Dispersive Ward | Entropic Aegis

[OdinVanguard]

NAME: Dispersive Ward ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 4 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: Reduces damage by 0 to 3 points. Generates two random quanta per point of damage reduced.	NAME: Entropic Aegis ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 5 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: Reduces damage by 0 to 4 points. Generates 1 per point of damage reduced.

ART: OdinVanguard IDEA: OdinVanguard NOTES: "Today everything just seems to fall apart" "But don't worry, when those things happen to be the devious plans of your enemies, that's a good thing." Entropy version of solar shield. Has a variable damage reduction range so there is a chance of it stoping as much damage as a diamond shield, but there there is also a chance it won't do anything at all. Unupgraded version creates random quanta, while upgraded version produces entropy. Slightly nerfed from original idea, which blocked damage of any type... But should be a little more consistent with other shield types.

Spoiler for old version:

NAME: Dispersive Ward ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 3 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: Reduces damage from all sources by 0 to 2. For each point of damage reduced, two random quanta are generated.	NAME: Entropic Aegis ELEMENT: Entropy COST: 7 TYPE: Permanent ATK|HP: TEXT: Shield: Reduces damage from all sources by 0 to 3. For each point of damge reduced, one entropy quantum is generated.

ART: OdinVanguard IDEA: OdinVanguard NOTES: "Today everything just seems to fall apart" "But don't worry, when those things happen to be the devious plans of your enemies, that's a good thing." I've always wanted to see more shields that can provide broad spectrum protection. I.e. are useful against more than standard creature attacks. This shield reduces damage from everything except momentum and maybe voodoo. It also functions as a nice quanta generator, so it makes a good shield to interlace with dissipation shields. Spoiler for old versions: SERIES:

[iskelion]

too powerful IMO (even without the quanta production), maybe if it was more expensive and/or reduced less damage

[OdinVanguard]

too powerful IMO (even without the quanta production), maybe if it was more expensive and/or reduced less damage

Hmm... I actually thought it might be slight UP myself... 0 to 3 averages out to 1.5 damage, 2 to 4 averages to 3 so the upped may need a nerf.

What do you think a good price and reduction range would be for each?

[foofatron]

I think the frequency or amount may be a problem, the cost is fine.

The upped one will 3 on average, and with say 2-3 monsters it will quickly surpass its own cost and generate lot of quanta, too much I think.

Maybe generate 1 for each attack reduced. Or reduce the amount of damage blocked, but in that case I would say keep 0-3 or do 1-2.

[OdinVanguard]

I think the frequency or amount may be a problem, the cost is fine.

The upped one will 3 on average, and with say 2-3 monsters it will quickly surpass its own cost and generate lot of quanta, too much I think.

Maybe generate 1 for each attack reduced. Or reduce the amount of damage blocked, but in that case I would say keep 0-3 or do 1-2.

Hmmm. I see your point.
I want to stay away from just giving 1 quantum per attack since that is already done by solar buckler and the randomness makes it fit nicely into entropy.

I'll go with 0-3 for the upgraded version then, and drop the unupgraded one down to 0-2.

[timetock]

upped seems a bit on the expensive side.

[OdinVanguard]

upped seems a bit on the expensive side.

hmm... well, it averages a 1.5 point reduction and correspondingly 1.5 production per damage source right now.

Do you think I should I bump the reduction, lower cost, or both?

I suppose right now might be a decent time to look at cost theory...

[foofatron]

At 6 it'd take 4 average blocks to pay for itself, 1-2 turns usually. Afterwords it should generate at least 3 quanta per turn, but probably more.

I think it's fine as is, but I wouldn't want to see it lower than 6.

[OdinVanguard]

I've brought this topic up in the design theory thread on cost theroy

http://elementscommunity.org/forum/design-theory/the-new-card-theory-thread/

So general discussion of this mechanic can go there since it seems like a neat mechanic idea and may be useful for similar card ideas in the future.

[Captain Scibra]

Looks like a pretty solid cross-element Solar Shield.  The non-upgraded would be reasonably balanced with 3 quanta per turn (think Quanyum Pillar), as it pretty much mirrors Solar Shield with exception to the DR being an average and a rainbow production.  For the upgraded, a cost of  would be reasonable [6 (average DR [1.5]) +3 (DR-pillar effect) -3 (Single slot) -1 (Entropy random effect bonus) = 5  ].  As for the types of damage reduced, I would leave it at only physical for the sake of consistency.

[foofatron]

How does the equation account for quanta production over turns? I feel like that should cancel out the randomness aspect.

[OdinVanguard]

Looks like a pretty solid cross-element Solar Shield.  The non-upgraded would be reasonably balanced with 3 quanta per turn (think Quanyum Pillar), as it pretty much mirrors Solar Shield with exception to the DR being an average and a rainbow production.  For the upgraded, a cost of  would be reasonable [6 (average DR [1.5]) +3 (DR-pillar effect) -3 (Single slot) -1 (Entropy random effect bonus) = 5  ].  As for the types of damage reduced, I would leave it at only physical for the sake of consistency.

Seems pretty reasonable. I've updated with the new versions now
Basically, unupped gets buffed to a 0 - 3 range, upped gets a cost reduction down to 5 ...

I did want to make a shield useful for more than just physical attacks but I can understand that that may be trying to do too many things at once.

I've started a poll so people can vote on what kinds of damage it should interact with to get a feel of what everyone thinks.

Thanks for the balancing help!