This is a suggestion for a quest series which will introduce a new level of tactical play in Runescape. The series will span both member and non-member worlds, though free players will have a very limited amount of options with regard to tactical combat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first in the series will be the most basic, and thus will be available to both free players and members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of War

 

 

 

Mission One: Reinforce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quest Location: Captain Al-Shadeen, Al Kharid Palace

 

 

 

Requirements: Must have completed the Prince Ali Rescue quest; Attack level of at least 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dialogue

 

 

 

Captain Al-Shadeen: Greetings, [character name]. How may I help you today?

 

 

 

1) I heard that you've been having trouble with some bandits. [continue]

 

 

 

2) Nothing, sorry to bother you. [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Al-Shadeen: As a matter of fact, yes. We've been encountering small groups of bandits along our outer patrol routes, and we've lost a few men over the past week. I received a report just a few minutes ago that one of our camps was under attack!

 

 

 

1) Oh, send some soldiers to help, then. [continue 1]

 

 

 

2) Is there anything I can do to help? [continue 2]

 

 

 

3) Oh, that's too bad. I'll be leaving now. [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1]Captain Al-Shadeen: I can't spare any more soldiers! Between reinforcing our other patrols and defensive positions and the soldiers who are too far to be of assistance, I can't spare any men to help that patrol!

 

 

 

1) Maybe I could lend a hand. [continue 2]

 

 

 

2) Oh well. Good luck, then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[2]Captain Al-Shadeen: I would welcome any assistance at this point in time. Move south to reinforce Sergeant Razeem's force east of the river Elid. I'll send one of my trackers to guide you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are then brought to a rocky hill north-east of the skirmish site. This area is generated individually for players, so when you go in, you go in alone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quest area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your insertion point is the large green spot on the eastern slope of the hill to the north. The bandits are all marked on the map as yellow dots, and the Kharidian soldiers are marked with blue dots. All NPCs here begin at full health. For obvious reasons, the entire area is multi-combat. You may not exit the mission boundaries. Each square on the grid represents one square in the game world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracker: There's the battle! Get in there and help!

 

 

 

1) Why don't you come along as well? [continue]

 

 

 

2) I'm on my way! [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tracker: Ah... Sometimes, discretion is the better part of valour. [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You enter combat with the eleven bandits. The three who are not engaged in melee combat are using bows to help the frontliners. The archers have 15hp each and the equivalent of 10 Ranged levels, and use standard shortbows. The melee troops have 20hp each and the equivalent of 10 of each melee stat, and use wooden shields and steel scimitars. All of the bandits wear leather armour and an iron helm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Kharidian soldiers each have 25hp and 15 in each combat stat, including Ranged. The melee troops all carry steel shields and scimitars, and the two ranged combatants - one of whom is Sergeant Razeem - use crossbows. All of the Kharidian soldiers wear iron chainmail and an iron helm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main objective of this quest is to ensure that Sergeant Razeem survives combat. Even though he is not being targeted at first, as soldiers die off, he will eventually be concentrated on. All of the bandits must be eliminated to complete the quest. If Sergeant Razeem dies, the quest must be started all over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a point to note that while the Kharidian soldiers are flanked (they have an enemy in front of them as well as behind), they take extra damage from every attack that hits from behind, and they are hit more often by the enemy behind them. You can use this to your advantage as well, since if you attack any enemy from behind, you attack and deal damage as though your Attack and Strength levels were increased by 5. You can also be flanked if the Kharidian soldiers start to die off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, what you must do is eliminate one of each pair of bandits so the Kharidian soldiers can dispatch the other without difficulty. Once the melee combat has been reduced to one-on-one battles, you should kill the three archers then mop up the remaining bandits.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once all of the bandits have been killed and Sergeant Razeem survives, you can talk to the tracker and ask him to guide you back to Al Kharid. You should speak to Captain Al-Shadeen to complete the quest and collect your reward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Captain Al-Shadeen: I have heard of your bravery in aiding my men in battle. For this, I thank you and present you with this reward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He awards you with 100gp plus 50gp for every Kharidian soldier who survived. You also gain the "Shout" of Al Kharid warriors, "Brother, I will help thee against this infidel!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shouts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shouts help you or your party members in combat. You gain the ability to use Shouts through the various Art of War quests. You can learn as many Shouts as you want, but you can only have three "prepared" at a time. You prepare Shouts by speaking to any of the NPCs who begin the Art of War quests. Each Shout is assigned a number, which you set at the time of preparation. You may check your assigned Shouts at any time by clicking on the button labelled "Shouts" just below your mini-map. This button is greyed out if you do not have any Shouts prepared.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To activate a Shout, you type /x, where x is the assigned number of the Shout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only one Shout may be in effect at any given time from each player. That is, if you use one Shout, you cannot use another one and gain its effects as well - they override each other, like the protection prayers. However, your party members can use different Shouts and you can gain benefits from those. The effects of Shouts last only twenty seconds, and you must wait at least thirty seconds between shouts. This means that if your Shout's duration expires, you still have ten seconds before you can Shout again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shouts can only affect party members or monsters who are within ten squares. A player or monster may leave the area after the Shout and still keep the bonuses for the duration, but they cannot gain the effects by entering the area after a Shout has been used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the Wilderness, Shouts only affect players who have the "Accept Aid" option turned on. Shouts in effect are represented by semi-transparent symbols down the left side of the screen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The various shouts are as follows:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brother, I will help thee against this infidel! - Whenever you or any nearby party members attack an enemy from behind in melee combat, your Attack and Strength stats are treated as being five levels higher than normal. This Shout is represented by a sword with two arrows pointing to it from opposite sides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will suffer for this! - If you or any ally within ten squares is below 50%hp, all enemies in the area have their Defence levels halved. This Shout is represented by a pair of crossed swords over a heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stand and deliver! - Whenever you or any affected party members attack an enemy from a higher elevation (at least three squares "upslope"), your Ranged or Magic levels (depending on the type of ranged attack) are treated as being 5 levels higher for the purposes of accuracy and damage. Furthermore, the first hit against an enemy by you or any of your party members will stun them for two seconds, preventing them from moving or teleporting. This Shout is represented by a flaming arrow pointed downwards and to the right.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Other Shouts pending. If anyone can tell me about any other things that NPCs shout in combat, that would be great. I don't exactly have access to P2P worlds, so I don't know what kinds of things can come out of there.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party Members

