Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Skizelo]

I like the idea of having a runesmith workshop which just buffs the values of an object, but the skill should either be very hard to increase, or you need a noble much like you need a dungeon master to train some animals.
As for elemental over just general stat boost magic, as much as I like the idea of a sword that freezes when it cuts or some chainmail which stops people catching fire when fighting those damn imps, but that rather restricts their use to offensive/defensive items. What use would anyone have for an acid-aligned statue (though if you introduced golems...) or a permanently burning chair?

Though just imagine "Rune smith withdraws from society", takes  a random item ("please, please, please not a scepter") and you get an item which is, in itself dull but has a rune of highest quality on it. Or maybe even a double-relic.

[Duke 2.0]

quote:Originally posted by Skizelo:
[QB] or a permanently burning chair? [QB]

Oh, I could find a use for that.

I kinda want strange moods to have completely random magic effects when magic comes out. Thats the fun of strange moods. Who hasn't marveled at a gem door, or an obsidian bed? Heck, dwarves should be able to make basically any combination during a mood within reason.

A Plump helmet anvil that freezes all who touch it? I could find a use for that.

[Osmosis Jones]

If you're going to have a runesmith sort of workshop, why not incorporate a toggle for inscribing on the item (like the melt option). Then, the runesmith would only grab the marked items, though what he engraved em with would still depend on what he had handy.

Could also lead to the guy tantrumming if he doesn't have any designated items for a while.

[Haven]

Personally, I don't see dwarves doing a lot of overt magic (although, the guy who said 'D&D mythos', whichever one, had no dwarven casters was dead wrong.. /nitpick).

Runes, I could see. But I'd imagine dwarves would generaly trust to hard work, and use whatever magic they had to enhance their creations. Dwarves, it seems, are all about their creations, so I don't think magic would be much different.

I'd think the dissection and extraction of essences would cover a good part of the OP here, distilling the fire imp whatsit/liquid sunshine/venom required to enhance something. But one would need a sufficiently skilled crafter to imbue the stuff into the item itself. No new skill needed there. But that's just me.

[Calenth]

Personally, I'm very happy with the level of magic already present in the game. Maybe add some very high end crafting options like magical flame swords or whatever, but keep it scarce and difficult and rare.

At least for the dwarves. Ramp it up some for the non-dwarves. I'd like seeing goblin armies assault with fireball-throwing wizards in the later seiges, for example.

[Samyotix]

Alchemy is already in to some extent, there's the profession and phials and a potions category...
I imagine potions like Speed, Berserk, See Hidden Creature, Invisibility, Invulnerability maybe, possibly Gain Experience (in a random weapon skill) ... each with a (huge) chance of failure according to its quality. (90% failure for a normal potion, 40% for masterwork, 0% for artifact?)

Potions would, in order to be rare and difficult to get, need different herbal ingredients: Specific alcohols (drinks) for the distillation, rope reed or GCS silk 'filters' made by craftsdwarves.

The ingredient quality would affect the potion quality, so only well-run fortresses would eventually get powerful potions.

Some of the more potent potions might require specific gems; and ingredients from different biomes. Rare potions might require plants from opposite biomes, e.g. from both good and evil biomes.

(e.g. Cheap potion: any filter, strawberries, dimple cup.
Difficult potion: Hematite, Obsidian, filter from GCS silk dyed with sliver barb, plus Dwarven Rum, Sun Barries and Whip Vines.)

... however that could a) be frustrating ("Nooo! Don't brew those 5 Whip Vines! Stupid dwarves ...") and b) result in players spending even more time on looking for the one site that has it all (sand, water, magma, hfs ... it's a daunting enough task finding a new site without referring to a list of plants per biome, and worrying about which potions the fortress is going to have.

One kind of potion I did not include in the list ... How about healing potions? Finally get those starving, dehydrated, yellow-limbed champions out of bed and back on patrol?          
Hm. Sounds too good, doesn't it?
How about making Potions of Healing / Limb Restoration available only from trading with Elves, but not from killing the elven traders? *grin* *duck* *ouch*

[ May 19, 2008: Message edited by: Samyotix ]

[Lyrax]

quote:Originally posted by Samyotix:
<STRONG>How about making Potions of Healing / Limb Restoration available only from trading with Elves, but not from killing the elven traders? *grin* *duck* *ouch*</STRONG>

Awww, but if you do that, then I have no need for healing potions!

