memorable randarts

[Derakon]

Yeah, this is functionally a Ring of Speed plus a Ring of Resist Poison plus a Ring of Intelligence (plus some minor damage bonuses). It's nice, but not remotely broken. If you had these abilities on a different slot (even on the boots) then it'd be a different story.

[Spacebux]

Its Vanilla all right, only the One Ring remains unchanged with randarts on.
Now 14 attacks would indeed be over the top, but 14 Int certainly isnt.
Theres the small issue of stat caps, and unless you play a Htroll mage and find a ring of power before your int is maxed, chances are that impressive looking amount of int is just going to waste.

It is V. 3.5. RandArts. I'm happy to post whatever to prove it if need be.

At first, I thought this had to be broken; but, then again, its not as broken as it seems. First, I already had 18/*** INT, as a mage, with other EQ bonuses. Adding 14 more does nothing, really. Second, the +14 speed is not entirely uncommon---I regularly find +11~12 speed rings. Haven't found anything above that yet, but +14 for a Ring of Power is not all that exceptional.

Other than the RPoison attribute, there really isn't a whole lot to this ring of power, other than the abnormally high +14 value. If I came across a +16 or better speed ring, I might be tempted to swap. I would have rather had an Immunity or a broader spectrum of attributes than the two listed.

[Estie]

Clearly not V. Some variants like ToME can generate stupidly OP randarts like rings <+15> to speed AND attack speed.

Its Vanilla all right, only the One Ring remains unchanged with randarts on.
Now 14 attacks would indeed be over the top, but 14 Int certainly isnt.
Theres the small issue of stat caps, and unless you play a Htroll mage and find a ring of power before your int is maxed, chances are that impressive looking amount of int is just going to waste.

[PowerWyrm]

WOW!
How does the generator come up with that? I thought it kept the rings of power as is? But I've probably got that wrong, as usual!

Clearly not V. Some variants like ToME can generate stupidly OP randarts like rings <+15> to speed AND attack speed.

[MattB]

the Ring of Power of Anargoth (+4, +4) <+14>

+14 Intelligence, speed.
Provides resistance to poison.

When aimed, it drains up to 120 hit points from a target creature.

I'm smert!!

WOW!
How does the generator come up with that? I thought it kept the rings of power as is? But I've probably got that wrong, as usual!

[Estie]

the Ring of Power of Anargoth (+4, +4) <+14>

+14 Intelligence, speed.
Provides resistance to poison.

When aimed, it drains up to 120 hit points from a target creature.

I'm smert!!

Only if you were dumb to begin with. No outsmerting in Angband!

[Spacebux]

Ring of Power

the Ring of Power of Anargoth (+4, +4) <+14>

+14 Intelligence, speed.
Provides resistance to poison.

When aimed, it drains up to 120 hit points from a target creature.

I'm smert!!

[UglySquirrell]

Nope, no speed. It seems randarts with speed or stealth in the name don't actually have those a lot of the time.

[MattB]

Wow, just found this pair of Cesti, and wow...

The Set of Cesti of Super Speed (+4,+16) [5,+18] (+3 to stealth)
{SlSr;AcFiDkNtCaDi}

+16 Damage, stealth, acid, fire, dark, Nether, Chaos, and disenchantment. Activates for Acid Bolt. The nicest i have ever seen. I just found them on my Spectral Wyrm in Poschengband, so i can't wear them, no hands

+16 Dam, very nice! Er...do they actually give you any speed?

[UglySquirrell]

Wow, just found this pair of Cesti, and wow...

The Set of Cesti of Super Speed (+4,+16) [5,+18] (+3 to stealth)
{SlSr;AcFiDkNtCaDi}

+16 Damage, stealth, acid, fire, dark, Nether, Chaos, and disenchantment. Activates for Acid Bolt. The nicest i have ever seen. I just found them on my Spectral Wyrm in Poschengband, so i can't wear them, no hands

[Timo Pietilä]

Also they are small, and Tolkien never describes how exactly their bows are supposed to look like. I find it hard to imagine a bow of 80 cm length being very effective. Maybe if it was a recurve, but that doesnt fit well with the more rustic Shire and Tolkien would surely have mentioned the fact had he envisioned the hobbits using recurves.

He does mention them using hunting bows, maybe those were recurves? It's old enough invention to fit in Tolkien world, but Tolkien doesn't describe most of the weapons used in detail. They could have been composite for all that we know. Being "rustic" lifestyle doesn't mean that their equipment were less "modern" than rest of the middle-earth.

[Estie]

Hobbits use bows. I don't know where that hobbits and slings originate from, but it definitely is not from Tolkien.

I am aware that they use bows. Everyone* does in Middle Earth (and I will throw out a guess that the author living in a country that adores the longbow for historical reasons might have something to do with this).
The hobbit-sling relationship I think stems from the passage where Tolkien describes them as quick to pick up stones and throw them with accuracy. If they are good with rocks, well, the step to giving them slings isnt a big one.

Also they are small, and Tolkien never describes how exactly their bows are supposed to look like. I find it hard to imagine a bow of 80 cm length being very effective. Maybe if it was a recurve, but that doesnt fit well with the more rustic Shire and Tolkien would surely have mentioned the fact had he envisioned the hobbits using recurves. Poisoned arrows also can be ruled out.

Anyway, with slings of the Buckland in the game, hobbits are married to slings at least in Angband.

*Edit: I should say everyone except rangers.

[Timo Pietilä]

I have been wondering...why not make the ranger bonus apply to a race specific shooter type ?

Hobbit, Gnome: sling

Hobbits use bows. I don't know where that hobbits and slings originate from, but it definitely is not from Tolkien.

[krazyhades]

By that logic you should always use a crossbow over a longbow! I for one will always use a bow over Xbow/sling if I can possibly justify it and I simply don't understand why...

Yes, that's in fact exactly what I do, until, as Derakon points out, I need the stats or resists of a particular rarely-to-be-used shooter.

[Derakon]

By that logic you should always use a crossbow over a longbow! I for one will always use a bow over Xbow/sling if I can possibly justify it and I simply don't understand why...

Ammo is a big problem for slings early on, when damage dice are a significant part of launcher damage; later on the problem with slings is their lousy x2 multiplier. Slings of Buckland fix that, so if you find one, then slings become viable late-game weapons.

The question for bows vs. crossbows is basically "Are you a Ranger?" Other classes don't really care. Crossbows and their ammo are a bit heavier than bows, and deal very slightly more damage (x4 on a Heavy Crossbow is quite nice, mind). Their ammo also breaks a bit less often. So once you get your STR up enough to stop worrying about weight limits, they're generally the superior choice...but then again, many players end up treating their launcher slot as a "stat stick" (i.e. equipping artifacts to that slot for their bonuses, not their effectiveness as weapons).