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<title>Crossfire Playerbook - Chapter 5</title> |
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<body> |
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<h1>Skills System</h1> |
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<h2><a name="5.1.0">Description</h2> |
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Under the skills system the flow of play changes dramatically. Instead of |
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gaining experience for basically just killing monsters (and disarming traps) |
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players will now gain a variety of experience through the use of skills. |
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Some skills replicate old functions in the game (e.g. melee weapons skill, |
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missile weapon skill) while others add new functionality (e.g. stealing, |
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hiding, writing, etc). A complete list of the available skills can be found |
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in table <a href="#table_skill_stats">skill statistics</a>. Appendix <a |
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href="appB.html">B (skills)</a> contains descriptions for many of the |
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skills. <p> |
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<em>Note:</em> The skills system is enabled as the default option |
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as of version 0.92.0<p> |
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<em>Note2:</em> The new skills/experience system is compatible |
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with character files from at least version 0.91.1 onward. |
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<a name="table_skill_stats"> |
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<center> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5"> |
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<tr><th>Skill</th><th>Experience Category</th><th colspan=3>Associated Stats</th></tr> |
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<tr><th></th><th></th><th>Stat 1</th><th>Stat 2</th><th>Stat 3</th></tr> |
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<!--#include file="skill_stat.html"--> |
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</table> |
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Skills</center> |
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<p> |
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<h2><a name="5.2.0">About experience and skills</h2> |
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<h3><a name="5.2.1">Associated and miscellaneous skills</h3> |
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In <em>Crossfire</em> two types of skills exist; The first kind, ``associated'' |
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skills, are those skills which are <em>associated with a category of |
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experience</em>. The other kind of skill, ``miscellaneous'' skills, |
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are <em>not</em> related to any experience category. |
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<p> |
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The main difference between these two kinds of skills is in the |
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result of their use. |
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When associated skills are used <em>successfully</em> experience is |
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accrued in the experience category <em>associated with that skill</em>. |
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In contrast, the use of miscellaneous skills <em>never</em> gains |
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the player any experience regardless of the success in using it. |
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<p> |
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<em>Both</em> miscellaneous and associated skills can <em>fail</em>. This means |
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that the attempt to use the skill was unsuccessful. <em>Both</em> |
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miscellaneous and associated skills <em>can</em> have certain |
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primary stats <em>associated</em> with them. These associated stats can help |
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to determine if the use of a skill is successful and to what |
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<em>degree</em> it is successful. |
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<p> |
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All gained experience is modified by the associated |
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stats for that skill (table <a href="#table_skill_stats">skill statistics</a>) and then the |
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appropriate experience category automatically updated as needed. |
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<p> |
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<h3><a name="5.2.2">Restrictions on skills use and gaining experience</h3> |
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Neither a character's stats nor the character class restricts the |
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player from gaining experience in any of the experience |
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categories. Also, there are no inherent |
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restrictions on character skill use-any player may |
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use any <em>acquired</em> skill. |
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<p> |
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<center> |
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<table border=1 cellpadding=5><col align=center> |
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<a name="table_exp_stat_mod"> |
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<tr><th>Average of associated stats</th> |
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<th>Experience gained multiplier</th> |
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<th>Average of associated stats</th> |
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<th>Experience gained multiplier</th></tr> |
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<!--#include file="statskmod.html"--> |
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</table> |
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How stats associated with a skill modify gained experience<p> |
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</center> |
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<p> |
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<h3><a name="5.2.3">Algorithm for Experience Gain under the skills system</h3> |
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<p> |
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Here we take the view that a player must 'overcome an opponent' |
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in order to gain experience. Examples include foes killed in combat, |
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finding/disarming a trap, stealing from some being, identifying |
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an object, etc. |
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<p> |
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Gained experience is based primarily on the difference in levels |
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between 'opponents', experience point value of a ``vanquished foe'', |
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the values of the associated stats of the skill being used and |
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two factors that are set internally <em>Note:</em> If you want to |
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know more about this, check out the skills_developers.doc.) |
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<p> |
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Below the algorithm for experience gain is given where player ``pl'' |
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that has ``vanquished'' opponent ``op'' using skill ``sk'':<p> |
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<quote> |
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EXP GAIN = (EXP(op) + EXP(sk)) * lvl_mult * stat_mult<p> |
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</quote> |
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where EXP(sk) is a constant award based on the skill used, |
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EXP(op) is the base experience award for `op' which depends |
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on what op is (see below), |
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stat_mult is taken from table <a href="#table_exp_stat_mod">experience modification</a>, |
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and lvl_mult is: |
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<p> |
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For level(pl) < level(op):: <p> |
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<samp> |
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lvl_mult = FACTOR(sk) * (level(op) - level(pl))<p> |
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</samp> |
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For level(pl) = level(op):: <p> |
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<samp> |
