OK here's the deal. I use life prisms on other life types as i am a Life Wizard and use primarily life attacks for obvious reasons. A couple of times (only a couple out of many battles) I have seen a death shield take effect when i cast a life spell through a life prism. Most of the time the death shields do NOT take effect even though the spell is being converted from life to death. Is this a glitch? Is it a timing thing? Are death shields supposed to take effect when a life attack is converted to death? OR is it NOT supposed to take effect simply because the spell is being CAST as a life spell? I would REALLY like to hear from an admin on this and hear from other wizards who have experienced the same thing. Not just life wizards but anyone who uses converts or prisms.
Re: Life Prisms and Death Shields ...possible glitch?
It's a timing issue. Shields activate from the last one cast up to the first one cast. If the death shield was up BEFORE your prism, it will trigger. If the prism was first, then the death shield will be bypassed. This is why people that put traps BEFORE a prism won't see them used.
Re: Life Prisms and Death Shields ...possible glitch?
It is a timing thing. Prisms, traps and shields take effect in the reverse order they are put on. If a death shield is put on before a life prism, the prism acts first, converting life to death, and then the death shield acts :( to reduce the damage. If the death shield is put on after the prism, the shield is checked first and ignored :D because at that moment the incoming damage is life. Then the prism is checked and takes effect. The shield is not checked again because it was already checked once for that damage calculation. So if you are life, make sure to get your prism on before the foe gets a death shield up.
With traps, you want your school trap to go on after your prism; otherwise the trap will be ignored. Prism on first, trap second: the trap is checked first, used because it matches the incoming damage, then the prism is checked and applied :-) . Trap on first, prism second: Prism is checked first and changes the damage from life to death, then trap is checked and ignored because it doesn't match the current damage type. :(
My personal favorite is a trap/prism sandwich: on a life foe, put a death trap first, then your life prism, then a life trap. When your life attack comes in, the life trap triggers first, then the prism, then the death trap, then the foe's own death boost. They all multiply together giving huge damage! BOOM! Once you invest in a trap of your opposite school, you can also use a trap/prism sandwich on any other type of foe. If they are your opposite school, their resist will apply, so you'll have to do some quick math to see if it is worth it.
Finally, if any kind of foe puts up a shield against your school, you can put a prism on after it to get around the shield. Just remember if they are your opposite, their resist will apply, but that is still less than the shield until you get up to about rank 8 foes.
Re: Life Prisms and Death Shields ...possible glitch?
Thanks so much to both of you! That is exactly what i needed to know. Too bad i am almost a grandmaster and just learned about the timing and prism trap combo lol. Oh well thats the way it goes. My second time around will be much more effective knowing what i know now from all the mistakes i made the first time hehe
Connor MoonCatcher Level 49 Life Wizard (VERY close to 50 :D)
Once you invest in a trap of your opposite school, you can also use a trap/prism sandwich on any other type of foe. If they are your opposite school, their resist will apply, so you'll have to do some quick math to see if it is worth it.