Sylvan Dryroots Mechanics Suggestion

[Vlaid]

I was thinking it would be nice if we had something like the timer you get underwater for remaining breathe, for the duration of sylvan dryroots. Some kind of update every x seconds/minutes in the server log communicated to us.

Is it desirable? Possible?

[Pandip]

Other than something a tad more official as to the duration of dryroots, I don't think it's necessary to have any sort of indicator like this. The only issue I have with dryroots is that we don't have a semblance of a clue as to how long they last or things like whether or not resting removes the effect or lowers the duration. I do like the paranoia of constantly eating dryroots, though. I just think it'd be nice to have a better idea of how long they effect us.

[Professor Death]

Agreed.  Sometimes I feel like I'm just whistling to keep the lions away when eating the darned things (SECRET DM PLOT TO GET CHARACTERS TO MEANINGLESSLY SPEND 8 GP EVERY 15 MINUTES).....

[Twelve]

Agreed.  Sometimes I feel like I'm just whistling to keep the lions away when eating the darned things (SECRET DM PLOT TO GET CHARACTERS TO MEANINGLESSLY SPEND 8 GP EVERY 15 MINUTES).....

15 minutes?
 
I thought it was every 7?

[NecroDude]

lol i never used them until it started messing with my sleeping now my wizzy needs them to sleep :P

[Aethereal]

15 minutes?
 
I thought it was every 7?

Its obviously 12. You, of all people, should know better!

On a serious note:

It may be undesirable for this kind of information to be made available.

[Relinquish]

^.^ I've speculated it actually makes the withering progress faster.

[Gotham]

It's vague on purpose. The DM's want people to question if it even does anything.

[Pup]

I love it the way it is.  I love just being scared and paranoid having no idea if it's even working...  I know I sort of sound ironic, but I'm serious.

[Disco]

We could always have 3 types of Dryroot. Weak, normal and strong. No one would know how long they last, but obviously you wouldnt expect much from weak ones, but you would expect strong ones to last for some houers.

[Coin Lord]

Seems sensible that a PC would feel something and would be a positive effect.

If for nothing more than instances where you are in withered lands and it runs out and your PC suddenly realises they are withering and wants to get out quickly.

It would also remind me that my PC is unprotected and needs to get out and give a greater "sense" of the withering eating away at my PC.

[Decimate_The_Weak]

When you're underwater you can feel yourself running out of breath. IDK if PCs are meant to "feel" the dryroots working but correct me if I'm wrong. I like the mystery.

[Professor Death]

Ok, how about this suggestion:

Can we at least get a definite DM confirmation that characters at least FEEL that it makes the withering better?  Something like, "yes devout playerbase, your character DOES seem to feel the itch subside when consuming a root".  Whether or not it actually is working is still open to speculation, but at least it supports a placebo effect that would suggest why anyone would take the dumb things to begin with.

[Jayde Moon]

There are many things that people ingest that perform some manner of function upon the human body that we have no way of measuring it's duration outside of study.

The accrual of withering is a slow process that one does not feel actually building up.  You only notice the effects after it's reached a certain point.  Like a cancer you never even feel growing until suddenly you suffer some minor medical emergency.

Or like getting fatter as you get older.  You don't notice day to day you are gaining weight without actually measuring, until one day you look in the mirror and go, "DAYUM!  When did I turn into such a lard-ass!"

And so it is with many substances used to ameliorate negative effects.  While some things like acetaminophen may be felt quickly, caffeine can get you going for your day, and a host of other substances may cause near immediate and definitive effects that can be subjectively measured, there are also a host of other substances, chemicals, and medicines which you never actually feel working.

You just know that the antibiotics helped you fight the infection, various supplements increase general health, etc.  Some of that may be placebo, we don't know, we trust it works because someone has told us that it does, usually through some form of objective trial/study.

So chewing this bitter root may not actually cause a literal 'feeling' and there is nothing that says it must.  You either trust it's working and eat it regularly or you don't.  You are either paranoid about how quickly it runs out and thus eat too much of it or you believe in the amazing power of herbal remedies and eat it sparingly, believing it to last for rather some time.

Until someone devises some form of clinical trial that you trust to be gospel truth, you simply won't really know.

[Caster13]

Until someone devises some form of clinical trial that you trust to be gospel truth, you simply won't really know.

Sounds like a concept idea there.