Specialize Alteration and Mana Savings

[Tordail]

Caveat - I am not very good at math. But I am curious about how Specialize: Alteration, the LDON augs, items with the +Spec: Alt mod, the SCM AA and mana preservation foci work together to affect our mana costs.

I know the formula for calculating the mana savings you get from your specialize ____ skill is this:
(SpecSkill / 2000) + .01 * 100 = _____% savings

How are augments, such as the LDON augments, tacked on to that?
Anomalous Rock of Alteration is +15% to Specialize Alteration skill.
Would it turn the math into this?

(SpecSkill * .15) + SpecSkill = NewSpecSkill
(NewSpecSkill / 2000 ) + .01 * 100 = ______% savings

What about SCM? It's 10% mana savings at level 3, and I believe it stacks with innate specialization and mana preservation effects.

What about mana preservation items? How are those percentages factored in?

Thanks, guys.

[Brohg]

Everything looks correct, though I usually just say SpecSkill/20 to keep things simple.

Correct on the augment.

Correct on Spell Casting Mastery. Fourth level is 15% now

Mana Preservation is random 0-max%. It's my belief from wayback (I don't have evidence from this decade) that the benefit is addative with SCM & Spec, not multiplicative.

[Retron]

[Tordail]

Thanks guys Let me try this with Qirik's Mending Rk. I, just to be sure I'm understanding.

Qirik's Mending Rk. I: 1198 Mana
Specialize Alteration Skill: 350
Specialize Alteration Mod: 15%
Spell Casting Mastery 4: 15%
Mana Preservation Item: 20% (just to pick a number, he'll get 10% on this particular cast)

(350 * .15) + 350 = 402.5
(402.5 / 2000 ) + .01 * 100 = 21.125
So call it 21% mana savings from Spec Alt Skill + Mod.
That will shave 251 mana off the spell's cost.

SCM4 Mana Savings:
1198 * .15 = 179.7 ... say, 180 mana saved.

Mana Pres Item:
1198 * .10 = 119.8 ... say, 120 mana saved.

So on this particular cast of Qirik's Mending Rk. I, the Shaman would have saved 551 mana? How come that seems off to me?

[dohrian]

[Tordail]

Well, the 551 is actually the median value. The highest value would be a touch higher, I think, because using a 20% mana pres focus item, I only said he'd get a 10% savings off that cast. Right?

[dohrian]

Right Tordail, I did not read well enough, my bad

[Tordail]

Holy crap, that means I can sort of do math.
Watch out, world!

[anaskesia]

I think when you said:

(402.5 / 2000 ) + .01 * 100 = 21.125

you meant:

((402.5 / 2000 ) + .01) * 100 = 21.125

That is the only way you could get 21.125. Without the extra parentheses, the 0.1 * 100 would happen first according to order of operations and you would end up with a very different number.

The answer to your question (or what I believe was your question) is that without the specialization modifier you would save (before SCM is worked in) 18.5% and with it you would save 21.5%, so the specialization modifier is giving you 2.625% on any spell you cast.

I'm no math expert either, so I could be wrong, but that's the way I see it.

[Tordail]

Oh, I don't know anything about order of operations. I do math the way I read, heh, left to right.
(402.5 / 2000 ) ... whatever that number is + .01 ... whatever that number is * 100 = 21.125.

I wasn't so much concerned solely about the specialization modifier - I wanted to know how ALL of it (specialization, +spec mod, SCM and mana pres items) worked together and how much mana a person could conceivably save per cast. I think I got it - or at least figured out how to calculate it.