Heroica RPG General Discussion

[Palathadric]

I think I forgot you were hosting us.

[LordoftheNoobs]

I don't think I've read enough Zepher quests to know what to expect! :O

[Zepher]

Expect that every NPC has an agenda, and that some of them line up with the party and some of them don't.

[The Legonater]

I don't think I've read enough Zepher quests to know what to expect! :O

I've read enough Zepher quests to know I don't know what to expect.

[Mencot]

If Mencot (or anyone else) wants to ask questions from Byblos for RP purposes only, he can write the librarian's responses himself. I honestly don't have time to make NPCs chatter pointlessly with the players outside of quests.

Of course I will do the answering myself if someone wants to know something more about the world of the game - as it is the purpose of the topic. But sometimes I'm not the biggest expert on the stuff that's being asked, in which case I will ask whether the player that knows more about the matter (eg. has created the NPC/country/culture in question) wants to do the answering.

Okay (not ok-ey) thanks for the info.

[CMP]

I've read enough Zepher quests to know I don't know what to expect.

I've seen the planning processes of enough Zepher quests to know even when I think I know what to expect I don't really know if what I think I know what to expect is going to happen.

Edited March 3, 2015 by CallMePie

[Zepher]

:laugh:

Sometimes my characters surprise even me.

I've gotten much more into revising quests for months before posting them so that every NPC is doing what I think they'd do. I used to just write the plot and then hold the NPCs to it and shout at them "do this". But now I try to make it make sense for each NPC... which makes them more complicated, perhaps, but also better in my opinion. And sometimes I find out that I'm being the complicated one, and the NPCs would take a way easier and logical path.

[UsernameMDM]

I've been in enough Zepher quests to know that me wants PCs dead.

[Zepher]

I've been in enough Zepher quests to know that me wants PCs dead.

I want the PCs dead too but Sandy won't let me.

[Lind Whisperer]

I want the PCs dead too but Sandy won't let me.

The (admittedly rough) plans I have for the final installment in my trilogy* have it be "PC death" quest - if you're KO'd in one of the battles, you're dead permanently**.

*Which I will start, someday. I'm really hoping to have my first quest(non-trilogy, newbie-level) ready for HM approval within the week...

**It'd basically be a dungeon crawl for the very highest-leveled players, featuring wave after wave of ridiculously tough enemies. If you survive it, you are indeed an unstoppable Hero.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[UsernameMDM]

The (admittedly rough) plans I have for the final installment in my trilogy* have it be "PC death" quest - if you're KO'd in one of the battles, you're dead permanently**.

*Which I will start, someday. I'm really hoping to have my first quest(non-trilogy, newbie-level) ready for HM approval within the week...

**It'd basically be a dungeon crawl for the very highest-leveled players, featuring wave after wave of ridiculously tough enemies. If you survive it, you are indeed an unstoppable Hero.

Doubt you'll get many high level PCs to sign up for that. Too much time invested to simply through away a PC.

[Lind Whisperer]

Too much time invested to simply through away a PC.

That's kind of the point. By the time you're pushing 50, you're almost certainly immune to nearly every effect, have weapons that either have extremely high WP, or deal all sorts of effects, and you have all slots rigged out with the rarest drops that have ever been dropped. You're basically unstoppable. But, with quests in which KO'ing only means that you might fail a quest, there's no way to really prove it.

This'd be the chance to prove beyond any doubt that you've made a character that can truly fight their way out of any battle, no matter how difficult, that they can find a solution to any problem, no matter how unsolvable, a character that can survive and conquer any situation.

But like I said, it's only a very rough draft at the moment, and quite a few quests off before it's time for me to really pitch it.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Lind Whisperer

[Zepher]

I don't think many people want to do that. Those focused on mechanics would never throw away a build. Those interested in RP are likely to have a hero death. That's why I only offered hero death in the final Wren quest. That'd be a meaningful sacrifice. Look at Erdy. It makes sense that she died at the hands of the Regret. We had Boomingham and Masson fight behind the scenes so as not to take up time, but that was another opportunity for hero death if Masson won (not that he would have killed Boomingham, but I told Endgame that was in his hands).

Basically, the only people who will opt for perma-death are going to be the RP styled players, and the only way they might opt for perma-death would be in an RP oriented situation.

But, that's just my opinion.

[Lind Whisperer]

I don't think many people want to do that. Those focused on mechanics would never throw away a build. Those interested in RP are likely to have a hero death. That's why I only offered hero death in the final Wren quest. That'd be a meaningful sacrifice. Look at Erdy. It makes sense that she died at the hands of the Regret. We had Boomingham and Masson fight behind the scenes so as not to take up time, but that was another opportunity for hero death if Masson won (not that he would have killed Boomingham, but I told Endgame that was in his hands).

