drain life has no MR check??

[rabelais]

All life as we currently understand it is water-based.

Think of it as desiccation on steroids.

I'm not saying it's a perfect solution (so to speak! ) but to say it doesn't work because isn't thematic is simply wrong.

One might just as well argue that non-vampiric undead should be immune to reinvigoration of any kind.

The point is path and nation balance.

Drain Life is the closest thing to a sure single target killer in the game.

The three big water nations (atlantis Ryleh and TienChi) are all conspicuously underutilized, death/ermor is not.


Rabe the Naturalist

[Cainehill]

Originally posted by rabelais:
All life as we currently understand it is water-based.

Not in Dominions 2 it isn't. Abysians can't be water based - their touch burns wood, meaning that water would boil within them. Likewise, Caelumians probably don't have much water, or it'd freeze.

I'm all for helping Water magic out, but I don't think Drain Life should be there. Does seem rather surprising that it isn't affected by MR, and has no defense against it though.

[Wendigo]

There are multiple defenses vs the Drain life spell: having loads of hit points, regeneration & reinvigoration, luck, life leeching of your own via spell/attack.

[Norfleet]

Originally posted by rabelais:
Um... this is my point. DE are already tough targets, they don't need Drain Life to be balanced.

Dusk Elders are D3?1. Only a D4 elder or one with a skull staff can drain life. You just chose the wrong one to try to kill.

[Taqwus]

Heh. In a single-player game Last night, a Skratti kept trying to Drain Life one of my SCs.
Unfortunately for the Skratti, the SC was an Elemental Queen of Water with extra hp from heroic toughness, and thus capable of regenerating an insane number of hp per round in addition to the hp and reinvigoration she was draining from fleeing Jotuns with her Wraith Sword.

[Stormbinder]

Originally posted by Cainehill:

quote:

---

Originally posted by rabelais:
All life as we currently understand it is water-based.

Not in Dominions 2 it isn't. Abysians can't be water based - their touch burns wood, meaning that water would boil within them. Likewise, Caelumians probably don't have much water, or it'd freeze.

---

I agree regarding abissians. As for caelum, perhaps they have antifreeze-type stuff flowing though their veins, that prevents their body's water from freezing.

[Tuidjy]

I think that there are two separate issues, here:
1. Should Life Drain have a saving throw, or be
otherwise rebalanced.
2. Should Life Drain be moved to a different
magic school.

Lets not confuse the two.

Personally, I am opposed to moving it to Water,
because I think it fits with Death.

As for giving it a saving throw, I think that is
a good idea. Hell, as far as I am concerned,
there is no reason that no Amulet of Life Holding
is present in the game. There should be
resistance to Death magic just as there is
resistance to fire.

Maybe then we will see less Wraith/Hell swords and
Soul Vertices, which, at least for me, are a must
have on everyone who every gets into hand to hand.

As for Water magic, lets give it fatigue control.
Call it 'fluidity', and have it zero the natural
encumbrance. Armour will still hunder casting...
By the way, I am not so sure Water is underpowered
as it is. Quickness and Clams, by themselves,
make it quite desirable.