[Kashyyk]

on the idea about fey mood similars, you could just set some parameters, like: it is a weapon, it is NOT made of adamantine, ect. So you could pretty much choose most things about it so you can have a chance of getting the thing you want, or you could leave your magick crafter to run wild with your stocks.

perhaps the more trestricting parameters are the longer it takes before your artificers comes up with something.

[Lyrax]

Maybe... you could make demands of your alchemists?

They might go unfulfilled, but you can make demands.  More demands = less likely to be fulfilled.

[Caledonian]

I think the ability to control what items would be made magical goes against the crazy randomness that makes DF so interesting.

It should be easier to specify what's used as a crafting resource, yes, but things like peculiar moods and magical artifacts should be beyond player control.

I like the idea of rune magics permitting the construction of zones that have beneficial effects - for example, a rune that prevented all decay within its area of effect.  That would have interesting consequences for a food storage area, or a crypt.

[Sen Rojo]

Magic needs some cons, lest we stop using armies altogether:
1) Magic power is latent and rare in dwarves, though it is uncontrollable for them under normal circumstances
i) Dwarves that are able to willfully use magic are even rarer
ii) Development of magical skills takes more resources
2) Excessive use of magic or use of powerful magic can permanently lower the dwarf's natural life span and makes the dwarf want something (like ale or food or something)
i) Because of that dwarves that know about the dangers of magic will only use it as a last resort ( or in a tantrum )
ii) Because of that the majority of ignorant magic controllers will abruptly die before finding out that magic is autodamaging when channeling
3) Since magical control is such a rare and powerful talent, slightly more unstable magic dwarves may develop a god complex which would cause major bad
i) Also religions might be created around the magic user (magic user = savior, magic user = god incarnate, etcetera)
ii) Angered magic users are usually highly dangerous ( if unskilled controlling magic)
iii) Also there could be cultural stigma regarding magic, making magic user a constant source of bad thoughts

Also magical engravings and gem settings don't seem to rely on the dwarf for magic control but outside sources, so those tasks could be completed by any dwarf ( draw the correct rune or set the element correctly )

Magic could be a genetic trait.

Dealing with planes, magic users will only have magic in their native plane until its brain adapts to the new rules (ie: new driver for new OS).

I could see draconian fort players just killing any of dwarves that might have magic potential to keep the peace.

Off-topic questions:
Do individual dwarves have unique personalities created be environmental factors or do they just share the same AI?

Can dwarves develop unreasonable fears? Like fear of potash?

And what is a fey mood?

[smeej]

Fey Mood is something that can happen if an unhappy dwarf gets a Strange Mood. THe will take over the butcher shop and kill a random dwarf and make an artifact out of him or her. Gruesome business.

I already posted by two cents in the other thread.

"The only approach to magic I'd like to see is if a Mage Trainer position opened up at a certain population (or if one just came to the city). Then he can train a certain number of disciples in a manner similar to how soldiers train. Then you can set general mage "labors" so that they practice the magical school you are interested in (leave them on restoration and they will go about the fortress healing and restoring bad meat, for example).

Basically, having any direct control over magic would be bizarre and this would keep it more in a simulation vein like the rest of the game. Plus, it would probably be easier to implement.

Another way would be that you can have disciples pray and build up MP and you can unleash it as you see fit, but that is kind of like Black & White, so ehhh. "

The only thing I have in addition to that is that there should be a Lorekeeper labor that writes books that mages can learn from. Basically the magic version of a weapon/armorsmith. That would also require a labor for someone to produce paper, which means that maybe the Lorekeeper could also produce "trinket" books that could be traded.

I just don't want to have direct control over magic. I like the game being kind of random and like a simulation.

[ June 06, 2008: Message edited by: smeej ]

[Align]

That's Fell mood. Fey mood is just what strange mood is called in the announcement screen instead of the unit activity screen, or vice versa.

[J Lensher]

What if, to actually start practicing the skill, a dwarf had to be touched by a"Mystic Mood" which would be a new type of strange mood, and he'd craft a rune and gain the dabbling level in runecrafting?

[smeej]

quote:Originally posted by Align:
<STRONG>That's Fell mood. Fey mood is just what strange mood is called in the announcement screen instead of the unit activity screen, or vice versa.</STRONG>

Oops. My bad. I've only had it happen once.