Dan's OFFICIAL Angband Question Thread

[Timo Pietilä]

I have an OFFICIAL Angband (3.3.2) Question:

What's the rationale behind Rods of Healing having ten times the recharge time of Rods of Speed?

Haste is a cheap spell, heal is not.

Seriously, for gameplay reason heal has higher value than temporary speed boost. With very fast charge healing rods you could have practically infinite HP.

[scud]

I could work my way through half a dozen Rods of Healing in 30 seconds of melée – this might reflect more on my somewhat confrontational playing style than the rod's effectiveness – and then wait an age for them to recharge.

On the other hand, at a base speed of +15 a Rod of Speed takes just 250 turns to recharge and is effective for 2d10+20. I'm packing four of them which means even an idiot like me is essentially permanently hastened.

There does seem to be a huge difference in the utility of the two rods. Perhaps the first should *heal* rather than heal 500HP? Perhaps the second should give a speed boost of between 5–10 that's rerolled on each use?

[Derakon]

The player should not have access to lots and lots of free healing. Not unless they want to play as a priest (or maybe a paladin). Large heals break the game; they allow you to play without much of a mind towards tactics. Being able to haste yourself is important, but it's also easily replicated by other relatively common items (potions of Speed and staves of Speed). Healing is comparatively rare, in the sense that you aren't going to drink a potion of Healing without considering your alternatives.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the rod of healing shouldn't have a shorter recharge time, but comparing it to the rod of speed is misleading, since the two have completely different power levels and "replaceability". In my opinion, the primary use of the rod of speed is to allow warriors and holy casters to have a source of temporary speed that isn't potions (which should usually be saved for the endgame) and isn't subject to drain-charges attacks.

[ninmonkey]

This would be more useful / easier to read, if you have it on a wiki.

[Estie]

Rod of healing is probably the least useful of the high rods. They are not suitable for replacing other healing gear for various reasons: chance of failure, rarity, long recharge time. Even staff of healing is preferred to 1 single rod of healing, and chances are you wont get a stack of them before the game is over.

When I find one (not in every game) I usually do make room at least in my home for it, hoping that more will be found, but typically I end up not using them at all.

Apart from reducing recharge time, I can see 2 other ways that would improve their usefulness:
1. make them more common, so you can expect to eventually have a stack;
2. reduce the number of healing potions, perhaps by removing !*healing*. This would free some space and make it more feasible to carry yet another source of healing like the rod.

[Derakon]

They do have occasional utility. You can't rely on them for last-ditch healing, but if you're getting towards the danger zone but aren't actually in it yet, you can spend a turn on a 90%-success-rate rod zap.

Past characters have, between a rod of Healing and a couple of big-heal artifact activations (e.g. on Gondor) managed to do nigh-entirely without healing potions.

[Timo Pietilä]

They do have occasional utility. You can't rely on them for last-ditch healing, but if you're getting towards the danger zone but aren't actually in it yet, you can spend a turn on a 90%-success-rate rod zap.

Past characters have, between a rod of Healing and a couple of big-heal artifact activations (e.g. on Gondor) managed to do nigh-entirely without healing potions.

I was going to write this same. They save you those healing potions which is really important if you are going to play without grinding for them. Elessar & Gondor and/or one of the Elven Rings with healing (forgot which one) & one or two rods of healing and you almost never need to rely on those bigger potions (*healing* and Life).

[Estie]

Yeah exactly "Ellessar and Gondor and rod". You need a few and they become useful.

My randarts activate for sprinting or some other nonsense, not for healing; maybe thats why they end up mathomed for me.

[Nick]

This would be more useful / easier to read, if you have it on a wiki.

You may have been fooled by the title of this thread into thinking it has some sort of official status. It doesn't

[OOD Town drunk]

You may have been fooled by the title of this thread into thinking it has some sort of official status. It doesn't

Official only under my personal jurisdiction. Which obviously doesn't mean much

So, another very minor (so very minor) typo. The eucalyptus staff, although beginning with a vowel (2 in fact) still begins with a consonant 'y' sound, so it shouldn't have the article 'an' preceding it. Which it currently does. So very minor. But I have an editor's eye and can't help but catch things like this and if I don't mention it, who will?

[OOD Town drunk]

What are the details on a *Great* hit? I just executed one on an earth hound. I am often pretty damn good at missing things, and I am fairly certain I have never seen this particular readout. It can't be terribly common. I hate to think that I am that unobservant!!

[Derakon]

*GREAT* hits are only possible with the heavier weapons, and do 3x+20 damage (so an attack that normally does 30 damage will deal 110, for example). That's only 5 more damage than a Superb hit.

Theoretically there's also a *SUPERB* hit which deals 4x+20 damage, but I've never seen one. It might only be possible with Grond, by far the heaviest weapon in the game.

[OOD Town drunk]

*GREAT* hits are only possible with the heavier weapons, and do 3x+20 damage (so an attack that normally does 30 damage will deal 110, for example). That's only 5 more damage than a Superb hit.

Theoretically there's also a *SUPERB* hit which deals 4x+20 damage, but I've never seen one. It might only be possible with Grond, by far the heaviest weapon in the game.

Interesting. I was using an executioner's sword so that makes sense. Is there somewhere I can see all of the various critical hits and learn their inner workings? Or perhaps somebody can share?

[Derakon]

There was some discussion on the forums about this awhile back; you might be able to find my posts on it which went into more detail. I don't care to do the search myself right now. Otherwise, as far as I know they're undocumented.

[Oramin]

I think the discussion was in the really long thread that I started.

Edit:

Pages 7 and 8 with the corrected version on page 19.