[crossfire] Maps for spellcasters (and melee vs. ranged attacks)

[Mark Wedel]

Juha Jäykkä wrote:
> I'm a bit late replying due, but...
> 
> 1) Instead of no_spells, use player-moving floor tiles (I don't remember the 
> name of the archetype): no way of getting close to monster, but spells and 
> missiles still can. This needs a monster which will not close in itself, 
> though. And is less than elegant since it means there is absolutely no way of 
> using melee, *at* *all*.

  And IIRC, the player movers don't necessarily block movement, but rather push 
the person back (but could be misremembering) - that push back would be sort of 
an odd effect.

> 
> 2) I find it frustrating to have maps impossible or almost impossible to 
> finish with a certain type of character - party-maps aside, the rest of the 
> maps should be doable with any kind of character, given a proper level etc. 
> If a melee-fighter needs son über-weapon to finish the map, then it's ok for 
> the spellcaster to need a comparably hard-to-come-by spell, but I think 
> that's it. And most maps should need neither.

  I don't have an issue with some maps needing a certain type of character to 
finish.  My main complaint would be doing 90% of the map, only to find that last 
creature requires a different type of character, and there being no warning to that.

  For fighters, the idea of needing a special weapon is pretty rare - some 
weapons would clearly work good, but for the most part, it may be having a 
weapon with the correct attack types, and there may be a fairly large number of 
weapons that do that.

  But for spell casters, it tends to be more of a problem, as those spell immune 
monsters have a high resist magic value, and may still have other resistances 
above that.  So not only do you need a spell which doesn't add magic to the 
attacktype (which there are a few), but may also need a specific type of 
attacktype, which limits the spell to just one or two.

  As a spellcaster, I'd be just as annoyed to do most of a map only to find out 
I don't have that specific spell - in some sense, it isn't that much difference 
that not being the correct class.  Especially if there is no warning.

  If, however, there is lore that any level of investigation reveals, different 
matter.  For example, information about that final monster like 'The bullywug is 
highly resistant to physical attacks and magic.  Weapons such as flaming swords 
are effective, as are spells that use elemental magic, like dragonbreath'

  This provides information everyone can use.  That fighter can realize he 
doesn't have the right weapon, and the wizard can realize he doesn't have the 
right spells, and not waste on hour in a dungeon only not to be able to finish it.