Forums » General Pantheon Discussion

If you could build any mob, how would you troll players?

    • 810 posts
    September 21, 2021 6:27 AM PDT

    I was thinking about this for a different game, but I feel like it would be a fun question here that may inspire a disposition or two.

     

    I always wanted an AI that would take cover in an MMO.  In so many games they just stand and cast at you while you the player run around corners to block the enemy spell casting.  I would love for them to be like oh you attacked me then ran around a corner?  I cast a fireball at the corner to hit you then multiple spell glyphs on my side of the corner you can trigger when you finish pondering why I am not chasing you like a dog.

     

    Take it a step further in a different setting with oh you shot me and ran around a corner?  I shut and lock my door then...

    • 2419 posts
    September 21, 2021 7:25 AM PDT

    Oh the ways a dev can troll players:

    1. A Priest NPC that, at 5% health, heals itself to 95% then when it's back down to 5% it heals itself to 90%, etc, etc until its health and heal are both at 5% at which point you can then kill it.
    2. An raid NPC which, at 10% health, become immune to damage from all but 1 player..the player with the least DPS in the entire raid.  The NPC no longer attacks but just walks around while the least damaging player to slowly whittles down the last 10% of its health.
    3. A raid NPC where all range attacks have to be bounced off shields that are hanging on the walls as if you were playing billiards.  No automatic hits with these. You get the angle wrong and your shot misses.
    4. Give the NPC tens of millions of HP, stupidly high mitigation, high resist...oh wait...that's what EQ1 did for everything in Shadows of Luclin because they had zero creativity.  But do that here too. 

     

    • 810 posts
    September 21, 2021 7:51 AM PDT

    The angle thing sounds fun and clearly not a troll at all.  Make it a grid system for the room.  Right floor location and right shield bounces into a hit.  Add in high damage AOEs where everyone needs to split up.  There would be multiple solutions but if the raid tried to all group together on a single functional choice then all the AOE pulsess stack and kill everyone in that sector.  I wouldn't say it is a troll though just an overall fun mechanic. 

    • 134 posts
    September 21, 2021 8:15 AM PDT

    If we're talking pure trolling, then make a mob that does a short range blink and dumps all aggro everytime it loses 5% health. At 10% left it gates back to its spawn location and aggros everything around it, then deaggros and heals to full.

    If we're talking something a bit more fun, I'd like to see "soul linked" dispositions or something similar where two or more mobs will always come in a group no matter what. Even if you use some sort of lull ability or feign death to split them up, it doesn't matter. Aggroing one will aggro the other(s.)

    • 2752 posts
    September 21, 2021 10:16 AM PDT

    A ranged mob with blink, snare, and root that kites the players from max range. 

    • 810 posts
    September 21, 2021 9:47 PM PDT

    Iksar said:

    A ranged mob with blink, snare, and root that kites the players from max range. 

    I would love to see a mob kiting a paladin in the game.  That kind of mechanic would be too funny.  Needing other players to help range them down or close in on them would be great. 

    • 83 posts
    September 22, 2021 5:49 AM PDT

    Joppa is wicked enough, don't give him more ideas ^^

    • 2138 posts
    September 22, 2021 8:31 AM PDT

    sometimes the simplest is the most elegant. Leap= 2 movements blocks one direction. Run = 1.5 movement blocks in one direction. NPCs can leap, PC's cannot. In order to leap the NPC must run one block, then leap, run/leap run/leap . NPC run speed is 1.25, PC run speed is 1.5- you see where this is heading.

    Have the NPC disengage at 25%health and starts run/leaping away. Aggro radius of NPC increases by 75%(yelping in pain). RNG on snare is increased to 25% chance to hit. All Aggrod NPC's identify the PC group as priority on hate list and engage, heading toward you. Essentially, the NPC trains you unless you kill it fast enough.  oh, and this is in a network of  narrow-ish caves, not outside, and the NPC's are mostly static with some roamers but aggro ranges are so laid out that 5-6 steps to left or right of where you are fighting could aggro the next NPC, or pair or group of NPC's however they are situated.  if you are fighting one, a roamer coming in could chain aggro an NPC one away making 3 to deal with.

    I give you, the Kobold Runt. 

    • 9115 posts
    September 23, 2021 3:51 AM PDT

    This topic has been promoted for my CM content, please continue the discussion and have fun! :)

    Hot Topic - For a bit of fun - If you could build any mob, how would you troll players? Join in on this community thread started by Jobeson here: https://bit.ly/3o0kkE7 #MMORPG #CommunityMatters

    • 560 posts
    September 23, 2021 9:57 AM PDT

    I am confused. When I think of troll I see a negative experience definitely not fun so why on earth would I ever want to design a mob that would give a player a negative experience in a game that well people should be having fun in? I know this topic was highlighted just for fun. Not sure I see it as that.

    • 32 posts
    September 24, 2021 6:31 AM PDT

    You venture deep into your dungeon of choice and a rare named mob, The Biggest Troll, taunts you and instead of you pulling him back to the group, he pulls you to his group made up of a healer and some DPS. As he moves around, you automatically follow him. You can't move, unless you are 10% health. The Biggest Troll can taunt anyone in your group, forcing that person to change their target to him, and they automatically move to him. He can then peel player charcters off his healer or DPS as appropriate.

    Ultimately, The Biggest Troll and his group would act as a 'typcial' holy trio type group would act.


    This post was edited by hushed at September 24, 2021 6:33 AM PDT
    • 1019 posts
    September 24, 2021 8:20 AM PDT

    Vandraad said:

    1. An raid NPC which, at 10% health, become immune to damage from all but 1 player..the player with the least DPS in the entire raid.  The NPC no longer attacks but just walks around while the least damaging player to slowly whittles down the last 10% of its health. 

