Penalties:
- 1. Consumes secondary resources to use.
- 2. Strikes 2 targets, base (40% of AOE cap).
- 3. Requires 4-7 more spell slots, additional prep time, and significantly more secondary resources to hit 3 targets (60% of AOE cap).
- 4. Higher base damage is still subject to damage caps on creatures, and offset by lack of native TM/OF buffs.
- 5. Triple dips tertiary skillset penalties (damage based on TM, esoteric skill, and is the most expensive TM spell in the game [30 - 200! mana]).
- 6. Slot costs match or exceed costs for other straight cast AOEs which only do damage. (1 slot: TKS, CL, SMH; 2 slots: FB, FOU*, Starcrash; 3 slots: HH)
*Note Fireball hits all melee targets + bonus damage to your primary target, FOU has two attacks up to 5 targets each, and HH has 3 attacks up to 5 targets each.
Benefits:
- 1. Appears to do slightly more damage per strike than other AOEs, at similar ranks and stats, before buffs.
- 2. Is a cleave (smaller AOE) spell similar but slightly worse than the old crystal spike spell.
Wish Lists:
- 1. Drop the mana cost to bring it in line with other AOE spells of this class. 15-100, or lower.
- 2. Apply the crystal dart approach to starlight cost. Make it so that you only have to pay the cost once every 20-30 minutes. Maybe even just remove it. A secondary resource being required to cast an AOE isn't a great model for DR's gameplay.
- 3. Double the number of pulses per cast across the same duration. 2 targets vs 5 targets is a gross discrepancy in a game like this. I also think fighting homogenization is a good thing, but we need different but competitive. Not absolutely inferior in almost all conditions. You can accomplish both by doubling the pulses across the same amount of time. It's still only 80% as effective as a a real AOE class, but it's at least viable at reduced efficiency.
- 4. Give it a secondary benefit. TKS has variability in damage types. FOU has a second, half-powered hit on a now weakened target. HH an incredibly fast pulsing DFA which hits the same target up to 3x. Chain Lightning is weighted towards more powerful damage types (no physical). I'd argue there's room for a knock-down effect, but if 1-3 can be done more quickly then I think the benefits would outweigh making it desired by other guilds in certain situations. Usable would just be nice.
Summary:
* When is starcrash better or equal to other TMs: when under hunting, hunting alone, with only 2 mobs in the room, under an open sky, at night, during strong mana phase or with relatively high tert magic skills, and with targets are at various ranges of engagement.
* When is starcrash worse: Virtually any time you want to use an AOE TM spell. 4-5+ mobs in the room for a fight < 10-20 minutes long, 3+ mobs for a prolonged period of time (hour long MTX events, invasions, farming plat/boxes/gems, training TM), not under an open sky (events, some MTX, many mid-high level hunting zones), or day time (50% of game time). It's even inferior at 2-3 targets even when in optimal conditions due to buffs, secondary effects, and stacking TM. Admittedly less inferior than at 3-5 targets.
I can see why trader combat magic was supposed to be an inferior moon mage version, and I'd argue for moon mage buffs to give room for trader improvement. That or accepting that traders are more combat centric than moonies (armor secondary and all) and they'll always be inferior due to the skillset placement of TM. TKS isn't great, but starcrash shouldn't be relegated to a "cast once in your trader's lifespan".
If the answer is that this is just a filler spell or a toy spell meant more as an RP tool than a "real" AOE spell then fine. It is what it is. It's disappointing, but at least we know and will stop asking to improve it until the next changing of the guard.
Stats
COMPLETELY Non-scientific test cases. The number of test cases is far too low. The mobs were injured before and after each case. Mob count changes. I'm still trying to figure out the damage ranges for starcrash. Take the kills with a grain of salt as some may have been previously wounded. etc, etc, etc... This is just to demonstrate a hypothesis, not prove it.
- Time: Afternoon.
- Moon: Xibar up, rest down.
- Trader stats: 80 int, 50 disc, 361 TM, TM mastery, starting with a full 6/8 starlight aura.
- Bard stats: 68 int, 50 disc, 319 PM
Summary
| Type | Total Hits | Total Deaths | Total Mana cost | Total time | Total secondary resource cost |
| Straight starcrash | 6 | 2 | 60 | 55s (estimated - did not time) | 1 level of starlight - 6/8 to 5/8 |
| Enriched starcrash | 11 | 3 | 120 (60 on enrichment, 60 on starcrash (+/- due to camb)) | 68s (13 for enrichment, the rest for starcrash prep and pulse) | 2 levels of starlight - 5 of 8 to 3/8 |
| PYRE (baseline) | 15 | 8 | 45 | 64 seconds | 0 - didn't even need or use segue, but this would have improved it at a cost of 1/5th resource pool. |
Starcrash Cast #1
Pulse 1: 2 hits, 1 "like a toy", 1 frosting. (I don't know how to weight the damage here)
> A large crystal chunk falls as a hammer wreathed in streamers of vapor, crashing upon a forest geni's abdomen and clapping it into oblivion! The impact throws its body aside like a toy geni.
