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dom6:fear [2024/06/19 02:41]
fenrir |
dom6:fear [2026/07/28 14:43] (current)
druwski correct fear/dread stacking rule |
| ====== Fear ====== | ====== Fear ====== |
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| {{:abilities:fear.png?nolink }} **Fear** is an attack on the [[Morale]] of another being. It has many sources, of which the **Fear Aura** is the most common. The core purpose of Fear is force a [[rout]] in the enemy, greatly reducing the amount of bodies one has to cleave through in their bid for domination or survival. | {{:abilities:fear.png?nolink }} **Fear** is an attack on the [[Morale]] of another being. It has many sources, of which the **[[auras|Fear Aura]]** is the most common. The core purpose of Fear is force a [[rout]] in the enemy, greatly reducing the amount of bodies one has to cleave through in their bid for domination or survival. |
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| ===== The Aura ===== | ===== The Aura ===== |
| === In Dominions 5 === | === In Dominions 5 === |
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| * Fear +0 would reduce Morale by **3** (but didn't actually function due to an oversight), and then every 5 points added on would increase the Morale penalty by an extra **+1**, up to a maximum of **5**. Fear +5 reduced Morale by 4, and Fear +10 (or higher) reduced Morale by 5. | * Fear +0 would reduce Morale by **3** (but didn't actually function due to an oversight), and then every 5 points added on would increase the Morale penalty by an extra **+1**, up to a maximum of **5**. Fear +5 reduced Morale by 4, and Fear +10 (or higher) reduced Morale by 5. |
| * The code around whether or not it would cause a rout was insanely complicated, and at times spaghetti-like: | * The code around whether or not it would cause a rout was insanely complicated, and at times spaghetti-like: |
| * If a squad's **numbers** were reduced enough, a single Fear Aura "flash" could trigger a Morale roll for a rout. These thresholds were 80% and 8 average Morale across the squad, 70% and 10 Morale, 60% and 11 Morale, and 30% regardless of Morale. | * If a squad's **numbers** were reduced enough, a single Fear Aura "flash" could trigger a Morale roll for a rout. These thresholds were 80% and 8 average Morale across the squad, 70% and 10 Morale, 60% and 11 Morale, and 30% regardless of Morale. |
| * A squad of //n// members also had a [(5 - //n//) / 4]% chance each round for any Fear Aura "flash" to trigger a Morale roll for a rout. Thus, super-elite troop squads needed 5 or more members in order to be reliable. | * A squad of //n// members also had a [(5 - //n//) / 4]% chance each round for any Fear Aura "flash" to trigger a Morale roll for a rout. Thus, super-elite troop squads needed 5 or more members in order to be reliable. |
| * 5 Fear Aura "flashes" on a single unit in a squad, **or** 10 Fear Aura "flashes" across the whole squad, could trigger a Morale roll for a rout regardless of the squad's condition. This was handled by a score system; every member of the squad got 1000 "morale problem" points, while the one affected got 2000, and 10000 on any one member triggered a Morale roll at the cost of every squad member's points. | * 5 Fear Aura "flashes" on a single unit in a squad, **or** 10 Fear Aura "flashes" across the whole squad, could trigger a Morale roll for a rout regardless of the squad's condition. This was handled by a score system; every member of the squad got 1000 "morale problem" points, while the one affected got 2000, and 10000 on any one member triggered a Morale roll at the cost of every squad member's points. |
| === In Dominions 6 (The Current Game) === | === In Dominions 6 (The Current Game) === |
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| {{:dom6:stats:mor.png?nolink }} In Dominions 6, Fear operates differently. The actual Morale reduction is no longer disclosed, but it's implied to **not** increase with point values; it could be 3, or it could very well be 1. Fear cannot bring Morale more than **10 points** below its base value, however. | {{:dom6:stats:mor.png?nolink }} In Dominions 6, Fear operates differently. It has been made 3 points weaker, lowering Morale by less (**zero** at Fear +0), and it can no longer lower Morale more than **10 points** below its base value. |
