Call Lightning

[Egon the Monkey]

As we all know, this spell is devastating if it's raining and a waste of a slot otherwise. I haven't seen it used since the change, as even if you rest outside a QA, it can be clear skies within when it's raining outside. I'd like to suggest changing the spell to  do 1d6 damage per 2 levels outside a rainstorm. "Thunderbolt from a clear sky" or a small localised storm. Useful for quests, not really dangerous enough to make you scary to PCs outside of a thunderstorm, where you should be.

[Equinox]

For this. Call lightning is a great spell for druids now rarely used.

[Luke Danger]

I'm for this, though obviously balance would want to be checked and all that good stuff.

[athousandyearsofpain]

Who would waste a spellslot for call lightning if it did 1d6 per 2 casterlevels? lol.
This suggestion is kind of funny because that would mean call lightning would do, at level 8.. 4d6 dmg, aka 24 damage on maxrolls, and then the opponent can avoid half or the whole damage by making the reflex roll.
So again, who would waste a spellslot on a spell that has an average damage (per PC it hits) of 12 which in many cases will only be 6.

But at least the suggestion was quite funny.

[Equinox]

Because egon is suggesting that it be useable on quests. On a quest such as vrazdn, even 4d6 damage on -all- enemies on the aoe radius is still highly useful.

Frankly this spell has become rather redundant.

Though maybe 1d6 per single caster level wouldn't be too op. Then it is essentially the same level of spell as fireball. without the great range and the same spellslot.

[Portal Rat]

I don't understand what y'all are griping about. Druids can rest in any place where call lightning could ever be used. If it starts raining, you can swap out your spells without much of a problem.

I (and others) have been having incredible fun with this spell. It rains almost constantly on Ymph. The spell gives me a reason to look forward to the rain, and I don't really feel like I'm missing anything when it's not raining.

Please do not nerf this spell.

EDIT: Before someone tries to correct my use of the term "nerf," don't. The spell is presently balanced against all the other possible spells on the server, and if it gets used more, the damage has to be reduced or it becomes too powerful.

[Disco]

They dont (if i remember correctly) do more damage than a fireball. They are fine the way they are.

[Caster13]

This is from the list of mechanical changes on the website:
 

Call lightning: 1d10 damage; works only in exterior areas when it's raining, and will be attracted to lightning rods; affects all targets in area.

Maybe it's just me, but it doesn't rain as much as I'd like it to whenever I go around questing. I think maybe a non-rain version of the spell wouldn't be a bad idea. I would suggest when it's not raining, the spell radius being changed to a lot smaller than it is now, perhaps only hitting a max of three or four targets.

[Gwydion]

Call lightning is 1d10/level?  Holy crap.

[Gnome on the Strange]

Who would waste a spellslot for call lightning if it did 1d6 per 2 casterlevels?.

Someone who already had it prepped quite literally for a rainy day, and then the sun comes out mid quest or on an area transition and suddenly they have a duff spellslot. Making it do 1d6/2 levels without rain in would be better than nothing. Read the original post again and you'll realise I suggested adding this option for when there isn't rain, in addition to its "Rainy Pwnage Time" mode.

This way it would be 1d10/level as it is now, when it's raining, so you'd still not want to wind up a druid in a thunderstorm, but it will also do *something* if the sun suddenly comes up. Do remember that the rest timer stops you being able to instachange in most cases. As Eq points out, 3-4d6 is still enough to kill or weaken a bunch of goblins or other weak numerous enemies, which tends to be the main use of big AoEs. It wouldn't be OP by being good in both rain and sun. It would be awesome in rain, and a weak but still usable AoE without.

[Egon the Monkey]

Please do not nerf this spell.

Er... O_0. This is an idea for a slight improvement that allows it to be used for flavour rather than super nuking when you haven't got rain.

Who would waste a spellslot for call lightning if it did 1d6 per 2 casterlevels?.

Someone who already had it prepped quite literally for a rainy day, and then the sun comes out mid quest or on an area transition and suddenly they have a duff spellslot. Making it do 1d6/2 levels without rain in would be better than nothing. Read the original post again and you'll realise I suggested adding this option for when there isn't rain, in addition to its "Rainy Pwnage Time" mode.

This way it would be 1d10/level as it is now, when it's raining, so you'd still not want to wind up a druid in a thunderstorm, but it will also do *something* if the sun suddenly comes up. Do remember that the rest timer stops you being able to instachange in cases where you've just prepared. As Eq points out, 3-4d6 is still enough to kill or weaken a bunch of goblins or other weak numerous enemies, which tends to be the main use of big AoEs. It wouldn't be OP by being good in both rain and sun. It would be awesome in rain, and a weak but still usable AoE without. You'd still get your "SHAMAN SMITE WITH LIGHTNING FURY" kicks if the rain fizzles out on you, but you couldn't expect it to do that much without a storm to call from.

[lovethesuit]

Just use Flame Strike

[Caster13]

Call lightning is 1d10/level? Holy crap.

Certainly explains something, doesn't it? ;)

[Portal Rat]

Er... O_0. This is an idea for a slight improvement that allows it to be used for flavour rather than super nuking when you haven't got rain.

Before someone tries to correct my use of the term "nerf," don't. The spell is presently balanced against all the other possible spells on the server, and if it gets used more, the damage has to be reduced or it becomes too powerful.

[Drakill Tannan]

Egon is suggeesting the spell is usable normaly, but also when it's not raining. When it rains it remains unafected, when it doesn't, it is nerfed, but only when it's not raining.

I can't agree more. TBH calll lighting is -the- druid spell anywhere else, but i haven't been able to use it on a quest or PvP EVER.

Sometimes (well, every time i can remember), even if it is raining just next to the transition to the SQA, when you enter the SQA is NOT therefore making call lightning useless in quests. The only uses i've seen on call lightning are:

1) Being owned by an NPC stargazer shaman
2) Have Naaxayatl scare the shit out of people when on non conflictive RP.

I understand 1d10 damage should be limited, but aren't we here in an agreement that RP posibilities and fun overweights realism? Egon's suggestion would make it somewhat usable... somewhat. At least it wouldn't be a waste when i prepare it, enter the scalemount and misteriously stops raining.

But i would say 1d6 per 2 caster levels is still too little damage. I'd say 1d8 per 2 caster levels.


However, i'm all in to keep it as it is if the following is done.

1) Make SURE when it rains near an SQA, it is also raining IN the SQA, always.

2) Make rain last longer. I remember sometimes due to people going AFK, "wait for me, i need to buy arrows", or a random PC passing by and starting a covnersation, it stops raining before i can get into the SQA. This only encourages rushing into the quest for the pure mechanical power rather than RP arround.

So make the rain last longer.