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Zireael
2014-11-04, 11:40 AM
Due to interest expressed elsewhere, I am starting a topic here.

Veins of the Earth is a roguelike based on OGL, drawing heavily from d20 SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) and PF SRD (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/), both available online. However, it is not the first such game to be made - that honor goes to Incursion (http://www.incursion-roguelike.net/) by Julian Mensch, which has recently been made open-source (https://bitbucket.org/rmtew/incursion-roguelike).

The roguelike is open-source and based on an open-source engine called T-Engine (you might also know it as ToME)

The project started in June 2013, while Incursion was still closed source.

Download the beta (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads)

Download bleeding edge (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/archive/master.zip)

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.23.0-1413992218.png

Documentation has been started here (http://veins-of-the-earth.wikidot.com/).

Development is in no way finished, I have 10+ pages of notes, be they programming-related or mechanics-related.

Zireael
2014-11-04, 11:43 AM
Mechanics changes as of 04/11/14

General changes

fractional saves and BAB are used
point buy is changed because SRD does not allow replicating it faithfully. We start from 10. The costs are changed, too.
nerfed darkvision significantly; also, it doesn't stack with light (radius 3 light + darkvision 2 does not equal vision range 5, only 3)
added Luck stat [to govern loot generation]
removed Initiative
saving throws take the better of two stats (Dex-Int; Con-Str; Wis-Cha)
added Intuition skill for item identification
added a divine spontaneous spellcaster (an equivalent to a sorcerer)
XP can be gained in other ways than killing monsters (seeing them, descending to deeper levels)
lizardfolk, orc, kobold as playable races
weapons grant parry bonuses [from +1 to +4]



Class and race changes


cleric gets Lay on Hands at 1st level
fighter gets Summon Mount at 1st level
Handle Animal skill is based on Wis; Concentration skill is based on Int
druid has Spellcraft as a class skill
fighter has Intimidate as a class skill
sorcerer has Sense Motive and Diplomacy as class skills
bard, cleric, druid, rogue, ranger, sorcerer, wizard, warlock get Intuition as a class skill
half-elf gets +2 Cha. Bard as favored class.
half-drow is a half-elf without +1 diplomacy and with darkvision 2. Cleric as favored class.
elf has Ranger as favored class.
drow males have Rogue as favored class
favored classes add +2 hp per level; also, +1 attack (!=BAB), unless it's wizard; humans have no favored class
no XP penalty for multiclassing
classes have attribute score requirements



Combat (feats/spells) changes

Two Weapon Fighting penalties tweaked to be the same for mainhand and offhand: without TWF, the penalty is -8; without TWF but with a light weapon in offhand it's -6; with TWF it's -4; with TWF & light offhand it's -2. Note that the last two are identical to SRD, they are included for completeness only.
folded Lightning Reflexes into Dodge; Great Fortitude into Toughness
Toughness adds +10% hp instead of a flat +3 bonus
Magic Missile spell allows for Fort save for half damage
added heal spells which heal a percentage of total hp (as opposed to traditional cure spells)
all casters gain spells at the same fixed rate - a new spell level every 3rd level

Zireael
2014-11-04, 11:50 AM
Since the first two posts are reserved, here go current notes.

The reasoning behind most changes is to make d20 more accessible to players not intricately familiar with the system. Hence granting the sorcerer Spellcraft and changing the attributes for Handle Animal and Concentration. The same applies for the 'new spell level every 3rd level' rule.

The divine sorcerer equivalent was a no-brainer.

Drow male and elf favored class change was to make those two races more interesting for players. Elves get -2 to Con, and to top it with a favored class one which has only d4 HD makes them really squishy and unsuitable for a roguelike.

Darkvision nerf and Initiative removal were due to programming constraints (original darkvision resulted in monsters seeing you from several rooms over, and Init would have been hellishly difficult to implement).

Lightning Reflexes and Great Fortitude were combined with other feats because let's face it, they were pretty meh by themselves. Toughness was changed to make it more attractive, too (who cares about +3 hp when you already have 120 hp?).

Zireael
2014-11-07, 09:41 AM
Here (http://veins-of-the-earth.wikidot.com/base-classes) are the current classes as I envision them through levels 1-20.

The goal is to have (almost) every level be meaningful, so filling out dead levels.
And for the player to notice immediate changes in character sheet upon level up, we use fractional BAB/saves.

Caster classes (cleric, sorcerer, wizard, shaman, warlock) all need some love. Any ideas? Variants or fixes you could point me to?
Bard and druid are fine, since they have 1 or 2 dead levels in total.

***

(The selection of classes is not complete yet, more classes will probably be added at some point)

P.S. Pardon for not copying the class blocks, but I can't into tables on forums, and what's more, they tend to break regardless.

Composer99
2014-11-07, 01:41 PM
Full casting classes don't need lots of class features; the abilities granted by spells are as good or better than most class features at comparable levels. So you can certainly get away with a dead level each time they get a new spell level.

Pathfinder and 5e give sorcerers, clerics, and wizards more special abilities from their bloodlines, domains, and arcane schools, respectively, so that's one direction you can go for adding in class features - in fact I see you've already got sorcerer bloodlines going, so you're pretty much good there.

Don't know what you intend to do with the shaman or warlock. Are they meant to be close to their WotC versions? Is the shaman the divine spontaneous caster?

Edit: Also, looking at the class tables, it looks like the saving throw #s are out of whack with the maths for saving throws in OGL, as are the BAB #s for classes with 3/4 or 1/2 BAB - they're all starting their progression a level late (that is, the current entries for level 2 are supposed to be the ones for level 1).

Is this a deliberate deviation from OGL?

Zireael
2014-11-07, 02:39 PM
Edit: Also, looking at the class tables, it looks like the saving throw #s are out of whack with the maths for saving throws in OGL, as are the BAB #s for classes with 3/4 or 1/2 BAB - they're all starting their progression a level late (that is, the current entries for level 2 are supposed to be the ones for level 1).

Is this a deliberate deviation from OGL?