    Have your typically highest DPSer hit the mob once at the beginning of the fight and then just sit back and wait.

    • 627 posts
    September 25, 2021 3:55 AM PDT
    Invis spider that sit in the roof, webs down and root player in a sneak attack.

    A Loot gobling that steals coins from the player and attempt to run away.

    Medusa type mob that if looked at while casting will turn the player into Stone for a while.

    • 627 posts
    September 25, 2021 4:00 AM PDT
    A mad Alchemist that throws potions of different mixtures, flaming, poisonous, icy or confusing mixtures at the grp.
    • 11 posts
    September 25, 2021 5:56 AM PDT
    A mob that temporarily disorients the players for 5seconds. During those 5 seconds, all key bindings related to all movement and LAS get randomly shuffled (including if icon on LAS is clicked by mouse).

    Ex. The spell on you LAS slot 1 which might have been a heal, might become duck, sit, LAS slot 7 etc. Things would get scary for those 5 secs.
    • 234 posts
    September 27, 2021 4:29 AM PDT

    -== The Halfling Skelton ==-

    Mob Type: Initially undefeatable/undiscovered Raid Target - except by players accompanied by a highly trained seeker. - Players should initially see it as a rare but fun side attraction.

    Disposition: Random (Happy, Sad, Jolly, Joking, Shy: 99%), (Angry, Vengeful, Aggressive 1%) - Once 10% of players reach max level, Aggressive becomes more common.

    Loot/Rewards: Variable and highly valuable - depends on who/what it has interacted with previously.  Ideally, once it has become a myth/legend, players may wish to seek it out and put a stop to its antics.

    Overview:

    The Halfling Skelton, small in stature and with a wicked sense of humor was seen roaming about the Wilds End in the first weeks of Pantheon's release. Later it was seen around the far reaches of Avender's Pass, telling jokes and handing out cookies to players as they passed. This creature has also been seen around Thronefast and made other brief appearances in other noobies zones around Terminus.

    It has also been seen easily defeating some quite powerful creatures from the Black Rose Keep and other popular adventuring areas, where wicked evil laughter can be heard throughout the zone. Then, just as quickly it becomes happy and quickly disappears. Only to be seen randomly somewhere else again - its mood, never stable - it can have many dispositions.

    This skeleton is a halfling that has been cursed, even in death as it was in life - its skeletal features appear to have been pulled from a crypt. However, this doesn't seem to bother the creature who seems just as good-natured and spirited as its living brethren!

    Some speculate that this particular Halfling may have come back from the dead after dying in battle - whatever the case, this skeleton seems to be extremely friendly!

    While this creature seems very friendly and is willing to share these treats with all, beware, every cookie it shares and that a player consumes will take from that player one trait or skill and just a bit of experience, perhaps unnoticed by the player. When it reaches a sufficient level and has a sufficient number of skills, it will go insane and begin moving from zone to zone in search of those players it has interacted with - screaming, "You have ruined your own lands! You will now be destroyed! You deserve this!"

    Thereafter, the Halfling Skelton will begin randomly attacking players and focusing on those with whom it has had interactions previously. As it destroys everyone and everything it finds in its path, and across multiple zones, it slowly calms down - eventually returning to its happy self and disappearing for a time. To where only it knows.

    One day a group of brave adventurers decided enough is enough. They are bent on putting an end to this creature's jolliness once and for all by bringing peace to Terminus!

    Their plan is to search out its final resting place, put it back into that crypt where it belongs, then seal the tomb with a special seal, and recover all the lost treasure and experience it has stolen from the inhabitants of Terminus.

    TLDR:

    The Halfling Skelton is a small, evil creature that will troll players by taking away their skills and experience. While it may seem like an easy target to defeat, this skeleton can take on some powerful creatures with ease because of its high levels. Players who are brave enough could put an end to the Halfling Skeleton's antics once and for all - but they need help! The best way to do so would be to find out where it rests in peace before sealing the tomb with a special seal. Once you've done so, recover any items or experience points it has taken from Terminus inhabitants as well!

     

     


    This post was edited by azaya at September 27, 2021 4:59 AM PDT
    • 902 posts
    September 27, 2021 5:14 AM PDT

    Mobs that react intelligently to pulls. 

    Pulled by Feign Death - before the mob starts its walk back, it stabs the rogue for good measure causing a crit hit and bleeding and bypasses AC.

    General Body pull - immediate root player followed by a call to arms to everyone within ear shot.

    After being pulled, if the mob is out gunned it immediately casts a blinding flash spell/potion and legs it or ports back to spawn point and raises an alert.

    After a pull, the mob immediately casts invis and follows the player to check for any ambush, then reacts accordingly.

    If you can see a mob, then, potentially it can see you. If a mob sees a fight, it would starts to walk over to check out whats going on, then react depending on the situation. If you are fighting, you are causing a noise, all mobs in earshot should come to investigae, too. 

    So many ways to make it mad and bad for a player. 

     

     

     

    • 690 posts
    October 2, 2021 12:59 AM PDT

    I've always liked the dragons in Souls games that will come out of nowhere and blow fire everywhere. It even kills you if you aren't really careful (the area the dragon will blow fire on is usually burnt looking) or don't already know about them.

    I also like cazel cuz he is extremely high level for the area he is in but doesnt drop enough stuff of value to get perma camped. He also paths near a dock that has afkers on it and several lowbie leveling areas.

    I can't decide which I would troll players with more.