Goonhub
09-21-2023, 10:30 AM
Chaplains are great flavor-wise, but it goes without saying that they could definitely use some more attention when it comes to gameplay. They currently hover in an odd design area, because all of their tools are responsive methods to antags that might never appear, and besides that they're essentially staff assistants with crematorium access.
But it doesn't have to be that way! Alongside the additions slated in this PR, I'd like to propose a couple new mechanics that would provide both an interesting design space for chaplains, as well as give them new things to do with potential benefit both to themselves and crewmates.
Mortar & Pestle (or something like that)
This would be a big part of the new mechanics. Essentially, this is a tool that allows insertion of materials, be it spices, herbs or minerals, that then get crushed to a paste. This is a more hands-on, lengthy approach to potentially make cool new chems, be it anything from herbal remedies, mashing down frankincense for a censor or milling grain for brewing ale and mead (more on that in a minute).
Herbalism
We have a lot of cool herbs that don't see much usage, things like Contusine, Nureous or Commol are excellent medicinal herbs that often don't get made because Medbay rarely needs them, and Science is usually more directly involved. The basic idea behind herbalism is to create a new, engaging system to create and experiment with herbs and herbal remedies as a ways to create makeshift, weak medicine and poison. If you need surgery or are on death's door, perhaps go to medbay, but if you just have a bruise or don't want to deal with the hustle and bustle, maybe going to the chaplain can be a nice alternative.
The process of making herbal remedies would, of course, begin with combining herbs in the mortar. Here, the general idea is that depending on which herbs are combined, you can create new compounds that change in their strength or effect. Botany comes into play here, too, because while the chaplain might start with some "starter herbs" to grind, to get more or experiment they'll need the help of botanists. Which is good, because it ties into the other system.
Brewing
The keen observer might point out that brewing is already in the game. Kind of. Our "brewing" process currently consists of shoving an item into a still and having it instantly turn into a new chem. That's neither very engaging, nor does it resemble a real brewing process at all. Real brewing looks a bit more like:
And the last step is to, of course, bottle it. Depending on the potency and amount of water you put it, this would then yield a beverage that contains alcohol, obviously, but additionally could imbue effects on the person. I know that "buffing chems" are a crowded space, but I'm not fussy on the exact details. The main idea here is to give the chaplain something to do, something that will make people come to the chaplain for safe for "we need to use the crematorium" or "we have a vampire".
Censers
One last word on the subject of incense. This was something Leah had pointed out, and I quite liked. Incense is a very religious symbol, and censers are the things that they're kept in to spread the smell. Adding censers would be a very neat thing that goes well with some of the proposed changes, since it requires powder or otherwise procured material that will have to be broken down first before it can be put in and burned, which the mortar & pestle would handle. Because it could be used as a mobile hotbox, the exact effects and amounts would be subject to balance testing, but at least from a thematic perspective it would make sense.
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As always, thoughts, concerns, ideas are welcome.
But it doesn't have to be that way! Alongside the additions slated in this PR, I'd like to propose a couple new mechanics that would provide both an interesting design space for chaplains, as well as give them new things to do with potential benefit both to themselves and crewmates.
Mortar & Pestle (or something like that)
This would be a big part of the new mechanics. Essentially, this is a tool that allows insertion of materials, be it spices, herbs or minerals, that then get crushed to a paste. This is a more hands-on, lengthy approach to potentially make cool new chems, be it anything from herbal remedies, mashing down frankincense for a censor or milling grain for brewing ale and mead (more on that in a minute).
Herbalism
We have a lot of cool herbs that don't see much usage, things like Contusine, Nureous or Commol are excellent medicinal herbs that often don't get made because Medbay rarely needs them, and Science is usually more directly involved. The basic idea behind herbalism is to create a new, engaging system to create and experiment with herbs and herbal remedies as a ways to create makeshift, weak medicine and poison. If you need surgery or are on death's door, perhaps go to medbay, but if you just have a bruise or don't want to deal with the hustle and bustle, maybe going to the chaplain can be a nice alternative.
The process of making herbal remedies would, of course, begin with combining herbs in the mortar. Here, the general idea is that depending on which herbs are combined, you can create new compounds that change in their strength or effect. Botany comes into play here, too, because while the chaplain might start with some "starter herbs" to grind, to get more or experiment they'll need the help of botanists. Which is good, because it ties into the other system.
Brewing
The keen observer might point out that brewing is already in the game. Kind of. Our "brewing" process currently consists of shoving an item into a still and having it instantly turn into a new chem. That's neither very engaging, nor does it resemble a real brewing process at all. Real brewing looks a bit more like:
- Mill the grain
- Naturally, this is where the mortar & pestle come in. Any kind of grain will do, wheat, oats, or even corn. Perhaps we might add more here, too. This will yield the grist.
- Mash Conversion
- Essentially, you throw hot water and anything else you want to use to flavor with alongside the grist in a container to convert the malt into sugar. Real process is more involved, but for simplicity's sake this will do. This will yield the mash.
- Fermentation
- This is the only part that's actually in the game, but this is the part where you kind of just "let it sit". Recommended here is a short timer, maybe akin to frying food, that yields different results based on length. Real fermentation takes several weeks, I think we'll be fine with a few minutes.
And the last step is to, of course, bottle it. Depending on the potency and amount of water you put it, this would then yield a beverage that contains alcohol, obviously, but additionally could imbue effects on the person. I know that "buffing chems" are a crowded space, but I'm not fussy on the exact details. The main idea here is to give the chaplain something to do, something that will make people come to the chaplain for safe for "we need to use the crematorium" or "we have a vampire".
Censers
One last word on the subject of incense. This was something Leah had pointed out, and I quite liked. Incense is a very religious symbol, and censers are the things that they're kept in to spread the smell. Adding censers would be a very neat thing that goes well with some of the proposed changes, since it requires powder or otherwise procured material that will have to be broken down first before it can be put in and burned, which the mortar & pestle would handle. Because it could be used as a mobile hotbox, the exact effects and amounts would be subject to balance testing, but at least from a thematic perspective it would make sense.
---
As always, thoughts, concerns, ideas are welcome.