[crossfire] Polymorph spell

[Mark Wedel]

Nicolas Weeger wrote:
> Hello.
> 
> I'm wondering whether the polymorph spell couldn't be reactivated. It's been 
> desactivated for eons, but IMO it could be a fun one - with some limits.
> 
> Maybe create some scrolls, and have them at end of hard quests only?
> 
> Or the code should simply be removed if not used, but IMO that'd be a waste :)

  It certainly can be re-activated.  The main concerns I recall:

1) You could polymorph tough boss monsters into easy to kill monsters.
2) Related to items, you could get better items and/or make money.

  IMO, #2 isn't that much an issue, as long as really great artifact items can't 
be created.  Money is easy enough to come by, that so long as getting polymorph 
objects mean you are high level, the money gain/less isn't likely to be an issue.

  #1 could be an issue, but fixed by some monsters not being polymorphable.  I 
also recall that polymorph only worked for single space monsters, so already had 
some limits.

  The spell was always in bolt format - I suppose this can be done with scrolls, 
but aiming scrolls always seemed a little harder than with wands.  But wands 
with limited number of charges makes sense.

  Since wands have levels, one thought is that it can not affect a monster of 
higher level than the wand - that makes things interesting then - a level 100 
polymorph wand could become a pretty good 'kill one creature' type of weapon, 
but if sufficiently hard to get, not a big deal there.