304/330 Changes Discord Thread Part 2

Estild — Today at 2:43 PM [up to 2:54 PM]
Let me be clear: if you don't think botting is a problem in the game, you can continue to believe that.  But I can literally almost always find a spell bot in the game at any given time.  If you want to shape the discussion and design of the spell, offer solutions to the problem.  You're not going to convince me that spell bots (or even exclusively cleric spell bots) don't exist.  They absolutely do.
Any future buff spells will almost assuredly require the caster to be in the group to maintain due to the issue.
But to guide the discussion, we don't really plan to down tweak existing 304, but I am apprehensive about any up tweaks to it given the concern I stated.  Offer solutions to that instead of outright denial.
1300 swings isn't a problem. Spell bots are.
1300 swings from your group cleric member is awesome.  1300 swings from a cleric who sits at a table and offers it to anyone is a clear difference.
It very well could be that all the enhancements to 304 are reserved if the cleric who blesses your armament is in your group and otherwise, the spell continues to work like it does now.  I hate to do that, but I also refuse to buff spell bots more.

Eruheran — Today at 2:55 PM
I guess I'm confused how that would work. What goes away if the cleric isn't grouped?

Leafiara — Today at 2:56 PM
What comprises "all the enhancements" to 304?

* Bless in its own slot
* Swing count exceeding 998
* Anchoring the undead
* No diminished swings from high CER

Am I forgetting any? Which of those would be lost while not grouped?

Estild — Today at 2:56 PM
Attacks against the living reduce charges, won't work on high CER items, no upgraded holy water flares, etc.
Plus the items Leafiara mentioned.

Bristenn — Today at 2:56 PM
That actually sounds fairish.

Eruheran — Today at 2:57 PM
Would the damage reduction removal go away too?

Estild — Today at 2:57 PM
It's not really fair though.  It punishes many solo hunters who don't abuse spell bots, which I want to also avoid, hence looking for solutions to the stated problem.
[now responding to Eruheran]
Probably not.  I think as a baseline, that's critical to the overall design.

Melivn — Today at 3:00 PM
give clerics a resource pool that gets points put into it, and you can empower a 304 to give an weapon more blesses with this pool. other wise its smaller flat amount they can gather points for killing like level things.

Estild — Today at 3:00 PM
Yeah, this is the other solution I'm considering.  I originally thought to share the same resource as 330, but then it would cause clerics not to want to cast 304 for anyone, so maybe a separate resource.

Naamit — Today at 3:01 PM
Make it cost 5 spirit? :grin:

Estild — Today at 3:01 PM
Yeah, 5 spirit could be a solution.
Someone suggested mana, but mana isn't a limiter, not even out in the field.  Originally, we thought the 40 mana from 240 would limit it's uptime.  Now it's pretty much 100% uptime.  Now consider mana at a table with a few different bots.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.  These are definitely moving the discussion forward.