Animate dead. Wow.

[Drew]

They just posted this preview, it looks REALLY cool.




[Depths of V'Tull, Lower Eye]
Scattered debris and mud-mixed ash cover the surface. Dirty water and steam rise upward from it, staining the walls and ceiling. The heavy, moisture-laden air provides little relief from the intense heat. You also see a fire mage.
Obvious exits: north, west

>prep 719
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Dark Catalyst...
Your spell is ready.

>cast mage
You gesture at a fire mage.
CS: +472 - TD: +271 + CvA: +25 + d100: +60 == +286
Warding failed!
... and hits for 32 points of damage!
A fire mage is suddenly engulfed in flames of pure essence!
The fire mage absorbs the heat.
... 80 points of damage!
Freezing blast turns facial features a stunning, but very unhealthy shade of blue.
The fire mage looks upon you with utter hatred. Flames shoot from his eyes and engulf you!
The fire mage goes limp and he falls over as the fire slowly fades from his eyes.
You feel 2 mana surge into you!

>get crystals
You remove a bunch of crimson salt crystals from in your red backpack.

>spread crystals on mage
You carefully spread your crimson salt crystals on the body of a fire mage.

>get sapphire
You remove a dragonsbreath sapphire from in your red backpack.

>prep 730
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Animate Dead...
Your spell is ready.

>cast mage
You gesture at a fire mage.
You intone deeply over the body of a fire mage, as slender glowing wisps gather towards the dragonsbreath sapphire within your hand, like a swarm of moths to a lantern. The sapphire responds in kind by growing warm to the touch as the wisps disappear within, leaving it faintly aglow. You hold your dragonsbreath sapphire out towards a fire mage, and turn it slowly as if winding up a mechanical clock, and a fire mage's body responds likewise by slowly setting itself in motion.

Your dragonsbreath sapphire grows brighter and brighter until it seems its very core is burning itself hollow. With a flicker, the light within a dragonsbreath sapphire goes dark and you are left with a husk of a dragonsbreath sapphire, and an upright animated fire mage.

>l
[Depths of V'Tull, Lower Eye]
Scattered debris and mud-mixed ash cover the surface. Dirty water and steam rise upward from it, staining the walls and ceiling. The heavy, moisture-laden air provides little relief from the intense heat. You also see an animated fire mage.
Obvious exits: north, west

>tell animate to magic
You order your fire mage to cast defensive magic on you.

An animated fire mage utters an arcane phrase as flames lick his lips.

A silvery luminescence surrounds you.

>tell animate to follow
You order your fire mage to follow you, and it obliges willingly.

>w
[Depths of V'Tull, Lower Eye]
Hypnotic orange-red flames blaze across the surface here. The fires feed off a steady, slow moving stream of molten rock. They burn continuously, cutting ever deeper into the heated rock floor. You also see a fire sprite that is flying around.
Obvious exits: northeast, east, southwest

An animated fire mage strides in!

>tell animate to attack sprite
An animated fire mage acknowledges your order to attack.

A fire sprite glows with a fiery red light.

An animated fire mage utters an arcane phrase as flames lick his lips.

An animated fire mage leaves a trail of fire in the air while gesturing at a fire sprite!
The mage's spell has no effect.

A fire sprite flits southwest.
>
An animated fire mage looks around blankly.
An animated fire mage utters an arcane phrase as flames lick his lips.

>tell animate to follow
You order your fire mage to follow you, and it obliges willingly.

>sw
[Depths of V'Tull, Lower Eye]
Flame-blackened walls arch over you. Somewhat hardened lava shifts underfoot, its cracked surface looking as if it could give way at any moment, dropping the unwary into the molten rock underneath. The sulfur-tinged air is so hot it seems as if it could ignite.
Obvious exits: northeast, southwest

>sw
[Depths of V'Tull, Lower Eye]
Opaque glassine walls surround you here. Their steamy, porous surface is marred with tiny bubble holes. Bilious clouds of escaping steam vent from the holes. The moist air blowing out feels hot enough to burn unprotected skin to the bone. You also see a fire sprite that is flying around.
Obvious exits: northeast, southeast, southwest

An animated fire mage strides in!

