Miscellaneous Magic Ideas

[Endoperez]

What is the use of Horn of Bubbles/ Ring of Weakness? Surely something equally cheap exists if you want to block slot of one of your own commanders, and something like Bane Venom Charm or Lycanthropos Amulet can actually kill that commander if you want to make him unusable.

As can Ethereal Crossbow, for that matter, but in a very different way...

[RedRover]

Vicious Love: Drat! Is it that obvious, then?

Endoperez: Fair question!

Actually, there's seldom only one reason for anything. So let's look at a few. First, though:

Reference List of Cursed Items

Slave Collar (Trinket. Con 0. Paths: B1. Cost: 5 Blood.)

Eye of Aiming (Lesser Magic Item. Con 2. Paths: A1. Cost: 5 Air.)
Knife of the Damned (Lesser Magic Item. Con 2. Paths: N1S1. Cost: 5 Nature, 5 Astral.)
Soul Contract (Lesser Magic Item, Con 2. Paths: B5. Cost: 80 Blood.)

Armor of Twisting Thorns (Greater Magic Item. Con 4. Paths: B3N3. Cost: 20 Blood, 20 Nature.)
Lifelong Protection (Greater Magic Item. Con 4. Paths: B3. Cost: 20 Blood.)
Lychantropos’ Amulet (Greater Magic Item. Con 4. Paths: N2. Cost: 10 Nature.)
The Heart of Life (Greater Magic Item. Con 4. Paths: B3. Cost: 20 Blood.)

Crystal Heart (Very Powerful Item. Con 6. Paths: E2S2. Cost: 10 Earth, 10 Astral.)
Flesh Ward (Very Powerful Item. Con 6. Paths: B2. Cost: 10 Blood.)

Amon Hotep (Unique. Con 8. Paths: F43S4. Cost: 40 Fire, 40 Astral.)
Aseftik’s Armor (Unique. Con 8. Paths: E3. Cost: 20 Earth.)
Harvest Blade (Unique. Con 8. Paths: B3N1. Cost: 20 Blood, 5 Nature.)
Sceptre of Corruption (Unique. Con 8. Paths: B4. Cost: 40 Blood.)
The Forbidden Light (Unique. Con 8. Paths: S3F3. Cost: 20 Astral, 20 Fire.)
The Gift of Kurgi (Unique. Con 8. Paths: B5. Cost: 80 Blood.)
The Green Eye (Unique. Con 8. Paths: N2. Cost: 10 Nature.)
The Ruby Eye (Unique. Con 8. Paths: F3. Cost: 20 Fire.)
The Sword of Aurgelmer (Unique. Con 8. Paths: S5. Cost: 80 Astral.)
Crown of Kataphagos (Special Unique. Con -. Paths: -. Cost: wish.)


Back to Reasons
1) There doesn't seem to be a lot of Water magic on the list.

2) You may be thinking like a player. A magic item is a tool, and maybe, if I'm designing a scenario, I may need a new tool to produce the effect I want.

3) No law says a player must be given an optimal solution in every case. I believe superior game design includes non-optimal solutions, to allow better players to distinguish themselves. (The fact that you are asking your question IMO puts you in the latter group.)

4) Nor need every game element have a defined use. Part of the fun in a game like Dom2 is being surprised by the applications the players work out, and part of the fun in play is turning an apparent sow's ear into a silk purse.

5) You may be thinking in terms of Dom2. Point 4 is especially true if the game is going into a new edition--an apparently useless idea might spark a new design feature from an unexpected source.

6) I might really, really like the Horn of Bubbles.

Recommended Reading: "What Good is a Glass Dagger?" by Larry Niven.

[deccan]

RedRover said:
Recommended Reading: "What Good is a Glass Dagger?" by Larry Niven.

Hah! I just read it a couple of months ago. I also read "Not Long Before The End", also about the Warlock.

[Endoperez]

I know now all items have to be optimal, but if the only way to use items is to give them to *your* commanders, send them to battle you know you will be using and hope that your enemy's commanders pick them up, blocking their miscellanous slots...

Besides, I don't understand Horn of Bubbles. Would it do *anything* at all besides being cursed item? Or did you mean that it blocks *two* slots instead of one? And Ring of Weakness could actually be usable, but not with W3D1! Even at W1D1 it would take 10 gems, and would have a big chance of not doing anything. Then, however, people would try it themselves and notice that it is not good.

Similarly, I can see the game having Horn of Bubbles which makes bubbles (precision -10 long-range missile that does no damage but causes Earth Meld whereever it hits), or Horn of Bubbles that gives the commander Awe -2 (even morale 10 units will often hit), or Horn of Bubbles that gives him +2 defence but -2 attack and precision. But it should have atleast *some* use, even if that use would be of no use to anyone.

Oh, and I will be reading "What Good is a Glass Dagger" when I get a chance.