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IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0007269Valley 1Suggestion - Spell IdeasApr 27, 2012 12:29 pm
Reporterwoofles Assigned To 
Status consideringResolutionopen 
Product Version1.001 
Summary0007269: Mana and Spells
DescriptionCurrently mana seems to be by far the worst of the 3 upgrades for a character. Since it has no direct impact on regeneration its only real use is to allow access to certain expensive spells. Unfortunately these spells simply aren't good enough to justify the loss of hp and attack, and the end result is you just never get to cast those spells. This feels lame to me because some of those spells are actually fun, but they just aren't worth weakening your character so much for them.

After thinking about this I've come to this suggestion which I think would not only fix the above issue, but also add some additional depth to combat, and allow for more interesting variety in how you build your character.

Instead of maximum mana being a variable stat, make it a static number for all characters, somewhere between 300-500 mana would make a good baseline. Then make mana regeneration the variable stat instead.

But now you might wonder, why would you want to play with a character with super low regeneration. They could barely cast any spells, how would that be fun or useful?

Well along with this I also propose a new type of spell, Mana Generators. These spells would be weaker and more basic in function than regular spells, but instead of costing mana to cast, they'd regenerate some of your mana when you deal damage with them.

Now you'll have a real choice in how to build your character. Will you make a character with very low regeneration but high attack? You can, but you will rely heavily on these mana generators to fuel your powerful moves. Or you could build high regeneration with low attack, now you can use the better spells nearly all the time, but they won't hit nearly as hard. Or you could make a hybrid somewhere between those 2 extremes to have a nice balance.

This would add depth to combat in that it'd give you a solid reason to have to use multiple spells outside of dealing with enemy resistances.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal WeightFeature Suggestion

Activities

khadgar

Apr 27, 2012 6:44 am

reporter   ~0022806

Boiling this idea down to it's key concept: add an attack or utility spell that generates mana, but lower the mana regen to compensate.

MaxwellDemonic

Apr 27, 2012 7:38 am

reporter   ~0022808

I think overall hes saying to lower the base mana regen, make mana regen a component of the mana stat, and make weak attacks that give back a considerable amount of mana when they hit.

An example might be a touch spell that generates mana on hit. So you could throw a crazy powerful fireball spell, then use this touch attack to regain the mana to use it again.

I'm not sure if I like or dislike this idea, it has an interesting appeal, but it would make glass cannons really difficult to play if you nerf their regen. It does seem strange, using mana to regen your mana.

woofles

Apr 27, 2012 7:58 am

reporter   ~0022809

Last edited: Apr 27, 2012 8:08 am

I apologize if I presented my idea in a slightly confusing manner, but Maxwell mostly has the right idea of what I was trying to suggest.

One point I'd like to add is that the spells which Regenerate Mana don't necessarily have to be useless damage wise, they can still have good range and deal around 1/2 or 1/3 the damage of a standard spell which costs mana. They would definitely still contribute towards killing an enemy. But they would be weak enough that you wouldn't want to merely spam these Mana Regeneration spells endlessly without ever using any mana spells.

I could create some sample spell ideas which would illustrate this a lot better, but I'm not sure if that's a suitable thing to do with mantis.

Chris_McElligottPark

Apr 27, 2012 9:18 am

administrator   ~0022821

Bear in mind that the super-spells that are really expensive and what you'd want Tellah-like really high-MP characters for are largely still in the future. There's a lot more that I want to do with that which I simply haven't had time for yet. I think you'll feel really differently once some of that comes together better, but for now leaving this open in case not once we hit that point.

Purlox

Apr 27, 2012 12:29 pm

reporter   ~0022843

Why don't we just add Mana Regen to the base stats instead of replacing Max Mana with it? Having both stats would allow you to choose whether you want to be able to cast many small spells in a quick succesion by investing a lot in mana regenration and using cooldown reduction enchants or being able to cast small spells with medium spells thrown into the mix or be able to cast a lot of medium spells in row or be able to cast very powerful spells.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Apr 27, 2012 3:43 am woofles New Issue
Apr 27, 2012 3:46 am woofles Description Updated
Apr 27, 2012 6:44 am khadgar Note Added: 0022806
Apr 27, 2012 7:38 am MaxwellDemonic Note Added: 0022808
Apr 27, 2012 7:58 am woofles Note Added: 0022809
Apr 27, 2012 8:01 am woofles Note Edited: 0022809
Apr 27, 2012 8:08 am woofles Note Edited: 0022809
Apr 27, 2012 9:07 am tigersfan Internal Weight => Feature Suggestion
Apr 27, 2012 9:07 am tigersfan Status new => considering
Apr 27, 2012 9:18 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0022821
Apr 27, 2012 12:29 pm Purlox Note Added: 0022843