Note: The timing of the implementation of this vote has been modified by a vote to delay, here: Presidents Proposal: Delay Eviscerating Blow's Removal Until Replacement is Passed
Summary: Remove the skill Eviscerating Blow from the Alliance LARP rules.
Full text changes:
Alliance LARP Rulebook version 2.1.2 changes:
- Pg 59 - Remove Eviscerating Blow from Martial Skill Chart.
- Pg 63 - Remove Eviscerating Blow Skill description.
- Pg 110 - Remove “Eviscerate” reference from Sigil of Majesty. New text to read: “An item charge can be expended along with a Slay, Assassinate, or Doom Blow to allow the wielder to cast an earth/chaos spell of 6th level or less. If a Slay or Assassinate is used, the spell must be touch cast.
- Pg 124 - Remove Eviscerating Blow from Index.
- Store Ability - Remove Eviscerating Blow from available skill options. (This will not impact existing items as the call of "500 Body" is still valid)
Vote: ARC Rules Propsal: Eviscerating Blow Removal [PASS: 71.4%]
The following chapters voted for this policy: Minnesota, New Hampshire, Gettysburg, Wisconsin, Chicago
The following chapters voted against this policy: Atlanta, Virginia
The following chapters voted to abstain: Crossroads
Synopsis of conversations:
There was significant conversation regarding the vote, here expressed grouped by arguments against, for, as well as national staff comments to clarify purpose and background of the vote.
Arguments against removing Eviscerating Blow included concerns that its removal is an overreach on an already fragile class, the action is unnecessary as the Skill is not unbalanced, and the action would alienate parts of the player base and possibly take away “Hero Moments” of impacted characters. Members raised concerns regarding the relatively fragile state of the Fighter class, given its reliance on other classes to excel, and that removal of this skill would further weaken the core mechanics of the class, disincentivize people from choosing to play them, and perhaps even turn them away from Alliance entirely. Discussion included the number of existing tools which can counter Eviscerating Blow, given the nature of Weapon Qualifier attacks, including non-Skill solutions like “getting out of the way”. Proponents argued that the notion that Fighters are dominant in the “Burst Damage” design space is inaccurate and that Eviscerating Blow does not have a negative impact on either the game or module design. Furthermore, members were concerned that removing the skill would hamstring Plot team’s ability to create certain game encounters as the attacks is a key tool against PCs. Finally, members felt that it is a dangerous precedent and could lead to removing other "takedown skills” such as Prison and Doom which would reduce the game’s quality. In response to supporters of the measure, members voting against removal pointed out that Stealth damage skills scale much faster than Martial, the Celestial school has access to a greater number of high Burst Damage skills, and that Eviscerating Blow is primarily used as tool against low to mid level monsters and doesn’t actually add to Body bloat issues for major antagonists.
Arguments for removing Eviscerating Blow included the difficulty in preparing balanced modules when the skill is freely available, the relatively low XP prerequisite in comparison to its damage output, its unique status as a source of enormous Burst Damage, and its unbalanced nature in comparison to Stealth and Scholarly classes. Members felt that creating NPC encounters which accounted for Eviscerating Blow either lead to NPC Body bloat and other classes feeling outshone, defensive skill overcompensation and Fighter feeling overshadowed, or all of the above. Proponents contended that Eviscerating Blow’s outsized numerical value skews perception of Burst Damage skills often leading to discontentment among other classes and with other damage Skills; and that adjustments to empower other Burst Damage skills or classes would lead to either damage bloat (reduction of which was one of the express purposes of the 2.0 overhaul) or increasingly complex skill and rule manipulations. Finally, members felt that Eviscerating Blow was an outlier in the Design space of the Fighter class as it allows the “most durable” class to also achieve parity in the space of Burst damage and is therefore not well-balanced. In response to detractors of the measure, members voting for disagreed that Fighter is in a fragile space as their build occupies a space of continuous passive damage-dealing and survivability, that concerns about Prison and Doom being in the crosshairs were specious as its lack of a numerical value keeps it from contributing to damage/Body bloat, and that its removal would not affect module design as "500 Body" is a standard effect.
National Staff participated in the discussion offering insight into the Design purposes of the proposal as well as to clarify purpose and background of the vote