Adom 1.2 Artifact suggestions for the Creator (now that dozens are needed)

[Dogbreath]

Yes, I know I'm late to the party.

Cat o' Nine Tails "Brine's Grasp" (-4, 9d3+9) {Ch-12}
Humanoid slayer.
Grants water breathing.
(Whip type weapon)

I really like this! A good, highly powerful artifact whip... would be a great duelist crowning gift. And is about on par with skullcrusher power wise... maybe add +3 or +5 DX? (again, mirroring skull crusher or the jet black axe)

Karmic Dragon Scale Mail "Wyrm's Behest" (-1, -4) [-1, +11]
Grants immunity to fire.
Grants immunity to shock.
Grants immunity to cold.
Grants immunity to acid.
Grants luck.

Meh.

Clothes of the Emperor (+2, +2) [+5, +5] {Ap+12}
Grants the ability to see invisible things.

Definitely! Artifact clothes are a plus... I've always wondered, though, if the "Shirt of the Saints" came with "Trousers of the Saints", or if the wearer thereof just has to resign him/herself to flashing everyone in sight.

Maybe RFE Trousers of the Saints?

[Grey]

Which equipment slot would trousers go in?

Boots of the Crazed Trapper
Fire resistance, low luck, alertness style trap avoidance
Each turn you move there'd be a 1 in 30 chance of it laying a trap on the previous square.

[Aielyn]

Fancy Clothes "Niugnep" (+10,+0) [+1,+1] {Ch+10}{Ap+10}

It grants resistance to cold attacks
It grants the ability to breathe water
It improves your searching abilities

(If you didn't get it, it's a "penguin suit", AKA a tuxedo. Cold resistance and breathe water refer to actual penguins, search abilities and to-hit boost references spies like 007)

Ring of Truth [+4,+4] {Le+10}

It grants the ability to see invisible things
It grants resistance to confusion attacks

It is also permanently blessed (like permanently cursed items, but in reverse - will glow in a bright light on equipping if not already blessed).

Wand of Escape

This wand acts a lot like a wand of digging, but will create a door in the first square. Starts with five charges. Final charge cannot be wrenched, but can be recharged like normal wands.

Bracers of peace (-8,-4) [+16, +8] {Ch+5}

It grants resistance to fire.
It grants resistance to cold.
It grants resistance to acid.
It grants resistance to shock attacks.

Reduces corruption from all sources by 25%.

Lucide's Elements

Spellbook, teaches a random elemental bolt or ball spell. Reduces cost of casting all elemental spells by 25% if equipped in tool slot. Would be a guaranteed artifact hidden in some difficult-to-reach location with the elements present.

And then there's a couple from a set of starsign-based items (note: working from ancardia wiki info on starsigns, don't know if it accounts for recent changes)...

Raven's Belt (+2,+2) [+10,+10] {Pe+2} (+10 speed)

This belt is based on the Raven starsign. Perception and Speed boosts are doubled for PCs born under Raven (that is, the belt adds Pe+4 and +20 speed for Raven-born PCs)

Helm of the Unicorn (+2,+6) [+2,+6] {Ap+2}

This helmet is based on the Unicorn starsign. Appearance boost is doubled for PCs born under Unicorn. Also reduces corruption from chaos effects the same as the Unicorn starsign, effect increased further for PCs born under Unicorn.

[Phoobnahr]

Fancy Clothes "Niugnep" (+10,+0) [+1,+1] {Ch+10}{Ap+10}

Ring of Truth [+4,+4] {Le+10}

Wand of Escape

Bracers of peace (-8,-4) [+16, +8] {Ch+5}

Lucide's Elements

Raven's Belt (+2,+2) [+10,+10] {Pe+2} (+10 speed)

Helm of the Unicorn (+2,+6) [+2,+6] {Ap+2}

I really like all of these...

Lucide's Elements is my favorite... the inclusion of ball spells might make it just too good though... Perhaps balance it by making it contain the essence of chaos and corruption, or possibly add some amount of corruption when read.

Raven's Belt and Helm of the Unicorn are both great ideas. Again the Raven's belt might just be too damn good, especially with the boosts being doubled for raven born PCs, +10 DV and PV is also a lot, way more than any other Girdle other than True Strength...
Perhaps all its benefits could be kept, with the drawback that it is auto-locking. I'm not aware of any method that could possibly remove an auto-locked artifact armor, so that would mean that if you find the Raven's Belt and decide to use it, you'll be using it for the rest of the game, even if you find that Girdle of Giant Strength you've always wanted...