Nope, it's not deliberate, it's me failing Maths :(


Don't know what you intend to do with the shaman or warlock. Are they meant to be close to their WotC versions?
The warlock, more or less so. The shaman, not so much (see below). I think I saw one or two warlock fixes floating around.


Is the shaman the divine spontaneous caster?
Yes, and the name could be changed, I just thought it fit.

Zireael
2014-11-12, 04:49 AM
Slowly coding more stuff (spells and class abilities).

In the meantime, brainstorming.


I thought that combat style (Pathfinder style (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger#TOC-Combat-Style-Feat-Ex-)) would be better suited for a fighter than for a ranger. To compensate, I would take away two generic bonus feats fighters get.

The ranger would get either the live in comfort feature (see warden (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/warden)) or strong senses (wild stalker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/wild-stalker)) and something.

What do you think?

General Patton
2014-11-14, 05:06 PM
I loved Incursion and tried to enjoy this, but the bugs make it a bit difficult. I'll probably keep trying to play it and see if I can provide more meaningful commentary.

Zireael
2014-11-15, 08:25 AM
I loved Incursion and tried to enjoy this, but the bugs make it a bit difficult. I'll probably keep trying to play it and see if I can provide more meaningful commentary.

Try bleeding edge (link added). There was an error in AI code for the last beta. More meaningful feedback is always welcome!

I envisioned this topic as more of a brainstorming session than game feedback, but well, game feedback can happen here too!

Composer99
2014-11-17, 09:53 AM
Slowly coding more stuff (spells and class abilities).

In the meantime, brainstorming.


I thought that combat style (Pathfinder style (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger#TOC-Combat-Style-Feat-Ex-)) would be better suited for a fighter than for a ranger. To compensate, I would take away two generic bonus feats fighters get.

The ranger would get either the live in comfort feature (see warden (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/warden)) or strong senses (wild stalker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/ranger/archetypes/paizo---ranger-archetypes/wild-stalker)) and something.

What do you think?

One of the things I like about 5th edition is that combat style is now something most (or all) martial classes get (although the way it's done in the two editions is rather different). So if anything, I wouldn't take it away from the ranger, just give it to barbarian, fighter, & paladin and give the ranger something else.

In keeping with the fighter's 3.5/OGL niche, if you were to go down this route, the fighter should get the fighting style benefit about as often as the ranger, and the others should get it less often. Also, given the fighter has literally no other class features in 3.5, and most feats aren't that great, you probably don't even need to take away the fighter's other bonus feats.

Shaman
I wanted to come back to this class for a moment.

In this roguelike game, the shaman is the spontaneous divine caster. Well and good, but of course we want to have other features that distinguish it from the cleric and druid.

I like to think of the shaman as somewhat bridging the gap between the druid's veneration of - and empowerment by - the primal forces of nature, and the cleric's equivalent for external deities (or abstract philosophical concepts).

In my view, the shaman deals with animistic spirits, which can be found throughout the world if one knows where to look. And not just natural spirits (such as plants, animals, and natural features), but also the spirits of the ancestors, or of cosmic forces (the elements, say, or the celestial bodies).

As far as constructing the shaman spell list (which I think would be the primary "class feature"), the shaman would presumably have a "universal" spell list from which the shaman can draw spells known, and then I would suggest one of the following:

(1) The shaman chooses a focus for the spirits he or she deals with, similar to sorcerer bloodlines or cleric domains, which over multiple levels adds spells to the shaman's spells known. The shaman would get associated abilities as well. This makes the shaman more stable

(2) At various levels, the shaman gets to choose one or more spirits to deal/associate with, which add spells to the shaman's spells known based on the type of spirit and the class level selected. At each level the type of spirit would also provide a thematic level-appropriate ability.

Zireael
2014-11-18, 01:47 PM
In this roguelike game, the shaman is the spontaneous divine caster. Well and good, but of course we want to have other features that distinguish it from the cleric and druid.


Well, I have no ideas so far.
And while I like the spirits angle, I'm afraid it would get too close to the class from Complete Divine.

Zireael
2014-11-24, 02:56 PM
I've updated the wikidot page with the equipment list and some info on the silver standard.

Equipment (http://veins-of-the-earth.wikidot.com/equipment)

In the meantime, I'm working on a drow city - with buildings, factions and new NPCs, all procedurally generated.

Zireael
2014-11-30, 03:10 PM
Two questions:
1) flat-footed will take some time to implement, so I need ideas for a replacement feature instead of Uncanny dodge but not improved uncanny dodge
2) Any spells/ACFs/whatevers that would work like 'if I am killed, resurrect me'? A single-use 'come back from the dead' thing?

Zireael
2014-12-06, 02:33 PM
1) For uncanny dodge, I came across DDO Wiki, and in Dungeons and Dragons Online, there is no concept of flat-footed and instead, uncanny dodge provides Dodge and Reflex bonuses. What do you think of this solution?

2) Should I make Weapon Focus/Improved Crit and the like apply to weapon categories instead of single weapons?

Zireael
2014-12-18, 12:47 PM
Any ideas regarding classes? I'd like to have them all be in the same tier, preferably 4-5.

Zireael
2014-12-29, 05:51 AM
Beta 6.5 is out.

Since then, I've managed to print out the room name to screen, making a typical dungeon more interesting (since I could easily replace room name with flavorful descriptions).

Zireael
2015-01-19, 12:43 PM
Term end looming ahead, but I've managed to find time for a few bugfixes and some content (dungeons, NPCs) brainstorming.

Incorporated some engine improvements, which should lead to easier item creation and modification.

Zireael
2015-01-29, 02:55 PM
Term's nearly ended, so I can get back to coding & brainstorming.

Psionics & spell points frameworks are partially done - especially important now that I've decided sorcerers & shamans will use spell points to differentiate them more from the prepared casters.

Zireael
2015-01-31, 04:20 AM
I'm going to take a good look at the Feat synergy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?154811-Feat-synergy) thread. Looks like an idea that would be most welcome in the game!