>tell animate to attack sprite
An animated fire mage acknowledges your order to attack.

An animated fire mage leaves a trail of fire in the air while gesturing at a fire sprite!
The mage's spell has no effect.

>tell animate to die
You instruct your animate to die.

You sense a loss of the connection between you and your animate.
An animated fire mage falls to the ground in a heap.

(Doh! Fire vs. fire is obviously not going to work...)

This message was originally posted in Sorcerers, Sorcerous Lore - Necromancy. To discuss the above follow the link below.

http://www.play.net/forums/messages.asp?forum=102&category=27&topic=6&message =1248

[Drew]

Another thought, supposedly you will be able to bring animates in town and have them attack PC. Wouldn't it be cool if a group of sorcs got together and did a DIY invasion?

[Drew]

Here's an animated war griffin. Awesome.


[Old Ta'Faendryl, West Market]
A circular stand of stones marks the position of the well that once served as a focal point in center of the market. Completely filled with dirt and broken stone, the structure seems to have been more recently employed as a handy firepit for some opportunistic traveler. You also see a war griffin that is flying around.
Obvious paths: north, southwest, west

>prep 720
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Implosion...
Your spell is ready.

>cast griffin
You gesture at a war griffin.
A void rips open in the area, directly above a war griffin!
Massive decompression causes a war griffin's abdomen to balloon and burst!
The war griffin crashes to the ground, motionless.

Everything in the room seemed to stay in place. The void disappears without further incident.

[Old Ta'Faendryl, West Market]
A circular stand of stones marks the position of the well that once served as a focal point in center of the market. Completely filled with dirt and broken stone, the structure seems to have been more recently employed as a handy firepit for some opportunistic traveler. You also see a war griffin that appears dead.
Obvious paths: north, southwest, west

>get crystals
You remove a bunch of crimson salt crystals from in your red backpack.

>spread crystals on griffin
You carefully spread your crimson salt crystals on the body of a war griffin.

>get sapphire
You remove a dragonsbreath sapphire from in your red backpack.

>prep 730
You trace an intricate sign that contorts in the air while forcefully invoking Animate Dead...
Your spell is ready.

>cast griffin
You gesture at a war griffin.
You intone deeply over the body of a war griffin, as slender glowing wisps gather towards the dragonsbreath sapphire within your hand, like a swarm of moths to a lantern. The sapphire responds in kind by growing warm to the touch as the wisps disappear within, leaving it faintly aglow. You hold your dragonsbreath sapphire out towards a war griffin, and turn it slowly as if winding up a mechanical clock, and a war griffin's body responds likewise by slowly setting itself in motion.

Your dragonsbreath sapphire grows brighter and brighter until it seems its very core is burning itself hollow. With a flicker, the light within a dragonsbreath sapphire goes dark and you are left with a husk of a dragonsbreath sapphire, and an upright animated war griffin.

>"Har.
You say, "Har."

>l
[Old Ta'Faendryl, West Market]
A circular stand of stones marks the position of the well that once served as a focal point in center of the market. Completely filled with dirt and broken stone, the structure seems to have been more recently employed as a handy firepit for some opportunistic traveler. You also see an animated war griffin.
Obvious paths: north, southwest, west

>tell animate to follow
You order your war griffin to follow you, and it obliges willingly.

>w
[Old Ta'Faendryl, West]
A high mound of earth has accumulated here in a corner of the outer wall, burying all remains of the structures that once occupied this section of the city. The ground is lumpy and uneven, dips and valleys in the surface hinting at structures buried deep beneath the soil. You also see an Ithzir herald.
Obvious paths: east, northwest

An animated war griffin soars in.

>tell animate to attack herald
An animated war griffin acknowledges your order to attack.

An Ithzir herald nonchalantly folds her arms over her chest.

