Torment (718)
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The Sorcerer spell, Torment, temporarily summons a demonic force to do battle with its target. The demon is quite vicious and will turn upon its caster if proper attention is not paid. Training in Sorcerous Lore, Demonology can enhance this spell.
Factors in Tormenting
Overview
Each round that this spell is active, the demon will lash out at the target in the form of a warding attack using the sorcerer's CS. Many of these attacks use the Unbalance critical table, Slash Critical Table, and Puncture Critical Table. If the caster does not succeed at warding the target on a given round, the target becomes the caster, and attempts to ward the initial caster.
If the caster is a player, the demon will continue to attack until the target is dead. If the caster is a creature, the demon will continue to attack until the target wards a round, at which point the spell will strike back at the caster once, then end.
If a caster fails to ward the target on an attempt to begin the spell, the force is never summoned, so the caster will not suffer lashback as a result of a failed initial warding attempt. The target's TD is not modified in any way for initial warding check to begin the spell.
Torment rounds do not modify the caster's CS in any way. Torment rounds modify only the TD of the current target. These modifiers are many, and the following conditions will have an impact:
- The target's TD is decreased by the caster being in a more offensive stance, or the target being stunned or unconscious.
- The target's TD is increased by the caster being in more defensive stance, or the caster being stunned or unconscious.
- The target's TD is increased if the target is above the level of the caster.
- The target's TD is decreased if the target is below the level of the caster.
- The target's TD is increased if the caster is not in the same room as the target, and increased further if the caster is not in the same area as the target.
- The target's TD is increased if the caster has a spell prepared when a Torment round strikes the target.
Note that when the terms "increased" or "decreased" are mentioned, they refer to an increase or decrease in the target's sorcery TD which lasts only as long as the Torment strike for a given round.
The maximum damage that a single round of Torment can do is capped at 120, regardless of endroll. Torment is often called a "threshold" spell in that low endrolls can still have devastating results.
Factors
The most relevant modifier for target TD is the level difference between the target and caster. Given sizeable differences, this will account for the largest defensive or offensive advantage.
- For each level the target is above the caster, the target receives +3 to its TD.
- For each level the caster is above the target, the target receives -3 to its TD.
Stance also modifies target TD, and is the most relevant factor for opponents of similar level. It works off the following chart, where the stance listed is the caster's.
- Offensive: target receives -50 to its TD.
- Advance: target receives -30 to its TD.
- Forward: target receives -10 to its TD.
- Neutral: target receives +10 to its TD.
- Guarded: target receives +30 to its TD.
- Defensive: target receives +50 to its TD.
- The target's stance is ignored.
The conditions of the target and caster also modify target TD.
- If the target is stunned or unconscious, the target receives -50 to its TD.
- If the caster is stunned or unconscious, the target receives +50 to its TD.
- The penalty and/or bonus for being stunned and/or unconscious stacks, so a stunned and sleeping target will receive -100 to its TD, and the target of a stunned and sleeping caster will receive +100 to its TD.
- If the target or caster are bound, webbed, silenced, or otherwise incapacitated, Torment will not modify the target's TD as a result of these conditions.
- If the caster is controlling multiple instances of Torment, each instance active beyond the first will cause every target to receive +10 to its TD.
The last modifier is distance. Note that the caster stays in the same room as the target not to lower the target's TD, but rather to avoid raising it.
- If the caster is not in the same room as the target, the target receives +25 to its TD.
- If the caster is not in the same area ("area" does not mean "realm") as the target, the target receives +75 to its TD.
- If the target is not in the same area as the caster, then the target is also not in the same room, so its TD will increase by 25 + 75 = +100.
Demonology Enhancements
Training in Sorcerous Lore, Demonology has several positive impacts on Torment. Most notably, it will decrease the benefit that the target receives for the caster having a spell prepared. If the caster has a spell prepared when a Torment round hits the target, the target receives a TD boost of +50. Every 2 ranks of Demonology that the caster has will decrease that boost by 1 point, with the maximum reduction of 50 points (target TD boost of 0) achieved at 100 ranks. If no spell is in preparation, Demonology ranks may then cause the demon to inflict more damage. Increased training in Demonology will allow the caster to control more individual demonic forces of this type at a time.
Messaging
An ancient ghoul master gestures at you!
CS: +127 - TD: +XXX + CvA: +12 + d100: +80 - -5 == +XXX
Warding failed!
An ancient ghoul master glares malevolently at you.
You feel a threatening dark force very close to you.
>
A dark force tears at your body!
CS: +127 - TD: +XXX + CvA: +12 + d100: +15 - -5 == +XXX
Warding failed!
Person is engulfed in an eerie, dark haze!
He flinches in pain!
You are engulfed in an eerie, dark haze!
... 50 points of damage!
Gruesome, slashing blow to the side of your head!
Skull split open! Brain (and life) vanishes in a fine mist.
External Links
- Sorcerer Base Spell Circle: Torment, on Play.net