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> An icy mare's-tail with a large crystal chunk for its core streaks diagonally across the air, and its contrail frosts a forest geni's right leg in passing.
Pulse 2: 2 hits, 2 crashing
> Blowing out a tail of light and vapor, a large crystal chunk crashes into a forest geni's left arm!
> Blowing out a tail of light and vapor, a large crystal chunk crashes into a forest geni's left arm!
Pulse 3: 2 hits, 1 crashing, 1 partial connect
> A large crystal chunk falls as a hammer wreathed in streamers of vapor, crashing upon a forest geni's left arm and clapping it into oblivion! The impact throws its body aside like a toy geni.
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> Snow and light burnish the white descent of a large crystal chunk, which partially connects with a forest geni's right leg in a forceful strike.
Starcrash Cast #2 -Enriched: Enrichment cost 2/8. Starcrash cost an additional 1/8. I could cast starcrash twice more before I'm done for at least an hour to regen under "hindering" conditions. It's unknown if STC would work at this time of day.
Pulse 1: 3 hits, 1 frost, 1 graze, 1 crash.
> The enriched avtalia falls in greater abundance!
> An icy mare's-tail with a large crystal chunk for its core streaks diagonally across the air, and its contrail frosts a forest geni's back in passing.
> A large crystal chunk grazes a forest geni's back and tumbles past it.
> Blowing out a tail of light and vapor, a large crystal chunk crashes into a forest geni's right hand!
Pulse 2: 3 hits, 2 throws, 1 partial connect
> The enriched avtalia falls in greater abundance!
> Snow and light burnish the white descent of a large crystal chunk, which partially connects with a forest geni's left arm in a forceful strike.
> A large crystal chunk falls as a hammer wreathed in streamers of vapor, crashing upon a forest geni's right leg and clapping it into oblivion! The impact throws its body aside like a toy geni.
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> A large crystal chunk falls as a hammer wreathed in streamers of vapor, crashing upon a forest geni's abdomen and clapping it into oblivion! The impact throws its body aside like a toy geni.
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
Pulse #3: 2 hits (room partially clear)
> The enriched avtalia falls in greater abundance!
> Snow and light burnish the white descent of a large crystal chunk, which partially connects with a forest geni's right arm in a forceful strike.
> An icy mare's-tail with a large crystal chunk for its core streaks diagonally across the air, and its contrail frosts a forest geni's left arm in passing.
A large crystal chunk grazes a forest geni's chest and tumbles past it.
Pulse #4: 3 hits, 1 throws, 1 crash, 1 hit
> The enriched avtalia falls in greater abundance!
> A large crystal chunk falls as a hammer wreathed in streamers of vapor, crashing upon a forest geni's left eye and clapping it into oblivion! The impact throws its body aside like a toy geni.
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> Blowing out a tail of light and vapor, a large crystal chunk crashes into a forest geni's left leg!
> The contrail of a vaporous aggregate with a vivid white heart etches a line across the air. The large crystal chunk hits a forest geni's abdomen at an angle and breaks down.
PYRE Baseline:
Pulse 1: 5 hits, 2 at cap, 3 close to it.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's left eye!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land a powerful strike (10/23) to a forest geni's abdomen!
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's right arm!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land a vicious strike (13/23) to a forest geni's abdomen!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land a powerful strike (10/23) to a forest geni's right leg!
> The flames land a powerful strike (10/23) to a forest geni's abdomen!
Pulse 2: 5 hits, 2 at cap, the rest at or slightly above average.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's back!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's abdomen!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land an extremely heavy hit (9/23) to a forest geni's right eye!
> The flames land a heavy strike (7/23) to a forest geni's left arm!
> The flames land a very heavy hit (8/23) to a forest geni's back!
Pulse 3: 4 hits (spawns dying) 3 at cap, 1 average.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's right arm!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's right leg!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land an earth-shaking strike (14/23) to a forest geni's right hand!
> The forest geni cries out to the forest for protection. Getting no response, it collapses to the ground.
> The flames land a very heavy hit (8/23) to a forest geni's abdomen!
