Making roads dangerous and Getting It Right

[nobody]

First, an apology, this is an ambitious proposal. Getting It Right would probably involve a grueling amount of code. Second, a call for help. If you feel I've missed the mark anywhere, or you have ideas for how this suggestion could be better, please opine!

At present the roads are not very dangerous, and some discussion/comments have gone around the ooc for a while about bandits making things more interesting and I've been thinking about what that could look like.

Proposed Principles

• Random encounters should have a cost
• The goal of random encounters shouldn't be PC deaths
• Random encounters should be dangerous for non-combat specialists and risky for combat specialists

That's a very rough outline, and it might look like some of those principles are at odds with each other. They might be, but I've got some ideas for how to balance them. That begins with a consideration of the motives of our would-be bandits.

Motives
Wealth (opportunistic): These cowardly bandits are just looking for a quick score.

• Wearing visible fine clothing, jewelry of average or higher quality, and having no obvious weapons increase the probability of an ambush.
• Armor, multiple obvious weapons, a held weapon, and poor quality clothing would all decrease the probability of an attack from these bandits.
• Having multiple members in your group decreases the probability of an attack.
• Appearing winded or more tired increases the probability of an attack.
• They'd likely rely on a sweep and surround tactic, and verbally demanding some riln.
• They might use hastily made traps (like trip ropes avoided with perception and/or acrobatics or snares avoided with perception and/or dodge).
• They're looking for quick riln, so paying them off with riln (using drop and/or pay), gems (that aren't quartz), or other valuables will likely result in them running off.
• If you drop or pay less than they demand, they may decide it's good enough and run off.
• If the PC initiates combat, they're likely to flee as soon as they get moderate or worse injuries
• If things turn violent, they're likely to use incapacitating tactics. If the PC falls unconscious they'll likely rifle through one or two bags and take any obvious riln before fleeing.
• Skill ranges are probably 100-200 range for a group, or 200-400 for an individual bandit.

Wealth (long-term / easy living): These are career bandits, looking for reliable long term income without the rules of military life or hard work of an honest trade.

• Wearing visible fine clothing, jewelry of average or higher quality, and having no obvious weapons increase the probability of an ambush.
• Armor, multiple obvious weapons, a held weapon, and poor quality clothing would all decrease the probability of an attack from these bandits. (less of a decrease than the above group though)
• Holding a package (for a long distance delivery) in hand would increase the probability of an ambush.
• Having multiple members in your group should result in each member being evaluated separately and the group's probability combined. So typically it increases the probability of an attack if one person is wearing fine clothing and no obvious weapons (provided the bandits still outnumber the group - anyone who can afford a guard's gotta be loaded), or if nobody in the group has obvious weapons (likely a bigger score for not much more risk). If the group only has people with armor and obvious weapons, lower likelihood of attack.
• Appearing winded or more tired increases the probability of an attack.
• They're likely to rely on traps (trip ropes, snares, or pit traps avoided with perception and/or acrobatics) to capture victims. They're willing to invest more time to make better and harder to see traps that they can potentially re-use in the future.
• They're looking for riln, but they're most likely to demand your riln pouch and backpack so they can maximize their score. They're likely to take things of value, including packages for long-distance deliveries and lockboxes that are still locked, but not crafting supplies or tools (they want you to earn more money for them in the future after all).
• If the PC initiates combat, they'll only flee if it looks like they're really losing, though individuals may flee with major or worse wounds. If the injuries are to limbs, they may flee, bandage themselves, rest above winded if necessary, and then re-join the fight.
• If the PC uses a pendant they'll likely gag the captured person or try to incapacitate them to rifle through their bags.
• If things turn violent, they're likely to use incapacitating tactics. If the PC falls unconscious they'll likely rifle through their bags for anything of value and all weapons. They may then leave or go back into hiding and await another victim.
• Skill ranges are probably 200-400 for group members + 100-200 for a bandit leader. Maybe 500-700 for an individual bandit.

Desparation (also hunger, but see below): These are bandits just trying to survive another day.

