Input for Demonic Weapons

[konijn_]

Greetings,

somewhat close to the weapons in PernBand ( Tome ? ) that gained xp and got better and better, I would like to have Demonic Weapons.

They should evolve hitdice/bonus wise.

I was also considering the following options:

* gain resists and flags like SHARP and stuff ?
* at times replenish HP and MP of the player after killing stuff ?
* gimmicky, but maybe destroy books of White Magic on pick up, corrupt potions of heroism to become potions of berserk
* start aggravating if the weapon becomes annoyed at not having killed someone since a while ? probably gimmicky as well
* gain one random power of latest slain unique ?
* give to hit/dam bonus or higher crit. odds for monsters with high kill count ?
* make scrolls of enchant armor work on it ?
* other ?

T.

[buzzkill]

How about actually summoning a powerful demon to wield it (against it's former master) once it becomes powerful enough.

[konijn_]

How about actually summoning a powerful demon to wield it (against it's former master) once it becomes powerful enough.

Hmmm, that or make it act like The Storm Bringer, yeah, that should be possible to code. Thx.

T.

[Derakon]

It sounds to me like you want to have a situation where you start out with the weapon serving the player, but as you kill more and more enemies with it, the balance shifts until the player is serving the weapon, doing everything he/she can to keep it happy. Adding aggravation is a good touch to try to force the player into combat; if you continue to dissatisfy it it could summon monsters to you, push you deeper into the dungeon, de-power itself in the middle of a fight, and so on.

Some things I see being necessary:

* Some way to keep the player from just ditching the weapon when they're "done" with it. "Oops, I found Ringil. Guess I don't need you any more." Storing it in the home, dumping it in stores, or just dropping it on the floor should be imperfect escape mechanisms once the weapon gets strong enough.

* Some more elaborate mechanism for getting rid of it altogether. Maybe a special quest you could undertake to get it shattered by a mystic sledgehammer, or maybe you could transfer the demon's "soul" into an enemy and kill it that way.

* Very careful balancing so that it's not a no-brainer either to just use the thing ("Hey, I'm gonna be killing the entire pantheon <i>anyway</i>; may as well make my sword happy while I do it") or to outright avoid it ("No way am I using something that'll bring the entire dungeon down on me every time I try to rest").

[konijn_]

It sounds to me like you want to have a situation where you start out with the weapon serving the player, but as you kill more and more enemies with it, the balance shifts until the player is serving the weapon, doing everything he/she can to keep it happy. Adding aggravation is a good touch to try to force the player into combat; if you continue to dissatisfy it it could summon monsters to you, push you deeper into the dungeon, de-power itself in the middle of a fight, and so on.

Some things I see being necessary:

* Some way to keep the player from just ditching the weapon when they're "done" with it. "Oops, I found Ringil. Guess I don't need you any more." Storing it in the home, dumping it in stores, or just dropping it on the floor should be imperfect escape mechanisms once the weapon gets strong enough.

* Some more elaborate mechanism for getting rid of it altogether. Maybe a special quest you could undertake to get it shattered by a mystic sledgehammer, or maybe you could transfer the demon's "soul" into an enemy and kill it that way.

* Very careful balancing so that it's not a no-brainer either to just use the thing ("Hey, I'm gonna be killing the entire pantheon <i>anyway</i>; may as well make my sword happy while I do it") or to outright avoid it ("No way am I using something that'll bring the entire dungeon down on me every time I try to rest").

For Warlocks and Hell Knights I am considering perma curse at birth as part of the story telling. It might *curse* itself for other classes, so that you just need a *remove curse* to take it off.

I very much like the idea of descending dungeon levels if it gets unhappy. Maybe it just tricks you when you take stairs and gets you much lower and without stairs back

Depowering I dont like, summoning stuff should be easy.

T.

[NotMorgoth]

How about: they sometimes make you go berserk while fighting with them whether you want to or not.

[konijn_]

How about: they sometimes make you go berserk while fighting with them whether you want to or not.

Yeah, maybe when hp goes below 1/3 , just to add that extra 'aaargh, not NOW!'

T.

[Djabanete]

Random berserk (Your weapon cries, "Let me guide your hand in slaughter!")
Random aggravate (Your weapon issues a blood-curdling wail!)
Random teleport-to (tries to place the @ next to the highest-level monster in sight) (Your weapon whispers, "Let us slay this one together...")
Random monster summoning (Your weapon cries, "I grow weary of this lack of violence!")
Random demon summoning (Your weapon says gleefully, "Let us do battle with my dark brethren!")
Random unique summoning ("Aha!" Your weapon shouts, "I have found us a worthy adversary!")
Random cursing/*cursing*
Random fireball centered on player (Your weapon coughs.)

edit: powers a demonic weapon could accrue as it levels up:
Resist Fire/Fear/Nether/Dark/Life Draining
Fire/Poison/Mana Brand
Vampiric
Sharp
Aggravation
Scrolls of Curse Weapon could act as Potions of Experience for the weapon
Slay Good/Human/Animal
Extra Blow(s)
Antimagic Shell
sense Demons

[konijn_]

Random berserk (Your weapon cries, "Let me guide your hand in slaughter!")
Random aggravate (Your weapon issues a blood-curdling wail!)
Random teleport-to (tries to place the @ next to the highest-level monster in sight) (Your weapon whispers, "Let us slay this one together...")
Random monster summoning (Your weapon cries, "I grow weary of this lack of violence!")
Random demon summoning (Your weapon says gleefully, "Let us do battle with my dark brethren!")
Random unique summoning ("Aha!" Your weapon shouts, "I have found us a worthy adversary!")
Random cursing/*cursing*
Random fireball centered on player (Your weapon coughs.)

edit: powers a demonic weapon could accrue as it levels up:
Resist Fire/Fear/Nether/Dark/Life Draining
Fire/Poison/Mana Brand
Vampiric
Sharp
Aggravation
Scrolls of Curse Weapon could act as Potions of Experience for the weapon
Slay Good/Human/Animal
Extra Blow(s)
Antimagic Shell
sense Demons

Nice! That's the kind of stuff I'm looking for, I'm also think about gaining activatable effects that demonic weapons might gain..

T.

[Tatami]

The stronger the weapon gets the "moodier" it gets, *curse* instead of curse etc. It would be like having two demonic patrons only this one messes with you at random.

[konijn_]

The stronger the weapon gets the "moodier" it gets, *curse* instead of curse etc. It would be like having two demonic patrons only this one messes with you at random.

That's the other thing. I am playtesting a Warlock ( Demonic Mage with Patron ), I need to rework the whole thing. But that's for a different post.

T.

[Djabanete]

I'm also think about gaining activatable effects that demonic weapons might gain..

obvious stuff:
Berserk
Fire/Nether/Poison bolt
Fire/Nether ball
Inferno (fire and/or nether damage to all in sight)
Temporary resist Fire/Nether/Poison
Massacre: attack all directions at once

interesting stuff:
Transfer curses (uncurse all your stuff, but curse itself)
Ritual of Blood (lose HP to regain mana)
Pandemonium (confuse all monsters in sight)
Execute (Kill one non-unique monster in melee range --- long recharge time)
Wrath (a super buff where you get +2 attacks, berserk, and perfect saving throw)