memorable randarts

[Timo Pietilä]

I wonder what Deathwreaker created on boot base would look like (afaik, impossible to happen with current randart algorithm).

Feanor-based boots? Would those be even close to Feanor?

[Estie]

Edit: Also, I've noticed that most games randart sets contain at least one (and often two or more) "artifact" boots of speed that, aside from having a purple name, differ not at all from the ego boots.

They have enough pool to get the speed (otherwise they would be junk compared to ego speed boots), but not much allowance for anything on top.
Thats why those boots above get created: 12 speed (awesome), 12 stealth (big bonus on top), aggravating (malus without which they would break the limit and not get created at all).

The best ones I have seen had something like +8 speed and +8 to a stat.
I wonder what Deathwreaker created on boot base would look like (afaik, impossible to happen with current randart algorithm).

[krazyhades]

Ah, I didn't realize. Because I don't preserve my randarts from game to game, I usually generate and peruse artifact.spo after death/victory. I feel like my games generate cursed artifacts with no drawback beyond negative to-hit/dam/AC less often than plain "good" (but functionally merely magical) artifacts.

Edit: Also, I've noticed that most games randart sets contain at least one (and often two or more) "artifact" boots of speed that, aside from having a purple name, differ not at all from the ego boots.

[Estie]

Cursed ones arent that rare. They are just bad and noone bothers with them, but "good" ones that arent really any good are very uncommon.

[krazyhades]

the Steel Helm of Carfin [9,+16]: Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold


Havent had any of these before.

I can do you one better.:

the Two-Handed Great Flail 'Elron' (3d6) (-11,+3) [+1]
------------------------------------------------------
Cursed.
Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.


Min Level 12, Max Level 3, Generation chance 8, Power 21, 28.0 lbs
Based on Berúthiel.

[Thraalbee]

I prefer playing with randarts but in the current comp it's the standard set. But fortunately, ego items are finally almost as interesting as randarts. I mean, I've always wanted to find Doomcaller or Ringil but never did and now when I find Doomcaller I used it only once to kill a Wyrm just for the sake of it. Look at

a) a Mace of Disruption (Holy Avenger) (5d8) (+14,+19) [+2] <+4> {!d!x!v @w1}
     Found lying on the floor at 4600 feet (level 92).
     
     +4 wisdom.
     Slays evil creatures, undead, demons.
     Provides protection from fear.
     Sustains dexterity.
     Blessed by the gods.  Grants the ability to see invisible things. 
     
     
     Combat info:
     4.0 blows/round.
     Average damage/round: 419.6 vs. evil creatures, 531.2 vs. undead,
     531.2 vs. demons, and 308 vs. others.

.v.s.

     
s) the Blade of Chaos 'Doomcaller' (6d5) (+18,+28) [-50] {FIRST TIME FOUND}
     Dropped by Maeglin, the Traitor of Gondolin at 5000 feet (level
     100).
     
     Slays animals, evil creatures, demons, trolls.
     *Slays* dragons.
     Branded with frost.
     Provides resistance to acid, lightning, fire, cold, chaos.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.
     Prevents paralysis.  Grants telepathy.  Grants the ability to see
     invisible things.  Aggravates creatures nearby.  
     
     Combat info:
     4.0 blows/round.
     Average damage/round: 392.8 vs. animals, 392.8 vs. evil creatures,
     474.8 vs. demons, 474.8 vs. trolls, 474.8 vs. creatures not
     resistant to cold, 639.2 vs. dragons, and 310.8 vs. others.

or

b) a Sling of Buckland (x4) (+21,+27) <+4, +2> {+2 SHOTS!}
     Found lying on the floor in a vault at 5000 feet (level 100).
     
     +4 dexterity.
     +2 shooting speed, shooting power.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

.v.s.

t) the Long Bow 'Belthronding' (x3) (+20,+22) <+3, +1>
     Dropped by a Horned Reaper at 4250 feet (level 85).
     
     +3 dexterity.
     +1 stealth, speed, shooting speed.
     Provides resistance to disenchantment.
     Cannot be harmed by acid, electricity, fire, cold.

[Timo Pietilä]

Just found the Whip of Galdor off Azog, king of the Uruk-Hai, dlvl 35.

1d3 dice, +5 +28(+28 to_dam is pretty high in the upper regions of
slay evil (as if it were necessary)

EDIT: Of course, slay evil only adds ten damage, but it's fun.