An animated war griffin tries to bite an Ithzir herald!
AS: +425 vs DS: +333 with AvD: +39 + d100 roll: +75 = +206
... and hits for 49 points of damage!
Right hand smashed into a pulpy mass.
The Ithzir herald is stunned!

An animated war griffin tries to bite an Ithzir herald!
AS: +425 vs DS: +371 with AvD: +39 + d100 roll: +79 = +172
... and hits for 46 points of damage!
Deep, bloody slash to the Ithzir herald's right thigh!
The Ithzir herald is knocked to the ground!
The Ithzir herald is stunned!

An animated war griffin tries to bite an Ithzir herald!
AS: +425 vs DS: +263 with AvD: +39 + d100 roll: +91 = +292
... and hits for 112 points of damage!
Lucky shot rips through bone and muscle sending shield arm flying.
The Ithzir herald vainly struggles to rise, then goes still.
The tingling sensation and sense of security leaves an Ithzir herald.

>tell animate to die
You instruct your animate to die.

You sense a loss of the connection between you and your animate.
An animated war griffin falls to the ground in a heap.

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

that doesn't seem over powered to you?

[Drew]

I'm sure we are seeing the best case scenario. I sold my mid 50's sorc who is the only one old enough to use this, but I still don't mind other professions getting great stuff. How does that affect my ranger and wizards? It doesn't, they still hunt just as well as before and I get to see another profession do some cool things.



Edit: Also if you are going to make players jump through hoops with potions and gems and what-not, the result should be very worthwhile. Enchant is a good example of this, 620- Resist Nature is a bad example. It may be that you have to spend ten minutes of prep work just to animate a few creatures.

[Edited on 12-20-2004 by Drew]

[Suppa Hobbit Mage]

I didn't ask how it affects other professions. I asked if you thought it was over powered.

How is it over powered?

- Arkans

[Parkbandit]

It's not overpowered if it doesn't last very long and there are some restrictions to it. It is overpowered if you can go kill something and then have it around with you as long as you want and can go anywhere you can.

[DeV]

It looks to be better than expected.

[Drew]

Put it this way, when we saw 635 being used during the living plants invasions by the Blight Sisters the ranger boards were alive with how great the spell looked. Then we got the spell and realized it was a complete waste of time and mana. I'd like to see this in action (by real PCs) before I make a judgement.


That being said, from the information that has been posted, it looks very powerful and we haven't even seen them use manuevers yet, but for all I know that GM was using a character with 300 ranks of necro lore.

[Nieninque]

I guess it is as overpowered as 635 was when the Treants used it, and will probably be as not overpowered when PCs get it

[Nieninque]

Originally posted by Drew
Put it this way, when we saw 635 being used during the living plants invasions by the Blight Sisters the ranger boards were alive with how great the spell looked. Then we got the spell and realized it was a complete waste of time and mana.

Erm...635 isnt a waste of time and mana. I think its a good spell...at least it works for me.

[Xandalf]

We also, as of now, do not know what sort of prepartion is required.

Nilven already stated that the salt and the gem both will require components and preparation, so animation will not be as simple as it may appear in the posted logs.

That being said, that spell sure looks great and I can't wait to test it out!

[Praefection]

That spells looks like a lot of fun. But then again I thought the same thing about demons when they first came out and I rarely summon then. I'll wait to pass judgement until the spell is released.

[Blazing247]

<that doesn't seem over powered to you? >

I think that statement is very indicative of why Gemstone has gone down the shitter. All of our spells SHOULD be that neat, that powerful, and that awe inspiring. After seeing that log, the reaction SHOULD be "Wow, that is a fucking awesome spell." Gemstone is, after all, a FANTASY world where we SHOULD be mighty sorcerers and mages and warriors. Since Warden inherited the throne, we have all been brainwashed into thinking that powerful and inspiring spells are a BAD thing, something that should be labeled "over-powerful" instead of "kick-ass". Warden and "balance" have made this game blah. Oh wait, I forgot the new additions to Ice Patch. Cyper is somewhere crying right now.

