QCF Design Community

Bloodmage: Now that the sanguine class feature can be obtained from a deity boon, a subdungeon event, and is shared as a class feature by one of the monster classes, the bloodmage no longer feels unique. Ever since the double-edged potion was removed, it hasn't even worked well at a thematic level as a caster class feature. Combined with the fact that the bloodmage is now hopelessly overspecialized, I feel this class feature should be replaced entirely. Leave sanguine for Dracul followers (it's working way better as a boon then it ever did as a class feature) and let the bloodmage explore new angles.

BLUDTUPOWA: The recent BLUDTUPOWA nerf brought it into line for BURNDAYRAZ casters and Binlor/Mystera worshippers, but nerfed it into the ground for everyone else. It's now second only to WONAFYT in terms of glyphs that I convert on sight. For most characters BLUDTUPOWA is mostly used to optimize resource efficiency, so the rather drastic reduction in its in power has left it pretty much unusable and not worth expending an inventory slot to haul it around.

WONAFYT: With the WEYTWUT glyph vastly outperforming it as a method for slowing monsters, and its primary role borderline useless to begin with, this glyph still remains the universal conversion fodder glyph. I'm still hoping for a wicked guitar effect, boosting the level of the summoned monster by 1.

Glowing Guardian: Thematically boring now, cripplingly low piety gain, and yet he still manages to be overpowered with two ridiculously underpriced but super-powered boons. Bring back his hatred of senseless slaughter (seriously, that was what made him unique), increase the piety cost on humility and absolution, then give him a new form of piety gain.

Taurog: Inventory hog extraordinaire. He works nicely for beginners, but he's just a pain in the ass outside of his role as piety farm once you get a little distance into the game. I'm also increasingly convinced that Unstoppable Fury is outright broken, and only held in line by the positively mind-boggling opportunity cost that a dedicated Taurog follower incurs.

Crystal Ball: In my opinion, this is the most powerful item in the game. For fifteen gold, it will repeatedly fully regenerate your mana. In the boss battle, it can be used to repeatedly top yourself up as you chug potions and keep recharging the thing. Doesn't matter what glyph you're using, doesn't matter what class you are (though Berserkers might have some trouble), and the thing is available for a paltry 15 gold!? This item is just too powerful. Much as I love the crystal ball, it definitely needs a nerf.

Sensation Stone: Repeatedly nerfed due to working incredibly well for 1st level orcs and transmuters, the sensation stone is now pretty much useless for other races. It also pretty much requires the conversion seal, and has been balanced around the presumption that you're using that seal. The conversion seal isn't particularly interesting, it's just +50 conversion points when you first convert a glyph (or +75 if you're packing a conversion stone).

Animated Armors: Ridiculously hard compared to other monsters of equal level, animated armors have wicked damage, average health, and many layers of death protection. Even with the burning combo available to us now, the amount of resources required to take down a high-level AA is shocking. In many cases, a level 9 animated armor is significantly stronger than the boss himself. This also leads to problems with the assassin being situationally overpowered, since he is the lone class that can dispatch them easily.

Subdungeons: There are some serious balance issues with some of the subdungeons. The blood fountain, zombie hallway, and bloodstain room when combo'd with Dracul are all overpowered. On the other end of the spectrum, the Goat Alter room is positively tiny and largely useless if there aren't goats on the surface to piety farm, Ying/Yang is as horrendous as ever, and the explored room containing nothing but a MP->HP potion is positively horrific.


(also, any hope of an April Fool's gag update this Friday?)

Any suggestions on how to change them?

Bloodmage: I totally agree. Would you rather have an entirely new class, or an entirely new version of him.

BLUDTUPOWA: This is one reason you might want to make a new class. Then you can make a new glyph.

WONAFYT: Definitely add a Wicked Guitar effect that goes away if you attack another monster or explore a tile.

Glowing Guardian: I don't know about absolution and humility, although the senseless slaughter needs to come back. I think subtracting 1 or 2 levels would be an interesting addition to enlightenment, and then it would be much more drawing. Then you just replace Humility with some new boon. As for absolution, I don't really like the concept behind it. All you have to do is be a goblin or use Yendor to get a MASSIVE bonus, and even if you up the price, the piety from leveling up will still allow you to afford it.

Taurog: Yes, yes, and yes. Great for new players, sucks overall unless you get unstoppable fury.

