I am Lloth, Head Builder for Aabahran: The Forsaken Lands. AMA!

[Magick]

Remember when the melee necklace was the only RP necklace?  Pepperidge Farm remembers.

[Lloth]

Couldn't answer that, Volgathras built the necklaces. I will look into them as part of the every item discussion.

[Magick]

Didn't doubt that everything was being looked at.

You could arguably limit the best spells being a one time use on wands and staves, too.  "Has 1 charges of level" so on.  Having a single charge on those items further limits the number of classes that can use it, there's five classes that can use scrolls but not wands for example.  Make 'em rare/unique so they can't be hoarded.  If not already done, limit the Herald ability to disallow charging when there's only one left on the item.

I'm going to assume that these arguments were thought of before.  There's also no point in discussing items until you've finished with your monumental task.  You're comparing everything from equipment to consumables to comestibles.  Staff will then work on what's wrong.  Let's move on.

 

Questionnaire time!  Feel free to elaborate on any answers, if you choose.

1. What is your favorite class?
2. Which class do you feel needs the most work?
3. Which class do you have the most trouble against?
4. Which class do you have the most trouble with?
5. What is your favorite race?
6. Which race you do feel needs some love?
7. If a new class were to be made, what would you like it be?
8. If a new race were to be made, what would you like it to be?

Disclaimer: I'm asking for a personal opinion of one person who happens to be on the staff.  These answers don't reflect the staff as a whole and, if answered, don't necessarily indicate that there is a problem with a particular race or class.  In the case of the last two questions, opinion does not indicate that a new class or race is being worked on, or that one is planned.  Again, these are for the opinion of one person.
I just don't want anyone to try to read between the lines here.

 

 

[Lloth]

Berserkers 

Berserkers 

Blademasters

Dark-knights

Drow (duh)

Gnome

A mage that specializes in wands/staves/scrolls, and can customize their spell lists with said items.

A true neutral qrace, like plant people

 

Disclaimer: I like banana pudding.

[Magick]

Hmm.  Didn't take you for a berserker type person.  Not exactly sure what I took you for, but berserkers weren't in the top 5.

I think I threw out an idea similar to a wand/scroll/staves mage.  Probably more a path type over an entire class, or perhaps I'm just thinking I did.  Either way, it certainly sounds like an interesting idea.  Also sounds like the D&D Artificer class.

[aaa]

1. Which class do you feel needs the most work?
   Berserkers

Can you elaborate on this some more? Personally I'd disagree but you're privy to more information than me.

[Lloth]

I put down berserkers as needing the most work is because they are very simple. You select FG or ogre, and Reaver or Gladiator. You choose Fury path or delete. You spam weaponcleave. Sometimes you haymaker but only if you fireblind, else you're just wasting time you could be cleaving. Bodyslam when you're winning and they're low enough to kill in the laglock. Otherwise run off and reset with regeneration doing you favors.

 

And that's it. That's the extent of the class. It's one dimensional. It needs a better reshaping of paths, perhaps a more widely varying skill set for each path, to actually encourage non-noobs to choose a path that isn't fury, for non-RP reasons. Once you've played a zerk path for like... 2 hours at 50, you've hit the surface level of everything about the class. The most complex part is when you should rage, and when is it worthwhile to haymaker. 

[Lloth]

4 hours ago, Magick said:

Hmm.  Didn't take you for a berserker type person.  Not exactly sure what I took you for, but berserkers weren't in the top 5.

I think I threw out an idea similar to a wand/scroll/staves mage.  Probably more a path type over an entire class, or perhaps I'm just thinking I did.  Either way, it certainly sounds like an interesting idea.  Also sounds like the D&D Artificer class.

Obviously, I'm Nekky (loljkno). But I have done just about every combo of berserker, except knight because I hate that RP. Avatar Herald Ogre Zerk is by far the most OP thing ever. When you can 2-round the WM mino warrior gladiator leader... 

[Tantangel]

Although it's not OLC could you elaborate more on a possible qclass for a neutral, what do you envision?

Do you see the possibility of more high end spells for level 50+ scrolls being added or even tweaked?

Are there any quests being added for other races like Humans?

Are there any changes to possible rare containers? IE: chalice and the hole

[Lloth]

I would, but I don't want to give anyone the idea that any of my ideas on the matter will survive even 2 replies in the imm discussion boards. Everyone disagrees on that kinda stuff, players and staff alike.

Yes.

Drow have 2 racial questlines, one for female and another for male, that are being tested currently.

No. I hate containers. They're broken as is.