[Makkah]

After seeing that, I'm pissed about how shitty 1025 is.

rht

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Blazing247
<that doesn't seem over powered to you? >

I think that statement is very indicative of why Gemstone has gone down the shitter. All of our spells SHOULD be that neat, that powerful, and that awe inspiring. After seeing that log, the reaction SHOULD be "Wow, that is a fucking awesome spell." Gemstone is, after all, a FANTASY world where we SHOULD be mighty sorcerers and mages and warriors. Since Warden inherited the throne, we have all been brainwashed into thinking that powerful and inspiring spells are a BAD thing, something that should be labeled "over-powerful" instead of "kick-ass". Warden and "balance" have made this game blah. Oh wait, I forgot the new additions to Ice Patch. Cyper is somewhere crying right now.

Holy shit.. I completely agree.

[Landrion]

Originally posted by Suppa Hobbit Mage
that doesn't seem over powered to you?

Not really.

My controller in City of Heroes has a power that turns an enemy mob to my side for a while. If that control expires the power will have recharged and I can control it again. The power isnt autohit - but this animate spell requires the mob to be beaten first anyway.

Secondarily, we dont know if the sorcerer gains XP for the death of the critter if he doesnt get contributing damage in. Most likely that will be required too. In that case, how much worse is it than hunting with a partner?

Also, as we saw with the fire mage, the critters almost all possess some anemic attacks to waste time with. As dumb as Gem's AI is at trying to kill us, it seems be equally as stupid attacking itself. Even a mighty critter like a roa'ter will probably dick around for a few ineffective swings before eventually laying the burrow into my enemy.

And, as mentioned. How much does it cost and how long does it last? Im not pissing away an uncut diamond to watch an animated hunchback dogmatist waste time hacking away with interference, his brawling weapon or the mana draining spell against the other denizens of the temple. Ill do a lot better killing them my self.

Now, it does seem to have some utlity. Especially in letting the sorcerer conserve mana. It also has that neatness cool factor thing going as well. Thats good for a profession that well - you know the history.

[AnticorRifling]

As long as 506 still works I don't care.

[Fission]

Gemstone is, after all, a FANTASY world where we SHOULD be mighty sorcerers and mages and warriors. Since Warden inherited the throne, we have all been brainwashed into thinking that powerful and inspiring spells are a BAD thing, something that should be labeled "over-powerful" instead of "kick-ass". Warden and "balance" have made this game blah.

Sounds good, except for one thing. It isn't just Warden.

How many people used to go wah, wah about how overpowered sorcs were with dark catalyst or how wizards had it too easy hunting with death clouds, etc., etc.

It's self-defeating. Instead of asking for something equal, half the time the first response to something new and good is 'It's too powerful, make it go away!' How about asking they keep it there, and give the other classes something good as well?

And for the record, my main characters are a wizard and a fighter. Still looking forward to seeing this in action (except maybe for by a critter, that could kind of suck).

[Parkbandit]

Originally posted by Fission Still looking forward to seeing this in action (except maybe for by a critter, that could kind of suck).

I actually think that would be funny as hell. You die, get animated and go on a killing spree.. controlled by a critter.

Too funny.

[IntegraC]

Seeing how they said on the BBS that you can animate PCs, I wonder if you can have em animated long enough to have them follow you to safety.

(Ex. Player A dies. Sorc comes by, animates em, and has Player A follow him to TC. Would seem a whole lot easier than fogging randomly. This idea wouldn't work though if creatures could attack animated things)

[Drew]

Dead PCs can be animated by the spell, you can just unlink whenever you like.

[Drew]

Originally posted by IntegraC
This idea wouldn't work though if creatures could attack animated things


Why, they might die?

[Sean]

I'd trade 330 for just about any level 30+ spell.

[Dionisius]

I think the spells is damn good. I dont have a sorcerer but it sure makes me want to make one. I hope the rest of the new spells in the future are that good for all professions.

