late game monster

[fizzix]

This is allways true due to how a.i. function.
Chance that monster uses ranged attack does not depend on range e.g. if a dragon breaths every 4 turns at range it will be the same at melee. The only difference is that if monster does not use ranged attack it attacks im melee or move towards player depending on range.

If I was rewriting angband (v4) magic, bolts and breaths would have reduced damage with distance. The amount of fall off would depend on monster level and size (for monster breaths) and device skill for players. Ball spells would not (including mana storm) but they would have a higher fail rate with distance. Archery would accrue damage penalties at distance as well (you can still hit the dragon, but you don't hit its eye.) Penalties get mitigated by critical hits (which need rewriting.) I think Sil's free hit for point-blank archery is a step in the right direction, but I'd rather have it be a huge damage penalty or AC penalty or something.

Right now distance plays no role except to determine whether you or the monster can legally use an attack. This seems like it could use a lot of improvement.

[Derakon]

Several variants (NPP comes to mind) have conic breaths that fall off with distance but can hit a lot of tiles. Certainly makes more sense than the current "breaths are ball spells" system.

[Timo Pietilä]

Several variants (NPP comes to mind) have conic breaths that fall off with distance but can hit a lot of tiles. Certainly makes more sense than the current "breaths are ball spells" system.

But also make breath attacks really weak with powerful enough distance weapons, and monsters between you and it would be hurt, so danger of reintroducing "orcs shoot each other" -problem. Currently scary monsters would become harmless wimps. Rangers would rule the Angband.

That change would require complete rebalance of monsters. NPP which has this has also 4GAI which makes monsters in general far more deadly, so it doesn't suffer from conical breath being too weak too much.

Maybe a beam with ball-like splash for each hit? "Stream of fire" more like from flamethrower than just radiating from mouth.

If you have seen movie "reign of fire" it has this done pretty well. Dragon breath acts more like liquid than gas.

[fizzix]

I think Timo is right in why conical breaths are probably not desirable right now in angband. That still doesn't remove the possibility of reducing damage through distance.

The image is a 10m tall dragon breathing down on you over the heads of all the other monsters who've intelligently ducked out of the way. Of course this image doesn't work for Zs but that's a minor detail...