<<- Companions WILL MOST LIKELY include additional beasts.

Companions WILL include Falcons. <3

Falker

Very cool, but I admit I'm a little surprised. I had always expected familiars to get the cyclic spells and companions to get their paws dirty in combat, so to speak.

>>Very cool, but I admit I'm a little surprised. I had always expected familiars to get the cyclic spells and companions to get their paws dirty in combat, so to speak.

Not sure if you understood the context. The companions themselves will not be getting cyclic spells; Rangers themselves will (possibly) be getting cyclic spells to make companions attack. Assuming I myself understood correctly.
*******
Malkien

It has been said many times before but for clarification the only "specialty pets" that will be combat-worthy at-level etc will be Necromancer Risen. It is the major game feature theme for them similar to Ranger or Thief Bonus, which is a potentially large percentage bonus to all but one Survival skill. :P

However companions can be a lot more than they are now. We will also do a cyclical spell in the future that allows the companion to enter an enhanced combat-worthy state for a time. I can't speak to Fams... except that any combat prowess would come with a similar cyclical spell mechanic.

- GM Sithix

>> Guardian spirits?

At level?

Totenus doesn't need to get more OP by having an at-level pet which fights for him all without the use of a cyclic spell :(

~Leilond
http://www.elanthipedia.com/wiki/Leilond
http://drzeal.forumotion.com Learn How to PvP!

At-level has many interpretations, and I'll leave it at that. I was not making any indication of some change to any existing Necromancer pets nor anything new for the Necromancers. I am aware of NO changes or new projects related to Necromancer pets. I was merely referring to the current state of things - nobody else will be getting such a "24/7 combat pet" they have, which has been the plan for them for a very long time. Suffice to say that you will not have a Companion assisting in combat (including some kind of sneak attack or providing some kind of MO bonus) outside of some kind of other finite resource to fuel it temporarily, such as an esoteric multi-slot cyclical spell, which is the only thing on the table right now. Not to say in that "mode" they won't have such powers or abilities. Not to say they will either. :P SO -- get any idea of a combat Companion out of your head! I've said that before. But maybe some of you are newly reading these things or new to the forums, and that's perfectly understandable -- but there you have it.

Now that that's out of the way, let's focus on what they CAN be?

The main features of the Companion will be to enhance and assist the Ranger in Rangerly things and things one might find within the Survival skillset. In fewer words, to help a Ranger in being a better Ranger. The current system is not only flaky in terms of all of the lost and killed animals from bugs and semi-bugs, but also in terms of not helping a Ranger be a better Ranger by very much at all in my estimation. That is one thing we want to strive hard for. That is what is perfectly in theme with the guild and something we can take very far. That is also one reason they will take some time to complete and it is also going to leave some room for future enhancements to the system.

So to reiterate that maxim again: Help make the Ranger a better Ranger. I won't define that further just yet for my own reasons.

Your suggestions around this guideline will be much more profitable.

As information, I would say if anything will stand out between other "specialty pets" and Companions, it would be the development/growth and longevity each ought to have. I believe Companions should always carry more of a personal touch and a "life-long" process of development and growth - of the Ranger's Companions and of the Ranger themselves.

I unfortunately can't say anything concrete about the possibilities that DO lay ahead beyond this, or what's already on the table, but I can give pointers on anything you want to suggest that falls in line with the theme I've provided above. I will let you know if you are off track.

Right now falcons are . . oh wait. I can't tell you that yet. Hahah!


- GM Sithix

I'm not sure what's worse about that:

The fact that you used a Pokemon reference.

Or the fact that I understood it.




No Ranger Stands Alone.

<<The main features of the Companion will be to enhance and assist the Ranger in Rangerly things and things one might find within the Survival skillset. In fewer words, to help a Ranger in being a better Ranger. The current system is not only flaky in terms of all of the lost and killed animals from bugs and semi-bugs, but also in terms of not helping a Ranger be a better Ranger by very much at all in my estimation. That is one thing we want to strive hard for. That is what is perfectly in theme with the guild and something we can take very far. That is also one reason they will take some time to complete and it is also going to leave some room for future enhancements to the system.

Just one problem I see with this... Ranger bonus helps with surival. Ranger spells, help with survival. Ranger companions going to help with survival... Really? Havent we already hit global caps with the bonus and spells? What could companions possibly add to survival? Not to mention, there already an extremely limited amount of things IG that most rangers cant already accomplish survival-wise post 500 ranks. I'm hoping this isnt what you mean by making us better at rangering.

