Fan Faire Write-up, Part 2: Tradeskill Super-Trophies

[The Judge, Alchem]

Ok, this is a little out of the box and way in the extremnes, but let's consider this, LOL:

How about since the players see it as a stature thing, a sign of respect, that the NPC's see it that way. I have seen a lot of faction modifiers coming out since Luclin and I like the idea. What about having a super combine or a subcombine that takes subs from all the other trades, all no drop, to make a signet to let NPC's who sell tradeskill supplies, offer reduced prices and/or maybe sells ingredients that have previously been only droppables from mobs. Make them only sellable to us, like one NPC with the Wayfarers camp. That would give something back to us and be unique.

Or give us a quest for each trophy that we can turn into a recipe for a nicer piece of equipment or upgrade. Like for instance, Brewing--Place your Brewing trophy, your Signet of the Merchant (gained by subquests with Brewing merchants in PoK), your Grandmaster's Elixir (275 trivial brewed potion), and your Engraved Royal Velium BreastPlate in a Brew Barrel=Breastplate of the "Stout" Heart. You could have it improve an existing piece of equipment with a "new" recipe that only master traders can get, just like an augment. Augments are just used to make existing equipment better, so make a recipe too. YOu can determine what stats or modifiers it will give, but people would probably be interested in this idea because traders won't have to sacrifice a slot just to show off, they can use a piece of equipment they already use and adjust it to have a modifier for their favorite tradeskill.

Would it be easier to augment a 7 piece suit of armor than to design 7 new trophies--I don't know, but it sounded cool this morning.

[Bolas]

Kiztent,

Make the name anything you like. Just something to squirrel away tradeskilll items.

Grimel's Everlasting Satchel would be fine with me. Whatever name sony comes up with.

-Bolas

[Quichon]

One request from the non-uber tradeskillers out there:

I can't begin to do AG quests. Not because I don't have the tradeskilling, but because I don't have the FLAGS. Not everyone can get into Elemental, you have to be in a serious guild to get elemental flagged, to my knowledge RZ has yet to be taken by a pickup raid.

PLEASE, PLEASE, I am BEGGING do *NOT* require someone to be flagged to get the ultimate trophy. There ARE those of us who are not elemental flagged, probably never will be, and content to play the game without being so, that would love a chance to make an ultimate tradeskill trophy. THIS is why I am saying don't put uber phat statz on this thing to make them want to force you to be uber-flagged to get it (like the AG quest series).

From what I heard, only 20% of the EQ population is elemental flagged, that was one of the main gripes about the postponed expantion as I recall. The rest of us have other things to do besides EQ and don't have enough time to get into an elemental-flagged raid guild and get backflagged just to get this trophy.

This is why I suggest that the stats are not something that will make it wanted during combat. Double the stats (including double the mod ) and uncap the 252 limit and I'm good with it.

[Suani]

I would like a super trophy that gives a 15% chance to not use some of the components in a way similar to the focus effect Reagent Conservation.

I think this would be popular with tradeskillers of all levels.

[KyrosKrane]

Something that just occurred to me, folks. We've been thinking all along of the super-trophy as a single item. I don't see why this has to be so.

One of the biggest arguments we've had in this thread has been whether the super-trophy should have stats, and if so, what should they be. We haven't really been able to come up with a consensus on what stats would be valuable to the highest of high-end raiders without being over-powering to lower level players.

Possibly a good way to settle this would be to make the super-trophy in two parts. First, you get a "display stand" which summons bags and can be combined in a tradeskill container to get the skill-mod items. This display stand has no stats by itself.

Second, you get a type "any" augment with some nifty stats. Since this augment doesn't replace an existing slot (it just adds stats), it probably wouldn't be as powerful as a stand-alone trophy. Still, it could be very nice and desirable to everyone without being overpowering. Consider this set of stats:

MAGIC ITEM / LORE / NO-DROP
+10 AC
+10 to all stats except CHA
+50 CHA
+10 to all saves
+50 hp / mana / endurance

This balances the stats somewhere between the AG earring and the 8th shawl. Since it's a type "any" augment, it would be useful to literally anyone. The stats on it are higher than all augs I've heard of, save those you'd get from VERY high end raiding. However, it's weaker than some droppable or easily obtainable class- or category-specific items in the game.

