SP - General Unique Weapons for Faction Leaders: Heirlooms

[Ragratt]

HEIRLOOM WEAPONS:

About:
Faction leaders should have unique, named, heirloom weapons. These weapons would be clan heirlooms, carried in battle surrounded by legend and wielded for generations. Heirloom weapons would have stats on par with tier VI weapons, but could potentially have bonuses like +1 influence per day. These unique weapons would add variety and create quest, diplomatic and smithing opportunities described below:

Quests:
When defeated faction leaders lose their heirloom weapon to the winning party leader / army leader. Once the captured leader has escaped or been ransomed, a quest to retrieve it will be activated when speaking to them. In the event they have been executed or killed in battle, the spouse or family member with the highest influence will give them same quest to honor the family and memory of the slain leader. Player will be tasked with retrieving the weapon. Checking quests will show last known location. To retrieve it player must defeat whoever holds the weapon or barter for it. Return an the heirloom grants player a large relationship boost, gold and/or one piece of tier 6 equipment belonging to that native faction.

Diplomacy:
Returning a recovered heirloom weapon or completing weapon quest would have a relation boost for the clan. Offering the sword to a leader as part of peace negotiation or other barters would provide a large boost. Gifting the heirloom weapon of an enemy to ally would also have a significant boost in relationship or barter negotiation.

Inheritance:
When owner of heirloom weapon dies of natural causes, it passes onto the oldest child. In the event there are no living children or spouse, it is inherited by clan member with highest influence and received by checking stash at any owned castle or town. If they do not own one they receive it by speaking to the next faction leader. In case of player, the next generation of player character receives any heirloom items.

Smithing:
At Master Craftsman level (200+), player is able to forge a single heirloom weapon for themselves with material smelted from heirloom or legendary weapons of captured enemies. The weapon can be named and inherited like others. The ability to do this would add interest in heirloom weapons and incentive to increase smithing skill to create a clan legend. TW has built an awesome crafting system this would put it to good use. Requiring the destruction of other heirlooms to craft new should increase their value and rarity for players in late game. To change the name or weapon type and make a different heirloom the active clan heirloom would have to be smelted and a new one reforged.


Please +1 if you'd like to see some unique weapons and add your own ideas to promote this topic!

 

[Timmortal]

I dont think it should be a guaranteed drop, otherwise there would be far to many types of this sort of quest going on. so maybe a percentage chance, but if you play with death on, and the holder dies it should increase the chance from 1% to 33% if you capture the lord (i think the chance of lord captures should be lowered in general) you should not get the sword, but if you capture him and behead him it should be a 100% chance of getting it.

Maybe it could also be sets, like Emperor Calrad/Calradic Sword, Shield and Helmet and you need all 3 to get the bonus or the first Khans Bow and Lance. Maybe the bonus should only count for the factions troops its relevant to, like a morale bonus.

 

[RobustTurd]

Fantastic idea +1

More generally, legendary weapons could be tied in to some special quests with special renown/relationship/clan requirements.

 

[Ragratt]

I dont think it should be a guaranteed drop, otherwise there would be far to many types of this sort of quest going on. so maybe a percentage chance, but if you play with death on, and the holder dies it should increase the chance from 1% to 33% if you capture the lord (i think the chance of lord captures should be lowered in general) you should not get the sword, but if you capture him and behead him it should be a 100% chance of getting it.

Chance to drop is really good point. 1% would be much too low. Faction leaders usually have lot of troops and travel with armies formed during war. So unless they are really weakened they arent getting captured often very often.

Maybe 10% for NPC captures would be enough. 33% when player captures seems about right. Receiving / losing heirloom weapon would be 100% when carried by NPC other than owner.

Also any NPC who receives heirloom weapon belonging to same faction would return it to faction leader automatically. This way there wouldn’t be a ton of them floating around until weaker factions have been destroyed. Quest to return weapon only appear to player when seeing and speaking to faction leaders with whom they are either friends or allied.

Heirloom weapons can’t be sold only bartered or smelted. Smelting one yields 100% of its components and player must be sufficient smith level.

