Haeo

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Well, the bears would probably be in a different area. Bears and Wolves don't usually hang out together. I was thinking that the wolves would be in open plains or fields and fight as packs. The bears could be in either a rockier area or they could be in the forests. One thing that I'm not sure of is whether or not to include those bloody foxes. If we do, they would be in the deepest parts of the forest and would hunt in pairs.

With this setup, the wild dogs would be confined to the western side of town in the plains and they probably are only active during the day. The bears and foxes are in the woods but the foxes are only active at night while the bears are always there. The wolves are always active but they're more numerous and aggressive at night and stay in the plains areas to the east of town for the most part.

For loot, here's what I have in mind.

Wolves[lvl 3-5]: Wolf hide (one step above Wild Dog Hide), Wolf's Fang (level 4 dagger, rare drop from pack leaders at night only), Wolf Tooth (material for various tooth, fang, or bone accessories)

Bears[lvl5]: Bear Sinew Bow (level 5 bow - Rare drop requires final blow to be a bowshot), Bear Hide (level 5-10 leather crafting), Bear Claws (level 5-10 weapon crafting/potion ingredient)

Foxes[lvl 5]: Fox Eye (level 5-15 potion ingredient), Black Fox Fur (level 5-10 leather crafting), Fox Blood Vial (level five required to wear-Amulet type accessory that also gives a bonus to anyone trying to tame a Black Fox as a pet)

Wild Dogs[lvl 2]: Wild Dog Hide (low end leather crafting item), Rancid Meat (weak poison ingredient), more money per kill than the wolves.@BlackPanther@Zelosse

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@BlackPanther I was thinking packs of up to five wolves at a time with the leader of each pack at level 4 with the rest being level 3. The rest I was still debating.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Remember cost and benefits. I'd only need poison on enemies that are worth the expense. I doubt that I'd need much at a time, maybe three doses worth. After all, I'm looking to make a profit too. You might want to work on things that enhance armor piercing or inflict other status anomalies like blindness or paralysis. There's also the potential for impact explosives applied to an arrowhead or thrown weapon.

Maybe, potions for drinking, poisons for single use weapon effect modifiers, tinctures for time duration gear modifiers, and oils for regenerative effects for durability or maybe pet alteration effects?@Zelosse

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

There probably wont be that much demand for advanced crafted bows and arrows but I know that I'll be wanting to have those skills. Being able to replace and augment your gear is always good. And, poison in an archer's hands is far more effective on average.

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Not bad at all. It's a solid visual reference. We could even pull underwater combat if we wanted to, though that could prove problematic for some.

Thanks for making it.

@Zelosse

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Tailpin kept walking toward the gate and didn't answer Emp immediately. The question of exactly how far to go was one that he hadn't precisely answered yet. He had intended to map the full circumference of the town, starting at this gate and ending up back at it. But, if they went out more than thirty or forty yards then they'd have to traverse the whole distance more than once to complete the map. In the end, it was really only practical to go out until they could barely see the walls of the town and keep them barely in sight as they went around. There were roads leading away from each gate in different directions so maybe that would work best. The light of the town did shine above the walls so they would be able to spot Bull's Run from a ways out.

"I think that my initial goal of mapping the area might have to wait till daylight. We can still survey the monster population and get a feel for any changes in behavior that happen at night." Tail said finally. "We'll go out about fifty yards then cut off the road at an angle that will take us to the next road out of town. We'll use this method until the mapping data shows that we've come full circle. If this works out well then we should make ample funds and have a higher chance at rarer material drops." He turned to look at Reaper. "Most of the monsters on the side that Emp and I arrived from were solo, level two wild dogs. Re, what were you hunting today on this side of town?"

@BlackPanther@Lightbox

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Tailpin nodded as he saw the name appear in his party member list. Reaper was not a surprise as a name, especially with a scythe and a pet named Anubis. He had figured there would be a death theme of sorts. The current social climate would probably make it hard for that name to be popular but he already knew that Reaper was a beta-tester. He'd probably played solo during the beta. With a heavy weapon there would be entire areas that he wouldn't be able to beat if he stayed solo. No wonder he didn't volunteer information.

Tailpin did listen to what Emperor said but it mostly came across as rhetorical monologue. In the end the young man chose to stick with what he knew for now. That was probably the best bet, and the safest. Tailpin hadn't realized that Emperor had already managed to party with Mai'lo. But, it would be ok. They would be back at the inn within a few hours if everything went according to plan and parties could be rearranged.

Though, before this plan could get started there was the matter of Reaper's little problem. That name was likely why someone with his skills was still solo even though he was still a green player. If this association didn't become long lasting than Reaper might be stuck as a solo player for as long as this nightmarish farce lasted. Well, if his name could prove problematic then it would only be right to respect his need for privacy. Maybe a nickname then.

"Alright, we wont be taking any real risks on this trip and the shops are already closing so we'll just have to be careful and wait for regen if somebody gets hurt instead of using potions recklessly." Tailpin started walking toward the town gate and the black night beyond. "I think we should work with call signs. Multiple syllables can slow down combat communication. That can be dangerous in a tight spot. So, hmm." He paused thoughtfully, as though he hadn't already decided on his recommendations. "How about 'Re', 'Emp', and 'Tail'?"

@Lightbox @BlackPanther

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Making a map is hard

Edit: Ok so I WILL make a map, but it's going to be really really terrible. Like a 5-year old made it.
Cause I'm making it in MSpaint..
Gods help us.

@Zelosse

Terrible maps are the stuff of legend! If the heroes had good maps they would have avoided all the cool stuff and probably wouldn't have had the awesome weapons and trinkets that let them win!

That said, having an actual map will mean that Tailpin will have less to do. He might actually have to focus on his bow instead of his super ogling powers. That's probably a good thing since I put it like that. It's tricky for a person to craft mapping information when they aren't in the GM's chair. I'll just have to use his skills for monster spotting and trick shots. Yay!

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

@Haeo
some interaction won't be horrible as i don't want him a permanent solo character, but one that isn't totally in the group just yet since he is unsure. other then that sounds good :)

@BlackPanther

Ok, so perhaps run the first battle or two the normal way and get some cooperation in and then summarize the next couple hours ending the summary with the return to town?

Side Quest - Sword Art Online

Ok, I'm planning on having our next post cycle end with us transitioning to night vision. I was thinking of having us just summarize the outing since there's major character interaction waiting for Tailpin and Emperor in the Inn. But, if Reaper needs to have any criteria met to avoid being a permanent solo character, it is still an option to expand at least part of the trip to allow more interaction or play-by-play description of some of the battles.

I know that sitting there on one hill or rooftop after another while Tailpin stares as far as he can to gather mapping information would be deathly boring and the kind of fighting I'm laying the groundwork for would be pretty repetitive. Tailpin is going to try to give a good number of kills to Emperor while not being stingy with what Reaper gets to kill. He is going to be getting some kills himself since the monsters are probably going to be in groups of four or five. He'll be trying to kill the leader before it gets close and then weaken the followers. He's also still focused on acquiring another skill. This time, though, I think he'll have to wait till morning to spot the skill on his list.

@Lightbox@BlackPanther