Mountain Grouping

[Guest]

Recently there was a discussion on how it could me made more easy for grouping to occur in the Undermountain without alienating it from chars. I was told to post an idea and by doing so open up ideas to for others to suggest to help create groups in the mountain.

My idea is to look at undermountain like a boat trip. Oocly before you go in you arrange a group icly and then apply for a date and time to adventure into the mountain. The leader of the group is given a coupon/slip/key that disolves after usage but allows his or her group to enter the mountain and go through grouped and then leave.

The mountain for the rest of the time can remain closed to visitors and a message to reserve a time and date could be the response

When one goes to reserve a time they put down the names of all group members and what time will suit them

Icly you meet together and form a group like anyother time

The good thing is that grouping will be safer for individual chars traveling the mountains, sponsor rp and keep chars from going in and leveling themselves.

Plus it will keep the mountain open to a wide range of adventurers that would otherwise avoid it.

Thank you.

[Elwin]

A great idea indeed. Another idea would be to perhaps simply post a note on the noteboard in order to tell other players that you wish to go on an adventuring trip. This can be used for more than just the Undermountain though. I would say that Gwain's idea would be perfect for the Undermountain. But, when you wish to go exploring other places in the game, perhaps just leave a note saying you wish to form a party with others. Anyways, just my two cents.

[Kirkus]

There are other areas in the game that a pc can't get into if they are below a certain level. I believe Blue Alley is one of these, perhaps we could put something like this on Undermountain. I would say anyone under 20 level cannot go into UM alone, and if they have another pc with them they can access only the 1st level. At 20th level a pc can access the 1st level of UM alone, and the 2nd level only with a group. At 30th level a pc can access the 2nd level alone and have unlimited access with a group. UM is supposed to be a place that either makes or breaks adventurers, it should be risky and illadvised to go in alone, but not completely restricted.

[Aegin]

I, personally, am not a big fan of "Applying to RP" most things.

Most of my best RP is spontaneous, and I don't particularly care to schedule things, unless absolutely necessary.

Personally, I also think that closing UM to a certain level is unnecessary, too. There are enough warnings around the place that if you go to the third level with a 10th level character (by some miracle getting that far), then you have ignored all warnings, and deserve what you get.

I'm just not a big fan on any rules that add more restrictions on where you can/cannot go. There has been a pretty good job so far making the mud ICly realistic as much as can be done. And I doubt very seriously that anyone in FR goes around putting up signs "Danger be here"

If youa re having trouble getting a group together to go to UM, then I suggest trying other things with your own character, as opposed to suggesting things that restrict other characters' access.

Besides, if you restrict UM to only those who have a chance to survive, how is Halaster going to get his jollies? No fun for him

edit: Oh, scheduling a trip is fine, I meant just *requiring* it to be scheduled should be a no-no.

[Kirkus]

I don't think you understand the point of this. As I see it we are trying to keep pc's from accidentily running into an area theycan not survive. I can tell you it is a fact that new pc's who don't know Waterdeep very well might accidentally go up one side of the mountain and come down another : ie the side that leads into UM. I did it. I died. I did not even know what UM was. I did not know where I was or how to get in or out. I didn't know where to begin to tell older pc's to look for my corpse. I think that is a pritty bad way to start a character and learn about the FR world and/or the FK mud. Fresh out of the temple, wander into UM. You tell me how smart that is. There are plans in motion to build Mt. Waterdeep that as far as I see it will decrease that from happening but I do not believe it will solve the problem. There are multiple entrances into UM that a person can take and not know how to leave or what they are getting into. The fact is Waterdeep is the most logical place to start people new to mudding, new to FK and just starting new character, you can get the most help there, and UM is the only downfall of the city of Splenders. We cannot take it out of the city, it is part of what the city is know for and, in part it made the city. But in truth it is a graveyard. And not one we should let our children play in unattended.

[Tempus]

There is an NPC who warns you, in bright red writing no less, that to venture alone into the undermountain is foolhardy. If you ignore his warning then, even if you are a newbie, I see no reason to make your demise easier to recover from.

If you die before receiving this warning then you are unlucky in the extreme, and I might have some sympathy with a newbie in this situation, but not with an experienced character who should know better than to chance his arm even on Level 1 with an unsuitable character.

Scheduling RP'ed trips into the mountain - good idea, and Mystra gave a recommendation on how to go about this.

Requiring all trips into UM to be scheduled - I personally don't like this. As Aegin said, a lot of RP is spontaneous, and scheduled adventures do have a habit of falling apart quite quickly. By experience with other areas that require a lot of pre-planning to access, I would say that enforcing this would result in a vast reduction in the number of PC's who have access to the UM areas, which would be a shame because they are well made, and contain some of the most interesting quests in the game (in my opinion).

Yes this area is dangerous. It should be. The rewards are appropriate for the level of risk.