What do Rambo, MacGyver, James Bond, Doctor Frankenstein, and Mad Max have in common? Besides making one hell of an adventuring party, they all know how to use SCIENCE! to turn themselves into a veritable army. Of course, we could instead save space on that camel and ride with the one hero who can do it all: Damiel, the best character ever.
Most characters' destinies are written before they take their first step. Fighters are on the frontlines, clerics are on hand to heal injuries, and rangers are off in the wings. Damiel scoffs at these common party roles. The alchemist takes Destiny into his hands and bottles it.
In Skull & Shackles, Damiel can do anything you want him to do. Need a healer? Easy. Get him Cure spells and Potions of Healing, and he'll make Kyra look slack. Need someone to dish out party buffs like candy? He can do that, and he'll do it with the best items in the game to boot. Intelligent and quick, Damiel can "go rogue" and neutralize traps and locks alike. And when it comes to dishing out pure damage, it's tough to beat explosives.
Equipped with only a Noxious Bomb and any other card, n00b Damiel can blast an enemy with 1d10+1d8+2d6+5 (that's an average of 22 damage!!)... and there's a good chance he'll recharge BOTH of those cards and do it again later without so much as a scratch. Yelling an earth-shattering "KABOOM!" and cackling maniacally are optional, but encouraged. Knowledge is power, and power corrupts. Enjoy it.
Not only can Damiel take on nearly any role, but he's never stuck with just one. Want to watch the world burn? Add more oomph to bombs with the Grenadier role. Feeling more sanguine? Patch up a wounded party with the expert skills of the Chirurgeon.
Like any good cocktail, the best mixes are the result of imagination and ingenuity. With a little bit of everything, Damiel can confidently wander into the wilderness alone. (That's good news, given the rumors surrounding the adventuring parties that haven't returned with him.) A fighter who finds a shiny new sword can stab things more efficiently (big whoop), but the alchemist who finds a new potion recipe has a whole new power at his beck and call. Weaker items that fizzle out after a moment's use become the juice of juggernauts.
Imagine playing the Potion of Heroism on yourself every... single... turn. To use his best tricks, Damiel really wants to walk the razor's edge. Play your cards right, and he gets stronger when he's gasping his last breath. Never challenge an alchemist when death is on the line! MWAH HA HA ha ha! *ahem*
With the secrets to life and death in his pockets, Damiel can take on anything and look good doing it. Ignore the twitchy, bloodshot eyes and gruesome stains on his coat. Really, the only thing better than playing Damiel is playing two Damiels at once....
Damiel was my guess for Liz's favorite character, given what she was playtesting at PaizoCon. Clearly I should have posted as much before the blog went up. :)
While I appreciate an argument that involves cocktails, I must point out for the record that Damiel is not dressed entirely in the bones of his enemies. So.
Equipped with only a Noxious Bomb and any other card, n00b Damiel can blast an enemy with 1d10+1d8+2d6+5 (that's an average of 22 damage!!)... and there's a good chance he'll recharge BOTH of those cards and do it again later without so much as a scratch.
So it's clear that he recharges the card he attacks with, but how would he go about recharging the card he discards with his power? Or did Liz just mean that he can play other cards to recharge cards from his discard?
Equipped with only a Noxious Bomb and any other card, n00b Damiel can blast an enemy with 1d10+1d8+2d6+5 (that's an average of 22 damage!!)... and there's a good chance he'll recharge BOTH of those cards and do it again later without so much as a scratch.
So it's clear that he recharges the card he attacks with, but how would he go about recharging the card he discards with his power? Or did Liz just mean that he can play other cards to recharge cards from his discard?
She's not talking about a card discarded for Damiel's power. She's talking about the one discarded for Noxious Bomb's power which lets Damiel add his Craft skill to the combat check. When you do that, there is a Craft check to recharge that card instead of discarding it.
While I appreciate an argument that involves cocktails, I must point out for the record that Damiel is not dressed entirely in the bones of his enemies. So.
In S&S, Damiel had great fun with Ranzak - play speed and a potion of heroism, in a boon-heavy location, and watch him burn through it - with luck, add a potion of flying and watch him take on another.
Now thinking that Damiel + Imrijka would be a fun combo for monster-mashing. Just need to find an AP with Strength and Potions in.
While I appreciate an argument that involves cocktails, I must point out for the record that Damiel is not dressed entirely in the bones of his enemies. So.
How would one be able to play potion of heroism on ever turn? You would have to recharge it after every play.
With the proper hand size, a bit of deck slimming, and some Potion of Healing-based shuffling, you end up getting the cards you want more often than not. Most characters don't mind having a couple cards they can bury on purpose; for Damiel, it's a way of life (hence Liz's comment on him getting stronger the closer he gets to death. :D)
Hmm. But wouldn't _three_ Damiels be better than two? And then...
Some day, we'll make Liz playtest scenarios by playing 6 Damiels at once. Cause that'll clearly give us reasonable and balanced playtest data :)
Careful, you don't wanna know what happens when you reach critical Damiel.
Mike Selinker wrote:
While I appreciate an argument that involves cocktails, I must point out for the record that Damiel is not dressed entirely in the bones of his enemies. So.
That's probably because when Damiel is done with his enemies, there aren't any bones left to wear.
While I appreciate an argument that involves cocktails, I must point out for the record that Damiel is not dressed entirely in the bones of his enemies. So.
My main concern is he is on the edge of: "all the other members of the group are jealous and angry at how powerful Damiel is" and "he is a fun member of the group, both functionally and thematically". I feel he must of really gave the playtesters a workout when balancing him before release. All things considered, his mechanics are really tight, and kudos to anyone who hammered out the current version.
I look forward to whatever the future holds for our beloved Alchemist.
If Damiel uses more than one boon with the potion trait on his turn, the second boon has no effect. Instead roll 1d10, and look at the following table to see what happens:
1. Damiel and all characters at his location take fire damage equal to 1d4 plus the adventure deck number of the boon.
2. Damiel must make a constitution/fortitude check equal to 10 plus the adventure deck number of the boon. If he fails, he must bury 1d4 cards from the top of his deck.
3. Damiel must summon and encounter a random monster from the box. Its difficulty is increased by the adventure deck number of the boon.
4. No effect. The boon is discarded.
5. No effect. The boon is recharged as normal.
6. The boon functions as normal.
7. Draw a random item from the box with the potion trait. If applicable, Damiel uses the power on that boon instead, and then banishes the drawn card.
8. Damiel recharges a number of cards from his discard pile equal to the adventure deck number of the boon (minimum 1).
9. Damiel draws a number of cards equal to the adventure deck number of the boon (minimum 1).
10. Damiel exchanges his role card (if any) with a random one from the box. He is treated as having all the power feats on that card. At the end of the scenario (but before getting the reward), return his original role card.
I played 10 scenarios with Damiel at Origins and had a blast (pun completely intended). I wouldn't call him over-powered just....optimized for best play.
Even with his great talents, we got down to the final handful of blessings more than a couple times during Season of the Runelords 1 & 2. We even had a discussion on just how finely balanced PACG is overall, yes kudos to all.
All 3 CD Alchemists frustrate me in different ways; it's like they're missing that teeny tiny bit that makes them super awesome (and probably OP).
The weirdness with Cogsnap having to actually banish his Alchemical stuff until a power feat, Damiel having no allies even though he can recharge them, and Mother Myrtle having the best blessing power in the game - but only 2 blessings.
I think that is part of Liz's brilliant design. Give you the carrot, then snatch it away as you try to bite.
