Xom specific spells

[tazoz]

How about at a certain stage Xom gifts a spell book with chaos themed spells to make him more attractive to spell casters.

Some ideas:

Book of Xom's delight

Spell level 1: Charm
Call upon Xom's favor
Random Xom effect precluding gifts.

Spell level 2: Charm
Prismatic shield
A shield of shifting colors that provides random resistances which change every step the icon symbolizing duration changes in color (similar to mace of variability):
Blue: rcold++
Green:rpoison
Yellow:racid++
Grey: vulnerability (similar to scroll)
Red:rfire++
Purple:rlightning
Black:rneg++


Spell level 3: Conjuration
Chaos arrow: deals random elemental damage ( similar to the throw flame) with chaos effect

Spell level 5: Conjuration
Chaos Bolt: deals random elemental damage (similar to bolt of fire)
with chaos effect

Cloud of mutation level 6: Conjuration/air
Cloud of polymorph other with the added effect of dealing random elemental damage per turn.

Bolt of summoning: Level 7 Conjuration/summoning
random elemental Damage similar to iron bolt with the added effect of summoning a bunch of short lived useless random creatures around the target
One of the following:
Butterflies
Surrounding enemy with mushrooms
Surrounding enemy with plants
Surrounding enemy with flaming sheep (sticky flame effect
Surrounding enemy with small snakes (with fear)
Surrounding enemy with mice and short lived cheese

[jpeg]

How about at a certain stage Xom gifts a spell book with chaos themed spells to make him more attractive to spell casters.

Xom gifting fixed items, let alone guaranteed ones, sort of goes against the idea of Xom being unpredicatable. That said, it might be interesting to have him occasionally sneak in one of these spells into the randart books he hands out. However, any such spell would need to be useful enough for players sometimes wanting to learn them. I'm just not sure that's the case with the spells you suggested.

I love the idea of the random resistance shield and could totally see it added as a normal Xom effect.

[Galefury]

I love the idea of the random resistance shield and could totally see it added as a normal Xom effect.

I thought exactly the same thing. Then I realized the proposed effect would unfortunately be useless in 99% of all situations. Usually I try to fight 1v1, especially dangerous enemies, and I need one or two specific resistances for that, for the duration of the fight. Monsters in most branches don't even do non neglegible damage of more than one or two resistable types. And even if the shield gives me the resistance the branch requires I actually need to be hit by an attack of that element on that turn to get any use out of it. Maybe if it granted three resistances at the same time it could be useful.

[seth]

I interpreted the Chaos Shield to change with every time you step, not every turn--so that if you stood still you could guarantee the benefits of whatever resistance you have at the time.

One thing I would like to see is a Chaos Brand spell. I know the overall feeling around here is that Chaos brand sucks, but I actually like using it, and even after playing Chaos Knights for months the most common way to get the brand, by far, is still Crazy Yiuf.

[JeffQyzt]

Then I realized the proposed effect would unfortunately be useless in 99% of all situations...[thoughts on utility]...Maybe if it granted three resistances at the same time it could be useful.

Xom gift != guaranteed useful

[tazoz]

There's actually a 1/7 chance to protect the user from any element.
But I agree the use is limited, how about giving every color a minor effect such as:

Blue: Protect potions
red: Protect scrolls
Green: regenerate?
Yellow: acid damage when player is hit
Purple: magic resistence boost
Black: Protect from torment

Chaos effect on a projectile would be much more useful as berserk wouldn't mean instant death

Chaos bolt could be changed to level 4 to make it more useful if you feel level 5 is too strong.