Author Topic: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.  (Read 17876 times)

Kendaric

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #50 on: January 08, 2013, 10:33:47 AM »

And I would personally love to see the script used in a different variant. Like a reckless necromancer tome or cursed object that summons lower level (smaller) bone bats or ghosts of which the owner has no direct control over. Or a similar thing with demons, magically animated objects or something else that fits the setting better. The script and item itself still have brilliant potential when the charges, spawns (and their size) and possibly the weight are reduced. I'd love to see the item script put to use in a way more contributing to the atmosphere of the server, rather than a prank item, as the script deserves to be used for more than that.

That's a rather good suggestion :)

I'm not a fan of the barrel either (didn't know about the fish item), so I add my voice on the side of changing those items to something that adds to the horror atmosphere.

Major Tom

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #51 on: January 08, 2013, 02:01:54 PM »
And I would personally love to see the script used in a different variant. Like a reckless necromancer tome or cursed object that summons lower level (smaller) bone bats or ghosts of which the owner has no direct control over. Or a similar thing with demons, magically animated objects or something else that fits the setting better.

Just a minor tidbit on that: such items would result in a DP check, due to their nature, as such.

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Fen'lo Taaran

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #52 on: January 08, 2013, 02:09:30 PM »
While they are yes, immersion breaking. I highly doubt the Devs deserve to be abused for adding in a god damn item. If people can't control themselves, ban them. Easy. People that do perform extreme acts of stupidity qualify for Darwinism tbh.

APorg

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #53 on: January 08, 2013, 02:16:43 PM »
I do think the loot tables would be better-served by some of the ideas proposed; the idea of an undead-summoning book that summons uncontrolled undead spawns does sound wicked!
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RedwizardD

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #54 on: January 08, 2013, 02:20:58 PM »
...would personally love to see the script used in a different variant. Like a reckless necromancer tome or cursed object that summons lower level (smaller) bone bats or ghosts of which the owner has no direct control over. Or a similar thing with demons, magically animated objects or something else that fits the setting better....

That actually sounds like it could be a pretty cool use for this kind of item. Heck, Any self-respecting crazy wizard should tote around a cursed book that can summon angry spirits..Or animated chairs, demons and misc rotting/skeletal creatures or anything else detrimental to their own safety.

BalorVale

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #55 on: January 08, 2013, 02:21:50 PM »
The Necronomicon was a book made to do just this to full up the realms of the living with undeath.

Lesser varieties of the book becoming common sound like fun and even if they are used for griefing, if you make it just decrepit skeletons or bonebats, it adds to the atmosphere more.

Feronius

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #56 on: January 08, 2013, 02:51:05 PM »
It was only an example of how the script could be used.


Heck, you could go as far as to make it an item that attracts a certain kind of animal through bait, sound or scent somehow.
That would make a brilliant ranger / druid only item, who can then try to use animal empathy on the animal they called forth to soothe it.
(Not sure if this already exists with the bird whistle / cage, never actually tried buying and using such an item.)

The best use would argueably be a superstitious object given to native characters, which upon use forms an angry mob of native NPCs.
Although in both cases you'd probably need to implement a requirement or restriction so that it can only be used in specific areas, be it wilderness or rural.


Either way, this kind of scripted item has so many great potential uses that can add to the server in ways a carnivorous ape or monstrous catfish can't.

Snowflame

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #57 on: January 08, 2013, 03:04:39 PM »
I want the next summoning item to summon giant killer tomatoes. They'll fit right in with the airfish.



this post required a picture. therefore I have added it.

Ah childhood...

I like a lot of the minor summoning items, maybe not giant big silly gorillas and things. but like ghosts, maybe animals, vermin. etc. Like instead of a Kettle Fish. A jar of souls which summons hostile ghosts/angry vengeful spirits. Such an item while it is spawning undead you also free captured souls from jars at that same time.  Animals would make druid/ranger only items.

Ovidiu_Lacusta

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #58 on: January 08, 2013, 03:19:35 PM »
Djinn in a bottle!  That'd make for an interesting angry house guest.

Major Tom

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #59 on: January 08, 2013, 03:22:53 PM »
'Cept the djinni would thus be trapped in Ravenloft.. and probably more than a little pissed at you for doing so.

