Drain Life

[tinkthank]

I know that Drain Life is being rehauled for dom3, and for good reason -- I just thought I'd ask this:

Do you think it would be a good idea if Drain Life, much like its description, "replentished" lost Health and Fatigue (and hopefully: to a much lesser extend with Fatigue), but did not give the caster / wielder *MORE* or additional health / fatigue than his/her maximum? I think it would be great if Drain Life didnt let the wielder "tank up" or "store up" additional HP over and beyond her maximum, but rather just replentish lost health; if she is already at full health, then drain life will add nothing.

[PvK]

I don't think that's the most important thing, no.

Mainly it's way overpowered overall, and the main reasons are the amounts involved, allowing a tough SC to regain both damage and fatigue faster than even a mob can inflict them.

Next most important is the super-cheap cost for what it can do. Set the weapons with life drain to at least 80 gem cost each, and it's closer to the right price.

The ability to exceed base hit points is not nearly as important as the other stuff. It already maxes out at a point, and is kind of interesting to be able to go over a bit.

PvK

[Graeme Dice]

At 80 gems, you'd basically relegate just every summonable commander to the "don't bother" pile.

[Oversway]

I think I'd still summon commanders

Although 80 gems is quite a lot...

[Huzurdaddi]

Graeme Dice said:
At 80 gems, you'd basically relegate just every summonable commander to the "don't bother" pile.

You are saying that without a life drain weapon summonable commanders are not worth the gems. That sounds like a problem.

[PvK]

Huzurdaddi said:

You are saying that without a life drain weapon summonable commanders are not worth the gems. That sounds like a problem.

Sounds like Graeme's problem. One of my favorite part of the game is using thugs, rather than SC's... which, yes, mainly means not using life drain weapons, because they seem so out of balance price to effect.

I like armies of mortal troops, too, and Ulm and TC, so I guess I like most of Graeme's "don't bother" pile. Of course, though I've been playing Dom and Dom II for a couple of years and really enjoying it, I haven't played a whole lot of really competetive big-map high-magic games, haven't done much clam hoarding or SC using and have never cast Wish even once.

PvK

[The_Tauren13]

Graeme Dice said:
At 80 gems, you'd basically relegate just every summonable commander to the "don't bother" pile.

Ok, you do that. More uniques for me

[Sandman]

Rather than raising the cost of life-draining weapons, why not simply inhibit their life-draining properties by, say, 60%?

[Saber Cherry]

Sandman said:
Rather than raising the cost of life-draining weapons, why not simply inhibit their life-draining properties by, say, 60%?

You can do that in the combat sim... Hey, you can also give armor-piercing weapons a "pierce percentage" and specify an exact, individual damage multiplier versus undead, demons, magical, and living unts (all on a single weapon), and give units percentage vulnerabilities and resistances versus every type of damage, including physical. Ahhhh!!! If only it were a game, I'd play it

[Boron]

On the other hand elite troops can still kill lifedrain SCs . Even an AQ is in danger vs. Centaurs and Vans if not really well equipped . 30 Centaurs or Vans can kill a lot .

I lost a Jade Armor , Wraith sword , pendant of luck , ama , starshine skullcap AQ to about 40 centaurs last turn ( about turn 30 ) in my pythium game . I can't forge much better stuff on my own . AQs have anyways rather low protection so a few lucky centaur hits and they can die .
Without a way to combat undeads like charcoil shield undead spamming sauros can also kill many SCs . Same for Ghost riders .

So Lifedrain is maybe not that overpowered . At least the weapons do either few damage (blood thorn) or are 2 handed .