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lvl_mult = FACTOR(sk)<p> |
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</samp> |
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For level(pl) > level(op):: <p> |
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<samp> |
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lvl_mult = (level(op)/level(pl)); <p> |
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</samp> |
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where level(op) is the level of `op', level(pl) is the level |
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of the player, and FACTOR(sk) is an internal factor based on |
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the skill used by pl. |
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<p> |
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There are three different cases for how EXP(op) can be computed: |
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<ol> |
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<li> <strong>op is a living creature</strong>: EXP(op) is just the base |
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experience award given in the <A href="../spoiler-html/spoiler.html">spoiler</a> . |
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<li><strong>op is a trap</strong>: EXP(op) = 1/(fraction of the time which the |
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trap is visible). Thus, traps which are highly <em>visible</em> get <em>lower</em> |
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values. |
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<li><strong>op is not a trap but is non-living</strong>: EXP(op) = internal |
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experience award of the item. Also, the lvl_mult is multiplied by |
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any <samp>magic</samp> enchantment on the item. |
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</ol> |
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<p> |
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<h2><a name="5.3.0">How skills are used</h2> |
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<centeR> |
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<a name="table_skill_cmd"> |
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<table cellpadding=5 border=1> |
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<tr><td><samp>skills</samp></td><td> This command lists all the player's |
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current known skills, their level |
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of use and the associated experience |
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category of each skill. </td></tr> |
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<tr><td> <samp>ready_skill <skill></samp></td><td> This command changes |
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the player's current readied skill to |
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<samp><skill></samp>. </td></tr> |
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<tr><Td> <samp>use_skill <skill> <string></samp></td><td> This |
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command changes the player's current |
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readied skill <em>and</em> then executes it |
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in the facing direction of the player. |
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Similar in action to the <samp>invoke</samp> |
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command. </td></tr> |
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</table> |
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Skills commands<p> |
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</center> |
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Three player commands are related to skills use: <samp>ready_skill</samp>, |
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<samp>use_skill</samp>, and <Samp>skills</samp> (see table <a |
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href="#table_skill_cmd">skill commands</a>). Generally, a player will use a |
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skill by first readying the right one, with the <samp>ready_skill</samp> |
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command and then making a ranged ``attack'' to activate the skill; using |
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most skills is just like firing a wand or a bow. In a few cases however, a |
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skill is be used just by having it <em>readied</em>. For example, the |
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<samp>mountaineer</samp> skill allows favorable movement though hilly |
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terrain while it is readied.<p> |
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To change to a new skill, a player can use either the <samp>use_skill</samp> |
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or <samp>ready_skill</samp> commands, but note that the use of several |
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common items can automatically change the player's current skill too. |
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Examples of this include readying a bow (which will cause the code to make |
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the player's current skill <samp>missile_weapons</samp>) or readying a melee |
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weapon (current skill auto-matically becomes <samp>melee weapons</samp>). |
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Also, some player actions can cause a change in the current skill. Running |
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into a monster while you have a readied weapon in your inventory causes the |
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code to automatically make our current skill <samp>melee weapons</samp>. As |
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another example of this-casting a spell will cause the code to switch the |
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current skill to <samp>wizardry</samp> or <samp>praying</samp> (as |
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appropriate to the spell type).<p> |
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It is not possible to use more than one skill at a time.<p> |
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<h2><a name="5.4.0">Acquiring skills</h2> |
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Skills may be gained in two ways. In the first, new skills may |
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<em>learned</em>. This is done by reading a ``skill scroll'' and the |
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process is very similar to learning a spell. Just as in attempts to learn |
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incantations, success in learning skills is dependent on a random test based |
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on the learner's INT. Using your INT stat, look in the learn% column in |
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table <a href="chap2.html#table_pri_eff">primary stat effects</a> to find |
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your % chance of learning a skill. Once you hit 100%, you will always be |
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successfull in learning new skills. <p> |
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The acquisition of a <em>skill tool</em> will also allow the player to use |
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a new skill. An example of a skill tool is ``lockpicks'' |
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<!--#include file="lockpicks.html"--> |
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(which allow the |
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player to pick door locks). The player merely applies the skill |
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tool in order to gain use of the new skill. If the tool is unapplied, |
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the player loses the use of the skill associated with the tool. |
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<p> |
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After a new skill is gained (either learned or if player has an applied |
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skill tool) it will appear on the player's skill roster (use the 'skills' |
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command to view its status). If the new skill is an associated skill, then |
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it will automatically be gained at the player's current level in the |
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appropriate experience category. For example, Stilco the Wraith, who is 5th |
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level in <samp>agility</samp>, buys a set of lockpicks and applies them. He |
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may now use the skill lockpicking at 5th level of ability since that is an |
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<samp>agility</samp> associated skill. |
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<p> |
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<a href="handbook.html"><img src="fig/book.gif">Back to table of contents</a><br> |
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<a href="chap4.html"><img src="fig/stairup.gif">Go to chapter 4</a><br> |
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<a href="chap6.html"><img src="fig/stairdown.gif">Go to chapter 6</a><br> |
