Random Question Thread V: But does it 6-hit

[BerenTebogo]

Seems to be

[Siniroth]

Random Fact I: My WS got paralyzed

?

You keep making me need to clean my monitor of coffee

[Kirschy]

Okay, so here's what's interesting about that. Mobs' magic damage reductions come from two potential sources, as many already know, MDB and what we call TMDA (shell-type) reduction. Tiamat takes ~50% damage from magic meaning it either has MDB of around +100, or TMDA of around -128/256, or some component of both. (It also has a similar x/256 cut to ranged damage, I believe, but that's only going by what others have said, I've never verified.)

Quick Draw ignores TMDA, which suggests that Tiamat's damage reduction takes this form, since QD does full damage to it. However, evil weapon mobs also have a 224/256 TMDA value. And yet, both QD and Nether Blast do full damage to evil weapon mobs (the low-level ones with no MDB, anyway--Nether Blast did 508 damage to both a bee and a weapon by a crag when I verified this last spring)--while other forms of magic that are affected by that term still take the cut. This indicates that Nether Blast ignores TMDA--and so should do full damage on something like Tiamat if that was the only thing going on.

So there's something strange going on with Nether Blast. Breath damage does full damage to those weapons, perhaps it's breath damage? (Seems unlikely though since it's affected by MAB/MDB). Or maybe since it says in the description (if I'm remembering right) that it "delivers a ranged attack that does magic damage" or something to that effect, that it is in some sense calculated as ranged attack for the purposes of ranged damage cuts? Any thoughts?

Kind of weird that Netherblast is doing full damage to evil weapon /w MDTA. I'll wanna mess with it myself to see for sure though(not that I doubt you!). Netherblast follows all the rules of magic damage, can even magic burst with it! Doesn't make sense that MDTA and MDB don't affect it. My first guess would be that Netherblast is closer related to Drain/Aspir type of magic (Some mobs take a reduction from elemental magic damage only, and not drain/aspir, such as KV.)

[Byrthnoth]

SE might make a distinction between non-elemental and elemental magical damage. Or Nether Blast could just be a separate case. Avatars/Avatar magic have always been a little odd.

[Kirschy]

Using Netherblast on some Weapons, the MDTA trait didn't affect the damage like you said. Shell didn't affect the damage either =x. Seems MDTA in general doesn't affect Netherblast.

QD affected by MAB/MDB, but not MDTA. Can't Magic Burst(I think?). (Does it land during Magic Shield on Ultima/Hydra?)

Netherblast affected by MAB/MDB, but not MDTA. Can Magic Burst, doesn't land during Magic Shield.

Elemental Magic affected by MAB/MDB, MDTA, can burst, doesn't land during magic shield.

Drain/Aspir not affected by MAB/MDB, not affected by MDTA, can burst, doesn't land during magic shield.

Meteor is affected by MAB/MDB, MDTA. Is reduced by Fealty

Mijin is not affected by MAB/MDB, is affected by MDTA.

Is there some kind of nice theory that wraps this all together? Something that puts together all of what we know, and accounts for stuff like Jailer of Temperance, and other unique mob with resistances.

[Kyte]

Non-elemental would make sense; don't Spirits Within and Chi Blast get reduced on Tiamat as well?

[ronin sparthos]

Is Salverous Gale(sp?) also a breath attack? From my experience I'm almost positive it is. I've taken 100~ gales and I've also taken a 2.8k Gale.

95% sure that Gale is a breath attack.

On Quick Draw, im pretty sure Ultima's Magic Screen causes shots to have no effect.

[Suiram]

Is there some kind of nice theory that wraps this all together? Something that puts together all of what we know, and accounts for stuff like Jailer of Temperance, and other unique mob with resistances.

Jailer of Temperance is easy. The TMDA term is really more generally a "damage cut" term which can be applied to all damage or specific kinds, depending on the mob. In Temperance's case it's -256/256 for magic always, as well as for two of the three physical damage types depending on form. That's why Tomahawk works on it (since Tomahawk works on that term in the damage formula, as you already know).

