Druid buffs

does the druids need all thees buffs?
why is it so high priority?
the dm playing a druid has anything to do with it?

3 updates so far.2 of them have buffs to druid and then just general stuff& bugfixes.

-Increased the duration of Grease's knockdown effect slightly.

a druid spell and a spell that duid have immunity for.

-Altered Ice Storm damage progression: it now deals 3d8 Bludgeoning damage, as well as 2d8 cold damage + 1d8 cold damage / 3 caster levels above the sixth.

benefits highlvl druids, right?

-Epic Shield of Faith is no longer breachable and is accessible to pure druids.

a free lite-epic spell.awesome

-Stonehold has been reverted to a will save, the timelock has been reduced, and Extend Spell increases the duration +3.0 seconds (instead of none at all).

not sure if this is a buff or a nerf or maybe both.

-Revised level 40 animal companions in an effort to make them all useful.

this gotta be a buff how could it not b?

-Improved the Earthquake spell: it now deals 1d8 damage / Pre Epic CL + 1d8 / 4 Epic CLs (penetrates as +5 weapon); if the caster has the destruction domain or is an epic level druid, the spell is empowered; reflex save for half; double damage against placeables; ignores LoS; ignores SR.

oh yea baby!this is just dumb.

-Swarm Avariel are now Swarm Monkeys.

ehhh

-Combust and Infestation of Maggots can no longer be cast on allies.

both in the druids spellarsenal but not really a buff.more of a request from me...

-Added a mysterious new item to the low level loot table. It's mysterious.

mysterious AND good for druids maybe?
nah, just j/k.


so whats up?

wasnt going to say it;p But ice storm is useful to us sorcs too ;p

I can vaguely think of about 3 different character which i've seen who are druids.

Caitlin, Rossco?(sry don't remember Z_Zman's char's name), and another druid who has been gone since 1 month ago.. wonder where he went.. not sure over the whole rp but last i saw of him, he placed a bounty on rugnar then vanished! xD
(moral of the story; don't mess with rugnar?)

Vladimir wrote:
the dm playing a druid has anything to do with it?

I'd imagine that it does have a lot to do with it, considering its easier to change things in a game that the developer is MOST involved with. Its easier to make improvements to a class or find a way a class is to powerful and deserves a nerf, if your playing that class etc.

I don't see anything wrong with the current updates making pure druids or druids useful... Anyone can always make a druid and lvl it up to take advantage of all the improvements. Mind you, would be nicer if leveling up was easier.

But I've never been a fan of updates in general that make drastic changes to the game. The kind of changes that sort of take away things that players have benefited from and all new players miss out on. (i am referencing the xp decrease because i'm dedicated to holding a grudge! xD)
I honestly believe because of all these game changing updates, it should be made easier to level up. especially if updates start focusing on nerfing and do not improve all classes in one way or another.

((Edited my post because my wording gave off the impression that a player was to blame for someones disappearence when i never intended to blame someone! <3))

TheeVals wrote:I can vaguely think of about 3 different character which i've seen who are druids.

Caitlin, Rossco?(sry don't remember Z_Zman's char's name), and another druid who has been gone since 1 month ago.. wonder where he went.. i think rugnar killed him for putting a bount on his head. xD

Vladimir wrote:
the dm playing a druid has anything to do with it?

I'd imagine that it does have a lot to do with it, considering its easier to change things in a game that the developer is MOST involved with. Its easier to make improvements to a class or find a way a class is to powerful and deserves a nerf, if your playing that class etc.

I don't see anything wrong with the current updates making pure druids or druids useful... Anyone can always make a druid and lvl it up to take advantage of all the improvements. Mind you, would be nicer if leveling up was easier.

But I've never been a fan of updates in general that make drastic changes to the game. The kind of changes that sort of take away things that players have benefited from and all new players miss out on. (i am referencing the xp decrease because i'm dedicated to holding a grudge! xD)
I honestly believe because of all these game changing updates, it should be made easier to level up. especially if updates start focusing on nerfing and do not improve all classes in one way or another.

I completely agree. I for one don't have time to always work on lvl'ing up a character. I know others have priorities and when we log in, it would be nice to be able to just sit in fort and RP or something exciting. Contrary to going out and always grinding exp, due to the overcoming pressure to "level up", gaining exp/lvl's. Making it easier would create a more fun and entertaining environment for every player, especially the new player's, coming from a "fair & even" stand point persuades me to say the new player's did not receive the same chance as the old players did, it does affect thing's even if you look at it from other view points. Im not trying to just be lazy and get a free ride, but lets be honest its the players that makes the server any fun at all, not the exp. Keeping the players happy = healthy stable server.

havnt tested the exp change yet i'm hoping its not a nerf , and the exp loss on this server is ridiculas as it is ,7 k at 33 on my barb , thats a few good solid hours of play. I figured it was more to stop bankers it going on the exp rather than the level you are.

