#3955
·
vanilla
Make scrolls and spellbooks in particular partially identifiable outside of a shop without having to formally identify them or guess based on frequency (which are currently the ‘‘only’’ ways to identify them outside of a shop). Ideas:
- Higher level spellbooks could be heavier. D&D does this. However, unless the game shows the weights of items to the player, it will be tedious for the player to figure out the exact weight of a book by picking up and dropping items of known weights.
- Make spellbook appearances more complex based on level. A simple color indicates a 1-2 level book, an unusual color or appearance indicates a 3-4 level book, a very odd or ridiculous appearance or material indicates a 5-6 level book, and a completely over-the-top appearance indicates a level 7+ book. (Example: “red”, “steel”, “bone”, “jewel-encrusted”). Shuffling of the random appearances would need to be changed so that the books retain an appearance in their original bracket.
- Make scroll label length (or, more complicated, its number of syllables) roughly correlate to its cost. The correlation could be fuzzed a bit, so MAPIRO MAHAMA DIROMAT is probably a 300 zorkmid scroll, but is certainly no less than 200, and NR 9 is probably something really cheap, but might be 100 zorkmid.
- When you read a spellbook, you are given a menu with three options:
- Give the book a cursory glance-over. This can fail with low Int/XL but is fairly unlikely and has very minor failure effects. If successful, it identifies the spell level of the book. Takes 1/10 the usual spell study time.
- Briefly study the book but don’t try to learn its spell. This can fail with mediocre Int/XL but will be reliable at high ones. Moderate failure effects. If successful, it identifies the spell contained in the book. Takes 1/3 the regular spell study time.
- Study the book normally with normal failure effects and normal spell study time. Learns the spell if successful.