Stacks of Potions/Scrolls

[Whelk]

Thank you so much for adding the possibility to find multiple potions and scrolls in a stack on the ground. This alone has made me enjoy playing Angband much more.

I always hated finding a single potion of (for instance) Cure Critical on the ground. I would just leave it there rather than grab it and worry about judging whether to use it in what may escalate into an emergency. Finding a stack of them, however, makes me think, "hey, nice, I can use these," and I'm willing to use them without worrying about "wasting" that single potion in my inventory.

Consumables should be found in a quantity that makes you willing to use them, rather than being so rare that you hold onto them forever because you have so few, and so never actually use them (because you don't want to waste them). I believe this common problem in games has finally been remedied for Angband. Kudos.

[TJS]

Yes I agree that the stacks make things far more interesting, but I think that the numbers in the stacks on good items are currently too small.

When I pick up a stack of 6-7 potions near the beginning of the game, I'm pretty certain they are going to be something useless like potions of confusion or sleep since the ones you want appear in much lower numbers.

I'd really like to see stacks of 8-12 of things like phase door and !CCW lying about more often.

[buzzkill]

Originally Posted by TJS

When I pick up a stack of 6-7 potions near the beginning of the game, I'm pretty certain they are going to be something useless like potions of confusion or sleep since the ones you want appear in much lower numbers.

These 'useless' potions make half-way decent missile weapons in the wee-early game. They have saved my butt more than once.

[Donald Jonker]

Originally Posted by buzzkill

These 'useless' potions make half-way decent missile weapons in the wee-early game. They have saved my butt more than once.

Would it be too nethackish/unbalancing/complicating to make those potions have a watered-down version of their effects on monsters when thrown?

[TJS]

Originally Posted by Donald Jonker

Would it be too nethackish/unbalancing/complicating to make those potions have a watered-down version of their effects on monsters when thrown?

Yes I'd like to see that as well, perhaps a chance to cause the status effect rather than a watered down version. You could perhaps balance it a bit, by having the effect of the potion happen to you if it is broken in your inventory.

Although I think that there should be a chance that all monsters (yes even including uniques) could be affected by confusion/sleep etc., since otherwise all the rods/wands/staffs/spells that do this are just junk beyond around level 10.

[takkaria]

Originally Posted by TJS

Yes I'd like to see that as well, perhaps a chance to cause the status effect rather than a watered down version. You could perhaps balance it a bit, by having the effect of the potion happen to you if it is broken in your inventory.

There's a big difference between drinking a potion and getting some on your skin...

[buzzkill]

Originally Posted by takkaria

There's a big difference between drinking a potion and getting some on your skin...

I've no real opinion on this (who would have thunk it) but one could theorize that the broken bottle could cut the skin, or a direct hit in the face could cause temporary blindness regardless of potion type. Either way, a very low percentage.

[PaulBlay]

Originally Posted by buzzkill

I've no real opinion on this (who would have thunk it) but one could theorize that the broken bottle could cut the skin, or a direct hit in the face could cause temporary blindness regardless of potion type. Either way, a very low percentage.

Hounds play 'catch' and end up swallowing it.

[Atarlost]

Whose to say these aren't primarily contact agents? Someone's mixing these potions and they must be doing so for a reason. Maybe the potion of poison is a cleaning agent, but I can't imagine much point to a potion of confusion or blindness besides confusing or blinding people. Making people drink them is difficult so they don't accomplish much unless they can work by skin contact.

That would mean the effects of ingesting them would probably be worse. Maybe poison+confusion and poison+blindness.

[TJS]

Originally Posted by Atarlost

Whose to say these aren't primarily contact agents? Someone's mixing these potions and they must be doing so for a reason. Maybe the potion of poison is a cleaning agent, but I can't imagine much point to a potion of confusion or blindness besides confusing or blinding people. Making people drink them is difficult so they don't accomplish much unless they can work by skin contact.

That's a really excellent point!

I was thinking about it from a gameplay points of view asking why would you keep these potions if they are no use, but as you've pointed out it works to rationalise them as well ie. why would anyone create these potions, if not for use in battle?

Plus I think the game would be a bit more fun if you can use these potions in some way. Otherwise what purspose do they serve? You drink them once to identify them and then ignore them for the rest of the game.