However, my point wasn't that it was strange that some spells/JAs ignore certain components of their respective damage formulas--this much was known for a long time now and is useful in certain tests. And while I don't think you can find a broader theory that will determine when a particular JA or spell will ignore a particular component, you can fairly easily ascertain that from case to case.

Rather, what I thought was interesting and worth mentioning, was that while Quick Draw and Nether Blast seem to obey the same rules w/r/t MDB and TMDA based on the weapons test, they don't on Tiamat. This suggests to me that there's something going on with Nether Blast in addition to being simply magic damage that ignores TMDA and can't resist, which we already knew. For instance: maybe Nether Blast is classified as Breath damage and Tiamat has a -128/256 (or whatever) breath damage cut (although again, I think this is unlikely). Or maybe it doesn't ignore TMDA so much as it is classified as ranged damage for the purposes of that damage cut term in the damage formula. So it would do reduced damage to a mob that has a specific ranged damage penalty of that particular form (which again, I believe Tiamat does).

[tsaroth816]

With swapping gear to WS set, then swapping back to TP set after WS goes off quickly, how do you stop the Skillchain message/damage from never showing up?

[Aero]

Use blinkmenot.

[Bakthi]

They stay in your inventory; you have to throw them away, just like BCNM orbs.

Urgh. Of all the usability annoyances in FFXI (sometimes Yes is up, sometimes it's down, sometimes it's the default, sometimes it isn't), this is one of the worst. You can't tell by looking at a chip or orb whether it's spent or not. If you have 4 chips, and somehow 1 is spent, and you don't know which...screwed. Yes, of course people should be diligent and keep track of this themselves, and toss stuff right after using to avoid confusion...but why, why doesn't the game just handle it? Just eat the damn item(s) upon entry.

On Quick Draw, im pretty sure Ultima's Magic Screen causes shots to have no effect.

Yes.

[Siniroth]

With swapping gear to WS set, then swapping back to TP set after WS goes off quickly, how do you stop the Skillchain message/damage from never showing up?

Use blinkmenot.

Oh god that's a good reason, I'm always crazy and think I'm failing at SCing <_<

[Kirschy]

Friend just got a G13 gamepad, was hoping someone could direct me to where I could find the Windower Plugin/Binder thingy~

[Militant]

For RDM without Morrig. hands, are Goliard Cuffs next best item for Sleeps/Stun/Drain/Aspir/Nukes(in any sort of a resist situation)? I have Duelist gloves, dvt mitts+1, zenith mitts already fwiw.

[FailureMidgard]

For RDM without Morrig. hands, are Goliard Cuffs next best item for Sleeps/Stun/Drain/Aspir/Nukes(in any sort of a resist situation)? I have Duelist gloves, dvt mitts+1, zenith mitts already fwiw.

Shadow Cuffs beat it, but it beats all your other options listed.

[Nightfyre]

Friend just got a G13 gamepad, was hoping someone could direct me to where I could find the Windower Plugin/Binder thingy~

This?

[Kirschy]

This?

Thats what I use now for my G11, but will it work for the G13 gamepad?

[Callisto]

For RDM without Morrig. hands, are Goliard Cuffs next best item for Sleeps/Stun/Drain/Aspir/Nukes(in any sort of a resist situation)? I have Duelist gloves, dvt mitts+1, zenith mitts already fwiw.

Get Crimson Fng. Gauntlets for Drain/Aspir. For nukes in a resist situation I use Genie Gages, but nothing wrong with Goliard really(I use Morrigan's for full-damage set). For Stun use Dusk if anything, or something with -enmity.

[FailureMidgard]

Get Crimson Fng. Gauntets for Drain/Aspir. For nukes in a resist situation I use Genie Gages, but nothing wrong with Goliard really(I use Morrigan's for full-damage set). For Stun use Dusk if anything, or something with -enmity.

You really think you don't need macc for stunning shit like khim? I'll admit I haven't parse, and am just eyeballing, but I seem to get quite a few even with macc/jupiters/etc.

[Callisto]

Khim may be different, but in general 4 MAcc isn't going to make or break anything with Stun, I'd prefer the extra couple seconds off my timer personally.