The Chargometer

I think Read Magic is the superior choice. That way, the Helm of Reading Magic solves the problem all around.

 

Either way is doable. If I make it detect magic, then I can create a device that allows unlimited detect magics. Wouldn't be difficult.

 

Actually, I take that back. Detect Magic doesn't target an item, so I'm not sure I could easily mod Detect Magic to do the job.

Read Magic remains a viable candidate.

 

Read magic is much closer to the task of defining the charges than detect magic is, in my opinion.

Read magic you are focusing on one item and defining it's exact nature, while detect magic is an area spell, (cone shaped) that is more defined the longer you concentrate.

 

Yeah, Detect Magic might be an alternate acceptable solution.

But I fully agree with sirchet. :thumbsup: Read Magic is the thing here.

And Gaear, of course if we have to create a specific device just to count how many charges are left in a wand, I'd agree that a wand of charges detection is better than most.

I was just questioning the need to have one such item in the game, when we already have spells that are meant to identify magical properties.

 

There are two possible situations about the wand charges in a game:

1) The game discloses the information without the need of the player to do anything to gain insight about the number of charges (ex. a small number in the wand icon indicates the charges left)

2) The game does not do the above and in this case there is the need of a player action

Provided we find ourselves in situation 2, the Read Magic spell, while not openly saying it's used to learn how many charges are left in the wand, is, by extension, suitable for the purpose. The description does not, in fact, mention this is a spell to use to identify potions either, which instead it does. Furthermore, the player might eventually end up using an item (Helm of Reading Magic) and not be bothered with spell casting any longer, cancelling the "taxing for the player" factor.

My argument is that if learning the number of charges is not free to begin with (which I think is fair, by the way), then it makes sense to have the player invest something in order to find it out. A Read Magic spell is cheap and can be employed easily all throughout the game.

I find a bit disturbing to think that a Read Magic is not appropriate just because its description does not expressly include reading the number of charges on a wand while instead it's acceptable to introduce yet a new item whose sole purpose in the game is to learn how many charges are left on a wand. With what kind of magic would that item operate if not something similar to Read Magic itself or Identify? Not to mention that being a wand, it'd have a limited number of charges, I suppose? Would we need to use it on itself to know how many are left? And once it's exhausted, should we go and buy another one?

Lastly, the "it is cool" factor. It seems to me that adding the Wand of Wand Charges (good luck in finding a not silly name) to the plethora we already have in the game feels much more based on the "it is cool" factor.

I find extending Read Magic to also read the wand charges is a more elegant and unobtrusive solution and I do not believe it's such a chore for the player to employ a spell to learn the charges of the wand more than it is to use a wand. People who chimed in here seems to agree with this (myself, sirchet, Daryk and partly ConjurerDragon - not to mention Rudy who came with the original idea).

I will of course abide to any decision you guys will make about it but I don't find fair to be told I am not motivating my position.

 

Well put, Salk. My thought on using Read Magic is that we've already repurposed it to identify potions, so it's not a stretch to throw in reading the number of charges in a wand. What we need is a merchant who sells a Helm of Reading Magic (aside from the one that means forgoing XP for killing him). Maybe the "tool" merchant when they're added to Merchant's Row?

 

Salk: I don't see any way to do the first solution. Inserting an number into the icon would involve changing the hardcoding in temple.dll, something far beyond my ability.

While I'll bow to whatever your decision is, Gaear, I do think that the Read Magic solution is more elegant. Consider that by the time the player needs to be keeping track of charges beyond one or two items, they're probably going to have a Helm of Reading Magic. At that point, having the extra wand would just be a waste of space.

Further, as has been pointed out, Read Magic has already been adapted to identify potions, which *should* be identified by a Spellcraft check.

 

I believe I can configure it to work as follows:

If you cast it on an unidentified scroll or potion, it will identify it, and no more.

If you cast it on anything that is already identified, then it will display the charges.

So, if a player were to use the spell to identify a scroll, it wouldn't display "1 charge". However, if they were to cast it to identify a scroll, and then cast it *again* on the same scroll for some reason, then it would display "1 charge".

Would that be satisfactory?

 

Re: Wands and Selections

Is the patch for the wand changes available? When I realized analyze dweomer didn't tell you how many charges were left in an item I stopped trying to figure it out and just used the wands until they disappeared. However in my most recent run through of the game (v.7.8 NC) I crafted a wand of fireball (5) and realized it only has 10 charges.

 

Ahhh, but we do have the one true constant in Co8 ....... The Bastard Maestro!