AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

Do they actually ward the forest? Can they be expected to step in if someone gets ambushed, break up fights etc? Or are they just well paid roadsigns?

My impression has been that their well-paid roadsigns that are hired to keep out NPC mobs.

Meaning they'd rather not worry about PC's as much unless they get directly endagered themselves.

But a DM knows best.

Torzeng wrote:

My impression has been that their well-paid roadsigns that are hired to keep out NPC mobs.

Meaning they'd rather not worry about PC's as much unless they get directly endagered themselves.

you should watch them sometimes, when a mob enters the area and attacks a roadwarden, they just stand there

Ask them in-game. They'll be absolutely happy to tell you what they do!

Hm, may do that when A gets back on.

Well, what I am really asking is how they would react to violence and attacks in their vicinity. Should the no metagaming NPC's rule apply in their case, are we required to get a DM if hostilities take place in their range of vision?

Aye, there are conflicting OOC impressions as to if fighting in front of them with no DM's around is metagaming since they might step in. After all, many DM's do shout pretty regularly, this line: "Don't metagame any NPC's"

The question is, is this a part of the metagaming of NPC's or not?

Truth be told, this concerns all Roadwardens, not just the Forest ones.

That's just it. If on more than a few occassions, the Roadwardens don't react to travelers on the road being in danger from NPC mobs, to say nothing of PC ones...are they really doing the outline of their job? Although if they are to protect the NPC cart drivers between stops...that kind of makes sense.

If not could they be replaced with road signs if all they do when asked is tell a traveler which road is the safer one? It may cut down alot of OOC conflict on the 'no metagaming guards!'

Maybe replacing them with something like an earth golem just to truly discourage trouble?

yeah I dont see anypoint to them, they seem useless over all people fight infront of them, seen monster beating on deer next to them, at least a roadsign would not bring up the question on metagaming or IC useless guards.

The AI doesn't react because the NPCs literally do not have any AI, to tell them to attack monsters.

As far as I'm concerned, PC to PC action is not their business, and not in their purview. But monster -> PC, they'd help with.

What if the PC -is- a monster? I thought they were guards, due to multiple encounters in the past. I've been stopped before for being in a "monster" form, I've been helped by them during confrontations and even been confronted by them for different reasons. If they're not guards, they seem pretty useless and pointless, imo. ::shrug::

They are guards. What else would they be? What they get involved in is obviously their own personal business.

I liked when a DM possessed one of them yesterday to talk with the people of the Grove that seemed to be speaking ill of the Glade.

It was really nice.

I wish I knew who the DM is to learn more about that accent and incorporate it on Daniel. :twisted:

BlackDahlya wrote:

I liked when a DM possessed one of them yesterday to talk with the people of the Grove that seemed to be speaking ill of the Glade.

It was really nice.

I wish I knew who the DM is to learn more about that accent and incorporate it on Daniel. :twisted:

I think lally

Not inclined to make a long reply, but the long and the short of it would be that I feel that disregarding any NPC bystander is pretty lame, as even if they may well not intervene (for whatever logical reasons) they are potentially a witness to whatever is occurring, or being said, and thus it can be considered metagaming to disregard their presence.

I think the main point I've seen thus far is that the Roadwardens, even though they might not react with AI to do such, are blockaids against NPC monsters escaping their areas, such with trolls, spiders, wild gnomes, etc.

As for PC to PC issues, as stated, it's unlikely they'd get involved, but they could also become a minor plot point in your own issues. They might not get involved, but yes, they'd be a witness, thus they could direct the more moral seeming party to where someone might have taken someone else. "They went that way", etc.

Beyond that, they're just are loyal informative NPC guardians, tis all.

Actually, they give you a hint which roads are reasonably safe to travel. You used to have spawntriggers on bout every road which seemed a bit silly. So, the road between Cordor and Kohlingen became largely spawn free, and the wardens are the IC explanation for that.

'nother question: Are these folks just random people that got together to do this, or part of a more formal organization?

I could see some characters, who like to patrol the roads for trouble, wanting to be official Roadwardens ^.^

A more formal organization. And I hate having to give up all of these details with zero RP involved. It is a damn shame.

Alright, I can accept someone offering a helpful suggestion of which road is the safest to travel in the Amian forest. However I can't really see it being a roadwarden which is akin to a traveler's guard that doesn't guard a traveler.

