New Race: Walking Snail

[dynast]

X2_crystal_snail2.jpg (16.29 KiB) Viewed 4831 times

I was trying to come up with a species that would be a middle ground between Naga and Human, as in, not too slow and not too resilient, yet have unique characteristics to fill a new species niche, so:

Innate Abilities
Slow 1
Slow Metabolism 1
Shell: the Walking snail have a indestructible carapace that can block attacks(+2SH, +1SH every 4th level)
When its life drops below 50%, the snail automatically retreats inside the shell until fully healed(root, -tele, no EV, regen).

Stats
HP -10%
MP +10%
+4MR per level.
base str 9, int 9, dex 6.
+1str/int every 4th level.

Even aptitudes across the board.

Discarded flavor ideas that goes against the main design include boulder bettle rolling and leaving a trail of leda's liquefaction.

[Shtopit]

How does the shell regen function? Does it happen on its own? And can you hit or be hit?
Also, why the HP hit? I always saw Crawl snails as pretty robust.

[amaril]

Wait, do you automatically die at 50% hp (assuming you are being hit by monsters that outdamage your regen)?

Even if you are able to attack while retreated, it seems awful to have to treat 50% hp as 'basically dead.' Playing this would be like playing a felid with even less hp, slow movement, and no extra lives.
'

[Arrhythmia]

You keep using that word "indestructible". I do not think it means, what you think it means.

Wait, do you automatically die at 50% hp (assuming you are being hit by monsters that outdamage your regen)?

Why do you assume that? There's nothing there that says you can't attack.

[amaril]

Turtle flavor

[CypherZel]

I was trying to come up with a species that would be a middle ground between Naga and Human, as in, not too slow and not too resilient, yet have unique characteristics to fill a new species niche, so:
.

Lazy degenerate teen with bad breath?

[robbcorp]

Can this thing wear armour at all? Wouldn't you need a way to boost AC like Draconians?

[dynast]

How does the shell regen function? Does it happen on its own? And can you hit or be hit?
Also, why the HP hit? I always saw Crawl snails as pretty robust.

I assumed that you would have regen 3 because otherwise you would be sitting in the same place for too long, causing more and more monsters to wander into you, and regen 3 is very strong, so the -10% hp should balance that out.
You can act normally(i should have pointed that out), its just like tree form.

it seems awful to have to treat 50% hp as 'basically dead.' Playing this would be like playing a felid with even less hp, slow movement, and no extra lives.'

Then just dont treat it like that. Also, felids cannot wear armor or shields, so i dont know how you got that idea.

[dynast]

Can this thing wear armour at all? Wouldn't you need a way to boost AC like Draconians?

He can wear armor normally, if you are confused ask a gargoyle or tengu how.

[xentronium]

Instead of automatically immobilizing you when below 50% hp, maybe make shell retreat an activated ability that gives slow move 3, -tele, EV/2, regen 3, and double shield bonus from shell?

[dynast]

Instead of automatically immobilizing you when below 50% hp, maybe make shell retreat an activated ability that gives slow move 3, -tele, EV/2, regen 3, and double shield bonus from shell?

Id rather not because togglable abilities are a nuisance, see batform.

[BabyRage]

(root, -tele, no EV, regen).

This looks like a really bad idea, especially -tele. Basically it means that you die.

[robbcorp]

(root, -tele, no EV, regen).

This looks like a really bad idea, especially -tele. Basically it means that you die.

it's basically tree form cons.

[ydeve]

Entering uncancelable treeform upon reaching 50% hp is really bad. It's very similar to just having 50% less hp.

[dynast]

I feel i have to clarify: when i thought about the tree form thingy i did not intend it to be good. The case here is how bad not having ev could be, specially when you just start the game, which would require testing.

[Malevolent]

The -55% HP modifier, together with the other disadvantages, would make this easily the worst race in Crawl - far, far behind Felid or Octopode. +8 SH (and less below level 24) is not even close to compensating for it. (Look at how much AC Draconians and Gargoyles get. And they actually don't have many crippling disadvantages, and do have a few cool advantages.) The most jarring thing is that aside from the symbolic Slow Metabolism thing, the race does not actually have any positives! A human is stronger than this thing in practically every way. A Vine Stalker is a straight upgrade from this race given that it always regenerates and doesn't have to stay still and die every time it gets tormented.

I would rather see the "retreating into the shell" as an optional ability that grants huge AC and/or SH as well as regen even better than a Vine Stalker's (in exchange for no movement and no tele). And maybe a few other things to make the race more exciting. And a better name. With those stuff, it could work, I guess, although I'm not really enthusiastic.

[duvessa]

Lazy degenerate teen with bad breath?

how do you even get through life if you hate kids enough to think that sentence is topical

[CypherZel]

Lazy degenerate teen with bad breath?

how do you even get through life if you hate kids enough to think that sentence is topical

Seeing as I'm a degenerate lazy teen myself, I quite like my peers

[ydeve]

The case here is how bad not having ev could be, specially when you just start the game, which would require testing.

No EV is orders of magnitude less bad than no movement and -Tele.

[dynast]

No EV is orders of magnitude less bad than no movement and -Tele.

Thats a situational harm. My point is that one might not even bother with EV considering he will have none it as soon as he loses half his hp.

[ydeve]

My point is you effectively have -55% hp. (-10% from the frail, then halve hp again because you can't do anything to escape once rooted). This is more frail than felids and spriggans.

[dynast]

My point is you effectively have -55% hp. (-10% from the frail, then halve hp again because you can't do anything to escape once rooted). This is more frail than felids and spriggans.

You are already slow so its not like you can go where you please to start with.

[ydeve]

Great, both the frailest race in the game and slow. (There is a huge difference between "slow" and "immobile and -tele")

[dynast]

Great, both the frailest race in the game and slow. (There is a huge difference between "slow" and "immobile and -tele")

Uhum.