Vengeance

"BUFF SHEARING CHANGES

Based on Pendragon testing feedback, we have made some changes to how buff shearing works.

- We have removed the lowest tier of buff shearing spells. This leaves two tiers, a single target version and an area effect version. Both of these versions will be able to strip buffs regardless of level.

- We have changed the casting time of the cleric version of buff shearing spells to make it consistent with the druid version.

- The damage component of the Cleric and Shaman versions of the Strength/Constitution and Constitution shears has been removed.

- The damage component of the Druid version of the Strength/Constitution and Constitution shears has been halved.

CLASS CHANGES AND FIXES

Buffing Class Changes

- Focus Shell spells have been added to the buffing lines of Druids, Shaman, and Clerics. These spells, which can be cast on others as well as oneself, absorb a significant amount of damage from all sources. The caster of the spell will have power drained as the focus shell is held in place, and the shell will drop if the caster moves or takes any other action. The recipient of the focus shell will not be able to take any action or use any ability, including attacking or healing, while the focus shell is up without causing the shell to fail. The recipient of the focus shell (if other than the caster) will be able to move without the shell breaking, provided they remain within a 2000 unit range of the focus shell caster and maintains line of sight. The shell will only protect against realm enemies.

Shaman - Augmentation Spec Line
41 Spirit Shell (Absorbs 70%)

Cleric - Enhancement Spec Line
46 Hand of God (Absorbs 85%)

Druid - Nurture Spec Line
47 Nature's Cocoon (Absorbs 90%)

Hunter

- Hunters may now attempt to find hidden enemies who have just killed one of their Realmmates via a new ability called "Call of the Hounds". To activate this new ability, the body of your Realmmate must first be selected. Then, six hounds are "called" that will sniff their way to any nearby enemies (stealthed or not). The hounds move at a very slow speed, but should they somehow catch up to a stealther, they will not attack but will bark incessantly instead. If there are no nearby enemies when this ability is used, no hounds will be summoned.

Hunter - Beastcraft Spec Line
30 Call of the Hounds"

...this hunter change pisses the hell out of me. they dont need it. not at all. all they have to do is hit the "attack" button on their pet window and you cant get away from them with stealth, now they get pets that cand find and unstealth you too?

okay, so lets see what hunters get:
-spears - okay, not always so great vs assasins, but its got 2h damage
-insta blue con pet - throw it on someone for interupts, use it to kite, throw it on a pesky scout and watch him try to melee when he can only block 1 attack per round.
-an improved self-buff line that is equal to cler/druid/shammy buffs of the same level. wont be shearable. sure most people have bots, but that doesnt change the fact the fact that they have access to it. also they wont drop with an LD and you still get them if your buffer is out of conc.
-insta speed shout - great for getting away from a place you dont want to be, or better yet chasing someone down thats trying to run away from you.
-same bow damage over time - they shoot faster, but the damage is the same (read: DPS)
-slash vulnerable armor - the damage type your least likely to see on a stealther from alb or hib (well, behind crush, be because we cant use it)

scouts get:
small shields - sweet, a form of defense that gets a 50% penatly to my most common adversaries (assasins, as well as rangers) with which i can stun (if it ever lands), using 20% of my endurance each try. it also can only block one attack per round.

im not even gunna get into rangers

Get yourself Bodyguard, and drag your buffbot with you to cast focus on you.  You can't lose!

1) I meant a general you, not you specifically LB
2) I hope my sarcasm came across, that's a bullshit tactic, but if I read the description right it's possible.

LOL G, thats not such a bad idea

Of course the one being sheltered can't do anything either....wtf even bother?

dude - there has to be something coming up for scouts - that hunter ability is too damn cool.

Yeah I missed that part.

<<The recipient of the focus shell will not be able to take any action or use any ability, including attacking or healing, while the focus shell is up without causing the shell to fail.>>

I think they're gonna need to take my scout's shoelaces if this patch goes live as is.

