feature/monster

[Hounded]

That's mean.

I like it.

[EpicMan]

Annihilation makes me think it should breathe disintegration (mana + removes walls if no disintegration element in Vanilla), like the Black Dragons in Nethack.

[Derakon]

Yeah, an Annihilation wyrm should breathe only unresistable elements. Mana, disintegration (assuming someone feels like coding it or nicking the code from one of the variants that has it), time, gravity, maybe force? I wouldn't want to dilute its breath pool too much with uninteresting breaths; Aether hounds/vortices aren't very interesting because most of the time they breathe things like basic elements, light/darkness, and other lesser things.

[Pete Mack]

But wgat is the point? A few more deep monsters to avoid doesnt add much to the game

[Grotug]

Mana, disintegration, inertia, gravity, Time, force. Six breaths should be good. I think Force is interesting in that it knocks you back, which is probably a good challenge for the characters who will be most fit to dispatch a great wyrm of annihilation: those wielding a randart (8d5) slays dragons *powerfully*.

[PowerWyrm]

Cyberdemons when?

[PowerWyrm]

Mana, disintegration, inertia, gravity, Time, force. Six breaths should be good. I think Force is interesting in that it knocks you back, which is probably a good challenge for the characters who will be most fit to dispatch a great wyrm of annihilation: those wielding a randart (8d5) slays dragons *powerfully*.

And rockets while at it...

[Derakon]

But wgat is the point? A few more deep monsters to avoid doesnt add much to the game

Some people want big monsters so they can fight them. Not everything is about cherry-picking the best EXP targets, stealthily grabbing loot off the floor, TOing everything remotely dangerous, and ramping up your power as fast as possible.

[Pete Mack]

Sure. But more big breathers is not really an interesting way to do it. Compare to cyberdemons, or those nightmare levels towards the end of Steamband.

[Derakon]

Sure. But more big breathers is not really an interesting way to do it. Compare to cyberdemons, or those nightmare levels towards the end of Steamband.

Aside from mana (and whatever disintegration gets if it's implemented), those exotic elements have pretty low damage caps. They're scary due to their side-effects. So I'm not sure I would characterize this proposal as a "big breather". It's a big monster with breath weapons, sure, but they're more about applying some unpleasant debuffs while also dealing some damage.

Cyberdemons are pretty one-note, for that matter: a powerful rocket launcher, lots of HP, and decently high melee damage.

I'm not familiar with Steamband; what were its late levels like?

[Nick]

Well, the current build has put great wyrms of law and chaos back in, and still has great wyrms of annihilation and sky dragons (which originally replaced them. So everybody wins?

[Antoine]

There is also a Great Wyrm of Amnesia, but none of us can remember fighting it and even Nick cannot remember coding it

A.

[Gwarl]

Aside from mana (and whatever disintegration gets if it's implemented), those exotic elements have pretty low damage caps. They're scary due to their side-effects. So I'm not sure I would characterize this proposal as a "big breather". It's a big monster with breath weapons, sure, but they're more about applying some unpleasant debuffs while also dealing some damage.

Cyberdemons are pretty one-note, for that matter: a powerful rocket launcher, lots of HP, and decently high melee damage.

I'm not familiar with Steamband; what were its late levels like?

in variants which have cyberdemons, confusion is a useful status effect.

[Nick]

There is also a Great Wyrm of Amnesia, but none of us can remember fighting it and even Nick cannot remember coding it

A.

I think it was introduced by Julian Lighton

[Derakon]

Speaking as an official community Old Fart, as I recall the Great Wyrm of Amnesia was...

uh.

what were we talking about?