[Numbers]

As people have said, I'm sure the log is from a quickly genned, full-stat, full-trained Sorcerer. That is, max skills and stats in everything.

Also keep in mind that it's been posted that the only way to get a normal time duration on the spell is to use a gem worth at least 1k. Anything less will actually reduce the duration of the spell.

Not to mention the creation of materials, and so on. It's not a prep-cast spell; it'll require some work beforehand.

[Nakiro]

It looks good, for whatever that means.

How long is the normal duration?

[Syberus]

Duratoin is based off a lot of stuff we've been told. The quality of salts used (which you make, the quality of which are based on your training, and the ingredients that go into it) your age vs that of the creature you're animating, and the quality of the gem you use.

[Galleazzo]

And with those logs, do those animates last only 1 combat? Man alive, if that's so that ain't all that powerful at all.

[Syberus]

No, in each case she gave the command to the animate to die which is why it went away.

[Letum]

As people have said, I'm sure the log is from a quickly genned, full-stat, full-trained Sorcerer. That is, max skills and stats in everything.

The test was shown with Kitrina's sorcerer character, who is 98ish and can kick anything in OTF's ass from here into next week.

[Chaosmongler]

That's it, animate dead gets my vote as best spell EVER.

"Oh Chaosmongler..." you may implore, "Why do you think such?"

Well allow me to educate you, my friends.

You see, this spell will give us the long-vaunted ability to play as a zombie. Not just sit there and whine and cry for brains, but you'll be actually brought back from the dead.

That's correct, you'll be able to suck peoples' brains, stumble about, and fear chainsaws... and have a reason to. Would not have to answer to anyone -- after all, how many people really both asking a zombie what they're doing when their home is invaded and brains being gnawed upon?

Finally, the time for a resident evil-esque invasion has come! I can only hope others are as excited as me.

@_@!


p.s. 635 is absolute shit

[Edited on 12-21-2004 by Chaosmongler]

[Adhara]

The spell looks cool and fun to play with. As for the overpowered issue, let's assume it is overpowered for a minute. Let's assume it's by far the most devastating spell in the game, for the sake of the argument. So what? Why should anyone care but Simu (game balance SHOULD be a concern to game makers. Simu just has a knack for making the worst possible decisions in that area)? I play a cleric. What I care about is changes that would make my character unviable, or changes that would force me to change my training in such a way as to destroy my character background or roleplay. That is what I care about because that is what affects my gameplay. If sorcerers have it ten times easier, so what? They can race to the cap and then sit on a node cursing random floor trash thereafter. Great for them. It being easier for them does not have a negative consequence on other people's gameplay. If you're just jealous of how quickly they can level up, well nothing is stopping you from making your very own sorcerer. So what's the deal?

I used sorcerer because that is the topic at hand but it applies to any profession currently deemed overpowered.

[Edited on 12-21-2004 by Adhara]

[Czeska]

Originally posted by Makkah
After seeing that, I'm pissed about how shitty 1025 is.

rht

I was just thinking "wow, I'm glad I don't have to tell my singing sword to follow me every damn time"

[StrayRogue]

Wonder why he edited out the RT, if there is RT. If there isn't, overpowered it is.

[AnticorRifling]

Originally posted by StrayRogue
Wonder why he edited out the RT, if there is RT. If there isn't, overpowered it is.

Easy Yoda!

[Makkah]

<<I was just thinking "wow, I'm glad I don't have to tell my singing sword to follow me every damn time" >>

So you'd rather have it lag behind by about 7 seconds, be stance\spirit\health dependent, and have no defensive capabilities? Riiiiiiiight.

rht

[StrayRogue]

Originally posted by AnticorRifling

Originally posted by StrayRogue
Wonder why he edited out the RT, if there is RT. If there isn't, overpowered it is.

Easy Yoda!

Adventure, hmph.
Excitement, hmph.
A Jedi craves not these things.