AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

Hello guys!

I had a chat with Mith recently and we realized, how nonsensical is to have Windreaper in Abyss, actually.

1. It makes everyone a Dragonslayer - that is absolute nonsense, while he is extremely weak for a Mature Dragon - even when he is consumed by Abyss and blah, blah...
2. Dragon would never-ever allow to become... 'This' ...

Our idea is simple - what about simply replacing him with some kind of a demon with similar abilities? Or better - whole new abilities to make it a little bit more difficult? (He's really easy to kill right now...

)

I was thinking about Nalfeshnee or even Klurichir to make it really more Abyss like!

There is an rp reason why Windreaper is in the Abyss. If I remember correctly, he is trapped in that Plane (The Abyss). Therefore, he kills anyone that comes near him because he has an unstoppable rage because he can't get freed.

''Windreaper, along with his rival, Zamishar, a Copper dragon who is now deceased, have lived in and around Zanshibon since before the island sunk into the Abyss. When the two dragons descended into the Abyss, the planar travel affected them both in different, yet predictable ways. Windreaper's Lawful Evil outlook became twisted, and he was sent spiraling down the road to Chaotic Evil. His normally impeccable thought out plans, his well made lairs, and in iron fisted control of the desert he claimed as his own, began to falter. He became more erratic, striking out at anyone and anything for literally no reason. As time went on, he began to lose his very sanity. This day, all that remains of Windreaper is a mindless feral killing machine. His hoard exists, though is long forgotten by him. He exists only to slay and murder.''

This is Windreapers history written by Tormak in 2011 ... Nothing about being trapped, actually - that's why I suggested replacing him with something else - more fitting and much more powerful....

Ah. Wasn't aware of that. My apologies. But, you can't simply replace something. You can maybe find a way to kill off Windy and replace it. But a simple unplug / plug isn't allowed. I'm sure.

Well, I believe there are much more powerful inhabitants of Abyss, who could take care of this once-dragon beast, that lives there. That's just a matter of imagination, but I really only have this idea to see how people would like it ... And if DMs/Devs are willing do something with it aswell. Even when I know it is not priority number one, right now.

Call me a bit old fashioned, but I think it's sort of nice we have a dragon bonss on the server. Just the one. I do think he needs a mechanics overhaul though to properly show that he has the Fiendish template and has been corrupted. I could do that pretty easily, actually... note to self.

Sure he's not trapped there, but he's long since out of his right mind - perhaps he doesn't want to abandon the Hoard he has... or doesn't have, but is too gone to realize he no longer has? 2011 was a while ago, who knows if it's still around now.

As for killing him over and over - perhaps a powerful dragon like him has simply undergone similar to what dragons can do when the enter Twilight, and corrupted and twisted by the powers of the Abyss, he's essentially he area's "Guardian Spirit", and come sbakc to Flesh and Blood life even wwhen slain, just like how Demons fight and war and bleed and die eternally.

I've not bothered to visit him in years because of the rare chance to spawn.. which i think was fixed? Either way it was suggested he no longer does his jump attack? A shame if so, as that made him rather scary once upon a time!

I always thought it would be better to just trade him in for a Balor or something. I like my dragons DM run, and powerful, like.. the Spine of the World dragon was the best thing ever. They should all be like that.

Anyway, if you will make him stronger, I'd be absolutely cool with it! ... The way he is now, it's just a joke, not Dragon (Even when twisted)

... That's the main reason for this topic actually. I'd like to see something really difficult in Abyss... Be it really powerful fiendish dragon or simply fiend.... But not this (I got fear Aura and a dmg like Snowbeast) parody of Dragon...

I would be looking at something like a lightning damage aura, lightning damage on the claws, a Wounding bite, and maybe some uses of Smite Good or the like. The 'blackguard" role isn't filled by a +5 boss on the server, nor is a lightning-gimmicked boss, and an Abyssal Blue Dragon seems prime for both. Nothing super numbers wise increased, but simply some new additions to the arsenal.

Okay, so the lightning aura and lightning bolt seem like some good additions to his bag of tricks. But somewhere in the update he appears to have gotten his wing buffet ability back.

Which means he's gotten his habit of spamming wing buffet back.

Which is annoying.

Dark Immolation wrote:

Okay, so the lightning aura and lightning bolt seem like some good additions to his bag of tricks. But somewhere in the update he appears to have gotten his wing buffet ability back.

Which means he's gotten his habit of spamming wing buffet back.

Which is annoying.

Windy was using buffets before the update

Well maybe his AI just remembered he had them again, because I haven't seen them in literal years until just now again.

Either way, I would suggest only giving him 1 or 2 uses of it. It's a 50 DC Reflex and the KD seems like it can last for like 3 rounds a pop. It's fine when used on its own, and indeed gives you the feeling you're fighting a badass abyssal dragon... but when the AI chains them together, you end up feeling like you're getting cheated. The aura damage compounds it.

Edit: I think what may have triggered it was staying ranged for a few rounds(to admire the new lightning bolt ability). But still, it probably shouldn't have more than a couple uses of it. The ability is fine to break up a party and actually challenge PCs, but it's not something I'd trust the AI to handle well, even if it only happens once in a blue moon. That, or change the max duration of the knockdown to 1 round so the durations won't overlap.

If you die soloing a +5 boss, I don't consider that in need of a balance change, tbh.

I'm in agreement, though Windy can already merc plenty of people with one or two uses of it. At some point it just becomes gratuitous, whether you're solo or in a party. It's the old video game standby of when the player fails, you make it feel like it's their fault. Approaching Windy and watching him spaz out with an ability even Bioware nixed originally doesn't fulfill that. The ability itself is fine, but giving him multiples with fucky AI is simply poor design for an encounter, as much as we might want to say "you were asking for it" in challenging it.

His AI was not altered, only his stats.

I say make it harder. It's a straight, honest fight, one of the few 'hard' ones that you can just go fight with no tricks or gimmicks such as requiring a disjunction, requiring some immunity, or occasionally running some script that makes it a wow boss and other times sitting there doing nothing.

Hell, make it spawn two, call it 'twindy.'

Windreaper in Abyss

Who is online