Rune: Chain

[Fubar Obfusco]

The Chain rune is a secondary rune (like Arrow and Ray, not like Fire and Chaos). When used to cast a runespell, the spell strikes first the target, and then the next nearest monster from that target, then the next, and so forth. The spell does full damage on the first strike, half dice (rounding down) on the second, half that on the third, and so forth until it reaches no dice.

The maximum reach of a single hop of the chain is the lesser of the distance between the caster and the first target, or 2*sqrt(Runecraft). Yes, this presumes that Runecraft skill will work right.

This rune is only slightly rarer and more difficult to cast than the Arrow rune. Yet it has one particularly useful quirk: it is one way to get a spell to go around a sharp corner, e.g.:

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In this picture, all three orcs are potentially struck by a Chain spell targeted at the leftmost orc.

All runes have their usual effects with Chain, with the following exceptions:

* Undeath+Chain strikes corpses rather than living monsters, attempting to raise them as undead, with reduced success rate at each hop.
* Life+Chain will prefer a friendly over an enemy monster at the same range (just to be nice).
* Primary+Chain+Ball will in fact cast a ball spell at each hop of the chain. However, the range of each successive ball as well as its power are cut by the decrease in power at each hop.
* Primary+Power Surge+Chain causes a "chain reaction": Each monster in view is struck at full force as per Power Surge, then with 1/3 dice, then 1/6 dice. (This I figure is easier on the math than calculating all those "nearest monsters".)
* Primary+Armageddon+Chain just causes everything to go splut.

[This idea is based on the popular "chain lightning" spell used in many games including D&D, some of the Ultima series, and WarCraft III.]

[Professor_Scissors]

I like.

[Replicant]

Excellent idea.

Half dice per strike might be a bit severe. It would only really deal worthwhile damage to the first two targets. Maybe 1/N dice for the Nth monster, or reduce it by a set percentage for each space travelled beyond the first target.

Hmm... with some LUA scripting, I think it's possible to make a chain spell as described, although it couldn't be added to runecrafting and you wouldn't be able to see the arcs between monsters. Searching for the nearest monster would be the most difficult thing.

[atarlost]

Hey, I'm way ahead of you. I did this months ago. (not implemented as a rune, but as a function on the order of fire_beam, fire_bolt_or_beam, etc.

[Tachyon]

* Primary+Armageddon+Chain just causes everything to go splut.

Probably literally I'd hate to be in command of an orc army once the chain rune is implemented...

[Atarlost]

Commanding an orc army isn't terribly safe now.