Nangband > Character
"Traits"
Traits are a form of character specialisation. They're learned abilities that come in handy and provide interest in different characters.
Weapon-users
- Ambidextrous
- You can use both hands equally well.
Magic-users
- Healing
- Uses % of your mana to heal yourself.
- Meditation
- Rest for two turns to restore 1/3 of outstanding mana.
Character birth
The stat generator should guarantee certain minima on the primary stats for the character's class. All stats generated should be "decent" - so fairly small variation in stats, no cripples and no superhumans.
Characters should start with gear close to a full set, but "worn", and with a small amount of currency, unaffected by stats (enough for some minor CLW, extra food, etc.).
Equipment
- Ensure there are only ever two hands in use at once. Allow two-handed fighting, with a decrease in damage on the off hand (unless character is ambidextrous).
- Allow a limit of eight rings, but after two, agility, ability to hit etc. are all reduced.
- speed should be much more affected by heavy loads
- gauntlets mean you can't wear rings
- money weighs
Statistics
Primary
We keep three stats, remove three, and introduce two new:
- Strength
- Dexterity
- Constitution
- Focus
- Perception
We keep strength, dexterity and constitution in roughly their current forms. However, Charisma is gone (see Reputation), and Int/Wis are replaced with Focus/Perception. Focus (mainly replacing intelligence) affects mana, spell/prayer failure, learning of spells/prayers, and possibly even chance of critical hits. Perception (mainly replacing wisdom) is something along the lines of the current secondary stat, except it affects disarming, saving throw, etc. as well. A combination of Focus and Perception affects magical device use (you require focus and perception).
Primary stats go from 1 to 40; starting stats should be centred at ~15, with a little variance each side. Modifiers at birth should be fairly minimal, but there should be a seperate set of modifiers for the stat caps which are much more noticeable (i.e. actually having an impact).
At certain multiples of character levels (every three?), allow the player to increase one of their stats (and record these, so when the player drops those levels from XP drain, they lose the stats they gained). Stat potions should be made accordingly rarer, and with a wider distribution throughout the dungeon.
It may be worth considering having a logarithmic scale for stats.
Secondary
Social Class is removed, instead replaced with "reputation". Various things affect reputation:
- Quests - there's already the concept of a quest reputation in modern quest variants
- Number of different races of monster killed
- Player level
- Deepest dungeon level
- Haggling niceness - if haggling gets in again, this would include how nice you are to the shopkeepers
Store prices depend on reputation, and race, if it affects stores at all. It'd be interesting to have reputation affect what wares were available to you in the stores. This is a secondary mechanic, though, and isn't worth worrying about initially.
Effects
Poison
Poison doesn't fade with time, more like real life. Slowly it drains max HP, STR and CON -- or something along those lines. There's a big hit at the beginning though because HP doesn't drain with time.
The idea is to make poison more dangerous, worthy of avoidance. Resistance to poison can never completely stop the poison.
Magic
Meditation
Replace the 'rest' command with the 'meditate' command. This is the only way for spellcasters to regain mana short of eating herbs, etc -- it doesn't come back naturally at all.
Pseudo-ID
If characters are expected to find most of their better gear in the dungeon, we need a better pseudo-ID for everyone -- perhaps linked with level, but not with character class.