Competition D:OS 2 Fundraiser: Design the Codex NPC!

[Lady_Error]

D:OS 1 Codex NPC: Drog
D:OS 2 Codex NPC: Grog
D:OS 3 Codex NPC: Frog?

Pepe!

 

[Telengard]

TROLL: The Underlord

A massive and stupid troll who once ruled a large family. But they mouthed off to him, so he killed them and ate them all, one by one, until he was the only one left. Now he sits alone brooding beneath a bridge. But when anyone comes by, he does not try to ease his loneliness, but instead kills and eats them too. However, he does not ever leave the bridge, as that would be too much effort.

After killing him, if you go down into his lair beneath the bridge, then amidst the filth, you discover that he has scrawled all over one of the walls. And those scrawls are the insane ramblings of the Codex, with Hoep raewur ne dominating all.

But killing him doesn't end his life. Instead, he regenerates and attempts to challenge the party again later, but now more insane than ever. He makes a vainglorious run at the party from far away, allowing them to easily cut him down with ranged attacks. And he shows up forever at that location, at the bridge, and other locations, making the same stupid mistaken attack, until the PCs realize from his insane ramblings that what he really wants deep down is a mate. So they send him on a quest to get one when they learn the location of a female troll.

If they later revisit that female troll, they will find signs that she killed him and ate him. Because he was, in the end, still just a worthless idiot of no use in making strong sons.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Murk]

My description did not do a great job, but I think a quest like Arcanum's gnomish conspiracy is one of the better kinds to include. It would require some major design though, hence my suggestion for something that piggy backs off of preexisting assets/set pieces.

edit: avoid political nonsense unless it directly ties to in game things, I'd rather not have a cringe inducing inserts ala thor's "actually it's about ethics in hammer wielding", even if it's a joke from my own perspective/side

to further the "trolling aspect", he could also advise you to destroy useful items, disable useful environmental advantages, etc. under the ruse that "the weapons are to arm the enemies, detonate the armory" (deprives you of valuable loot you can get), or "release the wild animals and they'll make a distraction" (except the animals are all tamed and trained, you get a harder encounter as a result).

It would be like a trolling version of Talana, constantly giving you bad advice under the guise of good advice

 

[hpstg]

Should be a cursed ring, not a character. You can find it in a crumbled, half-finished grimoire, clutched upon by a weird sceleton with bones made out of a rare, strong metal. Once worn it raises the difficulty level to max and it enables permadeath while being stuck to the character.

The only way to get rid of it is to convince it that you have no choice in what you're doing, and that it's being with you would be a railroaded existence.

Characters with high Int/Lore can speak to it in Portuguese, once upon it releases the curse.

 

[agris]

Name it whatever, human or troll, but here's my concept pitch:

Background
The NPC has a dour attitude about whatever the environment / action going on is when/wherever the player meets it. As others have suggested, it should take contrarian points of view including the results of quests that the player has completed (triggered via global variables set upon quest completion. Ideally these are the same quests that the world will react to upon completion, thus they're 'famous' and it's reasonable that the NPC knows of them). The NPC will aggressively offer its opinions about how they would have done something differently, not knowing the player was the change agent at the center of whatever event(s) the NPC is talking about. Obliviousness coupled with a lack of knowledge plus very strong opinions are key to its personality.

This is truly in the codex tradition of arm-chair quarterbacking.


Concept
During the player's initial conversation with the NPC, the player will be antagonized continuously due to the previously described behavior. If the player takes the non-confrontational path in the conversation and doesn't antagonize the NPC, then it moves on and nothing happens. But if the player picks any of the annoyed or antagonist responses, it will lead to the NPC sputtering vaguely coherent insults and following the player like the Pariah dog in Fallout 2. Rather than immediately follow the player like an additional party member, the NPC will wander off only to turn up like a bad penny during certain combat (+ quest dialogue?) encounters. When the NPC turns up, it has the effect of 'bad luck' similar to the Pariah dog. When the NPC shows up during scripted combat encounters, it should shout text barks insulting the player and their previous accomplishments, causing 'agitation' due to their perturbed state of mind. Mental agitation is a non-negligible debuff to offensive skills. The NPC never takes physical action, only shouts.


