From the Notebook of Arilou - Chicken Spell Edition

It's been awhile since this blog delved into Wyvern content, something which I suspect is the primary reason many of you seven people check in on it. As such I am introducing a new series called; "From the Notebook of Arilou." As I go through life, beating on small children and taking their candy as my own, an idea occasionally pops into my head. The ones I like the most get written down either in a notebook or in a number of disorderly notepad files on my computer. From time to time I thought I'd give you guys a glimpse into them. However, they will usually involve things that cannot be added because of the limitations of the game at the moment or because they are beyond my abilities to make. So bothering me to introduce them won't work as if it was just up to me they would exist already.

In any case, today's edition focuses on something I refer to as the "Chicken Spell" in my notes. The idea was that when adventuring through a dungeon you can suddenly encounter a dark mage (obviously any monster could have the spell, but stay with me) who casts a bolt spell that, if it hits you, changes your graphic to that of a chicken. Once a chicken, you cannot change forms if your race normally allows it. Instead you, as any character, are given this as your new form. Your ability to wield weapons and wear most armor is removed, your hp and sp is extremely lowered, and your combat stats are lowered as well. The specifics of which are not important and were left opened to be determined after testing of the spell was underway. The point is that you are too weak to remain in combat and have to "take flight" (HAR HAR HAR). Ideally, I'd like this to be something that forces players to find a corner to hide in, within the given dungeon, and hope beyond hope that the dark mage or some other creature does not find you before the spell's effect wears off and you return to your normal self.

Some general notes:

- It's important that it is a bolt spell. The idea is to give players something they have to dodge as this should be a hated spell that people take special care to avoid and if it gets players every time it's not as balanced. This is not just something meant to annoy players. It's meant to create an interesting aspect of the game that forces them to react in a unique manner and if it happens to players all the time it becomes a generic nuisance that you just have to put up rather than an occasional challenge that simply takes you off target for a short while.

- It goes without saying, but this would be a monster only spell. However, it would open the door to a greater range of polymorph spells. For example, instead of negative ones that monsters use on you, players could potentially cast ones on themselves which turn them into various monsters for a short period of time - These forms could make them more powerful in combat or, at the least, will give them a unique skill that aids them in the moment.

- The time you remain as a chicken depends on the caster's skill in the element of choice.

- This was something that I came up with in 2003. I was once hoping to get someone to code it for me, but that never worked out. There were a number of problems. Specifically with getting it to work as a bolt spell and with the chicken aspect of it all. Apparently it had the same problem costumes did, meaning that it would glitch a player's image if they were a giant or a naga. But in general it's something that is complicated to code, so while I still hope someone will make something out of it someday, it has gained a special place in my notebook where it will probably remain for some time to come.

- While writing this I added another note - "Dark mage should randomly appear at different points in the dungeon and have a possibility to not appear at all." What this means is that if the spell ever got made, the first place I would use it in is a new dungeon where this "dark mage" lives. Rather than have him at a fixed point in the dungeon where players always knew where he was so they could prepare, it would be more fun if he would randomly jump out at you. Of course, this has nothing to do with where the spell would be used in other wizard's areas or projects of mine made after that. But the spell originated as an idea for a very specific encounter and I would like to make that a reality before doing anything else - Crazed mage -> polymorph chicken spell -> dungeon -> corners designed into the maps that give players somewhere to hide -> screaming over shouts that the sky is falling -> laughter by Arilou and sweet dreams of players dying painful deaths to follow.