Hi all, this is my first post here so I thought I'd touch on the subject of my favourite class; the Mindcrafter.
*Disclaimer: I have not yet completed ADoM, but I have been playing NetHack since I was 6 (almost 20 years ago now) and ADoM on-and-off since late teens. So I know the game well enough, just not how to win it.
I've played most of the classes in this game, as all have something about them that intrigues me, however the Mindcrafter is by far the most interesting. A character with psionic power is always something I'm keen to roll with, regardless of how powerful they are in relation to others, as I tend to go for those "weird" classes in games. For example, if I want to shoot things I'd pick a Ranger instead of an Archer, and I never play a Wizard/Mage when there are more unusual casters available. And that's why I love this game, the diversity of classes and their playstyles compared to most RPGs.
Unfortunately though, when I first came across ADoM and tried my hand at a Mindcrafter, the gameplay didn't live up to the manual description. I was forced to whack stuff for 6 levels, then when I finally got a damaging spell I chose to try it out on a claw bug that had cornered me... no dice. I understand you can't be a psionic demi-god from the word go, but after reading more about the Mindcrafter's playstyle I was less interested to continue. The combat doesn't really focus on my amazing mind-powers, but more on melee/missiles with a bit of confusion thrown in.
This is an issue that comes from having a very limited spell pool. I'm a huge fan of the design preventing Mindcrafters from learning spells from books, but there should be more Mindcraft spells in their arsenal to counteract that disadvantage. Adding more to their telekinetic manipulation would be a good start, including effects like levitation and stasis, which would work against undead/brainless monsters. This would give the class the ability to play as a pure spellcaster if so desired, but still require you to play tactically using disables and control.
So my question, after much rambling, is: Will Mindcraft be expanded upon to allow for a pure caster playstyle?
My brief search of the forums didn't show anything on this, but if it has been raised I apologise. All feedback is appreciated.