SuperHario

I think I found a bug. You can’t defend or change rows if using the short battle menu.

After looking at the documentation for clarification as to how the variance is implemented with a random number selected between [Low...High], a simple approach (effectively using your calculation) is: High = 255 - stat Low = 225 - stat + stat/4 (i.e, 3/4 = 1-1/4)

Looking at the formula, you can factor out the 3 to make it: (Damage * [75 - (Vigor or Stamina /4)] / 75) + 1 this doesn’t solve the rounding problem, but it saves a few bits. To solve the rounding problem, factor out the /4 to get: (Damage * [300 - (Vigor or Stamina)] / 300) + 1 Can this work with the 300? Or is 256 the max for formulas?

Doesn’t that mess with the lazy shell immunities?

What is the animation for Comet?

Ah, forgot this too. I thought auto-crit was their only innate boost. It's been a while since I've played, maybe 1.10 will be my next run. RE Rogue/Sage Mog/Setzer. I don't really care either way, agreed that Sage Mog has more utility but Bank Setzer really has a hard time making use of all that MP; X-Setzer (SeXter, erp?) gives him a much more defined reason to exist. As far as who fits the 'Rogue' character type, I'm not too fixated on the idea of 'classes' as any character can be spun to fit just about any persona. Mog is Rogue b/c he's uncontrollable when he dances; Setzer is a Sage Cleric with all his white magic and inherent magical Slots ability. In fact, he fits the role of Sage much more than Locke, who fits the role of Rogue being a thief, but I just didn't think getting rid of X-Locke would fly since he has such a deep magic selection. In this scenario Rogue=Sh, Lo, Go; Sage=St, Mo, Se; note that the Sages now all have poison magic in common, so maybe this provides some justification as to why they can use it. I'm just try to propose ideas that make (varying degrees of) sense, whether that be aesthetically, thematically, storyline-wise, to improve gameplay, whatever you want to call it. I know they're not all going to be used, I just like putting them out there to see what sticks. I did notice a few naming changes for 1.10 that I've mentioned in the past, so my proposals are not being ignored entirely, and I think that even if my ideas aren't used they're at least stimulating others thoughts to come up with their own innovations.

OK, but you've said yourself that with respect to statuses, if you want protection, you must wear the relics and not rely on stamina. Likewise, if you want the buff, you're likely to just cast it or wear a relic. I've always used brushes as a free heal or to break muddle/sleep and viewed the proc as bonus. That's why I feel like just giving brushes the increased proc rate off the bat is an easier solution. The increased proc rate on radiant gown is still relevant for elemental rods. If brushes need to be improved further, make them hit with full power from the back row or effectively make them remedies such that they cure most status ailments. Agreed on a Rogue Setzer with the free Slots and pause buffering to get nearly guaranteed spin of choice. Could he become the Sage Stoner and Mog goes Rogue (since Dance is uncontrollable, it won't be quite as potent, and rod-swinging Mog definitely likes this). Sage Setzer doesn't have X-Break or Quake, but X-Rerise is pretty nice, and gives a reason for The Bank to draw upon his account, especially with Starlet getting the +25% MP boost. If this is done, Setzer would need one more high power black magic. Best implementation of this is giving brushes Remedy-like ability (could different brushes cure different ailments?), and swapping out Remedy on Starlet for something, probably Meteor (shooting stars=meteors). Bahamut can drop Meteor since you must get Startlet in order to have Relm; and could add something different to Bahamut if desired. I forgot Blizzard Orb gives +25% Magic, I just checked the PrintMe and it wasn't in there. A better option might be to give Gogo access to the Rogue Cloak (isn't found in the Triangle Island Cave?), instead of Gau. So new setup would be Nirvana=Ed, Sa, Cy; Rogue=Sh, Mo, Go; Sage=Lo, St, Se.

A few other thoughts after a second read: - What is the insta-kill rate for Demonsbane vs. undead foes? Could lower that rather than take away it's holy elemental property, or give the Avenger some bonus property to make it more enticing. Inherent counter is fitting for its name, but doesn't have to be that. - Brushes seem like a little extra tweaking is needed as hitting twice is an annoyance for instances where the spell casts twice. What if they instead just have the increased proc property (ala veils) and ignore defense (if this isn't already the case). - The Nirvana/Rogue/Sage loop makes sense, but it made me think more generally about who gets to use each. Nirvana=Edgar, Sabin, Cyan; Rogue=Locke, Shadow; Sage=Locke, Mog, Strago. However, there are eight human males (Ed, Sa, Cy, Lo, Sh, St, Se, Gau) plus Mog (Gogo is gender fluid), so maybe each relic should get 3 unique users. Nirvana and Sage stay the same, while Gau and Setzer go Rogue (Locke loses it).

