Aloyzo's Arsenal Discussion Thread

Has it occurred to you that the design goals for those three items might have possibly been different from the design goals for this contest?

 

Yes. Still amusing.

 

I'm not sure how grabbing random items that were not designed for this contest, and then pointing out they don't qualify for this contest, means the items are a fail.
That's like having a pie contest, pointing toward some cakes, and saying 'Hey, those aren't pies!'
I'm really not sure what the point of it is :X

Though now I really want cake and pie, so thanks for that.

Anyway, it's important to note that the items in-game were designed with the concept of 'taking the power of a creature and converting it to your own uses', while the contest is based around the premise of 'taking on the essence of a monster to become more like it' [you know, in a Halloween-fashion?].
Those are different approaches to item design.

Also, there's a big difference between being a sentient item using other powers available to you, and someone grabbing you and forcefully using you as a blunt instrument
Like, if you get a blowtorch, and start using it as a hammer, the end result is obviously going to be a bit different
More than that, being sentient, they have the ability to take on roles past their origins.
Just because you've got naturally long legs and are good at running, doesn't mean you LIKE running, and choose to do it over, say, knitting.

Though if you're really talented, you could run WHILE knitting, but imagine the power tokens that'd cost :/

Mind you, I wrote this before the last three replies

 

Well Blackhammer can make people Fly so, 1 point?

Whorl looks pretty loaded, though. I would very much enjoy a Wizard item with 3 Punishing Bludgeon, 2 Polearm Slash and Parry

 

Cant wait for the video!
Any idea when (aprox. what date) the Halloween holiday special begins?

 

I just want to be finally mentioned ;__;

 

Winners have been decided & cleared with Jon. @CT5 and I will record the announcement video on Monday.

 

No there is not. I tried out some of the 5 card armors and while the cards on the armor are good. I usually just wanted another attack instead

 

So are we free to talk about submissions now? Would be fun to talk about items before winners are announced.

 

Yeah sure.

 

My top would be the following. They all have a nice theme, are a tight design and reasonably balanced for the cost. Plus fun to use!

Spoiler

Chupacabuckler - Jarring Block, Dodge, Mind Muddle

Balanced card load out and a nice alternative to your standard shield. Nice theme and I would love to have mind muddle as a player card. To be able to react to opponents moves without using an action is a tactic I would love to have in standard play.

The Avenger - Shambling Bash, Lunging Bash, Lunging Bash, Lunging Bash, Able Bludgeon, Able Bludgeon

Stuck to the theme and is balanced. Shambling bash is a card I would love to see in player rotation. Nice alternative to the Lunginator if you don't want to spend the major token.

Staff of the Mind Flenser - Psychic Blast, Sorcerous Blast x2, Perplexing Ray, Forgetfulness, Subtle Parry

Well themed and a tight design. Cause your opponent to discard cards and then hit them with the big guns. Balanced without being overpowering. Could see this being a nice meta card to play on some savage burst friendly map rotations.

Giant Storge Proboscis - Sneaky Bloodsuck, Invigorating Touch, Shifty Stab, Consuming Spear x3

Fun, useful and reasonably balanced when compared to items like Vampire's Blade. Having to consider positioning for an attack adds interesting extra dynamics to the game.

Honorable Mention:

Tasty, Tasty Staff - Tongue Grab, Tongue Storm, Tongue Storm, Tongue Lash, Tongue Lash, Acid Blast

Breaks the one monster card limit but the cards themselves are essentially reskins of other player cards with 1 less range. Probably undercosted but how can you not love this item for theme reasons!

Good luck to everyone who entered the contest! Keep those creative juices flowing for AA#4!

 

In the meantime

 

I've definitely enjoyed reading through the entries this go 'round, even though some monsters I'm completely unfamiliar with. I realized a few days ago, but wanted to wait until at least this month's judging was finished: a vast number of every month's entries should be quite invalid -- including the Fashionable Ball and Chain -- due to the solemn oath Aloyzo took after you, dear adventurerer, cleaned up his golem issues. He would never dabble in the dark arts of technology again. $:^ D

--

Okay. Item discussion time. I'm well aware that..

Spoiler: ...my entry...

1. ParodyKnaveBob
2. Hand of the Malodorous
3. Divine Item
4. Poisoned Pseudopod, Consuming Spear x2
   

...doesn't really tightly match my chosen monster. Of course, neither does the subject of its parody, the Hand Of Melvelous match its titular origin -- and yeah, I also recall Flax-I-believe saying somewhere (World Chat?) that that original printed "monster item" wouldn't really fit this contest much for that matter. But c'mon. Hand of the Malodorous. You know it's funny. $E^ D

On a side note, I originally gave an alternative name, Hand of Morvin, (in the remote event that the primary name was too subtle,) but removed it for better chance at not being disqualified. $;^ J

