Scroll of Increase Power

[bcadren]

Really rough idea that I think some people would like. Hasn't been expanded on...yet.

What if there was a semi-rare scroll that when used increased the spell levels used by and/or MP cost of a spell, but also made it more powerful (without significantly changing the effect); like bumping B.Magma to level 7, but increasing the damage; or bumping Spammals to level 3, but raising the summon cap and letting it draw orange/green rats at higher spell power?

Wouldn't be compatible with all spells. Scroll would be as rare as amnesia and the core concept is...you like the blinding spell gimmick that "Dazzling Spray" has, but it no longer really does any damage and is just a blinding spell. Use this to make it more easily blind stronger things and do more damage, but cost more spell levels and MP. Can only be used on a specific spell once; on may thing it effectively just raises the power cap (causes damaging spells to do more damage and hexes to pierce more MR); on summonings it either summons more or more powerful things of the same class, etc.

[archaeo]

So Scroll of Improved Haste, is what you're saying.

[WalkerBoh]

I don't know, it seems pretty similar to brilliance. Adding a handicap and making the usage more complicated aren't necessarily benefits either.

[TeshiAlair]

What about Scroll of Amplification: increased all stats by 10 for you, but also buffed all monsters in LoS. Bad when swarmed, good for taking out one enemy.

[Lyrick]

  Code:


Casting: Sting [lv9]
Aim: Saint Roka (lightly wounded)
The sting hits Saint Roka!!!!!!!! Saint Roka looks very, very very quite extremely sick
You kill Saint Roka!



OT, I think this would be a little interesting if it could raise level 9 spells to 10.

I think it'd have to be quite rare. At least ?oAcquirement rare, given the nature of its effects.

[Cheibrodos]

I think something like a "signature" spell or weapon that gives bonuses could be cool as a god effect, but otherwise this overlaps pretty heavily with the increase of spellpower as you train and the eventual acquirement of better spells. It would also be really complicated to give each spell scaling versions of itself for a rare scroll effect.

[bcadren]

Let me be more clear: The idea is this is a permanent. It doesn't work on all spells, but on ones it does work on it boosts the spell (permanently). The new version is 2-4 spell levels higher (and therefore harder to cast, etc.) but gets a similar boost in power. In many cases the MP changes to match the new level, but in some it doesn't. The exceptions allow for the 1 MP spell that's good in extended (Animate Skeleton, etc.) to still exist; while the original Level 1 spell you start with wouldn't work very far into the game at all without using one of these scrolls. I don't intend it to work on anything with a spell power over 6; but boosting B.Fire to (9) would give it more direct damage (to a single enemy) than F.Storm, more on par with Lehu's; but less AoE damage than F.Storm. It's supposed to -by and large- let you keep low level spells into normal endgame and keep bolts spells from being completely eclipsed by level 7+ spells.

[TeshiAlair]

Oh. That's insane.

[Leafsnail]

I can kindof imagine a potion that temporarily removes/raises the power cap on spells. Probably would have to be part of Brilliance.

[KoboldLord]

Or how about instead of making the scroll super-rare, make it really common so you have to spend multiples on the crippled un-upgraded versions you get from spellbooks in order to get them as good as spells are now, and you have to start over from scratch every time you want to upgrade to a new spell. To distinguish these special Crawl-specific spells with their Crawl-unique flavor, we could call them WEAPONs, with the thing that the acronym stands for to be determined later.

Taking the premise ever-so-slightly more seriously, do you honestly think for a moment that the community wouldn't calculate in advance all the spells that have good upgraded versions and upgrade and use those spells exclusively? All the proposal would do is make sure we have to get two random drops to get a spell rather than just one. The idea might work in a tabletop game with a handful of friends, but it does not work at all with a community of thousands of players who can all do math and talk to each other.

[bcadren]

Taking the premise ever-so-slightly more seriously, do you honestly think for a moment that the community wouldn't calculate in advance all the spells that have good upgraded versions and upgrade and use those spells exclusively? All the proposal would do is make sure we have to get two random drops to get a spell rather than just one. The idea might work in a tabletop game with a handful of friends, but it does not work at all with a community of thousands of players who can all do math and talk to each other.

The way to avoid that is that spells that use it are equally useful or useful to different characters. Personally I'd use it on Vamp Draining and/or Bolt Spells. Though, you are right, but that's already true, people already get cBlink, Anim Skele et. on all most all late game casters. Also only works once per spell makes it different than weapons anyways. Also, it would be amusing to see low level spells continue to be somewhat useful later; especially ones with unique flavour that are sad to lose (aforementioned Dazzling Spray).

Alternatively; just making it so ALL spells don't ever hit their max spellpower (level 1 spells have a higher cap and though they remain weaker than higher level spells never 'hit cap and become useless').

Vamp Draining eventually getting to d120 melee only (3 times current power); if you had multiple enhancers and 27 Necro magic; still significantly weaker than higher level spells, but a fair choice to keep using on enemies at melee range.

I just want to see a change where spells don't become 'well, lets use Amnesia on this'...weaker than higher level spells, of course; but never useless.

[and into]

Scrolls of amnesia exist precisely so that you can get rid of the old and bring in new (often higher level) spells.

Most low level spells won't be useful all game. Similarly, the short sword or flail that you start with or pick up on D:1/D:2 will also have to be replaced at some point. This is a good thing, because it means that you can't just keep using literally the same spells or weapon throughout the entire game. Crawl would not be improved by allowing any random assortment of very low level spells to be improved such that they can let you coast throughout the whole game. Why on earth would that be a good thing? It would absolutely destroy diversity amongst characters between games as well as the need to adapt over time within a game. Which are two of the core aspects that most increase the replay value of Crawl.

[dck]

keep bolts spells from being completely eclipsed by level 7+ spells.

but they aren't

[zardo]

keep bolts spells from being completely eclipsed by level 7+ spells.

but they aren't

If anything the level 6 spells are much more useful overall, not to mention totally sufficient to win everything.

which by the way is because they are lower-level/less mp while still being powerful enough to kill almost anything in a few shots

and lower-level conjurations than that remain useful, because there are lower-level opponents

and why is making every spell good forever desirable anyway?

and just what the hell?