As it stands right now, If you hack three things are like to happen.

1. It hits, debilitates you oponent, and they are gone before you can do anything else.

2. It misses and your opponent kills you before you can move again.

3. It hits, but your oppenent has its affects covered, and they kill you before you can move again.

Maybe I am missing something, but that was my observation fighting againts Mamlauks, but I am by no means an expert on this adapt.

It's a situationally really powerful skill. I wouldn't drop its lag without also making its maledictions dramatically less powerful.

Can you outline a situation where you would use it and your opponent wouldn't be able to get away (excluding rager far from village)?

Just trying to figure out what I'm missing (admittedly I haven't played that kind of orc).

Honestly, you could ask a very similar question about giant flurry. All things being equal, solo, an opponent who is in real danger from its damage (i.e., not super tanked up) will tend to wimpy from it and be gone a long, long time before 4 rounds is up.

But... (for example)

Sometimes they're lagged, either from their commands, yours, or someone else's, and don't get to wimpy and don't live to see their next command.

Sometimes a person may have problems getting away from you for other reasons.

Sometimes what you really want (or at least, what you can realistically get) out of using a crippling skill is that person out of the fight or the raid. I mean, how many solo kills does Wither get -- but situationally it gets a problem character out of your hair for a while, allowing you to kill someone else, escape with your life, get your cabal item back, etc.

I would not, could not die from hack
no even on a failed blackjack

I could not, would not, on a boat.
I will not, will not, with a goat.
I will not get killed in the rain.
I will not get killed on a plain.
Not in the dark! Not in a tree!
Not at the bar! You let me be!
It is not deadly in a box.
It is not deadly with a fox.
It would not kill me in a house.
It would not kill me with a mouse.
It would not kill me here or there.
It would not kill me ANYWHERE!

It's quite deadly in a box or other escapeless scenario.

But I'm entertained.

If you were going to play an orc, which specialty path would catch your eye for your kill/playstyle? Just curious, not sure I would see you as the Mamlauk sort.

I've done both Mamlauk and Shig-ru, although I don't think either made it into hero range, both of which are more casualties of RL/timing than anything else.

Although things about all four paths appeal to me (and I tweaked each of them a year or five back until I thought they were viable), probably Shig-ru and Mundunugu are closest to my style. Rush is among my favorite skills in the whole game.

Just like talking about these things!

My only chief was a mundunugu, and I found that I still have a lot to learn about Fetish and smear.

<3

NT

.

Daev, do you play anything that has a random chance of dying?

Orcs are not fun to hero, and then die off really fast with not much rewards. Ok, you can say whatever. I can pull out a long list. Just my opinion, but I think its factual

Ok, so some suggestions.

1. Time hack just after they've lagged themselves, or just before they will.
2. Prep so you can survive until later (eg vs a shield pally).
3. Remember your slave or horde can lag.
4. Remember you are not always alone.
5. Remember you fight mobs as well as players.
6. Remember this is a damage and fairly unique maladicting attack.

In short, I can't agree that its lag should be reduced, even though I agree that the lag makes it situational.

However, I believe on a successful hack you have 4 rounds of lag. Miss is 3 (I think). Whomp is 3 and 2.

So assuming you are fighting solo (or with slave/horde), you either want /need the malediction but can't keep them in a fight, or you want/need damage, at which point IMHO Whomp would be a better choice. It feels to me like reducing it to 3 and 2 would mean you would at least have a chance of getting the malediction and keeping them in a fight, where as at 4 and 3, there doesn't seem to be much of any chance. Just my opinion, but as a malediction ability, it long log pretty much ruins it.

As an example, how effective would kot/kans be on an assassin if they were each 3 rounds normally and 4 rounds if you got the big echo? I can't imagine there would be much point to trying to play a straight up fighting assassin at that point.

Ironically the one group that orcs pick on like nobody's business, the village can be very very hampered by the use of hack.

It's very strong, I don't think it should be toned down. (And I've been on the receiving end as well as had an orc with it at hero range).

I am saying that I can't imagine a situation where I die to an orc using hack that isn't a 2v1. Ragers excluded for obvious, running, reasons, but 9/10 times I'm probably going to plow through a maumlauk as RBW, even with a hacked leg.

Will struggle if you just removed his shield with your hack.

That rager may struggle if you just hacked his leg.

Your horde may lag them after you hack, keeping them in the fight.

They might miss a bash, and get cheap shotted. etc. (Although they are dumb to bash if you just hacked.)