For those of you who don't know how this aura works (or forgot), here is its given definition:
Gain 1 Pip from incoming spells ranked 4+.
Thing is, this does not exactly happen. If you had, say 7 white Pips with the aura having been cast, and got hit with Vampire or whatever, your pips will not increase. Same with 6 white Pips and 1 Power Pip, etc.
Meaning that the spell cannot be used to stack up more than 7 regular Pips at a time.
If this was the intended effect, then can somebody at KI please revise the definition so that it is in accordance with how the spell actually works. Because its description says nothing about 'unless you have 7 pips already'.
OR, change the aura so that it functions in a manner similar to Donate Power, so that I can gain 7 Power Pips if enough 4+ Spells are cast. (Which is what one would think should happen after reading Empowerment's definition). I prefer a change to the Aura, personally.
Also, just as a suggestion, since TC utility spells are supposed to be better than the trained ones (i.e. Reshuffle), TC Empowerment could have the same effect at incoming 3+ spells. Because the TC is exactly the same as the Trained spell. Just my 2 cents.
For those of you who don't know how this aura works (or forgot), here is its given definition:
Gain 1 Pip from incoming spells ranked 4+.
Thing is, this does not exactly happen. If you had, say 7 white Pips with the aura having been cast, and got hit with Vampire or whatever, your pips will not increase. Same with 6 white Pips and 1 Power Pip, etc.
Meaning that the spell cannot be used to stack up more than 7 regular Pips at a time.
If this was the intended effect, then can somebody at KI please revise the definition so that it is in accordance with how the spell actually works. Because its description says nothing about 'unless you have 7 pips already'.
OR, change the aura so that it functions in a manner similar to Donate Power, so that I can gain 7 Power Pips if enough 4+ Spells are cast. (Which is what one would think should happen after reading Empowerment's definition). I prefer a change to the Aura, personally.
Also, just as a suggestion, since TC utility spells are supposed to be better than the trained ones (i.e. Reshuffle), TC Empowerment could have the same effect at incoming 3+ spells. Because the TC is exactly the same as the Trained spell. Just my 2 cents.
This is no different than healing. If you cast a heal that does more than you need you don't get the extra health either. Maximum is maximum no matter how you look at it. It doesn't matter if you have 7 normal pips or 7 power pips... a pip is one pip and occupies one pip space. The description doesn't say you get power pips... it says pips. I don't think your power pip chance even comes into play in the scenario as it works now. Best advice would be to only cast the spell when it's going to be of some benefit to you... ie. when you're low on pips. Regarding the TC issue... since the spell is a zero pip cast I can see where it would be exactly the same as a trained spell. But on the other hand, TC Vengeance and TC Amplify both give higher boosts than the trained versions so maybe you're on to something!
This is no different than healing. If you cast a heal that does more than you need you don't get the extra health either. Maximum is maximum no matter how you look at it. It doesn't matter if you have 7 normal pips or 7 power pips... a pip is one pip and occupies one pip space. The description doesn't say you get power pips... it says pips. I don't think your power pip chance even comes into play in the scenario as it works now. Best advice would be to only cast the spell when it's going to be of some benefit to you... ie. when you're low on pips. Regarding the TC issue... since the spell is a zero pip cast I can see where it would be exactly the same as a trained spell. But on the other hand, TC Vengeance and TC Amplify both give higher boosts than the trained versions so maybe you're on to something!
Normally I'd agree with you on the pip part, except for the fact that a very similar spell exists, called Donate Power, which does just that (Give 2 Pips to Target).
Let's say that I am in a duel, starting off at 0 Pips, and have 0% Power Pip chance.
By your reasoning (maximum is maximum, doesn't say Power Pips), Donate Power should only be able to give me pips until I have 7 regular Pips at my disposal, at which point I shouldn't be able to get any more (until I cast a spell).
But this isn't the case. Donate Power can be cast on me until I have 7 Power Pips, the equivalent of 14 regular Pips. Meaning that if I have 5 Power Pips and 2 ordinary Pips, Donate Power will then change my regular Pips to Power Pips, so that I now have a full rack of Power Pips.
So my question is, why should Empowerment not work exactly the same way? The definitions given are practically identical. Gain 1 Pip if X. vs Give 2 Pips to Target. What gives? That doesn't make any sense, hence either the definition change or the aura change.
A better solution is to make cards like Donate Power and Empower (death spell that does damage and gives pips) not give extra pips when you have seven pips and at least one is white. They should be more like healing which is what they were intended to be like. Healing doesn't bring your health over max health so these spells shouldn't being your pips over seven either. Also, when you have seven pips and at least one of them is white, you have no chance of getting a power pip the next round.
A better solution is to make cards like Donate Power and Empower (death spell that does damage and gives pips) not give extra pips when you have seven pips and at least one is white. They should be more like healing which is what they were intended to be like. Healing doesn't bring your health over max health so these spells shouldn't being your pips over seven either. Also, when you have seven pips and at least one of them is white, you have no chance of getting a power pip the next round.
So rather than fix the one spell that doesn't function like all the others of its kind, you suggest a reinvention all of the other spells so that they would function like the one. Nice logic.
Normally I'd agree with you on the pip part, except for the fact that a very similar spell exists, called Donate Power, which does just that (Give 2 Pips to Target).
