320 Servant shield
Many of the spirits that can be summoned by clerics to serve them are elemental. Casting servant shield creates a link between the cleric and their spirit servant, which provides the cleric with additional defense against whatever form of magic is embodied in their servant.
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Clerics are the pure class with the worst defense against magic and this is particularly apparent when looking at other spheres.
A capped cleric has a penalty of about 100 in elemental TD compared to a wizard, but the capped wizard is only about 30 worse off in spiritual TD compared to the cleric. A capped wizard is about 10 worse than a capped sorcerer at sorcery TD, while the cleric is about 40 worse.
Servant shield provides a way to redress that balance.
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I would probably implement this in a GUARD type of way. The servant intercepts a fraction of spells that are harmless to it. e.g.
Immolate cast at you.
For some reason you feel particularly lucky.
Your sun spirit jumps in the way.
Your sun spirit burns a little more brightly.
RATHBONER
GALVANG1
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/19/2010 10:49 AM CST
An interesting point but don't empaths face the same kind of TD issues? And while it may be true, I've never heard an empath or a cleric complain about their lack of TD even when faced with elemental spells.
RATHBONER
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/19/2010 04:46 PM CST
>An interesting point but don't empaths face the same kind of TD issues? And while it may be true, I've never heard an empath or a cleric complain about their lack of TD even when faced with elemental spells.
Similar but less, because the empath circle has 40 TD against 30 for the cleric circle.
I avoid critters that use elemental CS spells, or I get splatted unless I am spell tanking. That's well below cap and the margin is nothing like as severe. Do capped critters even use elemental CS attacks? The margin is so big, I don't see how it wouldn't break the game.
Similar but less, because the empath circle has 40 TD against 30 for the cleric circle.
I avoid critters that use elemental CS spells, or I get splatted unless I am spell tanking. That's well below cap and the margin is nothing like as severe. Do capped critters even use elemental CS attacks? The margin is so big, I don't see how it wouldn't break the game.
GALVANG1
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/19/2010 06:29 PM CST
It probably does happen, but I don't know of, or can't think of, any clerics or empaths that hunt in OTF or Nelemar who hunt self spelled. As far as creatures casting elemental spells; adepts, water elementals and greater water elementals, soul siphons, and liches. And as I've said, I've never really heard them complain about elemental spells, and I guess the same from people who hunt warcamps where you run into everything.
RATHBONER
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/20/2010 06:08 AM CST
>It probably does happen, but I don't know of, or can't think of, any clerics or empaths that hunt in OTF or Nelemar who hunt self spelled. As far as creatures casting elemental spells; adepts, water elementals and greater water elementals, soul siphons, and liches. And as I've said, I've never really heard them complain about elemental spells, and I guess the same from people who hunt warcamps where you run into everything.
Which class is more into wearing robes: wizards or clerics? I think it is far more common among wizards, and one reason is that they have so much more TD.
The only elemental CS spell I an find listed in KP for those critters is weaponfire. Clerics do cite weaponfire as a reason to use brawl/shield rather than runestaff, though disarm is the most common reason given.
It isn't really a case of whether or not clerics can cope. Players are hugely overpowered on normal mechanics at cap. Its a matter of opportunity cost. Critters with elemental CS set low enough for clerics to cope like level, can be uphunted by 25-30 levels before a wizard has to worry about their elemental CS. The other way round clerics can only uphunt about 5 levels before a spirit CS set to balance a wizard's TD becomes an issue for the cleric too.
Which class is more into wearing robes: wizards or clerics? I think it is far more common among wizards, and one reason is that they have so much more TD.
The only elemental CS spell I an find listed in KP for those critters is weaponfire. Clerics do cite weaponfire as a reason to use brawl/shield rather than runestaff, though disarm is the most common reason given.
It isn't really a case of whether or not clerics can cope. Players are hugely overpowered on normal mechanics at cap. Its a matter of opportunity cost. Critters with elemental CS set low enough for clerics to cope like level, can be uphunted by 25-30 levels before a wizard has to worry about their elemental CS. The other way round clerics can only uphunt about 5 levels before a spirit CS set to balance a wizard's TD becomes an issue for the cleric too.
GALVANG1
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/20/2010 09:23 AM CST
Armor is a more expensive skill for wizards to learn, about twice as much. They also face steeper spell hindrance in heavier armors, even people who play 'warmages' and get hit a lot advise leather breastplate as the highest armor to get into, while for clerics its chain class. There are even a lot of casting clerics who pick brig as their armor of choice. I've seen self spelled empaths and clerics with spirit TDs of about 450 and a wizards self spelled elemental TD at about 480. And from what I know of the way TD is supposed to work that should only make a difference of 15 against the opposite sphere, give or take some for stat differences.
RATHBONER
Re: Yet another 320 idea
12/20/2010 06:42 PM CST
>I've seen self spelled empaths and clerics with spirit TDs of about 450 and a wizards self spelled elemental TD at about 480.
I calculate the unenhanced maximums with the race with the top stat bonus for those TDs at: 435 for cleric, 445 for empath and 479 for wizard. The cleric in particular needs significant enhancives to get that high self spelled.
>And from what I know of the way TD is supposed to work that should only make a difference of 15 against the opposite sphere, give or take some for stat differences.
Thats because you are looking cleric's elemental TD versus wizards spirit TD rather than comparing the differences on elemental TD against the differences in spirit TD. That 15 is the difference in the CS given to critters, not the difference in opportunity between the classes.
I calculate the unenhanced maximums with the race with the top stat bonus for those TDs at: 435 for cleric, 445 for empath and 479 for wizard. The cleric in particular needs significant enhancives to get that high self spelled.
>And from what I know of the way TD is supposed to work that should only make a difference of 15 against the opposite sphere, give or take some for stat differences.
Thats because you are looking cleric's elemental TD versus wizards spirit TD rather than comparing the differences on elemental TD against the differences in spirit TD. That 15 is the difference in the CS given to critters, not the difference in opportunity between the classes.
