Thank you, I made it myself

[Crystalion]

Since v1.10 release I've not been playing SP except for testing. I usually have a pretty good net connection and am enjoying the v1.10 Ladder economy (btw, classic is *much* harder than it used to be, long ago, I highly recommend it).

Some folks, though, like MongoJerry (he just got DSL? used to have 56k connection) can be tempted into some SP (single player) fun...

Theme: I made it myself

Reason: to have fun and show (as MongoJerry and I agree, no?) that the items in the game that are easily available to players "work" and the rune items are either easy/useful or hard/really-useful or impossible/uber/fun

Process: start a new char (any class/build), twink with cube and to taste (see restrictions), play through hell.


Restriction 1: can not use anything unless you made it, unless it is impossible to "make"; if something that can be made uses the slot you may not use something there that you didn't make

example: new chars throw away their initial weapon (and shield)... you will need to find a socketed one, and actually socket something into it before you're allowed to use it

example: you can't make Town Portal scrolls or books, so you may freely use them (find or buy)

example: can use red and blue potions, and buy them; can use dropped small rejuvs; can not use big rejuvs unless made them in cube or found them by Find Potion

example: can not wear a found/bought belt, because there are ways to cube to make belts; crafting would leave you without a belt for a *long* time, so I recommend you find an El rune, a gem chip, and a cracked sash asap!! :D

example: can not use a charm "as is" but must cube it (i.e. reroll it)

example: found an elite unique... can not use it (repair recipe "cubing" it doesn't count as "making" it)

example: found a normal unque... can use it, *after* upgrading it (to exceptional, by recipe)

example: rares... ditto unique example

example: a barb is allowed to use anything from Find Potion or Find Item (hey, this is for fun, and if you're willing to stick your hands inside a demon's slimy carcass, more power to ya! ;) ) If the barb finds such an item, however, he must give it up if he ever accidentally repairs it in a shop... he must repair it only by cube recipe (and no, you may not twink him with the runes specifically to do this repair--that would be "cheating")


Restriction 2: "twinking" limited to horadric cube (asap!), gems, runes, socketed (grey) items, white items

ergo fodder for runewords and crafting for the most part (don't ignore the leech sword recipe, the normalize low quality item recipe, the make resist ring/ammy recipes etc.).

example: you are not allowed to twink uniques/rares and then upgrade them (the theme is making it yourself, so runewords/crafts are the order of the day, unless it drops for your character).

Restriction 3:To be a true "maker", during your journey (completing the game in norm...hell) you must try out *all* making recipes, if possible, using the product of the recipe for at least one complete character level-up

ergo you will try out all the different runewords (yes, I know this means you'll have to twink runes), you will try socketing at least one of every type of gem (kind, not grade) in each possible purpose/slot (e.g. Topaz in weapon/shield and either of torso/helm since the purpose, MF, is the same for both), you will try all the crafts, you will try all the cube recipes! In short, you will come out of the process knowing far more than than I do (which might not be a good thing? ;) )

...

That's it. Silly thought for the day. If you like it, have fun and report back.

[Occhidiangela]

Similar to some Variants based on Foger, a Barbarian Variant, and some "Self Made Man" variants I came up with.

I like yours better than mine since your rules are a little shorter. :) Imagine that!

[Little Faith]

Hmm, this sounds like a fun playable variant: Unlike others it is rather simple:

Here are some suggestions:

Charsi's Imbue, Larzuk's Sockets and Anya's name tag may and should also be used. Sure it is not really you who do it, but it fits so well into the whole "custom made" ideal.

In the whole the "blacksmiths" (Charsi/Mara/Hratli/Halbu/Larzuk) of the different acts will be sort of "mentors" to this character that will inspire him/her by their example.

Skills that fits the theme:

Amazon: Magic Arrow.

Assassin: All trap skills.

Barbarian: Find Potion, Find Item and Grim Ward.

Druid: I don't know.

