Passage of Golubria Changes

[dolphin]

Passage of Golubria - L4 Translocation.The spell takes two casts to create the two "apertures" necessary to use it. The spell may not be recast until one of the apertures is used, which removes the entrance aperture . Each aperture is created with a slightly greater scatter area than a controlled teleport. The spell has a fairly short timer (~30 turns).

Currently, it seems that everyone thinks that PoG is a great idea that just isn't quite worth it (See the thread and the wiki).

The four major complaints seem to be:

• I have no idea what to use it for.
• Of the things I can figure out how to use it for, I don't, because there is a better way, or because it is tedious.
• The aperture doesn't last long enough for me to use it, or figure out how to use it.
• The aperture creation is too inaccurate.

Uses: [I intend to write/edit stuff here as I think of it, but right now I'm sleepy .]

Therefore, I propose a number of possible changes to the spell:

• Each aperture be given a "radius of translocation", so that if you are within the radius of one, you will be transported into the radius of the other, along with a reduction of the current scatter. There are a number of factors to consider here:
  • Is there a probability gradient of translocation, such that being nearer the aperture means a larger chance of being teleported?
  • Does spell power affect the radius in any way?
  • Or the probability gradient?
  • Does it affect only players and monsters or items as well?
  • Should each aperture be allowed multiple uses?
• Recasting the spell on top of a current aperture allows that aperture to be moved, but only to a place outside of a certain radius of the aperture you want to move, so that you don't recast it until you have an aperture exactly where you want it (which would be optimal and extremely powerful)
• Each aperture should have two timers, a long one for in-LOS and a short one for out-of-LOS - You don't want to be able to drop an aperture near stairs, wander the level until you encounter something scary, and then instantly tele to a safe location. Totally safe = boring.
• Each aperture should have some chance to be undetected by monsters, since part of the point of the spell is to be able to move them around. Invisible apertures, with players having SInv-Aperture or some such thing might work.