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| On the other hand, Fear Auras **always** cause a Morale roll for a rout now; the difference is that the difficulty of the check is significantly lower. The base score for the so-called "Fear roll" is a **10** if it's caused by a Fear +0 Aura. Every 5 points added to the aura increases the base by 1; a Fear +5 Aura (from a really-intimidating human or giant) has a base of **11**, for instance, while a Fear +10 Aura (from a ??Dragon?? or something similar) has a base of **12**. It's not clear if this caps at the traditional base of 14, which Fear +20 would inflict. | On the other hand, Fear Auras **always** cause a Morale roll for a rout now; the difference is that the difficulty of the check is significantly lower. The base score for the so-called "Fear roll" is a **10** if it's caused by a Fear +0 Aura. Every 5 points added to the aura increases the base by 1; a Fear +5 Aura (from a really-intimidating human or giant) has a base of **11**, for instance, while a Fear +10 Aura (from a ??Dragon?? or something similar) has a base of **12**. It's not clear if this caps at the traditional base of 14, which Fear +20 would inflict. |
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| On top of that, the unit(s) directly "flashed" by a Fear Aura may **individually** rout, if their personal Morale fails an "easy" roll. "Easy" implies that the check is against a 10 (the standard 14 minus 4), or 4 lower than whatever the Fear Aura's base is, but the manual doesn't say a specific value. This does not cause the entire squad to rout, though it may cause issues if it brings the squad down to four members (or below other thresholds). | On top of that, the unit(s) directly "flashed" by a Fear Aura may **individually** rout, if their **personal** Morale fails an "easy" roll. "Easy" is revealed by game-testing to be a **6**, regardless of the strength of the Fear Aura; while this would normally be very easy to circumvent, the check is taken after the Morale loss. There is a small delay between losing Morale and taking the rout check, however, in which some lucky units may have their Morale correct slightly. An individual routing does not cause their entire squad to rout, though it may cause issues if it brings the squad down to four members (or below other thresholds). |
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| ===== Dread Auras ===== | ===== Dread Auras ===== |
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| {{:dom6:dread.png?nolink }} **Dread** is new to Dominions 6. It's equivalent to Fear in almost all respects, except that units with [[True Sight]] (or [[Spirit Sight]], or [[Blind|Blindness]]) aren't affected by it. If a unit has both, only whichever has the higher value (if it //applies// to the target) is used. | {{:dom6:dread.png?nolink }} **Dread** is new to Dominions 6. It's equivalent to Fear in almost all respects, except that units with [[True Sight]] (or [[Spirit Sight]], or [[Blind|Blindness]]) aren't affected by it. If a unit has both, the Fear is used, even when the Dread value is higher; the Dread only applies when the Fear value is below 5. |
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| Why use Dread? Quite simply, Dread is far easier to apply than Fear. It's a [[Glamour]] effect that comes in two varieties. There's the [[Bless]] variety, which provides Dread +5, and then there's the [[magic|spell]] variety that Glamour/[[Death]] Mages can apply. According to the Mod Inspector, the two Dread-applying [[Enchantment|Enchantments]] only grant Dread +0, but the "mechanical" yellow text on the spells says they apply Dread +5. Compare this to Fear, which can only be added to units by [[items]] and a Death Bless. | Why use Dread? Quite simply, Dread is far easier to apply than Fear. It's a [[Glamour]] effect that comes in two varieties. There's the [[Bless]] variety, which provides Dread +5, and then there's the [[magic|spell]] variety that Glamour/[[Death]] Mages can apply. According to the Mod Inspector, the two Dread-applying [[Enchantment|Enchantments]] only grant Dread +0, but the "mechanical" yellow text on the spells says they apply Dread +5. Compare this to Fear, which can only be added to units by [[items]] and a Death Bless. |
| Spells and certain magic weapon attacks can cause Fear in bursts, directly attacking the Morale score and possibly causing a rout. This is sometimes called "damage", though it does not reduce [[Hit Points]]. These come in two types: | Spells and certain magic weapon attacks can cause Fear in bursts, directly attacking the Morale score and possibly causing a rout. This is sometimes called "damage", though it does not reduce [[Hit Points]]. These come in two types: |
