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Announcements - 2002/06 - Castling
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== Letter to the Players 1 == {{Microsoft Zone | Link = <nowiki>http://www.zone.com/asheronscall/news/ASHEletter0602.asp</nowiki> | Date = June 4, 2002 | Title = Letter to the Players | Text = Here is the synopsis of changes we are planning in June for the Asheron's Call magic system. Note that there are some significant changes that function differently from our descriptions of these new features back in the <font color=#FFFFCC>May Developer's Chat</font>. These additions will be italicized. We will also list in boldface some anticipated questions and the answers to those questions. As always, we appreciate your feedback and comments about these changes. <br><br> Please note: Before we get into the specific changes, we want to again remind players that with the June Event, you will no longer be able to trade Level 6 scrolls in for Level 7 spells. After the June Event, the only use for level 6 scrolls will be to learn level 6 spells. <br><br> On to the summary: <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''How Players Cast Spells'''</font> <br><br> Players will no longer need the typical array of components in order to cast spells. Instead, they will need three separate ingredients: <br> :* A Focus of a given school. Foci will be "Spell Backpacks" that take up a pack slot. Foci do not have a double function as a storage pack; players will be unable to store anything in their Foci. There will be different Foci for War, Life, Creature, and Item magic. These Foci will be available through new vendors in each of the towns, and new characters that elect to train or specialize in a given magic school will start the game with the appropriate foci. Foci cannot "burn" and cannot be sold, traded or dropped, although they can be given to Town Criers. :* A Scarab corresponding to the level of the spell you wish to cast. This has not changed from the old system, i.e., you still need Lead, Iron, Copper, Silver, Gold, Pyreal, and Platinum Scarabs to cast spells of the appropriate level. The burn rate and cost of these Scarabs has not changed. :* In addition to a Scarab, you will also need a new component, the Prismatic Taper. The Prismatic Taper is a necessary ingredient for all spells and will have a more frequent burn rate than the Scarabs. The higher level of a spell you cast, the more chances you will have to burn multiple Prismatic Tapers per spell. :* Finally, some rare spells that previously required unique components, such as Diamond Scarabs and Chorizite potions, will still require those items in addition to the components listed above. <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Why did we add Prismatic Tapers?'''</font> <br><br> In our redesign of the magic system, we wanted to make sure casting spells was easier and more fun. However, we didn't want to drastically change the burden or cost of casting magic. We realized that we needed a substitute component to help match the relative cost and burden of components in the previous system. Prismatic Tapers are our solution to this problem. <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''What are the costs and burdens of the Foci and Prismatic Tapers?'''</font> <br> :* The costs of the Foci are 25,000 pyreals. They weigh 400 burden units. :* The costs of the Prismatic Tapers are slightly less than the cost of regular tapers (the specific cost depends on which vendor you purchase them from). They weigh 6 burden units. They have a maximum stack count of 250. At this time there is no Prismatic Taper Pea, but we may add this in a future Event. <br> If I want to cast spells using the old system of components, can I do so? Absolutely. While we feel this new system is a vast improvement over the old, if players wish to cast spells using the old system without Foci and Prismatic Tapers, they will be able to do so. However, it should be noted that if you have any Foci in your possession, you will only be able to cast spells from its corresponding school by using the new component system. <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''How