• Wearing visible fine clothing, jewelry of average or higher quality, and having no obvious weapons increase the probability of an ambush by a human bandit.
• Armor, multiple obvious weapons, a held weapon, and poor quality clothing would all decrease the probability of an attack from human bandits.
• Having multiple members in your group decreases the probability of an attack.
• Appearing winded or more tired increases the probability of an attack.
• They would likely rely on a surround tactic and verbally demanding some food, or might try to appear weak and beg for food.
• They're looking for food and warm clothing (humans), so paying them off with food (using drop and/or give), will likely result in them running off. If too little is given (like some pine nuts), they may instead initiate combat.
• If the PC initiates combat, they're likely to flee as soon as they get moderate or worse injuries.
• If things turn violent, humans would use incapacitating tactics. If the PC falls unconscious they'll likely rifle through their bags and take all their food (and possibly other supplies like warm clothing, firestones, etc).
• Skill ranges are probably 100-200 range for a group, or 100-400 for an individual bandit.

Hunger: These are wild animals just trying to survive another day.

• Having no obvious weapons would increase the probability of an ambush by a hungry beast.
• A held weapon would decrease the probability of an ambush from a hungry beast.
• Having multiple members in your group decreases the probability of an attack.
• Appearing winded or more tired increases the probability of an attack.
• Hungry animals would likely initiate combat immediately and use incapacitating or lethal tactics.
• They're looking for food, so paying them off with food (using drop and/or give), will likely result in them running off. If too little (or the wrong kind) is given (like some pine nuts for a hungry bear), they may instead initiate combat.
• If the PC initiates combat, they're likely to flee as soon as they get moderate or worse injuries.
• If the PC falls unconscious they'll likely rifle through their bags and take any readily available food of the right kind instead of killing the person (this is mostly a concession to make this not an utterly horrible experience for PCs that are not undying).
• Skill ranges are probably 100-400.

Ideology: These are people who believe in a cause. They are varied by what they believe in, I've tried to be exhaustive and detailed here but could likely use more ideas.

• Having a very low opposing faction score will likely result in an ambush. A pro-nethrim group may demand an oath that you stay out of the ravenwood. A pro-resen group may demand an oath that you stay out of Terueka or Dusklamp. Liberi may demand you stay away from Liberi lands. If you refuse an oath, things might turn violent. If you take an oath, they'll remember you and they may go straight to violence if they encounter you again and you have an even lower faction score (the idea being that they're watching the protected areas, so they'd notice you're breaking your oath - maybe they'd even spawn there and attack you). If they're extremists or disinclined to trust people, they may go straight to violence rather than demanding oaths.
• Having a neutral faction score may result in a request for aid or pressing into service. For example, an anti-resen group might ask you to go with them into Terueka and help kill a number of mobs. They'll loot corpses immediately, but if you contribute significantly in combat may pay you afterward. A fanatical anti-resen group may threaten you into joining them instead of asking, and attacking you if you refuse.
• Having a high faction score may result in a request for aid or recruitment. An anti-nethrim group might ask you to join them and cull some nether critters. A pro-nethrim society might ask you to join them to take out things threatening the nethrim (preferably always spawned NPCs, but detecting and targeting PCs in the area would certainly create some dynamic story stuff).
• Regardless of faction score they may ask you for riln to support the cause. Depending on faction score it may be more of a demand than a question.
• Depending on level of fanaticism, their tactics when violent may be incapacitating or lethal. I feel like lethal tactics should be reserved for people with low faction scores (as they would have lowered them by combat and are likely but not necessarily undying).
• This would be a good mechanical way to introduce people to factions (at least ones that want to be known and are interested in recruiting) and potentially increasing reputation with those factions. That will hopefully also create a foundation for RP.

Where
The where varies with the groups, and they could all happen anywhere on the overland road areas (I'd avoid the off-world-map areas, as those tend to be linear and thus disallow avoiding trouble). Some spots are going to be favorites though. For example, a common ambush point might be outside the abandoned farm houses. There the enviornment is right so it might always have a higher probability of ambushes happening. Areas closer to crossroads also tend to be good places for ambushes. A pro-shadgard faction would likely only appear on the roads near Shadgard, dispensing vigilante justice when they feel Sheriff Cotton's gone too soft (or maybe it's the mayor holding him back too much and Cotton's in the group too - doesn't really matter). Spots that get well known for being ambush points will get talked about, people looking to avoid trouble will find different routes, people interested in finding trouble will know where to look.

