New monster: Israfel

[curiousdannii]

A new monster that can split in two, and then rejoin again. Inspiration comes from Israfel from Neon Genesis Evangelion, but the name and image should be changed!

[VictorGijsbers]

Any ideas about the effects of this splitting/rejoining?

[curiousdannii]

After being hit at least once (there's no point splitting if the player can't overcome the monster's defence!) it would split into two monsters. They would divide the health of the original between them, but all other stats would be kept the same (possibly they could split the health in half and gain 1 or 2 more each?). Once they get too weak, say when the combined health is less than 25% of the original, they would join together again. Splitting and joining would take a turn, but either can initiate it.

I am thinking of this being a level 4 monster, with an unlock level of maybe 6-8?

I haven't had any ideas for a power to be gained from it yet.

[VictorGijsbers]

I've been reading some stuff about alchemy lately (to be precise, C. G. Jung's "Psychology and Alchemy"), which is all about things splitting apart and coming together. I'll see if I can come up with a good alchemical flavour for this monster, which in turn might suggest special powers. (The split monsters absolutely need to have special powers.)

[curiousdannii]

Sounds good!

Are you thinking the split monsters should have their own unique powers? I guess that'd be fair... if Bodmall sets the standard then level 4 monsters have room for a lot of complexity!

[ektemple]

I'm not familiar with Israfel or Neon Genesis Evangelion; I didn't get the reference to the overmeisters from Starcraft either, so I guess I must be pretty lame! Anyway, I hope I'm not missing something that is left implicit above.

It sounds like Victor is suggesting that the different splits ought to have different powers. I like that, due to the potential for tactical/ambiguous choices that it presents for the player. Here are some random ideas, not necessarily compatible with one another:

1) When the two splits rejoin, the unified being's hit points are calculated not by adding the two splits; rather, we double the higher of the two split's hit points to calculate the total. Thus there is a limited healing facility, providing a tactical reason for the splits to rejoin. If the splits reach a place where one has 7 hp and the other has 3, the re-unified being would have 14 hp. If it splits again, the two splits would each have 7.

2) One split might meditate while the other fights the player, actively healing itself. Combined with #1, this would allow for even greater healing. Ex: Israfel has 20 hp, loses 10, and splits, with each split receiving 5 hp. Split A attacks the player, while Split B meditates, raising its hp to 10. They then reunify, with Israfel now fully healed to 20hp. (If we don't combine with #1, this would still mean that the unified Israfel has 15hp, and a new disjunction would produce two splits with 8 hp each; effectively each has healed for 3 hp.) The problem with any of these healing options is that we probably don't want to grant the player the same capacity to heal herself, but if the other powers are interesting enough, that won't matter.

3) One split might meditate while the other fights the player, but rather than heal itself, it pools its concentration with the active split. So, Israfel splits. Turn 1: Split A and Split B both concentrate. Turn 2: Split A attacks at concentration level 2, while Split B concentrates again. Turn 3: Split A attacks again, at concentration level 1.

4) Each split has a unique power. The player can absorb the special power of only the last split that he kills (if he kills two apparently "simultaneously" via a frag grenade, death scroll, etc. the power he receives will come from the death that the game processes last). So he has to decide which power he wants and adjust his tactics toward getting it. Getting the most powerful ability available thus means leaving the most powerful enemy alive the longest.

5) Each split has a unique power. Israfel splits only when struck, and in addition any of its splits will itself split if it is hit for between 5 and 99% of its hit points. The best strategy for killing a split is thus to try to kill it in a single blow. But you might want to hit for less if you want to try to get a certain power from the new split. (It would be really hard to have distinct powers for all possible splits, but they could repeat if the player managed to create more splits than we invented powers.)

[rvdpluijm]

Great idea Dannii!

Regarding Eric's comments: I like the idea of splitting and healing. It makes the player having to choose between fast-killing one of the splits or killing both, thus avoiding too much healing power to Israfel.

On the powers: I actually imagined (part of) these powers more as an aftereffect of the split. I could imagine a random 'mirror-effect' (one cannot keep the spirits apart, thus cannot decide which to attack), a confusing effect (the mere sight of it confuses the target). These powers could also be rewarded to the player, should one opt for giving split as a power.

The possible infinite regress could also be managed by stating a minimum health to begin with before allowing to split or to confer splitting on a percentage basis (i.e. the chance to confer split is 100 - [number of split actions] * 5%).

