Upcoming Changes – Enhancement bonus, stacking bonuses, etc.

[Ornir Elunari]

Greetings all,

I hope that everyone is aware that we have been working hard behind the scenes to enhance the game play here at Luminari MUD. One of the driving forces behind this development is to bring the mechanics closer to those outlined in the D&D 3.5 SRD, and move away from the stock TBAMUD mechanics. A lot of work has been done recently on this front, and I want to explain some of those changes that are in development. Please, feedback and questions are encouraged, so feel free to reply. I will try to be as detailed in my descriptions as I can while still making it easily digestible, but unfortunately that is no small task.

A question everyone asks at one point – Will there be a pwipe. I hate pwipes. I will avoid it if at all possible. Right now, it will be required that all players respec to 1st level and then gain through the levels again, adding feats, skills, etc. The issues with broken equipment, however, must be resolved and we will figure out a fair system for translating eq into a form of currency of some type. because all current players are considered to be beta testers, they will receive certain minor perks upon opening that will not be available to new players, this may tie into that.

The first change: FEATS

Currently Luminari MUD represents feats as SKILLS. These skills actually have a % associated with them that changes through use (although this is very hackish, and performing one skill allows any skill to improve). We are moving away from this and introducing the concept of feats, taken directly from the d20 SRD and d&d 3.5.

Here is a description from the 3.5e PHB:

A feat is a special feature that either gives your character a new capability or improves one he or she already has. For example, Lidda (a halfling rogue) chooses to start with the Improved Initiative feat at 1st level. That feat gives her a +4 bonus to her initiative check results. At 3rd level she gains a new feat and chooses Dodge. This feat allows her to avoid the attacks of an opponent she selects by improving her Armor Class against that opponent. Unlike a skill, a feat has no ranks. A character either has a feat or does not.

So this shows one of the major differences with a feat system – It is all or nothing, There is no development, you either have it or you don’t. Basically, feats are ‘unlocks’. This being said, some feats can be STACKED, meaning if you take the feat multiple times the benefit stacks. A classic example is toughness. Every time you take the toughness feat you gain 1 hp extra per level (this differs slightly from the flat 3 hp bonus in the tabletop D&D game). So, if you take the feat 2 times, you get a total of 2 extra HP per level. As a trade off, you have used a feat for toughness that you could have used for something else, like combat expertise.

Some feats have prerequisite feats, and many have attribute requirements. For example, many of the powerful fighter feats require 13 base int (NOT int gained via eq).

I do not anticipate having all feats implemented when the system is introduced. All of the feats that will be replacing skills will be implemented, although some skills will be removed entirely with the new system.

The STUDY command has become more important with the addition of feats. Every level, the player must use all skill points, feat points, boosts, etc. before they can gain another level. The study command is the interface for gaining feats, as well as adjusting known spells and other level-based perks like favored enemy and familiars. Once we are closer to release I would like to put together a screenshot-based tutorial for using the study command and post it to the forums here.

The command FEATS COMPLETE DESCRIPTION shows a list of all feats in the system. Note that these feats are not all in the game, and some of them will not be implemented at all. This is a very very rough list – although many of these feats will be used.

FEATS KNOWN (or just FEATS) will show all of your currently known feats. FEATS AVAILABLE show all of the feats for which you currently qualify. FEATS AVAILABLE DESCRIPTION (or FEATS KNOWN DESCRIPTION) will provide a short description of these feats, although the descriptions are not entirely accurate and will change before release.

(Thank you Gicker of d20MUD for the list of feats and the mechanisms for storing and accessing the feat data, we used his work extensively as a model for the development of this system, although we made a LOT of changes.)

So that is feats. Other topics will be replies to this initial post.

[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!

[Ornir Elunari]

Next topic: BONUSES and STACKING

This is a big topic. In stock TBAMUD a bonus is a bonus. There is no difference between a bonus from eq, a bonus from a spell or a bonus from a potion. Everything stacks. This can lead to some pretty crazy totals, especially when calculating hit and damage bonuses. We are converting to a more D&D style of bonus stacking by giving bonuses types! The rules are simple:

Different bonuses stack. Bonuses of the same type overlap, except for: Circumstance bonuses and unnamed bonuses.

Circumstance bonuses are things like weather conditions, terrain, etc. Unnamed bonuses are any bonus without a type – Most feats provide unnamed bonuses.

The following articles say it much better than I could, using the table top D&D game:

Does it stack? (parts 1-4)
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040120a
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040127a
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040203a
http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/rg/20040210a

Everything should be clear once you read those articles. In Luminari MUD of course we will assign some bonuses differently, that is the nature of conversion to a digital medium. This will ultimately have the effect of reducing overall character power, across the board, but also opening up more opportunities for unique and interesting builds. This also reduces the importance of having a full set of gear with stat bonuses. It helps immensely, of course, but will be by no means absolutely necessary.

[Ornir Elunari]

Next Topic: SPECIAL ATTACKS

This is still under heavy development, but it will affect the way combat works. A special attack is something like trip or feint – it uses one or more of your regular melee attacks to perform a special attack that can have some other effect.

Old system: Special attacks are tied in with skills and must be learned. The only check is your skill %.