Make that two points (with five blows it is ten). Pretty insignificant bonus.

[Philip]

Just found the Whip of Galdor off Azog, king of the Uruk-Hai, dlvl 35.
The stuff I know it has:
4 INT, tunneling, no other immediate things
1d3 dice, +5 +28(+28 to_dam is pretty high in the upper regions of standart stuff, at dlvl 35 on a whip it is hilarious)
slay evil (as if it were necessary)

Certainly remarkable, considering the Glaive of Painish damage bonus, and on a whip it will be beautiful all through statgain.

EDIT: Of course, slay evil only adds ten damage, but it's fun. Total damage output is 180 against normal creatures on my gnome warrior.

EDIT2: It was incredibly handy in killing Bolg

[Timo Pietilä]

It's much less. Most body armours offer less than 2AC/lb, and other armour pieces rarely more than 4/lb. I think the cap is something like six or ten.

It's interesting that people *still* think that AC is useless.

AC isn't useless, problem is that in order to make any difference you need to have *really* big bonus to AC. Armor comes from at least six, potentially ten slots (weapon, rings, amulet), so in order to one of them making any difference is much less than in weapons having damage bonus.

Also malus and bonus in AC are quite a different values. -75AC would be very nasty, while +75 doesn't make much difference, because it's just fractional improvement over your other equipment.

If you have 5 * 25 AC (average) then that one having +75 instead of another +25 is just 200/150 = 33% improvement. And +75 is huge bonus.

OTOH in that same scenario -75 would be same as 125-75/150 = 66% drop in AC.

[debo]

What's the difference between AC in poscheng and AC in vanilla? You die and you die in poscheng unless you have big AC or can avoid meleeing things.

[Magnate]

Its AC/weight times a gauging factor, capped at some value since, as you observed, the quotient can become infinite for zero weight items like ethereal cloaks. That max value is simiar to that of a dam +10 item.

So its something like 75AC/lb (probably less).

It's much less. Most body armours offer less than 2AC/lb, and other armour pieces rarely more than 4/lb. I think the cap is something like six or ten.

It's interesting that people *still* think that AC is useless. Back in 3.1.x I lengthened the scale and recalibrated the values to try and address this - there is now a material difference in the damage taken between AC 0 and 50, or 100 and 150 - but clearly it still isn't enough.

Personally I don't think much more is possible until the combat system is changed fundamentally (like in v4/Pyrel, for example), but interested in other views. In a new thread, perhaps ;-)

[Estie]

So, something like +75 AC?

Its AC/weight times a gauging factor, capped at some value since, as you observed, the quotient can become infinite for zero weight items like ethereal cloaks. That max value is simiar to that of a dam +10 item.

So its something like 75AC/lb (probably less).

[Timo Pietilä]

No I think he means exactly that - the cap for AC value is somewhere in the range of the value of +10 damage.

So, something like +75 AC?

[Estie]

+10 damage? How does that work? Or was that a typo and you mean +10 AC?

No I think he means exactly that - the cap for AC value is somewhere in the range of the value of +10 damage.

I agree, I would just want to get AC bonuses have no value unless it is beyond certain threshold, like +15. Otherwise randart generator makes just those completely useless junk-items. Other way to tackle that problem would be to not give AC any value at all while generating and give it normal ego-type AC boost after or before generation.

I have suggested exactly that for AC evaluation - its simple and fits the current situation with AC being a) thrown at you anyway and b) being rather meaningless.
Increasing the base AC of armors, while going in the right direction, hasnt changed the greater picture. I am still dreaming of Angband where AC matters, but to achieve that, the task isnt so much "make AC more useful", its rather "crush anyone (engaging in melee combat) without sufficient AC".

Diablo I is a game where AC is vital; Diablo II is more like Angband in that regard.

[Timo Pietilä]

(@Timo: AC per unit weight has a maximum value, and anything with zero weight is automatically allocated that value. It's not terribly large, in the greater scheme of things - something like +10 damage or so.

+10 damage? How does that work? Or was that a typo and you mean +10 AC?

And no, the generator does not attempt to adjust for any other equipment or spell the finder might have - as I have said consistently, that way lies madness.)

I agree, I would just want to get AC bonuses have no value unless it is beyond certain threshold, like +15. Otherwise randart generator makes just those completely useless junk-items. Other way to tackle that problem would be to not give AC any value at all while generating and give it normal ego-type AC boost after or before generation.