Zireael
2015-02-01, 10:53 AM
I found Classical Modern via Internet Archive while researching various feat fixes, feat trees and talent trees.

Zireael
2015-02-03, 10:26 AM
Researching talent trees (d20 modern/SW SAGA). Would you like to see them or not?

Zireael
2015-02-05, 09:46 AM
This is not a brainstorming post - this is a game mechanics update post.

* Point Blank Shot was folded into Precise Shot
* Precise Shot and Far Shot are now properly implemented
* Sorcerer and shaman classes now use a spell points system outlined in Ernir's thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?194002-3-5-A-Translation-of-Vancian-Spellcasting-to-Psionic-Mechanics)

Zireael
2015-02-19, 12:46 PM
http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.26.0-1424353511.png

That's right, metamagic feats are finally implemented, except for Enlarge Spell.

I still need to implement Enlarge and Quicken Spell, and apply the heightened spell point cost/use up higher level spell slots properly.

Blueiji
2015-02-19, 04:27 PM
This looks really cool! I'll check it out when I get back from my trip this weekend.

Zireael
2015-03-07, 09:32 AM
The wikidot site (http://veins-of-the-earth.wikidot.com/) now lists features inspired by existing games (click the word :P). The skills section has also been updated to match the bleeding edge builds.

In other words, I have implemented Heal, Jump and Intimidate skills.

***
I have also changed some of my setup - I am now using GitHub's Atom (https://atom.io/) instead of Sublime Text 3, which has eliminated the indention weirdness and allows me to track all git changes out of the box. It's more difficult to work with multiple folders, though, but I'm hopeful that the quick update rate will have it solved in no time.

For project management, I've found a simple offline note-taking program such as CintaNotes works perfectly - allowing me to group related ideas and to stop doubling them :)

Zireael
2015-03-09, 06:50 AM
I've implemented vitality and wounds system, a version of which was on Julian's to-do list for new!Incursion.


The plan isn't that injuries will be hard/impossible to heal, just that they'll take some notable resources and time to do so. So drinking a healing potion will be a notable event rather than a "quaff 3-5 after every fight" routine.


The current plan is for a more realistic combat system that still allows cinematic toughness [...] and then making serious injury and healing a more serious and difficult matter, with healing harder [...]

Zireael
2015-03-21, 06:27 AM
Beta 7 is out!

Enjoy a load of bugfixes and content additions!
Metamagic feats, archery feats, (more) usable skills, spell points system, wounds and vitality system and more!

Grab it from GitHub (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/releases/download/v.0.26.0-standalone/Veins.standalone.beta.7.zip) or Bitbucket (https://bitbucket.org/Zireael07/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/Veins%20standalone%20beta%207.zip). Alternately wait for ModDB (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth).

CHANGELOG:

* bug fix - FBO lua error on save load
* bug fix - Lua error & nil exp for creatures with CR in-between table values
* bug fix - character creation screen now does check if a character save already exists
* bug fix - flavored amulets spelling
* bug fix - incorporate the engine fixes for ActorSeenDisplay, making the switch work
* bug fix - shooting not using the weapon's designated crit damage
* bug fix - flyers showing for critters outside lite range
* bug fix - assassin name typo
* bug fix - charges being displayed off or not displayed at all for multiple lines of spells in a spellbook
* bug fix - training stat tracker values are now properly zeroed when increasing stat
* bug fix - no more Lua errors on right clicking talents
* bug fix - no longer having to drop the fireball on yourself
* bug fix - visited zones not being saved leading to Lua errors when changing level
* bug fix - spell failure not canceling spells properly
* bug fix - cheat resurrect no longer throws errors if you happened to die while encumbered
* bug fix - Summon Monster I works as intended
* bug fix - used up arrows and/or thrown weapons are now properly removed
* bug fix - summons' tooltips no longer throws an error [Castler]
* bug fix - mage armor spell no longer warns you when you use it on yourself [Castler]
* bug fix - map no longer going under UI on left-hand side [kudos to Castler for pointing out the fix]
* bug fix - level up achievements now achievable

* update to T-Engine 1.3.0
* make use of engine updates, including room generator & ego functions
* enable sound capabilities
* new spells - divine favor, entropic shield, doom, shield of faith, deathwatch, summon monster II,
* new feats - Master Craftsman
* new NPC: human/dwarf/drow healer, drow tavernkeeper
* sorcerers and shamans now use a spell points system instead of Vancian spellcasting
* implement room descriptions
* hirelings now use party member code from ToME
* implement vitality/wounds system
* implement metamagic feats - Extend, Empower and Maximize Spell
* implement Precise Shot and Far Shot feats
* implement Jump, Intimidate, Heal skills
* implement spell points & psionic power
* consumables now stack
* humanoid NPCs now carry food & light sources
* some animals are now neutral and vermin now constitute their own faction
* unwearable items are highlighted in red; unusable ones in blue
* drow noble house is now named after the House that inhabits it
* can now throw thrown weapons
* low Int characters get separate answers now
* log message is shown when player gains EXP
* UI improvements and bugfixes for feat select screen [Castler]
* stair tooltips show where they lead to if you've been there at least once
* AI no longer walks into chasms/lava/water
* game options screen displayed before the first level is generated
* implement talent configuration from ToME
* item creation debug screen now allows hand-picking egos to be generated
* fixes and improvements to magic item generation

Zireael
2015-04-02, 01:34 PM
I'm still working on it, don't you worry!

The loot system has been overhauled and more closely tied to the d20 Wealth-By-Level tables.

The AI learned to pick up items from floor and to swap between melee and ranged weapons as appropriate. To compensate and for quality of life, the player now gets a shoulder slot, from which he can then switch weapons with a single keypress. Keypresses have also been added for a list of wieldable or a list of usable items or a list of those that can be taken off.

I have also adjusted the CR of the giant ant queen, bringing it closer to the Pathfinder version, as it was a pretty frequent early game killer. It's worth remembering that this is a single player game, after all.

I think some more CR adjustments are in order, especially for low CR monsters with Damage Reduction (blink dog, grick).

