[ITEM] Phantom Staff

[R.B.Economy]

This is an independent thread of my 1st CTI winning entry.

Changelog:

24 October 2009
• Removed Bracers from recipe, increased recipe cost to 1000 and reduced total cost by 20.
• Added cooldown to Ghost Aspect to prevent abuse from low cooldown spells such as Nasal Goo, Arc Lightning, Napalm, etc.

PHANTOM STAFF
A staff made for cunning casters.

Cost : 2900

Bought from : Protectorate

OLD BONUS
• Ghost Form (Active)
• +15% Spell Resistance
• +7 all attributes


NEW BONUS
• Ghost Form (Active)
• Ghost Aspect (Passive)
• +20% Spell Resistance
• +13 all attributes

RECIPE

Ghost Staff (1500)


Planewalker's Cloak (400)


Phantom Staff Recipe (1000)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Ghost Form
• Makes you unable to attack or be attacked, but take 44% extra damage from spells
• Ends if you become magic immune, and will have no effect if you are already magic immune
• Lasts 4 seconds and has a 25 second cooldown

Ghost Aspect
• Turns invisible for 2 seconds whenever start casting a spell (if a skill is channeled, invisibility applies when you start channeling, not when channeling ends).
• Has a cooldown of 5 seconds.
• If a spell is casted during invisibility, it will reveal the hero for 0.01 second before turning invisible again.
• Fade time is immediately.
• Invisibility can be broken by attacking.
• Doesn't triggered by arrow-based spells and item abilities.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Heroes that make use of Ghost Form are usually spellcasters. Spellcasters usually have low health. The magic resistance bonus will help to offset a little of the amplified damage taken from Ghost Form. To further boost spellcasters' survival and positioning, Ghost Aspect is introduced as the passive ability, so every time the bearer casts a spell, he can reposition himself and avoid potential threats such as melee heroes and targeted spells at the same time. This would enhance the gameplay of many heroes that have some kind of cast delay/channeling such as Enigma, Crystal Maiden or heroes that depend on spells to function such as Tinker and Lina.

[Baconnaise]

Bracer in a recipe buffing casters and channelers? xD... This is ridiculous... Spell resist on ghost scepter? That kills it's whole point.

[Dc.Nilbog]

I would really like this item to be implemented. It makes more use of the Ghost Scepter and is a nice addition for INT heroes.

[Singhilarity]

This is an extremely interesting recipe.

Personally, I think the Bracer is overkill. Ghost Scepter adding +7 to all stats is sufficient, and sufficient reason for a further augmented stat bonus in this recipe.

The cost of the recipe can easily be shifted to accomodate this change, and it just seems cleaner. Where does the bracer *go*?

My main problem is how much better than Lothar's Edge this is.
I would suggest making Ghost Aspect active ONLY when the hero is already in Ghost Form, and not activate by casting Ghost Form. This way, it rewards the quick fingered and the precise, but prevents the RAMPANT abuse some heroes (Zeus) would suffer unto others with this staff.

Honestly, make it 2900 (Ghost Scepter + Planeswalker Cloak = 1900, Recipe = 1000) and just bump the stats up to 13 all around. You're only getting +6 to each stat, which is worth roughly a grand as it is, but you get the Ghost Aspect ability in addition, which seems fair.


I've never played with a Ghost Scepter, so, to be honest, I don't know how powerful it is... I imagine it can be used with *extreme* success against certain teams, and Ghost Aspect makes it mighty, mighty terrifying. Still, it's a very neat suggestion that adds greatly to the effectiveness of Ghost Scepter as it is.

I've been waiting to see an item that incorporated it, successfully, for a while now.
And I really like this one.

Well played, sir.

[-Yuuh™]

Originally Posted by Baconnaise

Bracer in a recipe buffing casters and channelers? xD... This is ridiculous... Spell resist on ghost scepter? That kills it's whole point.