Amusing idea would be.. just make the one Necronomicon - then make it unique-power'd, able to summon something utterly badass (hostile to all), and then on the one use, it vanishes from the character's inventory, and jumps into another character's inventory instead, 'spreading its evil', as it were.

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dutchy

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #60 on: January 08, 2013, 03:35:20 PM »
'Cept the djinni would thus be trapped in Ravenloft.. and probably more than a little pissed at you for doing so.

Amusing idea would be.. just make the one Necronomicon - then make it unique-power'd, able to summon something utterly badass (hostile to all), and then on the one use, it vanishes from the character's inventory, and jumps into another character's inventory instead, 'spreading its evil', as it were.

Faulth found.

what if it jumps to an inactive or permad/closured char?
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Major Tom

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #61 on: January 08, 2013, 03:46:08 PM »
..are you implying that items can be placed on characters that are not logged on at the time?

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dutchy

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #62 on: January 08, 2013, 04:22:13 PM »
vanishes from the character's inventory, and jumps into another character's inventory instead

another character.

would be hilarious though poof book found its way magicly in ones inventory.
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Badelaire

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #63 on: January 08, 2013, 04:25:16 PM »
I would have thought a cursed book of the undead served better as a plot device than random loot that cropped up. There was a particular demonic library that would serve as the perfect receptacle for items like this, provided you could get past the un-disarmable beyond epic damage traps it's protected with. I technically have a physical copies of the demon and undead arcane ritual books that were within on a certain plucky Westhavian. The possibility for more and greater of the same there is limited only by player imagination and a little planning with one another for a bit of an adventure. Putting in the work to acquire something like that gives it far more prestige than just happening on it on a good loot spawn.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 04:28:05 PM by Badelaire »

Major Tom

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #64 on: January 08, 2013, 04:28:59 PM »
vanishes from the character's inventory, and jumps into another character's inventory instead

another character.

would be hilarious though poof book found its way magicly in ones inventory.

Yeah, another character.. I'm not seeing your point here. The stipulation for the other character would be that said character would be logged in on the server in order to be a receptacle for the book in the first place. You can't transfer items between two players when one player isn't logged on, even as a DM, so why would you be somehow able to do it now?

And I agree with you, Badeleire, that rarity and effort put into the obtaining of something (even to the point of that 'something' being one-of-a-kind) increases the inherent roleplay value of the item - it makes it stand out. It gives a sort of prestige to it, particularly if it's something you roleplayed a great deal towards obtaining. S'why I once questioned why so many legendary items were now mass-produced when, as I understand it, they used to be one-of-a-kind even on this server - if they were all unique, there'd be all kinds of legacies you could attach to them; they could be stolen from the bodies of dead heroes, wielded by monstrous villains, or just 'lost to the mists' at the DM's discretion.

But that's just me and my hopeful and imaginative nature getting the better of me again. Nasty habit. Best ignore it.
« Last Edit: January 08, 2013, 04:36:09 PM by Major Tom »

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Feronius

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #65 on: January 08, 2013, 07:03:35 PM »
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but I guessed I might as well state it here.

I've been wondering why the server seemed to need so many resets lately, more often than usual it seems.
Like, seriously bad lagg after being up for 24 hours without many people online, at all.
Does this have relation to these items and the fact their massive corpses do not seem to despawn at all? At least the monstrous catfish does not.

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #66 on: January 08, 2013, 07:10:24 PM »
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but I guessed I might as well state it here.

I've been wondering why the server seemed to need so many resets lately, more often than usual it seems.
Like, seriously bad lagg after being up for 24 hours without many people online, at all.
Does this have relation to these items and the fact their massive corpses do not seem to despawn at all? At least the monstrous catfish does not.
Possibly.

The items in question will be reduced to 4 charges each. The monsters will have properly hostile factions. The catfish will be replaced with something else (probably the "flying fish" from the PnP version of the item), and the items will be placed in a special loot table that only has a 1% chance of spawning.

Hopefully this will fix all the issues.

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eyeofpestilence

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #67 on: January 08, 2013, 07:20:52 PM »
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but I guessed I might as well state it here.

I've been wondering why the server seemed to need so many resets lately, more often than usual it seems.
Like, seriously bad lagg after being up for 24 hours without many people online, at all.
Does this have relation to these items and the fact their massive corpses do not seem to despawn at all? At least the monstrous catfish does not.
Possibly.

