A Few Questions/Observations From an Old Player

[Derakon]

I generally don't pay attention to my saving throw percentage; there are more specific protections for the important stuff, so it mostly just reduces the damage you take from cursing attacks and reduces the odds of you being screwed over by nexus attacks or a monster teleporting you away.

Trickery is almost always better than Devotion, in other words. Trickery amulets are OP.

[Oramin]

Thanks. Any code viewers out there?

On a different issue, I have a L45 Kobold Warrior who has been wearing an Amulet of Devotion and just found an Amulet of Trickery (+2 on important stats).

Switching over reduces my saving throw from 74% to 70%. Worth it? Base Speed is currently around +27 or so (Cubragol, kind of sucks for damage though).

[Derakon]

I'm reasonably confident that disenchantment can only take items down to +0, but I haven't actually looked at the code.

Conceptually I think of disenchantment as draining the magic from the item, so magically cursed gear ought to be able to be drained as well, improving it. But I doubt that's actually the case.

[Oramin]

Ok, now I'm curious about Disenchantment attacks and Wormtongue.

As discussed previously, Disenchantment will trash the (+5, +5) on Cammithrim (gloves).

What effect will Disenchantment attacks have on the (-1, -1) on Wormtongue (boots)?

Depending on the coding it could be (+0, +0), no effect, or (-INF, -INF).

(or whatever the limit is for negative numbers).

Anybody happen to know?

[DaviddesJ]

As another returning player, I really agree that the game is vastly improved in many small ways, but one of the things I really miss is the size of the Home. It may just be a stylistic thing, but I like being able to keep around things I might want later. Having to ditch most artifacts immediately, not being able to store some nice ammo in case I want it, limiting how many mushroom and potion types I can accumulate, etc., etc., all make the game less fun for me.

[Oramin]

Are you folks sure that you haven't programmed the RNG to mock players? I just found 2 Wraths of God lying on the ground on the same level - but I still haven't found Kelek's.

(Playing a High Elf Mage as a reminder.)

Edit:

Finally!

The RNG has taken mercy on my soul.

(in a good way not in going to your death way)

[Oramin]

Ok, thanks.

[Derakon]

Different temporary boosts stack in different ways. Speed is notable for stacking oddly, but for some reason many effects just stack duration indefinitely.

Personally I think that all temporary status boosts should use the "reset" stack method, where re-casting the boost simply resets the duration back to full.

[Oramin]

BTW, did anybody have a comment on Protection from Evil stacking?

[Mondkalb]

I have never, _ever_, *ever* found a sling of Buckland. Not once.

What a pity!

I have found some, but this one together with that ammunition was really amazing:

b) a Sling of Buckland (x4) (+22,+21) <+5, +2>
Found lying on the floor in a vault at 4850 feet (level 97).

+5 dexterity.
+2 shooting speed, shooting power.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

u) 4 Mithril Shots of Holy Might (2d4) (+27,+24)
Found lying on the floor in a vault at 4850 feet (level 97).

Slays evil creatures, undead, demons.
Cannot be harmed by acid, fire.

Combat info:
Hits targets up to 140 feet away.
Average damage/round: 990 vs. evil creatures, 1155 vs. undead,
1155 vs. demons, and 660 vs. others.
25% chance of breaking upon contact.

Just appropriate for a kobold rogue

http://angband.oook.cz/ladder-show.php?id=14192

[Raajaton]

Only time I've ever found one was with a Ranger, who already had Bard.

[Oramin]

I've found a half dozen or so but then I play at a fairly slow pace and spend a lot of time hanging out on 97-99. As I said, I was very surprised to find one for sale; I thought items like that could only show up in the Black Market instead of the Armory.

[MattB]

Heck, I was surprised when, a couple of hours ago, I found a Sling of Buckland for sale in The Armory for 63K. Only +10 damage but +2 Shots/Might.

I stuck it in my house on general principle and sold the Ring of Speed +16 (as I mentioned, Rings of Power are more common than Kelek's).

I have never, _ever_, *ever* found a sling of Buckland. Not once.

[Raajaton]

I dunno, my comp character never found the 9th prayer book (did find the 9th spell book though)

It was unfortunate the gods of angband didn't generate any vaults for you in the 90's or you probably would have found it.

[Oramin]

It is possible that RNG is just messing with you. When we deal with rarities that are not "found everywhere, anytime" and with the amount of things to find there just are things that not get created. It can go other way around too, when I started playing angband couple of decades ago I did find Ringil in just about every game I played and wondered why everybody claims it is rare. OTOH I have found Feanor exactly once in all the games I have played and IIRC is was in the version where you were practically walking in a shoe store and artifact rarities were broken.

Heck, I was surprised when, a couple of hours ago, I found a Sling of Buckland for sale in The Armory for 63K. Only +10 damage but +2 Shots/Might.

I stuck it in my house on general principle and sold the Ring of Speed +16 (as I mentioned, Rings of Power are more common than Kelek's).