[Magick]

Containers broken?  What do you mean?  Lots of weight, high item count and a weight reduction that turns a 100 lb weight limit backpack into a 1000 lb, a weight so ridiculously high that you actually have to work to reach the limit before the capacity?
/sarcasm

If they were more reasonable, I might not be so much a packrat.
Semi-rhetorical question time: How would you balance something like that without a lot of flack?

[Lloth]

Cap weight reduction at 50%. The closer to 50, the less total items, minimum 20. Cabal containers add 15% weight but are nodrop, can hold 110 items (max of others being 100).

 

Loss of abusability in backpacks and quivers would get some kickback, but that's to be expected. This was something that Volgathras and I were trying to push through the committee, but ultimately couldn't. 

[Magick]

So your standard cabal container would have a weight multiplier of 115%?  If that were to happen, wouldn't it look better (with essentially a zero net change) by just making them have a 300 pounds limit with 100% weight multiplier?  This way you have a range of 20%-100% weight multiplier.  I'd say 20% might still be too high, putting a low end cap at a solid 50%.

 

I'm surprised there's not more quiver users out there.  The majority stick with backpack/satchels.

At least containers with weight reduction can't be placed inside another with weight reduction.
It's bad enough that containers without (sacks/bags) can be put into weight reduction containers.

 

 

[Lloth]

I see it as the tradeoff for being nodrop, and it helps make weight a more impactful balancing factor on things like nymph hearts. You have to choose if you're going to have guaranteed hearts, but less, or have more, but stealable. 

The more staple consumables like herbs and potions would see no sizeable increase in weight.

If we cap weight reduction at 50%, it essentially just turns 1 quiver/backpack per bag into just shy of 2 (since they have their own weights even when empty).

[Akoz]

On 1/2/2018 at 5:38 PM, Lloth said:

I put down berserkers as needing the most work is because they are very simple. You select FG or ogre, and Reaver or Gladiator. You choose Fury path or delete. You spam weaponcleave.

What would you say about Mino's, would you consider them that much weaker of a choice?

 

What are your personal thoughts on "Swing" considering some people don't even practice it.

Edited January 6, 2018 by Akoz

[Lloth]

They're not a weak choice, but I can count how many times any of my ogre zerks have ever lost to a mino zerk on no hands. So zero times. Doesn't mean they are bad, just not best in the majority of cases.

 

Not practicing swing is stupid, to be blunt. It's come about do to not understanding the skill. People tend to think it "consumes" one of their attacks when it triggers. It does not. So not practicing it is just the result of an assumption that spread like wildfire. We've had to individually correct people that bring it up in prayer, and state it openly in the forums, several times. We get told we are wrong, that we clearly don't know the code, etc.... so... Just generally let people nerf themselves. The only potential case for not practicing swing is for when DK charmies turn on the DK mid battle, and you hit it with the swing, it refocuseson you. Which... not likely. I personally would rather drop necro and ranger pets just by smacking the player around. Or get a few passive hits through a rescue while I'm lagged. Even just the potential is a great way to discourage some very popular pet tactics (or at the very least reduce their potency).

[Akoz]

Sorry, might not be best here but expantion question on swing - maybe I was wrong in what I read years ago.

It makes you AOE a room when your blind/raged? 

I love when people like serkers, never played one to 50 but my second favorite class to actually run around with.

[Lloth]

Swing gives your attacks a chance to hit everything engaged in combat with you.

[Magick]

What's your favorite Drizzt Do'Urden novel?

Unless you're secretly a Dragonlance fan.  If so, then on a scale of 1 to Dalamar the Dark, how wrong are you in the portrayal of dark elves?

[Lloth]

I hate Drizzt and only read one series of dragonlance.

[Magick]

What's your take on damage dice?

Let's take these for example:
1d19   2d9   4d4   5d3   10d1

They're all average 10, but the damage range for each gets tighter as we move to the right.
There's very few examples (a projectile and a sword that I'm aware) where the damage dice is a d1.  Does the staff try to stay away from this end entirely because of the consistency of damage, so the lowest they go is a d2 simply to have a range, an unknown, in the damage dealt, especially for the higher end weapons?

Similarly, there's few 1d weapons out there.  Does the staff tend to say away from these as the range is too great?  A streak of good rolls on a 1d59 can wreck someone's day while a streak of bad rolls are, well, bad.  I trust it doesn't, but if luck played a factor in the rolling of damage dice, I can understand why staying away from a huge range would be preferable.

 

Or is it preference that weapons are built more toward the middle of this range?

[Lloth]

I balance weapons using the numbers. Some good weapons with good avg will have more consistent damage, while the great avg, great damtype ones will tend to have more varied damage dice.