I always appreciate RPG games with lots of magic items. Coding each item by hand, however, takes a long time and is difficult to balance properly. While we plan to have around a hundred custom items with unique names like “Stormfury” or “Dominics Hurricane”, most magic items will be randomly generated. For Snejhammer we are building a random item generation system which ensures that players will always have unique gear and should never see the same item twice. The game does this by having base items generate with random magical modifiers on them from within a given stat range.
Magical modifiers are either a prefix or a suffix, while the base weapon itself is a noun. For example, “King’s Crystal Sword of Haste” has both a prefix (King’s) and a suffix (of Haste) which grant additional stats to the item. King’s providing the player with extra weapon damage and ‘of haste’ providing extra attack speed. The base item itself is a crystal sword which is a level 81-90 one-handed weapon with it’s own range of stats. The same base item might generate again with a whole new set of magical modifiers. “Wizard’s Crystal Sword of Fire” is now a whole new item by using different modifiers while keeping the same base item.
Snejhammer has over 300 modifiers and 250 base items meaning there are over 20 million combinations of magical items between prefixes, suffixes, and base items. Plus each base item also generates within a give stat range for even more items!
There will be unique items (around a hundred planned with the base game), set gear items, and sockets for gems. Gems and runes can be placed in item sockets which enhance items with powerful magical modifiers (elemental damage, resistances, health, mana, attack speed, etc).
Besides the helmet, chest, legs, and boots slots, Snejhammer also provides players with additional equipment slots for belt, gloves, rings, an amulet, and trinkets.
Items will have durability but will never break, they only need to be repaired. We want players to have one or two sets of armor that they wear and upgrade and then disenchant or sell items that they don’t need anymore. Disenchanting magical items provides enchanting essences which can be used to upgrade the strength of existing magical items.
All items are are classified with a rarity type denoted by the item’s color.
- Common (white) – Non-magical only
- Uncommon (green)
- Rare (blue)
- Epic (purple)
- Legendary (gold)
