[CF-Devel] Re: Cause diseases

[Mark Wedel]

S. A. Heyn wrote:


 > Another problem: If monsters are inflicted by a trap (invoke magic rune of
 > cause white death for example) many monsters including other behind walls
 > etc. are hit. But then the server crashes with the comment "too many
 > errors" and a huge list of "bad skill calcd by player". I'm not sure, but
 > is it intended to use the magic rune in traps also?


  I looked at the rune code.  It seems there may be several problems as it is now:

1) Best I can tell, it does not check to make sure the caster is of sufficient
level to cast the spell he is putting in a rune.  Now that check is done when
you learn the spell.  However, suppose you learn a level 15 spell, then lose exp
through whatever level so are now level 14.  IT appears you can still embed such
a spell in the rune.

  Similarly, it appears that checks for path_denied are not done.  So if you
learned a spell before it was denied to you (say religion change), it seems you
could embed that in a rune also.

  I have not tried out either of those 2 points.

2) The code takes all the spell point costs from mana.  So embedding cleric
spells results in the cost still coming from mana, not grace.


3) When the spell is cast by the rune, it seems that the skill pointer isn't set 
up properly.  I'm not positive why this is the case - it may be that the casting 
logic sees that it is a cleric spell and that the current skill pointer is set 
for wizardry so just doesn't set anything (assumes it is scroll like or something).

  The easiest approach would to not allow cleric spells in the generic runes. 
Runes of healing would still exist as their own rune, but you could do a magic 
rune of healing for example.  That is the easiest fix.

  Probably an easier approach than trying to make all the above work correctly 
would be to make a cleric version of 'magic rune', like 'glyph'.  Thus, clerics 
could cast 'glyph of cause typhoid'.  Glyphs could only be used with cleric 
spells, magic runes only with wizard spells.  I think that would straighten out 
most of the skill pointer stuff.