Realism vs Effect

[Neomi]

I agree that some of the more powerful items should simply not be "for sale" in Ribald Barterman's store (or anyone else's, for that matter) -- what kind of idiot would sell some of these unique items, and how is it that the PC can scrape together enough money to buy them early in the game? Think about how many times you have quested around Amn with the goal of getting enough gold together to buy the Robe of Vecna for your Sorcerer and/or the Shield of Balduran "just in case" you might need to fight a Beholder or two some day. You squander the 15,000 gold that you desperately need to rescue your dear sister, Imoen, so that you can buy the Girdle of Hill Giant Strength.

On the other hand, the FoA, Crom Faer, and some of the other artifacts where you have to quest for the pieces, then pay Cromwell to assemble, are much more satisfying (to me, at least) simply because they were difficult to obtain and only a true hero would have been able to overcome all the obstacles needed to reassemble them. However, the item locations are too predictable, leading to "pre-knowledge"-derived questing.

My points:

1. Unique and powerful magic items should probably cost 10x what they do in SOA/TOB, if they can be sold at all (notice that you cannot sell the Flail of Ages for some reason).

2. More of the unique items should have been broken up and distributed around, or at least made part of difficult quests to make them more challenging (or perhaps sometimes impossible) to obtain.

3. As I've said before in other threads, the really powerful items should be randomly distributed among the powerful enemies so that you don't have "pre-knowledge" of where an artifact is hidden so that you can shoot straight for it as soon as your party is strong enough.

[ 09-21-2004, 10:07 AM: Message edited by: Neomi ]

[SixOfSpades]

Originally posted by theGrimm: @Six: The other thing that gets me is the sheer concentration of legendary artifacts in such a small area.

Oh, I agree with that wholeheartedly, but I can also see a very plausible reason for it as well: Everybody who's anybody knows that the whole Bhaalspawn mess is coming to a head very soon, and they know that the climax is going to take place in the area of Amn and Calimshan, because the city of Saradush is indicated in Alaundo's prophecies. Therefore, the logic goes something like this:

• Powerful items gravitate towards powerful people.
• A whole lot of powerful people (Bhaalspawn) are converging on this part of Faerun, and bringing their powerful items with them.
• Adventurers, and other people who like powerful items, will also converge on that same area, in order to take the powerful items away from the aforementioned Bhaalspawn.
• Result: Huge pileup of bigwigs from all over the place, swarming all over themselves for a chance to kill CHARNAME with the Pigsticker+4 that they brought from their homeland.

Originally posted by Chevar: Magic items should, in theory, be in places that are logical

Do tell! A +3 Throwing Axe that instakills Undead, on sale for cheap in some seedy bar that even allows shoplifting? A Red Dragon's dungeon mysteriously jam-packed for items custom-made for killing Red Dragons? A Vampire lair....where every flippin' chest contains Wooden Stakes?!? Oh my GOD!

[theGrimm]

Not to mention that magic golems keep large stashes of deadly weapons nearby...just on case they get attacked my OTHER magic golems.

[Hank Parsons]

The de-treasuring mod!
Someone make it?


[ 09-22-2004, 04:27 AM: Message edited by: Hank Parsons ]

[T-D-C]

Or how about a mod that splits up some items forcing you to gather together more components for Cromwell to forge together.

I.E To get the Shield of Baulderan you have to find a Shield, eye stalk of a beholder, Protection from Magic scroll etc.

[Hank Parsons]

Ah... "The Item Downgrade-Upgrade Mod"
or, The Item Re-Assembly mod

sounds like a cool idea to me. I like forcing you to fight that type of enemy w/out the item first, and learn how they hurt ya'. Plus it makes sense for componants... a bit of venom as the cure for snakebite.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

Maybe to get the Shield of Balduran you should require a particular Shield, a beholder's eyestalk, a scroll, and the Cloak of Cheese. Each scattered and placed in hidden, well-protected places.

[T-D-C]

That sounds good. I would defiantly download that mod. I love questing for items.

You could even set up a treasure hunting guild where you go and get assigned quests to assemble the items.

Then once you get the items you are stabbed in the back and have to fight agaist a person wearing the items. Once thats over and down with you can keep said items.

Eg: you quest for the Cloak of Cheese, shield of Baulduran, Crom Faeyr, and other legendary items.

Once you find and assemble them the person who sent you questing for them assembles them and then attacks you to keep his secret a secret.

[vesselle]

[img]smile.gif[/img]
i love that idea!
one of the things i enjoyed in NWN was crafting items. anyway, i'd play a mod that made you really work at collecting elements that might be needed by a craftsperson to make special items. and i'd like a small addition. remember that eyestalk from the beholder? well, you'd have to make sure that you were careful in how you killed it. fireballs would surely burn it up, leaving no eyestalk behind for you.

oooh, i hope someone makes it! that'd be so much fun. [img]smile.gif[/img]

V***V

[T-D-C]

Looks like we have an idea on our hands.

Any aspiring modders reading this and want to attempt it ?

I would but I have zero, zip nadda experence in modding/scripting.

I would call the mod "How to work for your magical weapons" LOL