Randart magical staves?

[dolemite99]

I have seem that the game generates randarts for most weapon types, nearly all body armour slot types and both jewelry types. Have never seen a randart magical staff so I assume this is a conscious design choice. Anybody care to elaborate on why casters shouldn't find goodies like that? For example, Maybe all randarts have some probability of getting the "-Cast" property, and that would make zero sense for a staff?

[vergil]

Would like to know too. Probably the reason is getting something insanely good or bad, like

  Code:

staff of Crazy Yiuf Energy {+energy, 9 MP, distortion, +5 Int +5 AC *Corrode *Contam}


Or it is just on not-to-do list

Maybe all randarts have some probability of getting the "-Cast" property, and that would make zero sense for a staff?

But..But the staff of earth!

[Shard1697]

I'd be into it. We already have a couple of unrand staves, so it wouldn't be totally crazy.

[duvessa]

Artefact properties don't do anything interesting on weapons, since they are easily swappable and the weapon's damage output is much more important than anything artefact properties could do. All that putting randart properties on weapons really accomplishes is increasing swapping (if the properties are e.g. resistances) or, very rarely, making your main weapon very slightly better or worse (e.g. str/dex/int properties).
The things keeping randart weapons (at least arguably) interesting are fixed enchantment/brand, and potential for unusual brands. Magical staves have neither enchantment nor brand, and the enhancer is much more important than anything artefact properties could do, so there's no potential for randart magical staves to be a good addition to the game unless you also fundamentally change the design of randarts themselves.

-Cast is already suppressed for e.g. rings of wizardry, so it would just be suppressed on staves too if randart staves were added.

[bcadren]

I'll disagree with Duvessa slightly. I mean, it'd be a weird game where you'd actually have these choices, but pick one:

+13 Exec Axe {Flaming rC- Str-3}

+9 Exec Axe (Flaming) - [Non Artifact]

+6 Exec Axe {Flaming rF++ rN+ Stealth+}

(Resists can be worth sacrificing some damage for; though with the weapon training as it is (all the different weapon schools, etc.) you're unlikely to find multiple decent weapons of the right type without Oka/Trog/Gozag.)

To me staves having artifact versions would be fine and interesting, I mean yes the PRIMARY purpose is the enhancer...the secondary purpose is the melee, then anything that helps either of those (+Str, +Int, +Slay, etc.) then it could have a resistance difference. You know I've wielded a staff of air as a (Non Air) Caster because I needed rElec? It's the only non-artifact source.

[duvessa]

+13 Exec Axe {Flaming rC- Str-3}

[tedric]

Obviously you're going to use the +13 as your main weap, but you'll probably carry one of the others as a swap against enemies with hard-hitting cold-branded attacks unless you have some other source of rC, and you'll probably carry the +6 one if you don't have other sources of rF. So I guess I can imagine a scenario where I might carry multiple staves of [whatever] if artifact versions existed. Not sure that's an argument in favor of creating them, however.

[Siegurt]

Counterpropsal: remove enhancer staves completely, change the current enhancer effects to be replacements for the current fire/frost/elec/vorpal/pain brands.

[dolemite99]

Counterpropsal: remove enhancer staves completely, change the current enhancer effects to be replacements for the current fire/frost/elec/vorpal/pain brands.

That sound good to me. I didn't pose the original topic out of any specific love for staves, I just think it'd be cool to have randarts that deliver the staff-enhancer effect plus some randomized other combination of attributes like other randarts do. Doesn't matter to me if it's a "distressingly furry falchion" that boosts Earth magic.

[jwoodward48ss]

PFFF-

Only armour can be "distressingly furry." Weapons can't.

[duvessa]

Counterpropsal: remove enhancer staves completely, change the current enhancer effects to be replacements for the current fire/frost/elec/vorpal/pain brands.

yeah let's make every character train evocations even more