Swamp Slogger
Posts: 153
Joined: Wednesday, 4th April 2012, 15:11
Location: Hengelo, Netherlands
Proposal: concentrating on buff spells
Repel/Deflect missiles have lately been made much less annoying in this aspect, and I'd like something similar for other buffs.
My proposal is that you can 'concentrate' on keeping your buffs active, preventing them from timing out. Only once your concentration is broken would the regular timeout start.
The idea is that you don't have to bother with the tedious task of refreshing your buff spells all the time while exploring, but during actual danger you still risk them running out in the middle of a fight.
Simply casting a concentration spell would make you start concentrating on keeping your spell active.
Concentration would be broken by pretty much anything interesting happening:
* noticing an enemy
* being hit
* avoiding anything by dodging/blocking/repelling/deflecting
* being scared of losing your concentration, e.g. by flying over lava
* randomly losing your concentration, depending on spell success: the idea being that you can keep up low-failure spells (virtually) indefinitely, but you can't re-attempt a difficult spell in safety until it finally works, and then expect it to last.
An alternative to random concentration loss might be a special casting mode to start concentrating on a spell, but with a higher failure rate. Not too fond of that idea though, as it seems to overcomplicate the casting of spells.
Concentrating would cost <spell hunger>/<spell duration> nutrition per turn, so it uses up exactly as much as when re-casting the spell every time it runs out.
Because of this, there would be a new ability to "stop concentrating", in case you're afraid of starvation. (Possibly with a choice of which spells to stop concentrating on? Although that seems a bit overcomplicated.)
Alternatively, it might only work for spells with zero hunger cost, thus also preventing you from keeping up high-level spells all the time. That would complicate things like the staff of energy/Necromutation/mummies though.
Maybe it should also use up a small bit MP each turn, or lower your max MP while active, but this would make it a worse than buffing up in safety and channeling MP back up to full before exploring.
Spells that I think might qualify for this:
* Ozocubu's Armour
* Stoneskin
* Condensation Shield
* Shroud of Golubria
* Flight
* Phase Shift
And possibly also:
* Control Teleport
* Regeneration
* Ring of Flames
* Darkness
* Necromutation
Also, branding weapons:
* Fire Brand
* Freezing Aura
* Poison Weapon
* Excruciating Wounds
* Warp Weapon
* Sure Blade