Let's say that I am in a duel, starting off at 0 Pips, and have 0% Power Pip chance.
By your reasoning (maximum is maximum, doesn't say Power Pips), Donate Power should only be able to give me pips until I have 7 regular Pips at my disposal, at which point I shouldn't be able to get any more (until I cast a spell).
But this isn't the case. Donate Power can be cast on me until I have 7 Power Pips, the equivalent of 14 regular Pips. Meaning that if I have 5 Power Pips and 2 ordinary Pips, Donate Power will then change my regular Pips to Power Pips, so that I now have a full rack of Power Pips.
So my question is, why should Empowerment not work exactly the same way? The definitions given are practically identical. Gain 1 Pip if X. vs Give 2 Pips to Target. What gives? That doesn't make any sense, hence either the definition change or the aura change.
Hopefully you see where I am coming from now.
I wasn't aware that Donate Power had the ability to transform normal pips to power pips. I assume that someone else is casting Donate Power on you and if that's the case I can understand your original argument. The only issue I could see is that Empowerment is granting pips that aren't subject to a wizard's innate power pip chance... they're totally independent pips (free range pips? lol) and as such are manifested as normal pips. In the case of Donate Power however, it could be that the power pip chance of the caster or the recipient might have a bearing on whether the given pip is normal or a power pip.
I wasn't aware that Donate Power had the ability to transform normal pips to power pips. I assume that someone else is casting Donate Power on you and if that's the case I can understand your original argument. The only issue I could see is that Empowerment is granting pips that aren't subject to a wizard's innate power pip chance... they're totally independent pips (free range pips? lol) and as such are manifested as normal pips. In the case of Donate Power however, it could be that the power pip chance of the caster or the recipient might have a bearing on whether the given pip is normal or a power pip.
Exactly, Empowerment grants pips independently of one's Power Pip chance, meaning that I can only ever get a single white pip for every incoming 4+ spell that I take in.
If you haven't yet, go to the Bazaar and try out a few Donate Power TC. It will give the equivalent of 2 white pips to your target, every time, with no exceptions, regardless of whether or not you or your target has 0% or 100% Power Pip Chance.
It might help for you to think about this in terms of 'pip count' rather than in terms of regular and power pips. If you have a pip count of 7 (all white pips), it will then be 9 after Donate Power is cast on you, and your pips will change accordingly to match that count (5 white, 2 gold). If you have 9, then it will be 11, and so on. If you have 13 Pips, well because 14 is the maximum pip count one can reach, your pip count will only be raised by 1. That is how Donate Power works, and Empower too (though obviously via a slightly different method).
(If you are in fact using the TC, it will give 3 Pips, as it is slightly better than the trained spell).
So rather than fix the one spell that doesn't function like all the others of its kind, you suggest a reinvention all of the other spells so that they would function like the one. Nice logic.
I wouldn't call changing Empowerment "fixing" it. If it was changed, then the pip system should change as well, so when you have seven pips with one of them being a white pip, you have a chance of converting a white pip to a power pip the next round. Although the pip system is good as it is right now.
As much as I would love Empowerment to gild a preexisting set of pearly white pips, I can see why they chose not to let Empowerment do this. And at least some of that reason is because Donate Power already exists.
"Donate power (as trained) is not a spectacular spell, it's a pip payday loan that takes a whopping 33% in service charges" --Paul Ghosthunter, disgruntled sorcerer.
This is probably the "price point" for the potentially explosive ability to gain, or to cause your ally to gain, more than 1 pip a turn.
Empowerment theoretically could let you gain 6-7 extra pips a turn, and we often see 3-5 pips when using this aura against 4 enemies who start with lots of pips and use a lot of AOEs (Darkmoor anyone?). If Empowerment let you roll over a full set of white pips into some yellow ones, a player of any level could have 14 pips in 2-3 turns, provided they survive (this is easy enough to do in some battles where all enemies are the same school and you have immunity.)
As a zero pip spell that anyone can use, this is probably why Empowerment doesn't "upgrade" existing white pips and change them to gold.
As much as I would love Empowerment to gild a preexisting set of pearly white pips, I can see why they chose not to let Empowerment do this. And at least some of that reason is because Donate Power already exists.
"Donate power (as trained) is not a spectacular spell, it's a pip payday loan that takes a whopping 33% in service charges" --Paul Ghosthunter, disgruntled sorcerer.
This is probably the "price point" for the potentially explosive ability to gain, or to cause your ally to gain, more than 1 pip a turn.
Empowerment theoretically could let you gain 6-7 extra pips a turn, and we often see 3-5 pips when using this aura against 4 enemies who start with lots of pips and use a lot of AOEs (Darkmoor anyone?). If Empowerment let you roll over a full set of white pips into some yellow ones, a player of any level could have 14 pips in 2-3 turns, provided they survive (this is easy enough to do in some battles where all enemies are the same school and you have immunity.)
As a zero pip spell that anyone can use, this is probably why Empowerment doesn't "upgrade" existing white pips and change them to gold.
What's your point exactly? If a player has immunity, they aren't dying anytime soon anyway. Might as well speed things up shall we? Gaining X pips per turn is exactly how the aura should work as per the definition. Besides, it makes the spell that much more useful (especially for Darkmoor).
