Is 1.1 beta PotD's enemy Arcane Damper popular enough to make Nalpazca obsolete?

[tonpix]

From what I'm seeing, there are more mages in enemy groups and apparently they often cast Arcane Damper, which removes drug effects and puts Nalpazca into subclass negatives + drug negatives.

 

1). Is Arcane Damper really common spell for enemy in this 1.1 beta? I'm still testing on tutorial island

 

2). If it's true, don't you think excluding drug effects from being affected by Arcane Damper would solve problem? I don't feel drugs are often used generally and it's just drugs, not spell/arcane effect.

[Enoch]

I don't mind Arcane Dampener working against Drugs, but ideally, it would suppress the benefits of a Drug without triggering Drug Crash penalties. 

 

It's a good thing that the AI has a tool to use against Drug effects like Svef's immunity to mind afflictions. 

[lunattic]

I wouldn't mind it so much if I could counter arcane dampener as well. However, once cast, NOTHING seems to work against it. It automatically sticks to everyone, moves with them, and cannot be dispelled. It is also seemingly impossible to reflect. It is by far the most frustrating spell in the game to have against you. Having it wok against drugs (realistically, why on earth would it do that?) is just an additional kick in the groin. 

[Bugged Wolf Companion]

Its a good choice to include lots of arcane damper casters. The way this game can be abused with drugs/buffs and scrolls is ridiculous. Also its the only way to counter absurdities like Nalpazca.

Edited June 4, 2018 by Bugged Wolf Companion

[mazeltov]

It's nice that one of the cardinal rules of rpgs is becoming relevant again with this patch: geek the mage first.

[Climhazzard]

Hardly.  Unless there's like 6 guys standing around waiting to cast it..  it's no problem.  Leave a ranged interrupter in stealth until the wizard starts to cast then interrupt it, they only try to cast it once, there's probably a decent reset timer on the AI script used for arcane dampener.  You can also use another character to bait out the arcane dampeners at the start of the fight.  

 

Another good thing to do as Nalpazca is take a will boosting passive, like I take the +15 will passive on my transcendent.  After that, use the will boosting drugs when you're in any encounters against wizards that have arcane dampener.  My transcendent can get up to 150 will defense at level 14.  Lastly, if you do get hit just immediately pause and consume another drug. 

[Bugged Wolf Companion]

Id prefer a baldursgate 2 like Spell Trap to trigger instantly Arcane Damper on characters after a check if there is a positive buff. Maybe even layered Spell Traps at 75%/50% and 25% health to atleast make cheesing way harder.

 

 

And inb4 more cheese: Give those wizards on PotD ignore will defense for arcane damper casts.

Edited June 4, 2018 by Bugged Wolf Companion

[Climhazzard]

I personally think you shouldn't get the drug crash if you get hit by arcane dampener, if you have clarity of agony on it will sometimes last only a few seconds, but even when the drug bonus comes back you still have the crash effect.  Kind of silly imo, I hope they fix it, but I suppose it's probably not even on their radar, in the meantime just play like mentioned in my previous post.

[knownastherat]

I also prefer BG2. Load 3x Lower Resistances to Spell Trigger, load x3 Greater Malisons to Spell Sequencer,  walk to a dragon -> trigger -> sequencer ->  Polymorph Other and a dragon is a squirrel. Since its hops around -> Ray of Enfeeblement.

[Bugged Wolf Companion]

I also prefer BG2. Load 3x Lower Resistances to Spell Trigger, load x3 Greater Malisons to Spell Sequencer,  walk to a dragon -> trigger -> sequencer ->  Polymorph Other and a dragon is a squirrel. Since its hops around -> Ray of Enfeeblement.

Now lets make the game difficult again and give it only to enemy wizards.

[Braven]

Yes, every wizard I have seen so far in 1.1 has it and loves casting it if you have any buffs on yourself.  Granted, I have been trying to avoid wizard encounters so far.  I am not sure if spell reflection blocks it or not.  It targets will defense so if you can get that defense high enough to miss you, that could also work.  Or maybe bait them into casting it and then use a drug afterward.

Edited June 4, 2018 by Braven

[Takolin]

I'm more annoyed by the facts that it breaks my AI scripts.

I have self buffs on autocast if the inspiration is not active (at the start, when it elapses or when it's removed by an opposing affliction).

But when arcane dampener hits, it spams the scripts because the inspiration is gone.

Pity I can't add a condition 'not affected by arcane dampener'.

[George_Truman]

The re-application of the drug when arcane dampener ends should remove the crash. I don't know why it doesn't.

[Bugged Wolf Companion]

The crash after arcane dampener is working as intended. You can avoid it by cheesing up your will defense as one of the posters above mentioned.

[Undesirable]

Please tell me in what way a drug that you have physically ingested is arcane and prone to being neutralised by a spell? If this isn't a bug, it's a disgusting nerf. I mean, come on; this should blatantly only affect spell buffs that have been cast on characters.

 

If they need something to detoxify you, barbarians could have a bear hug skill to force the drugs back out of your digestive system.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Undesirable

[Bugged Wolf Companion]

Its not a nerf Arcane Dampener always worked against positive effects. And its also not about logic from real world applied to a game with ghost vessels and magic.

 

There is still paladin multiclass with monk that gives you ludiculous defenses for 3 skill points to the point where a lot of enemy spells start to miss even on PotD.

 

If anything than the increased appearance of Arcane Dampener enemy wizards increased the difficult a tiny bit. Still there seems to ve almost infinite room to cheese through the difficulty.

[knownastherat]

In-game description of Drugs reads: "..., but when the effects wear off, the user suffers penalty ... ". Now we can argue senselessly whether "suspend" implies "wearing off". I would say it does but that is pretty much irrelevant.

 

The question, however, is what purpose (drug) crush penalties when hit by Arcane Dampener while under influence of drugs serve? I do understand that suspending beneficial effects has a purpose but I am not sure at all getting crush penalties after being hit by AD does. I reality, in game-play, it will force the player to rest, and buff her/himself and party. So it might happen that with such mechanic in place players will rest more than usual, being buffed more than usual, being stronger more than usual. Is this the, intended, purpose?

[Enoch]

In-game description of Drugs reads: "..., but when the effects wear off, the user suffers penalty ... ". Now we can argue senselessly whether "suspend" implies "wearing off". I would say it does but that is pretty much irrelevant.

 

The question, however, is what purpose (drug) crush penalties when hit by Arcane Dampener while under influence of drugs serve? I do understand that suspending beneficial effects has a purpose but I am not sure at all getting crush penalties after being hit by AD does. I reality, in game-play, it will force the player to rest, and buff her/himself and party. So it might happen that with such mechanic in place players will rest more than usual, being buffed more than usual, being stronger more than usual. Is this the, intended, purpose?

One interesting counterpoint here is that Arcane Cleanse exists.  That spell very clearly causes positive effects on the combatants that it hits to wear off.  There is no question that it should trigger crash penalties.

 

Arcane Cleanse is a 9th-level spell.  Should a 3rd-level spell be able to do nearly the same thing?

 

 

Aside, you can end Drug Crash penalties without resting-- just take more drugs!