Implementation
It should be hard to avoid annoying this NPC, requiring patience on the player's part. Upon first meeting the NPC, it should be: rude, naive and incredibly loquacious. The first ~5 or so PC responses should be the PC trying to say something, but being verbally steamrolled. By the time the player is given the option to respond, they should be sufficiently annoyed. 4 or so dialogue options should be presented, 3 of which contain some level of aggression or annoyance which triggers the NPC's pariah behavior, and 1 of which is essentially "Ok", and they go on their way. Only the most beta/non-aggressive option will make the NPC leave the player alone.

The NPC should not randomly show up in encounters, Larian should decide which combat encounters are appropriate and script its appearance into those. The NPC should be flagged non-hostile to all enemies to avoid complication, and should be immune from all spells that don't deal damage, such as fear/confusion/paralysis. Crucially, the NPC takes all damage, AoE and direct, from the player and enemies.


NPC Mechanics
The NPC will effectively be immortal, but can be temporarily killed for a given encounter. The debuffs only last for a set amount of time, so they will wear off if the NPC is killed, otherwise every combat bark by the NPC is refreshing the debuff timer. Regardless of if the NPC is 'killed' or not, it will still appear in the next encounter in which it is scripted to. When the NPC reappears, it will continue to bark insults, debuffing the player again. If the player previously killed the NPC to stop the insults, the verbal barks should also include new lines about how they can't even kill it properly. For mechanical fun, every time the NPC reappears after being 'killed, the debuffs from the verbal taunts should get worse. Also if previously 'killed', its visual appearance should be degraded, with the body deteriorating to a decaying zombie-like state after enough 'deaths'. This sets up a nice little conflict for the player: should they kill the NPC to stop the immediate debuffs, only to have it return in the future with stronger ones?

If the player has triggered the NPC's pariah behavior and it showed up in at least one or two fights or the has reappeared after the player killed it, they should have the option to discuss how annoying this person/thing is with other NPCs. Bartenders and tavern wenchs are ideal, since anyone who has worked in the service industry knows what a miserable, undead customer is like. These NPCs will offer a hint, disguised as pat advice, to help the player remove the pariah NPC. Something like "In my experience dealing with people like that, your best bet is to kill them with kindness".

The only way to permanently remove the NPC from hounding the player, assuming they didn't avoid it from their first encounter, will be to HEAL the NPC during combat (like a certain demon in AD&D 1/2e iirc). The NPC will be so confused/moved by the player's action that it wanders off, never to be seen again (although reports of a rude shouting zombie, should its body have reached that state, should be heard by the player at least once). When the player heals the NPC and it leaves for good, it should drop a unique item to reward the player for putting up with such bullshit.

Ideally, a cursed item.



That's my take. Seems codexian in a couple of ways, and who doesn't like something inspired by Fallout.

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Lurker King]

Whatever is you guys decide, it should be called Prosper and must be found on Retardoland.

 

[hpstg]

Whatever is you guys decide, it should be called Prosper and must be found on Retardoland.

I can see it named Prosper, I can't imagine that Larian would have a "Retardoland" in the game, no matter the quality of their writing.

 

[tindrli]

Whatever is you guys decide, it should be called Prosper and must be found on Retardoland.

and he must say random codex quotes like.

Thief (2014) - This game wouldn't be worth your money even if it shipped with booze and hookers.

 

[duanth123]

Name it whatever, human or troll, but here's my concept pitch:

Background
The NPC has a dour attitude about whatever the environment / action going on is when/wherever the player meets it. As others have suggested, it should take contrarian points of view including the results of quests that the player has completed (triggered via global variables set upon quest completion. Ideally these are the same quests that the world will react to upon completion, thus they're 'famous' and it's reasonable that the NPC knows of them). The NPC will aggressively offer its opinions about how they would have done something differently, not knowing the player was the change agent at the center of whatever event(s) the NPC is talking about. Obliviousness coupled with a lack of knowledge plus very strong opinions are key to its personality.

