How does Slow Monster stack?

[PopTart]

First application: monster looks slowed (monster moves/attacks/etc. at 90% speed?)

Second application: monster looks more slowed (monster moves/attacks/etc. at 80% speed?)

Further applications: either nothing happens, or monster once more "looks more slowed." Is this just a renewal of the 80% speed, or does it go further?

[Sky]

i think it only resets the turn counter. i use it a lot on morgoth and have never seen the duration stacking.

[wv_wxman]

Each hit does -2 speed to the monster, and I do think it stacks...I thought I saw somewhere it might stack all the way to -10 speed? There is no exact readout of a particulary monster's speed, unfortunately, and I'm not sure if the counter resets with each hit.

[PowerDiver]

I just looked at the code. I think these are the two relevant snippets.

int monster_effect_level(const struct monster *mon, int effect_type)
{
        struct mon_timed_effect *effect = &effects[effect_type];
        int divisor = MAX(effect->max_timer / 5, 1);
        return MIN((mon->m_timed[effect_type] + divisor - 1) / divisor, 5);
}

This defines the effect level to be 5 when the timer is near max, dropping to an effect level of 1 as the timer drops to 0.

                if (mon->m_timed[MON_TMD_SLOW]) {
                        int slow_level = monster_effect_level(mon, MON_TMD_SLOW);
                        mspeed -= (2 * slow_level);
                }

This shows that monster speed is reduced by twice the effect level above.

[Nick]

The way it works is:

• Each wand shot slows adds 10 + d20 to the timer, which has a maximum of 50;
• The monster is slowed by -2 times the tens digit of the timer, so the maximum slow is -10.

Duration does stack (as it does for haste and fear - all other monster timed effects it doesn't).

[Pete Mack]

Woah. Way more powerful than I had understood. Speaking of monster status, the new individual health bar is very cool. I have two requests:
1. that the main status bar reflect alternating colors for stars when the monster is affected with multiple maluses.
2. That confuse, slow, etc wake up monsters, as they did in the past. (Is this a regression, or is it intentional?) Except sleep/hold, of course.

[PowerDiver]

My experience is that slow wakes up monsters. I don't bother with the others.

[Nick]

Currently slow wakes monsters, confuse/hold/stun don't (the info is in projection.txt). These have varied a bit over time, but I don't recall exactly how.

[Sky]

those are standard turns? you make it sound like 2 castings would slow morgoth to +25 for the whole fight.

[malcontent]

The way it works is:

• Each wand shot slows adds 10 + d20 to the timer, which has a maximum of 50;
• The monster is slowed by -2 times the tens digit of the timer, so the maximum slow is -10.

Duration does stack (as it does for haste and fear - all other monster timed effects it doesn't).

Wow, really good information! I didn't realize that a monster could be very close to its normal speed before getting the message that the monster no longer looks slowed.

But now the message that the monster looks "even more" slowed makes sense.

But of course, now I have questions... When the timer is at 9 turns (tens digit is 0) is the monster no longer slowed?

[malcontent]

those are standard turns? you make it sound like 2 castings would slow morgoth to +25 for the whole fight.

Good question. What is the timer timing? It definitely can expire between the time I see Morgoth, slow him (one shot) and he arrives next to me.

[backwardsEric]

But of course, now I have questions... When the timer is at 9 turns (tens digit is 0) is the monster no longer slowed?

There's a rounding up in the process so:

for 1-10 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -2
for 11-20 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -4
for 21-30 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -6
for 31-40 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -8
for 41-50 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -10

those are standard turns? you make it sound like 2 castings would slow morgoth to +25 for the whole fight.

The timer is decremented by one each time the monster could act (including if acting would be prevented by being asleep, held, or stunned). So if you got lucky with the rolls for your rod of slowing (50 turns of duration after using it twice) and you can finish Morgoth off before he has time to take nine ten actions, then yes, Morgoth would be at +25 speed for the entire fight.

[malcontent]

There's a rounding up in the process so:

for 1-10 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -2
for 11-20 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -4
for 21-30 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -6
for 31-40 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -8
for 41-50 turns left of slowing, the slowing effect is -10



The timer is decremented by one each time the monster could act (including if acting would be prevented by being asleep, held, or stunned). So if you got lucky with the rolls for your rod of slowing (50 turns of duration after using it twice) and you can finish Morgoth off before he has time to take nine ten actions, then yes, Morgoth would be at +25 speed for the entire fight.

Great, thanks for clarifying!

[Bogatyr]

My experience is that slow wakes up monsters. I don't bother with the others.

I use all the debuffs, quite extensively, except for scare, which I suppose I should use more. But I play stealthy distance fighters mostly (mages, rogues/rangers) who suck at melee, so maintaining distance as long as possible to spam magic missle/ranged is critical. Slow is obvious, confuse is really important as well to delay closing to melee range, it also causes many spells to mis-fire, and sometimes stuns for free when they walk into a wall in a corridor. Ranged attacks go in random directions when they're confused. Stun reduces melee damage considerably and (I believe?) the frequency of spell/ranged attacks. Hold is super important as it: 1) gives time to prepare your buffs and scoot farther away, and 2) you can slow a held monster and they remain held, so you can start with confuse, stun, hold, slow, slow, back off, and then start your attacks. I really like that debuffs have become useful at last!