Necromancer: Iron Golem (this is a good way to make use of all those "useless" elites).

Paladin: I really don't know either.

Sorceress: Enchant.





Suggestions to storyline/character concept:

Your character has always been a bit of an odd sort. While your peers were longing for heroic deeds/training for combat/whatever you were more interested in the tinkering of the workshops and the clamor of the smithies. You loved taking things apart and putting them back together again and you took pride in your ability mend fix and create all sorts of objects, from the mundane to the esoteric.

You family, however, could not see the glory of a craftman's life. They were of the old school and would like to see you become a great warrior/archmage/high priest and an esteemed statesman. Mending and fabricating stuff was tasks meant for those of lesser breed. Nonetheless you were always sneaking away spending time with various craftsmen(and/or women) of whom you learned many different skills.

One day your family tired of your antics putting your family reputation in danger. They decided that the army would be able to rid you of your confused notions. You were quickly enrolled (without much say in the matter) in the Volunteer International Relief Force headed for the Rogue monastery that apparantly should be in some sort of trouble.

Initially you hated the whole idea, but perhaps this would be the best chance to prove yourself. Afterall the VIRF ought to need someone to maintain the weaponry of the fighting forces as well as construct new materiel and fortifications. Your wide range ad-hoc skills made you excellent at working in the field.


But this was going to be much different than you have planned...
When the day arrived you packed some select belongings: A toolbelt with various tools, a leather armor you had sewn yourself from a cheap cowhide and short sword you had forged youself too.
But as your entered the enlistment office you were promptly stripped of all your baggage. "You were not going to take up excess storage space on the ship/caravan with your inane junk," was the reason given. Instead you were supplied with the standard issue rookie buckler and a training axe/sword/club/javelin/punch dagger (alternately a training wand/staff). Something was telling you that neither you, nor the rogues, was taken very seriously.

And rightfully so. After a brief cursory training session (where you didn't manage learn anything worthwhile about combat) you were all loaded on a ship/caravan and sent away. The whole mindset seemed to be something along the way of: "Those whiny rogues are probably just experiencing a quill rat infestation or a common zombie outbreak. Well, let's send them some rookies. It is cheaper than having to mind them ourselves and it's a good opportunity to get some combat experience".

The situation was of course totally different when you finally got there. Sure zombies and quill rats were running amok all over the countryside, but so were much nastier creatures as well as roving warbands of what appeared to be traitorous rogues. All these creatures seemed to be acting in concert and had the completely unprepared VIRF troops holed up inside a tiny barricade along with a small contingent of rogue archers.

The situation was completely FUBAR. You were left under the command of the rogue captain Kashya who seemed to be less than pleased with the gaggle of rookies taking up space in their entrenchment. Basically you were left much to your own devices in a hostile land with only a few rugs and a measly bit of daily bread for respite. To make matters worse you even managed to break your standard issue equipment trying to improve upon them while lacking the proper tools.

There was one light in all this misery. The rogue camp had a blacksmith of barbarian origin named Charsi. The angels might know how she came to chose a holy life. It seemed quite contrary to her character. She was the ideal craftsman. A weaponsmith by trade the circumstances had forced her to expand her skills in many directions. Besides maintaining all metal tools and armament she was also constantly at work restringing bows, fletching arrows, repairing tents and even supervising the maintenance of the barricades. She was the ideal craftsman. Almost self-taught in all kinds of skills and with an open and intuitive mind. Quite far removed from the inhibited and militaristic Kashya and the detached and ominous Akara that was leading the operations.
Whenever you were not sent out on the small quill rat forays (the quill rats were used as food and their quills made good makeshift arrowheads) you would spend time aiding Charsi in her forge. She could clearly see that there was more in you than just a measly forgehand, but sadly she did not have the spare tools to make you work on your own neither the time to properly train you though you could have been a great asset.

