Rethinking Free Action

[d_m]

What I have been suggesting in r.g.r.a is that paralyzation should not be cumulative or even restartable. If you get paralyzed paralyzation counter should not restart every time you get hit: it should only affect if you aren't already paralyzed.

Then high AC + high saving throw would give you chance to escape without certain death.

This seems like a good suggestion--players could still be killed easily while paralyzed but would maybe get a chance to get away.

[dhegler]

About the hummerhorns... They show up before staffs of teleportation or a decent chance of rConf. I carry some CCW and speed potions, which is the only way to escape. I could carry around a wand of stinking cloud, but if they hit you first, good luck getting that to work with a confused warrior. And, if you say carry a WoSC and some CCW for the hummerhorn, and then several other "counter" items for other monsters, you're going to have a few slots left. Free action just seems like a way that should give you some bonus to rConf, but not in totality.

I also think finding FA is rather easy, not sure why people think it is that difficult. Typically you can find gloves or boots in the dungeon or black market before it is an issue...

[Marble Dice]

I also think finding FA is rather easy, not sure why people think it is that difficult. Typically you can find gloves or boots in the dungeon or black market before it is an issue...

I think people just don't like the binary dead-if-you-don't, forget-it-if-you-do nature of having FA. I think of paralysis like an easy-mode insta-kill breath weapon. Kills in one hit, but its melee only, and the resist isn't too hard to find.

[Derakon]

When does paralysis recovery occur? Right before you get your turn? If so, that would guarantee that you'd get a turn when the counter runs out. That seems like a reasonable first pass at improving the paralyzation mechanics. My remaining question would be, how do we currently determine how long you get paralyzed for? I think this is one situation in which lots of randomness (e.g. a modified d12 roll or something) is a bad idea, since it makes it difficult to gauge how dangerous getting paralyzed is in a given situation.

[fizzix]

I also think finding FA is rather easy, not sure why people think it is that difficult. Typically you can find gloves or boots in the dungeon or black market before it is an issue...

In my last couple games, I didn't get a steady source of FA (not in a swap weapon) until about dlevel 30-40.

The only times I've died to paralysis were dl1 to a floating eye and dl5 to a trap and a raven. Of course, I'm a complete chicken when it comes to fighting...

[Magnate]

About the hummerhorns... They show up before staffs of teleportation or a decent chance of rConf. I carry some CCW and speed potions, which is the only way to escape. I could carry around a wand of stinking cloud, but if they hit you first, good luck getting that to work with a confused warrior. And, if you say carry a WoSC and some CCW for the hummerhorn, and then several other "counter" items for other monsters, you're going to have a few slots left.

Just to offer an alternative view, I haven't seen a hummerhorn for, what, 20 games. Maybe 30.

Possibly another advantage of playing stealthy chars. (I probably have actually detected them, but never woken one up.)

[Timo Pietilä]

I think people just don't like the binary dead-if-you-don't, forget-it-if-you-do nature of having FA. I think of paralysis like an easy-mode insta-kill breath weapon. Kills in one hit, but its melee only, and the resist isn't too hard to find.

That's correct at least for me. I quite recently lost a char to Basilisk in CGV (the better one), because I was swapping my gear like crazy from the loot I was getting, and at some point lost FA in that swapping. One melee-round and I was dead. With my gear I would have been able to kill that Basilisk in about two turns (was clearing out last four blocks of that vault).

That felt unfair. I had something like:

Glaive of Pain
Amrod
Ring of speed (+20 or somesuch)
Ring of Acid
Amulet of ESP
Caspanion
Aman cloak
Elvenkind shield
Gondor
Gauntlets of power
Boots of Speed

And my original weapon was the one that gave me FA.

Or something. It *hurt* to die for lack of FA at that situation.

[Timo Pietilä]

About the hummerhorns... They show up before staffs of teleportation or a decent chance of rConf. I carry some CCW and speed potions, which is the only way to escape.

You can always fight until you can close a door behind you. Even when confused you still can kill single hummerhorn with single blow. Sooner or later you get a chance to escape situation. Hummerhorns really are deadly only in rooms where you can get surrounded and when you have very low HP.

Trying to heal each time you get confused is a mistake. Same with Umber Hulks. You can usually fight your way out of the situation where you get confused by it.

[dhegler]

Just to offer an alternative view, I haven't seen a hummerhorn for, what, 20 games. Maybe 30.

Possibly another advantage of playing stealthy chars. (I probably have actually detected them, but never woken one up.)

Seriously? I typically have found them every game until I get too deep to see them anymore... Hmmm, maybe I'm "lucky"...

[buzzkill]

For what it's worth, maybe rethinking paralysis would be the way to go about this. Upon my most recent near death experience, a though occurred to me. What if gaze paralysis was less effective at long distance (easier to resist, shorter duration), and more powerful at close range.

[PowerDiver]

For what it's worth, maybe rethinking paralysis would be the way to go about this. Upon my most recent near death experience, a though occurred to me. What if gaze paralysis was less effective at long distance (easier to resist, shorter duration), and more powerful at close range.

You get a save against ranged paralysis, and no save against melee or trap paralysis, so that is sort of there already.

Or maybe I am very confused! Suddenly I am not sure of what I wrote.

[buzzkill]

You get a save against ranged paralysis, and no save against melee or trap paralysis...

There's no save against touch paralysis??? I didn't know that! Argghhhh!

[PowerDiver]

There's no save against touch paralysis??? I didn't know that! Argghhhh!

Or I am very confused.

100% save does not protect you from traps that you set off. That's all I believe I know for sure at the moment.

Never underestimate the likelihood my memory is scrambled.

[Marble Dice]

You get a save against ranged paralysis, and no save against melee or trap paralysis, so that is sort of there already.

Or maybe I am very confused! Suddenly I am not sure of what I wrote.

You get a save for melee paralysis attacks. Having 100% save means you don't need Free Action.

[Pete Mack]

Going without paralysis at dl 24 is no more dangerous than going without Rpois at dl 44. Both will kill you in a single turn if you fail to detect, or just mess around too long on a level.

A fast diver loses a character to paralysis only a tiny fraction of games, but has free action by level 30 in a similarly small fraction of games.

I do agree with Eddie on one point: monsters with paralysis attacks should be obvious prior to melée, even the first time you see one. (maybe bold face for monsters that can instakill you, given your current resistances?)