Description

Monsters can behave in various kinds of ways. They can be aggressive, attacking the player. Or peaceful, helping the player - maybe joining him as pet. The unaggressive creatures who communicate with players are usually called "NPCs" (Non Player Character), a well-known term in role-play environments.

Type defined by:

Attributes

Attribute	Field	Description
armor class	living::ac	Monsters of low <armor class> are less likely to get hit from their opponent. <armor class> can be considered the "counter piece" to <weapon class>. Values typically range between +20 (very bad) to -20 (quite good).
artifact	object::artifact	If defined, refers to an artifact to get values from.
asleep	FLAG_SLEEP	Being <asleep>, a monster won't move unless a player enters the <sensing range> of the monster. Usually the sensing range is larger than the players line of sight. Due to that, in most cases the player won't ever notice whether a monster was asleep or not.
attack movement	object::attack_movement	Specifies how the NPC or Monster moves: default - Move toward a player. DISTATT - Move toward a player if far, but maintain some space, attack from a distance - good for missile users only. RUNATT - Run but attack if player catches up to object. HITRUN - Run to then hit player then run away cyclicly. WAITATT - Wait for player to approach then hit, move if hit. RUSH - Rush toward player blindly, similiar to dumb monster. ALLRUN - Always run, never attack good for sim. of weak player. DISTHIT - Attack from a distance if hit as recommended by Frank. WAIT2 - Monster does not try to move towards player if far. Maintains comfortable distance. The second setting specifies the behavior when there is no enemy: default - Stand still. PETMOVE - The monster follows the player until it is called off and will try to attack whatever the player is attacking. CIRCLE1 - The monster will move in a circle until it is attacked, or until it finds an enemy. This is good for non-aggressive monsters and NPC. CIRCLE2 - Same as CIRCLE1 but a larger circle is used. PACEH - The monster will pace back and forth until attacked. This is HORIZONTAL movement. PACEH2 - The monster will pace as above but the length of the pace area is longer and the monster stops before changing directions. This is HORIZONTAL movement. RANDO - The monster will go in a random direction until it is stopped by an obstacle, then it chooses another direction. RANDO2 - Constantly move in a different random direction. PACEV - The monster will pace back and forth until attacked. This is VERTICAL movement. PACEV2 - The monster will pace as above but the length of the pace area is longer and the monster stops before </td> </tr> <tr> <td>attack type</td> <td>object::attacktype</td> <td> This number is a bitmask, specifying the monster's attack types for melee damage. Attack types are: physical, magical, fire, cold, etc. Strong monsters often have more than just physical attack type. When a monster with multiple attack types hits an opponent, it will do as much damage as the "best" of it's attack types does. So, the more attack types, the more dangerous. Attack types "magic" and "chaos" are somehow exceptions. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>attuned paths</td> <td>object::path_attuned</td> <td> Click on the <attuned paths> button to select spellpaths. The creature will get attuned to the specified spellpaths. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>block view</td> <td>FLAG_BLOCKSVIEW</td> <td> If an item is set to block view, players (and monsters) cannot see beyond it unless they cross it or manage to stand on top. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>blocks prayers</td> <td>blocks_prayer</td> <td> Similar to damned, but does not appear in detect curse. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>breed monster</td> <td>object::other_arch</td> <td> This only takes effect if <multiply> is enabled. The monster will create a <breed monster> every once in a while. <breed monster> can be set to any valid arch-name of a monster. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can cast spell</td> <td>FLAG_CAST_SPELL</td> <td> If <can cast spell> is disabled, the monster cannot cast any spell. Only wands/rods/etc. can be used, given the appropriate abilities. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use armor</td> <td>FLAG_USE_ARMOUR</td> <td> Monster is able to wear protective equipment like breastplate armor, helmets etc. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use bows</td> <td>FLAG_USE_BOW</td> <td> Monster is able to use missile-weapon type objects. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use ranged weapons</td> <td>FLAG_USE_RANGE</td> <td> Monster is able to use wands, staves, and rods. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use rings</td> <td>FLAG_USE_RING</td> <td> Monster is able to wear rings. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use scrolls</td> <td>FLAG_USE_SCROLL</td> <td> Monster is able to read scrolls. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use shield</td> <td>FLAG_USE_SHIELD</td> <td> Monster is able to wear shields. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use skills</td> <td>FLAG_CAN_USE_SKILL</td> <td> Monster is able to use skills from it's inventory. For example, you can put a throwing skill object and some boulders into the monster's object and set <can use skills>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>can use weapons</td> <td>FLAG_USE_WEAPON</td> <td> Monster is able to wield weapon type objects. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>carries weight</td> <td>object::carrying</td> <td> If a monster has something in the inventory, this value can be set to reflect the slowdown due to the carried weight. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>changing</td> <td>FLAG_CHANGING</td> <td> A <changing> object converts to <food> <other_arch> objects; when it's animation is done. For non-living objects <food> is checked: if it is zero, the change happens; otherwise <food> is decreased by one. I suggest you don't mess with this value - leave the default in place. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>client-sided randomized animation?</td> <td>FLAG_CLIENT_ANIM_RANDOM</td> <td> If defined, then the object's animation is client-sided. Similar objects are animated independently. