A thread for dumb questions

[Kooltone]

Another noob question. What exactly do runes do? Are they just resistances that protect you from damage types? I saw someone mention putting a rune on the floor to protect them from Morgoth. How do you do that? Do you inscribe the floor, or is this feature from an older Angband version?

[Sideways]

Another noob question. What exactly do runes do? Are they just resistances that protect you from damage types? I saw someone mention putting a rune on the floor to protect them from Morgoth. How do you do that? Do you inscribe the floor, or is this feature from an older Angband version?

Runes are a recently introduced system for identifying equipment attributes. Basically, you know what a piece of equipment does if you are familiar with the runes on it; and once you've learned a specific rune, you will automatically recognize it on all equipment.

Runes include equipment resistances, but also equipment curses, equipment bonuses (+speed, +stealth, +strength, +blows, etc.), equipment slays and brands (slay orc, acid brand, etc.), equipment abilities (free action, slow digestion, etc.), equipment sustains... basically anything on equipment that needs to be identified.

Runes on the floor, known as Runes of Protection (or Glyphs of Warding), are an entirely unrelated concept. They block monsters from entering a square or meleeing you on it. Runes of Protection long predate the rune-based identification system.

[Kooltone]

Runes on the floor, known as Runes of Protection (or Glyphs of Warding), are an entirely unrelated concept. They block monsters from entering a square or meleeing you on it. Runes of Protection long predate the rune-based identification system.

So how does one learn/use Runes of Protection? Is that just a scroll you get at deep dungeon levels?

I'm a noob. The deepest I've ventured down was to level 20 and died to a blood vulture.

[Sideways]

So how does one learn/use Runes of Protection? Is that just a scroll you get at deep dungeon levels?

Yes. Priests also get it as a prayer.

[Kooltone]

Runes are a recently introduced system for identifying equipment attributes. Basically, you know what a piece of equipment does if you are familiar with the runes on it; and once you've learned a specific rune, you will automatically recognize it on all equipment.

So how did ID work in the past? Did you have to use a scroll of identity five times as much?

[Pete Mack]

@Kooltone--
Originally all objects needed ?Id (or the spell, or the staff, or the rod.) Certain objects requires *Id* to determine "hidden powers"--basically everything except FA, SI, rBase, rPois. There was a slow evolution away from tedious ID in the last 15 years or so.

[Kooltone]

So how does SLOW interact with the speed/energy system?

I'm a Kobold Druid who has an issue carrying a lot of weight for obvious reasons. When I enter Fox Form, I get Move + 1. If I understand it correctly, that makes me only consume 50 energy rather than 100 for move calculations. However, since I'm pretty overburdened right now SLOW - 5 goes to SLOW - 9 in Fox Form. What does SLOW - X do? Do I consume more energy? Or do I get a higher threshold of energy I need before it let's me move? Also, how do I know if the negatives from SLOW - 9 are out weighing the positives of Move + 1?

[Julian]

So how does SLOW interact with the speed/energy system?

I'm a Kobold Druid who has an issue carrying a lot of weight for obvious reasons. When I enter Fox Form, I get Move + 1. If I understand it correctly, that makes me only consume 50 energy rather than 100 for move calculations. However, since I'm pretty overburdened right now SLOW - 5 goes to SLOW - 9 in Fox Form. What does SLOW - X do? Do I consume more energy? Or do I get a higher threshold of energy I need before it let's me move? Also, how do I know if the negatives from SLOW - 9 are out weighing the positives of Move + 1?

Every ‘tick’, you gain energy. When you have 100 energy, you can act.

Most actions cost 100 energy.

At normal speed, you get 10 per tick, so you get to act every 10 ticks.

If you have +1 move, your movement only costs 50 energy, so after moving, you only have to wait 5 ticks until you can act again.

Speed/slowness increase/decrease the rate at which you gain energy. -5 is 6 energy per tick, while -9 is 5, so to get to 100 energy it takes you 17 and 20 ticks, respectively. To get from 50 to 100 takes 9 or 10.

So, at -9 speed, you can move as fast as a normal-speed monster, and do anything else half as fast.

This is not good, and you should try hard to get your inventory down.

[Kooltone]

At what point will I start seeing dungeon books for Druid? I'm at level 25 DL 22 and I haven't found any more books besides the starting one and the one in the shop.

[Selkie]

At what point will I start seeing dungeon books for Druid? I'm at level 25 DL 22 and I haven't found any more books besides the starting one and the one in the shop.

The more important question is when will you find a dungeon book for your class. In my experience you'll find everything else first. If you're a warrior they usually show up at about 150ft.

Seriously though, dlvl30 -40 is better pickings.

[Pete Mack]

As Selkie said, the first Druid dungeon book is found on DL 30, so it will be rare at lower levels.

[Pete Mack]

What Selkie said: the first druid dungeon book is native to DL30, so will be rare earlier. lib/gamedata/class.txt has book info for all classes:

https://github.com/angband/angband/blob/master/lib/gamedata/class.txt

[gglibertine]

OK, another dumb question: what, exactly, are the effects of stunning?

[Pete Mack]

Makes you helpless. In a monster, it makes him helpless.
Your accuracy and damage go down, and spell rate fail goes up.
For the monster, accuracy and damage go down, and their speed is reduced by 1/10.
It is critical for the blackguard class to stun his enemy, and force him to fight via aggravation.

Also, there are only 3 levels for stunning: stun, heavy stun, and knocked out. The last is invariably unsurvivable. A grand master mystic can knock out a normal speed player in a single turn, with a bit of bad luck.

[Werbaer]

Also, there are only 3 levels for stunning: stun, heavy stun, and knocked out. The last is invariably unsurvivable.

I in fact survived once being knocked out by a Master Mystic (not grand) . After i was knocked out, he made the mistake to summon a large group of phase spiders. They had fun phasing me around the room. After what must have been hundreds of -more- keystrokes, i woke up.