Skinning

[Aalar]

I have always thought that when one kills an animal (or whatever) for it's hide it should be dependant upon the individuals skill level at skinning that determines what quality hide one gets. Rather than some random number generator. Any thoughts?

Aalar

[Silound]

Would actually be a cool idea to have a skill that encompassed several things of that nature, like retrieving spider silks, pelts, teeth, furs, bones, whatever. However, how would one go about doing it? Sure the skill called Retrieve or somehting is cool, but how would it work?

Theory:

1. I kill a_cat_01.
2. I target corpse of a_cat_01 before it rots and click skill.
3. I have a random chance (say based off your skill and add a dex check maybe to make it harder?) to be able to get a piece of fur, egg, silk, whatever from the corpse. That chance is increased by a modifier on the mob (for certain high drop rate mobs) or decreased by low skill/dex.
4. A_cat_01's corpse is tagged as "stripped".
5. Corpse is still available to loot as normal, but can only be "stripped" once.
6. Result is either
------nothing (skill too low to get anything or fail totally)
------ruined (in case of pelt, skill too low to get good one, or pelt too mutilated to use)
------LQ/MQ/HQ/egg/silk/etc. (based on skill and dex checks and other modifiers on mob's corpse)

However, judging by drop rates in game now, there are a few problems:

Number one is that many cats like to drop multiple pelts (what is this, a new fashion thing? wear your neighbor?). Obviously you can only get one pelt, so if you fail, you're SoL on that kill, and if you succeed, you only get one. And what would you do for silks and eggs and other? Make an individual check for each one? Harsh on server to compute that much for all those people, so you probably would have a win it or lose it situation, no in between.

Secondly, some mobs have better chance of dropping quality pelts, or *always* drop quality if anything (cats in SB come to mind, as do hoppers in MS). Those would have to have a hard coded modifier to adjust your "roll" to the range for that certain result if you succeed.

Third, beating on a cat or whatever with a sword and dagger is sure to cause damage to the pelt/silk/eggs, as will freezing, burning, shocking, or biting/stinging it.

So overall, I'd say the current system works fairly well to our advantage. If the skill was actually in place and anything liek what I've outlined here, it would be a massive in depth thing that would actaully set the game backwards in terms of tradeskill drops.

Just my take on the matter.


Edit: Spelling sucks today

[Aquila Swiftspirit]

When I started playing EQ, I thought that the way I killed a puma or lion affected the quality of the pelt. If I used fire or a sharp weapon, the pelt would be more damaged than if I used a blunt weapon.

It sort of made sense, but that's not the way the game works.

[Darklens]

Have a generic pelt drop from the animal. Then you take it to a tanning device and depending on your skill checks (with a little RNG thrown in), it gives you a xxx quality skin back.

[Fin]

When I started playing EQ, I thought that the way I killed a puma or lion affected the quality of the pelt. If I used fire or a sharp weapon, the pelt would be more damaged than if I used a blunt weapon.

It sort of made sense, but that's not the way the game works.

I used to think that using my bare hands to strangle the bear to death would result in HQ pelt... boy was I wrong. That was 4 years and 55 levels ago.

-Fin

[Verdandi]

To clarify, a mob's drops are determined when it spawns. Drops are not in any way dependent on something about the player that killed it or the method of its killing.

So short of revamping the system of item drops, Darklens' idea seems the most feasible. I like it

[Aalar]

I like Darks idea best too. Great idea. The animal in question would always drop an untanned pelt. Take the untanned pelt and process and the quality and quantity would depend on the skill of the individual doing the tanning. Could attach the skill check to tailoring with a dex modifier to make it easier to implement.

Aalar

[Bregalad]

Yes, that's a great idea - this would be similar to GoD raw material processing. There, as you keep working with material, you eventually get better yields.
Instead of a particular quality pelt, have mob srop a (mob) pelt. I.e. black bear pelt, kodiak pelt, etc.
Instead of particular amount of silk, have spiders drop (mob)silk gland.
Instead of brick/block/piece of ore, have mobs drop raw material. I.e miners in CC would drop 'Velium'

Then, this raw drop should be processed in a specific tradeskill container, and should base off appropriate skill. Combining can be made using item alone, or with varying quality tannins/solvents/coal. Say, a GM amith refining velium with high quality coal has a high chance of getting multiple blocks of velium.

[Tudani]

I like Dak's idea, but I'd recommend also adding a turn in npc (tanner!) that would give you back a random pelt in the ratios that the drops are at currently. That way you dont' have to have a tanner to be able to get your items, also if you don't have time to do a bunch of combines you can just hand in the pelts instead.

[Aalar]

I wouldn't want to make this to complicated. Right now it is easiest to just kill the animal and loot the skin - hoping it is what you wanted. Too many subs would just make people wonder why it changed.

Aalar

[Nairn Niteraven]

I think it might be viewed as imbalancing in that once you max the "Tanning/whatever" skill, you essentially control the quality of any pelt that you get with the Skinning Knife. Ruined is no longer an issue unless you want one, I think that would lower the selling price overall of the items that use Skins.

I'll never support gouging, but intentionally cutting our own throat is not too attractive either. I make a fair amount of coin on Leather Padding given the time spent.

I don't have a problem with the current drop system, it seems to be working fine for me.

[ickabod bonecrusher]

I like it the way it is my Rogue can Pick Pocket the pelts before the kill is made. the rest of the group is stuck with the silver and copper as thier split if i leave any on the mob while it is being killed. if i get it all well then so much the better for me HAHAHAHAHA the sweet thing about it is, if i get it all its just an empty corpse and rots in 30 seconds after death. I love the rogue.

[Shohanna]

I like it the way it is my Rogue can Pick Pocket the pelts before the kill is made. the rest of the group is stuck with the silver and copper as thier split if i leave any on the mob while it is being killed. if i get it all well then so much the better for me HAHAHAHAHA the sweet thing about it is, if i get it all its just an empty corpse and rots in 30 seconds after death. I love the rogue.

And most people wonder why my cleric/bard combo refuses to group with rogues I don't know as a friend.. /rolls eyes..

Sho