What do you think? Adjusting d20 to work with a single character is probably the biggest challenge here!

Almarck
2015-04-02, 01:39 PM
Which wealth by level table in particular? Or is that a spoiler?

Also, more and more, this game is starting to olook like a proper Roguelike.

Zireael
2015-04-03, 02:33 AM
Monster table is this one d20 SRD Treasure Values per Encounter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/treasure.htm#tableTreasureValuesperEncounter)
For NPCs, I'm using this PF NPC-Gear (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/npc-classes/non-player-characters#Table-NPC-Gear) (I like the weapons/protection/magic etc split but it isn't coded yet)
For everything else, such as floor loot and bosses, I'm using this PF Character-Wealth-by-Level (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/gamemastering#Table-Character-Wealth-by-Level)

Currently, everything uses the boss table because I haven't yet coded the filters for NPCs :P

Zireael
2015-04-13, 07:48 AM
Churning out bugfixes rather than new content. Some things have escaped notice until now, others were annoying but relatively simple to fix once I spotted how (difficulty selection).

Pile of notes in CintaNotes is growing. I think I'll tackle the player's offspring next - that's right, you'll be able to take over as your kid once you die, if the kid's old enough (I guesstimate ~12 for starting as a young/teen templated character or ~16 as roughly adult)

Zireael
2015-04-28, 02:02 PM
http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/images/your-kids-listing

(The header has since been changed to say "Offspring" instead)

Stage one of the player's offspring is done. Time to make it possible for your kid to take over after you die without starting a whole new game.
The kid's age and the pregnancy time (~9 months) are not yet taken into account, and the kid is named just that, "kid", as a placeholder until I figure out how to make it access the random names list.

Oh, and the character sheet now lists all the effects on you in a nifty tab.

You can now take over as your kid when your first character dies. Then said new hero can breed more kids... you get the idea? ;)
The functionality is almost complete, the only thing left to do is random names for the offspring.

Next beta will arrive after 6th May at the earliest (MA draft due 5 May).

I have been fixing assorted spelling mistakes, such as decimals in elemental damage log or superfluous "a" before item names.

I have also added lots of weapon egos - you can now enjoy bane weapons, aligned weapons, elemental weapons and elemental burst weapons, I think that's around 20 egos total.

***
And on the d20 end of things, I discovered Trailblazer and Challenging Challenge Rating in my folder of OGL stuff. Therefore, since I need to adjust the CRs either way to account for having one character and not a 4-man party, I am now making a spreadsheet of monster CRs (SRD/Incursion/Pathfinder/Challenging Challenge Rating).

The other idea that's been floating around my mind is making a listing of skills in various d20 OGL variants (SRD/Incursion/Pathfinder/Pathfinder Unchained/... you get the drift)

Zireael
2015-05-01, 12:03 PM
My supervisor agreed to me handing in the complete MA draft by 12 May instead, so...

Beta 8 "Mayfly-December Romance" is here! Grab it from here (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/releases/download/v.0.27.0-standalone/Veins.standalone.beta.8.zip) or wait for ModDB.

CHANGELOG:
* bug fix - no more artifacts dropping on dlvl 1
* bug fix - init sound on loading game from a save
* bug fix - give humanoid NPCs weapon proficiencies
* bug fix - no more errors on log in healer chat
* bug fix - damage logged now includes all increases
* bug fix - effects outside sight range are now forced to be silent
* bug fix - shoot no longer throws a Lua error if you have a shooter but not ammo
* bug fix - can now drag items to hotbar without errors
* bug fix - hotbar will not burp errors when there are no charges at all
* bug fix - increase rarities of large+ vermin
* bug fix - amulet ASCII symbol not showing up
* bug fix - difficulty selection not being saved/displayed properly
* bug fix - Oathbow not counting as ranged weapon
* bug fix - personal reaction not used at all, leading to attacked neutrals not turning hostile
* bug fix - don't show talent cooldown if it's 0
* bug fix - no more option to wear things with INVEN slot
* bug fix - adjust food rarities and add a message on eating
* bug fix - spending a night with a courtesan counts now as resting
* bug fix - buttons overlapping in Help screen
* bug fix - encumbrance no longer considered detrimental
* bug fix - update the tutorial to mention wounds
* bug fix - add sex to character screen
* bug fix - wrap up Power Attack rework and update description
* bug fix - don't display pseudo ID tags on paperdoll
* bug fix - make the specific class resolver actually work
* bug fix - fix the HP allotted by both random and specific class resolver
* bug fix - don't show decimals in special damage messages
* bug fix - assorted spelling fixes
* bug fix - blindness/deafness now allows a save and uses the same TalentDialog code as other spells
* bug fix - cheat resurrect now restores mana, if any, and wounds

* added Symbola font and used it on map
* new zones: temple, drow temple
* new magic properties: weapons - bane corresponding to all monster types, aligned, elemental, elemental burst; wondrous items - of slow digestion
* uncommented fortification code, spiked armor and shields egos
* new item tiles: belt, girdle, club, helmet, mushroom, long composite bow, short composite bow, hand crossbow
* new NPC tiles: drow noble male, phantom fungus
* changed ASCII symbol for bullets
* changed ASCII symbols for grick, azer, djinn, efreet, xorn
* changed ASCII colors for lillend, barghest, some vermin
* changed ASCII symbols and colors for drider, will o'wisp, quasit, thoqqua
* added distinctive colors to individual mephit and formian classes
* added paperdoll graphics for almost all weapons (except double sword)
* added tips on loading zone level
* implemented the Luck stat
* implemented Monkey Grip feat
* implemented proper DC calculations for spells
* random and default buttons in character creation screen
* increase spellcaster classes skill points allotment to 4
* ammo capacity is now randomized
* some bags now limit what can be put in them (so an ammo belt will accept only ammo)
* the HUD now informs you that you are on the worldmap or gives you the zone name itself for other zones
* many dialog lists are now colored to help distinguish between good/bad/neutral options
* character sheet now takes all attack modifiers into account when displaying your attack
* the character screen now has a tab listing all effects you have
* the player character can now have children of his/her own
* if you die but have a child(ren), you can keep playing as one of the kids
* improved the loot generator
* skills are no longer hardcoded
* AI can now pick up items from the floor and swap weapons
* players can keep a ranged weapon in the shoulder slot and swap weapons with a keypress
* you can now wield, take off or use items with a keypress giving you a list of all applicable items
* improved combat messages
* neutral NPCs can now be told to move aside/swap places with you
* neutral NPCs who turned hostile due to attacks will slowly decay towards neutral again if not attacked
* add specific class levels to sages, courtesans, guards
* add more skill kits/update their descriptions
* giant ant queen CR bumped up and brought closer to PF version
* the player will now stop running automatically in some cases (chats, nasty stuff happening)
* worldmap now uses its own sight range
* code attacks of opportunity
* added outline to ASCII entities

