The ability to transform one’s opponent into a toad sounds rather nasty not to mention that death is dealt by stomping the sucker into oblivion. However, nasty is far from the reality of this ability. I’m not exactly sure who is and who is not aware of how terrible this ability is so I figured it was worth posting after someone tried to convince me that its god-like.

If a target falls to half mana or below, toad curse can be cast for 8p. Upon being successfully cast, the target is transformed into a big, ugly toad. All afflictions and defenses the former person (now toad) had are removed. At this point, anyone may “STOMP TOAD” and attempt kill it.

Thus far, everything sounds wonderful except....

The amount of stomps to kill a toad is based upon the max health of the target before being toad cursed. So... it can take up to around 22 stomps or so (on someone who wasn’t even level 80, mind you) to kill the toad. 22 stomps!!! Given each stomp takes balance, it takes quite a while to do; however, toads can move! In fact, they can move as if shrouded. Thus, there is no indication that a toad had hopped off north or such... its just gone. Furthermore, toads retain racial regeneration and defenses. Were I to toad a Viscanti in taint who is level 70 or higher, he or she would regenerate health faster than I could stomp it away. And this does actually happen. Best of all, toads can be cured (and no, I’m not going to tell you how) but it is possible. On the plus side, toads cannot swim for some reason. So to recap: toad curse is terrible.

Given:

Absolve takes 8p. If the target is at or below half mana, absolve will instantly kill the target

Wrack takes 5p. If the target is at or below half mana and is also bound, wrack will instantly kill the target

Toad Curse takes 8p. Unless the entire room’s exits are icewalled (or you are abusing the fact that toads cannot swim), it is impossible to kill a toad by stomping it. Ok, maybe not a novice faeling outside of a forest but just about anyone else. Toad curse can be cured!!!!! Can Absolve be cured? Can Wrack be cured? Does anyone else see a problem?

To further illustrate how silly toad curse is, I have designed an equally silly experiment for all you readers:

Step 1: Locate your favorite pair of boots, sneakers, or high heels

Step 2: Go out into the wilderness (or your local pet store)

Step 3: Locate a toad

Step 4: Begin stomping and see if takes you 22 times to kill the toad. And make sure and stomp real hard. Now... see if the toad can run away from you. In fact, see if it can hop away so fast and so sneaky that you can in no possible way discern which direction it moved. Now return with the toad corpse to your abode and feast.

- Narsrim

Heh...

Makes a bit of sense. I remember the madness of people doing that to be in closed beta, it was really nasty. Though, admittedly, I never died.

Hehe, I did bug the fact that toads can't swim back in closed beta (I almost drowned... Not fun trying to tell the person you're testing with to kiss you and stop you drowning when all you can do is ribbit *snicker).

Did they fix the fact that toads can't LOOK? Because if they still can't then they can't see room exits unless they already knew them, so it shouldn't be hard to catch up unless you're in an area with lots of exits that they know really well...

Toadcurse is just hillarious. if not usefull as a kill blow.

Did anyone mention the fact that Moonies leech seems to be much more powerful. And you guys are already overpower so dont winge toadcure is fine use icewalls

Now that's just pure evil - poor toads...
Anyway, I agree that stomping should kill a toad in one hit. When I first have heard about the skill, I thought it was that way - when you get cursed, you are practically dead, and the final stomp is just to add flavour. Too bad it isn't that way though.

if you want to match toad curse to absolve and everything else.........match *ALL* skills...

Gotta agree with Yuniko, your other skills are way more effective than those of nihilists or celestines, it's retarded to ask for even MORE upgrades...that's like whining you're starving while stuffing yourself with whipped cream.

Glad to see the whole "Nothing you say is valid because you're soooo godlike!" view is still alive and well.

Toadcurse isn't great. For a trans skill, it certainly isn't. So hey, maybe some of our other skills need downgrading (pooka comes to mind), but that doesn't mean the others should be awful as recompense.

If that's your argument, then you can stop trying to get Crucify upgraded because ectoplasm, ghost, etc. are all too good. Or whatever.

You may find it interesting to know that years ago when I worked with Estarra on Occultism, we tried to make toadcurse a high level Occultism skill. But Sarapis shot it down as being "too powerful".

Nonetheless, considering Wrack and Absolve, toadcurse certainly isn't -by comparison.-

About toads not swimming, in general they are terrestrial amphibians as opposed to aquatic ones. They do need water to reproduce and stuff I think, but they don't live there regularly. Thats why, if you went toad hunting as Narsrim suggested, you would go look in the woods, not in a pond/river/stream. Im not saying that they couldn't swim at all, but they aren't frogs.

Huh, there's always toads in the river by our holiday cottage in Wales. And yes, they are toads, 'cause they have the warty back, and scream when the dog tries to pick them up. (I'm pretty sure frogs don't scream.)

Just live with toadcurse, you guys get a more powerful leech to make up for it. Stop whinging you already have a kickass skillset. Learn to use it better heh

Well hey, once you stop complaining about crucifixion because you have ectoplasm, then we'll listen perhaps.

Just because one skill is better doesn't mean another skill should be worse. They BOTH need tweaking.

Don't toads have really low health? If so, then why bother stomping when you can just moonburst them? And it's so much nicer on the footwear

Fried toad legs, anyone?

You can't moonburst toads, you can only stomp them. You can't even pooka forcedive/toadcurse anymore.

They do have low health, but stomping does almost no damage, and since racial regenerations and stuff still apply, just TRY and stick it on a tae'dae/loboshigaru/whatever. (Which are quite likely to be the ones you got below half mana in the first place.)

I love the RP posibilities of being made into a toad... You could go and spy on meetings (after all, who's to care about a green toad just ribbiting around? And nobody would see you enter the room anyway!

There is that, although it only lasts for 2 minutes.
Also, people keep trying to kiss you and stuff to turn you back. Mutter.