Resistance is Futile!

[calicojack]

No, there's a reason the elements are unbalanced.

SWWc is totally different from WSSc. WSSc flows very naturally out of a very common spell. This needs a drawback, and the drawback is that there's no other spell that the related resistance protects against.

elem-from-invis works like: PPwscSWWS - and because it's a fairly uncommon move, your opponent usually totally doesn't expect it, AND you're protected for a while at least. You should never be able to get away with casting SSFP on your other hand or your opponent is doing something wrong / is killing you quicker than the elemental will kill him. But as plays go this one remains rare. It's good against monsters for sure but cDPW is more effective if that's what you need. Shock value yes, but you are in the same boat as your opponent. You can do sneaky elemental with fire elementals, but you must NOT cast magic mirror, because like all other spells in ravenblack's warlocks, you can see the effects, even if cast on 'nobody'. Once your enemy sees he'll know, and the whole point of this play is that it's completely unexpected.

DFFDD being stopped by cold resistance won't do a thing. SSFP is a lot harder to cast than WWFP because it hardly ever comes up (when do you have a spare SS lieing around? Almost never. WWs occur all the time). If there's a need for weather spells to see more play, this won't do it.

Some more serious options: Ice/Fire monsters: Anytime you have X resistance when you cast any summon spell, the result is going to be an ice or a fire monster. (For the case of having both, either randomize this, or, make one resistance cancel out the other one). These not only have the same resistance you have (so that you won't fry your own monsters with storm/elemental), but they also do that type of damage. So, if they are charmed away from you, your opponent can't use them against itself, each other, or you. On the flip side, fire monsters are ripped up by their own resistance - cast it on them to kill them, cast it on yourself to protect yourself.

I have a feeling that might make it worth going for WWFP as fire resistance instead of always going for cause light wounds.

[toyotami]

You kind of contradicted yourself there pirate mage:

"SWWc is totally different from WSSc. WSSc flows very naturally out of a very common spell. This needs a drawback, and the drawback is that there's no other spell that the related resistance protects against."

"SSFP is a lot harder to cast than WWFP because it hardly ever comes up (when do you have a spare SS lieing around? Almost never. WWs occur all the time)"

The drawback of Resist Cold is how uncommon the SS is.

The drawback of Resist Heat is how uncommon SWW is.

Resist heat also gets the Mirror bonus from the Clap. Resist Heat is clearly a superior spell, even without the ENORMOUS benefit of protecting frrom fireball. (I love fireball, it is the ultimate stick it 3 turns later fake out from summon goblin initiative keeper.)

But rather than lament the discrepency, it should be celebrated. It kind of borings the elementals up by making them mirror images of one another. If anything, one more unbalance should be added (favoring summon ice)...i cant think of any though...but it shouldnt be protection from lightning bolt, or the cone of cold.

[Rycchus]

SWW isn't that uncommon. WSS is more uncommon, because of the double S.

CalicoJack was saying that WS was more common than SW but I'm not sure that's true either. I'm sure there's some kind of simple disruption that starts with SW...

[calicojack]

I stand corrected. But I like the discrepancy nonetheless.

[awall]

calicojack said:

DFFDD being stopped by cold resistance won't do a thing. SSFP is a lot harder to cast than WWFP because it hardly ever comes up (when do you have a spare SS lieing around? Almost never. WWs occur all the time). If there's a need for weather spells to see more play, this won't do it.

Well, the main reason that people never have SS lying around is precisely because SSFP is so useless. If it was a better spell, people might actually use it more often. On the other hand, if SSFP were better, it would make using PS into an opponent's Amnesia a halfway decent play, which would strengthen PS even more, something that I don't think really needs to happen.

Some more serious options: Ice/Fire monsters: Anytime you have X resistance when you cast any summon spell, the result is going to be an ice or a fire monster. (For the case of having both, either randomize this, or, make one resistance cancel out the other one). These not only have the same resistance you have (so that you won't fry your own monsters with storm/elemental), but they also do that type of damage. So, if they are charmed away from you, your opponent can't use them against itself, each other, or you. On the flip side, fire monsters are ripped up by their own resistance - cast it on them to kill them, cast it on yourself to protect yourself.

I actually toyed with the idea of elemental monsters. I think it would definitely make the resistances worth going for, if you were facing a fire ogre, but I don't think fire ogre would ever come out in the first place; why would your opponent cast WWFP to begin with? I had a slightly different idea for making monsters elemental...

WSWS: Ice Lance
Enchantment (Permanent)
The target of this spell is armed with a magical lance made of ice. Its attacks (stabs, if the target is a warlock) now do one additional damage and are ice elemental.

SWSW: Flaming Sword
Enchantment (Permanent)
Same as above, but makes attacks fire elemental.

A few technicalities of the above:
- The spells don't stack. Multiple castings of Ice Lance upon the same target have no further effect (i.e. WSWSWS casting both at yourself only makes your stab do two damage, not 3).
- Ice Lance and Flaming Sword cancel each other. Casting one upon a target that already has the other results in both enchantment spells being cancelled.
- These spells make the damage elemental (so it can be prevented by Resist Cold/Heat) but the damage is still physical (so it can also be prevented with Shield).
- Not sure what should happen when either of these spells is cast upon an Elemental.
- Casting Resist Heat on a monster with a flaming sword shouldn't destroy the monster, in my opinion.

[Rycchus]

Presumably the resistances only prevent the additional damage, and the shield prevents all of it?

[awall]

rycchus said:

Presumably the resistances only prevent the additional damage, and the shield prevents all of it?

That'd be more logical, but for gameplay I'd suggest that resistance blocks the whole thing. This means you can even get away with casting Ice Lance on your opponent's monsters if you've SSFP'd yourself. Just hope they don't remove your resistance.