In other news, while brainstorming monster CRs, I discovered our monster listing (not counting neutrals/townies) is already longer than Incursion's :)

P.S. Build name is totally on purpose - it's 1 May, after all!

Zireael
2015-05-27, 02:45 AM
Polishing my MA (complete text due for review June 9), but found some time to poke around the chat code.

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.27.0-1432662829.png

Yes, that's the beginning of NPC portraits I've been planning to implement for the longest time.

Next step: make the overlays (eyes, brows, nose, mouth) work, then randomize them, then make them depend on race.

Zale
2015-05-27, 10:55 AM
Just wanted to say this is a very nice job. I played to be a level 9 Wizard.

A few things, though: The second level fire-line spell doesn't work, I get a bug report anytime a summoned monster disappears and Craft (Wand/Scroll) appears to make nameless items of cure light wounds.

Those seemed odd.

Zireael
2015-05-29, 09:07 AM
Wow, wizard 9, it means you were pretty dedicated (and lucky, starting as a wizard is really difficult).

Craft Wands/Scrolls is not finished yet, I will take a look at the bugs, too.

Zireael
2015-06-07, 10:33 AM
Rogues now get Weapon Finesse for free at 1st level.

I'll take a look at the bugs soon.

Zireael
2015-06-14, 09:53 AM
/Had no time for more testing, sorry, paperwork :( /

Beta 9 is here and it seems ModDB changed something on their end as I don't have to wait for the verification - yay!

Download (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/beta-9-dark-drow-beauty)

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.28.0-1433614858.png

The portraits are procedurally generated, with elements depending on the NPC's profession or race.

CHANGELOG:

* bug fix - made fire outsiders straight out immune to fire
* bug fix - wyvern now has poison
* bug fix - tendriculos and choker have proper descriptions
* bug fix - rejecting filters due to exceeding cost led to no filters being applied at all when creating loot
* bug fix - take into account item level ranges when creating loot
* bug fix - adjust item levels and rarities since some were out of whack with the item's real power
* bug fix - NPCs and monsters should now drop level-appropriate gear
* bug fix - cost filters now operate on the baseline price in coppers (i.e. what e.cost is expressed in)
* bug fix - add currency symbols (pp, gp, sp) in item tooltips; display store purse in silver coins
* bug fix - unify flavors capitalization
* bug fix - add subtype to those outsiders which were missing it
* bug fix - magic armor now reduces armor check penalty by 1 for being masterwork already
* bug fix - wearing cloaks no longer messes up the player doll display
* bug fix - feat granting items (e.g. boots of dodging) actually grant them
* bug fix - drag-and-drop inventory sometimes not working

* new zones: Plane of Air, Plane of Earth, Plane of Fire, Plane of Water; kobold warrens, bank
* new monsters: succubus, incubus; dragons (complete with age categories and breath weapons)
* new NPCs: drow house guard, drow house captain, drow priest, drow banker
* new magic item properties: masterwork (weapon/armor/shield), muleback, of heavyload; of powerful grip, of the Dervish, of neutralization, of grounding; efficient, of Maeve, returning;
* new original tiles: blood ape, formian, howler, brass dragon, vargouille, bulette, cockatrice, copper dragon
* new monster tiles: giant ant soldier, giant ant queen, will-o-wisp, grick, spectral panther, white dragon, tojanida, hag, sphinx, shambling mound, harpy, basilisk, behir, hyena, jackal, viper, ankheg, aranea, gray render, lamia, winter wolf, naga;
* new NPC tiles: drow female noble, drow commoner, drow house guard;
* new terrain tiles: chasm, tiled floor, iron door, drow door, fountain, worldmap floor, worldmap wall, worldmap stairs up/down, worldmap ruins, barred door, cobblestone floor, water floor, water wall, fire floor, fire wall, earth, earth wall, air, cloud, mud;
* new tiles: glaive
* humanoid NPCs now have portraits (kudos to /u/Ozymandias79)
* implemented languages
* implemented a way to self-resurrect within the normal rules
* implement item compare
* implement butchering corpses
* add money weight switch
* new scroll flavors
* change ASCII color for chaos beast, howler, rast
* change ASCII symbol for nightmare
* gave breath weapons to hell hound, dragon turtle
* gave immunities to delver, gibbering mouther, mimic, nagas; ghaele, lillend; tojanida; assassin vine, shambling mound, tendriculos; fire elementals, magmin; night hag
* marut and fire elementals now deal additional damage on hit
* implement low-light vision
* implement Craft, Survival skills
* rogues now receive Weapon Finesse for free
* item creation feats now pick from all possible egos
* item's tooltip now tells you where you found it (from ToME 2 port)

P.S. MA almost done - some paperwork left and preparing for the thesis defence on the 23rd. After that, I will vacation a bit and then will have loads of free time to work on Veins!

Zireael
2015-07-12, 06:39 AM
I have implemented Pick Pockets some time last month.

Today I've done a big leap and done the background skills (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/background-skills) variant from Pathfinder as a default rule. This should make Craft (and other non-immediately useful skills) much more viable.

