Flipz

You're right, it's impossible--and that's as it should be. What you're expressing is the aftermath of the old Gold-earning strategy--an Effect that won't expire until the excess Gold and consumables already in the market are worn down. The problem with a unilateral system is that it penalizes players who don't have as much just as much (or more than) those who are the source of the difficulty. We don't have to work on a wide scale--we can tweak individual situations to suit the parties we choose, personalizing our Quests for our players--for instance, by having more enemies drop their Gold via valuable items, which reduces Rogue throughput, and by having enemies steal positive effects, which increases drain on buffing consumables. At the same time, if the party mainly consists of Heroes who are already strapped for cash and consumables, we can buff the loot they get to bring them up to the current standard. Besides, players are limited by the number of consumables they already have in their inventories, and what opportunities you allow them in-Quest to buy more. Thus, if they decide to go into battle with positive effects, you can counteract them specifically, rather than universally designing your enemies to assume players will use all the buffs they have available to them.

I have to agree with Endgame--the Threshold Guardians haven't done well as bosses because they adhere to the basic rules, which players have had two years to figure out ways to exploit. Nothing we can do will ever make that sort of enemy universally challenging, because, to be frank, there are dozens of different strategies people have worked out for exploiting them--if it's not Counterstrike strategy, it's effect abuse, or Healing Staves, or unique Artifact abilities, or...you get the idea. People have built dozens of unique and terrifying builds, and there's no way to account for ALL of them. If the problem is the Counterstrike Gloves, then perhaps they should be changed to offer something similar to the Mirror Damage ability that Sorcerers have--that is, rather than dealing damage equal to the Hero's Level, they deal damage equal to the damage taken. That way, the Heroes have to take damage in order to deal damage.

There is (potentially, depending on player choices) an optional fight like this in my upcoming Cathedral Quest (just two and a half sets to go! ). ...Also, that reminds me, I need to PM you.

"Lady Nerwen, Master Vandangant, if your troops could each target a different foe--or at least, if one could target Spearmen B--it would be much appreciated." Arthur's troops attack Spearmen A. If Spearmen A are already dead, they attack Spearmen B instead.

I don't like the idea of letting the positive effects expire. I understood why it was done in Quest 50, what with the kill-based leveling system, but I don't like the idea of it outside that sort of context. Firstly, it encourages QMs to make the battles longer, so they can outlast the Heroes' positive effects and be able to get to them. Heroica battles are already grossly overblown as it is--we need to be making our battles shorter and more streamlined, not longer and clunkier. Second, it smacks of punishing the entire Heroica population for a strategy that's, all in all, used by a relative minority: the Knights. Sort of how the price of artifacts and goods in general got inflated de facto because of Rogues' gold-earning (pre-nerf), or how SP in general got a nerf with the additive Free Hits because Docken was becoming nigh-invincible (though that particular decision was the right one, since it's lessened power creep in the long run). Essentially, if positive effects expire, then they're not worth buying consumables for, or spending Ether to cast from Scrolls, etc. It wouldn't limit Counterstriking strategies, because players would (and will) just keep buffing their SP through any means available to them. In this case (Counterstrike [ab]use), it's up to the QM to make sure their enemies aren't vulnerable to this strategy, whether through Passive Specials or other means. (BTW, I definitely think that this Threshold Guardian should be/should have been retconned to have a passive special: "Uses Special II on Free Hits". In fact, healing specials on Free Hits are one of the better ways to countermand Counterstrike strategies, though it should be used with caution if there's multiple enemies in the group.)

So, like my Zap-Tap badge? I like it.

Reincarnated? He was one of the Old Gods, after all.

That's the face, hair, and staff of the Gray Wizard, isn't it? *goes to check* EDIT: That's definitely him. Seriously, what the hell.

Dafuq? So wait, this fool gets to come back, but Triad and Hans and Sasha and Bal have to stay dead? And where the Hel has Poletad been all this time?!? We spent like six Phoenix Essences on that guy, so he'd better have some more health to show for it next time he shows up.

Didn't work for Arthur.

"Right." Arthur's troops move one hex southeast.

@Q69: just take it to the Hall, before you ruin everyone's fun!

"Lady Ellaria, it will take too long for your troops to reach that building AND attack before the enemy responds. Perhaps you ought to simply move your troops into position, and have them strike once the enemy has made their move."

Or perhaps the modern versions are more technical and less drug-like--perhaps the Ji Pei turned a mystic's drug into a purified, technological resource. Besides, the modern Ether Cores bear a specific symbol related to the Tritech Company. Who's to say that Ether Cores looked/were the same back in Sorrow's time, or that the Tritech Corporation didn't just use the name of a long-forgotten product that had some of the same abilities as their new one?

IIRC, Ether Cores were developed by the Tritech Corporation (that is, the Ji Pei) as a means to power their machinery.

That is an interesting situation--I'm not 100% sure how I would rule. Part of me (the killer QM side) wants to say that the Nurture's healing would take place before the effect removal, in which case you wouldn't be Cursed, but you'd be left with 5 HP because that was the max at the time of healing. The other part, though, would say that's silly and counterintuitive, and say that they take place at the same time (so the healing would apply to the regular HP).

Arthur's troops follow Ellaria's, though they are not quite in range to attack yet.

Hah, you and I had the same thought at the same time.

Simple solution: drop the WP of the mace to 4. Still makes it crazy powerful (as suits a Threshold Titan drop), but within reason--akin to the Dragonsbane Lance and the crown from the Jade Kraken. Max power becomes WP:36, which is within range of some players already, and most of the elements will cancel out (with the big exceptions being Humanoid and Undead).

OOC: If I'm ever the hold-up, Arthur and troops will follow suggestions--I don't want to be the one keeping things in limbo, especially since I'm hoping for Byblos' Quest to be delayed.

I could probably get him to come back if Arthur was in the Hall. Few other people try to interact with him these days, it seems--JimB's character is one of the few still around who has a significant relationship with him that's not antagonistic.

Dear god, Pie...and I didn't think you could make Hybros any more broken.

*Andrew. The Town Watch private named "Arthur" is my character. (Though I've considered letting Arthur "loose" at one point and letting people use him as an NPC while I start a different character. Not yet, though. )

Wait, Heinrich Hinckwell is Roderick's father? Kill now, end Quest, get Shadeaux rep. Done deal. Also, I'm quite serious in hoping that 85 gets delayed a bit--I've been wanting to go with Byblos for ages, ever since he was teased, and the Quest itself ties perfectly into Arthur's storylines. Probably won't happen, but hey--a guy can hope, right?

38 (boss fight) and 48 (repeatedly) are the two big ones I can recall.