Clothing Effects

[Yummri]

Is there a way to tell if an item of clothing will effect you or a skill you possess?

I've noticed that some clothing will lower movement or stun points but there was no indication that it would happen as far as I could tell. There was also no way to tell if the item is increase or decreasing certain skills.

I'm talking in general of course but as a new player, I've found it very hard to tell. is there a command that can help me work this out and if not could there be one?

[Cutthroat]

The only way to tell explicitly is by using the assess -v command, although this tends to work only with tools.

For most worn equipment, you'll just have to rely on the description of the item. If an item is described as having a camouflage design, or being made of breathable sandcloth, you can expect it to be helpful in those ways. Whereas if the item is described as being restrictive or being made of a heavy material (like shell, bone, or obsidian) you can expect it to be harmful in certain ways.

[Harmless]

Yep, you need to look at its description. Sometimes it's obvious, such as explicitly-named climbing gear. But, other times, you wouldn't know unless you looked -- some armor might seem useful to parrying attacks. There are boot designs that you wouldn't want to be kicked by. There are various pieces of gear that explicitly describe themselves as helping in archery... and there are the ever-famous sunslits, which help one navigate the desert by blocking sand and harsh sun rays from the eyes.

For a lot of things, you should ask someone in your clan, house, or a fellow hunter. It's totally IC for a merc to wonder at which bits of bone or shell gear will best help them.

You just inspired me to make a post that I want to do now.

[Yummri]

I'v been trying to find out icly as much as I can. I was just wondering if there was some specific way that people knew or if things like an archery brace, or riding boots actually helped.

Because I've played games before where a description doesn't always ensure a benefit. its just to make it thermally or fancy.

Thanks for clearing this up for me.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Generally, an item here does exactly what it says it will do.

[Lizzie]

Except if it doesn't.

There are axes that are useful for woodcutting (aka, codedly, the skill that involves the syntax "use axe" to chop a log from a wooded area). And there are axes that are useful for weapons. There is at least one axe that's useful for both. You would -think- that if you could use a fairly small axe to chop down a tree, then a big war-axe should also be able to chop down a tree. But - it can't. It can only be used in combat.

There are tools that have no -coded- use, but are just really neat RP props. Like paintbrushes, for example.

There are tools that -should- have certain use, but codedly can be used in totally unrealistic ways instead, and the use they -should- have, isn't a coded use anyway.

The only way to tell if something has a specific use or not, and what that use is, is to *assess -v* it. With the -v meaning "verbose."

The thing you want to assess has to be in your general inventory (loose, not in a container or worn or wielded or held), or on the ground in the room you're in.

This assess isn't always going to be accurate, such as the thing I just assessed in game. Without divulging the actual thing, here's a fake:

I have a polishing cloth. If I

assess -v cloth

it says

A polishing cloth might be useful in polishing shoes.

But, there is no command "polish shoes" in Armageddon. There is, however, a "bootmaking" skill. And as it turns out, this polishing cloth gives a bonus to your ability to successfully make a pair of boots.

However - if you're making a pair of suede boots, you're not going to be polishing it AT ALL, with or without a cloth. So really, it makes zero sense at all for that polishing cloth to be useful in the -creation- of the boots. Only in the polishing of the finished product, and only on those products that would actually benefit from being polished.

There are items like that in Armageddon.

Although this is counter-intuitive, and not helpful, and can be very frustrating, don't give up, and just try to experiment a bit. Assume, for instance, that if you want to sneak around sneakily - that you'll want a few things in your chosen outfit: You want something relatively lightweight. You'll want something that doesn't creak or clang a lot. You'll want something that might blend in with whatever environment you're trying to blend in.

So, for being sneaky, in let's say - the city of Allanak, on the public roads and NOT in the rinth...
Wearing full silt-horror plate armor, a pair of ruby earrings, and a bright purple leather overcoat - will probably not be a good idea.

[The7DeadlyVenomz]

Eh, fine point, Liz. One problem we have is that just recently have their been clear cut standards for how items are built (recently being the last maybe five years). Over time, there's been tons of variances that probably shouldn't have happened. Just need one staffer with the patience and permission to retcon every last item, pricing it correctly, applying bonuses and negatives correctly, weight, etc, etc.

That's a tall order.

[Naruto]

Actually assess -v won't always work to make sure if the item gives you a bonus to any skills. And it never works on items affecting your stats. I mean some desert-travel cloak could affect your move points by 5 but a plainly described cloak can affect your move points by 10. The only way to see if an item increases or descreases one of your stats is to wear it.

In short what everyone says is all true.

What I do to see what an item does skillwise:
1- check the sdesc of the item. i.e: a pair of climbing boots (may give bonus to climbing); a crude parrying dagger (may give bonus to parry)
2- check the long desc of the item. i.e: sdesc: a pair of claw tipped boots.  ldesc: These boots look just fine and have the claws of a feline attached to their tips. Apparently these boots might greatly help you climbing for the claws could cling to the surface of the wall. assess: -nothing (may give bonus to climbing)
3- use assess -v on the item. i.e: sdesc: a pair of cat-paw shoes. ldesc: These shoes are made like cat paws and look really fancy. assess: a pair of cat-paw shoes might be used in climbing (definitely gives bonus to climbing)

What I do to see what an item does statwise: to wear it or to remove it if I have it worn. And check my stats just before and right after doing them.

I hope this answers your question.