I'm also linking Maina's post as I agree and echo her thoughts in my own post. Hiring warriors to guard actively decreasing loot if sticking to lower difficulty areas was something I hadn't thought of. viewtopic.php?p=8343#p8343
Locksmithing:
Rerolls for locksmithing attempts on high difficult ones. Or a decreased difficulty on tumblers when the correct one is selected so for higher difficulties it doesn't take as long for the rolls to succeed. I'd also love to see what my rolls are in some way. Higher skill knocking off lockpicking times, or a randomized amount of time gets knocked off. Locksmithing apprentice type thing similar to the above where the apprentice gets more of a chunk of experience, but the other locksmith can open things faster or harder things. A locksmithing shared skill pool allowing for a cooperative effort between two locksmiths to open things above their skill level. An example would be a lockbox that is 500 difficulty, and the locksmith has 300 skill, so a touch above their range without lockpicks. Here comes the other locksmith with 300 skill, and a quarter or whatever arbitrary amount of their skill can be combined to help the other. In concept, giving a second pair of eyes and advice or something. The exp between them could be split or reduced to minimal, but they could get things a touch above opened. Temporary lessons a more skilled locksmith can give to another to boost their skills in locksmithing a short while. Not really sure what amount, maybe an hour?
The difficulty boost from quality of lockpicks is skill dependent, so someone with 700 skill gets more of a boost than someone with lower skill. I think it would be neater if that skill boost was the higher range for rangers and nightblades. As max level character doing locksmithing the exp isn't needed, so trying to think of what I would like and speed is overall it, alongside not always needing superior lockpicks or 10 minutes for singular lockboxes with tumblers at high difficulty. It would be neat for some more static difficulty coffers and strongboxes in the 300-500 range for nightblades and rangers. At the moment there are some that end up rolling at 400 occasionally, but the mid bandit locations tends to be 200-300 and not higher, and most areas with coffers are low level areas, or completely out of their range to open. The pool skill concept could help at least duos open some of them.
I'd like more attempts before the not a prayer message shows up. It gives about 4-5 attempts rolling before the messaging of not a prayer ends attempts, and sometimes I've just spammed attempt to open something for 15 minutes and eventually got lucky on a roll. I'd like to choose that beyond having to input the commands. I don't really enjoy brute forcing the opening attempts at 700 locksmithing.
The skill floor requirements for locksmithing are a bit disheartening when unable to open lockboxes without higher quality lockpicks at 700 skill. With combat, characters can face down or pool efforts to take down difficult mobs and get by with less skill points invested. With locksmithing I must have 700, must have fine or superior lockpicks with minimal usage, and the skill doesn't speed anything up. Locksmithing and scavenging ends up being kind of isolating from rp because to open up if I do a lot of rounds means sometimes hiding around the inn room. I do hire other locksmiths to disarm and open, but that sort of leads to thoughts of why keep locksmithing skill. Warriors aren't required to have 700 skill to fight in higher difficulty areas especially with rerolls on attacks.
Riln Sinks and Luck:
If riln sinks aren't enough to take riln out of circulation, some non-monetary and expiring usage contents may give some spice to lockboxes. The quivering bowstrings are one thing that does expire, but I'm think some weirdo potions some scholars need to identify unless someone drinks it at random and poisons themselves. Something consumable with a shelf life of a few days after light reaches 'em or something that we spend riln on to preserve with an npc, or pay riln for something to be crafted at an npc. I don't feel like auctions themselves are a good riln sink as they actively inspire grinding.
I am also a big fan of things that need to be identified in video games in general and could hook scholars into it, or pay larger amounts of riln with an npc to get it done with a chance to fail, and be a source of riln for scholars. Items that could be something of a society rep item appeal to me too, turn them in for non-monetary rewards to societies after paying someone to ID them. Crafting ingredients for some interesting stuff. Also sort of why I feel alchemy recipes in video games require currency because it takes the money out of circulation, so maybe for the future possibly alchemy stuff one of the base ingredients can only be purchased at the library. Other riln sink idea is donating riln/high value items for faction rep/flavour items/consumables that can be open to anyone giving. Basically, unlock thresholds where you can show off that cool uh food item you can now buy? Cape? I dunno please toss ideas in if anyone likes those concepts. The pipeline I imagine is get item, pay to identify, turn into faction/society to potentially spend riln with that group.
