Rotflares
RotFlares are a rare type of script flare. They are unusual in that they increase in frequency and severity with necromancy training, do damage over time, and can be added to weapons that already have another script (for many but not all scripts). They are applied to weapons and runestaves.
Release and Availability
Rotflares were released by Skyrn at Ebon Gate 2014. He added rotflares to 5 weapons in Prime through a variety of distribution methods, including a contest for who had the most necromancy ranks and a silent auction. That same event, a +25 RotFlares bastard sword was found while digging.
Rotflares have since been available at multiple runs of Duskruin Arena, either as pre-made weapons, or as a service added on to an existing weapon.
Rotflares are now integrated into the Combat Flourish system as of August 2024. They no longer use the subscript slot after conversion.
Mechanics
When RotFlares trigger, they do damage from the disruption critical table. For weapons, rotflares flare rates increase at the following thresholds, as shared by Wyrom: 0, 36, 136, 171. The following table shows experimental data on flare rates from necromancy ranks that do not all align with these thresholds. Given the information shared by Wyrom, the data from 90 ranks of necromancy should also apply to 36 ranks of necromancy, and the data from 180 ranks of necromancy should also apply to 171 ranks of necromancy.
-| Ranks of necromancy | Flares | Hits | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 15 | 53 | 28% |
| 90 (36 should be the same) | 13 | 39 | 33% |
| 136 | 42 | 100 | 42% |
| 180 (171 should be the same) | 15 | 15 | 100% |
Wyrom confirmed that the rank thresholds apply to any profession equally. Years later (2019), we learned from Wyrom that "it uses the same seed as ensorcell." His later comments seemed to suggest that this table was accurate for flare rate, and the ensorcell seed applied to hidden disease damage, but he was not crystal clear about it.
RotFlares also apply a disease to the target, if the target is not already diseased. The disease damage per round is somewhat randomized, and scales with necromancy ranks. With 0 ranks, the disease does about 10 damage per round. With 180 ranks of necromancy, the disease inflicts more like 70 damage per round. This disease first inflicts damage approximately 3 seconds after it is applied, then every 30 seconds thereafter. This disease does not provide messaging when it deals damage.
Finally, RotFlares apply a relatively modest damage-over-time (DoT) effect, separate from the disease effect. Similar to the disease effect, it is applied only if the target is not already under the effect of a RotFlares DoT effect, and it triggers 3 seconds after it is applied. It triggers again every 10 seconds thereafter. The effect is visible, and can cause stuns and knockdowns. It causes roughly 7 damage per trigger on average, and is seemingly not affected by the users' necromancy ranks.
RotFlares applies only to creatures with blood, which is roughly equivalent to non-undead crittable creatures, with some exceptions.