Ring of Free Action

[CamDawg]

Ring of Free Action was setting the free action ability permanently (BD) and was not suppressing the "held" string and not setting movement rate to normal (devSin).

 

// ring of free action lacking protection from string and free action is not while equipped
COPY_EXISTING ~ring09.itm~ ~override~
 READ_LONG   0x64 "abil_off"
 READ_SHORT  0x68 "abil_num"
 READ_LONG   0x6a "fx_off"
 READ_SHORT  0x70 "fx_num"
 WRITE_SHORT 0x70 ("%fx_num%" + 2)
 WHILE ("%abil_num%" > 0) BEGIN // looks for magical ability header
   SET "abil_num" = ("%abil_num%" - 1)
   READ_SHORT  ("%abil_off%" + 0x1e + ("%abil_num%" * 0x38)) "abil_fx_num"
   WRITE_SHORT ("%abil_off%" + 0x1e + ("%abil_num%" * 0x38)) ("%abil_fx_num%" + 2)
 END
 WHILE ("%fx_num%" > 0) BEGIN
   SET "fx_num" = ("%fx_num%" - 1)
   READ_BYTE ("%fx_off%" +        ("%fx_num%" * 0x30)) "type"
   PATCH_IF ("%type%" = 163) BEGIN // free action
     WRITE_BYTE ("%fx_off%" + 0x0c + ("%fx_num%" * 0x30)) 2 // instant/while equipped
   END
 END
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%" +     ) 0x30  // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%" +     ) 267   // display string imunity
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x02) 1     // target:self
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%" + 0x04) 14102 // strref "held"
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0c) 2     // instant/while equipped
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0d) 2     // not dispel/not bypass
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x12) 100   // probability
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%" +     ) 0x30  // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%" +     ) 126   // movementrate bonus
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x02) 1     // target:self
   WRITE_LONG  ("%fx_off%" + 0x04) 100   // 100%
   WRITE_LONG  ("%fx_off%" + 0x08) 1     // set to
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0c) 2   // instant/while equipped
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0d) 2   // not dispel/not bypass
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x12) 100 // probability
 BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

[CamDawg]

Whoops. missed five spell immunities devSin added. Let's try this again.

 

// ring of free action lacking protection from string and free action is not while equipped
COPY_EXISTING ~ring09.itm~ ~override~
 SET "fx_new" = 7
 READ_LONG   0x64 "abil_off"
 READ_SHORT  0x68 "abil_num"
 READ_LONG   0x6a "fx_off"
 READ_SHORT  0x70 "fx_num"
 WRITE_SHORT 0x70 ("%fx_num%" + "%fx_new%")
 WHILE ("%abil_num%" > 0) BEGIN // looks for magical ability header
   SET "abil_num" = ("%abil_num%" - 1)
   READ_SHORT  ("%abil_off%" + 0x1e + ("%abil_num%" * 0x38)) "abil_fx_num"
   WRITE_SHORT ("%abil_off%" + 0x1e + ("%abil_num%" * 0x38)) ("%abil_fx_num%" + "%fx_new%")
 END
 WHILE ("%fx_num%" > 0) BEGIN
   SET "fx_num" = ("%fx_num%" - 1)
   READ_BYTE ("%fx_off%" +        ("%fx_num%" * 0x30)) "type"
   PATCH_IF ("%type%" = 163) BEGIN // free action
     WRITE_BYTE ("%fx_off%" + 0x0c + ("%fx_num%" * 0x30)) 2 // instant/while equipped
   END
 END
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 267        // display string imunity
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%" + 0x04) 14102      // strref "held"
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 126        // movementrate bonus
   WRITE_LONG  ("%fx_off%" + 0x04) 100        // 100%
   WRITE_LONG  ("%fx_off%" + 0x08) 1          // set to
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 206        // immunity to spel
   WRITE_ASCII ("%fx_off%" + 0x14) ~spwish25~ // spell
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 206        // immunity to spell
   WRITE_ASCII ("%fx_off%" + 0x14) ~SPIN983~  // spell
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 206        // immunity to spel
   WRITE_ASCII ("%fx_off%" + 0x14) ~SPWM164~  // spell
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 206        // immunity to spel
   WRITE_ASCII ("%fx_off%" + 0x14) ~SPIN977~  // spell
 INSERT_BYTES  ("%fx_off%"       ) 0x30       // new effect
   WRITE_SHORT ("%fx_off%"       ) 206        // immunity to spel
   WRITE_ASCII ("%fx_off%" + 0x14) ~SPWI312~  // spell
 WHILE ("%fx_new"% > 7) BEGIN
   SET "fx_new" = ("%fx_new%" - 1)
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x02) 1     // target:self
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0c) 2     // instant/while equipped
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x0d) 2     // not dispel/not bypass
   WRITE_BYTE  ("%fx_off%" + 0x12) 100   // probability
 END
 BUT_ONLY_IF_IT_CHANGES

[Rastor]

Is Ring of Free Action supposed to make the wearer immune to mind flayer's stun (the Free Action spell does not)?