Maybe it could also be sets, like Emperor Calrad/Calradic Sword, Shield and Helmet and you need all 3 to get the bonus or the first Khans Bow and Lance. Maybe the bonus should only count for the factions troops its relevant to, like a morale bonus.

There are 23 faction leaders including major and minor ones listed in the encyclopedia. With that many sets, it might cause too many to be floating around pretty quickly. Id like them to stay relatively rare. This bring up another though. Maybe heirlooms held by NPCs are returned automatically to owner or closet living kin when peace is made? Otherwise there might be a few powerful leaders floating around with rather large collections near the endgame.

 

[Timmortal]

There are 23 faction leaders including major and minor ones listed in the encyclopedia. With that many sets, it might cause too many to be floating around pretty quickly. Id like them to stay relatively rare. This bring up another though. Maybe heirlooms held by NPCs are returned automatically to owner or closet living kin when peace is made? Otherwise there might be a few powerful leaders floating around with rather large collections near the endgame.

I was thinking more like 6 sets, like leader of khuzait has one part and is main opponent in the faction (this will be a feature im pretty sure, since the quest stories you get when talking to lords hint at it) has the other, combined they give a bonus. Like one starts with the bow the other the lance. For empire each of the 3 leaders would have one, like helmet for senate guy, sword for warrior guy and shield for wife. winner of their war gets all three parts. and the same for all other factions, maybe have one or two more parts per faction, spread out among the clans, but all parts of sets.

 

[Ragratt]

Fantastic idea +1

More generally, legendary weapons could be tied in to some special quests with special renown/relationship/clan requirements.

So the second idea I have for unique relic items work in more in this way. Instead of being tied to warfare and clan relations. Relics are faction oriented and to progress in relic quests would require a certain faction influence and relationship with owner of each relic. Special requirements could work well to limit availability of quests

I was thinking more like 6 sets, like leader of khuzait has one part and is main opponent in the faction (this will be a feature im pretty sure, since the quest stories you get when talking to lords hint at it) has the other, combined they give a bonus. Like one starts with the bow the other the lance. For empire each of the 3 leaders would have one, like helmet for senate guy, sword for warrior guy and shield for wife. winner of their war gets all three parts. and the same for all other factions, maybe have one or two more parts per faction, spread out among the clans, but all parts of sets.

Yeah, great ideas! I have very similar thoughts for a second type of item mentioned above that is related to factions instead of clans.

Heirlooms v Relics:
I like the idea of heirloom weapons being strictly tied to ruling families. I think heirloom weapons would be best with no more than +1 influence, maybe a small morale boost. Something more powerful might be more, low fantasy mod territory. Heirlooms would be specific to clans and their native culture, but politics surrounding something like a set of relics could be more complex especially with a set of 3 carried by influential faction leaders. What makes the ideas you present interesting to me are the options for new quests and interaction that are based of politics, intrigue, diplomacy rather than warfare. Relics could offer an alternate method of gameplay and faction questing and be a way to unravel more lore of each faction.

On Relics:
I think three is a good number of relics for each faction. Every relic wouldn’t necessarily have to be armor or a weapon. A book from a philosopher, an amulet of the first emperor, a bow of the great Khan. Maybe one weapon, one armor, one cosmetic / casual item for variety. The process of collecting each faction relic should introduce more politically focused quests and interaction to the game. Completing quests to obtain all three relics, through use of diplomacy, charm and intrigue. So much of the game is strictly war focused, relics could offer an alternate method of gameplay.

some additional thoughts:
Owning all three relics in any faction would give a +3 influence boost specific to that faction and maybe even open an option to overthrow the current ruler. It should require a great deal of effort, and relations building.
Obtaining all three relics in any faction would provide an immediate + 20 relation with all allies.
Only the player character has ability to collect additional faction relics.
Relics cannot be forged, sold, stolen, destroyed or captured in battle.
When character or NPC defect or are killed, the relic is returned to faction and given to NPC with highest influence that doesnt yet own one.
If / when faction is destroyed any faction relics are "lost."
Three lost relics might exist in Caladria – these are relics from past civs or ancient heroes, not attached to any one faction.
Lost relics could be a way for minor factions or player kingdom to gain legitimacy.

Do you think that could work, what other ideas do you have?