Could demigod zaps be delayed, in that they are cast and then actually impact 2 or 3 seconds later, with this delay perhaps slightly randomized to avoid coordination?

For example, the Demigod uses their zap and causes their pretty area message to be seen by everyone. The victim also gets a generic warning message, such as 'You are seized by an overwhelming dread as the air becomes charged with static electricity.'

A few seconds later the zap actually impacts, dealing (what I assume is) a percentage of the target's health if the target hasn't shielded or left the area. If they have shielded, maybe it just causes blackout for a couple of seconds without any health drain as the shield disperses the electricity but not the sound/flash.

The generic message would allow victims to know what is coming, and if they are just standing in what they thought was a safe location, to have a chance to shield. This would then align with Rage coven, which gives an area-wide warning message that there is potential for danger (although still requires five moon users and certain times of day).

I personally love the flavour of demi zaps, but having seen two mid to low level players just get obliterated by demigods running in and out again of nation territory, it seems that a few balancing limitations might be in order.

EDIT: A better solution would be to have a brief zap immunity on any target that is hit by a zap, so that for a few seconds they take no damage from any other zap that hits them. That retains the usefulness and flavour of zap as an area-wide damage attack, but prevents most group insta-ganking without some direct confrontation.

Sure if you remove the already present cooldown post-zap.

Sure. Reduce the cool-down time to something more appropriate.

Edit: Alternatively, you gave me another idea. What if there was no cool-down (other than hopefully a relatively long eq cost) and no delay, but the person you zap gets a bit of immunity from taking zap damage from any player for a few seconds, just like stun immunity? Then a single demi can zap as much as they like, but we don't have these instakilling demigroups going around? Is that more palatable?

Then what's the point of zap, as an ability? Might as well just remove it, unless the damage is considerably upped. Which seems to be getting into other balancing issues.

I always thought of zap as more of a flavor skill. Show those tiny mortals your wrath and all that.

I don't think it was ever intended to be real viable skill for combat. Being able to instantly blow up people anywhere in the area just because you've got the demi-zerg currently is kinda lame. At least rage covens have limitations of needing certain phases and 5 wiccans to work.

Well, I would have thought it provides you with an effective area-wide damage attack that you don't otherwise have, it is a highly flavourful bonus ability for reaching top level, and it conveys great roleplaying value. None of those purposes would seem to require it be a viable long-distance killing method in a group of sufficient size.

It would require a group of people already actively engaging your target for your zap to help them out. That's the benefit of the zap, as a ranged attack that you wouldn't otherwise have available (especially if you're something like a warrior with virtually no ranged capability).

The insta-gank is a cheap maneuver made possible now because we've got an ever-growing population of demigods, and it shouldn't be as good as it is now.

It already requires other people be engaged, to remove shields and the like. Perhaps not quite the same engagement that you're discussing, but in whole-sale battle... it's going to be generally better for that Demigod to actually be in the fight doing afflictions & damage (for example, a warrior) than using zap. For something that costs 10k essence (same amount as Divinefire), I'd hope it does something more than just "flavour".

Unless the essence cost is removed.

What percentage of your maximum essence does it consume?

... what?

I'm pretty sure I told you the number. And there is no such thing as "maximum essence" (at least, not that anyone has gotten to), but using it in a fight can start making a very significant dent (10 uses is 100k, and with this change, the only "use" for it would be for someone to just stand back and spam it...)

Did you really just try and say 10k essence is anything other than a very tiny molecule in a very large drop of an extremely huge bucket of water?

No no I must have read wrong.

Carry on.

Obviously you did.

Sorry, I should explain. As a non-Demigod, I have no idea whether 50, 1000 or 1000000 essence is a lot, or some, or negligible.

Do you mind saying approximately how much essence you have gathered in reserve to use for demi/ascendant skills?

!0k essence is nothing. Trying to even with a straight face say "for something that costs 10k essence" is beyond ridiculous. Any Demigod can cover the cost 10+ zaps in
The intent of zap was never to be Rage Coven's far better replacement.

I can honestly say that, to me, it is not about how much of a reserve I have, but how much of a hassle it is to recover what I use. Because it is my goal to not "lose" it, over time-- whatever I use on skills, abilities, and after deaths gets replaced ASAP. The limiting factor is time, not reserves (since I have enough reserves at this point that I'm never going to have an issue, really).

My point is merely that if you remove any real use, you might as well remove the cost-- especially as you're just trying to turn it into a flavour skill. What's the point of a 'limiting' cost?

To Gregori: Again, you didn't bother to read. If you wish to address a point, feel free-- otherwise, harping on about the single-use aspect when it's the multi-use that begins to drain significant essence accomplishes nothing.

That makes me think that the divinefire cost should be upped, rather then zaps lowered if it was nerfed.

I actually did think about that, but it really can't go above 50k, because that's the base cost of death...

... unless the base cost of death is also raised. Which is a possibility, I guess.

Except that even if you used it 10 times that is nothing. Don't even try to pull that logic.

For instance I can get 10k essence in 6 guards of influencing. 100k in 60. At 20 seconds a guard that is 20 minutes of influencing and I just zapped you 10 times.

Again. Negligible.

In fact I can currently zap you over 1100 times without even worrying about it.

I don't really understand how implementing a limit of one zap per person per few seconds is going to make the ability worthless bar for flavour.

Do you have another way of damaging someone instantly at range anywhere in the local area if they flee from you at low health? I don't want the ability to be nerfed into something that no-one will ever use, but it can't be a staple of group combat.


Yeah, given that I can't see how asking for the cost of zap to be reduced is reasonable.

20 minutes of time is, apparently, a bit more important to me than you. I don't see 100k as 'negligible'. If you do-- fine, but that's a difference of opinion, not fact. And 100k is a relatively small amount (though, as I said, not negligible)-- tack on fearaura, a death or two, zaps, and (especially if you reincarnate) you're getting up towards 500k essence. Which, by your numbers, is 1 hour and 40 minutes at guards. 1/5th of that from your zaps.

Now, if you sit around and reform it can be lower, and there are further ways to lower it... such as, say, not zapping.