Current loot luck system is currently skewed in favour of warriors able to solo things in their skill levels, where non-warriors do not have staggering or knock down abilities to solo. That may change when what skills are available to characters opens up. We do have areas geared towards group or solo play, but unless one plays a stealth ambush character, getting lockboxes of similar skill level is possibly harder overall for non-warriors. I'd like little bit more range in the loot luck downwards, or non-combat skills in some form to add to it. I think it would also be neat for higher loot luck for fighting skilled things higher than us. Non-pelt or non-lockbox rewards from some mobs could also add variety, ingredients or similar. I think trophy ideas to turn in was bounced around once before.
Alongside that, I'm not a big fan of the lockbox luck as a mechanic if locksmithing skill doesn't provide speed to opening. Treasure hunters are riln generators for themselves and others. If the current tweaks to loot luck is to reduce riln in generation, I think it cuts down on groups and rp with higher level warriors not wanting to possibly get lower skilled characters killed, and no reason to help lower skilled characters beyond training given there are no riln or exp reasons, unless they are using artifice to steal. Sure, one can leave lower difficult zone lockboxes to other locksmiths but offering it in the warehouse is usually to anyone. If the contents of the lockboxes aren't as good, a locksmith might make less riln in general. That often means tips for opening and not a charge per box, but I have charged per each for more difficult ones. If the concept of using bits and bobs from lockboxes happen the future it would change the incentive, but for the moment riln isn't motivating for me for the time involved in opening them. I can spend 20 plus minutes opening 20 lockboxes, or I could make riln knitting 20 pairs of gloves and make more. I acknowledge loot luck and overall economy balancing will be tweaked as people poke at numbers the future.
Some examples of some lackluster contents. There are occasionally some nice contents on high difficulty ones, but enough to balance them out for the time and rarity of the lockpicks needed
You determine this to be a warded lock, with a lock difficulty of around 860.
You begin attempting to crack the lock ...
The lock on a worn cedar coffer (closed) suddenly opens with a satisfying *click*!
You stop picking the lock on a worn cedar coffer (closed).
loot coff
[+139 riln, stowed in your heavy canvas backpack (open)]
You open up a worn cedar coffer and collect a small pile of silver riln from it.
After feeling around in the lock a bit with your steel lockpick (scuffed) you determine this to be a
4-tumbler lock with a difficulty around 650. You'll want to pick forward if you want to move forward
to the first tumbler.
[+445 riln, stowed in your heavy canvas backpack (open)]
You open up a narrow maple strongbox and collect a small pile of silver riln and a beeswax candle
from it.
After feeling around in the lock a bit with your steel lockpick (scuffed) you determine this to be a
5-tumbler lock with a difficulty around 530. You'll want to pick forward if you want to move forward
to the first tumbler.
[+393 riln, stowed in your heavy canvas backpack (open)]
You open up an old wood strongbox and collect a small pile of silver riln from it.
You determine this to be a warded lock, with a lock difficulty of around 740.
You begin attempting to crack the lock ...
The lock on an old wood lockbox (closed) suddenly opens with a satisfying *click*!
You stop picking the lock on an old wood lockbox (closed).
[Roundtime finished.]
loot ajar lockb
[+67 riln, stowed in your heavy canvas backpack (open)]
You open up an old wood lockbox and collect a small pile of silver riln, a leather haft-frog, and an
iron playing jack from it.
You determine this to be a warded lock, with a lock difficulty of around 890.
You begin attempting to crack the lock ...
The lock on a weathered cedar lockbox (closed) suddenly opens with a satisfying *click*!
You stop picking the lock on a weathered cedar lockbox (closed).
loot ajar lockb
[+132 riln, stowed in your heavy canvas backpack (open)]
You open up a weathered cedar lockbox and collect a small pile of silver riln, some average blue
azurite, a vial of wintergreen dye, and a furniture knob from it.
Last observation, oddly I can loot lockboxes with my hands full with a lit candle, but not with a lockpick and weapon, or shield and weapon. Much swapping of items happens with that.