Players Learn Spells'''</font> <br><br> With the June Event, players can no longer learn spells by researching them in the old fashion. Instead, players must purchase and use scrolls for each spell they wish to learn. You must have a certain skill level in the spell skill of the spell you wish to learn. The required skill levels are the following: <br> :* Level 2: 0 skill :* Level 3: 50 skill :* Level 4: 100 skill :* Level 5: 150 skill :* Level 6: 200 skill <br> Levels 1 and 7 spells can be learned by anyone, regardless if they have the school trained or not. <br><br> These scrolls will be available for all spells of level 1-6 that exist in the game, most of them through vendors placed in various cities and towns throughout Dereth. A few spells, such as Recall to Sanctuary and Recall to Aerlinthe, will be available through quests that deliver the appropriate scroll. <br><br> For level 7 and certain specialty spells, these scrolls will be available only through Steel Chests found in random locations throughout the Direlands. (The Reinforced Steel Chests are being removed from the game in the June Event, since vendors now sell all of the scrolls that could be found in those chests.) <br><br> Note that we have removed all self-debuff scrolls from the vendors. <br><br> What scrolls are available? Where and how much do they cost? Following is a list of the price of each level of scroll. See the end of this document for a detailed list of which scrolls are available through vendors, as well as which scrolls are available through the Steel Chests. <br> :* Level 1 scrolls: 50 pyreals each :* Level 2 scrolls: 250 pyreals each :* Level 3 scrolls: 1000 pyreals each :* Level 4 scrolls: 5000 pyreals each :* Level 5 scrolls: 10000 pyreals each :* Level 6 scrolls: 50000 pyreals each :* Level 7 scrolls: Found in Steel Chests and certain other places. <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''The New Length of Spells'''</font> <br><br> With the June Event, all buffs of level 1-5 now last 30 minutes exactly. All level 6 buffs last 45 minutes. All level 7 buffs last 60 minutes. We are not planning on revisiting buff lengths after this update. <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''The Removal of Spell Economy'''</font> <br><br> As we designed and planned these changes to the magic system in Asheron's Call, we often discussed the risk that we were taking with the most powerful and flexible game system in AC, and making it one of the easiest and simplest to use as well. In a game where a character using magic is much more powerful than a character who isn't, and where most vestiges of tedium and needless complexity have been removed from the magic system, and where enchantments at the highest level of power last an hour, why would anyone not have a magic-casting character in AC? <br><br> That scenario is not our goal for AC, and we have spent a lot of time and effort over the past six months to improve and strengthen the gameplay choices of those players who, for whatever reason, wanted to adopt a low- or no-magic approach to Asheron's Call. <br><br> In order to ensure that the various character templates and play styles remained balanced, we have decided to remove all Spell Economy bonuses, whether positive or negative, from spells in AC. Mages who cast spells will no longer receive any type of global economy effect or duration bonus, nor will they suffer under any economy penalty (such as when they cast a particular spell too often in a short period of time). <br><br> While we know this change will result in the loss of power for some characters, we feel that the advantages of the new magic system, in addition to the new enchantment durations, outweigh the disadvantage of the lack of economy bonuses. We also feel that the lack of a spell economy allows players to have a consistent sense of where their skill level lies, as opposed to the current fluctuations which leave some players upset and frustrated when spell economy bonuses affect as small a range as 5 points of skill. <br><br> We did not come to this choice easily, but we ultimately felt it was the best path to take to ensure the viability of all types of characters