I thought for years while playing Kastrel that one day, 705 would "replace" 702 as my bread and butter spell, as soon as I had the mana to get through a hunt with it. It turns out, I was wrong. I did not realize it at the time, but 705's damage dealing potential is barely higher than 702. The "extra damage cycle on stun" is a nice concept, although it really doesn't make any sense. Unfortunately, the amount of damage is very small. Its also really cool that it works on non-corp targets . . . I love the concept. But someone else pointed out that if you Phase the target, you LOSE the bonus! What the heck? If anything, combining the two should result in some sort of combo crit ala Fire/Ice on stone enemies.

Something like:

prep 704
cast ghostly ghost
Ghostly ghost becomes solid!

prep 705
cast ghostly ghost
Damage
Damage
A horrible popping noise erupts from a ghostly ghast as disintegrating particles of its body phase in and out of existance!
Extra Damage roll, which inflicts a 2 cycle DoT effect as the interaction of phase and disintegrate disrupts its body.

Meanwhile, primary targets. Like Mana Disruption, this spell does not age well as we level. That I can tell, virtually every damage dealing spell up to level 10 except for Elemental Blast (409) and Minor Acid (904) has SOME method of improvement through lore or skills, with the exception of 702 and 705. Even 1201 and 1210, the Minor Mental attack spells, have a lore bonus. That means that for spells under level 10 with no lore bonus, there are 4, and we have 3 of them, 2 as our bread and butter spells, in our primary spell circle. A level 5 Sorcerer casting this against a target and getting a 150 endroll will do no more damage than a post-cap sorcerer getting the same endroll. This should not be the case. Pain is just about the only spell where I approve of this concept, because its % based. For starters, I think the damage and wound modifiers with endroll should improve, since this spell can't be trained for, but if not, then it NEEDS to be able to be trained for.

Suggestions include:

1. Worth mentioning, and certainly a great idea, Virilneus' bolt spell option. Allow 705 to be cast as a bolt if you do not channel, while casting from a stance more offensive than guarded. This allows the "stance off/empty hands" channel option, while letting us bolt with a low mana spell like a Wizard can. Awesome potential, and it should be implemented. Necro Lore increases bolt DF.

2. Necromancy Lore benefit. Add an acid/disintegration effect, where with training in Necromancy, there is a chance to allow the grey energy to linger on the flesh and fester. Every round, it will inflict an additional hit. Maybe make it so that it works like Spirit Slayer, so that subsequent cycles are lower chance than the previous. Perhaps cycle 1 is based on Necromancy Skill (100% at 24 ranks), cycle 2 is Necromancy Skill -100 (100% at 100 ranks) and cycle 3 is Necro Skill -200 (100% at 200 ranks). Or something like that. Its not worth throwing out exact numbers, but it helps to get the point across. Or make it a much lower chance, but each cycle is like a full blown damage cycle as if it was hit with an additional cast. Add something like this to the bolt version as well.

3. Make Disintegration amplify itself. Casting it will leave a residue "a thin grey haze"(or have a chance of residue, based on lore? Demonology or more Necro?) that, if hit again, will cause an additional serious damage cycle, not some piddling 15 extra damage with no wound. This will enhance the haze to a "a thick grey haze". Cast again, and it gets TWO damage cycles, or the extra damage cycle is now stronger. Increases haze to a dense grey haze. Additional cast makes three damage cycles, or again with the even stronger damage cycle. Incorporate insta-kill potential into these; each rank of haze causes an increased chance of autokill on next tier.

Would like some feedback, on this and the 702 suggestions.

Like several of these ideas quite a bit. Not opposed to any of them in isolation. Am cautious about an 'expansive' effect -- mostly because the sorcerer circle has 16 attack spells.

Good stuff!

Doug

Simply, pressing like thoughts across the entirety of the 16 attack spells in the sorcerer's circle.

Said differently, I don't think 'balance' is always a singular spell concern. I like these ideas. This group was limited to a sub-10 spell level discussion, was exceptionally targeted and well thought out. As presented, there's no significant balance issue, I'd say.

But I wouldn't stop there. I also feel the entire list needs to be addressed -- gaps exist in a number of places. But -- an entire spell list this efficacious might be a bit more than I'd like to see adopted. Depends on a great many variables. These suggestions combined with some other historical suggestions for other spells are. . . whoa.

I'd like to see a bit more whoa in the sorcerer list. A good bit. The concept of balance requires a path for the entire profession, and its spell list. More whoa -- I'm just a bit cautious personally about how far more whoa goes.

Doug