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>client-sided synchronized animation?</td> <td>FLAG_CLIENT_ANIM_SYNC</td> <td> If defined, then the object's animation is client-sided. Similar objects are animated synchronized. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>damage</td> <td>living::dam</td> <td> Among other parameters, <damage> affects how much melee damage a monster inflicts. <damage> is used as base value for damage per hit. <level>, <speed>, <weapon class> and resistances also take effect on the melee damage of a monster. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>death animation</td> <td>death_animation</td> <td> If set to an archetype name, this item will be inserted in the map when the monster dies. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>denied paths</td> <td>object::path_denied</td> <td> Click on the <denied paths> button to select spellpaths. The creature won't be able to cast spells of the specified paths. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>detect hidden</td> <td>living::Int</td> <td> The <detect hidden> value gives monsters the ability to find hidden/invisible creatures. Higher values make for better detection-skills. Enabling <see invisible> makes this value obsolete. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>elevation</td> <td>elevation</td> <td> The elevation (height above sea level) of this square. It is used for weather calculations and should be in the range -32000..32000. The elevation of a tile must be set in the bottom-most game object; elevation values for non-bottom-most game objects are ignored by the Crossfire server. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>experience</td> <td>living::exp</td> <td> When a player kills this monster, he will get exactly this amount of <experience>. The experience will flow into the skill-category the player used for the kill. If you create special monsters of tweaked strength/abilities, always make sure that the <experience> is set to a reasonable value. Compare with existing arches to get a feeling what reasonable means. Keep in mind that spell-casting monsters are a lot harder to kill than non spell casters! </td> </tr> <tr> <td>friendly</td> <td>FLAG_FRIENDLY</td> <td> <friendly> monsters help the player, attacking any non-friendly monsters in range. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>glow radius</td> <td>object::glow_radius</td> <td> If <glow radius> is set to a value greater zero, the object appears lit up on dark maps. <glow radius> can be a value between 0 and 4, the higher, the more light does the object emit. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>healing rate</td> <td>living::Con</td> <td> Monsters regenerate this many health points each 4 ticks. Hence, the healing rate is independent of <speed>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>health points</td> <td>living::hp</td> <td> The <health points> of a monster define how long it takes to kill it. With every successful hit from an opponent, <health points> get drained - The monster dies by zero <health points>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>hitback</td> <td>FLAG_HITBACK</td> <td> Monsters with <hitback> enabled hurt the attacker in proportion to the amount of damage the <em>attacker</em> inflicted. This damage is additional to the regular melee damage of the monster. As far as I know, hitback uses acid attack type, and it only takes effect if the monster actually has acid attacktype at it's disposal. Acid spheres for example use this feature. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified</td> <td>FLAG_IDENTIFIED</td> <td> If an item is identified, the player has full knowledge about it. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified animation</td> <td>identified_animation</td> <td> If defined, then the object will take this animation when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified animation speed</td> <td>identified_anim_speed</td> <td> If defined, then the object will have this animation speed when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified image</td> <td>identified_face</td> <td> If defined, then the object will take this appareance when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified random animation?</td> <td>identified_anim_random</td> <td> If defined, then the object's animation is in a random sequence when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified_name</td> <td>identified_name</td> <td> If defined, then the object will take this name when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>identified_name_pl</td> <td>identified_name_pl</td> <td> If defined, then the object will take this plural name when identified. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>image</td> <td>object::face</td> <td> The image-name defines what image is displayed for this object in-game. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>invisible</td> <td>object::invisible</td> <td> Generally makes the object invisible. Depending on the object-type, some can be made visible by the show_invisible spell. If in doubt, test it. Putting an invisible object under the floor always prevents it from being shown. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>is used up</td> <td>FLAG_IS_USED_UP</td> <td> If set, decrement the <food> field at <speed>. When <food> reaches zero, remove the object. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>level</td> <td>object::level</td> <td> A monster's <level> is the most important attribute. <level> affects the power of a monster in various ways. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>max health</td> <td>living::maxhp</td> <td> <max health> is the maximum amount of <health points> this monster can have. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>max spellpoints</td> <td>living::maxsp</td> <td> <max spellpoints> is the maximum number of spellpoints a monster can hold. Setting this to high values has little effect unless the monster has a decent <spellpoint regen.>, or the spell "regenerate mana" at it's disposal. Warning: Do not create spell-casting and breeding monsters since this field is also used as <multiply speed>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>misc. actions</td> <td>object::will_apply</td> <td> This entry defines which kinds of environment actions the creature is able to perform. