Cursebite: Problematic?

[Keenath]

I recently got the FRPG and was reading the Dark pact.

Does cursebite seem abusive to anyone else? I mean, even if the obvious Rod of Corruption combo is ignored, it seems to me that this is a power that's dealing much more damage than any other striker lvl 1 encounter power.

Even given INT is a non-prime stat for a Darklock, that's pretty good damage. My party's warlock (fey pact) usually has three living, cursed enemies by round four of combat, and I can totally see him setting off cursebite after that last curse.

Compare to the other Warlock encounter powers... They're usually two dice plus prime stat plus a condition, single target. Cursebite is slightly less damage and no effect, but can hit multiple enemies. They don't even have to be clustered like they do for, say, Dire Wolverine Strike or Burning Hands. I guess it just seems a little far into the realm of Controller to be dealing really good damage. If it dealt one die I'd never make a peep about the power.

As far as possible changes, I might consider it more balanced if it specified that you can't use your Warlock's Curse damage on Cursebite or until the start of your next turn. Alternatively, if the range were shorter it might make things more balanced -- like a close burst 3 instead of 20. Or hey, for that matter, what if it just dealt your Warlock's Curse damage to each cursed enemy?

 

[James McMurray]

It looks ok to me. It's good damage, but requires some setup before it goes off.

 

[MrMyth]

I'd say it takes at least a much work to setup Cursebite for multiple enemies as it does to wait for enemies to group up for Burning Hands or the like. Note, also, that it takes a damage hit (you don't get your primary stat to damage). All in all, I find it balanced - I suppose that might change if I ran into a player designed to really abuse it, but on the surface, it seems fine.

 

[Mengu]

I think it's acceptible. 1d8 would have been not worthwhile for non-darkpact warlocks. 2d8 is reasonable. And then Dark Pact warlocks get to add their intelligence, a secondary stat. It's perhaps a bit more damage than what a wizard can do with Burning Hands, Force Orb, and the like, but it's targeting Fortitude instead of Reflex, and and the warlock is a striker, so I think it's all right for Cursebite to do a bit more damage.

Now, why any Dark Pact Warlock would pick Flickering Venom over Cursebite, I don't know...

 

[MwaO]

I recently got the FRPG and was reading the Dark pact.

Does cursebite seem abusive to anyone else? I mean, even if the obvious Rod of Corruption combo is ignored, it seems to me that this is a power that's dealing much more damage than any other striker lvl 1 encounter power.

I think it depends on what level you are. It does seem awfully powerful once you've 3 higher level encounter powers(and could be reasonably expected to have 3-4 opponents cursed already). And if you don't have any other Warlocks in the party - remember, you can't curse someone already cursed.

But at low level, Witchfire is amazing - my warlock's been giving opponents a -6 to hit, which basically takes them out of combat for a round.

 

[Stalker0]

The power is find, its the rod of corruption that's broken. That rod makes every decent combo a warlock has and makes it hokey.

By itself, I think the power is fine.