Snake monster set is extremely counterintuitive
The Snake monster list is small:
- Code:
static const pop_entry pop_snake[] =
{ // Snake Pit
{ -4, 4, 750, SEMI, MONS_NAGA },
{ 0, 4, 215, SEMI, MONS_SALAMANDER },
{ 0, 6, 315, SEMI, MONS_ANACONDA },
{ 0, 8, 1125, SEMI, MONS_BLACK_MAMBA },
{ 0, 8, 340, SEMI, MONS_NAGA_WARRIOR },
{ 0, 8, 550, SEMI, MONS_NAGA_MAGE },
{ 0, 8, 225, SEMI, MONS_NAGA_RITUALIST },
{ 0, 8, 315, SEMI, MONS_NAGA_SHARPSHOOTER },
{ 0, 8, 415, PEAK, MONS_SHOCK_SERPENT },
{ 1, 4, 200, FLAT, MONS_MANA_VIPER },
{ 1, 7, 225, PEAK, MONS_GUARDIAN_SERPENT },
{ 2, 5, 110, PEAK, MONS_SALAMANDER_MYSTIC },
{ 2, 8, 245, SEMI, MONS_NAGARAJA },
{ 0,0,0,FLAT,MONS_0 }
};
- Code:
nagaraja (N) | Spd: 10 (move: 140%) | HD: 15 | HP: 68-95 | AC/EV: 8/9 | Dam: 27, 7(constrict) | weapons, items, doors, fighter, spellcaster, see invisible | Res: magic(140), poison | Chunks: noxious | XP: 1895 | Sp: spit poison (d22) [!AM, !sil, breath], b.venom (3d19), mystic blast (3d19), poison arrow (3d22), teleport other, haste | Sz: Large | Int: human.
- Code:
naga sharpshooter (N) | Spd: 10 (move: 140%) | HD: 9 | HP: 61-84 | AC/EV: 6/10 | Dam: 17, 5(constrict) | weapons, items, doors, master archer, spellcaster, see invisible | Res: magic(80), poison | Chunks: noxious | XP: 834 | Sp: spit poison (d14) [!AM, !sil, breath], portal projectile | Sz: Large | Int: human.
Naga sharpshooters have very similar defenses to nagaraja, but with far greater damage output because they can attack from anywhere in LOS (none of the nagaraja spells even have LOS range let alone smite targeting) and they also get to practically ignore resistances, EV, and SH. And they spawn in packs!
Naga warriors are certainly not dangerous, from an objective point of view, but if you actually try to kill them in melee you will almost certainly take way more damage than you would by trying to kill a nagaraja in melee, because it takes several times longer to kill a naga warrior with a shield.
So the big, scary branch poison branch end monster is beaten by at least two of the common monsters in the branch, neither of which even does significant poison damage. This leads to nagaraja feeling pretty much the same as naga magi.
This is a power creep-induced problem; greater nagas and anacondas were legitimately the most dangerous Snake monsters back in the day, and while they still had a lot of redundancy with guardian nagas and naga magi, people noticed the difference. The addition of shock serpents and naga sharpshooters, along with the naga warrior buff, is the main thing causing them to fall off. Even earlier, they did suffer from the 0.8 haste nerf, but were still the branch's biggest monster. That said, you could fix it with a nagaraja buff or a branch rearrangement (make sharpshooters the end vault monster and nagarajas the common one) just as well as you could fix it by nerfing sharpshooters/shock serpents.
- For this message the author duvessa has received thanks: 6
- Doesnt, Floodkiller, Leszczynek, nago, NhorianScum, RBrandon