Tornado

Obsolete: This article refers to an aspect of the game which has been removed. It is retained for historical reference only.

Tornado
Level	9
School1	Air
Source(s)	Book of the Tempests Book of the Sky
Casting noise	7
Spell noise	~15 (depends on radius and delay of your last action)

Turns the air around the caster into a mighty vortex, doing tremendous damage to everyone caught in it. Those affected will also be swept up into the air and tossed around. Only the eye of the storm is a safe place, and it follows the caster. The spell's effectiveness is greatly diminished in closed areas. After the tornado fades, it cannot be called forth again for a short time.

Tornado is a level 9 Air Magic spell which creates a vortex of raging wind around you.

Useful Info

Tornado creates clouds of raging wind, dealing a base of 9d(pow/15) physical damage per 1.0 turn.

The damage is then adjusted by:

• Percentage of tiles open. In tight spaces, damage is reduced. Damage is multiplied by the ratio, (tiles with wind) / (tiles that could have wind).
• "Duration-radius" factor. Creatures on the outside of the vortex will receive the most damage.

Tornado's radius is equal to sqrt(aut_passed) * 7/5, max. 5 tiles. Creatures and clouds caught inside will rotate in a counterclockwise fashion. The "rotation" is a square shape, and done at a rate of ~1 full rotation per 6 turns.

While casting the spell, the caster and anything caught inside will fly for a short period of time. Once it ends, there's a grace period of 1 turn until flight ends. Monsters won't make any effort to avoid falling into deep water or lava.

Tornado lasts for 6 turns. It immediately ends if you blink or teleport, or if you enter another floor. After it ends, it has a cooldown of 3.5 - 4.5 turns.

Creatures with rTornado (Sojobo, air elementals) are immune to this spell. Also, those who are currently casting Tornado are immune to hostile Tornadoes.

Strategy

While Tornado has poor damage/turn for a level 9 spell, it has great MP efficiency and irresistible damage. For a single, 9 MP cast, you'll get up to 6 turns of damage. Plus, you can cast other spells while the tornado is running. Great in an open area, especially against crowds.

The downsides (other than damage/turn) mostly stem from the tornado mechanic itself. It is much weaker in a cramped area. For most of the duration, the tornado has a short radius. And, the spell has a lengthy cooldown.

As a single school spell, Tornado is easier to train than the likes of Fire Storm. Regardless, as a level 9 spell, it is a significant XP investment (for a 3 rune game). In a 3 rune game, training for a level 9 spell usually means sacrificing on your defenses. But, for a low-range, damage over time spell that excels in open areas, you'll want good defenses. Tornado can still be worth it, but don't rush for it.

Tips & Tricks

• When the radius is 5, the amount of noise is 15. This number is multiplied by the delay of your last action (in auts) and divided by 10.
• Any trees within Tornado's range have a chance of being destroyed by the spell.
• Be careful not to use Blink while the spell is up unless you specifically want to end its effects.

History

• In 0.27, Tornado was replaced with Polar Vortex. Polar Vortex is functionally similar, but is a level 9 Ice Magic spell which deals 33% more damage and is 40% resistible by cold. rTornado/rVortex was also removed from air elementals and Sojobo.
• Prior to 0.22, rTornado was called wind resistance, and also affected Airstrike.
• Prior to 0.17, Tornado was a circle (range 6) and rotated circularly.
• Prior to 0.10, Tornado was slightly weaker.
• Prior to 0.9, Tornado had stronger damage, didn't rotate monsters around, and didn't have a cooldown, but had a negative spell enhancer.
• Tornado was added in 0.8.