I'm planning to spice bandit and caravan guard systems as well - if you guys have any suggestions/ideas let me know
(EDITED)
Okay, so I started a bandit playtrough and here are a few ideas.
Some may be difficult (impossible?) to be implemented, but I just list them and leave you the pleasure to evaluate the feasability.
Issue:
Having the possiblity to join the "dark side" negates the native bandit threath (some kind of "exploit").
Currently, there is no negative impact when we choose that path.
Solutions:
Once we decide to join a bandit party, we should suffer a huge crime rate increase (at least 30) with local kingdom.
Every attack on locals should result in a renown penalty (is it possible?).
High kill count should have more consequences. The more we kill people as a bandit, the more we should be considered as a criminal.
If we have a high crime rate and a high kill count, we become wanted by local authorities ==> in that case, it could trigger an encounter with a manhunter party. If we loose the fight, we get captured and put in jail.
I was thinking also about a relation penalty, but it may have too much impact in the mid-late game.
Issue:
We make easily a lot of money.
Solutions:
The more we make money as a bandit, the more we should be threaten by other bandits.
Once we reach a certain amount of money, it could trigger an encounter with a "rival" band wanting to rob us, or we may have to duel a bandit boss.
Random events:
Life is supposed to be hard as a bandit and full of unpredictable things.
A possible good way to spice up things is to add random events.
Becoming sick, other bandits want to fight with you, getting robbed during night, being injured after encountering a wolf pack, etc... It may be triggered depending of the time of the day, the environment, nearby settlements.
It makes sense as this kind of life should be far less stable than being a regular soldier.
Crime rate mechanic and actions in town:
BL has already a crime rating threshold system (mild-moderate-severe), so why not use it for additionnal actions in town?
First we need an option to leave the bandits party peacefully, something like "Leave me a few days, I have some business to do in town".
Mild level (>0 & <=30)
Add a submenu (availability based on fame) in tavern district with the following possible actions :
- Better smuggler
- Gamble-Drink
- Thugs recruitment
- Townsmen scam (takes 5 hours, with random success, we get gold based on town prosperity (20%))
Moderate level (>30 & <=65)
It is necessary to have a high roguery level (at least 100) because we have to sneak in. With the risk to be captured.
Expand the submenu in tavern district with:
- Grand theft (takes 10 hours, success based on security(?), huge profit based on town gold or town prosperity)
- High tier equipment robbery (similar to grand theft, but we get equipment instead)
Severe level (>65)
A this level, we are at war with the kingdom (actually it starts from >60)
Maybe it is time to add some political related content, impacting relations.
We may think about a spy in town, wanting to recruit some guys for dirty missions.
We get good amount of gold and relation increase with ennemies of current settlement owner.
- Kill some guards to weaken the guarrison: trigger a mission by night where we have to fight several guards.
- Wall sabotage to reduce the wall health
- Unrest (thinking about your other mod)
Actions in towns may be done trough dialogues with gang leaders as well. So we could get relation increase.
The above actions will of course increase roguery level and other skills, depending of the action type.
For example:
Scam: charm and cunning
Grand theft: cunning
Wall sabotage: engineer
Action menu options:
Arm wrestling as a gamble option.
Have a drink to recover life, with the risk to get drunk.
Smuggler option should be available randomly. I know it is not possible on the menu, so it may be available trough pop-up event.
Fame related:
Having a high fame allows more and higher tier troops for recruitment.
Unlock submenu in towns.