ToME: the Tales of Maj'Eyal

Is drawing random enemies into melee range (where you might not want them all yet) each turn useful at all? I think they need a new effect.

Currently, it feels like the Focus tree greatly favors psi-wielding a weapon, since you don't get the Aura damage on your basic weapon attacks if you psi-wield a gem or a mindstar, and the advantage they DO give you from that tree (damaging more than one enemy in melee range) is offset by the damage not also adding a weapon's damage, and the fact that nothing else really makes you WANT to have multiple enemies in melee range (except rank 1 Voracity talents, I guess). Combine that with the one tree that requires a weapon focus for 3/4 of the skills, and mindstars and gems get left in the dust (though gems get a bit of a pass due to the amount of stats they can passively grant with Resonant Focus later in the game and a relatively long-range attack with Frenzied Focus).

I feel like it would be better if the mindstar damage could be added to the aura (and give some sort of benefits to also wielding mindstars in your hands, since tri-wielding mindstars greatly reduces the benefits of Reshape), and/or have the mindstar naturally attack at range a la the gem version of Frenzied Focus (perhaps using the current pull ranges).

Mindlsayers no longer have any use for anything but weapons in the focus slot or gems temporarily to qualify for stuff. Everything about the new mindslayer is an overreaction against the old mindslayer, which had no use for anything but mindstars in the focus slot. Maybe eventually there will be another mindslayer remake after which only gems will be worth using.

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Digitochracy
n. 1. technocracy. 2. government by the numbers. 3. rule by people with the longest fingers.

Mindslayer was originally designed to use a two handed weapon in the psionic slot. Mindstars were added later and broke the class balance by counting as a weapon and a psionic focus.

I think the OP means Projection, not Focus.
If you are focussing in the Focus category, you likely don't care about extra damage to your weapon attacks.
Also, the Aura talents weren't meant to add extra damage to normal attacks, but I ran into a code limitation. Basically it was only meant to apply to psionic weapon attacks, but DarkGod made equipping a weapon in the psionic slot make all attacks psionic.

Equipping mindstars already gives a benefit. Super mindpower stats.

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My feedback meter decays into coding. Give me feedback and I make mods.

For the auras - the auras do the same amount of damage per turn regardless of whether you have a weapon or a gem/mindstar. If you have a weapon, they don't cost psi. If you have a gem/mindstar, then they can attack multiple enemies, they will attack every enemy (rather than following along with the random pick of the psi-weapon) and they will always hit.

it is still possible to play a caster mindslayer. For those, gems are the better bet.