In other words, I'm hoping you are talking about enhancement as giving us something useful, and not just boosting a particular survival skillset skill or making us better at being a ranger. I'm not expecting companions to be uber or super-awesome; But I am expecting them to give us some flavor, and be helpful in doing things we couldnt normally do without them, (like instant tracking to a room with a person we are searching for) without the bugs and annoyances of the current system.

Things I'd like to see are;

Falcons. This must happen.

Signals:
signal pet to locate <forage-able item> pet goes to room <instant track pet>
signal pet to find <forage-able item) pets brings back item
signal pet to find <person> pet finds person <instant track pet> (higher ranks can find hidden people)
signal pet to find hidden <pet pulls a random person from hiding based on ranger perception>
signal pet to find route <barrier> <track pet> (uses scouting to bypass barrier)
signal pet to find <person> and wait <used for sending items to people> (same as current system)
signal pet to pick up <item>
signal pet to drop <item>
signal pet to hide <item> (acts as a 1 item storage)
signal pet to bring (brings 1 stored item)
signal pet to blind <person/critter> (acts like dirt throwing, lowers perception, and negates the WATCH verb.)
signal pet to distract <person/critter> (makes aiming a ranged weapon or targeting a spell harder or impossible, so attack can only be a snap shoot or cast) Would probably need a time limit.

Random pulling from hiding in current room, based on ranger perception (critters pulled from hiding teach ranger perception)

GATHER <item> nets additional total found, or lowers RT, or both (so if I gather a pile of dirt, the companion helps make the pile, by either making a bigger pile, or taking less time to make the pile)


This should get us started.

Falker

<<So long as we can kill them in retaliation

If someone cast a spell on you, could you kill the spell in retaliation? If someone threw dirt at you, you going to attack the dirt?

If companions cant do damage to you, you shouldnt be able to do damage to them. Attack the ranger.

Falker

>>If companions cant do damage to you, you shouldnt be able to do damage to them. Attack the ranger.

An Empath Guardian (not the avenger, the guardian who just puts itself between you and the Empath to prevent you from getting to melee on the Empath but does not attack) cannot do damage to you, but unless something has changed recently, you can kill it if you want. I've always wondered if the guardian repeatedly pointing someone out of hiding could justify folks killing the guardian.

I know I'm not a ranger, but I would love to see Ranger companions be companions to the spouse's of rangers (Yep, this is entirely selfish of me, I know, but still) or at least let me pet the darn thing! A little snuggle now and then?

Perhaps it's because I'm not an IG Ranger, but when I think of "Rangerly" things, I think of things like finding people, knowing the way around rough terrain, and being places without being seen, which ARE all survival type skills in DR. Perhaps your companion can help make running trails much faster, thus adding to companions and also making trails faster and easier to use? I am not sure this function exists, but can you currently tell where a trail whose marker you've just found leads? If not, perhaps the companion could sniff things out and somehow communicate the answer?

And, I know it's somewhat combat related, but perhaps companions should drag you out of combat if you are "in shock and dying" or near death, if you have a certain cyclic spell going that makes them hyper aware of your physical health? So they aren't fighting beasts, but they are aiding your combat skills by protecting you. Their ability to drag could relate to their age and size, making it worthwhile to have and nurture multiple companion relationship (is this even possible? I think it should be, rangers should get to be like Disney princess and be friends to ALL the animals).

>>GATHER <item> nets additional total found, or lowers RT, or both (so if I gather a pile of dirt, the companion helps make the pile, by either making a bigger pile, or taking less time to >>make the pile)

I think if this goes into effect, it should also make the pile look subtly different based on what type of animal assisted. We already have guild based differences, so maybe the coding could be similar enough to make it an easy thing to add to companion based differences as well?

I wonder also if companions could somehow be useful with regards to the new mech lore systems? Wolves are good diggers, right? Perhaps they can help in mining or digging for gemstones (assuming that comes out with jewelry making, I have no idea) or something like that. Raccoons are good at...going through my garbage? Perhaps they can help find ingredients to make poisons (by going through the trash bins in town) or help find ingredients to make food or potions, by going through the food sources in less smelly places.

