[ITEMS/LOOT] Random Quest Rewards

[Rhangalas]

This is just a suggestion, but I think it would be better - from a realistic point of view - if random quest items made from metal were their base colors. So instead of getting "a <color> <metal> <item>", it would just be "a <metal> <item>", with the exception of certain metallic properties like blued steel, red copper, white gold, etc. It just doesn't make sense ICly - to me at least - why a craftsman would go through the trouble of crafting something out of platinum and then paint it bright green. Random colors should be limited to textiles like cloth, silk, and leather.

You could still keep the random aspect by incorporating color into the items through textiles and gems.

It just saddens me when I go through a two hour long quest and end up with something that is "purple gold".

[Selveem]

Help applications suggests that you can do an application and spend 10 glory to have an item restrung. It may not be immediate, but it sounds like it would suit your purposes.

That being said, I like it.. I like the idea that it's just another layer of unpredictability. What I don't like, though, is the amount of wands and scrolls I get with spells that are too low level to be of much use to characters that _can_ use them, yet can't be sold at all to NPC merchants. Combine that with the fact that you get at least one scroll and/or one wand from any randomized magic item quest, you've got a bunch of them you can't do anything with.

It'd be nice if there were some sort of option to trade these in for something more useful..

Additionally, I'm not sure if there are supposed to be any rings from these quests that grant spell slots, but I've not seen them. In fact I don't think I've seen any cloth (non-armor) that is magical and gives a bonus to AC for wizards.

[Rhangalas]

They exist. Another wizard of mine got a magical "+AC" cloak that wasn't armor. The problem is, the probability of getting them is too low. You're more likely to get some masterwork armor or weapons than to get a magical cloak or pantaloons. You're right, if it's the opposite and the quest is on the higher end in regards to magical rewards it's almost ALWAYS some raggedy level 1-2 wand with maybe five charges on it and the spell isn't even a useful level 1-2 spell, it's generally something you already have learned and could cast it 40 times if you wanted to, but don't because it's, you know, something ridiculous like true strike.

So, anyways, it's all good if you're a warrior class, you're going to end up with tons of masterwork to choose from, but if you're a caster, boned.

[Selveem]

Ah, for the record I wasn't talking about cloaks (in case anyone thought I was).. I was talking specifically about non-armor cloth in AC locations like body, legs, arms, head (though I did find one of those, just not +AC enchanted), waist, feet, hands.

That, and I've never found any +spell slot rings. Though, that might be a bug.. might be why we have lots of rings that are magical but no actual affects (even when worn by casters).

Anyone else surprised I'm actually at bat for casters?

[Brar]

It's funny how random it is, from all the random reward I had, only 2 was weapons... but I got loads of rings and boots....

But I think builders can choose to make them completly random or of a certain type (armor, weapon, ring, ect)

I'm not sure about it but I think it is that way...

[Adabelle]

Yah. I get a lot of boots too!

[Rhangalas]

Eh, I just think it's TOO random. Random rewards are a lot better than fixed rewards, don't get me wrong, but when NPC's start dumping double-headed greataxes on the scrawny guy in a robe... eh, something just seems odd. A cool feature would be to add in multiple rewards, kind of like WoW, whereby you get your choice(s) out of a list of items that are generated upon completion of the quest.

So, instead of any given quest being set to only generate items between a few set types. It would generate one of each type, or two, depending on the difficulty of the quest in question. So the warrior types would have a chance to get what they need and the caster types as well. Along, with the universal choice of cash payment thrown in:

(A) Blade of Death & (additional)
(B) Fiddlebender's Robes of Confusion & (additional)
(C) X amount of coin

I also stand by my opening statement... I hate random-coloured metals, please make it go away.

[Eltsac]

Well I understand it might be very frustrating to always get rewards not for your class...

What about for armor and weapons, you have like 50% chance to have armor or weapon for your class, or 50% chance to have something completely random (so you will get something you would really use more often, and rest can still be traded with other players or sold... keeps trade up)

could be adding the possibility to add a new argument to the makeloot command like "makeloot minor armour $n" or "makeloot minor armour class($n)"

Just an idea...