in Asheron's Call. <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Changes to Spell Book Sorting'''</font> <br><br> Previously, spells in your spell book were sorted alphabetically--which worked well enough for most spells, but made finding oddly named spells more difficult. With the June Event, we have changed how spells in your spell book are arranged in order to make it easier to find the spell you are looking for. <br><br> Spells will first be sorted by the school of magic to which they belong, in this order: Creature, Item, Life, and War. Within each school, spells will then be sorted by their effect, so that all spells that increase the Focus of the caster, for instance, will be grouped together. Finally, within the effect grouping, spells will be sorted by their relative power--that is, by level. <br><br> We hope in the near future to have a more elective spell sorting system, in which players have some control over the parameters of how they sort their spells. Until that time, however, we feel this system is an improvement over the previous one. <br><br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Detailed List of Scrolls to be Sold by Vendors'''</font> <br> :* Most of these scrolls will appear on the vendors in all levels 1-6. Some War and Item spells will only appear at certain levels 3 and above. :* Spells that aren't listed as having a "self" or "other" version are generally debuffs, which are automatically assumed to target "other." <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Life Magic'''</font> <br> :* ArmorOther :* ArmorSelf :* HarmOther :* HealOther :* HealSelf :* Imperil :* ManaDrain :* RevitalizeOther :* RevitalizeSelf :* Enfeeble :* AcidProtectionOther :* AcidProtectionSelf :* AcidVulnerabilityOther :* BladeProtectionOther :* BladeProtectionSelf :* BladeVulnerabilityOther :* BludgeonProtectionOther :* BludgeonProtectionSelf :* BludgeonVulnerabilityOther :* ColdProtectionOther :* ColdProtectionSelf :* ColdVulnerabilityOther :* FireProtectionOther :* FireProtectionSelf :* FireVulnerabilityOther :* LightningProtectionOther :* LightningProtectionSelf :* LightningVulnerabilityOther :* PierceProtectionOther :* PierceProtectionSelf :* PierceVulnerabilityOther :* Exhaustion :* Fester :* ManaDepletion :* ManaRenewalOther :* ManaRenewalSelf :* RegenerateOther :* RegenerateSelf :* RejuvenateOther :* RejuvenateSelf :* DrainHealth :* DrainMana :* DrainStamina :* HealthtoMana :* HealthtoManaSelf :* HealthtoStamina :* HealthtoStaminaSelf :* InfuseHealth :* InfuseMana :* InfuseStamina :* ManatoHealth :* ManatoHealthSelf :* ManatoStamina :* ManatoStaminaSelf :* StaminatoHealth :* StaminatoHealthSelf :* StaminatoMana :* StaminatoManaSelf <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Creature Enchantment'''</font> <br> :* Bafflement :* Clumsiness :* CoordinationOther :* CoordinationSelf :* EnduranceOther :* EnduranceSelf :* Feeblemind :* FocusOther :* FocusSelf :* Frailty :* QuicknessOther :* QuicknessSelf :* Slowness :* StrengthOther :* StrengthSelf :* WeaknessOther :* WillpowerOther :* WillpowerSelf :* AlchemyIneptitude :* AlchemyMasteryOther :* AlchemyMasterySelf :* ArcaneBenightedness :* ArcaneEnlightenmentOther :* ArcaneEnlightenmentSelf :* ArmorExpertiseOther :* ArmorExpertiseSelf :* ArmorIgnorance :* AxeIneptitudeOther :* AxeMasteryOther :* AxeMasterySelf :* BowIneptitude :* BowMasteryOther :* BowMasterySelf :* CookingIneptitude :* CookingMasteryOther :* CookingMasterySelf :* CreatureEnchantmentIneptitude :* CreatureEnchantmentOther :* CreatureEnchantmentSelf :* CrossbowIneptitude :* CrossbowMasteryOther :* CrossbowMasterySelf :* DaggerIneptitudeOther :* DaggerMasteryOther :* DaggerMasterySelf :* DeceptionIneptitude :* DeceptionMasteryOther :* DeceptionMasterySelf :* DefenselessnessOther :* Faithlessness :* FealtyOther :* FealtySelf :* FletchingIneptitude :* FletchingMasteryOther :* FletchingMasterySelf :* HealingIneptitude :* HealingMasteryOther :* HealingMasterySelf :* ImpregnabilityOther :* ImpregnabilitySelf :* InvulnerabilityOther :* InvulnerabilitySelf :* ItemEnchantmentIneptitude :* ItemEnchantmentMasteryOther :* ItemEnchantmentMasterySelf :* ItemExpertiseOther :* ItemExpertiseSelf :* ItemIgnorance :* JumpIneptitude :* JumpMasteryOther :* JumpMasterySelf :* LeadenFeet :* LeadershipIneptitude :* LeadershipMasteryOther :* LeadershipMasterySelf :* LifeMagicIneptitude :* LifeMagicMasteryOther :* LifeMagicMasterySelf :* LockpickIneptitude :* LockpickMasteryOther :* LockpickMasterySelf :* MaceIneptitudeOther :* MaceMasteryOther :* MaceMasterySelf :* MagicItemExpertiseOther :* MagicItemExpertiseSelf :* MagicItemIgnorance :* MagicYieldOther :* ManaConvertMasteryOther :* ManaConvertMasterySelf :* ManaIneptitude :* MonsterAttunementOther :* MonsterAttunementSelf :* MonsterUnfamiliarity :* PersonAttunementOther :* PersonAttunementSelf :* PersonUnfamiliarity :* ResistMagicOther :* ResistMagicSelf :* SpearIneptitude :* SpearMasteryOther :* SpearMasterySelf :* SprintOther :* SprintSelf :* StaffIneptitude :* StaffMasteryOther :* StaffMasterySelf :* SwordIneptitude :* SwordMasteryOther :* SwordMasterySelf :* ThrownIneptitude :* ThrownMasteryOther :* ThrownMasterySelf :* UnarmedIneptitude :* UnarmedMasteryOther :* UnarmedMasterySelf :* VulnerabilityOther :* WarMagicIneptitude :* WarMagicMasteryOther :* WarMagicMasterySelf :* WeaponExpertiseOther :* WeaponExpertiseSelf :* WeaponIgnorance <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Item Enchantment'''</font> <br> :* AcidBane :* AcidLure :* BladeBane :* BladeLure :* BloodDrinker :* BloodLoather :* BludgeonBane :* BludgeonLure :* Brittlemail :* Defender :* FlameBane :* FlameLure :* FrostBane :* FrostLure :* HeartSeeker :* HideValue :* Impenetrability :* LeadenWeapon :* LightningBane :* LightningLure :* LureBlade :* PiercingBane :* PiercingLure :* StrengthenLock :* SwiftKiller :* TrueValue :* TurnBlade :* WeakenLock :* LifeStoneRecall1 :* LifestoneTie1 :* PortalRecall :* PortalTie1 :* PortalTie2 :* PortalTieRecall1 :* PortalTieRecall2 :* SummonPortal1 :* SummonSecondPortal1 <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''War Magic'''</font> <br> :* AcidStreak :* AcidStream :* FlameBolt :* FlameStreak :* ForceBolt :* ForceStreak :* FrostBolt :* FrostStreak :* LightningBolt :* LightningStreak :* ShockWave :* ShockwaveStreak :* WhirlingBlade :* WhirlingBladeStreak :* AcidBlast :* AcidVolley :* BladeBlast :* BladeVolley :* ShockVolley :* ShockBlast :* FlameBlast :* FlameVolley :* ForceBlast :* ForceVolley :* FrostBlast :* FrostVolley :* LightingVolley :* LightningBlast <br> <font color=#FFFFFF>'''Detailed List of Scrolls to be Found in Steel and Reinforced Steel Chests'''</font> <br> :* Level 7 spells <br> <nowiki>**and**</nowiki> <br> :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther1 :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther2 :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther3 :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther4 :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther5 :* DispelCreatureNeutralOther6 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf1 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf2 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf3 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf4 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf5 :* DispelCreatureNeutralSelf6 :* DispelItemNeutralOther1 :* DispelItemNeutralOther2 :* DispelItemNeutralOther3 :* DispelItemNeutralOther4 :* DispelItemNeutralOther5 :* DispelItemNeutralOther6 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther1 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther2 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther3 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther4 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther5 :* DispelLifeNeutralOther6 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf1 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf2 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf3 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf4 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf5 :* DispelLifeNeutralSelf6 :* AcidRing :* BladeRing :* FlameRing :* ForceRing :* FrostRing :* LightningRing :* ShockwaveRing :* AcidWall :* BladeWall :* FlameWall :* ForceWall :* FrostWall :* LightningWall :* ShockwaveWall }}
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