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>monster behavior</td> <td>FLAG_MONSTER</td> <td> When <monster behavior> is enabled, this object will behave like a monster: It can move and attack enemies (which are typically players). This flag should be set for all monsters as-such. Monsters which don't move, like guards, should also have <monster behavior>, but in combination with <stand still>. It should <em>not</em> be set for things like immobile generators. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>movement type</td> <td>object::move_type</td> <td> Determines which movement types this monster can use. Flying monsters won't get slowed down in rough terrain and they won't be affected by movers. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>multiply</td> <td>FLAG_GENERATOR</td> <td> Monsters with <generator> enabled will create a <breed monster> every once in a while. Mice are a good example for this effect. If enabled, you must also set <breed monster> or check <template generation> and put other monsters in the inventory. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>multiply limit</td> <td>generator_limit</td> <td> If <multiply> is enabled, this limits how many <breed monster> are created. When the maximum is reached, the generator is destroyed. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>multiply map code</td> <td>generator_code</td> <td> If <multiply map limit> is set, this groups generators for counting purposes. If not set, defaults to the generator's name. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>multiply map limit</td> <td>generator_max_map</td> <td> If <multiply> is enabled, this limits how many alive monsters at the same time will be on the map. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>multiply radius</td> <td>generator_radius</td> <td> If <multiply> is enabled, this is the radius, in square, in which the generator will try to put a new monster. Default value is 1. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>name</td> <td>object::name</td> <td> This is the name of the object, displayed to the player. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>no damage</td> <td>FLAG_NO_DAMAGE</td> <td> If set to non-zero, the monster cannot be hurt by attacking it. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>no mood change</td> <td>no_mood_change</td> <td> If set, this monster is not affected by spells like 'charm monster' and such. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>non-pickable</td> <td>FLAG_NO_PICK</td> <td> If set, the object cannot be picked up (Neither by players nor monsters). </td> </tr> <tr> <td>npc message</td> <td>object::msg</td> <td> This text field contains the keyword-matching-syntax. The text should have the following format: "@match \<keyword1\>\|\<keyword2\>\|... ". Any number of keywords from one to infinite is allowed. Make sure they are separated by a '\|'. Examples: "@match yes", "@match gold\|treasure". The monster or NPC will respond when the player speaks any of the given keywords within a two-square radius. IMPORTANT: Upper/lower case does not make a difference! </td> </tr> <tr> <td>one hit only</td> <td>FLAG_ONE_HIT</td> <td> Monsters with <one hit only> disappear after one successful hit to a player. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>pick up</td> <td>object::pick_up</td> <td> Click on the <pick up> button and select which types of objects the creature should try to pick up. Note also that if <can use armor>, <can use weapon>, <can use ring>, etc. are set, then the creature will pick up the matching items even if this is not set here. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>price adjustment</td> <td>price_adjustment</td> <td> If set, this is the buy and sell price adjustment ratio for the item. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>price adjustment for buying</td> <td>price_adjustment_buy</td> <td> If set, this is the adjustment ratio when buying the item. Ignored if <price> adjustment is set. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>price adjustment for selling</td> <td>price_adjustment_sell</td> <td> If set, this is the adjustment ratio when selling the item. Ignored if <price> adjustment is set. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>race</td> <td>object::race</td> <td> Every monster should have a race set to categorize it. The monster's <race> can have different effects: Slaying weapons inflict triple damage against enemy races and holy word kills only enemy races of the god. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>random movement</td> <td>FLAG_RANDOM_MOVE</td> <td> Living things with the <random_movement> flag set automatically move about in a random fashion. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>reflect missiles</td> <td>FLAG_REFL_MISSILE</td> <td> A monster with this flag has the ability to <reflect missiles>, all kinds of projectiles (e.g. arrows, bolts, boulders) will bounce off. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>reflect spells</td> <td>FLAG_REFL_SPELL</td> <td> A monster with this flag has the ability to <reflect spells>, all kinds of spell-bullets and -beams will bounce off. Generally this flag should not be set because it puts wizard-type players at an unfair disadvantage. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>repelled paths</td> <td>object::path_repelled</td> <td> Click on the <repelled paths> button to select spellpaths. The creature will get repelled to the specified spellpaths. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist acid %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist blinding %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist chaos %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist cold %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist confusion %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist death-attack %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist depletion %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist draining %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist electricity %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist fear %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist fire %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist ghosthit %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist godpower %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist holy power %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist magic %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist paralyze %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist physical %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist poison %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist slow %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist turn undead %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>resist weaponmagic %</td> <td>object::resist</td> <td>(no description) </td> </tr> <tr> <td>run at % health</td> <td>FLAG_RUN_AWAY</td> <td> This is a percentage value in the range 0-100. When the monster's health points drop below this percentage (relative to max health), it attempts to run away from the attacker. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>see in darkness</td> <td>FLAG_SEE_IN_DARK</td> <td> A monster with the ability to <see in darkness> cannot be fooled by spells of darkness or dark maps. This flag is a "should-have" for high-level monsters. When a monster is unable to see in darkness, players can cast darkness and sneak around it safely. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>see invisible</td> <td>FLAG_SEE_INVISIBLE</td> <td> A monster with the ability to <see invisible> cannot be fooled with by invisible or hiding players. This flag is a must-have for high-level monsters. When a monster is unable to detect invisible players, it can be killed without fighting back. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>sensing range</td> <td>living::Wis</td> <td> <sensing range> determines how close a player needs to be before the creature wakes up. This is done as a square, for reasons of speed. Thus, if the <sensing range> is 11, any player that moves within the 11x11 square of the monster will wake the monster up. If the player has stealth, the size of this square is reduced in half plus 1. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>smooth level</td> <td>object::smoothlevel</td> <td> If <smooth level> is set to a value greater zero, the object will be drawn partially over adjacent squares having a lower <smooth level> value. The value must be between 0 and 255 (inclusive); 0 means "never overlap adjacent squares". </td> </tr> <tr> <td>speed</td> <td>object::speed</td> <td> The <speed> determines how fast a monster will both move and fight. High <speed> makes a monster considerably stronger. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>spellpoint regen.</td> <td>living::Pow</td> <td> Monsters regenerate this many spellpoints each 16 ticks. Hence, the spellpoint regeneration rate is independent of <speed>. To make a real tough spell-casting monster, the rate of spellpoint regeneration is most important. If your monster is still not casting fast enough, give it the spell-ability of "regenerate mana". That, paired with high <max spellpoints>, is the ultimate thing. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>spellpoints</td> <td>living::sp</td> <td> Like players, monsters need <spellpoints> to do magic. Monsters use them for both wizard- and prayer-spells. However, this value defines only the amount of <em>initial</em> spellpoints the monster starts with. When creating a spell-casting monster, remember that <max spellpoints> and <spellpoint regen.> are more important than just initial <spellpoints>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>splitting</td> <td>FLAG_SPLITTING</td> <td> A <splitting> object converts to <food> <other_arch> objects; when it is hit physically. For non-living objects <food> is checked: if it is zero, the change happens; otherwise <food> is decreased by one. I suggest you don't mess with this value - leave the default in place. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>stand still</td> <td>FLAG_STAND_STILL</td> <td> Monsters which <stand still> won't move to leave their position. When aggressive, they will attack all enemies who get close to them. This behavior is commonly known from castle guards. In older versions of Crossfire it was possible to eventually push a <stand still>-monster out of position by force. I believe this is no longer possible. Nevertheless, you should still be cautious when lining up <stand still>-monster in order to "defend" something: Such monsters are rather easy to kill. It's good for low level maps, but not much more. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>template generation</td> <td>FLAG_CONTENT_ON_GEN</td> <td> This only takes effect if <multiply> is enabled. The monster will create a new monster every once in a while by duplicating it's inventory. In this case, the <breed monster> value is never used and can be forgotten. Each time the monster need to generate an object, it will be a randomly chosen item from the inventory. When generator is destroyed, inventory is destroyed. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>title</td> <td>object::title</td> <td> This is the object's title. Once an object is identified the title is attached to the name. Typical titles are "of Mostrai", "of xray vision" etc. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>treasurelist</td> <td>object::randomitems</td> <td> When the monster is killed, items from the treasurelist will drop to the ground. This is a common way to reward players for killing (masses of) monsters. Note that you can always put items into the monster's inventory. Those will drop-at-kill just like the stuff from the <treasurelist>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>unaggressive</td> <td>FLAG_UNAGGRESSIVE</td> <td> <unaggressive> monsters do not attack players unless attacked first. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>undead</td> <td>FLAG_UNDEAD</td> <td> Several spells only affect undead monsters: turn undead, banish undead, holy word, etc. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>weapon class</td> <td>living::wc</td> <td> Monsters of high <weapon class> are more likely to really hit their opponent. <weapon class> can be considered the "counter piece" to <armor class>. </td> </tr> <tr> <td>weight</td> <td>object::weight</td> <td> This value defines the object's weight in grams (1000g is 1kg). Objects with zero weight are not pickable for players. Still, set the "non-pickable"-flag for explicitly non-pickable objects (hey, this is open source... you never know ;) ). </td> </tr> </table>