Re: Hit Points

[Brian Thomas <thomas@chaupher.gsfc.nasa.gov>]

> Stephen John Harley writes:
> 
> After playing the latest version I was surprised that I could increase my 
> hit points by using skills like search. The classical definition of HP's

	I am responsible for this code change. The points that you bring 
	up are important ones, namely 1) gaining hit points based on non-
 	combat skills seems silly and 2) if we only hand out hitpoints for 
	fighter skills, the other classes (mages, priests, thieves,..) will
	not be very well balanced for play.

	So, basically I decided to take the "unrealistic" route of making the
	game playable. Are there other solutions? Should we change? 

	I would like to point out that one gains little xp from the use of 
 	the "non-risk" skills (which are "find traps", the identifying
	skills like "smithery", and movement skills like "mountaineer). 
	Skills like "picklocks" and "stealing" do have very real risk. In
	the case of the former, you automatically set off traps in the door
	(and I grant that this is not a huge "risk", but you dont gain much
	xp from using this skill either!). In the case of stealing, many times
	you have to stand, without attacking, next to some hostile creature to 
	steal stuff. I have died more than once from deciding to "steal just one 
	more thing" from a creature. But then again, a player at higher levels
	can engineer the situation to where they can steal from a creature with
	out fear of death. One case is where the player gets the "fire immunity"
	spell and steals from the red dragons. Perhaps the xp reward should be decreased
	in the case of stealing from hostile creatures (Or, immunity spells 
	should be made much harder to obtain since they unbalance the game..)

	Still, other scenarios for gaining hp from xp should be considered.
	I havent been able to construct one which is simple and sensible.
	Ideas anyone?

						b.t.