Buff the power of DM loot
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So this is in response to this thread here: https://nodebb.cityofarabel.com/topic/56309/lower-slightly-the-power-of-titanium-weapons
Instead of nerfing the pinnacle of crafting gear that takes months of work to reach as a crafting pc, why not just allow stronger dm loot if it is being overshadowed by PCs' months of hard work?
Time and again this conversation comes up in the discord about crafting being too strong and it needs to be nerfed in relation to dm gear, but the easier solution is just making the hard-earned dm gear just better.
The DMs could also then stop nerfing storyteller's loot that is slightly better than the top crafted gear, causing less frustration among players and storytellers alike.
Now this is not me saying all dm loot should be buffed. I mean the more hard-earned loot, that takes a long time to receive, just like crafting stuff. But it should still be better because you are pushing a lot of things forward and risking your PC for it, that being said if your personal pc goal is to be a mster crafter, reaching that peak of crafting should still be well rewarded. Also lets be honest, who doesn't like receiving a cool, and strong, piece of gear after weeks of planning and pushing a plot?
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Fully agree with this
Nothing wants to make me push a plot and involve others like a good reward.
In the past I've received loot from like a week's long plot that was just a renamed titanium sword.
It was a motivation killer to say the least
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Full support. People being able to earn amazing things from working hard at plots doesn't lower the value of crafted gear.
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free me from this cage of guidelines....
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Free the spiffy.
Down with loot Tyranny
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Agreed. 100%
Add to this idea, that DM loot can be made more enticing by giving them scripted properties that do something cool. My favorite PC had a sword that when activated gave them an incredibly cool visual effect and a simple emote.
It was also d6 lightning damage, yes, and it was super thematic to the character, but I remember most fondly the journey to get there and the cool thing it did.
This is also because Spiffy can be as incredible a storyteller as he can a troll, and was very gracious with his time.
You can make this simpler for DM's, too, by creating a library of scripted effects and attaching those properties to the item(s) in question. So not every single piece has to be one off, but can be give one of a wide array of 'unique spells'.
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@arcanigans
100% agreed. If this is an option, TAKE IT! Give the storytellers the option to spice up the characters they see, with awesome loot. -
If DM loot becomes the pinnacle again, it will make the craft grind less appealling.
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@joekickass Not really. Case in point people obtaining the highest tier weaponry from pc crafters within days of creation.
Achieving lootworthy milestones takes time. Crafting becomes profitable so long as new pcs are being made.
If anything, handing out renamed crafted gear as dm loot makes the grind less appealing.
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@zap said in Buff the power of DM loot:
If anything, handing out renamed crafted gear as dm loot makes the grind less appealing.
Thats the limit of the guidelines right now actually. Storytellers can basically only hand out renamed crafting loot or quest loot. Aka you're only going to get crafting loot really and it'll be renamed.
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@foley this hasn’t really been true in my experience, I have had 2 pieces of unique loot from 2 storytellers.
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@bowser weird cause my experience most dm loot people get is a renamed piece, except for the big stuff at the end, which takes months to get usually, which is still (usually, as many have had said) weaker than crafting gear.
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Rise up, rise the proletariat
I had visions, I was in them;
I was looking into the mirror,
to see a little bit clearer,
the rottenness and evil in me. -
Honestly, I agree with this. The loot guideline restrictions I don't think value things correctly and don't have enough wiggle room for DMs.
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@man-in-the-mist "Let the ruling classes tremble at a L O O T revolution. The players have nothing to lose but their crafted gear. They have a world to win."
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It's honestly a philosophy standpoint and a contention point between certain DMs the current 'guidelines' as they are right now are a compromise worked by the DM team after hours of discussion and ranting and borderline insulting of one another.
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DM loot should be rare. We don't want accusations of favoritism floating about because one player gets showered in DM loot and another doesn't.
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DM Loot shouldn't invalidate crafting- which is something @Echo has worked hours, days, weeks, and months on to balance and have it, if not work perfectly, as best as possible. If a new character logs onto the server, catches a DM event, and gets loot- compared to an unlucky crafter who literally spent /months/ in game involving others to get the ingredients for that top tier piece of gear, and only to learn it wasn't better... well, I'd be salty as well.
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Different DMs have different strengths and sometimes, that +2 dagger of will with 2/day of identify doesn't quite measure up to that ring of the Iron Mind which gives +3 will and 2/day clarity. These loot pieces came from two different dms for an event of roughly the same difficulty- and obviously, the player might view the first DM as a hardass stingy piece of shit and the other dm is just cooler.
So I understand the frustration of players, but I also get where the admin team is coming from- we don't suddenly want dm loot inflation to compete for player popularity contests, or slip our friends OP gear from an event they ran as justification 'they earned it on my event.'
Sure, you can punish the bad actors, but in my experience as a DM, it literally turns into a game of whack-a-mole and it annoys both players, dms, and the storyteller in question.
So yea, DM loot is kinda a sensitive subject even if I often outright ignore the 'guidelines' in favor of cool.
Puffy's bumbling Scum-goblin minion.
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@spiffymeister I don't think this is in regard to one-off loot, which should obviously not be all that powerful. I think people are more concerned with dm loot from longterm plots that have been a long time in the works, then getting a crafted sword handed out because the guidelines have worse loot.
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@sharkinajar said in Buff the power of DM loot:
@spiffymeister I don't think this is in regard to one-off loot, which should obviously not be all that powerful. I think people are more concerned with dm loot from longterm plots that have been a long time in the works, then getting a crafted sword handed out because the guidelines have worse loot.
that's precisely the problem.
Sometimes the one-off loot is just better than the long term plot rewards that other dms give. Which leads certain Dms to think 'you're giving to powerful a reward' or players think 'this dm is a stingy piece of shit.'
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I like how DM loot is right now. Every piece I've been given so far has been wonderfully flavorful, and fun to use.
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@theoneandonly said in Buff the power of DM loot:
I like how DM loot is right now. Every piece I've been given so far has been wonderfully flavorful, and fun to use.
That's working as intended.
As Spiffy said, there are guidelines that we all agreed to as a compromise. As was also mentioned, cool thematic stuff that means something to a character who has been driving a plot is the sweet spot we are aiming for. It's harder than you think to get it right and things are constantly being tweaked.
Retired
