*Asterisk* - what does it mean?

[Stan Belik]

So what are effects with *asterisk*? Coulnd't find anything about it.
E.g. what's the difference between a Staff of Destruction & a Staff of *Destruction*? Or a weapon of Slay Giant & *Slay Giant*?

[Derakon]

Asterisks are for emphasis. *Slay Giant* is basically ordinary Slay Giant plus extra stuff. Some of the slays (dragon, undead, and IIRC demon) have stronger versions which are used for the *Slay* versions, so they do more damage against the appropriate type; all *Slay* weapons also get extra bonuses (typically a single stat bonus and an extra ability like free action or see invisible).

*Destruction* is just what Destruction used to be called; there was no "weaker" version of destruction (unless you possibly count Earthquake, but it's really a different effect).

[Djabanete]

My favorite part of talking about Angband with my friends is trying to say the word *Identify* without using hand gestures.

"Oooh, a randart!"

"Cool! Did you ... I-DEN-tify it?"

"No, I don't have any scrolls of ... I-DEN-tify, only Identify."

[Stan Belik]

Yeah, BTW, how does *Identify* differ from regular Identify?

[Derakon]

It tells you the full properties of the item, instead of just what goes on the item's line in your inventory. So for example, if the item gives you resistance to the basic 4 elements, Identify won't tell you that, but *Identify* will.

*Identify* is gone in the newer versions of Vanilla (as of 3.3, I think, though it might have been in 3.2 as well), as part of the battle to reduce the tedium of the identification metagame. All Identify scrolls now do *Identify* for you.

[PowerWyrm]

Originally Posted by Derakon

It tells you the full properties of the item, instead of just what goes on the item's line in your inventory. So for example, if the item gives you resistance to the basic 4 elements, Identify won't tell you that, but *Identify* will.

*Identify* is gone in the newer versions of Vanilla (as of 3.3, I think, though it might have been in 3.2 as well), as part of the battle to reduce the tedium of the identification metagame. All Identify scrolls now do *Identify* for you.

In my variant, I've kept *identify*, but now the scroll identifies all items worn and carried. This makes identifying stuff even less tedious in the late game.

[Starhawk]

Originally Posted by PowerWyrm

In my variant, I've kept *identify*, but now the scroll identifies all items worn and carried. This makes identifying stuff even less tedious in the late game.

I would clap with joy to see something like this in Vanilla. Oh, the mass-identification tedium at high levels, how I hate thee...

[Derakon]

Originally Posted by Starhawk

I would clap with joy to see something like this in Vanilla. Oh, the mass-identification tedium at high levels, how I hate thee...

The affix system in v4 was originally intended specifically to address this, by making individual attributes of items learnable much like flavors are (so you could e.g. recognize if any item has See Invisible once you've figured out that one specific item has that ability). Of course it also ended up revamping how magical items are generated, and it still has a ways to go before it works the way we want it to, but it's on the radar.

[d_m]

Originally Posted by PowerWyrm

In my variant, I've kept *identify*, but now the scroll identifies all items worn and carried. This makes identifying stuff even less tedious in the late game.

I have always loved this idea, and am really tempted to steal it!

[Derakon]

Some variants have staffs that do mass identification of everything in a radius around the player (plus inventory and equipment), which would seem preferable to me if only because it means you don't have to drop all your inventory items just to pick up a bunch of un-ID'd stuff.