Ranger spell review

[Grotug]

Thanks everyone for the excellent discussion, I am again amazed by this forum

I agree with pretty much all the points made. So here's my current thinking:

• Herbal Curing really is rubbish where it is. How about we just replace Cure Poison with it, in book 1? Probably just for rangers, I don't know what we do for druids.
• I'm inclined to agree that rangers should get the same bonuses for all missile weapons. This kind of loses the niceness of Create Arrows. Could we maybe add a later spell that creates bolts or shots (out of something else, or even out of nothing), so regular bows have a distinctness still?

Opinions on these, or other suggestions?

Ranger gets a *greater stone to mud* spell that whenever stone is turned to mud, there's a chance that bolts or shots appear on the ground where the wall they just turned to mud was. Or, if one prefers a little more toiling, they get a "lesser stone to mud" spell that doesn't quite manage to turn the stone into mud, but instead, turns the stone into rubble. The rubble piles have a chance of having sling or bolt ammo beneath them.

Or maybe a pair of spells: "Fashion bolts from rubble" and "Fashion pebbles from rubble".

I also think that mithril ammo should have significantly less breakage.

arrows currently break 30% of time, mithril arrows should break 3X less often (so 10% of the time).

mithril bolts should thus break 7% of the time.

Iron shots should break 2% of the time and mithril shots 0% of the time.

@Estie a dragon-horn bow would be awesome! I love this idea. I'd like it to be significantly less common than Lorien bows but native power X5, not X4 (and maybe extra shots not possible to appear on non-artifact dragon-horn bows).

Would it break the game if, instead of extra shots, rangers *never* missed with a bow?
Seems like a nice buff which would help an early character without overpowering a late one.
Maybe at level 30 crits would become more likely.

I'd prefer over extra shots the bow to increase in might at various strength and/or DEX thresholds (not too dissimilar to how blows increase).

[Monkey Face]

Since the starting kit is specified by class, it would be easy to leave off the food (or reduce its amount) for rangers.

Also Druids since they get Remove Hunger very early.

[backwardsEric]

Yeah, I don't play with the "start with useful items" birth option anymore, for a similar reason. That Word of Recall scroll is a GIANT waste of money when you play without Recall. It's actually kind of fun starting with money and having to buy everything from the shop. Adds a bit of variety to your start game (sometimes you get lucky and can afford a lightly enchanted dagger. Other times your best option is a heavy Tulwar. Here's hoping you can find a dagger in the dungeon).

For what it's worth, one of 4.2.3's changes is leaving off the Word of Recall from the starting kit if playing with the no recall option.

Since the starting kit is specified by class, it would be easy to leave off the food (or reduce its amount) for rangers.

[archolewa]

When you start with useful items on birth as a ranger, those two rations of food are junk. Your first spell is satisfy hunger and you can level up to that on the first dungeon level.

I realise this is the most minor gripe in the world, and I sound incredibly petty.

Yeah, I don't play with the "start with useful items" birth option anymore, for a similar reason. That Word of Recall scroll is a GIANT waste of money when you play without Recall. It's actually kind of fun starting with money and having to buy everything from the shop. Adds a bit of variety to your start game (sometimes you get lucky and can afford a lightly enchanted dagger. Other times your best option is a heavy Tulwar. Here's hoping you can find a dagger in the dungeon).

[Selkie]

When you start with useful items on birth as a ranger, those two rations of food are junk. Your first spell is satisfy hunger and you can level up to that on the first dungeon level.

I realise this is the most minor gripe in the world, and I sound incredibly petty.

[archolewa]

Herbal Healing has been improved in the latest pre-release I believe. It's in the first book now, and it cures Stunning and Poison(?) as well I believe.

I often made use of it to clear up stunning in my recent Ranger run. It's not the spell you get excited about in the first book (that would be Stone to Mud), but it's got its uses now.

[Pete Mack]

Yes, i found the same. I understand it makes sense in an RPG way, but it'd help if the spell worked outside an area of such limited use.

[sffp]

The irony of the Herbal Curing spell for rangers is that higher level rangers rarely get touched by ring wraiths. Between creating diagonal tunnels with stone to mud and 2.x shots a turn, anything that doesn't violate the physical walls of the dungeon is easy pickings.

[mrfy]

So to be clear, which version do I need to play to try the ranger changes?

Latest pre-release. I get it from https://github.com/angband/angband/releases

[Selkie]

So to be clear, which version do I need to play to try the ranger changes?

[Pete Mack]

@Nick--
That sling is basically a Buckland with other stuff thrown on. Randart launchers are great for pure warriors or pure casters--they invariably make better stat sticks than the two standart shortbows. But for pure damage, only very rarely do you find a Belthronding or Bard.

[jevansau]

Yep, looks like randarts need to be nerfed again

To be fair, a buckland can be better than that.

One thing I have noted is that in recent releases randart launchers are rarely that great as the main source of damage, although they often have other useful aspects.

While I was very lucky early with launchers in my last game, I never found anything as good as that *5 +22 Lothlorien.
One artifact longbow that was ~15% worse and a another buckland that was maybe 20% worse, was as good as I found in a completed game.

[Nick]

I've been playing a Ranger character and got him up to level 50. First, had mediocre bows, then found an artifact sling, +6 shooting speed, +2 shooting power. Wow.

With shots and pebbles never breaking, I'm finding it easy to just keep loading up on better and better ammo, replacing ones of lesser quality. Seems OP.

Yep, looks like randarts need to be nerfed again

[mrfy]

I've been playing a Ranger character and got him up to level 50. First, had mediocre bows, then found an artifact sling, +6 shooting speed, +2 shooting power. Wow.

With shots and pebbles never breaking, I'm finding it easy to just keep loading up on better and better ammo, replacing ones of lesser quality. Seems OP.

[Pete Mack]

I am still playing 4.2.2. Herbal healing is utterly junk. First: rangers dont optimally melee Ringwraiths. Second: it doesnt even affect Hallucination. Third: ridiculous high fail rate. 4. Healing breath without restoration is of only moderate use. Blackguard spell is way better.