While I like the idea in theory, this sounds like another one of those things that would just go to the handful of people who can already afford the best things in the module. If the artifact dropped at such a rate that it was rare enough to fulfill the concept, then the pieces thereof would just become another piece of 100k-500k+ gear that gets thrown around among the people who can afford to pay top dollar for such things.
If you’re afraid of disturbing the balance, your rationale seems to indicate that there is already an unbalance with adventurers that are seen as more powerful. For a server that has been around for over a decade, there are no doubt players that have the ability and the funds to obtain most anything in game. While this may be a valid concern for artifact items, it isn’t necessarily true. In fact this kind of implimentation could very well increase interest for new adventurers for those who haven’t yet found a reason to explore dungeons and also rejuvenate interests for those who have already explored much of the mist. The very nature of said system would certainly expand on player character interactions and increase role play narratives, even potentially providing an incentive for certain factions or classes.
The argument being made here is that the most powerful would become more powerful. While that isn’t out of the realm of possibilities, it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. In my opinion legendary items already exist, when you consider the fact that DM’s hand out rare plot items and only certain characters have access to, some items are even being sold in trade markets to the highest bidder, the characters whom can afford them.
No. My argument was that there are already crazy good items that have a one-in-a-million drop rate and they already only ever end up in the hands of a handful of people who can afford to buy them at auction. With your proposed system, either:
1) These artifacts have a similar or lower drop rate, in which case all we've done is add another piece of ridiculously expensive rare stuff that winds up in the hands of the same people, which benefits no one
2) or the drop rate is substantially greater, in which case the first people who bother to grind for them will end up getting them. But even then, if you're going to have a ridiculously powerful artifact, the pieces will almost certainly drop in the same high-end areas of the game that are already mostly only run by the same people above.
I just don't see what this adds to the server as a whole. If anything, the nature of the thing will just mean it just benefits the same people who already have the best gear or the cash to afford it. Balance has nothing to do with my objection.
What makes this an exciting proposition, is the fact that everyone would have an equal opppourtunity to explore the world and find pieces to an artifact, potentially earning something substantial for their efforts. Any artifact would involve lots of consideration, but with the attention of developers could be implemented during the Enhanced Edition release.
Everyone has an "equal opportunity" to explore the world and find rare drops
now. In theory, this is true in the sense that anyone can attempt to grind to 20, find enough friends to make a properly structured party, and then grind the crap out of sithicus or whatever. In practice, this isn't the case at all. There's only a very small subset of the population who have the levels, resources, and groups necessary to actually run the areas of content where such a thing would drop, and that's knowing the existing good loot that drops in places like that. Adding
extra good loot wouldn't allow more people to explore high-end content.
And, honestly. The people who will acquire all the artifact pieces are almost certainly going to be the ninja looters who dont' actually require any of the above, just sufficient stealth and invis pots or whatever.
Even in pen and papers game, artefacts are handled very carefully. And all Ravenloft artefacts have special side effects requiring DM supervision.
Something that is being seriously considered though, is for special crafting materials that may be looted to craft special items. Things on par with standard crafted gear, but with unique abilities. And definitively less than enchanted ones in power. Enchanted items is the highest reward for high level PCs that can be obtained without DM intervention and that is there to stay (* that and some epic loot of course). Again. The key word here is balance and that is difficult to achieve. Even more powerful items is certainly not something this server needs (that is my personnal opinion).
Of a more important and immediate concern to us, and I dare say most players, is the quality of the loot drops. And as to that, Dread is spearheading a massive attempt to improve that by rebalancing the treasuries.
But artefact level items, earn them through roleplay. There will never be another way.
Now
This is something that I'm very interested in. I've always thought it would be neat if they could really expand what enchanted gear can do. I have a bunch of thoughts on that, but they seem fitting for a different thread rather than clogging up this one.
