Announcement: Spell Disabler Review Live!

Category: Development
Subject: Disabler Review Live!
Author: GS4-ESTILD
Date: 2023-12-31

Starting today, we'll be releasing a number of updates for spells that disable or debuff targets.

Goals:

• Improve spell disablers so that magic has options available to set up and disable creatures.
• Improve support builds for grouping by allowing experience for contributions in a standardized way.
• Standardize effects and effect durations so combat flows more naturally and players aren’t forced to "take a timeout" for several minutes.
• Improve Survival training by adding more utility.

General Updates:

• Most spells that disable or debuff a single target will have a 2 second cast roundtime and a mana cost in the 1-5 range. AoE versions will remain at 3 seconds of cast roundtime, but most mana cost will be lowered to the 5-10 range.
• Self-cast spells no longer force a TD reduction on the caster. This already applies for newer spells but some older ones still have this mechanic.
• A few spells will not require a skill check and have automatic success unless the target is more than 10 levels above the attacker. Ascension creatures targets can go up to level 20 higher, but there's a 10% chance of failure for each level past 10. Subsequent attempts against the same Ascension target increases the odds of success by 20% for each attempt. e.g. the first attempt might have a 60% chance of failure, but the second attempt only has a 40%, the third a 20%, etc.
• Some abilities will be updated to use the Standard Maneuver Roll (SMR).All abilities which induce roundtime will use Stagger (cannot stack, but can refresh).

Durations:

• All negative effects will be normalized around a 30 second maximum duration. This mainly pertains to actual spells, but we'll also try to update creature abilities in the future too.
• Base and minimum duration of 10 seconds.
• Maximum duration of 30 seconds against characters and 60 seconds against creatures.
• Warding and SMR spells/abilities will use (10 + ((end result - 100) / 5) * (1 against characters or 2 against creatures)) to determine the duration. e.g. a 140 end result would be (10 + (140 - 100) / 5)) = 18 seconds against a character and 36 seconds against a creature.
• Training in Survival reduces the duration by the following:
• Ranks 1-100: 1% per 5 ranks, up to 20%
• Ranks 101+: 1% per 20 ranks, up to 10%
• Kroderine Soul reduces the duration of magical effects by 25% and stacks (additively) with the Survival bonus.

The following spells updates are live. Additional updates are pending, especially for spells that have single target and AoE versions, as updating their cast roundtime or mana costs involves additional complexity. Those will be announced once released. The entire Development team has worked through design, coding, and QC to make this update possible.

Stun Relief (108):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 3.

Unbalance (110):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.
• Additional updates are pending.

Web (118):

• Single target and room versions have moved from warding to the SMR.
• Reduced SMR single target castRT to 2.
• Reduced SMR single target mana cost to 5.
• Reduced AoE version mana cost to 10.
• CastRT remains at 3.
• CastRT and mana cost of the bolt version remain unchanged.
• Uses new standard negative duration formula.

Spirit Dispel (119):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced base mana cost to 5.
• When dispelling a spell, the mana cost is 1 mana for every 4 levels of the target spell, and +2 mana when the dispel doesn't match the sphere of the target spell.
• Every 75 skill in Mana Control (that matches the dispel type) reduces the mana cost by 1.
• Minimum of 1 mana and maximum of 5 mana.

Searing Light (135):

• Reduced mana cost to 7.
• Uses new standard negative duration formula.

Calm (201):

• Reduced CastRT to 2.

Interference (212):

• Updated to be auto-success.
• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 2.

Bind (214):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Frenzy (216):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 3.

Mass Interference (217):

• Updated to be auto-success.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Spiritual Abolition (230):

• For each spell dispelled, the mana cost is 1 mana for every 4 levels of the target spell, and +2 mana when the dispel doesn't match the sphere of the target spell.
• Every 75 skill in Mana Control (that matches the dispel type) reduces the mana cost by 1.
• Minimum of 1 mana and maximum of 5 mana.
• The overall minimum is 10 mana and the overall maximum is 20 mana.

Blind (311):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 3.
• Uses new standard negative duration formula.

Censure (316):

• Reduce mana cost to 10.
• Uses new standard negative duration formula.

Weapon Deflection (412):

• Updated to new auto-success level check.
• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduce mana cost to 2.
• Uses new standard negative duration formula.

Elemental Saturation (413):

• Updated to be auto-success.
• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 2.

Elemental Dispel (417):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced base mana cost to 5.
• When dispelling a spell, the mana cost is 1 mana for every 4 levels of the target spell, and +2 mana when the dispel doesn't match the sphere of the target spell.
• Every 75 skill in Mana Control (that matches the dispel type) reduces the mana cost by 1.
• Minimum of 1 mana and maximum of 5 mana.

Cold Snap (512):

• Reduced mana cost to 10.

Immolate (519):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced base mana cost to 5.

Elemental Disjunction (530):

• For each spell dispelled, the mana cost is 1 mana for every 4 levels of the target spell, and +2 mana when the dispel doesn't match the sphere of the target spell.
• Every 75 skill in Mana Control (that matches the dispel type) reduces the mana cost by 1.
• Minimum of 1 mana and maximum of 5 mana.
• The overall minimum is 10 mana and the overall maximum is 20 mana.

Sounds (607):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Tangleweed (610):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Moonbeam (611):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Call Swarm (615):

• Reduce castRT to 2.
• Reduce mana cost to 5.

Mass Calm (619):

• Reduced mana cost to 10.

Corrupt Essence (703):

• Single Target reduced castRT to 2.

Mind Jolt (706):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 4.

Lullabye (1005):

• Reduced castRT to 2.

Stunning Shout (1008):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Song of Depression (1015):

• Reduced initial mana cost to 10.

Song of Rage (1016):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced initial mana cost to 3.

Song of Noise (1017):

• Reduced initial mana cost to 10.

Empathy (1108):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Sympathy (1120):

• Reduced mana cost to 10.

Powersink (1203):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 1.

Force Projection (1207):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Thought Lash (1210):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Confusion (1211):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 3.

Mental Dispel (1218):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced base mana cost to 5.
• When dispelling a spell, the mana cost is 1 mana for every 4 levels of the target spell, and +2 mana when the dispel doesn't match the sphere of the target spell.
• Every 75 skill in Mana Control (that matches the dispel type) reduces the mana cost by 1.
• Minimum of 1 mana and maximum of 5 mana.

Vertigo (1219):

• Reduced mana cost to 10.

Aura of the Arkati (1614):

• Reduced mana cost to 5.

Mystic Impedance (1708):

• Reduced castRT to 2.
• Reduced mana cost to 3.

Quake (1714):

• Reduced mana cost to 5.

tldr

Starting on 12/31/2023, the Development Team made numerous updates for spells that disable or debug targets.

The initial information was shared on Discord, however, the details can be found both here and on the main page of play.net.