If you make it so that you can get a new augment by hailing an NPC (like the Adventurer's Stone now), you even remove the penalty of losing the aug when you upgrade a piece of gear.

What do you guys think?

[aruvqan]

Never say never. On at least one server there's an open raiding group that recently killed RZ. As far as being able to get ingrediants, I know several people on my server who have ingrediants for many ep or other high level pop combines without being elementally flagged, and me, with elemental flags, doesn't have as much. Yes, I can go farm it, but I get at least as much of my elemental tradeskills items from vendor mining as I do farming, if not more.

Sorry for the late reply, my computer died and I just got access again=)

Well, at level 56, I really am not in great demand at the planar level FWIW...and my experience with pickup raids is crap. The only think I ever got on a pickup raid was vampire dust=\ In general, there is *no* loot available to me on a pickup raid. It seems like there just are not many drops for clerics, and with the entire raid rolling on components I might as well sit back and play gems. Whether or not the random generater hates me or not, no clue I just know I have won 1 item in 2 years of pickup raids. Needless to say, now I refuse pickup raids, and the only raids I pretty much go on now are epic component raids in the hopes that someone will sometime take pity on me and help me get the king in chardok. [I know I am suppioed to ask people to help me, but every time I have 'arranged' a raid, nothing happens. Everybody mysteriously has something else to do the few times that a suitable majority gets online at the same time]

[Bolas]

I like the idea of being able to make the existing tradeskill trophies into augments if you have skill 250 in all seven tradeskills. Then add them to whatever gear you like. Brilliant!! Always have your tradeskill mods on then heheh.

-Bolas

[Saphir]

i think the main pb is the modified skill =/= max skill. it's why all people keep the different trophy even if the use is not so vital.

i think the simpler would be a little quest restricted on having 250 in all tradeskill. npc hand a bag, combine the 7 trophy inside and give him back. result is 2 thing :

. a flag that allow you to raise your skill to 252 instead of 250
. a "grandmaster trophy" with no special stats (perhaps same as previous trophy) but that summon bags 10 giant slot 100% wr even on coins, nodrop norent. one of these could be turn for a permanent bag with same characteristics

[Zacatac]

I like the idea of transmute, personally. Even if the devs think it is "too complex", it can't be all that hard.

Item 1, click, it becomes item 2, click, it becomes item 3, and so on until you get to the one wanted to use at the time. Each one having a +% to each tradeskill. Each would have the same stats, just different mods.

Primary/Secondary/Range
STR: +20 DEX: +20 CHA: +100 WIS: +20 INT: +20 HP: +100 MANA: +100
+5% to tradeskill_X

Not only would it be more worthwhile to actually keep equipped (I know I don't use my GM hammer as regular equipment), but it would save up all that space you have in the bank with your 7 trophies (and we all need space!).

[Mahrk_Lonefeather]

I'm a ranger and my primary, secondary, and ranger slots are filled. So unless the trophy is an augment, I could care less whether it has stats. I would prefer it to be an augment so I could wear it at all times.

I do like the toolbelt idea, but not as a trophy. I think the toolbelt should be implemented for anyone just like a keyring to free up inventory space.

I do like the idea of coin weight reduction.

I don't like the idea of granting a foraging bonus or allowing non-foraging characters to forage. Heck, if we're going to do that, why don't we also get the ability to enchant, imbue, and make various forms of mana.

What I would like to see is the ability to make other cultures' items, perhaps at a lessor chance of success. After all, you have mastered all the tradeskills. It only makes sense that you would have a chance of making any tradeskill item in the game. Of course, you would still have to use the cultural forges, so it could get dangerous.

