[MUD-Dev] Re: let's call it a spellcraft

[Caliban Tiresias Darklock]

On 01:24 AM 9/26/98 +0200, I personally witnessed Niklas Elmqvist jumping
up to say:
>
>I like it. However, spell research would almost require that the player
>leaves his character in his study when logging off -- quitting in the
>middle of Mirkwood with a dozen giant spiders stalking around would do
>nothing towards creating a nice research atmosphere... 

Should we likewise permit characters to be killed by such dangers when not
online? If you're safe when logged off, then you can quite easily study.

An amusing bug I've heard about but never experienced (mainly because it
can't happen unless deliberately exploited): when in combat with creature
X, drop carrier. Log back in, the combat has ceased because you were
offline. Suck down a couple potions, attack again. Repeat until creature X
dies. 

Supposedly many servers have this sort of bug, or something very like it.
I'm sure someone less ethical -- or, um, who has a FRIEND who is less
ethical, rather -- can tell you about it.

>Maybe the player could be allowed to perform some
>kind of 'dry run' with his spell to ensure that it is working properly?

I have a thought here. Perhaps each specific command in the spell could be
researched independently, and research of each command needs to be done
every time it's used -- but you get BETTER at researching it each time. So
for example, when you research:

create fire
move fire
enlarge fire
execute

You rack up a count of 1 for each of create, move, and enlarge, but a count
of 3 for fire. As this goes on, wizards would begin to specialise;
different players would be very good at different things. Like Bigby's
spells in AD&D, which were all based on creating big disembodied hands, or
Otiluke's spells which were all based on spheres. Additional
personalisation for the character, but potentially a storage problem for
those who research a LOT of spells.

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Caliban Tiresias Darklock <caliban at darklock.com>   | "I'm not sorry or 
Darklock Communications <http://www.darklock.com/> |  ashamed of who I 
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FREE KEVIN MITNICK! <http://www.kevinmitnick.com/> |  - Charles Manson