Re: CF: skill categories and sub-skills

[Mark Wedel <mwedel@scruznet.com>]

David Andrew Michael Noelle wrote:
> 
> > Date: Fri, 19 May 2000 21:14:13 -0700
> > From: Mark Wedel <mwedel@scruznet.com>
> >
> >  disarming magical traps is always sort of odd.  How does someone disarm that
> > rune sitting on the floor?  Presumably it is not being triggered by some
> > mechanical means, but rather by someone touching the rune.
> 
> That's how I always figured rune traps must work.  For a rune on the
> floor, one might "disarm" it merely by realizing it's there and
> finding a suitable way to traverse that area of floor without touching
> the rune.  It could then be considered "disarmed" by assuming that you
> remember where it is and how to avoid it.  This has very little to do
> with prematurely triggering needle or disabling the trigger on a set
> of blades.

 But such explanation doesn't work fully.  Presumably, monsters are not being
told, and you do want them to trigger the rune.  Current disarm removes the rune
completely, suggesting it has been wiped out or otherwise made inert to
everyone.


> Avoiding them makes sense for many uses of runes, but doesn't explain
> why someone else who didn't see you sidestep the rune no longer has to
> worry about it.  Dispelling runes as the only means of disarming them
> works fine for casters, but makes a theif's work a great deal harder.
> Perhaps runes on doors or chests, for which avoidance simply isn't
> relevant, can be "disarmed" by somehow erasing or effacing part of the
> rune with some inert instrument, thus turning the magical writing into
> meaningless graffitti.  That is about the closest thing I can think of
> to a "disarm" skill for runes, and it still hasn't got a thing to do
> with the skills involved in detecting and disarming mechanical traps.

 Correct.  Or maybe you can somehow open the door or chest without setting the
rune off.  Since those items disappear after use, exactly how they work is a
little easier to explain.  However, at some point, doors probably won't actually
disappear but be things players can open and close.  Same for chests for that
matter.  I think the disappearing behaviour is a left over more from the
gauntlet heritage.


> Which reminds me - has anyone else noticed that spellcasters actually
> start at level 2?  They get two free spellbooks, each of which grants
> 1,000 exp if read successfully.  Instant 2,000 exp head start.  Until
> they venture into the newbie house, use up their one spell, and get
> killed by the second kobold, that is.

 I noticed that.  Something to change - dont give exp for reading the spellbooks
you start with - easy enough to check.


> Personally, I never really liked that method.  In addition to the fact
> that learning skills by gaining a level before you ever try using them
> is just backwards, it would severely complicate the whole killing =
> experience gain - death = experience loss cycle.

 True - with death, it would basically let players redistribute the skills to
more appropriate areas if they have now defunct skills.

 One easy fix for this would be when you die, you lose the exp, but no skills,
and your level remains the same.  This effectively means you need to regain all
the exp you lost plus what you need for next level before you get anything.


> Actually, non-perma-death mode already gives us deteriorating skills.
> If you stop using a skill, the experience you lose from that skill
> every time you die never gets recovered.

 True.  But presumably, if you stop using a skill, you probably don't need it
any more, so any loss you get isn't a big deal.

 This is more a big deal if the skill is something like alchemy where you need
to use it every so often or lose ability.  You may not use it a lot, but you
probably don't want to lose the skill you do have in it.
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