Blindness

[bt]

I was wondering why there's no "blindness" spell/wand/potion/brand
or something similar that shortens LOS?
Fog and steam are good, but something that targets individual
monster/player can be an intresting thing
(another way to deal with spellcasters and smiting monsters).

[Kate]

There's a high-level Hex spell called Darkness that reduces LOS, a bit like the lantern of shadows does. There've also been proposals to extend that effect to either the cloak of darkness (instead of its current evokable invisibility) or to one of the unrandart armours (the robe of night or cloak of the thief, perhaps). One of Zin's new recite effects is to strike a monster blind, which makes it always act as if you were invisible to it. Not sure if it needs to be extended to a spell, it might be cooler as a Zin-unique thing (although maybe it could be an interesting player effect?).

[bt]

I was thinking more of reducing LOS of individual monster to 2 or 3, that way
it can be a low level spell (perhaps fire/hex).

[dolphin]

Do monsters even have LOS? I feel like they don't, because stuff like Lantern of Shadows and Nightstalker works. Monsters only can see you if they are in your LOS.

[galehar]

LOS is symmetrical in crawl. Monsters can see you if you see them. Thus, reducing the LOS of a single monster would be very hard to code. And also to balance, because if you can see it and it cannot, then you've rendered it completely harmless.

[XuaXua]

Mutation: Hysterical Blindness.

Yes?

[Curio]

What if blinded monsters acted as if player(and maybe other monsters) was invisible for them? That will leave LOS without a need to tinker with.
Blinded player's LOS reduced to zero with remembering last monster position.

[galehar]

What if blinded monsters acted as if player(and maybe other monsters) was invisible for them? That will leave LOS without a need to tinker with.

That's exactly how it's done for Zin's blindness, as explained by MarvinPA a few posts above.

[Curio]

What if blinded monsters acted as if player(and maybe other monsters) was invisible for them? That will leave LOS without a need to tinker with.

That's exactly how it's done for Zin's blindness, as explained by MarvinPA a few posts above.

so why it limited only for Zin then? This effect can be used for potion, wand, spell, monsters gimmick. Could be very interesting

[smock]

Blindness would be interesting since you could use it to get the benefits of invisibility against something that sees invisible. Not sure how you'd balance it though; as a hex, it would compare unfavorably to Confuse (which gives the same stabbing bonus and actually incapacitates the monster).

I would compare favorably to Confuse if it blinded even a few of the monsters that can't be confused. (Fun fact: I wouldn't work against monsters than can sense invisible!)

Make it affect things with eyes, with a HD save instead of MR. ("Eyes" have eyes.) That would make a for a powerful hex. Heck, an enchanter would love a L6+ "confuse" that worked on things that are not longer confusable.

It could also stack with confuse.

I like this idea, if only because some new tools will likely be needed to re-balance hexes (assuming they are going to be changed in 0.9).

[Curio]

Or, for change of pace, it could be made conj/fire instead - blind using intense flash of light. Maybe not.
Also Fedhas' sunlight should definitely blind instead making glowy.
Potion of blindness could be used to avoid mesmereration.

[galehar]

Or, for change of pace, it could be made conj/fire instead - blind using intense flash of light. Maybe not.
Also Fedhas' sunlight should definitely blind instead making glowy.
Potion of blindness could be used to avoid mesmereration.

We need flashbangs
More seriously, to avoid a siren's mesmerisation, I believe a potion of deafness would be more useful.

[XuaXua]

Or, for change of pace, it could be made conj/fire instead - blind using intense flash of light. Maybe not.
Also Fedhas' sunlight should definitely blind instead making glowy.
Potion of blindness could be used to avoid mesmereration.

We need flashbangs
More seriously, to avoid a siren's mesmerisation, I believe a potion of deafness would be more useful.

What?

[galehar]

More seriously, to avoid a siren's mesmerisation, I believe a potion of deafness would be more useful.

What?

Because sirens charm you with their singing. Haven't you noticed how you can break out of mesmerisation by using a scroll of noise?
Now that I think about it, you shouldn't be able to break out of it with fog!

[dpeg]

Yes, let's stay closer to the source

[smock]

Throwing a net at yourself should help, then. I haven't tried this because I'm too samrt.

Doesn't Nethack or some other game let you plug your ears with wax? I think that stuffing a honeycomb in your ears should help. (I just tried this and it's sticky. I'll try in Crawl soon.)

OMG the unexplored possibilities of DEAFNESS are deafening!