A Few Questions/Observations From an Old Player

[Oramin]

Hmm, I just used Rift on an Aether Vortex in 3.3.2 and got the message that it resisted it (which it obviously did since it should have died after already being hit by a Meteor Storm). The description, however, doesn't say that it resists Gravity.

[Timo Pietilä]

Mm, I was thinking of the 'I'nspect screen, but you're right, the detailed character info displays a lot of stackable properties alongside flags. That's a bit misleading. I think some variants put numbers into that sheet -- green for a bonus, red for a malus, so you don't have just + and *.

That would be very good UI improvement to add in vanilla too. It's not like it would alter gameplay, just helps figuring out which item gives how much something in one glance which you can do by checking your gear one by one anyway, so in my book it would be no-brainer as improvement. With multiple PVALs in items that would actually make things much clearer: item does not just add one value to things, it can add several, so remembering what gives what and finding right combination especially with randarts can get tedious.

[Derakon]

Mostly true. Other exceptions are Speed, Shots, Might, Blows, Stealth. These are listed in the same tables, but they are not flags.

Mm, I was thinking of the 'I'nspect screen, but you're right, the detailed character info displays a lot of stackable properties alongside flags. That's a bit misleading. I think some variants put numbers into that sheet -- green for a bonus, red for a malus, so you don't have just + and *.

[Pete Mack]

Put another way, if a property stacks, then it'll say it gives +X to the property, instead of just giving you the property. The only exception is stacking permanent and temporary resistance.

Mostly true. Other exceptions are Speed, Shots, Might, Blows, Stealth. These are listed in the same tables, but they are not flags.

[Oramin]

Ok, thanks. So the instant I finally find a useful amulet it gets swapped in.

[Derakon]

No, Regen does not stack. None of the "flag" values stack.

Put another way, if a property stacks, then it'll say it gives +X to the property, instead of just giving you the property. The only exception is stacking permanent and temporary resistance.

[Pete Mack]

Next question: Does Regeneration stack? And, if so, how?

No, Regen does not stack. None of the "flag" values stack.

[Oramin]

Thanks.

Next question: Does Regeneration stack? And, if so, how?

I currently have 3 sources and the best amulet I've found so far (down on 47 or so) is an Amulet of Regeneration (lousy luck with amulets this game).

[kaypy]

R: For the most part yes, activations are treated in the same way as anything else in do_cmd_use. If the specific activation effect in effects.c/effect_do has a boost component then you will get boosted, and dsm activations, along with most (but not quite all) damage calculations do.

case EF_DRAGON_RED:
		{
			dam = 200 * (100 + boost) / 100;
			msgt(MSG_BR_FIRE, "You breathe fire.");
			fire_ball(GF_FIRE, dir, dam, 2);
			return TRUE;
		}

O: No, the EF_DRINK_BREATH routine does not reference the boost input.

case EF_DRINK_BREATH:
		{
			const int breath_types[] =
			{
				GF_FIRE, 80,
				GF_COLD, 80,
			};

			int which = 2 * randint0(N_ELEMENTS(breath_types) / 2);
			fire_ball(breath_types[which], dir, breath_types[which + 1], 2);
			*ident = TRUE;
			return TRUE;
		}

See https://github.com/angband/angband/b.../src/effects.c for more than you want to know

[Oramin]

Ok, thanks. So then would Potions of Dragon Breath also have a damage boost?

[Raajaton]

Do activations from artifacts count as magical devices? For example, would a mage get his magical device bonus when using something like the breath on a DSM?

[kaypy]

Everything seems to wind up in the same do_cmd_use function, so it certainly looks to use the same damage boost process with scrolls as with anything else. And the DISPEL_UNDEAD effect certainly uses the boost attribute. So yeah, with any decent device skill you'll do more than 60 damage- the scrolls only have a base level of 40.

From looking through the list, it seems that dispel undead is the one and only scroll with a damage component, so this is a really obscure effect. (It might also be arguable that the boost should be removed in this case- probably in some scroll-based mechanism than from the DISPEL_UNDEAD code, since it can be used on randarts as well)

[Oramin]

Right, I don't how it was coded. For example, scrolls might have 0% activation failure because they are level 0 magic devices.

Same with Disenchantment attacks. I know that Acid can damage items I'm carrying (I had a mace today get reduced (+X, +X) numbers), so Disenchantment might work the same way.

Edit:

Oh, and the reason I was asking is that a single Scroll of Dispel Undead (base damage of 60) wiped out all but 1 of a group of 10 or so Barrow Wights (average life of 83).

[Derakon]

1. Only current equipment.
2. No. Magic device ability only applies to activation probability. Scrolls have 100% activation, so it doesn't apply.

Er, magic device ability does enhance the damage output of wands and staves, so it's not an unreasonable question. You get a (magic device skill - level of item)% bonus to damage.

However, I don't think the same applies for scrolls. I could be wrong though.

[Pete Mack]

A couple of questions:

1. Do Disenchantment attacks trash gear in your inventory or does it have to be equipped?

2. Does the Magic Device bonus apply to Scrolls (e.g. Scrolls of Dispel Undead)?

1. Only current equipment.
2. No. Magic device ability only applies to activation probability. Scrolls have 100% activation, so it doesn't apply.