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| * What's called **"Fear"** (or Fear "Damage") does exactly what Fear Auras do, forcing a Morale roll and all that, but often with higher amounts of Morale lost. Somme Fear spells are **resisted entirely** by an initial Morale check (most-likely against 14), and thus require **two** Morale rolls to force a rout: ??Wailing Winds??, for example. | * What's called **"Fear"** (or Fear "Damage") does exactly what Fear Auras do, forcing a Morale roll and all that, but often with higher amounts of Morale lost. Some Fear spells are **resisted entirely** by an initial Morale check (most-likely against 14), and thus require **two** Morale rolls to force a rout: ??Wailing Winds??, for example. |
| * What's called **"Frighten"** (or Frighten "Damage") is weaker and tamer. It cannot bring one's Morale more than **5 points lower** than their base, and it does **not** force a Morale roll. This lesser version of spookiness has been in the series for a long time, though only on the ??Ancestor Vessel??s of [[t-ien-ch-i-la|Late T'ien Ch'i]]; Dominions 6 applies it to several extra things, such as ??Blood Rain??. | * What's called **"Fright"** (or "Frighten", or Frighten "Damage") is weaker and tamer. It cannot bring one's Morale more than **5 points lower** than their base, and it does **not** force a Morale roll. This lesser version of spookiness has been in the series for a long time, though only on the ??Ancestor Vessel??s of [[t-ien-ch-i-la|Late T'ien Ch'i]]; Dominions 6 applies it to several extra things, such as ??Frighten?? and ??Blood Rain??. |
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| | As of December 3rd, 2024, Fear is now more comparable to Fright. It essentially doesn't stack anymore; it cannot bring one's Morale **more than its damage value lower** than their base. This presumably applies to the Auras as well, though more testing is required. |
| ===== Countering Fear ===== | ===== Countering Fear ===== |
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| Fear is a not-well-liked part of Dominions 6. Most attribute the distaste to it being much more common than before, thanks to the Bless being made cheaper, and to Dread being a thing. Perhaps the massive increase in the number of Morale rolls is too much for the game, despite the 2-to-3-point decrease in its effectiveness. Maybe its impact just [[morale#more-ephemeral-modifiers|decays]] too slowly. It could just be a shift in the metagame that the old Dominions 5 players aren't used to; watching one's multi-buffed super-soldiers get turned around after a few rounds and scratches can certainly leave a bad taste in the mouth. | Fear is a not-well-liked part of Dominions 6. Most attribute the distaste to it being much more common than before, thanks to the Bless being made cheaper, and to Dread being a thing. Perhaps the massive increase in the number of Morale rolls is too much for the game, despite the 2-to-3-point decrease in its effectiveness. Maybe its impact just [[morale#more-ephemeral-modifiers|decays]] too slowly. It could just be a shift in the metagame that the old Dominions 5 players aren't used to; watching one's multi-buffed super-soldiers get turned around after a few rounds and scratches can certainly leave a bad taste in the mouth. The changes with 6.23 (on 12/3/2024) have made it less obnoxious, however. |
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| Fear does not work on the [[Mindless]] or the [[Berserker|Berserk]], and a great many [[Demon|Demons]] have the maximum amount of standard Morale (30) for resisting such things. It is not clear if 30-Morale beings can be routed by Fear at all, as long as their squad consists solely of 30-Morale beings. | Fear does not work on the [[Mindless]] or the [[Berserker|Berserk]], and a great many [[Demon|Demons]] have the maximum amount of standard Morale (30) for resisting such things. It is not clear if 30-Morale beings can be routed by Fear at all, as long as their squad consists solely of 30-Morale beings. |
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| Alternatively, a fellow relying on Fear could be countered through a thorough nuking with [[Evocation|Evocations]]. Taking Fear or Dread on the Bless comes at the cost of points that could go into [[Magic Resistance]] or [[Elemental Resistance|Elemental Resistances]], after all. The paths that bestow Dread don't lend themselves to many defenses against magic. | Alternatively, a fellow relying on Fear could be countered through a thorough nuking with [[Evocation|Evocations]]. Taking Fear or Dread on the Bless comes at the cost of points that could go into [[Magic Resistance]] or [[Elemental Resistance|Elemental Resistances]], after all. The paths that bestow Dread don't lend themselves to many defenses against magic. |
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