Zireael
2015-08-01, 01:03 PM
I've drafted a new class over the last week.

Magus draft (http://veins-of-the-earth.wikidot.com/new-classes-drafts)

As you can guess, it draws on the Pathfinder magus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/magus), but also on the vanguard (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/3rd-party-classes/super-genius-games/vanguard) class.

Once again, the goal is to have every level be significant (i.e. no "dead levels").

**
On the game end of things, shuffled around some effects and hard at work adding more spells.

Zireael
2015-08-06, 04:07 AM
I need the esteemed homebrewers who frequent these forums to point me to good Tier 3/high Tier 4 fixes for most martial classes (or wholesale 3.x/PF fixes like Grod's fixes thread).

Since this is a computer game, some of the high-level spells will not translate well and will not be abusable so much, so I believe the casters will be Tier 2 and the others should fall somewhere around Tier 3, for the game to be balanced.


---
Chipping away at spells while improving spellbook UI.

Jurai
2015-08-06, 09:24 AM
I tried it once, and maybe it's just my luck with dice (Give me a D20 that is 20s on all sides, and I'll still roll a 1), but I couldn't get into it.

Zireael
2015-08-11, 05:24 AM
While adding spells, I noticed the hotbar was getting more and more clustered while many of the skills and spells are only situationally useful. I then thought of Baldur's Gate UI where you could pull up the list of spells with a single icon.

Here's what I arrived at.

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.29.0-1439287267.png

The HLW icon is there because it's an innate ability. The spellbook icon stays, as well.

The sword brings up a menu of attack options. The expand icon brings up a menu of skills and the one which looks vaguely like a crescent shows the list of spells.

Pleasantly surprised that this only took 3h to do in all.

Zireael
2015-08-21, 01:22 PM
Beta 10 is here! Many player requests are coming true and bugs are squashed!

Download (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/beta-10-true-strike-at-all-the-bugs)

CHANGELOG:
* bug fix - spellbook doesn't show a second tab if the second class happens to be shaman/sorcerer
* bug fix - prevent using items on worldmap
* bug fix - prevent picking up items when asleep
* bug fix - opposed Move Silently check no longer bugs out; introduced a safeguard against further skill misspellings
* bug fix - detect x spells now work properly
* bug fix - reducing copy&paste errors in descriptions
* bug fix - limit attacks of opportunity to moving away
* bug fix - no more negative skillpoints upon gaining a level
* bug fix - gameplay tab in options is now properly hidden after game starts
* bug fix - Intimidate now works as intended
* bug fix - reduce tojanida AC
* bug fix - hunger now increases on the worldmap
* bug fix - no more Lua error on using Ignizzar's fire spell
* bug fix - sorcerer/shaman spell points now update when gaining a level
* bug fix - more safeguards to visibility detection for log messages
* bug fix - map no longer goes under hotbar
* bug fix - inventory screen no longer closes when doing most stuff
* bug fix - adjust some CRs up, most notably ogres, to reduce early game difficulty
* bug fix - restore log message when killing an NPC
* bug fix - crafting items no longer shows curses as option

* new tiles: fungi, handwraps, monk robes
* new zones: inn; drow outpost, drow metropolis, cave grove, fungi maze, fungi forest; goblin barracks
* new spells: entangle, charm animal, delay poison, longstrider, detect poison, detect magic, shield, protection from alignment, true strike, endure elements, resist energy, protection from energy,
* new NPCs: city seller (can sell from most of the shops defined except armor/weaponsmith and library)
* new magic item properties: minotaur, of physical perfection
* new items: handwraps, monk robes, archmage robes; a lot of consumables (foods, drinks)
* new feats: Arcane Armor Training, Arcane Armor Mastery
* bards now ignore spell failure from light armor
* implement Pick Pockets, Decipher Script skill
* split skills into adventuring and background per PF variant rule
* new variant rule: Pathfinder feats - every two levels instead of every three levels
* implement confused, cowering, dazed, dazzled, deafened, entangled, exhausted, petrified, prone conditions
* darken tiles outside FOV for better differentiation
* implement level map screen
* move mage armor spell to abjuration school
* overhaul nutrition system
* more ways to earn XP - dealing hp damage, making successful skill checks
* items display special requirements
* change potions and drinks ASCII symbols
* change bear endurance, summon creature icons
* implement menu buttons on hotbar, especially useful for spellcasters; skills/spells no longer get auto-added to the bar
* spellbook now shows a pop-up if you can't memorize a spell due to exceeding limits
* spellbook shows school in descriptions
* level up screen is now tabbed instead of using buttons to go to various parts (skills, feats)
* patch Birther class to allow dynamic (i.e. function) descriptions (like talents)
* generate class descriptions procedurally
* shuffled character creation class help to a separate tab
* torches now show the amount of fuel left in them and count down properly; corpses rot (but are not removed properly)
* update help screen to cover switching tiles on/off
* debug create item screen now makes you pick item type first

Zireael
2015-09-19, 10:46 AM
Beta 10.5 is out, just in time for ARRP! Players made some requests in last Feedback Friday and they are coming true here!
Download (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/beta-105-gish-in-a-can)

CHANGELOG:
* bug fix - enforce life being equal to max_life when initing a NPC
* bug fix - fix wizard not getting his spells
* bug fix - use elevated level for addons pick (e.g. in stores)
* bug fix - give wounds to the tutorial boss (kudos to guessingo on Bay12 forums)
* bug fix - restore use of provided fonts in the ASCII display
* bug fix - fix dungeon level display for areas with long names
* two small Lua fixes from DarkGod (one affecting only Linux/Mac)
* bug fix - restore the confirmation pop-up in level up dialog

