YASD question about breath

[sffp]

So my 32nd halfelf bg is warging on 2000 feet still looking for stat potions.

It encounters a death knight in a corridor and moves to engage quickly because it doesn't resist nether. Just before reaching it, the death knight summons [I didn't know they could do that] So now there's a black ant between you and the death knight

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@apP??
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You slay the black ant. The death knight moves forward and you rip into him.
> You bite the death knight.
> You tear the death knight.
> You bite the death knight.
> The drolem breathes poison.
> You die.
> The frost giant dies.
> The death knight dies.

With no poison resistance, 300+HP turn into -255

I should clearly have paid more attention to the creatures beyond the frost giant

So my question is when the drolem breathes - is it breathing over the giant and knight - Am I taking a direct hit? Shouldn't the breath have hit the frost giant first - and then hit the death knight and then wouldn't I be taking some kind of lessened damage? What are the mechanisms for calculating that?

[backwardsEric]

Originally Posted by sffp

So my question is when the drolem breathes - is it breathing over the giant and knight - Am I taking a direct hit? Shouldn't the breath have hit the frost giant first - and then hit the death knight and then wouldn't I be taking some kind of lessened damage? What are the mechanisms for calculating that?

The damage from the breath remains fixed out to a certain distance and then decreases after that but is not affected by the presence of other creatures in the way. The distance at which the damage starts decreasing is:

/* Narrower cone means energy drops off less quickly. We now have:
 * - 30 degree regular breath  | full strength at 7 grids
 * - 30 degree powerful breath | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree regular breath  | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree powerful breath | full strength at 17 grids
 * where grids are measured from the breather. */

For a drolem, it's a 30 degree wide regular breath so the character will have to be more than 7 grids away to see a reduction in damage due to distance. The reduction factor with the distance in units of grids is max(1, (full_strength_distance + 1) / (distance_breather_to_character + 1))

[Pete Mack]

That really is a bummer of a way to die, BTW.

[kineahora]

Originally Posted by backwardsEric

The damage from the breath remains fixed out to a certain distance and then decreases after that but is not affected by the presence of other creatures in the way. The distance at which the damage starts decreasing is:

/* Narrower cone means energy drops off less quickly. We now have:
 * - 30 degree regular breath  | full strength at 7 grids
 * - 30 degree powerful breath | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree regular breath  | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree powerful breath | full strength at 17 grids
 * where grids are measured from the breather. */

For a drolem, it's a 30 degree wide regular breath so the character will have to be more than 7 grids away to see a reduction in damage due to distance. The reduction factor with the distance in units of grids is max(1, (full_strength_distance + 1) / (distance_breather_to_character + 1))

I think with poison that makes sense not to have reduction from targets in between. The fumes go all over.

But I think I dont love this mechanic for say acid, fire,cold, lightning--those shouild be obstructed by beasts in between. but I imagine a coding complexity that's probably not worth it...

Drolems are a classic "It breathes, you die" situation :-)

[Sphara]

Another horrible drolem death.

I assume the drolem was summoned so my question is: can a death knight (or any summoner with S_MONSTERS flag) really summon a monster 14 levels out of depth?

[sffp]

Originally Posted by Pete Mack

That really is a bummer of a way to die, BTW.

Oh yes. Yes it was.

[sffp]

Originally Posted by backwardsEric

The damage from the breath remains fixed out to a certain distance and then decreases after that but is not affected by the presence of other creatures in the way. The distance at which the damage starts decreasing is:

/* Narrower cone means energy drops off less quickly. We now have:
 * - 30 degree regular breath  | full strength at 7 grids
 * - 30 degree powerful breath | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree regular breath  | full strength at 11 grids
 * - 20 degree powerful breath | full strength at 17 grids
 * where grids are measured from the breather. */

For a drolem, it's a 30 degree wide regular breath so the character will have to be more than 7 grids away to see a reduction in damage due to distance. The reduction factor with the distance in units of grids is max(1, (full_strength_distance + 1) / (distance_breather_to_character + 1))

Thanks Cire - exactly what I wanted to know.

Although I am surprised a drolem isn't considered powerful
It's one of those stay-away monsters that I avoid until I'm ultrapowerful.

[Grotug]

Originally Posted by Sphara

Another horrible drolem death.

I assume the drolem was summoned so my question is: can a death knight (or any summoner with S_MONSTERS flag) really summon a monster 14 levels out of depth?

I don't think so. Seems the death knight summoned an ant. I doubt it very much that the death knight summoned the drolem. More likely the drolem woke up and started moving toward the @ and then decided to breathe. It's easy to not be aware of the presence of drolems.

[Sphara]

Originally Posted by Grotug

I don't think so. Seems the death knight summoned an ant. I doubt it very much that the death knight summoned the drolem. More likely the drolem woke up and started moving toward the @ and then decided to breathe. It's easy to not be aware of the presence of drolems.

Yeah, Grotug. I was thinking exactly this. I was worried because the dump does reveal drolem being in sight. Either it was always there and player just didn't notice it, or it double moved into sight and immediately breathed.
I wanna believe its not summoned because if a death knight can summon monsters 14lvl ood, I have to take a different approach on them (current approach is already very careful).

[kineahora]

Originally Posted by Sphara

Yeah, Grotug. I was thinking exactly this. I was worried because the dump does reveal drolem being in sight. Either it was always there and player just didn't notice it, or it double moved into sight and immediately breathed.
I wanna believe its not summoned because if a death knight can summon monsters 14lvl ood, I have to take a different approach on them (current approach is already very careful).

Yeah Death knights are one of the nastier mid-level monsters to me. They used to kill me all the time because I had them pegged similar to Black knights. After I died a few times I knew the difference :-)

They are on the list:
7-headed Hydra
Death knight
Sorcerers
Mystics of any stripe
GRAVITY HOUNDS
Dracholiches
Drolems