I came across a somewhat old newsgroup discussion on what should be done about money/charisma. http://angband.oook.cz/rgra.php?showpost=115811
I don't think a great deal has changed with respect to charisma since then.
Personally I have a tendency to stuff points in charisma even if I do think it's useless (who wants to play an ugly character? ) so I am completely biased on this point. I would rather see charisma made more useful than eliminated.
High-elves get +5 to charisma. I bet that accounts for some of the 200% exp learning penalty, but do they get their money's worth for that? Paladins have "primary stats are strength and charisma" but that charisma doesn't provide any bonus to spell casting or anything.
The problem seems to be that charisma is only useful for shopping, nothing else. I think most stats have several different uses. (Strength is useful for carrying capacity not just fighting, intelligence is not just for spells but devices and traps etc. Wisdom improves spell resistance as well as priest's prayers. [IMO Con should probably increase change of resisting poison damage, but I don't think it does?]
Perhaps high charisma could act as a partial reverse aggravate? If your character is cute enough monsters might think twice about whether to beat him/her up. It would require some balance testing but I don't think it is that far away from 'Angband style'.
[EDIT]I'll provide an example, from the point of view of two orcs.
Gork: "Hey, look what just walked in. I wouldn't mind a random encounter with that body in a dark alley."
Zork: "Too right. Oh wow, she's coming this way!"
Gork: "Looks like tonight is our ... er, Zork, why do you have a dagger sticking out of your ... AAARGh!!"
I don't think a great deal has changed with respect to charisma since then.
Personally I have a tendency to stuff points in charisma even if I do think it's useless (who wants to play an ugly character? ) so I am completely biased on this point. I would rather see charisma made more useful than eliminated.
High-elves get +5 to charisma. I bet that accounts for some of the 200% exp learning penalty, but do they get their money's worth for that? Paladins have "primary stats are strength and charisma" but that charisma doesn't provide any bonus to spell casting or anything.
The problem seems to be that charisma is only useful for shopping, nothing else. I think most stats have several different uses. (Strength is useful for carrying capacity not just fighting, intelligence is not just for spells but devices and traps etc. Wisdom improves spell resistance as well as priest's prayers. [IMO Con should probably increase change of resisting poison damage, but I don't think it does?]
Perhaps high charisma could act as a partial reverse aggravate? If your character is cute enough monsters might think twice about whether to beat him/her up. It would require some balance testing but I don't think it is that far away from 'Angband style'.
[EDIT]I'll provide an example, from the point of view of two orcs.
Gork: "Hey, look what just walked in. I wouldn't mind a random encounter with that body in a dark alley."
Zork: "Too right. Oh wow, she's coming this way!"
Gork: "Looks like tonight is our ... er, Zork, why do you have a dagger sticking out of your ... AAARGh!!"
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