How often does one encounter PvP?

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TheShadowdove
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How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by TheShadowdove » Sat Apr 21, 2018 12:31 pm

Hey forum lurkers,

I'm trying to determine how PvP mindful I need to be when building my characters. Obvious roleplay is the primary reason to play on such an to heavy server, but that doesn't mean that PvP doesn't happen.

I've played on some servers in the past with amazing communities that had great player and roleplay ran PvP aspects. Capture the flag in the form of magical orbs or some relic was a great way to get people to do war or counter espionage style role-play that brought factions together with a common cause. Underdark and allies VS surface was a smaller theme.

Others had common gladitorial arena style PvP with scheduled in character events on a message board. Betting was a thing that drew some people in. Others wanted to try on the Champion.

At the same time I've been on roleplay servers where PvP was rare. So rare that people threw classes together freely and didn't count feats or skill points. No one really had to learn things like BAB, or APR to math crunch their way to the top of the foodchain.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply,

Dove

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Teshil
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Teshil » Sat Apr 21, 2018 12:44 pm

If you don’t go looking for a fight there’s a good chance you can avoid pvp completely. If you do go looking for a fight, especially if you’re in a pvp heavy faction, you’ll find plenty of pvp.

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Baron Saturday
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Baron Saturday » Sat Apr 21, 2018 12:54 pm

As someone who doesn't particularly go looking for PvP, I probably run into it every, eh, 6 months or so?
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liver and bones
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by liver and bones » Sat Apr 21, 2018 2:36 pm

As Teshil mentioned, if you look for it, you'll find it. If you don't, you won't.

Only once have I every experienced that not being true, but at the same time I was at the Crow's Nest.

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BegoneThoth
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by BegoneThoth » Sat Apr 21, 2018 3:47 pm

Depends on how influential you are.

If you go with the flow and live in the wake of others you won't see any waves. If you strike out on your own and start doing dramatic things like starting factions that stand for things, people will oppose you and try and fight you.

I feel that getting pvp'd is a sure sign you're doing something right, because you matter enough that people seek you out and tell you to stop spreading your ideas, or fight.
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Temperance
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Temperance » Sat Apr 21, 2018 8:48 pm

I don't think PvP is something to be avoided personally, it's central to a good chunk of conflict which is important for story-telling. That being said, if it don't really push or challenge things IG then you won't have to deal with it too often.

PvP can be fun though! Win or lose, just need to have an open mind and remember it's about telling a good story.

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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Void » Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:22 pm

TheShadowdove wrote:
Sat Apr 21, 2018 12:31 pm
Hey forum lurkers,

I'm trying to determine how PvP mindful I need to be when building my characters. Obvious roleplay is the primary reason to play on such an to heavy server, but that doesn't mean that PvP doesn't happen.

I've played on some servers in the past with amazing communities that had great player and roleplay ran PvP aspects. Capture the flag in the form of magical orbs or some relic was a great way to get people to do war or counter espionage style role-play that brought factions together with a common cause. Underdark and allies VS surface was a smaller theme.

Others had common gladitorial arena style PvP with scheduled in character events on a message board. Betting was a thing that drew some people in. Others wanted to try on the Champion.

At the same time I've been on roleplay servers where PvP was rare. So rare that people threw classes together freely and didn't count feats or skill points. No one really had to learn things like BAB, or APR to math crunch their way to the top of the foodchain.

Thanks for taking the time to read and reply,

Dove
It seems to be incredibly uncommon.

I've run into few player vs player conflicts where:
1. One side managed to quick-talk their way out of actual combat
2. A character managed to mislead murderously-motivated party were obviously hunting them.
3. The other side started fight with a large group then ran away, clevelry utilizing environment.

It heavily depends on who you are, where you are, and what you're trying to do, of course.

So, unless you're playing a chaotic evil "Destroyer" archetype character, or a paladin, it is "rare PVP" scenario. In most cases, that is.
Another forum ban, here we go again.

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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Aelryn Bloodmoon » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:00 am

BegoneThoth wrote:
Sat Apr 21, 2018 3:47 pm
Depends on how influential you are.

