@bad-at-lurking said in Automated Adventure System:
Hm. Soooooo, you've basically invented a MUD inside a MUSH? If you could get a MOO in there, it would be like a text turducken.
Gotta include Mux if we want to go full inception. Also, obligatory mention of putting it IN SPAAAAAAAAACE!
@faraday — There's several answers to that.
First off, even with really random test groups running, there's only been two obstacles that stopped a group dead in their tracks; I've tried to tune those two a bit more. Most obstacles have multiple ways to pass them with widely varied skillsets needed, so there's usually something someone can do. It hasn't always been easy, but generally groups have gotten through. But yes, this is dependent on good obstacle design.
Second, it's not intended that you run an entire good-sized Shardhaven at once; you may encounter an obstacle and have to backtrack to find another path, or even return to the city and research information on how to pass it, or find someone who can help, and come back to continue on another expedition. You might even have to flee when someone is too badly injured to continue!
Third, not all Shardhavens will be GM free. I'm intending to build a kit that will let players GM a Shardhaven for other players, like a D&D adventure module. They'll have the ability to spawn in monsters, any special loot that was approved when their PRP was approved, and so on. And they'll have a way to bypass obstacles for the group they're GMing for if the players come up with some really creative solution the obstacle didn't account for.
@sparks said in Automated Adventure System:
Wrapping a shardhaven journey into an 'expedition' which you need to actually ICly fund before you can embark on your adventure, and which will track what sort of things you found.
This is really cool, but the one thing I'm curious about is how this part will translate for commoners. Does this mean commoner characters will need to find wealthy patrons to fund any expeditions, or are they the kind of funds a small group of not particularly wealthy individuals could scrape together quickly?
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@wizz The inverse could be interesting, making adventuring itself so useful that if there aren't enough nobles to man all these expeditions then wealthy patrons need to recruit brave peasants willing to put themselves on the line for their Houses.
Turn those deep pockets into quest givers. Win/win.
There is an entire vocation named 'explorer' that is based around the idea of getting hired to go out and do the (eventual) exploration system. A High Lord is not, in general, going to be going off into the deep woods every other day to probably get eaten by a grue.
Just in general, can confirm there is a place for squishy nerd characters who can, say, solve riddles. I just got stuck at some places that required jumping or climbing or other physical things.
Also? Having a healer is big-time helpful.
I felt very useful as a non-combat character.
@quibbler said in Automated Adventure System:
Just in general, can confirm there is a place for squishy nerd characters who can, say, solve riddles. I just got stuck at some places that required jumping or climbing or other physical things.
Yeah, seeing the party get temporarily separated by the pendulum obstacle for a few of the test runs is why I added assist, so that a) squishies can be helped past physical obstacles that haven't been surmounted for everyone, and b) to make leadership an important party stat. 
a.k.a. Packetdancer (or "Pax" for short)
@sparks I know those pendulums spelled the end for the run of the party I was in. Only one or two people could actually get past it. XD So its great to hear there's a way the more athletically inclined can help us clumsy folk through!
@wizz said in Automated Adventure System:
@sparks said in Automated Adventure System:
Wrapping a shardhaven journey into an 'expedition' which you need to actually ICly fund before you can embark on your adventure, and which will track what sort of things you found.
This is really cool, but the one thing I'm curious about is how this part will translate for commoners. Does this mean commoner characters will need to find wealthy patrons to fund any expeditions, or are they the kind of funds a small group of not particularly wealthy individuals could scrape together quickly?
It will depend. My current intention is that cost is related to Shardhaven difficulty level and how many people you take. Take 4 people to a lower difficulty Shardhaven and you can probably scrape together the funds. Take a bigger party, or go to a more difficult Shardhaven, and the cost goes up. If you want to outfit a large party to go to a high-level Shardhaven, some fundraising RP to find a wealthy backer might be necessary.
It is definitely my hope, though, that High Lords and other wealthy sorts will want the things that can be found in Shardhavens—particularly materials for the upcoming magic system—and so will want to fund expeditions even if they're (hopefully) too responsible to run off and get potentially eaten themselves!
a.k.a. Packetdancer (or "Pax" for short)
@sparks said in Automated Adventure System:
It will depend. My current intention is that cost is related to Shardhaven difficulty level and how many people you take. Take 4 people to a lower difficulty Shardhaven and you can probably scrape together the funds. Take a bigger party, or go to a more difficult Shardhaven, and the cost goes up. If you want to outfit a large party to go to a high-level Shardhaven, some fundraising RP to find a wealthy backer might be necessary.
That it will scale like that on multiple factors is awesome and I think that is a really great idea. I'm excited to try this!!
@sparks said in Automated Adventure System:
Treasures (Trinkets and Weapons)
These are also randomly generated from what are called 'loot fragments'; a list of adjectives ('shining', 'gleaming', 'sinister', etc.), a list of weapon decorations, a list of item types, and so on.
