Flame Storm

[Belac]

Is this spell like a bigger Burning Hands (area of effect extends from caster outward) or like a bigger Fireball (area of effect centered somewhere within 35 squares of caster)?

I am planning to cast it in a game, and I'm trying to figure whether to have the non-fire-resistant cleanup crew stand in front of the mage or to the side.

[LumenPlacidum]

It's like fireball. Spells with ranges are centered wherever they land, and where they're aimed at is a target somewhere in their range. If there's no range, but there's an AoE, then it's centered on the caster.

[Lingchih]

Originally Posted by Belac

Is this spell like a bigger Burning Hands (area of effect extends from caster outward) or like a bigger Fireball (area of effect centered somewhere within 35 squares of caster)?

I am planning to cast it in a game, and I'm trying to figure whether to have the non-fire-resistant cleanup crew stand in front of the mage or to the side.

Definitely to the side or behind. It's like a flamethrower.

[thejeff]

Flame Storm? It's long range. Put the clean up crew where ever you want.

[Frozen Lama]

be warned- its a very under-whelming spell

[Belac]

Yeah, having cast it you're right. 40 squares isn't much, really.

[thejeff]

40 squares would be great in early or even mid-game, but by the time you're fielding it, real armies have hundreds of troops with Army of Gold, or the equivalent, up. So you're hitting a few 20 prot units for half of 15AP. Hardly worth it.

The water equivalent, Neifel Flames, is smaller but AN, which makes it better in at least some situations.

[Quitti]

Air equivalent, Shimmering fields is AN too. Problem with these is that the desired resistance is quite easy to get and cr50/sr50/fr50 really cuts a lot from the damage of a spell that is essentially casted once or twice a fight until the mage(s) tire out completely. And by the time you gain these spells, chaff isn't _that_ good to have anyway anymore, depending on the situation of course.

[Belac]

Originally Posted by thejeff

40 squares would be great in early or even mid-game, but by the time you're fielding it, real armies have hundreds of troops with Army of Gold, or the equivalent, up. So you're hitting a few 20 prot units for half of 15AP. Hardly worth it.

The water equivalent, Neifel Flames, is smaller but AN, which makes it better in at least some situations.

Actually, I had the opposite problem. Against a small army, the spell annihilated what it hit, but that was only a fraction of the enemy troops. It turned out OK, but I'd have been better off sending the caster(a Fire King) in alone and casting Fire Storm, or just having him attack.

[Redeyes]

I believe the Shimmering Field/Niefel Flames/Flame Storm spells would be competitive if they had lower path requirement; as is, at best you'll have one national commander capable of casting one of these spells and that's often with a considerable investment in gem boosters - the spells are entirely out of reach for other nations.

The path req for Shimmering Fields is particularly egregious, you pretty much have to play Caelum in order to use it.