Aftermath
Whether the ambush is successful or not, the mobs should persist for some amount of time (10-30 minutes maybe?) so that if people can recruit a tracker and some mercenaries, they can get their stuff back (if they lost anything) and maybe some sweet, sweet revenge. If the bandits managed to take any items that are registered, the mob should either persist until hunted down or respawn with it at a later time until it's reclaimed by *someone* (not necessarily the original owner).

Final Thoughts
And here's the hodgepodge of related thoughts that I didn't get to elsewhere:

• While I've noted some items that decrease the probability of ambush, it should always be possible to get ambushed, even if you're walking the roads in full leathers and carrying a glaive and a scowl - everyone makes mistakes, including bandits.
• Being hidden should give you a chance to avoid getting ambushed, subject to normal stealth/perception stuff.
• A rare event of entering an ambush-in-progress and finding an NPC in need of rescue would be delightful (provided it's rare enough to be fresh and exciting every time it happens, that'll probably take some time to properly calibrate).

Again, please post if you have thoughts on what I've suggested that's off course or ideas to make it a better suggestion. Thanks for reading!

Edit to add: Forgot to comment on surrounding. I don't know what mechanics if any are currently in place to represent surrounding, but when surrounded by a bandit group it should be possible but not particularly easy to get away. A failed attempt would likely result in a sweep or tackle to knock the PC prone and prevent future attempts. A successful escape against greedy bandits might mean getting chased by a whole bandit camp.

[Irylia]

(Sorry in advance for formatting)

First let me say that this is a great and well phrased post and I definitely don't want to be dismissive of the idea at all, but I do have some strong reservations about this kind of implementation - especially in the "getting it right" part. On the plus side - I think a system like this is great for getting players to work together to overcome obstacles and could encourage players to travel in groups. But I also feel like with the population as it is, that might be asking a lot. It could also serve as a potential riln-sink for those non-combat types if the right options are included.

My main issue is that generally the roads have been meant to be the safe routes of travel whereas cutting cross-country can prove to be more dangerous. Aside from tasks directed at specific characters or GM-run events, I'm not sure I would want any of these options to happen on a regular basis. If the chance of triggering is very low (once a week or less, maybe) that might be another matter, but if every time I use the road and come across one of these common ambush points my character gets accosted due to bad luck, I'm not really down for that. Balance is key.

Things to consider:
- There's the travel system currently in play that would have to be interrupted for these types of ambushes or events to take place since some people probably type "travel <direction>" and just expect to arrive where they meant to go without issue.
- There's the fact that the current population seems to consist of a lot of non-aggressive type characters and this could deter them from trying to leave town even more than they already maybe do (or don't). For example - I have a character that only ever leaves town to gather grass for livestock. If that character was constantly being ambushed just trying to get to the first available room with growing grass, that would be really inconvenient both mechanically and RP-wise.