Crystal Ball: Totally broken, but I love it. Perhaps if it required spells to cost 5 (That's the mystic number, just ask Mystera) and then you made it cost 25 gold or so it would be fair. It's up to debate.

Sensation Stone: I say revert it to its original number and make it non-lockerable. You can't locker the orb of lusory, can you?

Subdungeons: I say lower the sanguine percent to 5 or so off the bloody fountain, make the entire entry and hallway revealed in the Zombie Money, and make the zombies worth NO EXP. Yin-Yang should be removed, and make the MP->HP potion room have all the types of potions (Hp->Attack, Attack->MP, and MP->HP), in addition to not being revealed. I say make the goat subdungeon 7x7, as its effect isn't that good, so you might as well give us some more tiles.

Agree with so much that I'd sign everything getting adressed ASAP.

Bloodmage - no thoughts, theres more experts on him than I am.

BLUDTOOWA - same

WONAFTY - If it still "latches onto" stuff you slowed allready - WHY does it still latch onto stuff you slowed allready? WHY? Start there, please!

Taurog - yes, hogs too much inventory space, and the final reward is bloody broken, been saying this for ages.

Crytal Ball - it was obvious that it was horribly unbalanced from the moment it arrived, everybody was happy to get a spellcaster nerf I so I wasn't going to scream bloody murder right there. I kept wondering why in the world it took the dev's this long to fix this. Yes, it's the most powerfull item in the game, by long shot.

Sensation stone - well, how much conversion should there be? I hate it as a prep anyway, but I'd love to be able to get it in shops in some way. Also hate the unintuitive way you obtain it in the first place.

Subdungeon - no real thoughts, mostly agree.

I agree with everything, but I'd like to add some things.

PISORF - Pretty niche. I'd certainly use it to destroy some walls if ENDISWAL is not around, but I convert it the moment I see ENDISWAL or BURNDAYRAZ. And was nerfed some time ago, when the strength potion exploit was fixed.

Piercing Wand - Now it's useless. Its main use has been removed...

Animated Armors - I don't know how many times it's been mentioned. It needs nerfing...

Halls of Steel - Remove BlahBlah from Halls of Steel (He has nothing to do with that place. A vampire general leading an army of Armors makes no sense at all!) and put The Crypt back. Then give The Indomitable 60 DP and make The Crypt a more challenging dungeon, it was my favorite Vicious dungeon before it was removed...

Glowing Guardian - The ways to get piety are so few that the only way to play with GG is to convert in, get Absolution and Humility, then convert out. And I agree that Absolution is much more useful than Enlightenment. I think they should make Enlightenment give more resistances and cost 80 piety, and make Humility and Absolution cost 30 piety each. And give him a better way to get piety, too. Maybe more punishments.

Taurog - He's OK... I guess. I think he should have a bigger punishment for glyph usage and have a different punishment for each piece of equipment, instead of -1MP. Like dealing low damage with fireballs, or receiving damage when casting spells. This way, he wouldn't be so useless for magic casters.

BURNDEYRAZ/BLUDTUPOWA - Cap burning at 1 per player level, Return BLUDTUPOWA to normal. (or make it transform 1 HP/level --> 1MP, like an inverted HALPMEH).

Now that's an interesting idea, the sensation stone in a shop...

As for zombie money, perhaps make them "easy" strength zombies. That way they aren't so resource consuming.

Argh, the crystal ball so annoying. Maybe make it give half the charges as mana...

Different punishments for Taurog is a good idea, but Unstoppable Fury still needs to be changed.

I say remove the +1 spell cost from it.

I totally agree with PISORF. I think 100% into walls, 75% into another enemy, or 50% into indestructible walls or black space. Knockbacl stays the same, so you can still have a Half-Dragon that poisons.

AA's. Just thinking about it makes me angry.

Crystal Ball - 10 MP becomes 1 charge.

You add as many charges as the MP of the spell you're casting. 10 charges-->1 MP.

Yeah:

Animated Armor - either nerf, or please - EXPLAIN why not? Could we get some two way conversation with the devs about this?

And Crysal Ball - has it been capped so far? Would it help in any way?

Crystal Ball cap would only really affect elves and JJ worshippers, unless you put it really low.

Agree on animated armors. Editing that into the original post.