Drums of Fear

[Tugor]

When someone uses Drums of Fear, even if you leave the room while it's being performed, it still affects you like 3-4 rooms later.

Let's take a look at Drums of Fear.

- It stuns
- It knocks PC's out of hiding
- It gives RT 10+ seconds in my experiences tonight
- It knocks PC's to their knees
- It causes health damage
- It causes nerve damage as well (I THINK, Tshar's nerves were completely destroyed, but I don't know what would have caused it)

That's one powerful spellsong.

An alternative to my first suggestion would be to make the effects of the spellsong weaker if one leaves before it's 'completed'.

The biggest problem with it is that it can be spammed, meaning the second one shakes off their stun all the performer has to do is play it again while they are in the room and even if the PC manages to get up and run away, it still gets them a few rooms later. I think that makes it just a tad bit too powerful.

I had never encountered Drums of Fear before tonight so this is why I've never posted about it before. You may disagree with me here but I believe these points are valid and make alot of sense.


EDIT: I accidentally deleted my first suggestion last night I guess heh.

First suggestion - making drums of fear affect only those in the room when it's completed
_________________
It is better to be pissed off than pissed on.

[Tugor]

Hmm well I guess I'll just ask a few questions then.


Why does Drums of Fear cause such severe nerve damage?

Why does Drums of Fear affect those in the room when it's first performed and not afterwards like say, Dance of Temptation?

Why doesn't it knock the performer out of hiding after being performed since it knocks anyone that is affected by it as well? That part is a little unfair considering Ripple of Force knocks the caster out of hiding when it's used.
_________________
It is better to be pissed off than pissed on.

[HR-Mickey]

Having gone back over the spellsong code and researching the two Psi powers in question, I came up with the following unbuffed results.

Drums of Fear - 15 seconds of audible** performance roundtime before effect. Targets knocked prone, given roundtime, possibly stunned

Gust of Wind - 1 second of silent invoke roundtime/2 seconds prep, ZERO focus roundtime - target damaged, knocked prone, given roundtime, possibly stunned

Ripple of Force - 2 seconds of silent invoke roundtime/3 seconds prep, ZERO focus roundtime - targets damaged, knocked prone, given roundtime, possibly stunned

Call me crazy, but I don't see the Drums of Fear as the questionable ability here.


** It's no secret that the player impulse response to seeing the text "an eerie beat" has been to haul ass out of the room it originated in, ever since the spellsong made its debut when the game opened. I'm not going to pulpit that people should just stand around and take the fear effect; but I think we can all agree it's not fair to the Performer standing around in roundtime for 15 seconds to not have some result (via the only aggressive spellsong they possess, no less) on characters who have long since travelled halfway across the continent to escape it -- hence the introduction of fear-based nerve damage (which I've downtweaked twice since the night the Zuzleme arena opened).

All in all, I do agree with you that it's time to repaint the Drums of Fear, albeit not for similar reasons. What's going to happen will involve some or likely all of the following plans:

1. Nerve damage is going to be removed, mostly because...
2. The spellsong will become an instantaneous messaged effect, the same as the powers.
3. The Performer will be revealed from hiding/made visible upon infliction of its effects, facilitated because...
4. The applicable performance roundtime will be reduced to a degree comparable to the two Psi powers in question.
_________________
Mickey Brunner

To make a long story short, don't tell it.

I may be going nowhere, but I'm going nowhere fast.
---
Kelvin Watt says, "I stopped drinking coke when no longer drinking beer didn't make my gut disappear."
---
Kaelin Rae says, "Wait a minute..."
Kaelin Rae says, "You mean they have a COKE machine that dispenses beer."
Kaelin Rae nods to you.
Kaelin Rae says, "Greaser."
Kaelin Rae looks at you and sighs.

[HR-Mickey]

Oh, just a quick followup:

[soundless]

i won't disagree/fight/whatever any of the changes/lack of changes/whatever, but i am curious what is used to resist drums of fear.

i know if i want to avoid paralysis, i know to train mentality or get some other way to raise my mental resist. i know if i want to avoid gust/ripple/shockwave, agility/perception/evasion are key.

how do i avoid/resist drums of fear, other than not pissing off a performer?
_________________
A bright-eyed Thekko Ku Kalla dressed in a dapper sailor suit takes to flight and careers through the air toward the Modan Kucho and slams into him!
With a high-pitched cry, The Modan Kucho collapses in death.

[HR-Mickey]

[the blue fairy]

I recieved nerve damage the same night that I resisted the Drums of fear. But there was so much going on that night I cant not say positive when I got the nerve damage since theres no way of knowing you have it unless you ask a medic but I would be willing to test this with you Zamde.
My personal opinion is psionic powers should take a bit longer to cast themselves.
_________________
Mellie Amresh says, "Send someone with a bigger dick."

A set of breast implants fall from the sky with a soft plop.

Caretaker Jornnoj Vunn looks up at the sky.

A passing guard suddenly shits himself.

[soundless]

another factor in this that makes it hard to tell if Drums of Fear is overpowered or anything is that the only character who uses it is someone who is, well, rather overpowered. then again, i'm sure zamde built herself up so she'd be rather awesome at spellsongs, so that makes perfect sense.

what i'm saying is it's not like we have any middle ground. a rather high level character is the only one using drums of fear, heh. so there's no low/middle ground to realize that "hey, the drums are pretty easy to resist if the performer isn't friggin that high level".

i think that makes sense
_________________
A bright-eyed Thekko Ku Kalla dressed in a dapper sailor suit takes to flight and careers through the air toward the Modan Kucho and slams into him!
With a high-pitched cry, The Modan Kucho collapses in death.

[Nelle]

If I'm reading this right, if I go to the sparring ground to heal someone at their request and Zamde comes in and immediately begins the Drums of Fear, I either have to suffer the stun or the nerve damage from moving to the next room?
_________________
Stay true to yourself no matter the cost and you'll always know who you are.

[soundless]

it's the same as if i ran in casting ripple or something.

except, uh, drums of fear does more and is cooler and shit
_________________
A bright-eyed Thekko Ku Kalla dressed in a dapper sailor suit takes to flight and careers through the air toward the Modan Kucho and slams into him!
With a high-pitched cry, The Modan Kucho collapses in death.

[Nelle]

[Dzynna]

Wasn't there a 'spectator' area put up? Can't we heal there without getting hit? I personally don't see what the big deal is. If you are going to heal ON the sparring grounds, you should be prepared to get hurt...I mean, anyone can cast any area affect spell/spellsong/psionic (including the Medic). Someone could even just start shooting/throwing stuff (including the Medic). If you don't want to be hurt, just don't go there. Seems pretty cut and dried to me.
_________________

Dzynna Zol
-------------------------------------
The Retreat
--------------------------------------

[Daedalus]

[Nelle]

[zamde]

If it makes the Zamde-roasting lot of you feel better, I've seen enough to decide that I'm better off switching to the Ripple of Force since it's faster, still hits everybody, and also does damage IN the room. Everybody happy now?
_________________
An eye for an eye; but my eye's worth more.

Dixie Pierce says, "I heard Zamde can't have kids cause she lactates poison."

[Telepathy] Yaru Dex projects: I thought Zamde doesn't have kids because her womb is full of aisobs.

You can't spell "slaughter" without 'laughter'.

Llanfair Anti-Cyber Brigade Member #0000