[Kish]

Is Ring of Free Action supposed to make the wearer immune to mind flayer's stun (the Free Action spell does not)?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hm, that's a tricky one.

The wearer is immune to everything,  magical and otherwise,  that affects mobility in any way.  This includes haste and slow spells.

While under the effects of this spell, the recipient becomes immune to anything that limits his movement.  This includes the effects of web, hold person, grease and entangle.

It sure doesn't sound like the ring is meant to be more powerful than the spell--if anything, the spell isn't meant to convey immunity to Haste. But I suspect they should be the same, Stun immunity for both or neither. The question is, does Stun count as "anything that limits movement/affects mobility," or not?

[Ghreyfain]

My thinking is that all the other "hold" effects are physical, except maybe hold person itself, while the mindflayer stun is mental. I'd say go without it (both for continuity and balance reasons). Of course, that's just an opinion, not based on any sort of facts.

[BigRob]

I agree with the view of Mindflayer stun as being exempt from Free Action here. It seems to me that the fact that you're stunned doesn't hinder your ability to actually move. It just makes it so you can't summon the will to do it, in the same way that a Dire Charm affects your will to do certain things and not how you go about doing them.

[devSin]

The ring doesn't provide immunity to mind flayer abilities (at least, not that I can see).

[Rastor]

Actually, it does. I don't know how it is coded, but I can tell you from personal experience that a character wearing the ring is immune to mind flayer stun.

[devSin]

Ah. They must use the generic stun effect, then.

 

Anyway, all permanent Free Action items (the ring, Flail of Ages +5, Ixil's Spike, etc.) provide immunity to stun and SPFLAYER, whereas the spell only does an unstun and removes the portrait icon (without providing protection).

[Kish]

Ah. They must use the generic stun effect, then.

 

Anyway, all permanent Free Action items (the ring, Flail of Ages +5, Ixil's Spike, etc.) provide immunity to stun and SPFLAYER, whereas the spell only does an unstun and removes the portrait icon (without providing protection).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Removes the portrait icon? That sounds like it's meant to protect from Stun, and therefore both ring and spell should.

[devSin]

Instant/Permanent (to coincide with the unstun). It doesn't disable the portrait icon for the spell duration, it merely removes it (if you cast the spell on an object that is stunned).

[Kish]

Instant/Permanent (to coincide with the unstun). It doesn't disable the portrait icon for the spell duration, it merely removes it (if you cast the spell on an object that is stunned).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But why would it mess with the Stun icon at all, if it's not meant to protect from Stun? Ring protects from Stun, spell takes away the Stun icon--it sounds like the bug is that the spell doesn't protect from Stun.

[CamDawg]

I think it's beginning to look like it should be protecting from stun effects. Flail of Ages +5 and Ixil's Spike +6 both convey Free Action to the wielder and include stun immunity. Keldorn's armor provides "limited free action" and does not, and just to round out Bioware's famous consistency, one of the two versions of Spider's Bane provides stun immunity (sw2h06) while the other does not (sw2h13).

 

I'd say it should protect against MF stuns--from the decription:

 

Special:  The wearer is immune to everything,  magical and otherwise,  that affects mobility in any way.  This includes haste and slow spells.

 

I'd say "and otherwise" would cover psionic atacks.

[devSin]

Whatever you decide is fine, but I just wanted to point out that the spell removes the icon because it unstuns the character. Although the character can be stunned after the initial effects are applied, the portrait icon needs to be removed (otherwise you'll have an un-stunned character with the stun portrait icon). Since this doesn't provide protection from the icon, the next stun to affect the character will appropriately display the icon.

 

I really also think that Free Action is not a "lasting" effect. I've posted numerous times about this, so I'm hoping somebody will either believe me or check it out (I demand satisfaction!) . I'm fairly certain that it is similar to unstun, except that it removes most other effects that affect mobility (Hold Person, Web, Entangle, Slow, etc.). The protection from/immunity to effects are what protect the character from mobility impediments for the duration of the spell, but Free Action is a single-shot effect that should be Instant/Permanent (it is applied only once, and isn't added to the CRE file).

[JPS]

I really also think that Free Action is not a "lasting" effect. I've posted numerous times about this, so I'm hoping somebody will either believe me or check it out (I demand satisfaction!) . I'm fairly certain that it is similar to unstun, except that it removes most other effects that affect mobility (Hold Person, Web, Entangle, Slow, etc.). The protection from/immunity to effects are what protect the character from mobility impediments for the duration of the spell, but Free Action is a single-shot effect that should be Instant/Permanent (it is applied only once, and isn't added to the CRE file).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

The spell description is obviously copied directly from the AD&D manual, so it wastes half a paragraph on describing how it enables you to move normally under water but doesn't say a word about stun...

 

It does have a duration, however, so it seems to me that it either removes the stun effect and protects from it for the duration of the spell, or doesn't affect it at all. Spells with a one-time, non lasting effext (like dispel/remove magic) don't have a duration.

 

So... umm... that doesn't help at all, but it might at least limit the field of the discussion.

 

(and it's of course possible that it works differently in the game than in the printed rules, so you might get to discuss if Bioware changed it deliberately or by mistake instead )