* new class - magus
* new spells: stoneskin
* new items: tome of gainful exercise, tome of understanding, tome of bodily health etc.
* new lore: a guaranteed piece tells you about the worldmap & other areas
* new zones: flooded cavern, lava cavern
* add two new fonts, remove the ASCII without backgrounds option
* character creation screen: the "Next" button brings you to the tab you need to check if something is missing
* bring resists in line with d20 and log them
* show AC sources in character sheet
* more use for Knowledge and Heal skills
* tutorial improvements - make opponents less dangerous, less numerous, replace some water with shallow water
* no more L-shaped buildings in the city; the city is now walled and gated
* new debug option - monster character sheet

wobner
2015-09-22, 07:38 PM
Forgive me if i have missed something,
is there a known bug list somewhere that i have managed to overlook? somewhere here or in the downloaded documentation?(i swear i've followed all the links, etc for what thats worth). I've encountered a couple just foolng around but don't want to bog you down with what you already know.

an observation, experience awards seem really out of whack. I fought a couple of drow who couldn't put up the slightest fight and leveled, but then fought a bunch of smaller more annoying creatures, one i think was a hyena(dog anyway) that one hit my first character, and got next to nothing. really the small spiders put up more of a fight, but after killing quite a few i still don't seem to have the same amount of xp as after killing a single drow. In my last game i got swarmed, from the start, by a host of kobolds and drow and made level 4 taking only 1 hit the entire time.(they jumped me right at the staircase, so starting equipment and stats, i thought i was dead right off the bat)

Zireael
2015-11-28, 03:49 AM
Wobner, sorry for missing the post.

XP rewards are for now static, so more similar to AD&D than d20, and if you're interested you can find the listing in the wikidot site.

In other news, Beta 11 is now out!

Download (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/beta-11-larger-world)

CHANGELOG:
* bug fix - correct generator path for drow outpost
* bug fix - typos in drow lore entry
* bug fix - "not delved much further" triggering for zone changes and/or non-infinite zones
* bug fix - worldmap info lore piece spawning in all zones
* bug fix - lore pieces not having names
* bug fix - logic in health descriptions
* bug fix - NPC FOV code erroneously marking stuff as seen for player's map code
* bug fix - wolf, hyena, jackal, hell hound tiles not showing up

* new tiles: noble wall, building floor; worldmap floor, worldmap walls, elven floor, elven wall, drow child, warded wall, air portal, earth portal, fire portal, water portal, 2 worldmap entrance variations, altar; tattoo, wand, rod, beer, biscuit, wine, meat ration, throwing dagger, throwing axe, shortsword, sickle, water flask, drow wine, elven wine, blood, bed, table; chasm
* new zones: small tunnels, elven outpost, wizard tower, drow village
* new NPCs: elf sage, elf healer, elf hireling, elf guard, drow child
* new splash screen by Ozymandias79
* import T2 port's dungeon generator by Zizzo
* change starting zone to small tunnels, make it use the T2 generator
* use the T2 weighting code in other generators
* skew the generator in drow city areas towards generating more drow; neutral vermin, elementals, fiends roaming the city; the brothel should now have more courtesans
* skew the generators in Elemental Planes towards outsiders of the element and forbid opposing elementals
* classes shown in character creation in a tree form
* add lore entries to those monsters that were missing them
* implement being resurrected by your divine patron
* implement xp tick
* implement a proper starting equipment resolver
* implement "take 10" rule
* hotbar button menus no longer offer unusable talents; show talent status
* add a message when a monster enters your sight
* torches light up your map on screen
* add one-liners (aka emotes) to most monsters
* add a scrambling function to chat
* display skills used in chat

wobner
2015-11-29, 01:24 AM
No worries, and my apologies, i wasn't clear
One of the bugs i encountered i believe i narrowed down to the feat that gives you an a.c. bonus when using shields, as i recall(its been a little bit, i need to reinstall) when taking it and entering combat(with a shield), i received a infinite error message, close one, ten more open. It also gave me some grief when i tried to open the character sheet. You were basically crashed. Theres no submitting a bug in this instance, so i was wondering if you had a list somewhere to avoid getting repeat complaints. As i hit more than one of these.

anyway, keep up the good work and i'll put the new version on when i get a chance.

Zireael
2015-12-02, 02:14 PM
Yes, I'm keeping a list of complaints, but it's either in my notebook in front of my laptop or in my head :)

Also I'm sorry to say that a bug snuck into Beta 11, to fix it download this file (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/blob/master/class/Game.lua) and drop it into the install.

(I'm practically my own tester since spikes in playing only occur when betas are released, and the time between betas ranges from 1 to 4 months)

Zireael
2016-01-03, 12:36 PM
Happy New Year - beta 11.5 is here!

Grab it from GitHub (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/releases) or ModDB (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads), as usual.

* bug fix - inability to use stairs (reported by Avagart)
* bug fix - heal/inflict potions now print a message to log
* bug fix - Shield Focus feat causing an error in AC code (reported by wobner @ GitP forums)
* bug fix - log feedback when inflicting wounds
* bug fix - wounds being applied thrice in a single round
* bug fix - combat attack printout shows all the situational stuff (it was being overwritten by the generic)
* bug fix - due to copy and paste error, actors in FOV weren't being stored for the player, which broke a lot of functions (such as a check for being able to hide, being threatened or triggering AoOs)
* bug fix - the message for a powerful item on level never showed up due to bad logic

* implement throwing potions at enemies
* implement touch AC and touch attacks
* implement spell focus feats
* enable delayedLogMessages
* add yellow highlight to items and red highlight to actors

Eldan
2016-01-03, 03:14 PM
Both your links go to moddb, where I, atl east, can't seem to be able to download the file. Something about file not existing on any mirrors.

Zireael
2016-01-04, 03:23 AM
Whoops, c&p! Fixed!

I am aware that ModDB sometimes fails to distribute the files properly (or at least quick enough), hence I always provide the alternative link.

Zireael
2016-03-02, 01:38 PM
Item generation has been made more robust (among other highlights, every character starts with a potion of CLW and a random potion).

The only thing delaying beta 12 is my net's flakiness.

I have added some logging to skill points to verify it works as intended. It does.

To prevent player confusion, I made two important changes.

