Ensorcell (735)/saved posts

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1507
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/02/2013 10:37 PM EDT
Subject: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

Ensorcell allows sorcerers to enhance weapons, runestaves, shields, and armor by collecting and then infusing necrotic energy into them. Items may be either temporarily or permanently ensorcelled, with varying benefits depending on the nature of the item and the strength of the ensorcellment.

Temporary ensorcellment allows sorcerers (and sorcerers only) to gain temporary life channelling flares on their weapons and runestaves. Life channeling flares allow the beneficiary to absorb some built up necrotic energy and regain some of it as either health, mana, stamina, or spirit (depending on the nature of the attack and random chance). If the beneficiary of the flare is full on the resource that would otherwise be returned, they gain a temporary AS/CS bonus on their next attack. Non-sorcerers wielding temporarily ensorcelled gear may benefit while using it with certain maneuvers (see the related maneuver announcement for more details).

Permanent ensorcellment grants more widespread bonuses. There are 5 tiers of permanent ensorcellment. Shields and armor that are permanently ensorcelled provide the bearer with an +2 bonus to CvA. Weapons and runestaves that are permanently ensorcelled gain permanent life channelling flares (which, unlike the temporary flares, can also be used by non-sorcerers). The strength and frequency of the life channeling flares increase based on the tier of the ensorcellment (+5 AS or +3 CS per tier on the next attack within 30 seconds, with sorcerers gaining a free bonus tier). Training in Sorcerer Lore, Necromancy allows the sorcerer to retain this bonus for one extra attack at 90 ranks or two extra attacks at 180 ranks.

In order to permanently ensorcell an item, the sorcerer must first harvest enough necrotic energy to power the ensorcellment. This is done automatically via killing like-level creatures. A sorcerer can view their progress towards harvesting the amount needed to cast a permanent ensorcellment by casting 735 on themselves. This energy can be stored indefinitely, though there is both a weekly cap on the amount of necrotic energy that can be gained and an overall cap where no more can be stored. Training in Sorcerer Lore, Necromancy (Seed 1) allows for a greater amount of energy to be harvested per kill.

Once enough energy has been harvested, the sorcerer must past a skill check in order to successfully permanently ensorcell the item. If the check passes, the sorcerer transfers the requisite amount of necrotic energy into the item, which then gains an ensorcellment tier. If the check fails, the sorcerer loses 5% of the requisite amount of necrotic energy and may immediately try again, provided that they still possess enough harvested energy.

Primary factors involved in this check are level, Sorcerer Spell Ranks, Wisdom, and Intuition. Secondary factors are Elemental Mana Control Ranks, Spiritual Mana Control Ranks, Arcane Symbols Ranks, and Magic Item Use Ranks. There is a bonus to success if a permanent ensorcellment attempt is made in a magical workshop, and there are penalties for attempting permanent ensorcellment while wouded.

Most weapons, runestaves, shields, and armor are able to accept an ensorcellment (provided they do not resist magic in general), though the difficulty of the skill check increases based on the item's exact properties. If the item is either an enhancive item or a holy item, it requires the use of a special tempering potion (which will become available via Alchemy in the near future) before any permanent ensorcellment may be attempted. All other items require no other components.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1521
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/03/2013 12:34 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

<<<Additionally, when a sorcerer is casting Ensorcell, how does he determine whether or not he is casting a temporary ensorcellment versus a permanent one? Will it default to permanent if the sorcerer has enough Necrotic Energy?>>>

Oops. I guess I should have announced that you CAST for temporary ensorcellment and CHANNEL for permanent ensorcellment.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1525
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/03/2013 01:44 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

>Initial tests of Ensorcell show that accessories CAN be ensorcelled. Will this has a negative impact on padding on armor? What if the padded armor itself was ensorcelled?

While you can ensorcell armor accessories, the end result is the same as enchanting armor accessories (aka you get no bonus to your combat stats from the accessory). Ensorcellment does not affect padding in any way.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1527
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/03/2013 01:57 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

>1) Are temp flares always considered to be tier 1? or can it be higher than that? I expect that temp flares are probably T1 to encourage people to do permanent 735.
>2) I noticed i was able to cast 735 on my armor. Does 735 provide a temp bonus to armor?

Temp flares are always tier 1. In order to get higher, you do need to cast a permanent ensorcellment.

Temporary ensorcellment currently only provides a benefit on sorcerer-wielded runestaves or weapons, or on weapons used in the Spell Cleaving/Thieve/Parry combat maneuvers, or on shields used with the Shield Mind/Spell Block/etc maneuvers. The functionality on armor is there in case we want to offer other abilities in the future, but there are currently none that make use of it.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1532
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/03/2013 03:11 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

>Does this mean +2 bonus to CvA per tier, or +2 bonus to CvA at tier 5? Does the ensorcelled CvA bonus stack with TD bonuses, or does the +50 TD/DS limit include CvA as well?

Its +2 CvA per tier, so a tier 5 shield or armor grants a bonus of +10 to your CvA. So, if you are wielding a tier 5 shield/runestaff and tier 5 armor, you will max out your ensorcell CvA bonus at +20. CvA is independent from TD, so the limits do not apply. Anyone, not just sorcerers, can gain this benefit.