As I said I think the Helm of the Unicorn is also great, think the starsigns idea is a really sound one, and would like to see an artifact for every starsign (expect to start seeing posts to that effect from me very soon).

[plllizzz9]

from another thread:

rune-covered broadsword 'Hrunting' (+0, 2d4+5)

This weapon always hits
This weapon bypasses armor

Basically an unerring artifact blade with damage not much better than a normal blade, but with high utility against huge DV/PV enemies [quicklings, molochs, doppler kings]

[rho]

from another thread:

rune-covered broadsword 'Hrunting' (+0, 2d4+5)

This weapon always hits
This weapon bypasses armor

Basically an unerring artifact blade with damage not much better than a normal blade, but with high utility against huge DV/PV enemies [quicklings, molochs, doppler kings]

So it's a phase dagger, except it does 4 times as much damage, never misses, and can't be corroded, rusted, or destroyed? That sounds extremely powerful.

[Phoobnahr]

Book of the Book
Reading allows one free skill increase every level (multiple readings has no increased effect)(two extra increases per level for those born in the month of the book?)
Equipping in weapon slot increases effectiveness of all spells by one level (alternately equipping in tool slot could improve all skill rolls)

Wand of the Wand
a Number of ideas for this...
Perhaps it could function like a wand of wonder, but with infinite charges, but requires PP to cast (increased spell cost for non-neutrals)
Alternately it could cast a random non-offensive spell without the ability to wrench the final charge, but it can be recharged.
equipped in the tool slot it would give +2ch +2ma and +10%PP (+4ch +4ma +20%pp)

sandals of the salamander [+3, +3] +1ch +3ma +20%PP Fire magic is 20% cheaper in PP (all doubled for salamander sign)
Toying with whether to keep the decreased cost for fire magic, as these already look like the best artifact boots in the game even without that trait...

Shield of the Dragon [+10, +10] =fire
10% increased effects from Tactics settings, -3 wi, +2 st, +1 to, costs to increase weapon skills are reduced by 10%, combat magic is 10% cheaper in power points (all doubled for dragon sign)
Wondering about immunities for this... while Dragons traditionally breathe fire, ADOM's dragons come in all varieties, but giving all immunities may be unbalancing... discussion required...

Sword of the Sword (just kidding [or am I?]) (rune covered sabre)
Positive modifiers from Tactics settings are increased by 10%, costs to increase melee weapon skills are reduced by 20%, +1 le (doubled for sword sign)
(+2,5d6+6) [-4,+1] (-4,5d3+2) {St +3} (+3 spd) +Curs -Conf -Elec -Slee -Stun !Demo !Huma
Above are the stats for executor, which is the standard by which all artifact weapons ought to be measured. My instinct says bump them all down a little bit... maybe whatever the damage dice would be for an eternium sabre, or iron sabre with good suffix... definitely remove the +3st and +3spd as these are not traits from the sword sign, lose all the intrinsics and make it human and dragon slaying

Cloak of the Falcon [+4,+4]
+2wi, +1ch (doubled for Falcon sign) when (U)sed in the wilderness it produces food (as per the survival skill)

cup of the cup (these names are getting tiresome...)
Equipped in tool slot gives gives 10% increase to experience points, receives one free skill advance every two levels, learns spells more effectively (20% better than others), +2 le
Added benefit that any potions drank while the cup of the cup is equipped in the tool slot are given a slight boost (+10% or so to effect or duration)
(all benefits doubled for cup sign)

everburning candle
like an everburning torch but with artifact status, heals faster as per candle sign (doubled for candle sign)
(this may already be too good, as the candle sign is way too good already)

Bracers of the Wolf [+5,+5]
+3 pe, +3 wi, food is 10% more nutritious (all effects doubled for wolf sign)

Staff of the Tree (+5, 5d2+2) [+9, +0] =stun =conf
+5wi (doubled for tree sign)

[Phoobnahr]

So it's a phase dagger, except it does 4 times as much damage, never misses, and can't be corroded, rusted, or destroyed? That sounds extremely powerful.

Maybe take away the fact that it never misses, as that seems the only totally unbalancing part

[Aielyn]

Lucide's Elements is my favorite... the inclusion of ball spells might make it just too good though... Perhaps balance it by making it contain the essence of chaos and corruption, or possibly add some amount of corruption when read.

Raven's Belt and Helm of the Unicorn are both great ideas. Again the Raven's belt might just be too damn good, especially with the boosts being doubled for raven born PCs, +10 DV and PV is also a lot, way more than any other Girdle other than True Strength...
Perhaps all its benefits could be kept, with the drawback that it is auto-locking. I'm not aware of any method that could possibly remove an auto-locked artifact armor, so that would mean that if you find the Raven's Belt and decide to use it, you'll be using it for the rest of the game, even if you find that Girdle of Giant Strength you've always wanted...