Quote- The damage component of the Cleric and Shaman versions of the Strength/Constitution and Constitution shears has been removed.

- The damage component of the Druid version of the Strength/Constitution and Constitution shears has been halved.

Okay, when I first read this I thought that they were removing the damage component because the target is already losing HP due to the loss of Con. If that's the case, why does the Druid version do damage? Is it because less druids spec Nurture?

I wonder if you can now shear without breaking mezz for cleric/shaman. Anybody want to test it?

sod - both shammies and clerics have a baseline damage spell, whereas druids do not. This change was made so full enh spec druids could have some form of ranged damage.

Oh yeah - gotcha. Makes sense now. :)

And to follow up, from today's Grab Bag:

QuoteQ: Why do the con shears for clerics and shaman classes no longer do damange, and the damage for druid buff shears is half of the original design?

A: ”The shears are slightly different for each realm.

- Clerics get the benefit of extra range.
- Shaman get the benefit of a quicker casting time.
- Druids get the benefit of doing more damage.

The reason we made this change is because players lose max hit points when they lose constitution buffs. So, rather then double penalize someone for having a con buff sheared, we removed the base damage done by all three classes when casting a con or str/con shearIt would be unfair if we removed *all* damage for con shears from druids (since “more damage” is their class-specific benefit), so instead we halved the amount of damage they do and removed all damage from the shaman and cleric versions. This decision was made based on player feedback from Pendragon. We appreciate the comments, and will be looking for more in response to this change.

Ah, and Axe:

QuoteQ: Will buff shears break mez?

A: ”Yes, any successful buff shearing will break mez, regardless of whether or not it does damage.”

(Edited by Sodom at 8:32 pm on Mar. 19, 2004)

poo, I was _this_ close to uber.

"sod - both shammies and clerics have a baseline damage spell, whereas druids do not. This change was made so full enh spec druids could have some form of ranged damage. "

I can understand the logic here, but it doesn't go w/ the way Mythic has done the rest of this game.  Since when has there been an equitable give/take of abilities between the classes in the various realms?  FFS, it is possible that druids ALREADY had a little more utility than clerics, so maybe they don't need this advantage too?

I know I'm whining, but whenever they bust out the "well, otherwise it wouldn't be even" defense for one of their decisions, I have an instant aneurysm and want to point them towards the base class descriptions and see where this even-handedness fairy was at when they finalized the class designs.

weep in a greater amount, novice

LOL

Perform self-directed reproductive activities

I notice that the hibs seem to be coming out of this change better than anyone else with them still doing damage from the shear and better damage absorption on the focus shell by a long shot.

Focus shell doesnt protect you from ranged damage apparently so y ou can still be nuked or shot.

- Clerics get the benefit of extra range.
- Shaman get the benefit of a quicker casting time.
- Druids get the benefit of doing more damage.

I would say longer range for clerics is better than the 100 or so damage the shear buff will do for druids.

Agree, I'll take the range if I get my choice of any of these three.

The focus shell seems to be a total non-issue. I guess we'll see how it plays out in the field, but it doesn't seem to me to have any practical use. Perhaps they intended it to be a way to protect cloth from the tank assist train, but if that's happening I don't have time to put the shield up now do I? Not to mention I'd have to spec out of spreadheal to get it.

imo the shell is only really going to effect mid - its not really viable for clerics/druids to spec for because they lose spreadheal, and if they use it, it means they wont be healing at all. shaman's have end 5 and 42 aug spec (shell is at 41 spec), and lose very little comparetively. from what ive read a shaman's job isnt really to heal, but mostly to stay alive and provide endurance/buffs/desease, and they dont lose any of this ability with 42 aug, 33 cave.

the biggest thing imo is that when mid uses this it wont also be taking a spread-healer out of the battle.

I guess. But in mid, you have to kill the healers to win. I suppose a shaman could shield a healer you were trying to kill, but they'd still both be not healing.

Probably a bigger deal for the 3 healer, 1 shaman groups you see though. Those were already nearly impossible to beat.