Lock Shalore race.

[Doctornull]

Following this route, I'd have to question what the main strategic difference between a Shielding Rune and Healing Rune would be. I'm not against the move but I think more would have to be done to make these runes distinct and useful.

Shielding Runes are like Regeneration Infusions: you will often use them BEFORE you've taken more than 50% of your lifebar in damage, in anticipation of taking damage.

Healing Runes are more like Wild Infusions: you use them when you are currently in trouble, due to lifebar depletion or a status condition (respectively).


Currently Healing Infusions are inferior healing when compared to the total value healed by a Regen Infusion. If you have time to rest off the cooldown, the Regen Infusion is strictly better, but tactically the Healing Infusion can save you from dying to a 2nd application of spike damage -- if the first was enough to kill you, of course, having a healing inscription won't help at all.

Moving the Healing effect to Runes does nothing to disrupt this relation, but it does mean Antimagic characters are slightly more vulnerable to being put in a bad place by spike damage, since they can't use a Teleport Rune to escape. They'd remain heavily rewarded for using Regen Infusions (because Fungus rewards regeneration).

[Davion Fuxa]

The thing about Shielding Runes is that they can also be used to save yourself when you fall in trouble, if you didn't preemptively use it. The overlap of use for the Shielding Rune isn't completely encompassing of that for Healing Infusions (or Healing Runes) due to the Healing Infusions quick cooldown, but then the Shielding Runes still get the bonus of being something you can use preemptively.

In comparison to Regeneration Infusions, the Healing Infusion at least stands out since you really can't use the Regeneration Infusion when you are in a near death situation as you won't be guaranteed the health buffer you need to survive. Going Anti-Magic will prevent you the luxury of using Shielding Runes, which provides the Healing Infusion a suitable niche in keeping ones character alive.

[0player]

If Undead get a healing rune, then last Skeleton racial would need to be redesigned, I suppose. (And Healing light is strange. I mean, Bathe in Light damages undead, how can Healing light heal them?

[Atarlost]

The thing about Shielding Runes is that they can also be used to save yourself when you fall in trouble, if you didn't preemptively use it. The overlap of use for the Shielding Rune isn't completely encompassing of that for Healing Infusions (or Healing Runes) due to the Healing Infusions quick cooldown, but then the Shielding Runes still get the bonus of being something you can use preemptively.

In comparison to Regeneration Infusions, the Healing Infusion at least stands out since you really can't use the Regeneration Infusion when you are in a near death situation as you won't be guaranteed the health buffer you need to survive. Going Anti-Magic will prevent you the luxury of using Shielding Runes, which provides the Healing Infusion a suitable niche in keeping ones character alive.

Antimagic characters get the fungus tree, which does let you do just that by the time you get to sudden growth. You can also pick up nature's touch by betraying escorts.

Since the introduction of psychoport torques antimagic has little in the way of actual downside for those will using classes that can take it. Moving burst healing to runes wouldn't really hurt the balance situation for them.

[Davion Fuxa]

Antimagic characters get the fungus tree, which does let you do just that by the time you get to sudden growth. You can also pick up nature's touch by betraying escorts.

This really all falls in on how a character is built. The Fungus Talents don't have to be invested in on all characters, and apart from finding a Seer to sacrifice a character may still have a Healing Infusion on hand; if for equilibrium concerns, or because of low total hitpoints, or whatever else.

As for balance I don't think this was ever really the issue I was bringing up. Moreso I am more concerned with the tactical similarity between Shielding Runes and Healing Runes and how they come off being too similar.

[Doctornull]

As for balance I don't think this was ever really the issue I was bringing up. Moreso I am more concerned with the tactical similarity between Shielding Runes and Healing Runes and how they come off being too similar.

Yeah, from a certain viewpoint they are similar in the game right now.

Moving Healing over to a Rune won't really change that.

[HousePet]

I'm concerned that this discussion has started with Shalore having a difficult starting dungeon, to changing the balance between antimagic and non-antimagic.

[Davion Fuxa]

I'm concerned that this discussion has started with Shalore having a difficult starting dungeon, to changing the balance between antimagic and non-antimagic.

The starter dungeons are a part of what make the Shaloran hard to start up with, but the Runes are very much also a concern. Changing up the starting Runes may be a way to alleviate the difficult start.

I'll personally note I am not against changing the Runes or Infusions myself on this matter - I'd be perfectly fine with changes being made. I just think Shielding Runes and "Healing Runes" come off as too similar as they would appear. If minor tweaks were made to Shielding Runes or Healing Runes to tactically make them different then I'd be fine with such a move.

One idea I guess I could put forward might be to change it so that the Turn Usage on Shielding Runes and Healing Runes. If Shielding Runes weren't applied instantly anymore and required a turn before the Damage Shield went up, then their usage would be strictly tied to instances of 'before damage taken'. Perhaps it could go even further on the side of Healing Runes as well where not only would they be applied instantly - you get a free turn from their use.

[Doctornull]

One idea I guess I could put forward might be to change it so that the Turn Usage on Shielding Runes and Healing Runes. If Shielding Runes weren't applied instantly anymore and required a turn before the Damage Shield went up, then their usage would be strictly tied to instances of 'before damage taken'. Perhaps it could go even further on the side of Healing Runes as well where not only would they be applied instantly - you get a free turn from their use.

That's an interesting idea, in that it would make Shield Runes more like the skeleton's racial power, but be careful about giving instant Heal powers: an Archmage gets a free damage shield with a Heal with the Aegis tree, so if your choice is to pay a turn for a shield or use an instant heal + get a free shield, that's not a good trade

Also from the other side, right now Fungus users get up to a free turn when they gain a Regen effect. With an instant Heal, they'd get the heal + free regen from Fungus + a free bonus turn (!!!). If Heals were Runes, that would be an interesting argument for going pro-magic on a Wyrmic. Note that Higher Wyrmics already get a trick like this.

Maybe make the instant-action Healing Runes a separate higher-tier item, like Controlled Phase Door currently is? I don't think they're appropriate for the lower levels, but just like CPD they might be an interesting late-game option. (Obviously they'd be more expensive for lower total healing than the usual cost-a-turn type.)

[parcel]

If runes need to double for anything, it's the wild infusion, in general, since the instant status recovery is very valuable in almost any class. Some classes/builds do okay without healing inscriptions, though over the long term I'd like to get the light tree off the escort menu since that's a very significant part of what makes celestials interesting to play; the abundance of defensive talents, all in one tree. It's either that or give a careful reworking of the celestial classes, anorithil especially, since these have not evolved much even as the gameplay has changed substantially, and play a little bit boring to most players' tastes.