How can I respond to important information brought up in comments in my answer?

Question

So, I'm struggling with improving my answer to this question. I've written out several major partial edits, but I keep discarding them because they all change my answer to address the way the querent approaches the issue in comments rather than in the question body. Each time I go 'I can't write a better response to the question body than KRyan's post, I'll just leave it'. But then additional material is added to the comments that makes it even clearer that the OP's fundamental misconception is different than the one it would seem to be based on their question. I don't know how or if I should address the comment-based and chat-based material (and there is a LOT of it), given that comments can disappear and then my (newly improved) answer would look really presumptuous and heavy handed given just the question body.

I've considered editing the question but a lot of the commentary material is patently offensive (or seems so to me), and I don't want to look like I'm trying to make the OP look stupid and mean through a harmful edit but if I tactfully avoid quoting them directly it may be unclear how what I'm changing is justified.

The question (in both forms!) is a good question and a stubborn one and I'd like to be able to address it cause it's something I've dealt with extensively, but I feel like responding to comments directly is extremely bad practice and I'm not sure how to proceed.

In case it matters, the key thing missing from the question is 'I've had spells as the problem experientially explained to me, but that can't be right because my changes make ALL the spells weaker, right? If it's not enough I could just do it a little harder, right? I might ban one or two spells, but surely it wouldn't be that many!". Or at least that's the best summary I've got so far ^^;

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I'm aware the question is currently on-hold. I think it's a fine question, although the querent's behavior is comments leads to bad answer proliferation, so I think it is reopenable. The closure of the question is (I think) not relevant to this question-- please don't dismiss the substance of this question just because the exemplar is closed.

Answer 1

Ask the querent to edit their relephant comment information into the question. Don't worry about changing your answer until your answer's improvements will reflect the question as asked. (This may also help get the question re-opened.)

Answer 2

Sometimes temporary comment discussion yields insight into what's going on with the OP. If it's in line with their question then it should be edited into their question. When it's an XY problem this is harder, as the information doesn't seem to fit in the question itself.

It's fine to quote comments in answers, and say "Comment discussion has indicated that you think spells are X but they are Y", keeping in mind that frame challenge answers are often not accepted well by the question asker, and you should probably internally debate whether "being right on the internet" is really helpful if the OP is not listening to answers, or whether it's casting pearls before swine.

This will provide explanation even if people can't see the comments any more that you are responding to a stimulus outside your own brain on the topic.