Strength Category opcode
Nifft
Member Posts: 1,065
Strength score translates very poorly to mechanical benefits, yet most magical effects target strength score directly. For example, the Manual of Exercise grants +1 Str, which is a huge gain for a character at exactly Str 18, but a poor gain for most other characters -- and provides almost no benefit to characters between Str 8 and Str 14.
This problem has led to some bad design decisions, such as the level 2 Strength spell being coded around Str 18/50 (and decreasing a creature's Strength if it was 19 or higher). Should you cast this spell on a summoned monster? The spell might actually reduce your summoned monster's strength, which is unintuitive, and knowing the outcome requires some meta-game investigation.
I propose an opcode for effects which increase or decrease the target's Strength based on these categories, rather than simply on its raw ability score. If positive, the effect moves the target's Strength to the TOP of the appropriate category; if negative, to the BOTTOM. Examples will follow.
Here are the categories:
0: Helpless
1: ???
2: ???
3: Attack -3, Damage -1
4-5: Attack -2, Damage -1
6-7: Attack -1
8-15: no bonus or penalty
16: Damage +1
17: Attack +1, Damage +1
18: Attack +1, Damage +2
18/01-50: Attack +1, Damage +3
18/51-75: Attack +2, Damage +3
18/76-90: Attack +2, Damage +4
18/90-99: Attack +2, Damage +5
18/100: Attack +3, Damage +6
19: Attack +3, Damage +7
20: Attack +3, Damage +8
21: Attack +4, Damage +9
22: Attack +4, Damage +10
23: Attack +5, Damage +11
24: Attack +6, Damage +12
25: Attack +7, Damage +14
- - -
Sample effects:
Strength
This spell moves the target up two Strength categories. For example:
- Original Str 10 -> gains Str 17
- Original Str 17 -> gains Str 18/50
- Original Str 18/76 -> gains Str 18/00
- Original Str 18/00 -> gains Str 20
- Original Str 19 -> gains Str 21
Some spells (like the divine spell Strength of One) would remain unaltered. Items could use this new effect, or could continue to set a single ability score override.
This problem has led to some bad design decisions, such as the level 2 Strength spell being coded around Str 18/50 (and decreasing a creature's Strength if it was 19 or higher). Should you cast this spell on a summoned monster? The spell might actually reduce your summoned monster's strength, which is unintuitive, and knowing the outcome requires some meta-game investigation.
I propose an opcode for effects which increase or decrease the target's Strength based on these categories, rather than simply on its raw ability score. If positive, the effect moves the target's Strength to the TOP of the appropriate category; if negative, to the BOTTOM. Examples will follow.
Here are the categories:
0: Helpless
1: ???
2: ???
3: Attack -3, Damage -1
4-5: Attack -2, Damage -1
6-7: Attack -1
8-15: no bonus or penalty
16: Damage +1
17: Attack +1, Damage +1
18: Attack +1, Damage +2
18/01-50: Attack +1, Damage +3
18/51-75: Attack +2, Damage +3
18/76-90: Attack +2, Damage +4
18/90-99: Attack +2, Damage +5
18/100: Attack +3, Damage +6
19: Attack +3, Damage +7
20: Attack +3, Damage +8
21: Attack +4, Damage +9
22: Attack +4, Damage +10
23: Attack +5, Damage +11
24: Attack +6, Damage +12
25: Attack +7, Damage +14
- - -
Sample effects:
Strength
This spell moves the target up two Strength categories. For example:
- Original Str 10 -> gains Str 17
- Original Str 17 -> gains Str 18/50
- Original Str 18/76 -> gains Str 18/00
- Original Str 18/00 -> gains Str 20
- Original Str 19 -> gains Str 21
Some spells (like the divine spell Strength of One) would remain unaltered. Items could use this new effect, or could continue to set a single ability score override.
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