Anyway, I'll put the basic idea here; feel free to comment and critique. This is mostly for me keeping it in line-- I'm easily distracted.
No ETA when I'll actually start this.
Do note that some of the things outlined here may or may not be possible to do in the current system. There are things I'd VERY MUCH like to have, and things that are just simply (im)possible currently. This is just a very early draft, after all. Disregard reality.
1. on character (X) death, guarantee SPAWN* a special item especially tailored to X's skillset.
-- SPAWN can mean sentient-ize a current item s/he was wearing; or actually spawning a new item. Probably the former so we can lose more valuable item =p
-- To ensure rarity and a certain prestige level, let's say X must be lvl 60+.
-- Item will have a base bonus based on where its ideal/most common level is.
-- Item will have a bonus based if owner's death level is really high (relatively).
-- For example, if X was a mage, then a stereoptypically-mage-like item can be forged at the time of death: mage staff, a robe, a cloak, etc. In essence, this is a specially seeded item to mirror the owner X.
-- If X's favourite spell was Holy Fire (aka FF =p), for example, then I'd like this item to be fiery and holy. This could mean that the item obtains SLAY_EVIL or +FIRE_DMG or +LITE or KILL_VAMPIRE_CHARACTERS_UPON_WEARING. If X's favourite spell was manathrust, then the item could obtain PROC_PASSIVE_MANA_SHIELD_ON_HIT ?!?! or +MANA or BOOST_DMG_PER_MANA_DRAIN_ON_WEAR or ABSORB_SOME_MANA_ATTACKS, and so on and so forth.
1.a. an alternative to obtain this item could be from your own gear and what not. If you've been wearing that armour from 20 -> king, you will grow attached to it, etc. But this should be *extremely* (go ahead and read that word again) rare and not everyone is expected to get one.
2. The item is lootable and should be X_BOUND(1) to the person who picked it up. Two possibilities:
-- Self looting with a different character: by default, apply a LOT of maluses on it, and do X_BOUND rules (below). If you were a great sword, were wielded by a (now-dead) great warrior, have been to a thousand battles and have slain a hundred kings, you'd surely be pissed if one of his sons suddenly comes along and claims ownership of you.
-- transfer rules: the item's abilities are suppressed until it has found a definite owner (truly worn and dove with the item, instead of just test driving) and gradually gain its powers (and more!) with additional usage. Ideally, it should be brought AT LEAST AS DEEP to where the previous owner liked to be-- and hopefully it was deep enough to encourage deep diving (which are severely lacking nowadays). So if you found this item in NR, it is probably very powerful. It also means that you have to have the balls to dive with it. So essentially, the item has an(other) ideal level where it wants to be brought to. It will get weaker if the new owner is a wimp.
-- That and the malus should discourage the eventual "loot and wear it for me for a few dives and then give it back to me ok?" "workaround".
-- You WILL dive and deep with it; lest it become yet another (mediocre) randart. This I think, need to be emphasized. I REALLY want to watch players go deep and die often. The deeper the better, the MORE you have, the better.
-- The item should be pissed if it gets dropped and picked up multiple times by different characters. This is just not that kind of item. This is to avoid a scenario where you self-looted and you give the item to your friend. I'd very much like your friend to get down there, clean up the mess you made and pick that damn thing up him/herself.
3. Items will have recorded rich history: another big thing I really would like to have is item history. My Feanorian of Magi (+3) has been with me for some time now. My last three? four? Istari have been wearing it, including the current Sad Panda.
-- I really don't care if no one else but the owner can inspect the history-- I think it adds a lot of charm and personality to the item. I want the place of where it was spawned to be recorded. I want every single owner to be in there, and how it has changed hands over time. Possibly more. E.g.,
Code: Select all
The robe 'Eve'
This item was spawned deep inside the Nether Realm when Eve the Dragon Lady was mauled to death by a Great Wyrm of Power. It was looted soon after by Zeratul the Ascended when he went through the remains of the battle. It protected Zeratul the Holy Diver on his victory against the The Hellraiser deep inside the Nether Realm. Upon Zeratul the Holy Diver's ultimate demise at the hands of Zu-Aon, The Cosmic Border Guard, the robe was acquired by Mr. Goldfish the Ultimate Replicator. It was then traded away to Eve the Sorcerer, wherein it lost almost all of its luster. It is currently in the possession of Eve the Dragon Lady. It approves of its current owner and has found new powers and recovered its old powers.
1. This robe likes the NR since Eve got balls to dive and die there. Since she frequents the NR, Eve's favourite offensive spell should be Manathrust by now (instead of FF). I'm also assuming she's an offensive mage and not a support, so yes, Mana is the theme.
2. Zeratul's awesome since he killed The Hellraiser (woo!) but alas, Zu-Aon was too much: the robe is a valid item to wear, and its "mana"-nature turns out to be suitable for a priest
3. Mr. Goldfish finally hit lvl 99 and looted and traded it to Eve the Sorcerer-- since this new Eve is lvl 45? to begin with, it lost some of its abilities-- but that's ok since this Eve is fast bonding with her new old robe =)
(I'm inferring character levels from their titles and vice versa).
4. Ultimately, I don't want just high PVAL to be the gimmick of this feature. Yes, The Magi Amulet 'Trololol' (+12) is ridiculously powerful, but it's plain stupid. The same reason why +30 EA ring *cough* is fucking stupid. It's not (all) about the size of your plusses. The extra stuff the items get (or lose, from disuse) should be directed. Outside of the "extra" stuff, IT SHOULD KEEP THE RANDART RULESET. Players will just have more chance of driving the abilities, that's all. With a lot of nerve wrecking dives, you should be able to obtain that perfect weapon.
I think people are more interested in #1 and the ability generation ruleset and when/where to get these item, but I'm still only toying with the general picture, and have no more detail than this. It has been suggested that thematic battles could trigger it (Sauron at bottom of Mt Doom?) and that's certainly a possibility (maybe only to add to chance of creation, etc). Of course this could be a starting framework to get a more lasting change from your actions. Do you dive in Angband before level 49.999999? Do you regularly take those Wyrms in Mordor -50' instead of bitching about them on chat? Then this is for you.
That is how true artifacts come to being anyway: extraordinary events. But adding The Pick of Moltor each time something awesome happens is a bit too tedious.
Yes, this seems to be an feature that a high percentage of players won't see nor obtain-- and I think that's completely fine.