Random encounters?

[DSM-IV]

Ok, I don't know if this is this FOIG, so just delete if it is, but there is a Epic elder White dragon sitting on top of the Portal in the Scull Crags. Now I didn't have a chance and died the moment I ported in. I don't know if this is part of the random encounters, but similar things have been happening to me since the update went in. Epic level bad guys that my character has no chance against spawning on top of me.

Look, I am a horrible character builder and play this for RP only, but it takes me FOREVER to get XP and these respawns are driving me nuts. I can't travel anywhere alone because I can't sneak past a lot of these things. Or I am in a hurry to get to a meeting and an epic level baddy jumps me out of no where. Being a rouge is hard enough as it is, is this suppose to be how the encounters work?

[Irongron]

There aren't many epic creature locations in the spawn system, and an adult white dragon, I think it should be, only spawns at a very low chance, and only for PCs who have a higher level that its CR rating.

Also they should generally spawn some distance from your character, and not on top of them, in most cases anyway. Things like this will likely need adjustment over time though. Feel free to PM details of your character, the enemy you faced, and where you met it.

[Madukthedoppelganger]

Could it have been spawned by an earlier visitor, who did not want to/could not take care of the dragon?

[Syrima]

How does it handle people who just ditch their encounter?
Something spawns for a high person, high person ignores/doesn't see it, leaves it there.

I already heard IG of 3 dragons spawns happening in the short time this update has been live.

[Irongron]

In this particular case the risk may be a too high, or the spawn misplaced. I shall review the area now. That being said there will ALWAYS be some danger when traveling through such areas. One should either travel very carefully, where possible not alone, or simply take the caravan.

This is a good opportunity, for those settlements that want to attract people to keep their roads safe. Those high end creatures, in addition to their very low chance won't have a chance of reappearing for some hours afterwards.

[The Man of the Moon]

Met with a level 17 character a Gargoyle (Major) in Stonehold.
As the gargyle was killing me and I couldn't hit it, I had to start a tactical maneuver of retreat (aka run as a chicken). Ended it with the help of one of those Waymen snippers in the Pass of Despair.

(So fresh and cool encounter!) I enjoyed the risk.

[Cihparg]

Would it be possible to tie party size to the difficulty of the encounters?
That would make it easier for characters which might have the levels, but not the stats to fight them.

It's just a suggestion, but it seems like it'd help plenty.
Drop the encounter difficulty by a lot if you're alone (to also avoid power trips), and increase it steadily as party size goes up.

[Griefmaker]

This is a good opportunity, for those settlements that want to attract people to keep their roads safe. Those high end creatures, in addition to their very low chance won't have a chance of reappearing for some hours afterwards.

It also gives Guardian characters all the more reason to exist! Now clearing the roads for people actually will result in a benefit instead of having everything simply respawn a short time later and non-fighting sorts will actually want to have a guard along with them even when traveling well known roads, just in case something wicked comes about. This will be a very interesting and happily received update, I think.

[Syrima]

I suspect this is what happened to DSM-IV:
Someone spawned the dragon but couldn't deal with it.
Abused area portals to lose it
The dragon is now stuck in the portal entrance.




I think there needs to be a massive tweak to prevent much higher spawns from being ignored in an area they don't belong in.

I get it's suppose to add danger and make things more interesting, but what happens when you walk into an area and you find a green dragon right ontop of the entrance because someone ran away from it and it chased them there.

Essentially you show up in the area, are stunned by fear before you realize what happened, and die. That's just a random death.

[Scurvy Cur]

My personal suggestion, if possible, is to despawn high-level scaled random encounters as soon as the party that spawned them departs an area, and to keep them a given distance away from portal exits. This might mitigate it somewhat

[The Man of the Moon]

I may also give a cap to the level of encounter monsters depending the degree of "wildness" of each area.

The nearest of a settlement you was, the lower the cap, meaning the "safety" that the said settlement is allowed to provide (patrols, guards, wandering knights...)

So no dragons near to a city (unless the said dragon was like trying to lure dragon hunters raids to his lair, to have a breakfast with them)

[Anime Sword Fighter]

oh man this makes me want to try really hard to make a new PC hnnnnng

[Thake]

Two Talassian dudes spawned directly into my face. So, I think the OP had that Dragon spawning right into his as well..





