[crossfire] About a feature request

[Mark Wedel]

Nicolas Weeger (Laposte) wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> I'm looking at 
> https://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=656191&group_id=13833&atid=363833 
> historical feature request to have blessed/cursed scrolls and books.
> 
> Here's what I see as effects (copied from the page)
> 
> * cursed scroll: ill effect, depending on spell - identify would make player 
> forget about an identified item, and such. Would require some work to define 
> ill effects for all spells, though. Option "fast" is to cast some mana 
> explosion, of course. Or leech player's mana? Could be fun :)

  It may be easiest to to do something like 'look for special spell effect, 
otherwise use random results table'.  Or even if there is special spell effect, 
maybe only use it 50% of the time so player can not rely on what may happen with 
cursed scrolls.

  For some spells, like bullets, bolts, cones, could have the direction not be 
what the player wants (random direction, invoked on player, etc).

> * blessed scroll: add 2 levels to casting. Other option: more exp when used?

  IIRC, casting scrolls isn't a 100% sure thing is it?  If not, may increase 
casting odds?

  Scrolls already come in different levels, so adding a couple levels may not be 
that much of a benefit.  Getting more exp when used would I think be a more 
complicated change (there isn't any way to record that right now - since the 
scroll may be long gone by the time the spell kills the monster, you'd need to 
record this exp bonus in the spell effect - right now, it records caster and 
skill used.

> 
> * cursed spellbook: forget a spell

  (ideally, spell you are trying to learn - if you don't know that spell, 
something random)

> * blessed spellbook: bonus to learn a spell
> 
> Of course, blessed/cursed should be rare occurrances.
> 
> 
> Codewise, cursed we got a flag.
> For blessed, I don't know the best way to signal that. I'm not too eager to 
> add a flag just for that, on the other hand using an existing flag for 
> something else that its destination is weird.

  Flags are cheap - easy to do, use one bit.

  I think if we add blessed objects, it could be extended to more than just 
scrolls/spellbooks (potions maybe?  Note sure about other equipment as harder to 
say effect).

  That said, while I didn't submit that RFE, my thought was that since there are 
other cursed objects, it would make sense for scrolls & spellbooks to also be 
cursed.  For spellbooks at least, you can know longer try to read it as a safe 
identification method.

  I think focusing on the cursed aspect would be fine - if we want to added 
blessed items, as said, it should probably extend to a lot more than just these 
objects.