Even people directly on the road that are being harmed by chasing NPCs. If the road warden in the forest was changed to ....dunno....a hiker or such that offered info, that would be one thing. You wouldn't expect someone out the blue to aid you since they're a traveling schmoe just like yourself and might not be able to.

But someone with a clearly defined uniform of authority? Even armed? That's....odd to me.

I have to admit as a player, IC digging is much more fun and enjoyable, especially when you dig places you didn't expect to be digging.

colanah wrote:

Alright, I can accept someone offering a helpful suggestion of which road is the safest to travel in the Amian forest. However I can't really see it being a roadwarden which is akin to a traveler's guard that doesn't guard a traveler.

I do.

When two travellers are going at it and approaching PvP, which traveller do you guard?

And these dudes are not really powerful at all. Do you still guard adventuring travellers when members of your society have been murdered by other adventurers for doing that? Or do you wisely protect the lone adventurer from local menaces you're familiar with (regional spawns), while thinking twice about getting involved in what may be a personal or political dispute between armed and very dangerous travelling adventurers?

The hearty explorers of the Roadwarden Society are not guards. They are willing to help out, but that offer of aid has sensible limitations.

Yossarin wrote:

A more formal organization. And I hate having to give up all of these details with zero RP involved. It is a damn shame.

I thought they just showed up one day, kind of like how the undead in what malars forest went poof, or how the mole thing went poof, or the gas that showed up out of the blue years ago so the outer shadowscape zones could be removed.

IC things that are only as IC as they had to be for what ever reason they were changed for.

So in short, WYSIWYG? If a DM possesses a warden and attacks you, hes defending the other PC and if they dont, they arent? ICly they just are avoiding trouble they arent certain with?

Makes sense. Its cleaner to enforce a no-pvp area then to make an area PvP-able but add some NPCs that would "actually smite you if you fart in their presence"

Yossarin wrote:

colanah wrote:

Alright, I can accept someone offering a helpful suggestion of which road is the safest to travel in the Amian forest. However I can't really see it being a roadwarden which is akin to a traveler's guard that doesn't guard a traveler.

I do.

When two travellers are going at it and approaching PvP, which traveller do you guard?

And these dudes are not really powerful at all. Do you still guard adventuring travellers when members of your society have been murdered by other adventurers for doing that? Or do you wisely protect the lone adventurer from local menaces you're familiar with (regional spawns), while thinking twice about getting involved in what may be a personal or political dispute between armed and very dangerous travelling adventurers?

The hearty explorers of the Roadwarden Society are not guards. They are willing to help out, but that offer of aid has sensible limitations.

Not talking about them protecting PCs from other PCs. *points down* I'm talking about that.

Tormak Saber wrote:

The AI doesn't react because the NPCs literally do not have any AI, to tell them to attack monsters.

In a fight between two PC, it's going to PvP a portion of the time, that's a given really but it just seems like the roadwardens have very little jurisdiction. If they're a volunteer group then that answers a lot of stuff about guard metagaming because they're not guards in that sense. Road side service in a fashion but not guards-guards.

Also finding out about them ICly would be lovely if there was an organization of them that routinely interacted with the community and not just when the NPCs were taken over to further a particular plot and had to depart quickly after to continue another part of the events. *pats the hand of the DM team* This isn't to poke hons, just acknowledging that you guys can't be everyplace at once or answer to IC demands from lore hounds all the time.

It makes things a bit dicey for when and how to find out, especially if the DM possessing the roadwarden has no idea about the organization. Yes it's likely homebrew so anything off the cuff is likely going to be pretty frigging good! *sagenod* Off the cuff is usually really good.

....can we have off the cuff? PLEAAAAASE!?!?!?! *gives puppy eyes*

I say remove them. They're pretty much useless, right? Replace them with like Golem guardians who will actually defend and do something besides standing and looking at the pretty flowers.

or remove them from all zones but towns, and then when a DM wants to take over one maybe spark some RP in a hunting area, he takes some over and walks the roads.

TormakSaber wrote:

The AI doesn't react because the NPCs literally do not have any AI, to tell them to attack monsters.