>Is it correct that there are no other adverse consequences to failing an attempted permanent ensorcellment other than the partial loss of necrotic energy, such as potentially blowing the item up as with 925?

There is no chance of item loss, unless a future GM decides to specifically code an item that might blow up in response to an ensorcellment. But none of those currently exist and probably won't, so there is currently no chance.

>Do ensorcelled items affect player enchantability and incur Premium Point service surcharges, as is the case with other flared items?

Ensorcelling an item makes enchanting it harder to succeed on, but does not block it. I need to discuss ensorcellment with the Premium folks, but I suspect that the special item surchage will apply.

>What natures of attack are there?

Physical (where you smack something with a weapon) and magical (where you zap something with a spell). You can always possibly get health or spirit back from an attack, but you can only get stamina back from a physical attack and only get mana back from a magical attack.

>If the beneficiary of the flare is full on the resource that would otherwise be returned
>How is this measured? Can players? What about non-sorcerers?

I'm not fully sure of the question, but if random chance determines that you get health back, but you are already at full health, you get the attack bonus instead. Same deal for mana/stamina/spirit. This is applicable to any class that can activate the flare in the first place (sorcerers-only for temp ensorcellment, anyone for permanent ensorcellment).

>How is necro lore gain calculated? Death blow? If you just earn experience from a kill? How much necro per kill? How much in each tier?

If you're a sorcerer and can cast 735, then you are eligible to harvest necrotic energy. You must contribute something to the kill (generally enough to be eligible for exp) and be within the required level range to able to learn from the creature. Underhunting gets you less energy, overhunting gets you more energy. I'll leave the tiers and individual energy rewards for players to discover on their own, but it will generally take around a week of good hunting to get to tier 1, with each subsequent tier adding about half a week to the prior tier's time.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1736
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/09/2013 12:25 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

I've fixed the issue with the ensorcell flares triggering a spellburst. While it is a spell effect, spellburst will no longer consider it.

I've double-checked the contribution of Necromancy lore to the rate of energy build up and it appears to be working correctly. The amount of bonus points from lore is capped by the base amount gained from the level vs level comparison, so a capped player will gain a lot less bonus points from slaughtering janissaries than from killing tritons (for example).

The only thing that deducts from your stored energy is attempting a permanent ensorcellment. Succeeding charges you the full point cost, failing charges you 5% of that cost. The only other way that you can lose points is if you are caught AFK scripting for them (and that should be explicit to you).

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1756
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 04/09/2013 06:08 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Spell 735 - Ensorcell Released!

>That is a really really bad lore implementation.

It is not how the lore bonus is implemented at all, either. Only at the extreme underhunting range (up to around -7 levels or so), is the lore bonus difference particularly constrained, mostly because there is almost neglible energy being generated in the first place. In most normal like-level hunting circumstances (-5 to +5 levels), the lore bonus cap will not be applicable at all.

The effect of lore is quite significant on the speed at which you can reach the weekly cap. This may not matter all that much to those who can put in the time to reach it regardless, but it can be a major factor for the large chunk of players who cannot. I understand that more hard-core players will be disappointed in this, but we need to tread a fine line between encouraging play, while making sure the spell is still accessible to more casual players.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 1841
Author: GS4-EMERADAN
Date: 04/20/2013 03:51 AM EDT
Subject: Re: 735 and Blink Weapons

Given that blink weapons offer customized (hence non-standard) flares, the idea's something I'll have to pass along to the Dev guys for consideration... it's above my pay grade. For now, blink weapons aren't intended to be ensorcelled with 735.

~ GM Emeradan GS4-EMERADAN@PLAY.NET ~ "If you love, love without reservation. If you fight, fight without fear."

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 2271
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 07/30/2013 10:47 PM EDT
Subject: Ensorcelling Potions

Since the recent discovery of the long-forgotten Ensorcell spell, rumors of a tempering potion that would allow sorcerers to ensorcell holy and enhancing gear have oft been heard. In the belief that there is weight to these rumors, the Sorcerer Guild is now officially urging its experienced alchemists to hunt for clues for the composition of such a potion. The Guild therefore encourages the use of its libraries for research, in the hopes that a formula can be discovered somewhere within its vast collection of lore.

Coase

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 2332
Author: GS4-TAMUZ
Date: 09/06/2013 01:33 AM EDT
Subject: Re: Revisiting Necro Energy Acquisition

Scripts, in general, will not change the difficulty of enchanting or ensorcelling an item. Unless they flat out block the operation (see Voln armor and ensorcelling).

If the item is resistant to magic, it will flat out be denied by enchanting or ensorcelling.

In reference to materials, this post may be of interest: http://www.krakiipedia.org/wiki/Enchanting_and_materials_%28saved_post%29

And that's about all I can say on the matter.

Category: Sorcerers
Topic: Sorcerer Spells
Message #: 2338
Author: GS4-COASE
Date: 09/06/2013 03:56 PM EDT
Subject: Re: Strangely Difficult Ensorcell

Looking into this situation, I discovered that there was a significant bug in how 735 calculated the difficulty penalty of flares. The bug was that it was looking at the wrong number, and thus using an essentially random number that could potentially differ from cast to cast. While it averaged out in the long-run to the appropriate penalty, in individual cases it could vary from no penalty at all to an impossibly large penalty. I've fixed this bug, so flared items should now be less wildly variable in difficulty.

Coase