QCF Design Community

Just a handful of boons I want to talk about and ensure they're on the radar. There are still plenty of boons I don't quite like in their current state, but they function at very minimum, whereas these have distinct problems.

Absolution
The opportunity cost for removing higher-level monsters is unreasonably high, meaning this boon is almost exclusively used by 1st level characters. It really should be changed around so that it prioritizes lower rather than higher level monsters, and is actually useful to people who join GG at a higher level.

Blood Curse
Anyone actually using this? I pretty much only pull it out when I'm certain I'm incapable of gaining further levels, which leaves it pretty niche. I'd rather have something more interesting in this spot.

Spirit Pact
Really not worth the piety now that stacking orc conversion is gone. I haven't touched this pact since that change.

Last Chance
This boon is not only boring and somewhat redundant with chaos avatar in its current state, but I really hate the "save or die" style of random chance which is all or nothing. At least you don't literally die like in the alpha, but losing all your piety when you desperately need a full heal isn't really much different unless you're just trying to get unstoppable or something...


I also think Taurog and Jehora have some broader issues that I hope will be addressed before the beta is over, but I'll keep this thread focused to the handful of specific boons.

I'm actually using Blood Curse whenever I play fireball heavy or need a quick piety injection for another bloodswell at the boss or something, regardless of my actual level (as soon as I need a powerboost that evens the loss out in the end) I agree on the others, but I like blood curse.

Blood Curse is weird. The loss of potential xp at early levels is not worth the 20 piety. At first level, I would hesitate to take it even for 100 piety. But once you have either killed or written off all monsters that are higher level than you, then it becomes a spellcasting buff that costs negative piety to use.

The result is a boon that is actually kind of good, but is functioning in a way that is probably counter to the intent.

My preferred last chance would be a random table like this. Roll one die for every 10 piety the player has, selecting a random (mostly beneficial) effect based on the dice roll:

1 - player is reduced to level 1, but his stats are not changed
2 - all monsters and the player suffer corrosion 10
3 - creates several (~3-9) monsters of random level (2-8) throughout the current dungeon floor; all monsters have their current position randomized.
4 - polymorphs all non-boss monsters on the current dungeon floor into goats; reroll if there are no eligible monsters to affect.
5 - player is mana burned but permanently gains +3 max mana
6 - player suffers health drain and poison but permanently gains +20 max HP
7 - reroll items in every shop and give the player 15 gold
8 - all altars except Jehora Jeheyu's are re-randomized; any desecrated altars are restored by this process
9 - all spells cost -1 mana to cast, but permanently reduce base attack by 1 point
10 - an explosion deals 100 damage to everything in the dungeon, including you, but stops short of killing them
11 - player gains maximum resists, but all boss monsters receive the "curse" debuff. Reroll if the player is immune to curse.
12 - makes the current dungeon floor unexplored, but grants every monster on all floors fast regeneration
13 - creates eight random stat boosters (health, attack, mana) around the altar
14 - randomly creates three glyphs (which convert for 0 CP) nearby the altar.
15 - randomly creates three potions of different types (WHUPAZ exempt) around the altar
16 - player is fully healed
17 - player regains all mana
18 - all monsters on the current dungeon floor have their maximum health reduced in half (orb of zot effect)
19 - a sensation stone appears nearby the altar
20 - grants you 100 piety

Probably ludicrously complicated at this point in development, but as the guy with a JJ avatar, I feel compelled to suggest crazy things from time to time. Could you imagine three or four of these going off at once? That is a god of chaos at work.

I thought of something similiar, but it was repeatable for a lower cost and less impact. Would be easier to code as well.

I only have thoughts on Blood Curse - What Fran and Sidestepper said is right as far as it's functionality is concerned, and so is the "niche" comment. It's what bothers me - since drac lost all other spellcaster support (apart from weird Bloodmage / B2P antics), the boon seems very much out of place. I mostly never use it these days because I'm in either Mysterea, EM GG or Jehora if I'm spellcasting.

I agree. I don't like Blood curse where it is right now. I'd prefer a new boon, after all it's easy enough to gain Bloodpool piety.