Ideas for Tweaks in Concept/Execution:
- I feel like if this type of system gets implemented there should always be a buy-out option available for those with no other means of guaranteeing their safety. Guards can't always be hired.
- Maybe the ambushes don't happen within a certain distance from an established settlement because the immediate surroundings are considered "safe", or they only happen in specific regions.
- Maybe animal attacks should be left out as unless the animal is truly desperate, they tend to avoid people anyway. If the starving critters you can feed to maintain safety are put in, that might be manageable, but all this talk of potential death from traveling on the roads is not something I'm down for. Food options at the moment are limited so I would hope the animals aren't picky. There's also the risk of wilderness travel auto-eating the food you had tried to reserve for possible hungry animals which could be problematic. So being able to designate food as travel or not-travel would be nice if this comes in - or people can just have multiple bags and be careful.
- One possible "out" that seems kind of cheap to me, but might work is to allow a toggle for if you want your character to have these sorts of interactions with the world. I really don't like this option, but I could see some players having very strong objections to being forced into challenging situations with no means of escape or avoidance.
- There should be the chance to be able to "outrun" or "sidestep" these encounters as well - potentially if you're mounted or using some other means of non-walk travel - without having to actually go off-road. Otherwise the travel command becomes problematic.
- Maybe the ambushes only trigger if you're in a designated room for a certain amount of time rather than just passing through.
- It might be interesting if there was some sort of multiple choice dialogue if these scenarios pop up. Choose 1. Combat, 2. Bribe/Pay Fee, 3. Flee/Try to Run (but maybe this option has a 50/50 chance of sending you back the way you came and you have to go around to continue). That way people who prefer non-aggressive playstyles still have options and don't have to worry about random travel deaths even though they purposefully avoid dangerous areas.
- Safe travel pass. Some item (badge, marker, unique jewelery etc.) that is worn that tells bandits, you've either earned the right to safe passage (reputation system), you've garnered enough prestige with the town that retribution would be swift and unforgiving so they don't bother you anyway, or you've paid whatever their tax is so that they'll leave you alone until the next payment is due. Could be some kind of monthly or weekly charge for those who have to use the roads frequently and don't want to deal with shenanigans.
- I know you said you would avoid using the off-world-map areas because they're linear. To me, these areas actually make the most sense thematically BECAUSE they're linear. I would suggest if these areas are included there could be some kind of "Oregon Trail" type aspect where there are known ambush sites or dangerous passings and you again have options that can be mini-game-esque and the room prevents travel until you choose one - 1. Take your chances going straight, 2. Use a broken down rope bridge to cross a side-gorge instead of the main road, 3. Ford the stream instead of using the main bridge, 4. Take the dark cave route, 5. Turn back etc. Going an alternate route could have little emotes or other things that come up to make it fun/interesting but let you successfully bypass any potential ambush in favor of a bit more effort on the player's part to reach their destination.

So I guess what I'm saying is - while I would personally prefer not to have to deal with this stuff as-stated (it seems great for task-fodder or events, but not as automated random chance encounters), I think the way the idea is presented is very considerate and I'd be okay with it being implemented if there are ways for non-combat types or non-undying to get out of things without the potential for meeting a violent and gruesome death merely from using the roads.

[Rias]

A lot of good ideas in this thread that I'm still mulling over.

My main issue is that generally the roads have been meant to be the safe routes of travel

In an ideal world, yes, but in the Lost Lands, nothing outside town walls should be considered safe. While roads often offer the most efficient route terrain-wise between outposts, they also present a perfect opportunity for brigands, highwaymen, and other nasty individuals to prey on travelers who are likely to be following these routes. A non-combat character travelling across the wilderness, even along roads, from Outpost A to Outpost B should be considered risky business. Having it be a risk is an inconvenience for them, sure - just as inconvenient as it is for any character to have to rely on another character, like a combat-focused character needing a crafter to make them special items/gear they can't get themselves.

As it is, combat characters have hardly any contribution to the player community. (They do tend to be the main source of business for locksmiths, so that's something.) It has always been the intent for the outside world to be dangerous, even along roads, to give warriors a way to contribute to the community. Whether that's by keeping the roads clear of encamped highwaymen, clearing out valuable resource sites of baddies (temporarily), or providing armed escort into dangerous territory that can't simply be made safe ahead of time.

I do like the general idea of zones getting increasingly dangerous with time/events, increasing the chances that travelers will be waylaid. The aim in these road encounters wouldn't be to kill people - as Nobody's post suggested, these highwaymen will be out to get your money, not to take your life. A preview has already been seen with the occasional (though currently not working) highwayman NPC that has occasionally been seen hanging out on the road to block traffic unless travelers pay or defeat him. He doesn't try to attack you unless you attack first - he just wants money, and once paid up he'll wave you along safe and sound. So even if you're not a combat-focused character, you're still not completely prevented from getting from place to place - you'll just have to swallow your pride and pay what the highwaymen are asking for. Not to say that certain zones couldn't get to a point where the danger does become more immediately hostile, but that's when you call on your friendly neighborhood Warrior Guild members to go take care of the issue.