Then something miraculous happened.
It was not uncommon that travelling merchants chased by the various monsters would briefly stop in for a quick respite at the camp. In fact two merchants heading for Lut Gholein had become permanent fixtures of the camp. Actually the camp had grown into something of a trade center for the ravaged countryside. Especially because of the weapons that Charsi sold from her makeshift smithy.

One week where an especially nasty zombie assault were more or less blocking all traffic a distinguished looking man with somewhat torn robe clutching what seemed to be a mage's staff entered the camp. He headed straight for Charsi's smithy completely ignoring everyone else. He then had a conversation that quickly turned into a heated argument with Charsi sounding quite angry. He then dissapeared in a flash of lightning.
From what you heard he was inquiring about a certain "malus" that Charsi was apparantly both unwilling and unable to supply. After the incident died down you asked Charsi what the man wanted. "Some sort of stupid treasure hunter believing this place is just here for looting! He doesn't know that people actually made all those things and they did NOT make them just so he could take them!"

Then something caught your eyes. The mysterious man had dropped some kind of box. It was made of fine expensive wood and clad with bronze strips in beautiful patterns. It was quite intricate with a lock mechanism that opened by the press of a single button, but the inside held even greater wonders. This was nothing else than a genuine toolbox, and a magical one at that! The inside (that appeared far more spacious than the outside) held all kinds of tools. Some mundane, some exotic and some completely unidentifiable. There was also several (sadly quite empty) gem pouches, glass beakers and scrolls with weird sequences of runes and formulae.....

[Ruvanal]

example: can use red and blue potions, and buy them; can use dropped small rejuvs; can not use big rejuvs unless made them in cube or found them by Find Potion

This should be in the same catagory as the Full Rejuvenation potions. Cube formula:
3 health potions + 3 mana potions + 1 chipped gem -> rejuvenate potion

for the Full Rejuvs there are 2 formulas:
3 health potions + 3 mana potions + 1 standard gem -> full rejuvenate potion
3 small rejuvs -> one large

edit: also this formula would ve very useful very early in the game:
3 chipped gems + 1 magic weapon -> socketed, magic weapon

[BlackLightning]

Original idea, but with a few interesting twists...
I like it! Excellent idea, but do you have any names for this "Forger" of yours? One obvious one might be "Griswold" if your character's a barbarian, but who knows... it would be funny though, if you played online, to see the message: "Griswold was slain by Griswold"! :D

I wish you good luck, just like MongoJerry, and hope your builds' a great success!

[Occhidiangela]

Skills that fit the theme:

Druid: I don't know.

How about Volcano? As in, the heat for the Forge for various magical weapons, to include The One Ring.

Necromancer: Iron Golem (this is a good way to make use of all those "useless" elites).

Paladin: Blessed Hammer? Hammer on the Forge. Might? That's a fist, and it takes a strong hand to forge steel. Charge? Smiths charge a lot for a quality blade. :)

Sorceress: Enchant.



One day your family tired of your antics putting your family reputation in danger. They decided that the army would be able to rid you of your confused notions. You were quickly enrolled (without much say in the matter) in the Volunteer International Relief Force headed for the Rogue monastery that apparantly should be in some sort of trouble.

I like this, and you now have to wear a blue hat (socketed with sapphires, of with suitable affix that turns thehat blue . . . sorta like the UN Blue Beret! :) )

[Little Faith]

Firstly, this is no critique of the concept since I think it owns, but I think you should market it as an old-school variant rather than a "MongoJerry" epic.

While it certainly proves a challenge and forces your to think a bit "out of the box" items-wise this is something that even a relative newbie could commence with (as long as he knows his cubing and socketing 101).

Really, I'd like to see a sort of variant renaissance and that is why I tried to write up a "background story" that was general enough to allow every kind of character to participate.
Also, this would be a good variant because it's rules are rather clear and simple (and not an obfuscated codex of intricate rules).

Actually, one of my ladder characters at the moment is striving to obtain a gear entirely made up of crafted and runeworded stuff and it's not an entirely hopeless venture.