Path of the True Flame Rebalance.

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Droolguy
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Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2018 12:00 am

Path of the True Flame Rebalance.

Post by Droolguy » Sun Sep 30, 2018 5:50 pm

Path of the True Flame as it currently exists is near completely ineffective as a stand alone class/path, requiring one or more other players to carry it and still being very likely to be randomly squashed like a bug by nearly everything that looks at it.

The current disadvantages of...

1. Can not wear armor at all.
2. Can not cast or (realistically) use magical defenses of any kind.
3. Low HP.

Result in a character that can reasonably be near 100% hit able for all other players and NPCs at level, with 100% save fail rate, with the hit points of a wet tissue (even with max constitution investment) this results in literal instant death upon changing zones (due to monsters at the entrance) on a very regular basis, taking a few stray arrows death, provoking a single attack of opportunity death, get in a fight with another spell caster death (you have no magical way to protect yourself, and horrible saves, so everything sticks).

This is further compounded by the fact that near all evocation spells are area of effect and friendly fire is present on the server.

This means that...
1. You can not contribute to a party as the vast majority of your spells will kill them.
2. You can not effectively solo as you will kill your own familiar and one level 1 summon that run interference so that your character isn't killed instantly by everything.

Currently the spell progression for True Flame has a player...
1. Cast persistent dagger.
2. Cast magic missile.
3. See 2.

That's not a joke either, replace magic missile with missile storm at level 8, firebrand at level 10, and all the way at level 18 is Meteor Swarm.

Greater missile storm is only mathematically superior to firebrand & lesser (with metamagic) in the very specific situation of fighting exactly two things at once.

Here is the list of spells available to a True Flame once the fluff that is not realistically usable in *any* situation is removed.

Cantrip
Electric Jolt
Flare
Light

1st circle
Horizikaul's Boom
Ice Dagger
Magic Missile
Shelgarn's Persistent Blade

2nd circle
Darkness
Flame Weapon (Extremely limited. Can not be applied to magic weapons.)

3rd circle
None.

4th circle
Elemental Shield (Extremely limited. Character can not engage in melee combat or is guarenteed to die. Useful for 50% reductions.)
Isaac's Lesser Missile Storm

5th circle
Bigby's Interposing Hand
Firebrand

6th circle
Bigby's Forceful Hand
Isaac's Greater Missile Storm

7th circle
Bigby's Grasping Hand

8th circle
Bigby's Clenched Fist

9th circle
Bigby's Crushing Hand
Meteor Swarm (EDIT: Added this back in since Arelith specific rules prevent it from hitting friendly targets)

This should be fairly obviously a completely unsustainable spell progression.

My suggestion is to provide it with significant bonuses to offset it's utterly massive drawbacks.

1. Add automatic still spell 1 through 3, as well as medium armor and shield proficiency at level 1. If a player wants heavy armor they will need to spend a feat. This will allow some minor form of survivability and replace the REQUIRED 1 level of fighter with still spell that all true flames are essentially forced to get.

2a. Add ALL offensive spells to a true flames usable spell list so they don't just nuke the hell out of everyone, this WOULD NOT actually increase their offensive power as evocation spells already do top tier damage, it would simply give them options. There is no RP reason they should be limited to evocation only that I can find in server lore, the path doesn't exist in normal PNP so nothing to go off there.

(AND/OR)

2b. Make all spells cast by true flames that are not single target incapable of inflicting harm on neutral or friendly targets, allowing them to use their extremely limited evocation spells in all situations without killing everyone around them.

With both change 1 and change 2, you would have a unique path that should actually be able to stand on it's own two feet (barely, as their defenses would be limited entirely to equipment since they can't use scrolls to buff) and contribute significantly when backed up by a group.

EDITED: Removed suggetion to remove, it was a statement out of desperation, added meteor to list of useful spells.

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Irongron
Server Owner/Creative Lead
Server Owner/Creative Lead
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Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:13 pm

Re: Path of the True Flame Rebalance.

Post by Irongron » Sat Dec 08, 2018 8:08 pm

I'll leave this up for further feedback for now, though personally favour the outright removal of the class, I don't really like infinite casting at all.

May be one of the team wants to do something with it. If I don't hear back from one within a few days I'll move this to rejected.

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