funkwich on 26/7/2006 at 07:38

---

Playing through the mage towers the other day, I noticed something interesting. Fire mages are, of course, immune to damage from fire (arrows, lava, etc.). Normal humans, as Garrett's hisses, grunts, and moans will confirm, are not. There are some normal humans in the level besides Garrett, though. The quick exit from each tower, as you know, leads to one of the top floors of the keep, where pairs of guards patrol regularly.

Well, I attracted some unwanted attention exiting the fire tower, and the swordsman started chasing me. I realized there was some relative safety inside the tower, where the top floor (on which the key to the talisman room is stored) is mostly lava and those heating metal plates. Surely I'll be safe up there, right? No, I won't stop calling you Shirley, and no, I wasn't safe. The guard chased me (with some difficulty) up the network of catwalks and into the key room, and I expected to see him brandish his sword at me from the opposite side of the lava in futility. He proceeded to run straight across the lava and start hacking away at this surprised thief. So, I danced around, going back across the lava to make sure he was doing what it looked like he was. He was. In my anger, I fed him a gas arrow and went on my way, still a bit shocked.

Today, I went back on normal to get some evidence and do further testing. Findings:


* Lava still hurts me
* Hot plates still hurt me
* Lava still doesn't hurt any NPCs I could find (basically fire mages and normal guards, I haven't tried anyone else)
* Lava does not hurt unconscious enemies
* Hot plates do NOT hurt living guards/fire mages
* Hot plates DO hurt unconscious guards (!)
* Hot plates do not hurt unconscious fire mages
* Water mages can drown


So, what's going on here? Why are normal guards immune to fire? Why do hot plates damage guards that I've knocked out? I tried coming up with a joke explanation (asbestos boots, fire retarded [hehe] armor, etc.), but the fact that plates do damage when freaking lava doesn't - that defies all logic.

Maybe someone that understands Thief's technical side better than I do has a real explanation for this phenomenon. I find this fascinating. Anybody else?


P.S. These findings only apply to the "lava" in the fire tower at the mage compound. I've forgotten if one can, for example, kill an air mage by dropping him in the lava down in the lost city.
P.P.S. Old user, new account.

dlw6 on 26/7/2006 at 12:57

---

Don't unconscious AIs drown in lava if it's deep?

Don

Aedryn on 27/7/2006 at 01:49

---

Lava is just 'hot' water. As was said before humans and robots can drown if it's deep enough.


It probably has to do with the guards losing some invulnerability when they get knocked out(dromeders?). Do KOed fire mages take damage from the hot plates?

Goldmoon Dawn on 28/7/2006 at 20:27

---

I like this post. Very good.


That one made me laugh.

:cheeky:

dlw6 on 29/7/2006 at 02:49

---

The ignore list is there if you want to use it.

As for elemental damage, I always found it odd that zombies were sensitive to water, i.e. drowning puts zombies to sleep the way a backstab would. Since there aren't many missions where the AIs will chase you into deep water I have not tested this on other undead. Has anyone else done so?

Don