Illarion.org

Greetings,
I propose that with increased skill that not only does a magic-user have increased chance of success but also have increased damage power. So the more skilled a magic-user was at a certain spell the more damage that spell would do as well as having a higher chance of success.

I think this is reasonable but if it were to be put into place then the initial damage that a novice mage inflicted with their newly learned spells should be much less than it is now and as they gain experience the damage inflicted should increase with it to the point it is today for all mages, of slightly higher. It should not begin at the current level and rise to an even higher level or the balance between powers in mages vs. warriors would be completely in favor of the mage in all regards.

A mage can already kill any warrior once they have fair parry and hide behind shields. This of course will be impossible in the future but for now it is unfair but dealt with as is necessary for now.

A mage who has just learned a spell should not be at first be able to use it as a deadly weapon. It should be increased in strength as their skill rises as Elaralith pointed out. But should not increase in its capabilities of damaging the opponent much more than it currently does because as stated, it is already extremely deadly. The strongest spells are already equal to that or more damaging than a sharp sword and if they become even more deadly then everyone will become a mage just so they can survive a single day without being killed.

This would reduce game play variety and roleplaying capabilities. A person fighting with a sword must overcome the fact that their skill in weapons use is minimal to nil when first starting out and in a battle they have almost 0% chance of actually harming their enemy with a weapon, yet have a high chance of being harmed themselves. It is true that their weapon hurts just as much when it makes contact when they are a new, as when they are experienced but they hit much more often with experience. A sword is still a sword, and if you are hit with one in a blow worthy to take health away from a character (it shows an x under then now) then there will be little difference in the amount of damage a great fighter and a new fighter deal out to their opponent if the sword does in fact make more than a glancing hit (which is symbolized by the x and loss of health).

A mage on the other hand is just mastering their magical arts and how to cast a spell. An ice bolt created by a novice mage should not be as strong or as powerful as an ice bolt created by a great wizard, as is the case now. The novice should be a novice and learn to be a wizard who has the abilities they have now. Now all magicians are wizards who fail at different rates. There are no real novice magicians in the sense of spell strength. This is why novice magicians should have reduced damaging capabilities and learn how to make their spells stronger through experience in using that spell, and there should be a limit set at the greatest damage a spell can inflict at or around the current level, if there is any change from the current system.

I hope this was all understandable and helpful. Thank you for your time.

Ok.. Reduce the damage that it currently causes, and work the way up from there as you gain more experience.

I still keep my opinion that spells should be able to 'backfire'.

This should especially happen when you are a 'novice' mage.

I thought that this was implemented on a lesser degree but I think this may be an idea. I also like Caranthir's idea...

Me being a medium level dark mage that often hides behind shields, I agree. It's almost impossible to fight a mage of any level even if you are a strong fighter. They can simply paralyze you then hold you in a flame until you're dead, and that's not very fair...also, I recall experienced mages always having the ability to blast bigger and better spells at a target rather than some lousy apprentice mage having the ability.

Either that, or you have to learn one rune before you have the experience to learn another...you shouldn't learn hept (ice) before you learn kel (wind) as ice is the strongest element in one's arsenal, and wind is merely a helper rune.

Gah! Back fire Spells dont back fire, they dont happen at all, you just fail. Unless, since the current mage backfire system is instant death, you wanna die. Untill they change it, I am not going to agree to back firing of spells, it should not kill you. Ever! Your own energy can't kill you, its absurd. I dont even know why something else isn't implemented. Such as you take the normal damage as another person would; but you gain nothing.

I have heard of spells backfiring in many games.
It is not your own energy, it is energy from other planes that you are just chaneling through your body. Sounds dangerous to me.

(edit)
by the way, I agree with Elaralith.
Mages should be extremely weak when starting out. Perhaps even to the point of needing a fighter type character along for protection.
But as the mages skill progresses they should become even more powerful than the strongest of fighters.

@Crocket

Perhaps, but becoming a master mage should reguire *way* more time than becoming a master figther.

@Kringin

Ever! Your own energy can't kill you, its absurd.

As crocket stated, mages are messing with powers WAY above any mortal or Immortal (elves, thought the would propably be better in channeling it) and it would be only ovbious that sometimes things wouldn't go just as YOU planned..
Which would mean that the fireball you wanted to shoot at your enemy would explode in your hands..
Perhaps causing the damage of the spell and/or it's special effect, but I agree that death is too drastic.

I like the spell-backfire system. I think death is too harsh for this in most cases (although it could happen rarely I guess. . . ) I would like a random system for the spell backfire. Maybe one time the spell just doesn't work, maybe another it turns you into a sheep, a third time it could temporarily increase the amount of weight you are carrying. Magic should be dangerous, and random effects for spell back-fire would increase this danger as well as add a little more humor to the game (can't have too much of that.)

Kragmar

Unless, since the current mage backfire system is instant death, you wanna die. Untill they change it, I am not going to agree to back firing of spells, it should not kill you.

To me back fire is good, as long as it does not kill you. k?

ok this is what we do
1. we get someone to program some funny looking grafiks of a wizard getting electrocuted.
2.we then implement this grafic into the game.
3.If the spell happens to missfire, the funny animation comes on.
4.the spells efect then is directed to the user of the spell.
5.the end

of cource some spells ore centered on the caster himself then if that happens the triggered effect of the spell is randomly casted onto some other entity on screen. of cource this will rase anuther question. What if nobody is on? then nothing will hapen i supose.

well just to throgh a few ideas into the fray Tata!


yours rejectedly, Bob

I suggest that if a spell backfires that you only go unconscious or lose a significant portion of your health...I tend to think that death is a bit harsh for a spell misfire as mages usually have some magical defenses against such things as thier own spells backfiring.

The spell backfining system was implemented to take care of powergamers wjo casted on themselves to increase their resistance. If the results of doing this would only be loss of health this would take away the intended use. However, I propose that casting on yourself would result in no resistance gain, or even a loss of certain skills.