[curiousdannii]

@VictorGijsbers, have an alchemy ideas yet?

More inspiration might be found in the traditional Islamic angel. From Wikipedia:

Israfil or Israfel (Arabic: إسرافيل‎, Isrāfīl) (The Burning One), is the angel of the trumpet in Islam, though unnamed in the Qur'an. Along with Mikhail, Jibrail and Izra'il, he is one of the four Islamic archangels. Israfil will blow the trumpet from a holy rock in Jerusalem to announce the Day of Resurrection. The trumpet is constantly poised at his lips, ready to be blown when God so orders. In Judeo-Christian biblical literature, Raphael is the counterpart of Isrāfīl.[3] Isrāfīl is usually conceived as having a huge, hairy body that is covered with mouths and tongues and that reaches from the seventh heaven to the throne of God. One wing protects his body, another shields him from God, while the other two extend east and west. He is overcome by sorrow and tears three times every day and every night at the sight of Hell. It is said that Isrāfīl tutored Muhammad for three years in the duties of a prophet before he could receive the Qurʾān.

[curiousdannii]

An idea: Israfel could be a being of light. When combined it would shine with a bright white light, when separated the two beings would be of complementary colours, perhaps red and cyan.

I still don't have ideas for powers...

[rvdpluijm]

Would you like to mimic the angels power in NG:E? Then, the twin angels could only be killed by attacking simultaneously. The Islamic version ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israfil#section_1) is a trumpet Angel. Perhaps a power akin to Zin in DCSS, i.e. giving him the ability to cite prayer, letting him become an angel of a certain god (Sul?). His prayer would then damage opposite alignments (undead) double, otherwise stun the opponent. Another option is the use of the trumpet, which gives a cooldown to a power of the opponent of say 1 round per level (sort of mute).

One theme, if we want to stick to the Israfel part (although I now read that you wanted to part with the strict following), we could use Israfel's special tears. According to the Islamic version of Israfel, he "cries tears while staring in the depths of hell". Perhaps that theme could be interesting.

As of powers: what if splitting up has a small "Hall of Mirrors" effect? If the opponent's mind is too low, he will see an extra illusory double (or triple) after the split. Attacking will mean a 1/3 chance of missing entirely.

Adding to the being of light: Splitting and combining sends out a flash of light, effectively dazzling the target (a small stun effect).

Last idea: what if splits have the opportunity to attack simultaneously and attacking simultaneously gives them synergy bonusses (either to attack or damage). Again with the being of light theme: they could emit a strong surge of light / heat, which potentially can burn the opponent (doing 1d4 + 2 damage separate and 2d4 + 4 when combined, but the latter attack burns the opponent, doing an extra 1d4 from being burned the next turn). I'm not certain whether this can be implemented and whether this is desirable...

[VictorGijsbers]

The new religion stuff should probably be my priority for Kerkerkruip 9. As part of that, I'd like to see demons and angels play a more thematic role, so I'm thinking about having at least three new enemies:

• The angel(s) Israfel, level 4.
• The angel of compassion, a level 2 being that becomes weaker with every kill in the dungeon (but also gives a weaker power when weaker). It would be the reverse of the demon of rage. The angel of compassion starts out much stronger than a normal level 2 creature.
• A level 3 demon.

Also, I'm thinking about more actively placing undead, perhaps as guardians of treasures.

[VictorGijsbers]

I have started implementing Israfel. It can split into the male angel Isra and the female angel Fell. Israfel can heal, but is bad at combat: so it splits to start attacking, then recombines to heal up if things go badly. When split, Isra is defensively oriented, while Fell is offensive. Fell benefits from Isra's tension, so their basic tactic is to have Isra concentrate as much as possible, while Fell slays their enemies.

[VictorGijsbers]

Done! Took me a couple of hours, but now Israfel is ready for testing.

[curiousdannii]

Great! The concentration sharing idea is good.

A few things: Israfel/Isra/Fell need to be a group so that the statistics will work, and so that the power is rewarded correctly.

I had really liked the idea of the power you get being dependent on who you kill last. Perhaps if you kill Israfel then you could get the trance ability. Now I know we don't like autohealing, but maybe there can be a way to balance it. Or perhaps the fact that you get that rather than an offensive level 4 power is balanced enough. What do you think?

I don't like the that they automatically recombine when sufficiently damaged - that should take a turn I think. It should be something they can do while reacting.

I was thinking I don't know if I should show this game to kids anymore with the insane rules of the two, but then that is rather unlikely. I've never actually managed to make anyone insane.

