Dungeon Master
Posts: 3618
Joined: Thursday, 23rd December 2010, 12:43
Rewards for uniques
I suggest three things. The first has to happen, the second could also happen right now, the third needs some thinking but has the potential to deepen the player-unique relationship considerably, in my opinion.
1. Unique xp harmonisation
There seems to be a concensus that some uniques are not worth killing: they are dangerous (Finally! There was a time when most of them were not.) but most give only xp as reward and some of those, in turn, not very much.
So this is a call for names and numbers. If you can provide a list of uniques who seem to be too skimpy with xp, please tell us, complete with current xp and suggested change. Bulk petitions are fine; just be prepared to discuss the guys one by one. You can use this thread, or make your own; I will try not to miss any.
2. Unique loot improvement
This was mentioned by andinto already, but I think the same, and it has to said here, too. A concrete proposal:
- There is a small chance that uniques get their standard equipment artefactised. By small I mean something like 1% -- we have very many uniques, after all.
- If a unique fails to meet artefactisation of an item in his/her kit, then there should be a high chance for an armour ego and (independent) a high chance for an enchantment increase of weapon/armour. By high, I mean something like 50%. [This proposal leaves weapon ego chances untouched on purpose.]
Also, it should be obvious that these changes would make uniques a bit harder on average.
3. Special rewards
This is the most far-fetched component of my proposal, and goes in the direction of Sandman's thread. I believe that having uniques very rarely give something really unexpected (at times, sometimes you cannot get otherwise) would increase the incentive to not just exclude them, but to kill them. Here, by "very rarely" I mean "not guaranteed in a winning 3-rune game but on average about once or twice" for a start. Some ideas for such rewards:
- Consumables of strategical value. For eample, a potion of cure mutation, a potion of experience, a scroll of brand weapon, or a scroll of acquirement.
- A manual.
- A map of a fixed, not yet seen level (preferably a branch end). [Interface: indicate this property in the Ctrl-O screen.]
- Bonus piety: a god (not necessarily your god) may be so impressed by your kill so as to promise extra piety. You can see this as a kind of divine bribe attempt. [Interface: indicate in god list of Ctrl-O.]