[b33]Monsters starting with 0 Health

[Rectifier]

I've seen this before a few times across [b30] (when I started playing) to [b33], but this is the first where I've obtained a good screenshot.
Seems to be a random occurrence where I would come across a monster (which I haven't touched or seen) that simply has no hp.
Also I didn't find any traps near where he likely spawned, I'm stumped as to why and think this is some kind of bug.
Furthermore when I kill the guy using any damage source, I am awarded the experience as if from a normal monster,went from 8% to 9%.
This isn't just restricted to this specific zone either, as far as I know it can happen anywhere, but not on bosses/elites.

[tiger_eye]

The Rhaloren Camp is infested with rodents, vermin, and mold. It wouldn't be amiss to see waste and sewage in this zone, 'cause the place is filthy. The rhaloren are not friendly with the vermin they attract, and they must constantly fight them off. Sometimes the vermin are relatively powerful, and can result in enemies having very low hitpoints when you first see them.

[Frumple]

Just to clarify OP's point, I've seen this phenomena in places not-the-Rhaloren camp. Sometimes, critters just have 0 hp. It's pretty bloody rare, but it happens.

Perhaps it's traps causing it mixed with that oh-oh-oh-targeting-you-from-other-end-of-map thing, but having specifically zero HP is rather odd. S'also incredibly unlikely for it to actually happen, despite the 0 hp critters showing up fairly often (I usually run into at least three or four per game, sometimes more).

[Gliktch]

I only noticed this with about 4 monsters in all my time playing B31, including at least 3 degenerated skeleton warriors (on separate occasions/fights), so I thought that was a 'thing' with that kind of monster (that they could be so degenerated that they would crumble when you hit them, lol). Maybe it's only certain monsters that have this hp generation problem?

Ooooh... generation.. regeneration... what if those monsters had been generated with Leech equipment (or similar) and slowly dieded while we were exploring the level that contained them? And there was some kinda restriction that said they couldn't be killed by their equipment but they could get hp drained?

Some smart cookie who knows more about the code of the game should be able to address these possibilities

[tiger_eye]

Ooooh... generation.. regeneration... what if those monsters had been generated with Leech equipment (or similar) and slowly dieded while we were exploring the level that contained them? And there was some kinda restriction that said they couldn't be killed by their equipment but they could get hp drained?

Aha, you're a clever one, Gliktch! This is indeed the case: negative HP regen from leeching ego equipment doesn't kill. Heh, now that you mention it, the final gladiator in the Derth arena had negative HP regen when my yeek marauder fought him. And by "fight", I mean I ran around like a scared little yeek until the leeching item nearly did him in, 'cause I was rather over-matched in that battle (sorry to say )

So, yeah, negative HP egos are most likely the culprit. NPCs probably shouldn't be able to get those.

[Rectifier]

Wow that was some brilliant deduction there, good job.

[Gliktch]

Just noting that this is still in b34, and also applies to friendlies - I watched one poor fellow in Elvala drain down as I shopped

Considering that some people are asking for the RL ego to be scrapped, others for it to be made less common, others for it to be changed, others for it to have only the negative part removed, and still others for it to be reclassed as a 'green' affix... allow me to be ludicrous and put forward yet another option: Have it not generate on any enemies except adventurer parties, Miranda's guards, and other short-duration encounters where it won't have time to impact their health enough to be an issue (and of course it can still come up on items which generate on the ground).

For the record, I'm also in favour of it having the -regen part removed, in which case obviously it need not have anything else done to it, but if it's being kept as-is then I suggest the only-on-adventurers/special-or-ground idea.

[bricks]

Resource Leech is probably entirely useless on enemies, unless they have been designed around the effect and have tremendous levels. I think it should be removed, too, and classes that want/need it the most should be given in-class options for resource recovery.

[Gliktch]

Resource Leech is probably entirely useless on enemies

This is true, I was just thinking in terms of item availability, balanced against unwanted side effects like those detailed in this thread.