If you go with the flow and live in the wake of others you won't see any waves. If you strike out on your own and start doing dramatic things like starting factions that stand for things, people will oppose you and try and fight you.

I feel that getting pvp'd is a sure sign you're doing something right, because you matter enough that people seek you out and tell you to stop spreading your ideas, or fight.
I completely agree with this. I'd extend it to saying that if you participate in OR create factions that gain any kind of prevalence, you can expect to at least hear about PvP and encountering it is almost guaranteed the moment you achieve any level of reputation.

No matter what cause you're supporting, someone out there is against it. It won't be the central factor of all or even most of your RP unless you aim for it to be, but essentially, if you want to shape the world, eventually you're going to meet someone who wants to shape it the opposite way, and this will (typically) lead to CvC at some point.
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by cptcuddlepants » Sun Apr 22, 2018 5:11 am

Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Some people do play bandits/muggers, and there's Underdarkers who come up to the surface for PVP reasons. Then there's also the possibility that you might get dragged into a nearby fight, even if you don't have any stakes in it.

You can try to avoid PVP, but if the guy on the other end really wants PVP, there isn't much you can do.
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MoreThanThree
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by MoreThanThree » Mon Apr 23, 2018 8:33 pm

The amount of PVP you encounter is a direct reflection of your character's IC success--the more players who want to kill you, the more influential and important you are.
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by Durvayas » Tue Apr 24, 2018 8:37 am

Its also a show of if your character has any integrity.

If your character avoids fighting by going along with whatever anyone wants, no matter what it is, you'll avoid PvP easily, so long as your character stays out of factional roleplay(If you're involved in factions, you'll eventually end up fighting on their behalf somehow). This is an easy path if your character is a spineless coward.
If your character actually holds a belief and has the conviction to stand by it, you will run into PvP, guaranteed. Its perfectly okay to lose, what matters is that the stand was made.

If your character is not an unattached sociopath, you'll eventually find the occasion to fight for something or someone.
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susitsu
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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by susitsu » Tue Apr 24, 2018 12:13 pm

Eh, Ive roleplayed through the entirity of several characters before that even found no PvP across all of their seperate lifetimes, a single incident of PvP ever for a char, and whenever I get involved in a faction in the Underdark? Oh boy. Things change fast there.

You're usually pretty safe from a fight if you never go looking for one, however this is a case by case basis. Some people's roleplay really does just outwardly oppose some other chars and a fight is inevitable.

And sometimes you'll just roleplay your character to level 30 and never, ever encounter any problems ever.

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Re: How often does one encounter PvP?

Post by dominantdrowess » Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:06 am

This, pretty much, was my experience.

I had NO problems with PvP leveling up.... at all.

Until I saw a friend snark off at the wrong guy, and get killed-- I picked up his body, refused to give it up and tried to run.

I didn't get far before Grelveth bodied me too. :-P

Ultimately, next time (24 hours later) my character apologized to Grelveth for getting into his business (i.e. She, my character, being a spineless coward) ... and I didn't have any PvP troubles until much later when people began talking smack about my character's business relations with unpopular individuals.

So my character started bodying those people who said things she didn't like about her, and resumed business as usual. And if she encounters someone who she can't take on her own? She gets a crew, or she grins and bears it.

It's really more about: "What is your focus?"

If your MOST IMPORTANT GOAL ... is to avoid PvP? That's easy. Do as your told when a PvPer says:
"Drop that guy's body, I don't care if he's your friend, I killed him for a reason and I don't want him raised."

Even the most hardened PvPers on the server... will usually give you an out. Take the out they offer if you want to avoid PvP come hell or high water, but be prepared to make a sacrifice of pride ... a token amount of gold, your friend's body or some other token of victory their character claims at your surrender -- either that or start knockdown spamming them in response.

It's RP. There's no difference between fighting some monsters, and fighting some players once the Issac's start to fly. If what you hold dear is being threatened? Pwn that drow, kobold, orog (or paladin!) as if they're an "Armored Ogre".

P.S. You'll learn what an 'Armored Ogre' is as you level up. ;-P

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