Avernum 4 - armor question

[khelvan]

I see that wearing armor can decrease your chance to hit with spells, or make it impossible to cast spells. But is there information about how close I am to these limits, like there is with endurance? If so, I can't seem to find it.

 

Thanks!

[Harehunter]

It is mainly your Mage spell casting that is affected by the so-called encumbrance effect of wearing armor. Priest spells are not affected. Basically, wearing armor of any sort has a cumulative effect on the ability of a character to move. The better the armor, the heavier it is and therefore its effect on movement. While looking at the inventory screen, pay attention to the numbers for carrying vs encumbrance. The first number should be well below the second one.

As I recall, the rules for the weight you are carrying change from game to game. In Avernum 4, it includes everything you are carrying. In Avernum 6, it includes only what you are wearing; the game now assumes you will drop your pack before engaging in spell casting.

 

A couple of skills affect this encumbrance thing: Strength and Defense. Strength is the most effective factor of course. Defense, by its effect on your agility, also factors in to increase your armor wearing capacity. But note that maxing out your mage in these skill will never allow wearing more than mediocre armor. Best to stick with magical armor which gives bonus points to defense while still weighing as much as its basic component such as leather.

 

Some people on these forums have gone through great effort to determine the exact algorithm by which these values are calculated.

[Randomizer]

It does depend upon the game since in the First Trilogy hardiness or defense would affect losing action points due to encumbering armor. This would counteract the penalty.

 

Avernum 5 and 6 have percentage chance to hit being raised and lowered by items with the Natural Mage trait giving players casting mage spells +20% chance to hit in addition to the normal limit at -5% chance to hit being the most that you could have. Also there are items to increase your to hit chance to balance out armor.

[khelvan]

Thank you, but is there a way to SEE how close I am to the limit, or what effect armor is -currently- having on my spell casting?

[Randomizer]

When you are in town go into combat mode and try casting mage spells. That way you can adjust your armor without affecting an actual fight.

[khelvan]

Maybe the answer to my question is so obvious that you don't think twice about it, or is not possible.

 

Here's my issue: I currently, through fault of the interface or my own, have no idea if the armor I am wearing is affecting my chance to hit. I cannot find a visual or text representation of my current negatives against my chance to hit. (For any of my characters, not just the mages)

 

I am certainly able to start up the combat interface in town and choose a spell to cast, but where on the screen or in the interface will I have a representation of my chance to hit (and/or my negatives against)? I can't see it, I don't know where to look. Is there a combat statistics area/screen that I am missing, somewhere?

 

Thanks!

[Randomizer]

Avernum 4 doesn't show chance to hit for spells when you can normal hit. What you are looking for is the message that you can't use mage spells because you are too encumbered. As long as you don't get that type of message than don't worry.

[Brocktree]

Originally Posted By: khelvan

Is there a combat statistics area/screen that I am missing, somewhere?

Thanks!

No.

[Mosquito---Slayer]

Armor doesn't decrease the chance to hit with spells,but at some level it will not allow your mage to cast them, so you needn't worry before that.