Wordack wrote:havnt tested the exp change yet i'm hoping its not a nerf , and the exp loss on this server is ridiculas as it is ,7 k at 33 on my barb , thats a few good solid hours of play. I figured it was more to stop bankers it going on the exp rather than the level you are.

i'm glad thats being added,

the xp decrease i refer to is https://anphgenesis.forumotion.com/t58-server-xp-and-you all that xD

That's a decrease in exp though isnt it? Correct me if im wrong, doesnt that result in a over all exp decrease?
And that's the whole point having to grind for endless hours to get 7k exp. Its difficult and doesnt it take away the benefits of finding others in level range to travel with? since everyone would be getting different increments of exp n all. Im confused, anyone care to shed a little light on this? ( i understand the whole banking of exp preventative)

TheeVals wrote:and another druid who has been gone since 1 month ago.. wonder where he went.. i think rugnar killed him for putting a bount on his head. xD

Actually...He was OP to me when I challenged him and I had time to cast like 5spells, none of them penetrated his SR and his Elemental+Flame strike from his Giant form eaten Rug alive
By the time I got ready lvl-wise and equipment wise for him, he was gone.

Summary: I am not the reason the guy ain't playing the druid anymore.

J wrote:-Epic Shield of Faith is no longer breachable and is accessible to pure druids.

Vladimir wrote:a free lite-epic spell.awesome

Pure clerics got access to it too....
More on the topic of druids - I don't think it matters that member of the staff plays the druid. Hell, all those changes made the druid class more attractive.
I can't wait to see, who's gonna win the duel - if pure cleric or pure druid...should be interesting

Rugnarie wrote:

TheeVals wrote:and another druid who has been gone since 1 month ago.. wonder where he went.. i think rugnar killed him for putting a bount on his head. xD

Actually...He was OP to me when I challenged him and I had time to cast like 5spells, none of them penetrated his SR and his Elemental+Flame strike from his Giant form eaten Rug alive
By the time I got ready lvl-wise and equipment wise for him, he was gone.

Summary: I am not the reason the guy ain't playing the druid anymore.

sorrows, I fixed my post xD

deathwarding wrote:That's a decrease in exp though isnt it? Correct me if im wrong, doesnt that result in a over all exp decrease?
And that's the whole point having to grind for endless hours to get 7k exp. Its difficult and doesnt it take away the benefits of finding others in level range to travel with? since everyone would be getting different increments of exp n all. Im confused, anyone care to shed a little light on this? ( i understand the whole banking of exp preventative)

Its kind of ironic if you think about what might provoke the banking exp. The slow lvling etc, its not by any means a justification for doing it, and probably would still get done even if lvling up was easier. xD

I'd hate to think that this exploit prevention should in anyway affect the other players of the server.
Where is the justice in slowing down the leveling of those who weren't trying to cut cornors? There isn't any -AND- i would image the players who where banking exp will probably stop playing once they realize they can't take any shortcuts to lvl 40 or whatever they were aiming for...
So if the exploiters quit, then server is left with players being 'punished' with an even slower xp grind.

So it would definitly suck if the people who weren't being idiotic have to put up with the concequences of someone else's stupidity. xD

Amen, Theevals. I mean, really the server needs to make exp gain easier, plain and simple. I dont get why others should deal with the brut of this and not have a fair chance. Lighten up, we all been playing for years, thats why we are all still here. Make it easier, on us all and for the good, rly the good out weighs the bad in making easier exp gain.

Why make thing's harder, wed have more time for fun, instead of mindless and countless hours to just gain exp. Over all, everyone knows its a natural instinct from pressure to lvl up, players can have more versatility being able to not be stressed to just grind. Windows of opportunities and new approaches at RP'ing and expanding the over all experience of playing on the server.

Someone please post the link for me, to the direct update needed for all of this. So i can start DL it and installing it. I hope this update doesn't prevent newcomers, due to them saying screw finding this update and move on to the next server.

Yes, I play a druid.

Yes, many druid issues are close to my heart.

No, that does not mean I am biased toward druids. (At least not consciously.)

