monster bully

[Marbit]

Propossal:
Intelligent high level monsters can bully low level monsters and steal equipment from them. This only happens between monsters of the same attitude and only for non cursed items.

Benefits:
Ally item management will become easier. Strong allies will tend to be better equiped that weak allies. Usually the player wants the stronger allies to carry the best equipment. Currently there are ways to manually give allies specific items but the system is clumsy... I rather have an automatic and effective system.

Collaretal effects:
There will be a greater variance among intelligent monsters in the dungeon.

Cons:
A bit more clutter from an aditional message.

Note: I think I saw the idea a long time ago for orcs but it was among many other ideas, I think the idea deserves its own post.

[skyspire]

I love this idea. I hope its not too difficult to implement.

[1010011010]

Xom already does a weapon swap action. Make a short range HD dependant variant and give it as a skill to high level orcs.

[Tiktacy]

I find your proposals simple yet interesting. I can appreciate the way you think outside the box with them, and although your other thread didn't get much support, I kinda thought you were onto something interesting.

As for this proposal in particular, I think it would be hilarious if you got a message saying "You hear the unpleasant shrieks of an orc in the distance." I can't see any reason not to implement this.

[wizzzargh]

I like this idea- It's always kinda ridiculous to see an Orc in artifact Plate wielding a Great Sword of Holy Wrath, while the Knight next to him is in Chain and wielding a Mace (-1 +1). Might make high-level orcs slightly more relevant in Depths and Vaults instead of crunchy speedbumps.

[XuaXua]

Sounded familiar to me. I proposed similar in 2011 on WIKI: Ally Management:

Upgrade Equipment through Bullying

Allow Named Beogh allies to evaluate equipment of and swap equipment with adjacent allies. Named will always trade up and lesser ally will be stuck with lesser equipment. Trades will be done only on hierarchical basis (Warlord will take from Knight and less, Knight will take from Warrior and less, etc.). Named of same level will take from unnamed. Optionally implement potential chance a fight will break out.

edit: Now I see the comment in the initial post about your having seen it previously. When I initially proposed this under Ally Management, we didn't really have other allies that could carry equipment beyond temporary ones or Efreet. Efreet are gone now. The only alternates are mercenaries, which were created after I proposed the idea. Are there other "thinking" (read: not zombie) equipment-bearing allies who aren't temporary?

And now I notice that this would apply to non-ally monsters as well, which could work out.

[jejorda2]

I would want my allies to be able to do this only when I have them set to "pick up friend-dropped equipment" or "pick up all equipment." That is to say, setting "pick up nothing" should also prevent them from taking each others' equipment.

If I get an orc to pick up a whip of electrocution or pain, I would hate him to take his neighbor's flail.

Making monsters better at evaluating brands would be a better solution than allowing player management, but I don't know how to do that. Reaching is more important for allies than for monsters in general.

If I could bully my own allies to get the weapon they are using, I'd nearly always allow them to pick up whatever they wanted, and could be happy with the ctrl-t commands being removed. I guess I'd still be miffed at losing good wand charges. Maybe there could be a chance of the ally becoming hostile when bullied by the player, (maybe rolling my attack damage vs theirs), but they are re-converted and drop their weapon when they get to low health.

[XuaXua]

I would want my allies to be able to do this only when I have them set to "pick up friend-dropped equipment" or "pick up all equipment." That is to say, setting "pick up nothing" should also prevent them from taking each others' equipment.

If I get an orc to pick up a whip of electrocution or pain, I would hate him to take his neighbor's flail.

Making monsters better at evaluating brands would be a better solution than allowing player management, but I don't know how to do that. Reaching is more important for allies than for monsters in general.

He should still take his neighbor's flail if it's of electrocution.

It is assumed that monsters DO take branding, etc. into account, but this is obviously not the case.
Weapon choice evaluation should be adjusted to take branding (and reaching, etc.) into account, and once that is done, then it would apply appropriately to this topic of weapon exchange.

[Hirsch I]

well, this would make Beogh much less awful. so it is a very good change. I dont see any downsides, do anyone?

[Speleothing]

Yred gifts Wights & Skeletal Warriors, who both definitely use floor weapons. Ghouls and Servitors might also, I forget.

Not arguing against the proposal, just adding to the list of effected critters.

[Hirsch I]

there are lots of good ideas addressing beogh these days, I hope something good comes from this. beogh does need a reform IMO.