Basically, the only people who will opt for perma-death are going to be the RP styled players, and the only way they might opt for perma-death would be in an RP oriented situation.

But, that's just my opinion.

It is actually a RP situation to some extent. But that's a great point - I really need to consider if it's enough of a RP situation to justify it...

[LordoftheNoobs]

It'd be a good idea for people who specifically want to give up their character and try to go out with a bang.

[CMP]

It'd be a good idea for people who specifically want to give up their character and try to go out with a bang.

Yeah, but it'd lose all the impact of a heroic death if everyone else is doing it.

[Emjajoas]

You don't really need to consider it-- it's not enough of an RP situation to justify, unless you've built up to it as Endgame and Zepher had over years of hard-work and story building. I believe the first quest I went on was an Endgame quest-- and it lead up to this finale I just got out of. I've been here, what, two years?

To me, a trilogy doesn't feel as momentous as a Saga. As Zepher said, the Wren quests were a saga. Endgame's Regret/Stealer quests were two sagas that fed into one near the end. A trilogy of three quests doesn't give you much time to flesh out the story and the characters. Or the world. Or get used to questing.

Pace yourself. Don't just do one quest and jump straight into what you feel is going to be this big epic trilogy/saga. That's sorta what I tried to do, and I got so caught up in what I was doing that I fell flat on my face and didn't focus on delivering what should have been right in front of me. Continue planning and working towards your Trilogy/Saga, but maybe host a few solo quests first-- introduce a couple small recurring NPCs, start fleshing them out in unrelated quests. That way the people who interacted with those NPCs and had an enjoyable time with them will be more invested in your Big Quests when they show up. It's easier to be attached to an NPC you've interacted with multiple times. Much, much easier than it is to be attached to one you've only just met and haven't interacted with too much.

Then when you feel you're ready to start some sort of Saga, start at the beginning. Have a solid start. And let let it flow naturally over the course of a few quests. And, finally, if you find that your Saga is on an epic enough scale and people are invested enough to justify Permadeath, then run with it. But never force Permadeath on people.

And, more than anything else, try to focus on making it a fun experience for everyone. From the sound of things you want to make it a very battle-heavy quest. Those can be cool/fun, but I just came off of one-- and they can be incredibly frustrating as well. It's not easy doing months and months of grueling battles, almost like in the Fields but without the ability to stop when you're tired. Not that the party of 105 had much trouble, but it wasn't easy nonetheless.

[KotZ]

I think you 126ers broke Random.org. What was that round all about?

[Asphalt]

Hey dont complain.

[The Chosen Minifigure]

The Scrolls! Aaaaaah! Why am I not on that quest? Why? Why?

[Palathadric]

Drops: Comfy Pillow (If the user is inflicted by asleep- or fast asleep-effect, they regain full health and ether; accessory.)

Love this pillow!

Drops: Coat Hanger (Allows wearing a second bodywear artifact instead of an accessory; accessory)

But it is an accessory already? I suppose a hero can wear the Coat Hanger in addition to the extra bodywear artifact, or the coat hanger just stays in the inventory?

Scroll of Rage (Enables casting the afraid-effect to the target, forcing it to fight from the back row until the end of the battle. Each casting has a 50/50 chance of success and costs 1 ether.)

I think this is supposed to be a Scroll of Fear.

I really like the idea for The Nanny's Special. Of course, I'm sure the heroes will find a way around it and make off with a lot of scrolls, but it's a very interesting idea.

[K-Nut]

But it is an accessory already? I suppose a hero can wear the Coat Hanger in addition to the extra bodywear artifact, or the coat hanger just stays in the inventory?

I was wondering the same thing. Maybe you equip the Coat Hanger with the extra Bodywear?

I really like the idea for The Nanny's Special. Of course, I'm sure the heroes will find a way around it and make off with a lot of scrolls, but it's a very interesting idea.

Give Arthur all the Nostrums we have. Or just use Equestria 18 times.

[UsernameMDM]

The Coat Hanger takes up the Accessory slot. I don't think it adds an additional artefact slot, just allows for the use of 2 Body Wear artefacts.

[CMP]

But it is an accessory already? I suppose a hero can wear the Coat Hanger in addition to the extra bodywear artifact, or the coat hanger just stays in the inventory?

You equip the Coat Hangar, and you can also equip a second Bodywear. That's how I read it, anyway.

[Sandy]

But it is an accessory already? I suppose a hero can wear the Coat Hanger in addition to the extra bodywear artifact, or the coat hanger just stays in the inventory?

Ah, I meant to fix that wording, but forgot... It simply means you can equip an extra bodywear artifact along with the Coat Hanger (ie. have a bonus artifact regardless of the artifact limit).