Well this guy is right, Spell Resist from Planewalker's Cloak in a Extra Damage From Spells from Ghost Form? This has no sense! But I have a suggestion here for you.. What about reduce the Extra Spell Damage taken when in Ghost Form? Like Reduce the extra spell damage taken from 44% to 24% and remove this spell resist. Think about it.

And for more balancing, I suggest remove all autocast spells and item spells:
"Certain abilities, such as arrow abilites (Frost Arrow, Poison Attack, etc) and item abilities, will not turn the bearer invisible."

The concept is realy nice and make the ghost staff a new usage. Well, one example is Bristleback with Goo and Quill Spray plus Ghost Aspect.. he becomes a crazy hero with this staff turning invisible with goo after goo and quill sprays xD

[FlamingFist]

hmmm

need more balancing

[R.B.Economy]

Thanks for the comments. Please check the new changelog.

[Drikam]

Eeeek. Awesome.

I rly dont have to say anything more..

I've seen the passive on a Hellhound hero-suggestion. I love it.


But explain me this:

If a spell is casted during invisibility, it will reveal the hero for 0.01 second before turning invisible again.

WHY!!! -.- Thats just stupid. Remove 0.01 second. Codeable.

[Viper_27_pk]

ERrr imba much Since he becomes invis when HE BEGINS CASTING Think of enigma and sand king
that wud be absolute rape dont u think ?

[-RxN]

This is a great suggestion. Really useful, and not imbalanced. T-Up definitely, no reason to T-Down.

Btw. By this:

the OLD BONUS
• Ghost Form (Active)
• +15% Spell Resistance
• +7 all attributes

Does this refer to the current Ghost Scepter or your previous version of Phantom Staff?

And as for you:

Originally Posted by Viper_27_pk

ERrr imba much Since he becomes invis when HE BEGINS CASTING Think of enigma and sand king
that wud be absolute rape dont u think ?

and would like to have a word with you.

[lozarian]

furion.

[FlaMe]

Makes you invisible while casting a spell!!!! This is too imba skill for something of this gold!
Sorry but did not like ghost aspect passive at all! T-down

[R.B.Economy]

I don't know if it's really that imba unless someone who's good in editor can make this item and see it being used in action. On paper it may look great, but invi is countered by a lot of stuffs, even AoE spells hit them. This only gives casters protection from harm for 2 seconds, they don't have much survivability anyway (die just by taking a few hits from physical heroes). I guess the cooldown might be too low at 5 seconds, it can be nerfed, and then getting 2 seconds of invisibility when casting a spell once in a while isn't so imbalanced is it?

[コクーン]

+13 all attributes? Is that random?

Anyway, the Ghost Aspect invisibility thing isn't too good. It makes that channeling CM invisible for two seconds? Although it is a good ghost-ish theme, invisibility is a no. Item has potential. T-NULL.

[-RxN]

13 is widely acknowledges as the unlucky number, or something related to ghosts and stuff.

i.e. Friday the 13th.

Also, it isn't really imbalanced; it costs just 400g lesser than Lothar's Edge. While Lothar is a one-time use for initiation/escape, this one is ongoing and has a temp. Invisibility for 2 seconds, with a CD 5 seconds, which grants more than enough time to counter with 200g wards, 185g dust. 2 seconds of invisibility is also not godly, he can be hit with AoE spells and the like.

This is something like the Lothar-for-Witch-Doctor-to-channel-his-wtf-pwn ward. But because Lothar did not give any bonuses for him, was too hard and redundant to farm up, and the invisibility fact being easily counter-able and all, Lothar was trashed. This, however, covers all aspects and costs nearly the same as Lothar. And frankly speaking, 2 seconds isn't a lot. If he's channeling, he's gonna be hit by an AoE stun-spell either way.

[tha13]

i luv this one, really interessing ...

[voodo1337clock]

the passive is to unbalanced but still awesome

[Tomarzig]

T- Up