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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsBreakfast Topic: If you could have any ability in WoW
by Dawn Moore 
Mar 21st 2010 at 8:00AM
I used to know this guy who did a podcast for his web series. One day while answering listener questions, he read off a really fantastic question related to World of Warcraft.
"If you could have any ability in WoW, what would it be?"
At the time he picked Teleport: Shattrath, rationalizing that with that spell he could teleport to Azeroth and learn the rest of his mage's spellbook. A very "wish for more wishes" kind of answer, right? Eventually his co-host foiled him though, reminding my friend that a Rune of Teleportation regeant is required to cast the spell so he'd never be able to cast it on Earth.
I thought long and hard on this question myself though, and being prone to illness I was immediately drawn to a paladin's Cleanse spell. Never being sick for the rest of your life would be amazing, right? Not to mention, you could cure everyone else. I don't know how Cleanse would respond to viral infections versus bacterial infections, but I'd really love to knock out HIV. I don't know what mana cost would do to a person in real life, but I bet Gatorade is just like mage water. I wonder what level I am?
Anyway, in the end, my boyfriend at the time brought my attention to an even better idea: Concentration Aura. As a creative sort, I imagine that the aura would be useful for getting mundane things done. Like starting that back burner novel, or studying for a test with your outline group. If you were performing something on stage, all your fellow performers would receive the benefits of the aura as well. Imagine working at DARPA with Concentration Aura up: we'd destroy the world in a matter of years. I mean... what?
So what ability in WoW would you pick for yourself?
Filed under: Breakfast Topics
Reader Comments (Page 5 of 17)
alurius Mar 21st 2010 8:58AM
@markainion
you are correct to a certain point with your "nobody has mana" argument, but only in the sense that we don't have a little blue bar that depletes as we cast spells. take for instance the warcraft novels in which krasus (korialstrasz) and rhonin are present, they too do not have little blue bars hovering over there head, however they are still able to cast powerful spells. the "mana" that they use is in the sense the same energy your body uses on a daily basis to do simple things such as standing up, walking, riding a bicycle, etc. this loss of energy or "mana" as it is called in most video games results in you having to eat to replenish your body and regain the lost energy. therefore, we do in fact have "mana" to cast these spells that are being discussed.
Markainion Mar 21st 2010 9:14AM
Ok Alurius your making this to hard. So I guess I will go with Arcane Tourent then, the Blood Elf racial that silent all enemies within 8 yards for 2 seconds. Not much I admit but you get 6% mana, energy and runic energy from them as well. Ok maybe this may not seem like much, but you can go around silencing people all day and live of it with out having to replenish yourself. I would say at minimum you can go without sleep, think of all the thing you can get done at other peoples expense.
Viator Mar 21st 2010 12:46PM
Hearthstone: Driving to work -> after work hs back -> next morning figure out how to get back to work since i left my car there.
Powerstar Mar 21st 2010 8:32AM
Transmute: Iron to Gold - I'd Be Rich! Sure it requires a Philosophers Stone, which doesn't technically exist. But maybe I could get away with just using a copy of "Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone."
Otherwise I'd have to go all noble and say Conjure Food and end world hunger.
Kanap Mar 21st 2010 11:38AM
yes this would be great till you try to find how to make the philosopher's stone, I did and some of that stuff is just not fun to do, damn you alchemy and your awesome yet hard to get power irl....
Levaust Mar 21st 2010 12:56PM
Haha, good luck with that:
"Conjured items disappear if logged out for more than 15 minutes."
Marolas Mar 21st 2010 1:38PM
"Conjured items disappear if logged out for more than 15 minutes."
Well, it's your fault if you pass out for more than 15 minutes without eating your food and some hobo comes along...
Jasp Mar 21st 2010 10:55PM
I will join the cause with Conjure Water
Hal Mar 21st 2010 8:35AM
Arcane Intellect. If you've been to grad school, you'll understand.
Narathas Mar 21st 2010 12:29PM
Penance
I would heal those who need it. And punish those who deserve it.
thevitruvianman Mar 21st 2010 10:22AM
Yes! awesome idea, I'd go with holy shock though since I'd rather style myself as a paladin than a priest.
Seriously though, not only can you miraculously heal anyone that's been injured (including yourself) but also smite enemies with holy power. It's like a 2-for-1 ability.
Darky Mar 21st 2010 8:37AM
death grip, for all your beer grabbing needs :D, also has no mana requirement as most other spells do, seeing how none of us have mana and what not.
Noah Mar 21st 2010 8:42AM
Yeah, I wonder if the "mana" problem falls under the same issue as reagents.
Artificial Mar 21st 2010 8:50AM
@Noah: I think we have to assume for the purposes of the thought-experiment that you are of the appropriate class to use the ability in question, in which case, if you took any kind of spell, you no doubt have a mana pool. Just drink a glass of water... ;)
Darky Mar 21st 2010 8:50AM
also if mana and such weren't a problem i'd totally have army of the dead :D
Calaana Mar 21st 2010 9:38AM
One could assume that health to be where the body is unable to continue it's work, be it becoming disembowled, loss of blood or a system shock large enough to send the mind into shutdown(Which is what seems the most wow-like imo). LIke wise, you can consider oom to be mental exhaustion - the point where your brain has had enough and faints, seziures or otherwise sends you into a coma of any kind.
Skill wise.. I dunno, I think the best choices are the fun ones, gift of the naruu would be pretty cool, as would life bloom, maybe crusader aura but I think I'd choose distract; being able to distract people from events that depress them would be pretty handy.
Option two is ghost wolf.
Dawn Moore Mar 21st 2010 9:17AM
@Calaana
Oh... man! I was so happy with concentration aura until you reminded me I could make flowers grow around me at will. Drat... So much willpower to resist that...
Xaphar Mar 21st 2010 8:38AM
Incinerate.
Such a cool looking spell :P
hureon Mar 23rd 2010 9:07AM
I want to be a ble to one shot gold beggars and impose a ten minute rez timer.
Schwiiing Mar 21st 2010 8:44AM
Vanish.
Can I macro Cloak of Shadows as well or is that cheating?