Re: Re: Upcoming Changes – Enhancement bonus, stacking bonuses,

[Ornir Elunari]

Next topic: WEAPONS

This is a very important topic, because some very significant changes have/will be made regarding this most important tool in the adventurer’s toolbox. In this post I will explain, at a fairly high level, the changes made to weapons. Some of the more far-reaching implications will be discussed in future posts.

Weapons are now standardized. What does this mean? Well, each weapon now has a type, or else it is an improvised weapon. What is a weapon type? Here is an example:

setweapon(WEAPON_TYPE_SPEAR, "spear", 1, 8, 0, 3, WEAPON_FLAG_SIMPLE | WEAPON_FLAG_THROWN | WEAPON_FLAG_REACH, 200, DAMAGE_TYPE_PIERCING, 60, 20, WEAPON_FAMILY_SPEAR, SIZE_LARGE, MATERIAL_WOOD, HANDLE_TYPE_SHAFT, HEAD_TYPE_POINT);

“ORNIR!”, I hear you say. “You said high level!” Yeah, sorry, but this is the easiest way for me to describe it. This is the part of the code that sets the weapon type (and in NO WAY is this static, so don’t ever count on it!). Again, this was borrowed from Gicker’s d20mud source code, as it is an excellent abstraction of the weapon type model. Basically, we are talking about a spear here. I will translate it into english so that it is easier to explain:

weapon type: spear

damage: 1d8

crit range: 20

crit multiplier: x3

weapon categories: Simple weapons, Thrown weapons, Reach weapons

cost: 200

damage types: piercing

weight: 60

range: 20

weapon family: Spear

size: Large

material: wood

handle type: shaft

head type: point

So this is what the line of code i presented above actually describes. Every weapon type has a block of data like this. Please don’t assume we use all of this data – we do not. Much of this data, like range, is there for future expansion.

So what does this mean for us in game? Well, as you can see there is damage dice, crit range, crit multiplier, damage type and size listed in the block of data. These fields will be standardized over all items of this type. Of course the size can change, but then the damage values will also change accordingly. This provides a BASELINE for weapons of the ‘spear’ type. Some items can differ from this, although those will be special.

As far as weapon proficiency goes, that is also based on weapon type, as well as weapon category. For example, many races/classes are proficient with simple or martial weapons. This means that most weapons are available for use with no penalty. If you wish to increase your skill with this weapon further, feats are available that allow you to specialize in a particular weapon type, giving you a bonus to attack/damage with that weapon type.

What is this crit range/multiplier business? Well, the crit range is the value that you must get on an attack to actually have a critical hit. For a spear it is a roll of 20 on 1d20. This is every 5% or so. The crit multiplier of x3 means that your damage roll is multiplied by 3 for critical hits! Different weapons have different crit ranges and crit multipliers and this is something to consider when choosing a weapon. These values will be visible in some form in game.

So that is it so far for weapon types. Another change has to do with magical weapons. Magical weapons have an enhancement bonus, which is a flat boost to attack/damage. For example, a spear with an enhancement bonus of +2 will receive a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls when using that weapon. This is going to replace hitroll and damroll (save your disbelief, I will cover this later :/). The way we represent the enhancement bonus when talking about a weapon is to say we have a +2 spear, or, alternatively, a spear (+2).

Note that the enhancement bonus (EB for short) only applies for attacks made with that weapon, if you wield two weapons each attack only uses the EB from the weapon in that hand. Ranged weapons with an EB automatically impart that EB to all ammunition fired from that weapon. If the ammunition has an EB, the higher bonus applies. Thus, firing a +2 arrow from a +2 bow will not increase the EB of the arrow – However, firing a regular arrow from that bow would impart a +2 EB to that mundane arrow. Additionally, firing a +3 arrow from a +2 bow will use the arrow’s +3 bonus.

Enhancement Bonus is an important concept because it limits power for weapons. The maximum EB a NON-EPIC weapon can have is +5. Epic weapons are special weapons, level 21+, that fill a specific role in the game and can only be discovered through exploration, questing and defeating very tough mobiles . These are weapons of legend. Epic weapons have a maximum EB of +10.

Weapon special abilities have been in the game for a while now, but with the conversion to EB they will really start to shine. Each special ability ‘uses up’ a portion of EB. For example, the flaming special ability is worth +1 EB. The vorpal special ability is worth +5 EB. You will never see a flaming, vorpal non-epic weapon on Luminari MUD, as the effective EB is +6 (although none of that EB is added to attack or damage rolls! It is ‘used up’ by the special abilities, which are formidable in themselves!)

Next post we will talk about stacking bonuses!