My computer must be really crappy. When I get close to one, the computer suddenly slows down. =(

I thought it happened because they had some sort of heavy script or AI.

banneronin wrote:

I say remove them. They're pretty much useless, right? Replace them with like Golem guardians who will actually defend and do something besides standing and looking at the pretty flowers.

... That's a terrible idea. Why would you have 50 billion iron golems arandomly wandering the countryside? How is... No. I give up.

corypx wrote:

Yossarin wrote:

A more formal organization. And I hate having to give up all of these details with zero RP involved. It is a damn shame.

I thought they just showed up one day, kind of like how the undead in what malars forest went poof, or how the mole thing went poof, or the gas that showed up out of the blue years ago so the outer shadowscape zones could be removed.

IC things that are only as IC as they had to be for what ever reason they were changed for.

Bullshit. Straight up. Everything is IC. It doesn't matter how it got there or why it's there. Nothing is "More IC" or "less IC. It is IC.

This topic depresses me as a DM, looking at the player reactions. I'm eriously disappointed here.

And, uh, you know, if you'd bothered RPing any of that above stuff, you'd see it didn't just "poof". But I guess since it was "just there", it obviously wasn't IC!

I think I already know the answer.

You want someone to actively protect the forest... get PC who actively protect the forest.

TormakSaber wrote:

banneronin wrote:

I say remove them. They're pretty much useless, right? Replace them with like Golem guardians who will actually defend and do something besides standing and looking at the pretty flowers.

... That's a terrible idea. Why would you have 50 billion iron golems arandomly wandering the countryside? How is... No. I give up.

ok I'll do it, the golems of Glorag Mur formed a union and walked out because of poor working conditions(killing killed for no reason) so they signed a new deal with towns along the road to guard/patrol them if people would stop ROFLMSTOMP WTFHAX PWNING them

Do you guys realize that there is a piece of information available IG about who and what the Roadwarden Society are? I'm sure some of you have o have found it.

Last edited by colanah on Fri, Jul 24 2009, 6:57 AM, edited 1 time in total.

I really hope it's not something found in cities that some of the nature folks avoid if at all possible or may not be able to get to due to class/race restrictions. If it is, possibly not....

It might be really not obvious though. Another of those little lore chunks wandering around in the server like the willow-nymph near Lum no doubt. The little carving in the back of Bendir inn. The dagger and bloody bad poetry out beyond western Cordor.

Little treasures yes but really not easily found if not looking for them. Maybe a good deal of players are in a bit of a hurry that way. It's sad (not pitiful sad but dismaying emotionally sad) that there really aren't any roadwarden PCs to ask these things of or get involved with.

Also Tormak, people always excel at ways to be as different as possible, and in such a manner excel in ways to delight and disappoint others. It's all a looking glass.

Also, not iron golems. Hidden golems near the entry points. Earth (earth golem without the fire) , wood (super sized wood wright disguised as a tree and revealed when someone passes on the path before returning to a tree), clay (...yeah this one I'm still trying to figure out.) BUT!!! ...there is a consensus to pay ICly for the materials and cost of creating them. Not just the price of 'whine' and alot of 'cheesy' grins.

Yossarin wrote:

Do you guys realize that there is a piece of information available IG about who and what the Roadwarden Society are? I'm sure some of you have o have found it.

I do agree, and one of my characters has found out a bit about them and seeks to find more. The question was important on an OOC lvl because of the PvP that happens in front of them though. Now we know, we should be taking it IC, like we had planned already (some of us).

omg Tormak I agree nit pick nit pick....seems to me they are neutral meaning they'd watch two or more PC's beat each other to bloody pulp and will offer freindly advice to a traveler. Think of them more as Road Scouts telling a character which road it's safe to travel and guarding there post from local NPC monster intruders. Outside of that your on your own!

Yossarin wrote:

Do you guys realize that there is a piece of information available IG about who and what the Roadwarden Society are? I'm sure some of you have o have found it.

I think I did. But since I am not sure, I won't say anything about what I saw. ^^;

To me they're pretty much warning signs, "Do not leave your trash on the road."

My poor little Drowsie Ivshar when he was still evil(Mwuahah!*Thunder 'n' lightning*) was beaten up and left on the road by Elves. *Sniffle.*...But heck, later on a nearby Roadwarden told them to not leave their trash(Cheeky DM).

The roadwardens in the forest...

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