[nobody]

If the chance of triggering is very low (once a week or less, maybe) that might be another matter, but if every time I use the road and come across one of these common ambush points my character gets accosted due to bad luck, I'm not really down for that. Balance is key.

I agree wholeheartedly that the encounters should not be lethal, they just want your stuff. As for frequency, I did not address that and probably ought to have. As always, context matters. The trip to the nearest bluestem grass is 6 leagues by road. If you make the trip to gather grass twice a day every day for a month, that'd be 720 leagues roughly. With a base chance of 1% per league (0.01), you'd have a between 1 and 15 encounters in a typical month. That's a bit higher than I'd expect. Time for a table!

Code: Select all

Distance | Probability | low-end | high-end
     720 |      0.01   |       1 |       15
     720 |      0.005  |       0 |        9
     720 |      0.001  |       0 |        4
     720 |      0.0005 |       0 |        3
     720 |      0.0001 |       0 |        1

Alright, so at a base rate of 0.0001 encounters per league, in a typical month you'd get one encounter or none at all. But that's probably a low estimate for someone's month. If certain signage is to be believed, it's roughly 80 leagues of road from Shadgard to New Emberlight. If you delivered 4 packages there and back again it's roughly 640 leagues and nets you 4,000 riln. Given that an encounter might lead to having zero riln left, we could use some more information. In 4 trips to New Emberlight and back we'd expect 0 encounters 93.8% of the time, 1 encounter 6% of the time, and 2+ encounters the remaining 0.2% of the time. That actually sounds pretty reasonable to me. You could make 4 deliveries per day and most weeks you'd not see any encounters. To push that out a little further, at just over 7,000 leagues (44 trips there and back or 10 months of grass runs twice a day) the odds are 50/50 that you'd have no encounters (0 50%, 1 35%, 2 12%, 3+ 3%). At that rarity, they'd be pretty novel when they happened I think.

Also another point your post reminded me of. You should probably have increased probability of getting ambushed if you're hauling a cart, decreased probability if you're covered in animal excrement, and increased probability if you're covered in blood-soaked bandages... maybe lower probability if you're covered in blood and no bandages though, that means it's someone elses'.

[Irylia]

Sorry this will be a little rambly...

To start, just to clarify, I wasn't trying to imply roads should always be safe and I'm sorry if it came off that way. I'm just saying that a well-traveled road will, again, generally be safer than off-road travel and past experience with MUDs has shown that roads are, for the most part, safe. I'm not opposed to stuff like this happening at all as long as it can be reasonably mitigated or is very infrequent (thanks for posting numbers - more on that later).

As I said, I think the initial post was really well put together and I like where it's coming from. I just have a lot of concerns about the logistics and making sure it's "right". I do like the idea more of there being mini events rather than potentially random chance encounters. So if things are left idle too long, the ruffians/bandits start getting bolder and might even start coming out to the road. But if a gang is broken up, they won't do anything for a while. That's really neat then and it's part of the world feeling more alive. That's part of why I love how the original post was presented. It gives the aggressors some kind of motivation and drive other than - well this is bandit X and he just wants money and there's no reason for it other than we needed to give people something to do. And that's why part of me really wants this even if part of me is like - uuuuuuuuugh... please no. Now we just need our resident physickers to try and give these hoodlums therapy so they rethink their life choices! Anyway, kudos to Nobody for their post.

However... speaking of mitigating, I was thinking about this a bit more as I re-read the thread. I don't know about any of you, but I personally don't use the "peer" command before every room I travel to. So going around these kinds of things, even in the open wilderness, seems a bit problematic unless you're allowed to enter the room, see the trouble about to rain down on you, and then try to go around. Even if there are idle scripts in the rooms leading up to the bandits, you're not likely to see them if you're just trying to get from point A to point B and not going slowly along the road picking flowers or whatever. So that might need some further thought if people are even intended to be able to just skirt around these encounters. I mean, unless you just do full-wilderness and avoid the roads completely, which isn't always possible either.

