sufficient wimp to it to make it palatable.

I don't have an issue with "I-win" spells. In every game I've played that employs them, unless there is some egregious bug (Final fantasy 6), they rarely work.