I have heard of two likely solutions for this spell and I feel both would be effective. 

1. Stone Circle has no effect on other players. Just non-player enemies. Whether is pets or other monsters. This way if cast on a player for trapping purposes, it has no effect, the player would be able to pass through, but if they had pets, the pets would remain locked in.

2. Stone Circle's duration gets shortened significantly. Maybe just make it last as long as the cast time is, which is still painfully long when you are trapped inside, but it allows for survival.

What does everyone think?

I have not been a fan of stone circle and started asking for it to be modified around two years ago. I'm glad this is being brought up again Loial.

1. This is an angle I've never considered and likely will come with some issues. Assuming it is changed to behave exactly as suggested here, the way [getpet functions currently would defeat its use as a trap for pets.

2. This is a simple and immediate way to try modifying it. There will be some impact on pure PvM uses, i.e., either needing a person dedicated to casting it or having to stop to recast it frequently in prolonged PvM encounters.

Another idea is require it to be targeted on a mobile and make player mobiles an invalid target. While this would not prevent players from being trapped, it would reduce the ease with which it is currently done. Again, it would interfere in PvM situations where you want to cast it on yourself.

No perfect answer, but I'd go with reducing its duration. Energy field has a decent duration, but it does not encircle anything. It tends to require being casted multiple times and is more difficult to use in trapping mobiles. Since stone circle is a one click trap, it should have a relatively short duration.

Honestly i have never understood the problem with Sc since you can teleport out of it, and some pets like the ww teleports too so Sc isn't realy a big problem. If so then the same would need to be applied to Grasping roots. The biggest problem is that the cleric and druid book were never made for pvp, they are pvm spells, so fixing them for pvp will make them useless for pvm.

Stone circle prevents someone from fleeing particularly unfavorable situations, such as being attacked simultaneously by several hostiles. Possible actions include: 1) hiding, which is easily countered, 2) teleporting, which beyond a 1v1, it is rather difficult to do without being fizzled (barring being in protection, even then LOS for teleport can be tricky), 3) coordinate a dispel field with someone not being blasted.

I also have commented on grasping roots in past for being a non-resistible paralyzing spell. Resisting spells reduces paralyze's duration; something similar might be considered for players who are rooted.

The biggest problem is that the cleric and druid book were never made for pvp, they are pvm spells, so fixing them for pvp will make them useless for pvm.

  Your ideas made me think of the following:


  1) Weapons with Dispel on them...

  2) The spells Dispel and Mass Dispel found in the 'Magery' book...

  3) The ability for tamers to use a Leash or a Shrink Potion to minimize there pets into their backpacks...

  4) Tamer pets have resistances built into them naturally...



  Concept Idea: build code around existing game features that allow the following variables:

   Weapon feature - [Dispel on Hit X%] VS a [Pets XYZ Resistance] to being dispelled...

   Wizardy Feature - [{Spell: Dispel} or {Spell: Mass Dispell} VS a [Pets XYZ Resistance] to being dispelled...

   Pets XYZ Resistance Failure = your pet has been dispelled back into your backpack [similar to how a pet is leashed or Shrunk with a potion]

   Dispel Duration = Up to the coder

   Difficulty to Dispel = Based on the coder and the pets 'XYZ' resistance at the time

   

  Summery --- build a system that allows 'Bonded' pets to be dispelled using features already part of the game.


   --Sturger--  I wish I could code... "sighs"


  P.S. as this is an idea, and since it is not yet worthy of more than the concept propose.

[Please keep your feed back, for the moment, on the subject itself. What I mean is; yes the idea is to allow people to dispel your pets during PvP; but in a fair manor that can be discussed after the concept has be considered by the staff]  Thanks!