
Guiding help file for monster/weapon/equipment/skill special effects
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(Created by Celtron 15.10.2005)

So you want to give, say, a monster a special move that it does in combat.
Among the first things that comes to your mind is probably an random
effect that pops a text message and calls from the monster

this_object()->query_attacker()->hit_with_spell(damage, damage_Type).

As this is an easy way to do it, lots of wizards before you have applied
this aswell. Now, what makes this effect a really lousy one?

Elders and archs have spent several years (read: years) to develop guilds
and the skills in them. The well thought systems have counterskills and counter
abilities, which grant players variety of choices. If you would skip all
the work done (which has taken years), please do a straight call
to 1-800-hit_with_spell.

Players who have spent gigs of Xp to their skills and spells tend to like
special effects that hit them without remorse, straight through their
long-looked-for armor. This is another reason, why you should not do
straight damage calls (hit_with_spell).


To give couple of constructive ideas about what can you then do if your
only idea is so harshly and unfairly taken away, the list follows:


- make the monster a spellcaster (easy and fun. any mob but animals can be casters)
- monster self-heal (preferably by spellcasting)
- effects that allow or restrict movement, including:
  * monster moves away from players (combat or noncombat)
  * monster blocks player's movement
  * monster allows the player to move somewhere he cannot otherwise get
  * monster calls friends to his aid from the adjacent rooms
- stat affecting specials (monster can boost his own stats with some special)
- effect that triggers a spelleffect without spellcasting
- effects that hamper players (ex. curses that lower stats for certain period of time)


If you want to add something to this list, please do so. This is an effort to provide
support for wizards building areas.

Last words: please do not even consider any hit_with_spell calls from your objects
including rooms,monsters,eq etc. Make the mob BOOST HIMSELF (stats, skills) or the
player to be weakened for a period of time not longer than 5-10 minutes. Remember
that players can go and quit to get the evil effects off.

//Celtron