El

[Rhangalas]

A 50/50 chance would work if there were infinite quests - thus chances - in the game. Unfortunately, there are a finite amount of quests and that amount is not large. If you factor in the various restrictions such as attribute requirements, classes, religions, and alignment, the number is even smaller. With a 50% chance to get something that you can use, there is still a 50% chance that you could complete every quest available to you and still end up with nothing. Which might be realistic, sure, but from what I've gathered so far, realism isn't at the top of the priority list.

There is no economy and the player base is too small to rely on. Believing that somehow these random rewards will circulate around the market and eventually create a world of high-end magic - which is what Toril is - is not very wise. Most magical items that are worth anything are hoarded. The trinkets that no one wants are the only thing that is passed onto the various merchants and shops and they will sit there, gathering dust in some merchants wagon or shop until another hoarder or packrat comes along and shuffles the item off into a storage bag to never be seen again.

Other than that, the amount of consumables vs. permanent items that are gained from quests is far in favor of consumables. I would guess that for every magical ring worth owning there is fifty or more wands, potions, and scrolls rotting in a forgotten bag somewhere.

[Brar]

A 50/50 chance would work if there were infinite quests - thus chances - in the game. Unfortunately, there are a finite amount of quests and that amount is not large.

There were various proposition for repeatable quests, the adventure guilds being a part of the proposition, if you look at the long term, the number of quests would become infinite, and we can imagine the random loot tables used for powerful mobs/group of mobs drops.

There is no economy and the player base is too small to rely on.

I already stated my opinion on this "excuse". If we don't even try because of assumptions and prejudices then we can never state facts.

Believing that somehow these random rewards will circulate around the market and eventually create a world of high-end magic - which is what Toril is - is not very wise. Most magical items that are worth anything are hoarded.

Have you looked at all the merchants in game recently?? I have spend more than a thousand platinum in 2 months buying nice magical items that enhance my characters, it becomes harder and harder to find a merchants without a magical weapon or armour in his inventory.

The trinkets that no one wants are the only thing that is passed onto the various merchants and shops and they will sit there, gathering dust in some merchants wagon or shop until another hoarder or packrat comes along and shuffles the item off into a storage bag to never be seen again.

There is a lot of trading going on recently between players, which is far better in my opinion than reselling them to NPC merchants.

Other than that, the amount of consumables vs. permanent items that are gained from quests is far in favor of consumables. I would guess that for every magical ring worth owning there is fifty or more wands, potions, and scrolls rotting in a forgotten bag somewhere.

Guessing is very dangerous and leads most of the time on false assumption, facts are a lot better. And the only one having facts on this is Mask.

[Gwain]

Speaking as someone that finished most if not all available major quests some time ago (Well, quests I wanted to finish) I have found an engrossing market of second-hand magical items and have done well in aquiring some. I think that if anything, its possible to gain desired items, but if any changes need to be made, it would be to give class and guild appropriate armour to those if it makes sense to do so.

[Harroghty]

I will just say that I have had a largely positive experience with the random rewards. I have received maybe two or three. Of those, I paid 10 glory to rename one. I think that I sold the others.

I was able to buy a masterwork sword that Harroghty uses often off a wandering merchant when Gwain spotted it and passed the word along to me via IC tell. So, it's not perfect, but I have been pleased with it so far.

Anyway, what're you recommending then in a nutshell, Rhangalas? A class check with different percentages of items popping relative to PC class?

(I will say that enamel or paint on armor was more common than the alwhyte suits that history has left to museums and collections suggest. They are, of course, worn down and many a harness once wore a bright coat of paint! I know, you probably still hate it, but that's just me being the devil's advocate.)

[Rhangalas]

Yep. All I'm suggesting is that the quests do a class check before generating the rewards. That and maybe to lower the possibility of getting consumables vs. permanent items.

For a wizard it might be limited to:

Clothing and Armor(light only)
Weapons (only the types that wizards are ordinarily able to use)
Jewelry

So, all in all, I'm not suggesting to remove armor and weapons entirely, just tailor the types to better fit the class of the questee, but in the case of magic-heavy classes, the chance of getting weapons and armor would be less than the chance of getting non-armor clothing and/or jewelry.