Bunting Arrows

[Kirianthis]

I was recently talking to roguepeach and we started talking about the Mare Bulangiu and how it was too tough for rangers to fight without a fighter tank to pin it seeing as though it can't be pinned just by shooting it.

I as most people, consider that ranging can be too easy (though still extremely expensive) with monsters (especially high level monsters) being able to be pinned in one spot.

 

The idea was brought forth that bunting arrows might be a useful way of balancing the problem. Bunting arrows were/are arrows with a round head (introducing a new engineering item also) used in fowl hunting and archery training. They're used specifically to break bones and stun birds rather than piercing their flesh. If we had bunting arrows which had a chance to stun an enemy for say 5 seconds, but did little damage, we would also bring in some more tactics to the skill of ranging, whereby a ranger would need to select his/her ammunition appropriately.

 

I'll leave the suggestion at that for now, feel free to comment.

[Cruella]

Well, the problem why Mare Bulangiu is not being killed on sight is in my understanding low profitability of such heroic act. If there was a chance to get a drop(s) attractive enough from that creaure, I'm sure more people would be willing to fight it, even on a single combat maps.

 

For this reason an idea of special arrows that possibly even raise a cost of killing MB is not going to do anything good in my opinion.

 

As to the ease of killing it with ranging (putting fun aspect aside) - as you say, technically it would be simple if it was pinnable, it would cost me roughly 1700 training bolts to kill it when nicely pinned, so 17kgc.

 

However, if you add to that a risk of dying while trying to pin (rostos), a risk that drop will not cover the cost of bolts, that there is a risk of the kill (and the drops) to be stolen at the end of shooting, a need of sharing a drop with other rangers/fighters, as well as a cost of getting ranging levels sufficient to kill MB with that amount of bolts, it is not that easy as you think.

Edited April 22, 2009 by Cruella

[Dushan]

Well, the problem why Mare Bulangiu is not being killed on sight is in my understanding low profitability of such heroic act. If there was a chance to get a drop(s) attractive enough from that creaure, I'm sure more people would be willing to fight it, even on a single combat maps.

Last time when anthony and me killed MB, we got 117k gc and red dragon helm of life and mana, I think that's attractive enough But sometimes you can get even less than 1k gc, which sucks, maybe the minimum drop should be increased

 

 

Anyway - I like the idea of Bunting Arrows, but 5 seconds are a bit too long I think

[robotbob]

Perhaps instead of one new item, maybe something that could affect combat across the board?

 

STUN as a weapon feature not exclusive to one item.

 

Therefore a weapon could, stun a target. (target cannot move) or attack for that duration.

It would require a both a stun boolean and a stunned timer, so you could make a player or monster

immune to another stun for a short duration and make a possible potion (Clear Mind?) to recover from it.

 

So maybe:

 

• special stunning arrows. (as Kirianthis suggested)
  BUT also:
  
• stunning spell.
  
• chance for a critical (large damage strike) to cause a stun.
  

 

Still nothing new, rather D&D standard ideas, but common because they work.

 

If you really just want to -pin- the monster, then increase the snare duration AND make it a AoE(Area of effect), or

implement a companion item to the snare, a thrown net (gladitor style, wielded and missle)

 

Edit: this would also require a floating message STUNNED to appear over the target, well maybe that opens up mesages

I've always wanted like Critical! Evade! and so one 8)

Edited April 26, 2009 by robotbob

[Entropy]

MB is gone, so no need for it.

[Kirianthis]

This idea wasn't only intended for the MB, it is intended for all critters as a replacement for pinning as we know it.

 

Dushan, considering that a crossbow can only fire 2-3 bolts in 5 seconds, I don't think that 5 seconds is too long for the stun period when you take into consideration the time taken to change ammunition also.

[Raz]

This idea wasn't only intended for the MB, it is intended for all critters as a replacement for pinning as we know it.

 

Dushan, considering that a crossbow can only fire 2-3 bolts in 5 seconds, I don't think that 5 seconds is too long for the stun period when you take into consideration the time taken to change ammunition also.

 

Given that the max damage currently possible is ~50 if manage to get off 10 shots in 5 seconds from a 'team' of archers, and every shot hits and every shot does max damage - you would still be looking at 64 separate attacks! That is clearly insane. (and not everyone is in bzzz)

Please note very few archers can even hit for 30 reliably, never mind 50!

 

How about making the delay 10 seconds - and rather than a new arrow - make the snare (which afaik is totally unused) trap the monster for 10 seconds instead....

[Katriel]

Often it is difficult to tell where a monster is headed so accuractely placing a snare is tough. If these were implemented, it would be interesting to see what other tactical ways you could use them. I could see a group of archers stunning ACs on the bethel wall just long enough to allow others to join them. One hesitation is if this were used in pk, you could stun practically anyone. Possibly reduce the time of being stunned for players and increase for invasions/monsters