[sil] What does orc/elf/human skeleton do?

[andrey]

What does orc/elf/human skeleton do?
Beside being creepy, does this thing have any real use?

[debo]

Nope, flavor only. I like to throw orc skeletons at orcs to remind them what they've got coming to them.

[Patashu]

Maybe you could add to the description of useless items (which is atm only skeletons): "You can't think of a single use for this." or "It is useless/useless junk/a useless item."

[fph]

Have you tried 'u'sing them? The game says "it has no use".

[Trivia: why are filthy rags useful, instead?]

[andrey]

Filthy rags can be enchanted by bonuses to stealth

[Patashu]

[Trivia: why are filthy rags useful, instead?]

Maybe there's an artifact filthy rag?

[andrey]

I will treat filthy rags with more respect from now on

[Philip]

Apart from the two correct responses, it can also be protection or have a bonus to evasion, I think, but that's pretty much it.

[debo]

The rag of Dungalef is fantastic if found in the early game. (Used to be better when Vanish had its old mechanics, but still very useful now.)

[fph]

What I had in mind is absorbing acid damage. But after checking the source, it seems that if a wearable item gets hit by acid, it doesn't reduce the total damage (acid_dam() in spells1.c).

Strange. Has it always been like that in every variant? I seem to recall it was different.

Well, I won't bother wearing those unenchanted sets of gloves in the early game, then.

[debo]

What I had in mind is absorbing acid damage. But after checking the source, it seems that if a wearable item gets hit by acid, it doesn't reduce the total damage (acid_dam() in spells1.c).

Strange. Has it always been like that in every variant? I seem to recall it was different.

Well, I won't bother wearing those unenchanted sets of gloves in the early game, then.

Nothing breathes acid in sil -- it's not really a damage type so much as it is an effect type (like hit to stun or hit to confuse -- it's like "hit to break your shit".)

Those gloves are still good to wear if you have some other piece of armor you're wearing that you'd like to preserve, since it provides an innocuous target for the roulette of burniness to land on. (Unless I'm mistaken about how that procedure works.)

[Derakon]

In Vanilla (and, I expect, most variants), if your armor gets hit by acid damage and either its AC is reduced, or the armor is corrosion-proof (IOW, the armor is not already providing no AC benefit, like a damage Cloak [1, -1]), you will take half damage from the attack. Miscellaneous items in inventory have never provided any protection against acid.

[locus]

If you have Heavy Armor Use skill wearing a Filthy Rag increases your total worn weight and therefore your protection.

[andrey]

How about adding an artifact orc skeleton?

- "It lowers nearby orcs and trolss morale."
- "It causes you to score critical hits on orcs and trolls"

[fph]

Nothing breathes acid in sil -- it's not really a damage type so much as it is an effect type (like hit to stun or hit to confuse -- it's like "hit to break your shit".)

Agreed, but still some big H's (can't remember which ones) and acid traps can hit to break your stuff.

Those gloves are still good to wear if you have some other piece of armor you're wearing that you'd like to preserve, since it provides an innocuous target for the roulette of burniness to land on. (Unless I'm mistaken about how that procedure works.)

Apparently not. From spells1.c:

/*
 * Acid has hit the player, attempt to affect some armor.
 */
static int damage_armour(void)
{
	object_type *o_ptr = NULL;

	u32b f1, f2, f3;

	char o_name[80];
	
	int item = INVEN_BODY; // a default value to soothe compilation warnings

	/* Pick a (possibly empty) inventory slot */
	switch (dieroll(6))
	{
		case 1: item = INVEN_BODY; break;
		case 2: item = INVEN_ARM; break;
		case 3: item = INVEN_OUTER; break;
		case 4: item = INVEN_HANDS; break;
		case 5: item = INVEN_HEAD; break;
		case 6: item = INVEN_FEET; break;
	}

	o_ptr = &inventory[item];

[COLOR="Red"]	/* Nothing to damage */
	if (!o_ptr->k_idx || ((item == INVEN_ARM) && (o_ptr->tval != TV_SHIELD))) return (FALSE);
[/COLOR]
	/* Extract the flags */
	object_flags(o_ptr, &f1, &f2, &f3);

	/* Describe */
	object_desc(o_name, sizeof(o_name), o_ptr, FALSE, 0);

	/* Object resists */
	if (f3 & (TR3_IGNORE_ACID))
	{
		msg_format("Your %s is unaffected!", o_name);

		return (TRUE);
	}

	/* No damage left to be done */
	if ((o_ptr->ps <= 0) && (o_ptr->evn <= 0))
	{
		/* Destroy the item */
		inven_item_increase(item, -1);
		inven_item_optimize(item);

		/* Message */
		msg_format("Your %s is destroyed!", o_name);
	}
	else if (o_ptr->evn >= 0)
	{
		/* Damage the item */
		o_ptr->evn--;
	
		/* Message */
		msg_format("Your %s is damaged!", o_name);
	}
	else
	{
		/* Damage the item */
		o_ptr->ps--;
	
		/* Message */
		msg_format("Your %s is damaged!", o_name);
	}

	/* Calculate bonuses */
	p_ptr->update |= (PU_BONUS);

	/* Window stuff */
	p_ptr->window |= (PW_EQUIP | PW_PLAYER_0);

	/* Item was damaged */
	return (TRUE);
}


/*
 * Hurt the player with Acid
 */
void acid_dam(int dam, cptr kb_str)
{
	int inv = (dam < 10) ? 1 : (dam < 20) ? 2 : 3;
	
	/* Abort if no damage to receive */
	if (dam <= 0) return;
[COLOR="Red"]
	/* Damage armour */
	damage_armour();

	/* Take damage */
	take_hit(dam, kb_str);
[/COLOR]
	/* Inventory damage */
	inven_damage(set_acid_destroy, inv, 1);
}

So, (1) damaging armor does not affect the total damage, unlike Vanilla, and (2) if an equipment slot is empty, the function returns without doing anything.

(sorry for the lengthy code snippet --- showing the whole functions is the only way to prove that there is nothing else in the parts I've left out)