Anyway, my more serious thoughts and motivations on designing this item: It wouldn't actually be a bad, methinks -- especially if the one card got changed a tad (another thing making it less feasible for the contest, unfortunately). Considering we have nothing with which to combat Poison damage other than purges and *chortle* heals (well, and Genetic Engineering), plus there's the enemy-card-removal that could especially hit armors and *yay* blocks, I'd fully understand if Poisoned Pseudopod would need to be increased to green quality, not to mention be changed to Rare as it has multiple effects going on (and even Glob of Flame is Rare -- well, ha, even Sapping Spear is Rare -- nevermind that Mimetics are Common, ha ha ha ha ha). Those changes would presumably increase the item from Epic to Legendary (although it'd only take one level bump I believe to require -- but Consuming Spear would probably be weak enough to not warrant the anyway). I expect I still have rather novice-ish understanding of the game, but my limited view sees PP not bringing OP synergy to the dedicated vampire. The token cost requires you to decide between all pure draining attacks with super strong defense/movement/etc .. vs. tripling up on your PP and taking a power hit elsewhere; this seems important to me since it seem to me that the vampire's attacks are almost always tokenless anyway. Furthermore, PP doesn't get the nearly requisite Talented Healer Cantrip; it just helps remove a potential defense (including perhaps an enemy Move), packs a wallop (albeit it at range 1), and then of course helps drain the victim's life in scary, scary fashion.

That very last bit there, by the way, is the most important reason I picked Consuming Spear instead of, say, Spear Of Darkness. Even though SoD is the exact same level afaik as CS, just look at that hilarious item! $E^ b Melvelous the supposedly Magnificent stabs twice and terrorizes some poor sap. (Sap? Pun unintended, but keepin' it.) Morvin the Malodorous, however, slops one good time, and look at all that havoc he wreaks! $E^ D That's .. stab stab ahh!! .. vs. reach ahh!! ahh!! .. We all know Morvin's cooler than Melvelous anyway $E^ D ...which on that note, if their hands aren't both Legendary, it'd make sense that Morvin's is labelled downright Epic. $;^ b

(Secondary reason I picked CS over SoD: I didn't want the item too powerful, all things considered.)

So yeah, it might've been better to give Morvin some Stink Bomb and radiation and stuff for the contest, but I really didn't want to pass up this opportunity (and hope against hope? heeheeheeheheheh) to submit an official parody to Blue Manchu. Er uh I mean to that crazy old crank, Aloyzo.

--

I'd love to hear summa you all's thoughts on your creations! $:^ ]

 

I'd like to encourage folks discussing submissions to remember that what other people have to say about your submission will be more useful to you, than what you have to say about it will be to them.

 

@ParodyKnaveBob

A fun item but Poisoned Psuedopod is grossly undercosted at gold quality. 14 damage potential PLUS being able to strip someones move from their hand is Emerald at least. Putting that level of undercosted power on a divine item is very unbalanced. The highest damage concentration divine item is draining console which costs a major token. This card far outstrips that in terms of power level for a minor token cost.

You'd need to combine it with 2 weak overcosted cards to attempt to balance this out. Really though you're going to have a hard time creating a balanced item with any of the undercosted monster cards of which there are many.

 

There were a lot of entries I assumed were joke entries, due to use of severely undercosted monster cards. The Hand of the Malodorous with Poisoned Pseudopod on it fits into that category. :/

Another example of cards that don't seem like a good idea to put on items would be Only Bones and to a lesser extent Amorphous Body. "Oops you don't get to play this match" seems a little too unfun to be allowed at silver, even at max one per deck.

 

Are undervalued monster cards destined to never be used on player items, or will the problem be resolved (by making duplicates which are costed appropriately for players, for instance)?

I used one for my submission, assuming that since most monster cards fall into that category, something would be done about it. Monster card values are necessarily awry because they're used to determine play/discard priority, right?

 

Emergency tactics... anyone? ;__;

I really liked Raise the Alarm, and because I'm trying to go with some sort of theme every time I participate... well, an item was born again. Or should I say an idea.

At first I kind of wanted to make this item a Divine item. A whistle. Raise the Alarm, Team Shift, Inspiring Presence. But that Team Shift was too good here, not to mention it was sticking out like a sore thumb - movement on the divine item. So I tried making something closer to reality.

In hindsight, I probably should've renamed this to Servant Tactics and use Team Shift, Raise the Alarm and Weak Strike, but... hey. It's too late now.

 

~nodnod~ I did say I'd fully understand if it'd need to be green quality. If we were allowed to discuss entries within themselves, I would've suggested that even. (Like, some cards get a level bump on some items? Hence my saying the item looks only one step away from a .)

Call it part joke (because obviously it's meant to be funny and I don't really expect it'd get somewhere) and part not (because there's always that chance, lol $E^ D ). No need to :/ about it, don't worry. $¦^ ]

That's indeed an issue. So many cards that're like, BLOW YO MAMA AWAY, BURST FIVE, paper quality, common. Flax practically said as much for the contest when he said we're best off picking monster cards comparable to player cards.

On the other hand, I'd given only a little thought about monster card quality until you said that. Priority would be interesting if so. I guess I thought about a "monster can only have this many" kind of thing (much like combinations of player cards really) but that doesn't make much sense in the grand scheme of things when taken to its logical end. Hm.

@Lucky Dice: I thought Servant's Emergency Tactics was lovely. $:^ J Like, I don't even recall the servants' cards really, but that item gives quite the feel of them. Run and hide far and wide, and sound that blasted alarm. $|^ J Also, I haven't reviewed other card-drawing cards to see if Raise the Alarm compares at silver, but it certainly works (imo) as a Human Skill card when considering Leadership, the Tactics cards, etc. I'd probably pay a for that, at the very least in Campaign at lower levels. $:^ J