As far as it being "just as" inconvenient and the need to give fighters things to do, I think there are still plenty of other opportunities to give fighters ways to feel essential or give them fun things to occupy their time than making travel more difficult for everyone on a semi-regular basis. Tying these types of encounters to escort tasks or clear-the-road type tasks (as has been discussed previously in Discord and elsewhere) sounds like an amazing way to give a variety of world-impacting assignments. But adding in generalized road dangers that aren't character/guild-tied doesn't seem like it's just as inconvenient to me at all. (Not that everything has to be equal, by the way, but I just wanted it said.)

Remember crafting characters have to rely on other crafting characters for components, but combat characters don't really have to rely on other combat characters unless they're pushing limits. They don't even really HAVE to rely on crafting characters. They are islands of independence and freedom! Farmers and ranchers have daily inconveniences just for general upkeep that combat characters, and even other "crafting" characters, don't have to worry about at all. And there are usually NPC-made alternatives or options for those looking for completed crafted goods if a PC crafter isn't available - whereas those without combat skills may have zero alternative when it comes to being hassled on the road. It's pay or fight, but fight isn't an option. So combat characters really don't seem to have to rely on anyone unless they want something specific (like, as Rias said - a box opened, or a finer quality weapon, or a specific weapon type not in stores), but non-combat characters will potentially have to rely on both combat and crafting characters to complete their goals. These types of factors lead me to say it's not an equal inconvenience even if equality doesn't matter when considering this addition.

And again - I'm not at all against this stuff being implemented as long as it's taking all sides into account (and I know it will because Rias is good like that). I have no issue with them even being generalized to affect any traveler regardless of their chosen skillset as opposed to only being task or event-related. So long as there continue to be viable options for non-combat resolutions, then I'm good to go. I'm just trying to make sure all (or at least a decent amount of) things are considered beforehand.

As an aside since I never encountered this... if you've got NPCs that block passage in exchange for either riln or fighting (and it sounds like you do or did at one point), what do they do if you're not carrying any money or not enough? Is there a way around them or are you just stuck in that case? In the instance they do take your riln and let you pass, is the bribe a set number or does it vary within a range? Is it like... a percent of what you have on you or based on what you have on you at all or is it just a pre-set number that doesn't take into account your current riln total? Is there a max limit? It would be good to have some approximate idea of how much to keep on-hand in case your character runs into someone like that.

I could easily see it being something like ***The ruffian searches your belongings and finds <rilnamount>/<%rilnamount>/<random rilnamount between 0 and what you have in pocket>.*** And then they could ask for a cut of whatever total they happen to find. I would sincerely hope it's never the full amount you have on you unless there is a set threshold and you just happen to be carrying very little to start with. Maybe things like artifice or trading could give your character a better chance of hiding your riln from the would-be thief so they aren't able to ask for as much to let you pass. If the bandit is just starving, will they take food instead?

I would also hope there's some kind of cooldown or despawn in case that theft then makes you have to turn around and get more riln before you can even carry on to your original destination and then when you finally make it back you're not stopped yet again. If that's the case, being unprepared for this kind of encounter could end up costing characters even more than whatever the intended fee is. If they have to turn back it uses up food as well as riln, takes time, costs energy, and has a potential annoyance factor.

If this is a route the game is going, maybe adding more banks or riln-depositories at the far-flung areas of the map would be a nice option so people don't have to carry around more than they feel comfortable with on the off-chance they're held up. This could lead to bank robbery prevention events, or events where you have to form a posse and track down successful bank robbers before they reach safety, or events where you have to re-take what was stolen from their hideout and then - if successful - the riln all goes back to the town it was taken from via a completion script. If unsuccessful, anyone who had riln in that location loses a percent of it. Then again adding banks could mean people never feel a need to carry riln on the roads too which is bad for the bandits so... that could go either way depending on how much QOL you want vs making players have to pay their sweet sweet riln.

Anyway, thank you for posting possible numbers, Nobody. I appreciate all the thought you put into this and the possible outcomes even if those aren't the frequencies Rias ends up with. However, now I'm getting an almost Pokemon feel from this where it's like - you're wading through the tall grass/wooded road. Is it going to trigger an event? WHO KNOWS?!

