ToME WikiFubarReturns: Here are some thoughts on new Runecrafting runes.
Primary rune: Entropy. This rune causes the target to deteriorate. Aside from doing damage, its interesting effect is that it damages items and weakens the armor and physical attacks of its target. Resistance to Chaos is effective against it: this is basically the entropic side of Chaos rather than the random (polymorphing) side.
Secondary rune: Slow Burn. This causes the spell to take effect over several turns. Each turn for n turns, a spell of 1/n power takes effect upon the target. If used as the only secondary rune, the target is the caster, as with Self; if combined with another secondary rune, it's whatever is targeted by that rune. Slow Burn is usefully combined with Ball, causing the target to erupt with ball attacks on each successive turn.
Secondary rune: Shield. This puts up a temporary shield around the target. Using an elemental primary rune (e.g. Fire) creates a shield composed of this element; attacks of the opposing element are weakened. If used as the only secondary rune, the target is the caster, as with Self. Other combinations:
- Shield + Life: Protection from stat drain attacks and poison.
- Shield + Mind: Protection from mental attacks, confusion, and fear.
- Shield + Element: Protection from all four low elements.
- Shield + Chaos: Incoming attacks have their type randomly changed!
- Shield + Holding: Boosts your AC, but you can't move! (You can still attack and cast spells.)
- Shield + Protection: Reduces physical damage.
- Shield + Knowledge: Protection from forgetfulness.
- Shield + Undeath: Hold life (protection from level draining).
When used in combination with Ball, the shield has aura effects. The unusual ones are:
- Shield + Ball + Life: Heals monsters that attack you. Not so useful.
- Shield + Ball + Holding: Tries to paralyze attackers.
- Shield + Ball + Protection: Gives protection to attackers. Not so useful!
- Shield + Ball + Knowledge: Gives you full monster memory of attackers.
Secondary rune: Friend. This targets friendly creatures. Useful in combination with beneficial runes. Knowledge + Friend gives you full status details on your friends.
Derakon: Interesting ideas, but I'd recommend some changes:
- Slow Burn + area spells should probably just create damage fields, like high-level Noxious Clouds do now. It's the same basic effect, but it makes a bit more sense, in my opinion.
- Shield + Chaos: just provide resistance to chaos here. Randomly changing incoming attacks is interesting but not useful.
- Shield + Holding: how about resistance to opponent-initiated teleport spells (teleport-to, teleport-away)?
- Shield + Protection sounds a bit too useful, like the kind of thing you'd have on all the time. I'd say either you can only have one shield at a time, or this should just be a straight-up AC booster.
- Your Shield + Ball spells are all a bit weird, and don't really flow with the "shield" concept. Why not just make ball-shield spells have the same effect as self-shield spells, except on an area basis? You'd only use them if you have pets, sure, but there's nothing wrong with that.