Town Portal Book

[Gibbo]

After reading over all the hot topics for the day, I see there's a little controversy in some of the recent changes... so I'll be brief.

The Town Portal Book recently changed from an unlimited use item to a 10 charge item. I think that perhaps in the long run this change will be good for new players and characters. New adventurers' equipment is decidedly all temporary, from the potions they suck down after an encounter to the armor and weapons they purchase in the starter shops. None of the equipment accessible to PC's in the actual Blackstone Keep should be lasting, since it will cause a natural push outward to find newer and better stuff.


That being said, I'd like to point out that there are very few places to push out towards and acquire better things. Akon's Shop has and should ALWAYS be an Endgame (Epic Levels and level 30) Shop where only the best equipment is sold at the worst prices. I haven't been to Akon's yet, but I feel like at level 15, I shouldn't be qualified to go yet-- HOWEVER! I feel like if I do go, I'll be sorely disappointed with what he has in stock currently. (overpriced and underpowered equipment makes adventuring Gibbo a sad guy). I will talk in a later thread at a later time about Bordermarch, and hopefully we'll hear some good things soon concerning the underdark Crossroads.

Here's my suggestion concerning portal books:

Keep the Temple Portal Book a charged item meant for aspiring adventurers. It's an investment in the short term, but with growing power should have growing rewards. I think that's a big issue on BSK2 right now. As our power and strengths grow, there's no greater rewards or fruits of our labor to reap.

I propose adding a new teleportation item, and only acquirable as a consistent quest reward by slaying a boss monster. It was a really really good formula in BSK1 and I think it should carry over to BSK2. If everyone recalls, the Shadow Devil would drop a Temple Portal Book in addition to the quest item. Now, the issue I know everyone is thinking is: "Well, Gibbs, if we let the Shadow Devil drop the temple book again, then people will start farming him to supply all their lower characters! It'll just be like in BSK1 where epic level 40 chars drop in the Shadow Lair, slay the Devil and warp back to town to give their level 1 buddy the portal book for wolves and zombies."

NAY! I say to you, one thousand Nays! I'm smarter than I look, so hear me out:

Instead of having the Shadow Devil drop the book when you inflict the final blow on him, have the Unlimited Uses Book be a quest reward acquired when the character returns to Foxmore with the Shadow Orb. This will stop the ability of high level characters 'stocking up' on portal books, force low level characters to complete the quest line (Because they won't be able to take on the shadow devil without a party around level 15 - 20), AND it only allows one portal book per character. No one will allow such a precious commodity slip out of their hands to a friend when they know that the only way to get another one is to complete the one-time only quest.


I think it's rock solid. This plan involves item control, it also controls when the characters are first able to get the book, AND it rewards teamwork and the effort it takes to get high enough level to fight the Shadow Devil. The Devil is pretty tough, uses new tactics (magic, resistances, spells), however he's not over powering like Shally. He is the ideal boss battle for mid-ranged (15 - 20) level characters. I challenge anyone to hash this out further with me-- but I really think this is a very ideal solution to a fiery problem at hand.

[Gibbo]

I lied. I wasn't brief at all.

But I am in my briefs. Does that count?

[driller]

Honestly, the portal use is half the cost of BSK1 portal scrolls. You have a waypoint system and the rune of recall.
What is the problem?

-driller