Come Bitch About Skills! [Skills Rebalance Brainstorming]

Well, it is a finite amount of work, but one that would require a lot of time. And by "a lot" I mean "nobody cares to spend that much time to do it".

 

You can't scale the stat buffs so I was implementing something different.

 

None of these approaches will make WereDiggle on par with 7 skill sets though - we might make it as good as 2 or 3 skill sets, but I think we need to think bigger.

WereDiggle is fine in the early levels - it's problem is that a level 30 character with 7 skills will ALWAYS be better than a level 30 character with WereDiggle - because the character with WereDiggle has, effectively, 6 skills instead of 7 in human form, and 1+ skills in diggle form. (Depending on the skills, they may or may not actually apply in diggle form - usually not.)

Tying bonuses to the number of wiz/rogue/war levels earned elsewhere is the most straight-forward way to address this problem, and one I believe could be effective.

 

Ok, here's a crazy idea, that probably won't help the task at hand, but:
What if we make "It Comes Out Of Where?!" a missile spell, that deals Crushing damage? And it spawns a Diggle egg on the floor tile it hits, even if it hits an enemy. Bam, utility AND range.

 

Sounds like an edible and craftable version of Broadside.

 

Code:

<ability name="blah" icon="blah.png" skill="##" level="3" polymorphedOnly="1" polymorphTag="Diggle">
  <description text="While in your Werediggle form, YOU GAIN SUPER COOL AMAZING BONUSES"/>
  <buffs of some sort/>
  </ability>

Edit: While awkward, it lets you use a simple template to make any given skill better w/ werediggle- and you should be able to choose the skills, so no buffs to zerky rage - or less buffs, or more flavorful buffs - etc.

 

I just deleted a character, since when I casted Symbiotic Toadstool it just double buffed me in just one cast. Since I believed that I didn't upgraded the code as you said, I've just deleted the character without a screenshot.
Anyway, as soon as I went to spellDB, i've just remembered that I DID the change. It's still there, with that self="0" within it. Maybe the tag goes into the title?
:edit: I just saw that I had two copied of the spell. Sigh. Will try the new spell asap.
:re-edit: It works now.

Meanwhile

Could you consider adding also Hunter Strike to everything, like butcher and grisly trophies, on level 4 of the skill?
Also, I've found that the empowered Toxic Spore Cloud is basically killing everything on the floor one. Maybe it needs a little tone down, but I want to test more. Something I'm certain, and that will not change in better next on, is that this same skill is half killing my slime if it stays in the spore cloud. And this is not good, since when I will be stronger it will die in one-two turns, since it's resistances don't go up, while the damage goes.

This is what I though of, changing the skillDB for more werediggle fun. And since it's a modification to each of the skills, I just said that there could be synergies only to skills that could be used in another primeval form.

LOL, fantastic. We need more unique abilities for werediggle, not something that is just a copy of others, just less effective.

I know, but simply buffing werediggle's stats without any regard to flavour is something I don't like. As I said before, I don't see why Archeology must give me the very same bonuses like Fungal Arts or Demonology or Archery.

 

It absolutely doesn't have to. I think it would be sweet if every skill gave a unique buff when you went diggle (I'd limit it to only skills you had at least level 3 in - giving an interesting incentive to take a bit of everything as you power up Werediggle). For example Archeology could be "Diggle in a hat" and Demonology could be "Diggle Runes". In my example I just sorted them by archetype to let folks grasp the concept quickly.

 

Then we could start talking about hypotethical unique buffs for the diggle form.
But we should remember about the other polymorphs, from mods. Ok, they are not into the core game, but they should deserve some love too: if you buff just the werediggle, the others become nearly useless (as for now, they are quite balanced - a little stronger than werediggle).
Also, it could be cool to give for each skill tree something for the 3rd level, then something even for the capstone, too, since it should be the very essence of the skill tree. I don't have much time this week to dedicate my mind into thinking something for each skill, however.

Uhm. What about leaving the skill as it is, since it's quite weird to EJECT an egg and then looting it, as nothing as appeared (stone eggs?), but create another spell which basically "toss the egg" into enemies. It could SPEND an egg for each cast, and it could be a strong projectile or it could proc a debuff on the enemy upon crash. It could be given on that level, or as a capstone skill, without touching the stats the capstone gives you (being a dr jekyll and mr hyde leaves your mind even more damaged, so your spawnling will not only be eaten, but also tossed and shuttered against english people enemie monsters).

 

Sure, ejecting an egg out of your egg-layer and hitting someone with it without breaking it is weird, but then again, weirder shit happens in vanilla Dredmor.
Also, you can't make a spell that specifically consumes Diggle Eggs. It has to consume a type of item--so food, or drink, or potions, or reagents... But not a specific item.

 

I suggested an egg launcher item ages ago, and in short was told that it simply cannot be done.

 

And effects triggering upon consuming a specific item, without changing the actual item (not that is a bad solution, it's just a curiosity of mine)?
Because Werediggle could trigger random buffs upon eating their own eggs, and corrispective debuffs. Buffs that give it something special and precious and tha-
A buff upon laying eggs, which actives the egg launcher!

 

Here's the alpha ECSR for the 1.13 alpha. they didn't change SkillDB, so it's just the one.

 

Don't known if this has been brought up yet.

After setting it aside to try different funtime builds, I am playing with Promethean pure mage again, and it's just as stupidly OP as I remember. Primarily, the dragon has the "aggro all monsters" effect, unlike tamed monsters or gin djinns.

It IS the only "nuketastic kill everything" skill outside of mods and necro, so in that way it serves a purpose, but still.

edit: Don't get me wrong I do appreciate nerfingthe dick off of the fire trap. That was a much needed change and it still basically serves its purpose, which is to carry you through a few floors

 

It is a core game issue. Or are you saying that Essence has to balance promethean magic?
Btw, every summon has that aggro "ability", and it's a bug that the charmed monsters don't aggro too.

 

I'm giving the first few pages of this thread a re-read, and yes, I think bitching about Promethean is something that this thread is for.

On that note, I have another--more a question than a complaint. What's with Fleshsmithing having a "low level carry" skill at level 0? It's the only core skill I can think of that has a level 0 skill that turns the first two floors into easy modo and then something slightly less exciting on level 2. For contrast, look at Promethean, Mycology, Psionics... The zombie summon is quite a bit stronger than other good level 0 skills like Astro and Warlock.

 

It is stronger, yes, but being a summon it scales less efficiently while the tier-0 skills from other skill trees have a higher chance not to be rendered nigh-useless.

 

Can't do it. Only one targetHitEffectBuff allowed per level, and level 4's is Butcher. Sorry. It was a good idea.

 

You can do more by adding another level 4.

 

That. And besides, Essence, dummy triggers that consolidate the procs and then trigger them separately work too. I know it doesn't sound well now but get a little crazy for a moment, will you (just don't go as far as I do, constant sleep deprivation is not good); alternatively, get some more sleep.