Re boss experience. In a quasi LLG I played a while back, I set the rule to not grind the Veldt, so I would turn on experience for boss fights to get the EP but not the Exp. It forced me to be quite parsimonious about which spells I learned and strongly encouraged me to vary my party so all characters could get some EP. I realize this is just one anecdote, but something to consider.

Maybe counter rates should be halved when covering, similar to how evasion is halved. When C/C was originally being developed, I offered the idea that cover cues off vigor (higher vigor=less damage because of damage variance formula so character is more willing to take the hit) and counter is based on stamina (higher stamina=more energy to respond with a counterattack). Just putting it out there again in light of this discussion. Thinking about cover being dependent on vigor, this might work better with inherent cover spears since Edgar’s stamina is so low. But it would make Unicorn Edgar basically pointless.

The elemental mixing topic got me thinking about Merton - some about the etymology, Thomas Merton perhaps? - but mostly why isn't this Terra's most powerful spell instead of Celes? Here are some supporting arguments: - Terra learns Fire spells naturally, and Maduin (her father) is the wind esper, so a fire/wind combination makes quite a bit of sense; - Terra is a quasi-religious figure due to her unique birth, transformational powers, and frequent characterization as a savior, so her being the Crusader fits thematically; - Crusader is obtained in the Fanatic's Tower, which is also where her pendant is found in the WoR, maybe there's some attraction between the two? - Like Merton, the Crusader summon hits all targets on the battlefield, which exhibits Terra's difficulty in controlling her powers. Furthermore, Celes using Ragnarok/Ultima aligns much more with her storyline as well (besides the fact that Celes looks of Nordic ancestry): - The Ragnarok myth correlates pretty strongly with Celes experience upon awakening in the WoR; - The Ragnarok summon is just a sword, appropriate for Celes the soldier; - Non-elemental Ultima is the logical progression from ??? Arguments against are: - Ragnarok is (currently) found very late, so that reduces the potential utility of the Stam/Speed esper bonus for Celes (see spoiler below); - It removes Celes access to fire-elemental spells, but I don't see this as a huge drawback. To address some of these drawbacks, you could:

I don’t think the claws are entirely ignored in a vig build if you use Berserk Sabin.

I’m not saying the other C/C options are not better, just trying to make Stam Sabin relatively viable since the verdict now is that he’s not. And his use comes down to Kefka’s Tower, when you have to use nearly everyone, so the question is where would he best fit. Other places, of course you can use others, that’s the case now and each player is going to have preferences about who to bring, with Stam Sabin being pretty low in the pecking order. An alternative option to slightly improve Sabin’s cover capability is to put minor PDef and/or PEvade stats on his claws. You could argue that the claws are like gauntlets, providing some protection, and he’s more agile with them relative to someone with a broad sword. This latter point gets me thinking - is it possible to start with high PEvade and weapons reduce it by varying amounts? As to Stam-based claw counters, this does not really fit thematically (Omega being the exception, of course). But to make the new blitz more unique, I suppose it could be a Stam-based cover chance of any single target attack, and guaranteed counter with Stam-based damage. If equipped with Black belt, I think it would only offer a claw counter chance in response to physical attacks, though (I.e., current practice).

As funnyman says, Stam Sabin implies a generous amount of Terrato, and a Royal Jacket or Red Cap (if Force Robe becomes a thing) give +25% to HP, so Stam Sabin will not be lacking HP. Plus Golem gives the (slight) boost to PDef. Could also give Sabin the option to equip Snow Muffler for more HP+ possibilities; he is a ‘bear’ after all and certainly a closer physical resemblance to Umaro than Gau or Gogo. As to losing a turn, the ability to cover potentially saves a revival of an ally (making up for the lost turn), and putting a life bell on him could do wonders for not needing to dedicate a healer to him (even more so if Mantra sets regen, again to save a relic slot). With all these skills and using no relics (summon Golem, then self-cast Safe once it expires), Sabin with some status protection relics becomes pretty tanky, with respectable damage (to answer your question), and is primarily there to facilitate the full activities of his allies. This is his selfless monk build. I see him best suited to supporting frail nukers (Relm, morphed Terra, X-mages), if you don’t want to bother with self MP management or using items.

Remember though that a 100% counter would pair really well with cover, as long as Sabin has enough HP to survive the attack. Slight tweak to the new blitz could be 100% counter, plus normal cover chance (100% for low HP allies, stamina chance for others), but only applies to physical attacks. Then Sabin can C/C while having both relic slots available, albeit for the hefty price of using up a turn. Edit: Realized you could equip the Black Belt and get a double counter chance, which would be pretty cool.