To me, being that close to town should not trigger an encounter ever (about the grass foraging example). After all, what bandit is going to see someone with scythe-in-hand and a huge empty cart, clearly going to mow grass, and think - yes, that person, that's the one who will have all the money to give! Though I could easily see a less intelligent ruffian saying - go get your riln from town while I confiscate your cart and when you pay me I'll give it back - only to see you come back followed by a pack of Outriders or PC reinforcements. That would be hilarious.

I do agree in-general that things like pulling a handcart/aka being slowed, or even encumbrance, should be a factor in determining if something like this triggers. I agree with the bloody vs bandaged and some of the other scenarios brought up that might increase or reduce your chances of being met by a bandit. I don't think being smelly would be enough of a deterrent, but hey - if that's all it takes, I'll just be sure not to bathe when I have to go get more grass. If someone's carrying a package for a long-distance delivery, maybe they only want to attack on the return trip so the "task complete" trigger makes you flagged for a possible encounter increase or something since that's when you're likely to have a sweet load of riln on your person. There's lots of possibilities.

I would like to suggest that if your character triggers one of these encounters there be a block on logging out until it's resolved. That might seem like an unpopular option, but I could see it being an issue of either the mobs not despawning or resetting properly causing issues for other travelers, or people just logging out to avoid paying and hoping it's cleared up when they get back, or alt-hopping to deal with it through combat rather than pay or pay rather than combat.

Anyway, I'm not saying roads should be 100% safe. And it's not really a matter of pride as far as paying goes - at least for me. I did suggest several pay-to-avoid options. It's a matter of knowing what you're getting into ahead of time (as a player, even if not as a character) so you can be prepared and not risk getting your character into a mess they can't get out of. Especially since there isn't always someone to rely on for aid. Your pendant may run out, you may not have enough riln, you may be low on food and unable to divert off your course, you may happen to be the only person online etc. There are a lot of things that could make these types of encounters more problematic than merely paying a fee or fighting your way through. All I'm asking is that before something like this goes in, every angle is considered and weighed - and that the peace of mind of the pacifist or combat-shy players gets thoroughly accounted for.

[Agelity]

As an aside since I never encountered this... if you've got NPCs that block passage in exchange for either riln or fighting (and it sounds like you do or did at one point), what do they do if you're not carrying any money or not enough? Is there a way around them or are you just stuck in that case? In the instance they do take your riln and let you pass, is the bribe a set number or does it vary within a range? Is it like... a percent of what you have on you or based on what you have on you at all or is it just a pre-set number that doesn't take into account your current riln total? Is there a max limit? It would be good to have some approximate idea of how much to keep on-hand in case your character runs into someone like that.

I could easily see it being something like ***The ruffian searches your belongings and finds <rilnamount>/<%rilnamount>/<random rilnamount between 0 and what you have in pocket>.*** And then they could ask for a cut of whatever total they happen to find. I would sincerely hope it's never the full amount you have on you unless there is a set threshold and you just happen to be carrying very little to start with. Maybe things like artifice or trading could give your character a better chance of hiding your riln from the would-be thief so they aren't able to ask for as much to let you pass. If the bandit is just starving, will they take food instead?

The sort-of-existing encounter that's in game does give you the opportunity to run back to town for riln, but as you mentioned it does cost time + energy + food + riln for food on top of whatever amount they're asking for. I suspect most encounters like this will be set up like that, but maybe there could be a rumor system (town square, inns/taverns, etc.) or a notice system when it's been reported from invisible NPCs that bandits have been spotted out on the roads. Could very well turn into impromptu group-tasks for anyone wishing to dispatch the area of bandits.

Regarding encounters, I had a few thoughts that could be fun that are skill dependent that aren't necessarily combat centric:

• An ability that grants the ability to coerce, bribe or intimidate someone based on linguistics skill.

• A second tier of thief's tricks that has you attempt a sleight to try and make it look like you're paying x amount, but instead only pay y amount. Could expand thief's tricks tier 1 to anyone that can use artifice (unless marauders bother to invest in stealth, I don't see them pickpocketing much).

• An ability that causes misdirection to allow someone to try and bypass the encounter via stealth.

Thoughts on other options?