I've proposed many, many changes on the staff forums. Druid "buffs" count for a minority of them. But we're not running a multi-headed dictatorship, wherein 3-4 different people come up with an idea and then just do whatever. Changes are proposed, discussions happen, and then stuff gets pushed through.

Playerside, this may give the impression that a class is being "favored" over another one. This is certainly not true; at least not on any personal level. Druids have received a greater number of changes recently they faced the least amount of controversy for doing so (i.e. it was widely thought to be necessary).

does the druids need all thees buffs?
why is it so high priority?
the dm playing a druid has anything to do with it?

Most likely, instead of blindly stabbing at things and doing things from a mathematical approach, playing things allows a broader understanding of the class and its plights.

-Increased the duration of Grease's knockdown effect slightly.

a druid spell and a spell that duid have immunity for.

As does anyone with a ghostly visage wand (Albeit a tad buggily).

The increase in duration is, I'm sure, to make druids able to control a battlefield.
The KD increase is to not make grease super silly with the PAoE HB change.

-Altered Ice Storm damage progression: it now deals 3d8 Bludgeoning damage, as well as 2d8 cold damage + 1d8 cold damage / 3 caster levels above the sixth.

benefits highlvl druids, right?

It's actually around the same damage as it was - it's just less of a silly calculation.

It doesn't benefit anyone; though it'd benefit all casters and Raks, if it did.

-Epic Shield of Faith is no longer breachable and is accessible to pure druids.

a free lite-epic spell.awesome

That's only available to pure druids, who have much fewer bonus feats than other pure casters and are a less powerful class than clerics (Who get it anyway)

Druids did have this in a pre-version of moths, though it killed the druids companion and was used as a scapegoat for 'lag' and promptly removed.

-Stonehold has been reverted to a will save, the timelock has been reduced, and Extend Spell increases the duration +3.0 seconds (instead of none at all).

not sure if this is a buff or a nerf or maybe both.

A bit of both, but stonehold was rather useless. (In fact it's better in its original NWN form, if you ask me)

-Revised level 40 animal companions in an effort to make them all useful.

this gotta be a buff how could it not b?

Actually they're designed around the existing level 40 panther / boar and slightly optimised for different roles. (The panther / boar were the only useful ones in the release). Nothing's increased in power, it's just all the companion types are at the same level.

-Improved the Earthquake spell: it now deals 1d8 damage / Pre Epic CL + 1d8 / 4 Epic CLs (penetrates as +5 weapon); if the caster has the destruction domain or is an epic level druid, the spell is empowered; reflex save for half; double damage against placeables; ignores LoS; ignores SR.

oh yea baby!this is just dumb.

You should totally make a druid and win!

-Swarm Avariel are now Swarm Monkeys.

ehhh

They're exactly the same, only now they look like monkeys, rather than naked angels.

we need dm players who has stealthys close to their hearts!
plum, go make an assasin asap!

Rogues + Assassins are being discussed.

SD's are having some details slammed out in my head.

The mysterious item is an item that every time anyone loots it and uses it, it finds any of my characters and gives them a level and 1 million gold. I am not currently playing a druid, therefore it's not helpful to druids. Though it could be one day. Who knows?

Vladimir wrote:we need dm players who has stealthys close to their hearts!
plum, go make an assasin asap!

Heh. Actually, I'd considered making a rogue just to get a better feel for the class, so we could make changes to them that would be, well, sensible.

I've never been keen on the "take some wild stabs in the dark" approach to game design.

Rann Cora wrote:The mysterious item is an item that every time anyone loots it and uses it, it finds any of my characters and gives them a level and 1 million gold. I am not currently playing a druid, therefore it's not helpful to druids. Though it could be one day. Who knows?

This is not far from the truth.

Wow sorry..?

'Does the druid need all thees buffs?'

First one is not Druid only and applies to other casters

Second one applies to other casters

Third one applies to Clerics (Damn all these Cleric buffs)

Fourth one is Druid only but is a FIX to a broken spell and its metamagic.

Fifth is a buff if you wanted to take the bird-type animal companion, for example. This is so wrong.

Sixth applies to some Clerics and high level Druids, a fix/balance not a buff.

Seventh sounds like a cosmetic change and a helpful one so that lippy fey aren't getting stuck everywhere and... are not lippy fey.


I don't care to comment on the final two because... I don't have to.



While I'm currently playing a bard these 'changes' make Druid slightly more attractive. The main reason? Yay, more than a few two useful Animal Companions to choose from for personal roleplay reasons of the Druid. Thanks devs. Also, Druids might be slightly more useful as a pure caster if they last a few seconds longer in knockdown spam because of an epic shield.