[rvdpluijm]

What about,, instead of auto healing, once per combat, if the player would get killed, instead he revives with 1/4th of his health?

[VictorGijsbers]

Dannii, I'm currently transporting Israfel back when his two parts are killed, and then killing him. That should account for statistics and powers, right? While groups wouldn't: they check whether all members are killed, and Israfel wouldn't be killed but only off-stage.

Unless I hear great arguments in favour of them, I do oppose any healing abilities. Not because they would be unbalanced, but because they turn optimal play into boring play. If you have a healing trance ability, then the best strategy becomes (assuming as exampe that only Malygris and the ape are still alive): fight with Malygris until you are hit; retreat; go to the blood ape; use your trance until back at full health; return to Malygris; repeat ad infinitum. (If the trance were so weak that a fully upgraded player coudln't use it to heal up in the presence of a level 1 creature, it would be entirely useless.)

Recombination taking a turn is fine. It probably shouldn't happen as a reaction, though; even though one could redirect the attack to Israfel, this might not be desirable because of Israfel's burning defence. (A player with 1 health might attempt an attack at Fell, and it would be unpalatable if this turned into an attack at Israfel, which would kill the player if it hit.)

I've never thought of Kerkerkruip as a game for kids, and there is some other violent or sexually charged prose as well. If you think the current insane prose of Isra and Fell is too explicit, though, I can turn it into something a bit more subtle.

As for different powers depending on who you kill last ... hm. On the one hand, I can see the attraction. On the other hand, I really like that Isra and Fell can be resurrected as long as the other lives by returning to Israfel form and then splitting again. But that possibility makes it hard to kill anyone but Israfel last; and the opportunity for doing so would depend almost entirely on the AI (how fast it recombines when one of the two smaller creatures has fallen -- right now, immediately). Though I guess this would be less of a concern if recombination were a disruptable process taking several turns.

Remko's idea is certainly worth thinking through. There's no such thing as "once per combat," of course -- at least not something that could be easily defined and communicated to the player. What about ... you return to life with health equal to your spirit score; and your spirit score drops by 5. This would make returning to life less and less powerful, until your score drops below 1 and it doesn't work anymore.

[curiousdannii]

Hmm, I think every turn rules will be too late for statistics and powers. It also won't award kills to Israfel if Isra or Fell kill the player. Using groups will work - it already ignores off stage group followers. (We also need to increase the size of Table of Monster Statistics!)

Thanks for clarifying why we don't like unlimited healing! I had forgotten the exact reason. I like the idea of linking it to spirit - it means there's a limit to how much the player can heal (except perhaps if they're lucky enough to get some kind of dream which increases it.) It would also then be dependent on the player's faculty choices - spread them out, or concentrate of spirit even if you then go and convert them all to health. We'd want to test it, perhaps balancing it with two health per spirit or something if necessary. I think it's a solid idea though.

Okay, for the recombination, here's what I think might work. It is an action either part can initiate. Once they do it, if the other part has a turn, they get skipped. The player has a turn and can attack them, during which time they cannot react. As long as at least one survives to their next turn the recombination succeeds. I think beginning the trance healing with only one health point might be too weak. Let's say Israfel is at 4 (is that the minimum recombined health?) Is it really a sensible strategy for it to try to heal 1 point rather than attacking? Either it should start it's trance healing with 5 or so, or else recombination should give a health bonus.

And don't worry about the prose, it's fine. I don't plan on presenting the game again, and if I ever do I could consider using a censored version just for the occasion.

Possibly alternate names? Isa (girl) Rafel/Rafeel (guy) Oh! And what if we printed Israfel's name with some fancy unicode accents?

Btw, I've been wondering, when does the printed name of a natural weapon ever get shown?

[VictorGijsbers]

Printed names of natural weapons weren't shown; but they now are in the attack calculations and when you examine an unarmed monster.

I've made reuniting work the way Dannii suggested. I briefly tried to boos Israfel's healing trance by increasing it by 2 points per turn, but that was far too strong. It now starts at 2 instead of starting at 1; I think that ight be the sweet spot, but let's see. I've also added the "reform" power: an active ability that allows you to sacrifice spirit for health.

Closing for now!

[curiousdannii]

I'll have to give it a proper test!

I'm not too sure about gaining both abilities - I didn't originally think about getting different powers depending on who you defeat last, but I think it's a great idea, and different from any other rogue so far.