But what I would like to see the most are AA's just like JCM for every tradeskill. JCM started out as a great idea but was turned into a stupid idea by only applying it to one tradeskill and only giving it to one class. Talk about unfair. Here's my idea of the way it should work: You can't get your tradeskill's equivalent of JCM until you reach an unmodified skill of 250 in your tradeskill. Once you do reach unmodified 250, you get a free first level in your tradeskill's equivalent of JCM; this is your reward for making that extra effort to reach unmodified 250 and it gives you a considerable advantage over people like myself who are only 252 smith's because of geerloks and such. It also gives you a considerably better chance of completing your grandmaster trophy than those who aren't unmodified 250's. Further, your grandmaster trophy will list on it your level of your tradeskill's equivalent of JCM. People hiring you will then be able to see: 1) That you are in fact a 252 smith; and 2) That you have a considerably better chance of success than Joe Blow, who is only 252 because of his geerlok. As you spend AA's to increase your levels of your tradeskill's equivalent of JCM, these increases will be reflected on your trophy for everyone to see. Once you have reached unmodified 250 in all tradeskills and have made all the trophies, you trade the trophies in for a single grandmaster trophy that is an augment and that lists, by tradeskill, your level in that tradeskill's equivalent of JCM.

[Kieroth_whiteleaf]

How will your trophy show what your skill level is? I'm confused.

SFG

[Elton]

skill level

When you open a tradeskill container your skill level is displayed at the top of the window a little right of center. If you have a skill modifying item equipped your modified skill is displayed.

[Kieroth_whiteleaf]

But that doesn't show someone ELSE what your skill is, just you.

And you know what your skill is, you just have to open your inventory window.

My display question was aimed at mahrk regarding letting other people see your skill, not you being able to see your own skill - there's plenty of ways to do that (thank god... I still remember when it showed excellent/poor/bad/average/etc for your skill level...)

SFG

[Montgomery0]

My super trophy:


The Artisan's Staff

LORE ITEM NODROP
Skit: PRIMARY SECONDARY RANGE/AMMO
Skill Mod: Artisan +5%
Effect: Artisan's Haven (Must Equip: Casting time 60.0)
WT:0.1 Size: LARGE
Class: ALL
Race: ALL

Slot 1, Type 9
Slot 2, Type 9
Slot 3, Type 9

Instead of adding multiple skill modifiers to the trophy, why not make a new modifier, Skill Mod: Artisan +5%. Change the code so that the Artisan modifier is checked whenever any tradeskill modifier is looked at, I can't imagine it would be that difficult of a change (sure several hours maybe, but nothing that is impossible.)

Since this is a dream trophy, make a new zone, just for tradeskillers. The effect: Artisan's Haven is a gate spell that takes you to the Haven. It would contain all vendored tradeskill components, no matter what expansions you have (excluding zone specific components like jumjum,) multiple (MANY) tradeskill points (ie forges,) located in obvious locations (hello Abysmal Sea?)It would contain new quests specifically aimed at Grandmasters, maybe one day add quests which will give you a specialty in a tradeskill. The only exit is a one way book dropping you into PoK (or the water in Cobalt Scar, haha.)

The slots of type 9 would be tradeskill augments. Where do you find them? Why by doing quests from the Artisan's Haven of course. Questgivers would identify what kind of augments you recieve. Augment quests would be incremental, sort of like the Break in Communications quest. Weak augments would require easy combines, or Abysmal Sea type quests. Successive augments would require you to combine the previous augment with the successful combine of the current quest. Hopefully the quest writers would come up with interesting story lines (adding NPC's to all locations from every expansion) and interesting ways to complete the quests (a la tempering the Katana blade in that quest I can't quite recall the name of.)

And finally, best of all, the Artisan's Staff is a particle item. I was thinking, floating dollar signs, spinning in a circle, surrounded by a red circle and a line running through it; Or platinum coins, slowly drifting upwards and dissolving into the air.

[Tanker]

And finally, best of all, the Artisan's Staff is a particle item. I was thinking, floating dollar signs, spinning in a circle, surrounded by a red circle and a line running through it; Or platinum coins, slowly drifting upwards and dissolving into the air.

Ok, that's funny.