Paralysis is overpowered.

[konming]

Well, if you are sieging enemy capital or just take over it, pillaging is painful. Beside, now they cannot be used as blood hunters.

[AreaOfEffect]

Getting back on topic, I have read the entire thread to this point and have come to several conclusions. I know that the intention of the spell is to simulate the effect of a unit removed from combat. However, the spell only approximates this effect and doesn't actually do it. This can lead to a number of unintended circumstances.

If you would like an example then I refer you to a post I made weeks ago where paralyze (cast by my own mages) caused me to lose a battle I had technically won. I also can supply additional instances where paralyze has caused a great deal of wackyness because the unit is "removed" but still present. The intention of the spell should not override adjustments to that spell as fairness and balance is much more important.

That said I don't particularly find the spell overpowered. It is only overpowering if you equate paralysis with death, which the original poster has done. Paralysis is not death in the same way that paralysis is not actually removal from combat.

I must admit that I was attracted to NTJedi's idea that some factor should allow you to shrug off some of the effect. Though MR is the most logical choice, it also gives high MR units double the protection by raising only one stat.

Personally, I might be more in favor of a few magical items (existing or new) that can shave the time off paralysis for the super combatant. In my mind, this allows for more rock-paper-scissor action as you can now make a SC nearly immune to paralysis spam and yet less effective against other attacks. I'm in favor of SCs becoming more specialized so that they aren't all the same cookie cutter thugs. This I think appeals to the SC crowd and yet keeps the mage and army crowds happy because they still have options against such beastly beings.

[Herode]

Originally Posted by AreaOfEffect

Getting back on topic, I have read the entire thread to this point and have come to several conclusions. I know that the intention of the spell is to simulate the effect of a unit removed from combat. However, the spell only approximates this effect and doesn't actually do it.

I don't see this limitation as a drawback : Paralyze paralyzes. It's not a Repell.

Now, why couldn't we have also a Repell spell ? Something like a Ritual of Returning, but that you could cast on the ennemy troops ? The spell could come in 2-3 flavours : targeting a single unit, targeting a small area (1), targeting a large area (2+), and could be more easily negated by MR when the area grows wide. The repelled units could be thrown back to the capitol, or a random friendly fort, or their home garrison.
Could be fun. Just ideas on the fly...

[HoneyBadger]

Maybe a resistance to paralysis, in the same way a unit might be resistant to fire, ice, poison, shock?

Alternatively-but along a similar vein-maybe a more broad resistance to psychic attack/mind damage, that also functions as the current fire etc. resistances. The latter would allow more anti-R'lyeh strategies, which would then probably make Late Era games more fun. LA Ermor already has a broad "blast 'em with holy magic!" emergency plan, so something like this seems fitting.

[Endoperez]

Originally Posted by HoneyBadger

Maybe a resistance to paralysis, in the same way a unit might be resistant to fire, ice, poison, shock?

Alternatively-but along a similar vein-maybe a more broad resistance to psychic attack/mind damage, that also functions as the current fire etc. resistances. The latter would allow more anti-R'lyeh strategies, which would then probably make Late Era games more fun. LA Ermor already has a broad "blast 'em with holy magic!" emergency plan, so something like this seems fitting.

That's actually somewhat viable. I don't think we'll get it, but a cursed item that made you immune to mind burns, soul slays and charms would be quite useful. Something like a soul manifested as a physical flame.

[JimMorrison]

Originally Posted by Endoperez

That's actually somewhat viable. I don't think we'll get it, but a cursed item that made you immune to mind burns, soul slays and charms would be quite useful.

Sweet! We could call it a Slave Collar.....

Well, I guess it needs Paralyze added to it, and then you're looking at something useful! I mean, why give that Bane Lord a ton of MR gear, when a simple Slave Collar will render him into a calm, focused, minister of death?


Oh and for the record, I don't think my suggestion to change Paralyze was all THAT drastic. Only the Paralyze spell would be reduced to either 30+ or 40+, since most people agree that simply with the hardcoded battle length, 60+ is a bit gratuitious.

Size accounted for, a 15 turn Paralysis still gives you a lot of chance to lay down some hurt. If you can't kill it in that time, perhaps you need to bring something MORE to the table than just Paralyze?

[K]

Originally Posted by JimMorrison

Sweet! We could call it a Slave Collar.....

Well, I guess it needs Paralyze added to it, and then you're looking at something useful! I mean, why give that Bane Lord a ton of MR gear, when a simple Slave Collar will render him into a calm, focused, minister of death?

I'd actually accept if the Feebleminded condition gave you the Mindless trait (though I'm not sure if Mindless helps vs. Paralyze).

[HoneyBadger]

And some creatures-void critters, R'lyeh starspawn, Aboleths, etc. might have a natural resistance against such effects-not immunity, but maybe as much as 50%

Along that line of thought, Heroically Stupid heroes might get an increasing resistance, just for being thick-headed and unimaginative.

[HoneyBadger]

Yeah, I don't think Slave Collar works that way, does it? I was always under the impression it was curse + feeblemind + 30 morale. And that was it.

Something like a forgeable (in the sense that Lifelong Protection is forgeable) Void-based brain parasite that made you immune to mind burns, soul slays and charms, but also horror-marked you, would be fun, and thematic, and horribly, mind-numbingly creepy (always a plus!).

Maybe it would have a very small chance per turn-like the lycanthropy amulet-of giving your unit the Mindless tag (by turning your unit into a Soulless-because the parasite living off your unit's brain is, well, full.)-but once you got it, if your unit gets killed, he/she turns into a Lesser Horror (as a secondform) and attacks the nearest unit.

[Jazzepi]

K : I don't even care about the paralysis argument. I actually agree with you on principle, but the way you present yourself makes me want to wretch. For someone who constantly reminds us of how much they know about the art of arguing a point, you do so in a way that is so totally offensive I don't want to listen to the rest of what you have to say.

By the way, it's not a personal attack, it's a critique on the manner in which you address others. Specifically putting everyone who is not agreeing with you in a single "camp" and then calling them all "whiners". If you want to take personal offense at that, then it's your prerogative. Though, it's probably a lot easier to just put your fingers in your ears and ignore it, instead of learning how to present your points without coming off as a total douche.

Jazzepi