Shoals Surfer
Posts: 270
Joined: Sunday, 23rd March 2014, 23:51
Proposal: Mummy Improvement
However, by the late game, mummies have enough XP and equipment to offset their downsides, allowing them to become a powerhouse like most other species, potentially even stronger. Thus, instead of messing with their aptitudes and throwing this balance off, I propose improving mummies for the early game in a different way: All items that a mummy picks up become immediately identified. In flavor terms, this could be argued that a mummy had been around long enough to recognize what something is upon touching/reading/looking at it.
The idea behind this is to allow good players to keep themselves alive easier due to knowing what options they have available. For examples, this would give mummies an advantage of knowing what early scrolls they have (instead of read IDing them or holding out until they find identify). It also allows them to sort for better quality armor and weapons without trying pieces on and risking cursed items or unexpected distortion wields. Additionally, it can allow them to plan exactly around what wands and how many charges they have, without first needing high evocations or loads of spare identify scrolls.
Overlap with Ashenzari would occur, but this is why the identification is tied to pickup only. Like DD's passive mapping or Antennae's monster detection, it would be toned down compared to Ash's version. For example, loot in vaults would still be unidentified until retrieved, keeping it an interesting bait to draw players inside. Enemy equipment would also remain an unknown danger, meaning players will still need to be cautious. This also prevents mummies from being indirectly nerfed via shop prices changing in antique stores to match the identified price.
In conclusion, I believe this could improve mummies without altering their late game potential too severely, while keeping mummies as a challenging species.