An idea for a new blitz is something similar to Cyan’s Retort from vanilla, which if I remember correctly was a guaranteed counter upon being attacked (physically). Maybe Sabin’s new version of this would counter any form of damage with a stamina-based attack. Looking here, logical name options are Dharma (truth) or Jhana (mental absorption, understanding), though there are lots of options. Maybe the Air Blade animation is still used since he spins and that could be thought of as a reversal of the energy of the enemy’s attack. It would be obscure, but if more of Sabin’s blitzes had meditation-related names, that would be interesting. For instance, the five spiritual faculties could be used for his attacking blitzes: Faith=Saddha (Aurabolt), Energy=Viriya (Pummel), Mindfulness=Sati (Suplex), Concentration=Samadhi (Fire Dance), Wisdom=Panna (Bum Rush).

I don’t think that Force Armor and Robe are both needed. Cyan, Edgar, and Setzer can use Diamond and Crystal for Mg def, giving those some longevity (lazy shell too? I forget if they can equip that). Plus all of them are tanks, not every character needs a perfect option for every scenario. Furthermore, if Sabin is wearing a robe, that frees up the Royal jacket, so Edgar still has another option. Additionally, even Stam Cyan wants Genji to get the vigor for C/C, so the only one really losing out is Setzer. But I don’t see why he can’t be a robe wearer, hell his sprite is wearing a robe. If Sabin’s blitzes stay magic based, there’s your use for the +7 magic.

I agree they’re flavor, but that’s important too (see script complaints). As BNW stands now, it’s a vast improvement over vanilla gameplay wise, no doubt, but there are still plenty of story tweaks that could be incorporated to better reference real life source material, or make the game feel more rewarding when you see the reasoning behind why an item is earned for a certain event and maybe learn something in the process.

I second the Force Robe recommendation.

I understand why Palidor and Fenrir locations were swapped, but the incongruity still irks me. Mobliz is rife with stray dogs (Fenrir), likewise birds on the solitary island (Palidor). However, this inconsistency can be remedied. Both Sabin and Edgar can be present in the first visit to Mobliz, and they serve as protectors of the village from Phunbaba after Terra falls, so getting Golem after the first Phunbaba fight can sort of be justified story-wise. Then Palidor can be moved back to the solitary island and Fenrir can be moved somewhere else (Veldt cave probably makes the most sense, but Narshe is a possibility). The big question is then: does not having WoB Golem matter? My guess is not really, the summon becomes much more useful in the WoR with more HP, and neither Bserk or safe are vital. Could always swap Bserk and Sleep on Golem and Stray if you really want Sabin to have WoB Bserk. (I know suggesting changes to the spell distribution is verboten, but this really seems pretty minor.)

As to buffing Mantra, what if it set regen on Sabin? So it gets around the drawback that it doesn’t heal him, while saving a relic slot. Plus a mantra is a phrase repeated during meditation, so regen tics duplicate this repetition and support future use of Mantra by boosting HP. If this is OP, maybe Sabin just gets one regen tic, but immediately prior to casting Mantra to slightly increase its effectiveness.

Losing control during his dance isn't much of a loss. If you have him do a frequent healing dance with the ability to C/C, he'll be a monster, and something of a bore cause there'd be little reason to do any other build.

As long as an enemy is weak to one element and neutral to all others, then the weakness should still apply. Weak (-1) + Neutral (0) = -1, then divide by two (-1/2), and round DOWN (back to -1). And I’ll chime in voting nay against the option that would potentially negate absorb (at least without a major overhaul to the elemental properties of spells and equipment). As I said, this would have a major impact on the utility of various hidden items.

If I’m interpreting the logic correctly, Tritoch will be resisted by wall change bosses (two nulls, one weakness, totaling 3, divide by two and round down to get 1). I guess this is fair accounting for the two nulls, just a bit underwhelming. To get Null + Resist = Null, you could change the divisor from 2 to 1.5, and no other 2-element combinations would change, as far as I can tell. However, if this were done Tritoch would be nulled, rather than resisted, by wall change bosses. Tritoch vs wall change bosses is pretty niche, so this tweak is probably warranted as it at least gives players a chance to Null Merton with proper gear if Flameguard x4 is not the desired approach. Note, if dividing by a non-integer is a problem, just double all the counts and make the new divisor 3. Way too complicated. Let elemental shields do what the player thinks they will do. Plus, this would causes major problems for strats with a hidden relic.

RE Hidon: Since Hidon is no longer undead, the fire and holy weaknesses don’t really fit thematically. Nor does a water weakness seem appropriate since we have to assume Hidon is amphibious considering it lived in a submerged Ebots Rock. Thus for Strago to be most effective, a poison or ice weakness would work, but maybe Hidon has inherent Shell? (It does sorta look like Hidon is equipped with some sort of exoskeleton.) Then poison attacks do essentially normal damage to stay on par with defense ignoring spells (cough, Relm, cough), which juxtaposes nicely with Hidon using powerful defense ignoring attacks.