This is truly in the codex tradition of arm-chair quarterbacking.


Concept
During the player's initial conversation with the NPC, the player will be antagonized continuously due to the previously described behavior. If the player takes the non-confrontational path in the conversation and doesn't antagonize the NPC, then it moves on and nothing happens. But if the player picks any of the annoyed or antagonist responses, it will lead to the NPC sputtering vaguely coherent insults and following the player like the Pariah dog in Fallout 2. Rather than immediately follow the player like an additional party member, the NPC will wander off only to turn up like a bad penny during certain combat (+ quest dialogue?) encounters. When the NPC turns up, it has the effect of 'bad luck' similar to the Pariah dog. When the NPC shows up during scripted combat encounters, it should shout text barks insulting the player and their previous accomplishments, causing 'agitation' due to their perturbed state of mind. Mental agitation is a non-negligible debuff to offensive skills. The NPC never takes physical action, only shouts.


Implementation
It should be hard to avoid annoying this NPC, requiring patience on the player's part. Upon first meeting the NPC, it should be: rude, naive and incredibly loquacious. The first ~5 or so PC responses should be the PC trying to say something, but being verbally steamrolled. By the time the player is given the option to respond, they should be sufficiently annoyed. 4 or so dialogue options should be presented, 3 of which contain some level of aggression or annoyance which triggers the NPC's pariah behavior, and 1 of which is essentially "Ok", and they go on their way. Only the most beta/non-aggressive option will make the NPC leave the player alone.

The NPC should not randomly show up in encounters, Larian should decide which combat encounters are appropriate and script its appearance into those. The NPC should be flagged non-hostile to all enemies to avoid complication, and should be immune from all spells that don't deal damage, such as fear/confusion/paralysis. Crucially, the NPC takes all damage, AoE and direct, from the player and enemies.


NPC Mechanics
The NPC will effectively be immortal, but can be temporarily killed for a given encounter. The debuffs only last for a set amount of time, so they will wear off if the NPC is killed, otherwise every combat bark by the NPC is refreshing the debuff timer. Regardless of if the NPC is 'killed' or not, it will still appear in the next encounter in which it is scripted to. When the NPC reappears, it will continue to bark insults, debuffing the player again. If the player previously killed the NPC to stop the insults, the verbal barks should also include new lines about how they can't even kill it properly. For mechanical fun, every time the NPC reappears after being 'killed, the debuffs from the verbal taunts should get worse. Also if previously 'killed', its visual appearance should be degraded, with the body deteriorating to a decaying zombie-like state after enough 'deaths'. This sets up a nice little conflict for the player: should they kill the NPC to stop the immediate debuffs, only to have it return in the future with stronger ones?

If the player has triggered the NPC's pariah behavior and it showed up in at least one or two fights or the has reappeared after the player killed it, they should have the option to discuss how annoying this person/thing is with other NPCs. Bartenders and tavern wenchs are ideal, since anyone who has worked in the service industry knows what a miserable, undead customer is like. These NPCs will offer a hint, disguised as pat advice, to help the player remove the pariah NPC. Something like "In my experience dealing with people like that, your best bet is to kill them with kindness".

The only way to permanently remove the NPC from hounding the player, assuming they didn't avoid it from their first encounter, will be to HEAL the NPC during combat (like a certain demon in AD&D 1/2e iirc). The NPC will be so confused/moved by the player's action that it wanders off, never to be seen again (although reports of a rude shouting zombie, should its body have reached that state, should be heard by the player at least once). When the player heals the NPC and it leaves for good, it should drop a unique item to reward the player for putting up with such bullshit.

Ideally, a cursed item.



That's my take. Seems codexian in a couple of ways, and who doesn't like something inspired by Fallout.

I like this idea a lot, although I think the permanent removal method should rather involve some sort of dialogue event whereby the player, say after two or three of these combat encounters and much to the player's surprise, finds the NPC cooly drinking in a bar somewhere (or otherwise loitering about some quest hub), and in that moment is given the opportunity to question the NPC as to the real reason he keeps bothering the player.

