Not So Clever Hound

It seems your obsession with scaling is really... escalating. OK je sors.

Fessina strikes again... on the other cheek.

Deciphering the combat log on a big fight and lots of rolls:

Welcome to our "Learning is Fun" series! Master the basics of arithmetic and geometry with @thelee while playing Deadfire! Module 1: Inversions. Chapter 1: "Why does it suck so bad when I Graze vs. Hit?"

When I think of the hardest fights in SSS and FS + the megabosses on Upscaled PotD, I don't think that an optimized party of the best SC classes feels "cheaty god mode" - as long as you don't (ab)use certain mechanics beyond their intended use. Which is also very fun to do but another topic IMO, and mostly relevant for solo. Also if you play with the full BPM complement (including nerfs), most of those OP tricks will be disabled (strand of favor, OP barring death door, OP salvation of time, OP wall of draining, OP unbending, OP blood sacrifice, OP brilliant...).

My favorite was a Sorcerer shifted using all that nice healing + Wall of Draining to Blood Sacrifice non stop... sadly he's not as effective/broken good now in BPM... with a -50% healing factor received on top, with inversions... this previously mighty Werecat will become a sickly little kitten.

Aye 'tis true. But in many big fights that matter (not the "win-more" scenarios) enemies have healing too and nasty abilities you want to shut down fast... and in really big big fights where you want to rely upon continued healing, you may need more sustain than limited resources of Lifegiver (looking at you Herald). EDIT: what do I know, I play solo 90% of times anyway and the strategy there is different

Ah yes there is the synergy with the Water PL bonus from BPM it is true. Thanks. Yes I agree, my point was very simply that on average, the Rejuvenation PL bonuses are really nice but won't be as determining as comparable offensive bonuses in winning or not an encounter (there will be exceptions to that, I'm saying on average). Killing enemies faster with better offensive abilities = lower future incoming damage (cuz dead or controlled enemies) AND you deal more damage. Stellar healing with better rejuvenation abilities = just mitigating incoming damage.

I like the modal idea but what you suggest also makes sense i.e. a Druid can spiritshift and stay spiritshifted but they can't just switch back and forth like crazy, it's too taxing. On top of being apparently easier to implement without reworking everything .

I like the modal idea and I love where this discussion is going because I completely agree that Spiritshift in its current form needs something/some love - besides all the great rebalancing of Wildstrike and upgrades that Elric already did in BPM. Just a couple thoughts particularly on your idea Boeroer: The PL boost of Lifegiver is cool but certainly not gamebreaking, especially considering you also lose access to summons incl. the Primordials. To me it would make sense to simply set Rejuvenation PL at -2 (or even at +0) if not shifted and at +2 while shifted (i.e. a lifegiver is even more in touch with their innate rejuvenation abilities when they're closer to nature/in their animalistic form). It might be obvious but I think it's important that shifted special abilities (Cat Flurry, Bear Terrifying Roar etc.) still be set at once per encounter even if the spiritshift is a true modal.

Thanks for the explanation, that explains some weird resolutions I've seen with Clear Out. The fact there are so many rolls creates nice interactions with other abilities but indeed it seems broken. That said, it also interacts really nicely with your implementation of Break the Bell, and of course Body Blows (especially Willbreaker's Miss-to-Graze but Saru Sichr is great too), Sanguine Blade too, of course WotEP, Spirit Lance, Assassinate and other ACC buffs... Don't get me wrong I agree it would be better if it was cleaner, but I'm ok with the idea that you have to work a bit to make great use of it given this is the only weapon AoE ability that you can get as multiclass, before Tier8. I don't know if it needs to be more powerful.

It did work! Thanks for the fix and the explanation Elric. You rock.

While doing more testing about the bug I noticed something else: not only am I not getting the buffs but when I keep casting the spell over and over, I end up with an army of familiars. One cast does not replace the other. And of course I can have a summon on top.