I didn't want to give Lucide's Elements corruption effects, because that would make it too much like the Black Tome. That's why I suggested that it be a guaranteed artifact in some hard-to-reach location, rather than being a random artifact. As a random artifact, it would be just too good for characters that get it early (by pre-crowning, for instance), but if you couldn't get it until late in the game, and it was difficult to obtain, then that would be the counterbalance.

I actually had an idea for an autolocking girdle, but I suggested it for ADOM II - it came with an artifact key that could unlock the girdle, but had to be found separately... it was based on a Chastity Belt. As for Raven's Belt's PV/DV boost, I based the number on the values for the other artifact girdles - True Strength gives [+18,+9] and Celestrix gives [+13,+13]. I figured that this girdle should be comparable to other artifact girdles in stats, but a little less powerful. Note that it also doesn't give any sort of resistances, luck, or abilities, it just modifies speed and Perception. And True Strength is better than it in most ways, even for Ravenborns - and that's before you factor in that True Strength grants Lucky and Fate Smiles AND increases luck beyond that.

EDIT: Also, my inspiration for coming up with Raven's Belt, which then led to the idea of one artifact for each starsign, was that I thought of Orion's Belt.

[Aielyn]

Book of the Book
Reading allows one free skill increase every level (multiple readings has no increased effect)(two extra increases per level for those born in the month of the book?)
Equipping in weapon slot increases effectiveness of all spells by one level (alternately equipping in tool slot could improve all skill rolls)

Wand of the Wand
a Number of ideas for this...
Perhaps it could function like a wand of wonder, but with infinite charges, but requires PP to cast (increased spell cost for non-neutrals)
Alternately it could cast a random non-offensive spell without the ability to wrench the final charge, but it can be recharged.
equipped in the tool slot it would give +2ch +2ma and +10%PP (+4ch +4ma +20%pp)

Sword of the Sword (just kidding [or am I?]) (rune covered sabre)
Positive modifiers from Tactics settings are increased by 10%, costs to increase melee weapon skills are reduced by 20%, +1 le (doubled for sword sign)
(+2,5d6+6) [-4,+1] (-4,5d3+2) {St +3} (+3 spd) +Curs -Conf -Elec -Slee -Stun !Demo !Huma
Above are the stats for executor, which is the standard by which all artifact weapons ought to be measured. My instinct says bump them all down a little bit... maybe whatever the damage dice would be for an eternium sabre, or iron sabre with good suffix... definitely remove the +3st and +3spd as these are not traits from the sword sign, lose all the intrinsics and make it human and dragon slaying

cup of the cup (these names are getting tiresome...)
Equipped in tool slot gives gives 10% increase to experience points, receives one free skill advance every two levels, learns spells more effectively (20% better than others), +2 le
Added benefit that any potions drank while the cup of the cup is equipped in the tool slot are given a slight boost (+10% or so to effect or duration)
(all benefits doubled for cup sign)

Having these redundant names feels like the items lack character. Better to go with names that are a little more... Star-based, to bypass the issue. I'd recommend...

Book of the Stars
Stellar Wand
Celestial Sword
Cup of the Gods (or Sky, perhaps)

Beyond that, I think you might have gone overboard with mimicking the starsigns themselves. These items shouldn't have features that require extensive extra coding, and they shouldn't give you things like extra skill increases, etc. I know that this makes ones like Book of the Stars harder to come up with a suitable item for, based on the starsign itself. Better to use the starsign as inspiration, in cases like that, rather than trying to be too literal.

Book, for instance, gives lawful tendencies, which affect the PC when lawful already by reducing alignment drops while lawful. Take inspiration from this, and make it an artifact that works best when lawful. Equipping it might also draw the PC's alignment towards Lawful. The skill increases are harder to incorporate. One option might be to make it an artifact that can be destroyed from reading - each reading of the book will grant one skill increase, but there's a 10% chance that the book will turn to stardust after reading.

Similarly, for the Sword, having it mess with Tactics themselves is going overboard. I'd let the sword simply have the "of defense" suffix effect. Then I'd maybe make it grant double the sword weapon skill points when used, and have it boost Learning by 1 (2 for Swordborns).

They shouldn't be the most powerful artifacts available, or even close. You'll notice that I didn't try to include Raven's effect on companions, or the deceptions/messengers effects.