>1. Switch around aura and barrier's properties. Make aura
>shorter duration (4-5 hours), higher damage reduction. Make
>barrier lower damage reduction, much longer duration (40
>hours) and the only form of damage reduction that doesn't
>reduce healing. Shield remains the same, and is easiest to
>find/get since it's largely not on mobs like the other two.

So really you're just saying make barrier much more prevalent than it really is.

>2. Make detect artifact level 35. This way by 40 everyone
>should have an aura source if they're any good at exploring.

35 feels a bit low to me. In my mind it's not "as soon as I can possibly use an aura/shield/barrier wand I should have detect artifact".

>3. Despoil moves to level 40. To prevent level 30-40 monster
>mages with aura.
>
>4. Critical hit becomes 1.5 rounds lag instead of 2.

I'm lost here...

>5. Make an edge to extend auras duration, something closer to
>current barriers level, as a reward for well played and long
>lived chars. If barrier is so important to a mages build, it's
>a chance to empower it with your edge points.

Meh.


>The key behind all these changes is to shift the balance of
>power with mages. The greater gripe everyone has with the
>system is that it's very easy for vets or uber-mages to gain
>abs, while newbies and less powerful mages get trampled on
>trying to get them. By making aura far more common
>barrier-like protection, you're powering up lvl 30-45 mages
>significantly while giving barrier a glaring flaw - it's 4-5
>hour duration. This means smarter tactics are rewarded while
>all mages get a basic hardcore damage reduction they can use.

I don't really see that as changing very much. So now people complain they can't find their aura source instead of their barrier source.

>This also depowers uber-mages (liches, charged aps,
>despoil-crazy scions) somewhat at hero because now their
>barrier-style aura only lasts a few hours and the
>really-hard-to-get wands they could get easily don't give that
>much protection.

Really? How? Your aura is now 5 hours instead of 8, your barrier is now 40 instead of 25, and your shield is exactly the same. This doesn't depower anyone.

>The idea is diminishing returns on prep
>effort. Putting a lot of time and effort has a rapid reward at
>first, and can still continue to have a reward, but this
>reward is not as great at hero - when exploration moves more
>toward the big area explores and certain hardcore areas. This
>encourages more low level exploration, fixes what I personally
>percieve is a great imbalance between uber-mages and regular
>mages power, and still allows the same maximum level of damage
>reduction when all three are combined. The idea of removing
>barriers healing-impairing ability is, again, to reward
>uber-mages effort for getting that extra dam-redux.

I really don't see removing any of these healing-impairing ability. If we really wanted to do that, we'd just give all mages more hit points, because that's what it really is.

>Scouts now also have many more foes with high damage
>reduction, and a slightly faster skill to counter it as well
>as discern to watch it's low-duration ticker and time their
>attacks.
>
>What do you think?