Patrolman's Tabards!

[Rias]

I'm excited to introduce Patrolman's Tabards! Wearing one of these (which is restricted to certain guilds/societies) will allow particularly combat-focused characters a way to get lots of random encounters while also doing a service to the non-combat folks by marking rooms as Recently Patrolled so they are far less likely to run into hostile encounters.

There are currently three types available:
- One for all members of the Stormholdt Warrior Guild, sold in the Stormholdt War Room.
- One for all members of the Wyrvardn Order, sold in the Wyrvardn Honorhall central room.
- One for all members of the Templar Order, sold in the Templar Armory.

This is experimental and so feedback is very much appreciated. Here's a breakdown of how this works at the moment:

Going On Patrol will:
- Greatly increase one's chances for random encounters.
- Ignore the random encounter cooldown grace period and "recently patrolled room" encounter reduction (for the one on patrol, not for others).
- Give a chance for some spawned random encounter mobs to be adjusted up to a better match for one's own skill numbers.
- Mark rooms a patrolman passes through as "recently patrolled" for the next 10 minutes, dramatically reducing random encounter chances for others (unless they are also on patrol).
- Grant Stormholdt, Wyrvardn, and Templar merit for defeating/driving off random encounter mobs they spawn. Merit amount is based on mob skill vs patroller skill, but a minimum amount of merit will always be granted even if the mobs are not a challenge. Good job going out there and making the roads safer for others!
- Grant some extra Tse Gaiyan merit if the spawned mob was Infested.

Putting a patrolman tabard on (and taking one off) will give messaging about the On Patrol status, and active On Patrol status will also be noted in the character's command prompt as well as in the parentheses by on-patrol characters' names in room looks (the tabards make such individuals easily identifiable as on active patrol duty).

As with most new features, I'm sure this will need to undergo some tweaking, so please do post feedback here in this thread!

[Serity]

A fantastic addition. I have to say, this solution's a really nice alternative to having to constantly return to a home base to pick up combat tasks for encounters.

- Give a chance for some spawned random encounter mobs to be adjusted up to a better match for one's own skill numbers.

Might I suggest that (if it's reasonable to implement) On Patrol characters have a higher chance of being targeted in combat by random encounter mobs? It's not particularly unusual to be passing through rooms in the wilderness and have a random encounter mob (that you didn't trigger) throw an attack at you as you're passing by, so this would be a form of the warriors holding their attention to protect the travelers.

[Rias]

Might I suggest that (if it's reasonable to implement) On Patrol characters have a higher chance of being targeted in combat by random encounter mobs?

Good call, I'll finagle that in there.

[nobody]

- Grant some extra Tse Gaiyan merit if the spawned mob was Infested.

I'm seeking a small clarification since Tse Gaiyan were not noted as having tabards available. Does this mean if a Tse Gaiyan member patrols with a Stormholdt tabard, they will get merit with Stormholdt and if the mob is infested, also get some Tse Gaiyan merit?

And second question: harbingers are not yet to their initial release; would patrolling harbingers be more like Stormholdt/Wyrvardn/Templar in having tabards, like Tse Gaiyan in that they can patrol for merit if also warriors, or neither?

[Candelori]

This is an excellent addition, and you have my sincerest enthusiasm and gratitude. I am especially grateful that I may at last feel I am having some positive community impact as a warrior by reducing encounters for others who do not wish them. There is something wonderful about passing fellow patrolmen with their affiliation easily identified. I have some feedback for you as requested.

First, I enjoy the increased encounter rate. Once in a while I will have an encounter every one or two steps which begins to feel excessive.

Second, I would request that more human encounters be given to flee when left alone after becoming majorly wounded or tired. There are some who do so already, but others such as bandit poachers do not.

Third, I would request that patrol encounter corpses be removed quickly upon abandonment. I have been burying many corpses that were not the results of my own patrol.

[Rias]

Okeydoke, some updates:

- PCs that are On Patrol are much more likely to be targeted by patrol-spawned mobs than those who are not on patrol.
- Several more human random encounter mobs will now attempt to flee if things aren't going their way. (If they get away they will quickly despawn and drop the same loot and grant the same experience/merit that a kill would have produced.)
- All random encounter mob corpses (not just the patrol-spawned ones) will now immediately poof if no PCs are in the room. Don't forget to loot them before leaving!
- In groups, only the leader's On Patrol status is considered.

Does this mean if a Tse Gaiyan member patrols with a Stormholdt tabard, they will get merit with Stormholdt and if the mob is infested, also get some Tse Gaiyan merit?

Correct. On top of any merit they would have gotten from their current method of simply defeating infested mobs.

And second question: harbingers are not yet to their initial release; would patrolling harbingers be more like Stormholdt/Wyrvardn/Templar in having tabards, like Tse Gaiyan in that they can patrol for merit if also warriors, or neither?

I don't think patrolling would fall within any particular Harbinger organizational goals, honestly.

[Rias]

Oops, forgot to list one:

- There's now a randomized number of rooms between random encounters even for characters that are On Patrol.

[Serity]

A few questions on specific mechanics - group details are somewhat vague and I'm quite curious...

- Grant Stormholdt, Wyrvardn, and Templar merit for defeating/driving off random encounter mobs they spawn. Merit amount is based on mob skill vs patroller skill, but a minimum amount of merit will always be granted even if the mobs are not a challenge. Good job going out there and making the roads safer for others!

- In groups, only the leader's On Patrol status is considered.

This second bit is sort of vague - only considered for level generation? For credit? If the former, it may be prudent for people to stick a lowbie in front, but it would be a pain to force everyone in a group to take their tabards off for travel...

So if a group full of On Patrollers are roaming around along with some non-patrollers, and a stack of seven mobs spawn, will...: (organized like this because I couldn't think of how to word my question)
1) each and every patroller receive merit for each mob slain?
2) each and every patroller receive merit for each patroller-spawned mob slain? (if it generates a mob for each person)
3) only the mob they themselves spawned among the group grant them credit?
4) only the leader get credit because they spawned them all?
5) it be the case that it's something else I didn't consider?

And of the following:
A) do you need the killing blow to get merit?
B) do you need damage credit to get merit?
C) does it not matter just as long as it dies, period, you'll get merit? (as long as you were there when it spawned? as long as you spawned it personally?)
D) something else?

[Squeak]

This makes me happy.

Serity beat me to the questions I had, so I'll just add that the potential for grouped RP should be awesome with this

[Kismet]

"Members of the Templar Order", you say...