Traps (skill) - suggestion
issueid=6563 01-28-2020 01:21 AM
Senior Member
Number of reported issues by sylph: 26
Traps (skill) - suggestion
'Detect' + 'Disarm' traps -> 'Disarm' + 'Create' traps

RFE: change 'disarm traps' skill into 'trapping'

Since the resurrection change to the top trap type, I've enjoyed zapping wands of trap creation to make teleportation traps near staircases, and even enjoyed depleting spear traps when failing to get the desired traps, but it's left me feeling that this could be fleshed out so much more.
When I mentioned these ideas to my ADOM-playing friends, they were met with praise, so I felt I should put them together in a suggestion here.

Traps are an interesting part of adom, but one that I feel could be explored so much more fully within the confines of the current adom skill system.
It seems odd, to me, that the only characters able to create traps are spellcasters, when one would think this would fall squarely under the 'rogue' sphere, and into the mundane, rather than magical, skillset.

We already have 2 skills based on traps, one to detect, and one to disarm, which seems overkill on the defense, and missing an opportunity on the proactive nature of traps.
I suggested something like this a while ago, but I think it was before the resurrection campaign, and at a time that all but the simplest bugfix RFEs felt unlikely to be investigated, so I'm re-raising it here to see if there is any interest or chance for purchase.

In this RFE I'm suggesting the following 3 changes:

1: Disarming traps has the potential to reward the player with an item.
Depending on the trap type, something like the following could have a chance of dropping:
light - torch or tinderbox or flint and steel
corruption - potion of raw chaos
stone block - huge rock
alarm - whistle
arrow - heap of arrows
acid - burb root
pit - blanket
spear - spear
teleportation - (depleted) wand of teleportation
water trap - potion of water
fireball - box of flint and steel / tinderbox

2. Monster's chance to dodge traps, and damage taken from traps, is modified depending on the player's (detect) and (disarm) traps skills.

3. Applying the (formerly detect) traps skill allows the player to select a trap type, each of which requires something like the following items (I'm just suggesting stuff to give a gist of ideas):
light - torch+tinderbox+flint and steel
corruption - potion of raw chaos
stone block - huge rock
alarm - musical instrument
arrow - bow + heap of arrows
acid - heap of burb roots
pit - blanket (requires piackaxe)
spear - heap of spears
teleportation - wand of teleportation
water trap - potion of water
fireball - crystal of fire

The skill would obviously have a chance of failure, but implementing this would effectively give players a more tangible rewards for using the disarm traps skill, as well as effectively allowing the player a somewhat limited ability to move traps, or create their own.
Furthermore, it would allow for characters to have access to another method of overcoming their enemies, and while somewhat long-winded, I believe it would be an interesting way for characters to have a chance against out-of-depth opponents outside of 'spells or slaying or berserk?'. I feel this would be a really good angle for non-spellcasting, non-brute strength characters to attempt to skew fights in their favour, which is important in a game where, I feel, certain race/class combinations can sometimes be required to simply learn magic or 'go level'. I feel it would create a really interesting dynamic for characters that aren't treading the path of the muscle-bound hero or the high warlock, to still have a way of overcoming stronger opponents, and it could do so while keeping greatly within the flavour of the game.
Now, granted, perhaps only the light trap is likely to be worth casting in boss fights at the moment, and even that only in very niche cases, but with suggestion '2', above, this could also be an opportunity to make this type of combat more relevant.

Personally, just having the ability to obtain semi-useful items from traps would feel really rewarding for me, and having the ability to install traps of my own with relatively common items would feel characterful and fun. With a little rebalancing, I feel this rather unexplored character ability could be a way of making the rogue-type classes and characters massively more fun to play.


Obviously, the items themselves are just examples, and aren't really the thrust of this RFE. In fact I feel it would be especially fun if potions of poison could be implemented into a trap type (but the pit vipers traps didn't feel characterful enough). Rather, I'm trying to suggest the concept of having trap creation taken away from 'wands, innit?', and put into the non-magical rogue skilset.

What do you think? Would it be fun to make traps an extra angle of attack for characters that aren't choosing to hit, shoot, or spell their way through ADOM's challenges?
Issue Details
Issue Number 6563
Issue Type Feature
Project ADOM (Ancient Domains Of Mystery)
Category All
Status Suggested
Priority 8
Suggested Version ADOM 3.3.4
Implemented Version (none)
Milestone (none)
Votes for this feature 1
Votes against this feature 1
Assigned Users (none)
Tags (none)




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