A trinket might be an {adjective} {material} {item}, like a 'gleaming copper lantern' or a 'sinister orichalcum lyre'. (These items will actually figure into the magic system eventually, as they'll be able to be broken down for magic power to use in rituals.)
I know this question figures p. heavily into the magic system you've mentioned already, but will trinkets include things like magical rings, arm bands, necklaces, amulets, broaches, nipple piercings etc.????
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@wizz I don't presently generate anything wearable, just Trinkets, Alchemical Materials, and Ancient Weapons. I could easily make trinkets that are described as bracelets, etc., but they wouldn't be wearable right now. I could certainly try to make it so certain trinkets are wearable, though.
Edit: that said, their importance to the magic system would still be in taking them apart for primum, not "you wear this and you can fly" or something.
@wizz said in Automated Adventure System:
nipple piercings
Keep your fetishes in the closet, you FREAK!
@tempest said in Automated Adventure System:
@wizz said in Automated Adventure System:
nipple piercings
Keep your fetishes in the closet, you FREAK!
LISTEN
THEY SERVE A UTILITARIAN PURPOSE AS WELL OK
LIKE WHAT IF YOUR HANDS ARE FULL AND YOU NEED TO HANG A FRESHLY-PRESSED SUIT
@sparks said in Automated Adventure System:
Edit: that said, their importance to the magic system would still be in taking them apart for primum, not "you wear this and you can fly" or something.
Just personal preference, but the classics never die!! Haha, either way, sounds really cool!
The 'gamer' in me thinks magic jewelry that boosted stats or a ring of temporary invisibility, etc kind of stuff would be awesome for that more....D&D-esque sort of feel.
But god that'd be a trainwreck.
Every archetype of character would be scrambling to collect the specific set that maximizes what they can do.
Maybe if there was some sort of...'you can only wear one magic artifact, because magic interference' or some shit.
If you look back at a lot of the inspiration for those kinds of items, like LOTR, the actual effects of a lot of the magic rings were actually very subtle. Gandalf didn't particularly find the One Ring all that unusual, but when Tolkien went into the lore of the greater rings most of them did just like, basically boost charisma and slow down aging and other things that weren't obviously supernatural.
It's just a thought!
@tempest said in Automated Adventure System:
The 'gamer' in me thinks magic jewelry that boosted stats or a ring of temporary invisibility, etc kind of stuff would be awesome for that more....D&D-esque sort of feel.
So the reason I don't want magic items that just change stats when you wear them or something is that people will 1000% try to farm that stuff and metagame with it.
But god that'd be a trainwreck.
Every archetype of character would be scrambling to collect the specific set that maximizes what they can do.
This exactly.
What we're more likely to do is that if someone's very interested in and attached to a specific trinket, they could start a plotline to figure out what it does/how to make it work, and that's something staff could GM. We'd just come up with a purpose/use for that particular trinket on-the-fly.
Specifically, we might put a mechanic in the magic system to learn about and attune yourself to a specific trinket, and if people start that process with a specific trinket, we'd come up with the story for it. And if they just want to take apart the trinkets for the sweet, sweet primum to use in other things, that'd be fully automated.
I would love to say that I have something to add, but honestly this just sounds freaking amazing and I can't wait to see it!!
I've added some more to the system, notably puzzles that, when solved, dispense treasures! Might be weapons, might be crafting materials, etc.
I'm going to run a few more groups through to make sure the balance works right, but then I think phase one is done. Then it's just a matter of fleshing out all the data—adding more monsters, puzzles, obstacles, and so on—and getting the expedition code working.
One piece of advise regarding magical items that boost stats.
Please resist the temptation to have items that boost a stat but do so 'secretly' so that 'nobody can work it out'.
I can guarantee that if you make a ring (or a nipple ring) that gives +1 Luck but does not announce this then that mostly means that its secret powers will only be unlocked by assholes who are willing to equip items then +roll three hundred times in their bedroom before loading the results into a spreadsheet and comparing to the unassisted statistics.
It would probably result in a subset or clique of players who do that kind of thing and fairly rapidly know the precise stats of every magical item they retrieve whilst other people flail blindly and feel useless.
@packrat said in Automated Adventure System:
I can guarantee that if you make a ring (or a nipple ring) that gives +1 Luck but does not announce this then that mostly means that its secret powers will only be unlocked by assholes who are willing to equip items then +roll three hundred times in their bedroom before loading the results into a spreadsheet and comparing to the unassisted statistics.
I agree with the request but not the characterization. If you base a system on numbers someone will crunch them out; it's just another puzzle to be solved. It doesn't make someone an asshole.
If you look back at a lot of the inspiration for those kinds of items, like LOTR, the actual effects of a lot of the magic rings were actually very subtle. Gandalf didn't particularly find the One Ring all that unusual, but when Tolkien went into the lore of the greater rings most of them did just like, basically boost charisma and slow down aging and other things that weren't obviously supernatural.
It's just a thought!
