/rant Creeping Doom

[Flanker]

Having just found out that creeping doom harms the caster and allies can someone please explain a tactical use for this spell now? The idea of a druid having the ability to summon biting insects that attack at his/her command is pretty useless when they turn into annoying biting insects with a mind of their own.

A druid has a pretty small spell list to choose from and creeping doom is (was in the case of this server) the best 7th level spell. I like the idea of a druid casting AoE spells, and then wading in to melee in shifted form but now the only damage spell that can be used is SoV. As a caster call lightning is a great spell but it gets boring having to use it in almost every encounter.

This server already sees an overuse of wizards and sorcerers with their cheesy bigby's, wails, and igms. I'm not even going to begin to talk about hide in plain sight. It's not as if a druid using creeping doom is an unstoppable cheese machine tearing up everything on the server.

[TheBestDeception]

Creeping doom is fine. Druids in general are the anti-mage, being natural and all. It does an amazing amount of damage, by definition to the following: 1d6, 1d6+2d6, 1d6+2d6+3d6, 1d6+2d6+3d6+4d6!! It also ignores spell mantles (past the first round, at least).

On a side note, I'd challenge any character on this server with my Guardian Druid...and I can promise it is Creeping Doom which would kill you.

[deathdearler1]

yeah, the stonehold and creeping doom combo will annihilate almost anything. it has a spell duration and then says or up to 1000 pts of damage. i don't know about anyone else, but i haven't seen anyone with 1000 hp yet.

[Yonwe]

Aye, Stonehold is the combo you want with this for the very reason you belt out huge amounts of damage; rather than wading into melee combat in shifted form and risking damage to yourself, you can ride the fighter-style-class weakness of low will saves with Stonehold and then stay well out of Creeping Doom's radius. The only reason I've ever gone into CD with my Druid is when a third party runs up and I've had to run away quick.

[TheBestDeception]

Besides, with Spell Resistance and Freedom of Movement on you, along with Prem and Greater SS, you are likely to breeze right through Creeping Doom while taking zero damage, even at its higher rolls. On the other hand, an opponent who has no such buffs will be slowed and painfully stung over and over by those little buggers...the Druid definitely has an advantage!

[Flanker]

I understand the stonehold/creeping doom combination but it's situational at best. My main gripe is that a druid is supposed to use wild/elemental shape with their awsome AoE spells but creeping doom can't be used that way on this server. I see it as an unnecessary nerfing of a character when there are others that need more serious work.

[imom411]

Perhaps an even bigger issue is that your companion (N/A on NS4 as of yet, but important down the line, I hope) and/or summon will get taken apart by the little creepies too. This isn't such a big deal if you use stonehold to confine the enemy to the AoE and keep your pals away from it, but like Flanker said it does restrict the situations in which you could use CD.

Also, does anyone use Vine Mine's entangle? Seems like, with a base DC of 15, it could be very effective against enemies with will saves too high to use Stonehold against very well. It would still let you keep the enemies to an area and hit them with CD.

[deathdearler1]

CD will go over stonehold so if all your fighting is Npc's then you have 2 situations. closed in areas which are ideal to funnel everyone together and also the wide open spaces. as CD stays longer the bigger the area gets....i've noticed that b4, if your just fighting mobs in an open space just run around in circles. default AI tells them to try and follow which means they run in circles in the CD. oh yeah energy buffer makes you take no damage from it untill its out.

[TheBestDeception]

oh yeah energy buffer makes you take no damage from it untill its out.

I don't believe this to be accurate. Creeping Doom uses a piercing, physical damage type to hurt stuff ... energy buffer only blocks elemental damage.

Perhaps at the same time, you were wearing Greater SS, Premonition, or Robes of Leonsbane?

[deathdearler1]

that might have been the case but i think it might have given out less damage when i'm using an elemental protection. don't know why i just think its happened to me b4.

[r.dressel]

Uhh .. YEAH! TBD took me down. Actually "owned" , "punked" , "spanked"
Using the same combo along witha mords and a dispell to get rid of mindblank.


And all i could say was Ouch!

Anen Shadowbringer

[Terminal Insanity]

Having just found out that creeping doom harms the caster and allies can someone please explain a tactical use for this spell now? The idea of a druid having the ability to summon biting insects that attack at his/her command is pretty useless when they turn into annoying biting insects with a mind of their own.

if you're like TBD, you will just attack someone, then run to the next area, cast it over and over, and wait for your kill to come through the transition

[TheBestDeception]

I haven't done that since I've made a good character ... been about 8 months ... but that is besides the point.

Creeping Doom is far less "cheap" than bigbys. If this is the only spell that you see as a problem, you need to check out other spells.

[JesterOI]

Controlo Bigbies by handing out rod that have shield on them and can be used by anyone.