Crypt Cleanser
Posts: 723
Joined: Monday, 9th June 2014, 13:39
Removal of Restore Abilities
While losing a single point to drain is annoying, it is hardly more than an inconvenience, and were it true that this is all that can occur in Crawl, especially during extended, then I wouldn't be posting about this. Unfortunately, there are several instances and cases where stat drain can be downright crippling, dangerous, and even quite deadly. Unless I've missed something, here are the sources of serious stat drain that I know of:
- Code:
divination miscast
spl-miscast.cc [1632] if (_lose_stat(STAT_INT, 1 + random2(3)))
spl-miscast.cc [1675] if (_lose_stat(STAT_INT, 3 + random2(3)))
mummy death curse
spl-miscast.cc [1978] _lose_stat(STAT_RANDOM, 1 + random2avg(7, 2));
poison miscast
spl-miscast.cc [3045] _lose_stat(STAT_RANDOM, 1 + random2avg(5, 2));
Zot trap
spl-miscast.cc [3280] _lose_stat(STAT_RANDOM, 1 + random2avg((coinflip() ? 7 : 4), 2));
monster spell BRAIN_FEED
mon-cast.cc [5261] && lose_stat(STAT_INT, 1 + random2(3), mons))
Mummy curses especially are quite debilitating, and can take, for example, a character with a yellow 4% spellcasting success rate to a dark red 54% chance after a drain of 7 int. It can also happen that some characters with low base stats and no buffs can reach stat zero by such effects, in which case the stated rationale for the change becomes quite absurd. You're supposed to continue killing things when your ability to do so has been decimated in a single stroke?
This one change, without attendant changes to the many and varied sources of dangerous stat drain, seriously cripples extended play, Tomb and Ziggurats, and even turns the Pan/Abyss popcorn Nexoqecs into something more than a little annoying. It also brings back "stat death", except where before it was a quick and painless death, it is now a cruel and unusual one, knowing there's nothing whatsoever you can do to recover from it.
I cannot imagine playing anything but a 3-rune game under this solitary change.
So, given the absurdity of this, I know I must be missing something else that was changed to balance it. I can't find it. Just point me in the right direction, and I thank you kindly.