Re: Another soon-to-be-dead char

On 2008-03-06 08:32:29, pete m <pmac360@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:

> On Mar 5, 10:19 am, Andrew Sidwell  wrote:
> > Timo Pietil=E4 wrote:

> > Formula now is:
> >
> > ((arrowdice * slays) + to_dam) * bow multiplier
> >
> > so firebrand on a heavy crossbow is:
> >         (1d5 * x3 slay) * 4  =3D 1d5 * 12 =3D 12-60
> > with +4 arrows:
> >         ((1d5 * x3 slay) + 4) * 4 =3D 28-76
> > without:
> >         (1d5) * 4 =3D 1d5 * 4 =3D 4-20
> >
> > It used to be:
> >
> > (arrowdice + to_dam) * bow multiplier * slays
> >
> > so firebrand on a heavy crossbow would be:
> >         (1d5) * 4 * 3 =3D 1d5 * 8 =3D 12-60
> > with +4 arrows:
> >         (1d5 + 4) * 4 * 3 =3D 60-108
> > without:
> >         (1d5) * 4 =3D 1d5 * 4 =3D 4-20
> >
> > I'm not at all settled on this.  Other suggestions welcome, as always.
> >
> > > Critical hits should also be tweaked. Currently difference between
> > > good and excellent critical is 5 points *total*, and you can't get
> > > suberb critical at all.
> >
> > This is true.  I was going to have a go at that, but thought that
> > perhaps I should wait to see how the change mentioned above worked
out.
> 
> I was wondering why I could no longer kill Smaug.  I used to value an
> early find of branded ego ammo very highly--it meant I had a chance at
> a few high-value targets, even without a good bow.
> 
> Now I'd be better off with Wounding ammo or just an out-of-depth stack
> of Seeker ammo, which at least has 1d5x4 instead of 1d5x3.

Pretty much.  If you intentionally enchant arrows/bolts (I like to
maintain two
healthy stacks once in early-midgame before statgain and later), this
change
means that unless you can brand your own arrows/bolts branded
non-Seeker/Mithril
bolts aren't worth the slot.

This change does make sense with an Unangband-style monster use of missile
launchers: an orc pit with Black orcs would be very likely to have at
least one
black orc with both an enchanted bow and elemental branded arrows.  Even
with
the player's damage reduction from armor, pre-stat gain with the V3.0.9
damage
calculation that's likely to come in at 50-60 hp/incoming arrow hit,
somewhat
more than a V3.0.9 ARROW_4.