So, yea, again, I'm no ranger, but I have always been fascinated by and jealous of companions. Feel free to tell me all these ideas are dense.

~Player of ChelmorAes

I definitely have some reservations like Diggan and Falker, however I want to stay positive and having seen the awesome things that have come from the GMs most recently (while I've been back), have been great. Thus I will hope for the best.

However, I would like to point out, that a significant part of the game is Ranger (well any character) being in combat (I'm an oddball, but then again how many people have played the game over the last two years almost exclusively for one character and still not have a character over 40 circles?).

That being said, I'd really like to be helpful and try to stay on the not combat and rangers being rangers ideas, and suggestions. However, I can't seem to see much of this without being some type of stat or skill booster, and as was previously said, global caps?

So could you (you Sithix, or possibly someone who thinks they have a behalf of how you can have something aid making Rangers more Rangerly, without worrying about combat nor global caps?)

Here are some of the things I've come up with, not sure if these could be but whatever.

Mimick, the companion does everything you do (the better your companion get's the better the end results (that is the better they result in Rangers), so for instance, you forage a huge pile of some rare herb, and the raccoon (who's also an advanced racoon) forages up almost the same amount of the herb.

Another mimick, the you make a bow, the raccoon shapes a branch just as you do, using its claws and pinning the object down with a rock.

How far can mimick go, well I think only rangerly style of things should be able to be made, and I'm not sure about leathers, heck the whole making a bow could be a stretch.

Might be cool, if the different companions could lead their 'owners' (I really don't think a ranger would see themselves as owners but you know for game mechanics and what not). Could lead the character through their own trails, at speed. I know trails weren't supposed to get worked on if companions were to be worked on, but I am trying my best to stay out of combat, and none survival nor rangerly things.

As far as falconry is concerned, typically falcons, owls, hawks, and even eagles are all included in falconry, it would just be a change of a noun, but mechanically (coded to do similar things), however maybe have slight stats, changing in messaging for the differences.

I think pets should be able to sneak about, go stealthy, because its rangerly.
_____________________________________
Victory Over Lyras, on the 397th year and 156 days since the Victory of Lanival the Redeemer.

>>If someone threw dirt at you, you going to attack the dirt?

Necromancer constructs?

As far as I understand it, the pet system as a whole (which includes Empath Guardians, Necromancer zombies/mudmen/risen, Ranger companions, horses, etc) all count as mobs. I'm not sure if Moon Mage's SLS will be a mob, as well, or how WM familiars will function since only one particular spell turns them on as a combat tool.

But, that said, if Ranger companions are going to function as viable mobs when in combat, nothing says they have to die when OOCly "killed". They could always make a tactical retreat. It's my understanding that when a Necro's zombie/risen will die in 3.0, they could be revived, so it's not like a function like that would be something unique only to Rangers.

Be interesting if we could send a companion to find someone while remaining hidden, then the ranger track to that location while remaining hidden as well.

Telrenth

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Annwyl
Message Board Supervisor

If you've questions or comments, take it to e-mail by writing me at DR-Annwyl@play.net.

Ever wanted to find a healing herb instead of wrecking your bonus by going into town for a heal, but you're too injured to forage?

Might be a good time to have your companion find it for you.

Telrenth

I was just trying to give an example of when signal <companion> to forage might be useful. If it worked as if a companion would actually go off in search of that herb, it would be even more functional, as they could go in search of an herb that grows in other areas than where you are. Personally, I would use it for that if I got injured to the point where I couldn't forage myself since that would also probably mean I'd be too injured to use ranger trails. I don't have routes memorized from all the places I hunt back to town. I just have routes from where I hunt to trail heads.

Depending on where you are or times you play, there could be a shortage of healers... also, there are people who play rangers who prefer to be self reliant and don't use healers except for infections/disease or missing limbs (since herbs won't regrow a limb).

Telrenth

>Also keep in mind they are not, in reality, "just" animals so to speak.

They're also emergency rations.

:P

---

Weapons for Sale:
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Hunta Talna Kortok, built by Gor'Togs, for Gor'Togs
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Combat Balance List:
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>>>They're also emergency rations.

Zinaca shows you a sign mounted on the wall. The sign reads: "In case of emergency, break skull, eat tasty brains."

^^ There, fixed that for you.

Having a companion be able to drag your corpse in a direction of your choosing is high up on my list.