Polymorph Other problems

[XuaXua]

When you Polymorph Other a rat into a boggart with your newly acquired wand on dungeon level 2 and the boggart is summoning crap that the rat couldn't have even comprehended, you know there is something wrong with the spell.

Granted, the worm I polymorphed into a centaur gave me some nice centaur xp (vs. worm xp), but I'm thinking something probably should be done about this, considering I wouldn't expect magic spells I didn't have before being polymorphed, I wouldn't consider a rat mentality to have the ability let alone be able to use the ability.

Thoughts?

[smock]

First, that is a really awesome way to die. Congrats.

Second, it might be such an awesome way to die that it's worth keeping in the game. Does this happen often? Probably not.

Polymorph other is based on HD at present, right? I suppose moving it to XP or something would be reasonable.

[XuaXua]

First, that is a really awesome way to die. Congrats.

I never said I died.

Unfortunately, a kobold who was throwing an axe at me missed and killed the boggart instead, sniping my XP.

What the hell is it lately with ranged attackers (allies and enemies) attacking through their own teammates and hitting them instead?

I have an outstanding complaint on Mantis regarding a centaur I charmed who happened to have a wand of draining in his pack, which he subsequently used THROUGH ME to target our enemy, smiting me to death in the process.

Now THAT was a really awesome way to die, but also completely crap if you ask me, and part of the reason I no longer open efreet bottles unless really screwed.

[galehar]

What the hell is it lately with ranged attackers (allies and enemies) attacking through their own teammates and hitting them instead

I don't think this behaviour is new. Although yes, it should be addressed. There's still a lot of work to do on the monster AI, but it seems this is off-topic here.

[XuaXua]

What the hell is it lately with ranged attackers (allies and enemies) attacking through their own teammates and hitting them instead

I don't think this behaviour is new. Although yes, it should be addressed. There's still a lot of work to do on the monster AI, but it seems this is off-topic here.

Discussion of the allies attacking allies is off-topic for sure, but I mentioned it in the context of how the rat-polymorphed-to-boggart (who didn't kill me, ultimately not creating a memorable character death) ultimately died - to the axe of his own ally who threw it at me THROUGH the boggart.

And then on the topic of memorable deaths, I mentioned the related in concept death-by-allied-centaur-draining.

[ghend]

Never ever use polymorph. Ever. If it's based on HD I'm pretty sure it's [current HD]*1.5, taking into consideration what you don't currently have resistances to..

What the hell is it lately with ranged attackers (allies and enemies) attacking through their own teammates and hitting them instead

It's especially hilarious when they use bolts of penetration at the back of a corridor queue.

[7hm]

Polymorph Other from the spell or wand has almost never been useful to me, due to the fact that you can't simply polymorph something again if it becomes powerful (on account of MR). From evaporating potions of mutation, it's more effective, because the check is based on HD and so not only can you reliably polymorph a hydra, you can reliably polymorph whatever it polymorphs into.

Basing it on XP sounds like a good way to make it less...schizophrenic.

I keep a single wand for electric eels and boggarts if I don't have another way to deal with them.

Based on their HD they'll (almost) never end up being worse than what they already are.

When you Polymorph Other a rat into a boggart with your newly acquired wand on dungeon level 2 and the boggart is summoning crap that the rat couldn't have even comprehended, you know there is something wrong with the spell.

And that's fine. That's how the wand works. It works the other way too (ie making boggarts not dangerous), and is much more useful as a result than if it didn't.

[XuaXua]

When you Polymorph Other a rat into a boggart with your newly acquired wand on dungeon level 2 and the boggart is summoning crap that the rat couldn't have even comprehended, you know there is something wrong with the spell.

And that's fine. That's how the wand works. It works the other way too (ie making boggarts not dangerous), and is much more useful as a result than if it didn't.

It's the intelligence factor. A yak transformed into an orc shouldn't know how to use an axe; the rat transformed into a boggart shouldn't be summoning stuff.