Thanks Elric. No I play RTwP, I have the latest CP version, your latest BPM. Oh well. Unfortunately the file you sent isn't a .gamedatabundle extension but a weird file (639AF25D15C52419DBC4EBD26CFEACE5 File) - as the last time when you had sent me the Screaming Souls fix... so nothing happens when I place it in override\BalancePolishingModNerfs\design\gamedata. If you don't get the bug on your end... maybe someone else could infirm/confirm the bug on their end before you put more efforts into this? Maybe for some reason it's just my game, dunno.

Thanks to this I realized that the Non BPM version can stack all effects together which I didn't know. My Blood Mage permastole Conjure Familiar from a Conjurer and activated all the buffs - pretty cool, because they are passives! Everytime we take a closer look at Wizard, we find something to make it more awesome .

Yes I'm sure, I tested it several times with and without BPM enabled. I do get the 3 bonuses and the buff line appear in the Char sheet without BPM, but nothing shows up with BPM. Thanks-

@Elric Galad the Familiar passive bonuses for the Conjurer when they use Conjure Familiar don't seem to appear at all in BPM but they do work in CP.

All while somewhere, somehow, a SC Paladin is feverishly anticipating to activate Sacred Sacrifice, costing them 4 Zeal, hoping it will help them get back into the fight and turn the tide of this difficult encounter at the cost of their last few resources. It will not. Fortune favors the brave, but Deadfire favors the Monks.

Well it's just one dude's opinion so let's see what others have to say. And as very bad team-building / performance improvement consultants tend to say, "never apologize for being a driven, purposeful over-achiever".

@dgray62 Rymrgand is: Favored - Honest and Rational Disfavored - Benevolent and Diplomatic However as you expertly point out: Obsidian-created NPCs have no favored or disfavored reputations; this means they can fit into any party, but will never get positive scaling (Xoti, Vatnir, and Pallegina fit into this category). from @thelee compendium of goodness. My testing on whether the lashes change with Watcher disposition wasn't with the Axes specifically (I compared several other weapons but the lash's own PEN calculations interfere except for Woedica's which is Raw and "clean" to use for testing). I **think** the axes would behave in the same way as other spiritual weapons if the Watcher uses them with his dispositions, because they have the exact same description as other Spiritual Weapons and are Faith Attuned. Just like any other Spiritual Weapon. So the thing about NPCs Obsidian-made not affected by disposition wouldn't be about different weapon properties, but about the characters. But I'd need to do more testing to prove it...

Yes BUT it makes the attack ranged. It doesn't turn your fists/melee weapons into ranged weapons however. At least that's my understanding. reason why Harley works but not Driving Flight.

I remember it being funky (e.g. I don't think that you can rock Driving Flight) but yes, Harley helps IoP so it seems to be tagged as a ranged ability - but not a ranged weapon for the purpose of Driving Flights and other things specifically for ranged weaponry. I haven't tested Acina's Tricorn and Ring of the Marksman but I would expect that the former works, but not the latter. (ranged attack vs. ranged weapon).

You're going to steal my heart with this kind of pun. Stand still to steel yourself for the battle, young paladin. Also yes it works, but I think you have to be in stealth, stay immobile, and then unstealth for the enemy to see you and the battle to start. You'll begin with the +3 AR.

I personally think Clear Out is fair and balanced as it is. At 2 Discipline anyway you can't really abuse it. And even with e.g. the interaction with Carnage I don't think it's too strong. The lack of AoE display is annoying but with a bit of practice it's ok - and that's what makes its charm .

Yeah blade turning is very nice . You can also use it and prolong while having Cadhu Scalth with the large shield modal on to make sure you're not going to accidentally walk. While making your stand, you can use permanent Concelhaut Draining Touch via Boeroer's grimoire switching trick and Instruments of Pain to brutalize ranged attackers while melee attackers kill themselves with their own attacks. Miasma of Dull Mindedness to guarantee crits, Chill Fog to bring ranged closer by reducing their visual range. Soul Mirror + Arcane Reflection are also efficient. But a Monk/Wizard with a large shield is weird .