The NPC, with a surprising degree of maturity and articulation contrary to his previous annoying behavior, would proceed to weave a short but satisfyingly grim tale of his self-imposed exile from an old clan/town/pack/den/battalion of trolls, which, after some sort of dealings with a group of local human officials/land developers, slowly began to lose their trollish identity and, in major part, their ability to critically value the supposed benefits they received from their dealings with the humans. To such an extent that the NPC's old companions/relative were effectively reduced to willing slaves, whose presence the NPC could no longer identify with or even stand. Leading to years of wandering isolation for the NPC and growing sense of depression/despair.

The player would then either be able to express empathy/commiserate with the NPC's plight, in which case the NPC would reach a state of mutual respect with the player and agree to leave him alone (maybe even returning on occasion to aid the player in future combat encounters.) Or, the player could respond negatively and in effect blame the NPC for what happened to his people/comrades (to the extent the NPC simply left without making any effort to guide his fellow trolls and now wastes his life on frivolities such as heckling adventurers like the player character from the sidelines), causing the NPC to experience a sort of soul-crushing epiphany and simply disappear back to his wanderings.

Maybe leaving behind some sort of memento ring/trinket with a mixed benefit, like increased perception, but decreased leadership.

 

[Will_Daring]

Dorn the troll is the progeny of a troll mother and demon father, a typically non-viable pairing that in this unique instance produced offspring with a rusty red hue and an incredibly accelerated regenerative ability. Dorn has lived for many centuries due to the luck and misfortune of being able to regenerate from - thus far - any wound, injury, or malady, including those inflicted by fire and acid - and even aging. Dorn's character arc is premised on new insights into troll culture; namely that the physical longevity provided by their healing factor does not extend to mental health and wellbeing, opening the door for a character-driven examination of Dorn's plight. He has lived his life hunted by heroes and villains alike, wanting to research his restorative capabilities. He's been hated and feared and condemned or sometimes even worshiped, and been the focal point of a number of legends, myths, and prophecies, though the truth is, he is special only for the fact that he exists at all. He is not destined to save the world or even help it. He is simply Dorn. And he is tired.

The psychological traumas accompanied by countless battles in which he's been crippled, burned, maimed, dismembered, and worse, along with innumerable hardships - mother died in childbirth, father unknown to him (possible quest starter), captured and tortured for years by a sadistic wizard, watching everyone around him die, never finding peace in society, having to live in seclusion and hiding, etc. - have led to a mental break of sorts. He has lived for far too long and is ready to die, having done nothing but suffer for his uncanny ability. He has nightmares, panic attacks, and fears he will never find eternal rest. His only remaining purpose is to find a way to end his life, leading to any number of ethical complications.

Dorn is noble and good hearted and finds catharsis in helping the innocent and vulnerable from the shadows. His good deeds give him small solace and help him cope with his terrible plight. The PCs will become aware of a "stalker" by way of clues and brief sightings. Dorn is sizing them up and watching them battle as they grow in power. In one or two instances, they encounter an NPC in distress who's just been helped by Dorn, and the NPC describes him in a way that reminds them of the stalker. Dorn typically wears concealing garb, a heavy cloak, and hides his face with wrappings that seem a bit cartoonish at first but make sense given his situation and need for anonymity.

Dorn soon tests the party himself, charging out from unexpected places on screen, and putting up a furious fight, wearing the party down heavily before inexplicably dropping his weapon, spreading his arms out wide, and allowing himself to be struck down by weapons, fire, acid, or the like (left for dead). This happens 3-4 times, until the party is powerful enough for his purposes. At this time, he stops the battle, opens dialogue, and gets into his history. He is looking for a powerful necromancer (or existing pre-established party enemy) that may be the only one capable of releasing his life force from his body. Quests can involve finding the necromancer, finding resources to kill the necromancer, and confronting and finishing the necromancer, while allowing Dorn's rich history to serve as a study of troll culture, unwanted longevity, mental illness, and suicide along the way. The party will need to find this mage, convince him to help terminate Dorn's life, perhaps even by questing on behalf of the necromancer, and make sure Dorn is able to see it through to his end. Thing is, the necromancer is evil and also needs to die, once the party is powerful enough to kill him. So complications arise with gaining the Necromancers trust, trusting the Necromancer himself, and getting Dorn his final peace.

