Mords Lucubration = Pinball Wizard

[awaken DM golem]

This is just a sketch, but it's pretty obvious.
Mords Lucubration level 22 Wizard Daily in Arcane Power,
makes any Sustain power last 5 minutes (encounter length).


OK, so here's the comparo:

Normal
Round 1 - sus power
Round 2 - sus power, and minor sus
Round 3 - sus power, minor sus, move sub minor sus ... now he "can't" move
Round 4 - AP sus power, 3 minors sus
Round 5 - back down to 3

Mords Lucu
Round 1 - AP Mords Lucu, sus power
Round 2 - sus power, minor is free
Round 3 - sus power, minor and move are free ... move being the important one
Round 4 - sus power ... very ahead at this point
Round 5+ more sus powers

It's only by round 4 that the advantage is obvious.
But
now the Wizard and/or the Party just have to Slide Push or Pull the bad guys into the zones and conjs.

It seems to me, that the party doesn't have to do much here (I haven't play tested this at all).
Wiz novas, and everybody plays Pinball, with the bad guys; the party plays secondary role of bodyguard.

2 encounters a day, are basic survive with no problem, and slightly entertaining.
2+ encounters a day, the rest of the party has to hold the bacon, and the Wizard gets to be a lite kiter.

Is it a good tactic?
Is it a good use of resources?
... there has to be a twist (!!)

[Sinfire Titan]

Sustain powers are a bit of a trap unless you really need them. Denying yourself actions is bad, no matter the ends achieved. It becomes more obvious when you get a party of 5 Wizards, and they all start doing this against a massive number of minions. The minions may go up in smoke, but unless the Wizards can encase themselves in a safe spot they will get swarmed by survivors.

[awaken DM golem]

Thanks.
Yeah, I don't see how waiting 'til the 5th round to get ahead of the game, helps out any.
In the mean while, Wiz 22 could have used Time Stop or a better nova, etc...

I could see them eventually making a Sus based Paragon Path, that used this much earlier.

[awaken DM golem]

I gave my books a closer look, to see if anything popped out.

Bard - helps in the multi-implement department and 3+ classes power selection
Eternal Seeker ED - helps even more with the power selection

Some of the Sustain powers also have Save Ends clauses, or similar things, that make them useless for this.

"Better Pinball" type powers are available, that include things that help out the pinballing, as part of the sustain.
Buff type powers, that normally would wear off, are usually stronger than Encounter length buff powers.

Of course, hopping across multiple classes with drive up the MAD; I'm sure some combos will be superior.

Most interesting, some of the Sustain + Effects are triggered by the round action of sustaining, (minor move or standard)
but you have the sustain automatically happening.
So when does the round action occur ??
Big question.
I'm thinking right now, and I might change my mind, that the sustain "action" happens at the start of the round.
This is a hole in the action process.
So then the effect/sustain extra stuff happens right off the bat, but who knows what kind of action it is.
As in No or Free or DM makes something up, or maybe Interrupt.

This might be worth it after all.




EDIT on 6-15-11
Improved Tome of Readiness discussion:
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/27781085/Wallizard?pg=1