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.34.0-1456673699.png
Level up screen reminds you to use the class points first

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.34.0-1456942713.png
Backgrounds no longer affect your skill points - all they do is give you a free +2/+2 skill bonus feat

Zireael
2016-03-04, 08:34 AM
http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.34.0-1457006974.png

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.34.0-1457032244.png

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.34.0-1457097457.png

The trainer option, which has been in the game for quite some time, is finally playable! (Not completely as I envisioned it, a few rough spots to polish, but still!)

Zireael
2016-03-07, 04:14 AM
Beta 12 is out!

Grab it from GitHub (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/releases) or ModDB (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads), as usual.

(If running standalone, you might have to tick 'check incompatible' box. I do not know why it's so)

CHANGELOG:

* bug fix - potions/wands/scrolls without effects now never happen
* bug fix - add dummy entry to lower odds of mwk+ items
* bug fix - fix an engine bug preventing force_ego from working
* bug fix - rare Lua error when debug creating an item which is blocked by level_range
* bug fix - use_simple entry from ego not being merged with the parent item
* bug fix - typos in handle animal and stealth skills
* bug fix - ensure every randomly generated vial has poison
* bug fix - character sheet BAB display forgot to describe some modifiers
* bug fix - summoned critters not having wounds and their tiles not showing
* bug fix - typo caused some consumables' and npc tiles to not show
* bug fix - scrolls no longer leaking info about their effects
* bug fix - trying to pseudo-ID already ID'ed items (e.g. starting items)
* bug fix - cross class skills max rank not getting updated
* bug fix - overzealous filters in debug create item
* bug fix - mails having leather paperdoll look
* bug fix - some items not having subtypes
* bug fix - torches are properly removed from inventory when running out of fuel
* bug fix - resurrection diamond costing 10x too much exp
* bug fix - monster info counts egoed monsters together with non-egoed; no longer leaks info

* update to T-Engine 1.4.0
* new tiles: rags, crown, circlet; various gemstones; elven cat, locathah, grimlock, aasimar, tiefling, duergar, deep gnome, azer; piranha bird, bugbear, trog, merfolk, skum; light wooden/light steel/heavy wooden shields; cord/padded/leather armor;
* new item: rags, crown, circlet; gemstones
* new magic properties: graceful (half ACP), featherlight (1/4 weight)
* more potion and scroll types
* potions now stack
* a proper NPC egos implementation
* use shaders for some egos
* barbarians and fighters now get Spot as a class skill, just like Incursion
* backgrounds reworked: now they give you a bonus feat only
* trainer option improvements: class, skills, feats offered and dialogs respecting the limitations
* implement detect magic
* identify spell now takes an hour to work
* implement school-ID'ing if your Intuition is high enough
* implement item hardness and durability
* mithril armors now have all the associated effects per SRD
* implement generating specific egoed items
* all characters now start with a random potion and a potion of cure light wounds
* item tooltips now display average damage and % chance to crit for weapons
* item tooltips notify you of newly picked up items
* increase flying text size based on sensible flying text addon
* popup feedback for skill and class tabs of level up screen
* shortened names displayed in the equipdoll, ToME 4 style
* ability to tag items to prevent selling/dropping them
* shops now pay 66% price for unided items

LordOfCain
2016-03-07, 11:01 AM
I will try it out if I have time. Seems cool

Zireael
2016-08-23, 10:39 AM
Since I am the original poster, I am casting *Resurrection* on the thread.


I will try it out if I have time. Seems cool

Did you ever get around to trying it? Your post coincided with me starting a job, and subsequently having no time for Veins.


The job let up a bit so I can get back to tinkering with Veins.

In other news, I finally sat down and made a zone exclusively for testing traps. Turns out there was a TON of stupid goofs there - no wonder since those files date back to the very beginning of Veins development, when I was a complete noob in terms of programming.

http://media.moddb.com/cache/images/mods/1/24/23463/thumb_620x2000/veins-0.35.0-1471965501.png
The lower level of thieves guild is a maze full of easy traps. This one is under the beer

Zireael
2016-08-29, 03:01 AM
Veins of the Earth is a d20-based module for T-Engine.

The new beta is out!

Grab it from GitHub (https://github.com/Zireael07/The-Veins-of-the-Earth/releases) or ModDB (http://www.moddb.com/mods/the-veins-of-the-earth/downloads/beta-13-anyone-can-be-a-winner).

The downloads are standalone, so you don't need a copy of T-Engine (ToME 4) itself.


CHANGELOG:

* bug fix - item getting equipped in weird slots
* bug fix - display gameplay tab when starting game; add confirmation for settings
* bug fix - errors when cause fear spell works on an enemy
* bug fix - no more keeping old zone name displayed for 1 turn after changing
* bug fix - no more superfluous saving throws in log with many spells
* bug fix - Lua error when increasing stats on level up
* bug fix - intro message was supposed to be colored but a typo rendered it all white
* bug fix - warning message pops up in log every time you spot a monster, not just the very first one
* bug fix - traps no longer throwing up errors

* update to T-Engine 1.4.8
* the game now counts level generation attempts and aborts after too many (default is 50)
* quests: main quest, tutorial
* achievement for completing either quest
* the game now has a win condition
* new zones: Vatic Wastes, thieves guild
* new tiles: ring, signet ring, house insignia, greaves, cave floor, cave wall
* new items: signet ring, house insignia, gloves, greaves; waterskin
* new item slots: bracers, legs; bracers are now won in the bracers slots
* Iron Will etc. now scale with character level; restore Toughness as a separate feat; fold Dodge into Mobility
* implement climbing, opening locks on chests and doors
* a generic interact with environment button (e.g. get apples from a tree)
* NPCs in noble compound now have a correct faction
* adjust many rarities
* kids' spawn is now delayed

Zireael
2017-01-22, 02:42 PM
Casting *Resurrection*.

I have been porting the game to LOVE2D, and the port then got put on a brief hiatus of two months. It's missing feats/spells and it really needs a better dungeon generation. Other than that, all the basics are in. The port has code to support initiative order and is able to display the order on screen.

I am also thinking of deviating somewhat from the d20 base and going in the direction of a gritty d% system.