As for Dragons... there's real strict limitations from where Player Dragons can go and I mean 'go' by moving. Large size sometimes just makes you go WTFARKIGONNADELETETHISGAMECANTMOVE! and NPC Dragon just winggust-spam-stomp everywhere. I'd like to see them have some disadvantages because big dudes as well^^

[Irongron]

My personal suggestion, if possible, is to despawn high-level scaled random encounters as soon as the party that spawned them departs an area, and to keep them a given distance away from portal exits. This might mitigate it somewhat

This is exactly what we'll do.

Also I just updated the servers to address some of the other concerns raised on this thread.

Generally speaking, if you want to avoid the greatest dangers when traveling, stick to the roads!

[Ils ne passeront pas]

What constitutes "The Roads"? I had what Seemed to be an encounter like this on one of the Roads south of Wharftown earlier today.

[Syrima]

What if there was an NPC in each settlement who reported sightings.

Monster spawns somewhere (happens when someone is already on the road)
After a while the NPC reports scouts have sighted the monster along such road.
Players can avoid it if they can't handle it, or go for it to clear the roads and make it safe.
It's still a random encounter for the person who initially spawns it.

[Lorkas]

I saw an ancient white dragon in Guldorand and an adult blue dragon 1 screen away from Burrowhome, if that helps tweak things.

[The Man of the Moon]

Flight of Dragons!
Dragon hunters, sharp your axes!

This is like an unexpected event

https://youtu.be/PwuhdhYL8UY

[Yellena]

Loved this update too!
It's a gret opportunity to add in extra perks for Social/RP skills and feats too! Talk/buy your way out, open merchandise options (even some language lessons maybe?) with high appraise (or appraise focus requeriment) and persuade. Do some performance to distract the encounters and if you're really good maybe even get tips. Lore could be used to open more options on how to deal with the creatures, with the right feats a follower could offer services and so on...
A healer on the roads could be approached by people in need too.

[JediMindTrix]

Is this script live in the Underdark?

[Madukthedoppelganger]

Along most of the main roads on the surface server, there is now a chance of spawning unusual encounters.

So nope, not yet.

[JediMindTrix]

Along most of the main roads on the surface server, there is now a chance of spawning unusual encounters.

So nope, not yet.

Sweet. I only asked because something funny spawned in the Peninsula, but it was probably a Magic Surge.

[miesny_jez]

I super welcome this change ! *clasp clasp* to Irongorn for this update.

I know it's still a work in progress in terms of balancing so I am really curious how it will turn out in the end.

An interesting observation from today encounter:
I was walking down the road Burrowhome -> Wharftown with my lvl 11 char and a lvl 30 was accompanying me.

It turned out we got a mixed hostile spawn:
2x Moshgun Soldiers (don't know how to spell those Mosh.. whatever)
1x Moshgun Blackguard

The Moshgun soldiers were a good match for my char (AC/AB wise to my character), while the Blackguard thing was definitely a high-level spawn who literally almost killed that epic char (300 hp -> 42 hp ;p). Take that Epics!

Makes me want to travel the roads more often just to see what can I find there

Though I am concerned with the dynamic spawn power. Not every character build will be optimized.. nor people are traveling fully warded.

[Mulled]

Those spawn under the population script, not a random encounter.

[Cihparg]

I super welcome this change ! *clasp clasp* to Irongorn for this update.

I know it's still a work in progress in terms of balancing so I am really curious how it will turn out in the end.

An interesting observation from today encounter:
I was walking down the road Burrowhome -> Wharftown with my lvl 11 char and a lvl 30 was accompanying me.

It turned out we got a mixed hostile spawn:
2x Moshgun Soldiers (don't know how to spell those Mosh.. whatever)
1x Moshgun Blackguard

The Moshgun soldiers were a good match for my char (AC/AB wise to my character), while the Blackguard thing was definitely a high-level spawn who literally almost killed that epic char (300 hp -> 42 hp ;p). Take that Epics!

Makes me want to travel the roads more often just to see what can I find there

Though I am concerned with the dynamic spawn power. Not every character build will be optimized.. nor people are traveling fully warded.

Morghun Blackguards are normal high-level spawns, not associated with the random encounters update.
I do believe you won't get any of the new encounters unless you step out of the road.