by q 3 on Thu Feb 09, 2012 5:48 am
I figure I may as well offer some suggestions on how to improve the situation. I don't want to be the "this is too easy, nerf everything" guy, so here is my attempt at changing Mystera's boons so that they are (1) powerful enough to generally be worthwhile, (2) double-edged enough that you still need to think about whether to take each of them in any given dungeon, and (3) tilted somewhat in favor of fireball strategies, but not to the point that she's useless for anything else.
Magic: +2 max MP, increases max HP of all monsters by 5x their level (level 1s get +5 max HP, level 10s get +50) (monsters are not healed, but will of course regenerate to their new maximums). 10+15 piety cost.
Refreshment: Conversion also cures mana burn. (Also, either the effect should be permanent, or allow it to be repeated if you convert from Mystera and back again.)
Flames: +1 fireball damage per level, -3 max MP. Costs 40+30 piety (allows for up to three uses if you can somehow amass 210 piety, for a total of +3 damage/level and -9 max MP).
Weakening: Every time you attack or fireball a monster, both of its resistances are reduced by 3%. The effect stacks with BICEPS and the Piercing Wand. All monsters gain Fast Regen. (Does Fast Regen grant poison immunity? Maybe it should.)
Mana Leak: -1 MP cost to all spells, increases all monsters' phys AND magic resist by 30%. (You still have the problem of Wizards getting free LEMMISI and BICEPS, which can be solved via my earlier suggestion of increasing their respective costs: LEMMISI goes back to 3 MP and maybe gets some secondary bonus, like restoring HP/MP even if you're poisoned/mana burned; BICEPS goes to 3 MP and how provides ~45% bonus damage.)
~
I also think the fireball-related items could use some tweaking:
Piercing Wand: Reduces phys resist, too. Now it's a much better generalist item, akin to the Witchalok Pendant. Alternatively, for a solid specialist item, remove the resist reduction effect; instead, for +2 MP cost your fireball ignores half of the monster's magic resist (i.e. divide their resist by two; 50% resist only blocks 25% of your fireball damage, 75% resist blocks 37.5%) and ignores Counter Fireball.
Battlemage Ring: Adds +2 damage per level to fireballs, and increases cost of BURNDAYRAZ by +1 MP.
Crystal Ball: Each use increases the amount of XP you need to level up by +5 with each use - I think that's an interesting but not unworkable penalty, and fits with the flavor of the item (looking into the future too often takes its toll). Alternatively, make it less efficient, e.g. require 5 charges just to use it (6 charges restores +1 MP, 20 charges restores +15).