VOTD-Still like it

[konming]

I do not see what the fuss is about a pretender killed by VotD. Each cast is 3 pearls and requires a S3D1 mage turn. You also need to add penetration items to make it effective. The max achievable is +5 pernetration. For that you need thau4+const4. But with just const4, you can equip your pretender with rainbow armor+ amulet of antimagic, which moves his base MR to 25. Then you stay in your own domain, even a 4 domain means +2 MR. +5 penetration vs. 27 MR succeeds around 2% of the time. So you spend an average of 150 astral pearls and 50 mage turns to kill a single target. That must be quite unbalancing.

I would rather take my 150 pearls for something more useful, and the mage time alone is like 350 RP.

[Tifone]

Mmh, ok, but surely the enemy can get to Thau4 and Const4 even for the other purposes

Still nice shot sir konmig, I like when someone throws inside the mere numbers ^_^

[Kuritza]

So, you're saying that whoever casts VotD is automatically outplaying his adversary? 'Become skilled in three easy castings!' Cool, isnt it.

VotD is mainly targeting SCs because it is BUGGED. Otherwise it would be a battle mage and/or smiting prophet removal spell, and a good one. As it was initially intented, I bet.

[konming]

If he can spare 150 astral pearls and 50 mage turns on VotD and still be at least even with you in other aspects, I see no reason why he should not outplay you, with VotD or not.

[Tifone]

Kuritza said:
So, you're saying that whoever casts VotD is automatically outplaying his adversary? 'Become skilled in three easy castings!' Cool, isnt it.

...

You are becoming quite belligerant, mmh? Where did you find those words in my post? XD
How can possibly be ONE spell outplaying a player? Even you know this is not true. Because you won also ^^

It just is, if you are focusing on SCs, and your enemy is focusing ON THE EXACT COUNTER OF THEM, you are outplayed, if you don't change your strategy accordingly to make him waste his efforts to find a counter. That's basical strategy, maths, and logic ^^ And for a strange case, that's also how the game works. Boing.

Kuritza said:
Otherwise it would be a battle mage and/or smiting prophet removal spell, and a good one. As it was initially intented, I bet.

Even if that was true... You see? This game is so wide and has a so creative and smart community that they found a better use for an otherwise maybe mediocre spell! This is strategy!

Peace

[konming]

And if he spends so much on VotD that he lags behind you in other aspects, you can certainly outplay him. It is about the basic strategy -- resource allocation.

[Tifone]

Resource allocation is more basic economics, but you got the point my friend

[Tifone]

Take note I don't have anithing against you, Kuritza. Even I, as I said, think that the spell needs a little fixing, mostly for the conceptual thing of the multiplied souls ^^
I'm just saying, it seems to me that you are just attacking how the spell works because some1 made a good use of it against your strategy things like that happen, let the past go

[Kuritza]

Tifone said:
You are becoming quite belligerant, mmh? Where did you find those words in my post? XD

Tifone said:IMHO? Because this is a game of tactics and counters, sometimes some tactic is somewhat unbalanced, sometimes the counter, if your enemies does a good use of those, you are outplayed, period.

To do a good use of VotD, one should simply cast it. You have no options to defend, you just wait till your SC fails his roll. Maybe you get lucky and resist 49 times as Konming suggested, but most likely, you wont. Thus, you will be outplayed - according to you. Hence my words.

And, Konming, 150 astral pearls and 50 mage turns is theorycraft. In reality, things happen differently. In my case it was God with MR 26 (you forgot to count magic scale +1 that most players take) who was killed by second casting of VotD. Ermor player later claimed it was the first spell that killed my God, but I think he's wrong. So its 6 pearls and two mage turns.

So yes, I do object when people say that fire-and-forget spell is 'just fine'. Mindless units that dont die because they didnt have a commander in the first place is a bad thing.

[konming]

Then the bug is with DRN generator. With that kind of luck, your pretender can do nothing in battlefield either, two casts of paralyze and your pretender is gone. Cost: 0 astral pearls.