I hope to one day be able to see more of Sithicus, I really do. But I think that even once everything is fixed cr and loot wise there that the land might still be pretty un explorable. I love seeing the beauty of wonderfully created areas, and there are a few like the bridge in the dark with mist around on the sides and ghosts looking at you that I find creepy and awesome.
That area inspires horrifying rp , nod, nod, and gives great immersion quality. I plan on piddling around again some time, checking out the other direction and look around the castle, but I'm not going alone. For even though I am immensely curious and want to see more, know more, experience more, I see no reason to risk permaing my char just for the exploring of aesthetics and wanting to see an area that is hyped up to be gloriously beautiful, yet I imagine that maybe only a handful of people will ever actually see, and even when seen they might see about ten to twenty areas and nothing more.
I'm not trying to get down on any one or anything, and certainly hope I don't come across that way. I love the idea of a super challenging area, as far as dungeons and such go. But, I feel that my point is, if hardly anyone can see or do anything in an entire land then there is absolutely no point in it being around. Especially if one has to build their characters a certain way just to wander around. It's at that point that rp builds (such as my monk sudhri) who love to explore, rp, be a merchant, and more become utterly useless in the scheme of things and people become forced to forgo the aspects which make their chars them in order to try and make a new char that can handle the area in order to just get a glimpse of it.
I've done a few test builds, even with min maxed monks, and there is no way one will reach a 50 ac unbuffed or have an ab over 23, and from my limited experience in the lands of sithicus you need a 54+ ac and an ab of 32+. I can see an rdd fighter with improved expertise fully buffed, based in str, with fully enchanted gear, possibly doing well there once buffed and hopefully not dispelled. I can see sorcs with high cha with time stop, missile storm and sun burst, doing well there. I can't see clerics doing well there as we noted half of their spells wont effect the creatures. The most useful spell noted was undeathes eternal foe which gives the group a very limited but amazing boost.
I would perhaps surmise that a group with two high level bards, two high level sorcs, two or three high level clerics, three to four fighters, and two rogues would be ideal. I would count that every one in the group should most likely be about lvl 17 +, and will have to be extremely weary of huge mobs once they get past the city, if they get past those nasty spiders, which is a challenge on a good day (love the spiders those pain in the neck things
).
On a different note, would it be possible for any of these creatures to drop alchemy reagents or herbalism components? The trees some super sap where it's 1 for 1 on greater barkskin creation, or since they are super old dear trees fossilized tree sap for stone skin potions?
The shadows are worse than zalph, so how about some of that utter dark shadow residue?
Some sort of super poison or a better pelt than the ebon for the spiders? They are super shadow dancers.
Just tossing some things out there for that.
I certainly look forward to more exploration of sithicus as time goes on, though it will be at one area at a time, I doubt I will ever do an all day romp again just to try and look around as it stands right now. Most likely hit one screen further with a large high level group and then retreat, and so forth. Having to spend actually rl hours at a time just to progress four to five screens is a bit ridiculous, especially when it's not even in an actual dungeon unless the whole land is meant to be one glorious hard core dungeon and not there for people to learn the history, creepy beauty, and so forth of the land.