Maybe the Necromancer secretly covets Dorn's longevity and wants him alive to study? Maybe the party may have to kill the Necromancer to prevent a horrible fatal incident - before Dorn can die? Maybe Dorn secretly wants the Necromancer to heal his mental anguish - dull his soul - so he can be free to live forever and become a major power in the world?

 

[Kev Inkline]

Maybe leaving behind some sort of memento ring/trinket with a mixed benefit, like increased perception, but decreased leadership.

Monocle of Prestigiousness (+1 finesse), of course.

 

[Lady_Error]

Maybe leaving behind some sort of memento

Handkerchief with a Pizza Map (+3 regeneration, cursed)

 

[PunchBarkeepInFace]

Looks like I missed the deadline but I like the idea (already put forward) that he is obsessed with choice and consequence. His philosophy should be not only that choices have consequences, but that they SHOULD have consequences.

I would also like to see a nod to "doesn't scale to your level". Perhaps when he is first introduced to the player, it can be made pretty obvious that he is too much for the party to handle. And if they insist on fighting him rather than simply parlaying with him, he can whip them (doesn't scale to your level) but then spare their lives because he just wants to see what the ramifications of letting them live are (choices and consequences). He can even give them a quest at that point in exchange for their lives (up to the player whether he honors his word or not).

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Clearly the NPC should now be named Bubbles. He'll alternate between sarcastic one-liners and conspiracy theories about being betrayed by enemy agents.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Clearly the NPC should now be named Bubbles. He'll alternate between sarcastic one-liners and conspiracy theories about being betrayed by enemy agents.

agree

 

[tindrli]

Clearly the NPC should now be named Bubbles. He'll alternate between sarcastic one-liners and conspiracy theories about being betrayed by enemy agents.

agree

and when you click more than 5 times on it he must say random codex quotes like.

Thief (2014) - This game wouldn't be worth your money even if it shipped with booze and hookers.

 

[Murk]

I can't imagine a gag more insulting to the subtle and dry sense of humor Bubbles had.

But then, it turns out he was a goon, so whodafucknows.

 

[Uglûk]

Boy, this forum is as pitiful for design as it is fun for critique.

 

[Abu Antar]

Boy, this forum is as pitiful for design as it is fun for critique.

Your contribution has been very insightful.

 

[Urthor]

Well if we actually want something we can get past Larian, especially since Bubbles is gone.

I'd give him a realistic full serious mode grimdark backstory of how he used to be accepted in the old days and was a significant feature of life, but the times moved on, he's pretty much a dissatisfied blue collar Donald Trump voter who's unhappy that the world has no place for his kind.

Everything you need to know about him in a single dot point: they stopped making doors big enough for him to fit into like they used to and he's really damn angry about the situation. Segues into impromptu Donald Trump allusion, blue collar labour, grognard CRPGs same deal different day.

Ideally he'd have a quest, and the quest would be a unique game mechanic that isn't re-used but can be cheaply implemented so we can get Larian to say yes to it. Quest without compass markings perhaps? Dungeon with no minimap? One of those hand drawn treasure map thingies that I last remember being used in Witcher 3 but have come up innumerable times? A unique randomly generated puzzle that's different for every user that requires you using a pen and paper to actually solve it?


Finally, the reward does the opposite of what the rest of the game does. If the game scales, it doesn't scale, if the general loot pool is hand placed, pretend Todd Howard is standing 10 inches away from you holding something sharp and pointy.

 

[tindrli]

Monocle of Prestigiousness (+1 finesse), of course.

It must be +6 in something.. We are codex damnit
Personaly i would love to see our unusual octopuss cult multiheaded dick flail +6 random damage

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

 

[Lady_Error]

The deadline for this contest is the 6th of December, around the time when the Europeans go to bed; our secret panel of judges will crown the winner a few days afterwards.

Where muh Bubbles gone?