New system: Special attacks are always available to everyone, but it uses skills/attributes and performs an opposed check against the opponent.

With the removal of the skill system and the introduction of feats, a new method was needed for managing special attacks like trip. As with many other decisions we have made, we looked to see how it was done in the D&D SRD – and that is with opposed attribute/ability checks. The terminology may be a bit confusing in relation to Luminari MUD so an example is in order.

Most special attacks are based on two things, an attack roll and an attribute or ability check. I will use trip as an example:

I have Bubba, a level 10 orcish fighter. He is fighting Allionwe, a level 10 elvish fighter. Bubba, being a huge brute of an orc, has a strength score of 20. Allionwe only has 15 strength, but she has 20 dex. Bubba wants to trip Allionwe and issues the trip command while in melee.

The first thing that happens is that bubba performs an ‘unarmed touch attack’ roll vs Allionwe, meaning that he must be able to grab that durned elf, ignoring Allionwe’s armor when calculating her armor class. In doing this, Bubba allows a free shot (an attack of opportunity, or AOO) from Allionwe. If Bubba had the improved trip feat, he would not have allowed this attack.
Let’s assume that Bubba is successful with his attack roll, even though Allionwe stuck him good with her rapier as he approached. Now Bubba needs to make an opposed strength check against Allionwe. Allionwe uses either strength or dexterity, whichever has the highest bonus. So – Bubba has a +5 bonus for his strength of 20, while Allionwe has a str of 15 for a +2 bonus. Her dex is 20, with a +5 bonus, so she uses that to oppose bubba’s strength. Bubba is one monster of an orc, and as such has a size of large, giving him +4 to his check. So bubba has a total of +9 to Allionwe’s +5. Let’s assume Bubba makes his roll and throws Allionwe to the ground.

If Bubba had not been successful with his trip, Allionwe would have had one chance to counter-trip him by winning an opposed strength check. This trip attempt would not have provoked an AOO from Bubba as it was taking advantage of his compromised position after failing his trip attempt.

So this is what the trip attack now looks like. We don’t have a % check against a skill anymore – The entire build of the character has more to do with success and failure, rather than just a single skill. Note, also, that wizards would have a particularly poor chance of tripping and monks would have a much better chance, due to the reliance on unarmed attacks. This just makes more sense overall and allows us to make all of these special attacks available without trashing balance.

[Treyorn]

Ok wow. That was a lot to take in. First off..great job so far. I know most people don’t see it but I have been on the test port and the work Ornir has done is incredible.

Questions:

How much of this is complete and do you know when we would expect to see it on the live port?

Regarding weapon changes, I assume we will have to manually edit the weapons that exist in the MUD now or will there be a massive converter of some sort?

[Ornir Elunari]

@Treyorn wrote:

How much of this is complete and do you know when we would expect to see it on the live port?

Regarding weapon changes, I assume we will have to manually edit the weapons that exist in the MUD now or will there be a massive converter of some sort?

The skeletal feat system is complete, study is 98% complete. Skills are about 80% converted – still working on converting the special attacks. Actual feat implementations, about oh, 35%. Most skills that translate to feats have been converted so that number is kinda misleading, we will go live way before that hits 90%.

The bonus stacking stuff has been implemented in all new code and will be added as we go. Retrofitting is a bit of a task and will be done in stages. This is something that will be an ongoing process, but it should be relatively low impact (until the types are in and your uber spell of uberness doesn’t stack with your uber armor of even more uberness anymore :P).

As far as moving to live port, as soon as I can make skills go away, as in, no more pracs, no more references to skills in the code for user commands. My goal is by Jan 1. That date is for feats, although everything is pretty tied together.

There will be a converter. It will be rough but I will automate as much as I possibly can. for EB, that is easy, it is just MIN(5, MAX(hitroll, damroll)) for non epic weapons. There will, of course, be a lot of conversion. Adding weapon types will be a pain, but I plan on using keywords in the sdesc to try to automate as much as possible. There WILL be a ton of work to do the conversion, but I will be helping with that. I will be implementing various reporting tools in game to show information on weapons as well, to make the job easier – Also a way to set weapon type without going into olc will be added, in the interest of speed.

Thanks for the questions.

– Ornir Elunari

[Shadorn]

I can’t wait for the upcoming changes, I sound like broken record by now but it’s true!

The new system will balance lot of things, like for example at this moment best route you can go with melee character is just stack up damroll as high as you can get with little regard to other stats. I’m looking forward for the better balance system to be in and to test them!

I know I haven’t been on much lately, it is because I’m busy with final project and studying for final exams!! After finals weeks is done, I should be back on more often to test more. 🙂

Range on weapons sound awesome, giving a frameworks for “grid” party system in future! Plus better implements for special attacks is needed!

– Shadorn

[Anonymous]

Although I’m excited about the changes, I really want you back on the live port! We miss you O.

Thanks for all the hard work!

[Treyorn]

@Awh wrote:

Although I’m excited about the changes, I really want you back on the live port! We miss you O.

Thanks for all the hard work!

I second this 🙂

[mosheh]

We are all stoked for the changes Ornir!

On a somewhat side note, we also sent out an email to peeps notifying them of some of these changes and hoping they will come back 😛

[Author]

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