Additional Safe Rest Areas in QAs

[Egon the Monkey]

I like the introduction of safe rest spots for 2-parter long quests, as they're a great way to have a longer challenge than is possible with the spell duration for a level range. However, they could be useful in a few other QAs too, to allow you to rest before you exit, but not part way through.

For long quests like Lizardmen and Trolls, you face a long walk back through areas with dangerous spawns, but with no spells. Either as you can't make a fire or enemies always spawn near the exit. For other quests, some are great places for hostile players to jump you because they OOCly know you have no spells left, despite the fact the QA would be safe to rest in because you just killed everything dangerous within a mile.

So, I think that it wouldn't be unreasonable for the wilderness-based and deep under the Zig quests to have some sort of "enemy barracks" or "Boss's Bedroll" placeables in a room at the end, to allow resting.

[TheImpossibleDream]

Just bring a bed roll and some oil for just outside the quest area. In the case of lizardmen the waters generally don't have anything particularly bad in them. As for the bogs after trolls, I've often found myself resting just outside that QA by campfire.

[Gippy]

Not a bad suggestion. However, can't you just save a few spells/ use wands / let fighters use a few supplies? I have not noticed anyone having a hard time with these quests. Most rewarding on the server already.

[Egon the Monkey]

@naga
Always do, especially with the new, lighter bedrolls. I tend to have one fire to rest before the quest, and one to rest after for the way back. One issue is that it's easy for things to block you from resting from the other side of a wall for example. Mostly though, the fact that there's potentially dangerous stuff from the moment you exit. I suppose the areas could be re-scripted to allow making a fire, though, to promote being prepared.

@Gippy
I agree, the quests are balanced fine and don't need changing.
It's the wilderness/Sunken City that can be a pain as you end up facing it unbuffed. No trouble for non-caster classes, but the problem increases the more your PC relies on spells, up to "well I'm dead weight now" if you're a wizard . These sort of quests, you want to use whatever you can so you beat it. You could maybe reserve a blur or invis, but not enough spells to drive off a PC who decides to mug your team at the transition or to help against a sudden onslaught of Assassin Vines. Just this week I've known of 1 successful and 1 failed PVP  using the "get 'em at the transition" tactic. If groups have the chance to exit the QAs with the same buffs they'd be using to walk from town to the QA, then neither mobs nor players attacking near the exit would be lame.

[Lulzebub]

I like this idea if only because I've been ganked after finishing a quest and it feels like they're taking advantage of game mechanics, even though it's really the most in-character thing in the world to do.

[TheImpossibleDream]

Once you're out of spells, you're out of spells. If you use all of your spells to finish a quest then you're going to have a hard time with any difficulties that might arise on the way back.

 It's a harsh truth but the main weakness to relying on spells is it requires foresight. If you could be prepared with a full load of spells constantly you'd be pretty much unstoppable. You just have to ration.

As for Sunken Enclave all but the larval quest down there has either a resting area or an alternate quick route back to the outdoors bypassing all the nasties.

[Disco]

I support this.

[Egon the Monkey]

Naga, you're really hammering the point home here more than disputing it. Running out of spells is a big deal, and there's no reason someone who needs them shouldn't rest in a QA that's now free of threats. They would rest in the wilds or town. Being able to have a full load of spells whenever you run out would be unstoppable. This is not that. It is a way to avoid getting caught with your trousers down because of an OOC mechanic designed to prevent people refreshing spells all the way through the quest.

There is a difference between foresight or rationing ("I am going prepare enough spells to get us through this quest/Let me respond to whatever happens in town in the next 25 minutes") and doing a half-assed job in a quest area in order to be merely half-assed when you exit. It's also not possible to be an effective caster on long quests like Hive if you're reserving stuff, as even a L9  ends up using all their spells by the end.

In fact, if I could choose one new consumable for EfU it would be a 250gp item that would reset the rest timer to 0 in exchange for a -1 penalty to INT, WIS and CHA for 1 round after resting (so you can't reload fully). It would let casters respond to DM events, impending brawls etc when they're unable to do so because of bad luck on the timer. You'd not be able to use more than 1 per hour. Casters are really at a disadvantage in consumables, as offensive ones are mostly meh with the low CL and defensive ones end up being more of a boost to ftr/bards etc.

[MoonlitNight]

We spoke of this Egon, I agree still.

[TheImpossibleDream]

Naga, you're really hammering the point home here more than disputing it. Running out of spells is a big deal, and there's no reason someone who needs them shouldn't rest in a QA that's now free of threats. They would rest in the wilds or town. Being able to have a full load of spells whenever you run out would be unstoppable. This is not that. It is a way to avoid getting caught with your trousers down because of an OOC mechanic designed to prevent people refreshing spells all the way through the quest.

You can't rest inside a quest area for the same reason folks can't wander into quest areas and come upon you fighting trolls and destroy you. It's a two way street, while in the quest area you are 90% (10% for rare dm intervention)certain you aren't going to be ambushed.

You could run around the webbed wood and kill every single spider and still more would "appear" and the area would never be safe to sit around and have picnics, the same for quest areas, except spawns stop appearing for the purposes of keeping xp within certain parameters.

As far as getting ambushed outside of the quest by pc's and not being prepared. Preparing a couple of "get out of pvp fast" spells really doesn't take many spell slots. Level 1 spell protection from alignment, level 1 spell Exp. Retreat,  Level 2 spell or incredibly common potion invisibility.

Remember also loitering about the wilderness is never safe and should not be treated as such. Even though an invisible barrier protects you whilst in a QA from all non quest related monsters and players that inhabit a region.

[lolmagics]

I agree with Gippy and Naga.

[Gippy]

Quiz question how many spells prepared did JOSEPH BISHOP have in the PvP's vs CRULOCH, or DAKARAI?

I think Naga's handled the other side of the argument very well. I am against anything, at this point, which would make our content even easier for high level wizards and spell casters.

[Drakill Tannan]

How about the follwing then?
Make areas just next to the SQA's entrances always free of monsters, so a wizard with oil and a bedroll can rest.ç

Make it illegal for PCs to camp at the entrances of SQAs waiting to PvP a weak PC.

Sound good?

[Lulzebub]

You can't rest inside a quest area for the same reason folks can't wander into quest areas and come upon you fighting trolls and destroy you. It's a two way street, while in the quest area you are 90% (10% for rare dm intervention)certain you aren't going to be ambushed.

This is incorrect, and it is precisely the reason I support the suggestion. Folks can just wander into quest areas and attack you while you're fighting trolls or what have you, if a DM lets them in. I have lost characters to just such a thing.

As far as getting ambushed outside of the quest by pc's and not being prepared. Preparing a couple of "get out of pvp fast" spells really doesn't take many spell slots. Level 1 spell protection from alignment, level 1 spell Exp. Retreat,  Level 2 spell or incredibly common potion invisibility.

I don't know who you PvP with, but this is not going to save your butt in 90% of ambush situations.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

Displacement, Haste. Win.