The items in question will be reduced to 4 charges each. The monsters will have properly hostile factions. The catfish will be replaced with something else (probably the "flying fish" from the PnP version of the item), and the items will be placed in a special loot table that only has a 1% chance of spawning.

Hopefully this will fix all the issues.

One last bug is that on death the monsters don't despawn. Will making them properly hostile correct this so they do disappear on death? I think the dead fish all over the place is one of the causes of lag.

Thanks DW!

Snowflame

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #68 on: January 08, 2013, 07:37:20 PM »
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned or not, but I guessed I might as well state it here.

I've been wondering why the server seemed to need so many resets lately, more often than usual it seems.
Like, seriously bad lagg after being up for 24 hours without many people online, at all.
Does this have relation to these items and the fact their massive corpses do not seem to despawn at all? At least the monstrous catfish does not.
Possibly.

The items in question will be reduced to 4 charges each. The monsters will have properly hostile factions. The catfish will be replaced with something else (probably the "flying fish" from the PnP version of the item), and the items will be placed in a special loot table that only has a 1% chance of spawning.

Hopefully this will fix all the issues.

One last bug is that on death the monsters don't despawn. Will making them properly hostile correct this so they do disappear on death? I think the dead fish all over the place is one of the causes of lag.

This happens because the fish have loot. The fish give Exp and loot. The catfish drop about... 5 Fish items or so. So the summons were capable of fighting for you, leveling you, and providing you with a meal. To be fair the spawns really shouldn't give loot. I like 4 charges and 1% chance of spawn, this is much more manageable, less ab-usable, and with hostiles working properly they won't be quite so crazy.

If they continue dropping loot however it would be important to remember that people grab their fish or whatever when done with their animals, or they could just drop nothing at all. Basically, it's not a bug it's that nobodies looting the fish :P

Now if we do some mathematics... if each fish drops 5 Fish, and the thing has fifty charges 5*50= 250 Edible Fish.

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Feronius

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #69 on: January 08, 2013, 08:03:59 PM »
No, it is a bug. At least I have seen Monstrous Catfish that weren't lootable at all.
Unless their humongous model hides their clickable area very well, which I find a bit of a far stretch as you can usually click the entire model.

eyeofpestilence

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #70 on: January 08, 2013, 08:11:48 PM »
No, it is a bug. At least I have seen Monstrous Catfish that weren't lootable at all.
Unless their humongous model hides their clickable area very well, which I find a bit of a far stretch as you can usually click the entire model.

I've only seen non-lootable catfish that don't despawn. I see it as a bug as well.

Thanks DW!

Snowflame

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #71 on: January 08, 2013, 08:13:21 PM »
No, it is a bug. At least I have seen Monstrous Catfish that weren't lootable at all.
Unless their humongous model hides their clickable area very well, which I find a bit of a far stretch as you can usually click the entire model.

I've only seen non-lootable catfish that don't despawn. I see it as a bug as well.

Lootable for me [shrugs]

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #72 on: January 08, 2013, 09:06:00 PM »
I'm pretty sure it's because the monstrous catfish have food items that are lootable.

The flying fish won't.

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Soldier0fortunE

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #73 on: January 08, 2013, 09:40:58 PM »
'Cept the djinni would thus be trapped in Ravenloft.. and probably more than a little pissed at you for doing so.

Amusing idea would be.. just make the one Necronomicon - then make it unique-power'd, able to summon something utterly badass (hostile to all), and then on the one use, it vanishes from the character's inventory, and jumps into another character's inventory instead, 'spreading its evil', as it were.


That...is an absolutely bloody brilliant idea.

''Wait...whats this book i dont remember picking this up? Let me give it a read...oh shit. Oh shit. Oh what the HELL IS THAT!? AND WHERES IT GONE!?!?!?!!? OH NO!!!1!1!11!1one!'

Major Tom

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Re: Kettle of Fish, Barrel of Monkeys.
« Reply #74 on: January 08, 2013, 09:52:58 PM »
The other fun roleplay quality would perhaps be that the book is the only thing that has the resources to get rid of the creature it summons.

Another fun thing would be that it hits you with a -5~10 alignment drop towards Evil.. 'cause, really now, you're reading the Necronomicon. No matter your good intentions, your naivety or innocence, that thing will corrupt you when you read it.

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