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parties may be formed for venturing into the Wilderness. A party may be of any size, but can only be formed near a "Danger!" sign (a signpost with a skull and crossbones symbol). You may not leave a party unless you are outside the Wilderness or you log out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Party members may not attack each other. They see each other as light blue dots on the minimap. The main advantage of party members is that they can benefit from each other's Shouts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A party can be formed through the "Party" option in the Friends List, which would be greyed out unless you were within ten squares of a Danger! sign. You may check the list at any time to see who is in your party and what their combat levels are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see, I'm still working on these ideas. The quests for different Shouts are still in development, and I'm looking for any information on what NPCs in P2P say during combat. Hopefully I'll get around to tweaking and adding onto this later.

*clapclap* Looks like you've put great thought and effort into this one. I wish SOME people would follow more in your footsteps rather than cluttering the forums with useless stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But this...this is great! I love it. There's only one thing that irks me...and it isn't even a big irk, either. Your "You will pay for this!" shout seems just a *tad* bit too strong. Perhaps, to level it out, either make it work when under 25% hp, or make it so that the defense level of the opponent is only 25% reduced.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Either way...this is great stuff. I wouldn't mind seeing it improvised.

thats awsome u really took some thought and effort in this also i dont no if it should be f2p or not but it could got either way

out. standing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice job, lots of thought. I would LOOOOVE to see that as part of Runescape.

God, yes. RS desperately needs tactical attributes. And this quest idea is stunning!

 

 

 

Consider letting jagex know, seriously.

One of the few ideas that isnt total crap. Good job.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're all suckups, aren't we? You suck! There, I feel better.

EXCELLENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my quest posts would fit perfectly into this series, please refer to "War in Runescape"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also The shouts are an excellent idea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although cutting their defence in half is a bit much, perhaps just a forth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some other shouts could come from the khazard Battlefeild, like the Kharzard troopers yell "Youll regret that" and the Gnomes yell "tally [garden tool]"

 

 

 

Tally [garden tool] can add 5 to attack if you strike first and regret can be if they attack first

Thanks for the feedback, people. I'll get to rebalancing things soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Art of War

 

 

 

Mission Two: Ambush

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quest Location: Vendric the Swift, North-west of the Draynor Village crossroads.

 

 

 

Requirements: Must have completed Mission One: Reinforce; Ranged level of at least 20

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric: Hello there, [character name]. Could you spare a moment?

 

 

 

1) Sure. What do you need? [continue]

 

 

 

2) No, sorry. [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric: Well, the thing is that my sources tell me that one of Asgarnia's greediest merchants is returning from a trip to the northern wastelads. He's going to be passing through a narrow valley, and I want to remove him for the good of the land.

 

 

 

1) I guess if you want help, you could ask me. [continue]

 

 

 

2) Good luck with that. [end]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric: Excellent. Let's get there straight away. Remember, our target is Harran the Merchant. You should be able to recognise him by the red clothes he wears.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are then brought to a ridge overlooking a small mountain pass. As before, the area is individually generated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quest area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As before, your insertion point is the green spot on the north-eastern corner of the mission area. Your target is marked with a red dot, and his escort is marked with yellow dots. Blue dots indicate friendly highwaymen. Black dots indicate trees. All NPCs begin with full health except for the two mercenaries at the back, who are on half. The entire area is multi-combat, and you may not exit the mission boundaries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric: Here they come. Remember, do not let Harran the Merchant escape to the south.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The archers begin to fire on the group below as soon as the first two mercenaries pass by the northernmost tree on the gentle slope. While on a higher elevation (at least three squares upslope), you gain the benefit of +3 squares of range with any ranged attack. For this combat only, your Ranged or Magic levels (depending on the type of ranged attack) are treated as being 5 higher for the purposes of accuracy and damage as long as you are on higher ground. The first hit against any enemy by anyone with a ranged attack will stun them for two seconds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The mercenaries all wear iron chainmail and iron helms. They all carry two-handed swords and have the ability to use the Shout, "Brother, I will help thee against this infidel!" Harran the Merchant wears red clothes and has a steel dagger. Each of the archers wear leather armour and chaps, a black cape and use a longbow with iron arrows. They will switch to a shortsword when confronted in melee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The archers all have 20hp and the equivalent of 15 Ranged levels and 10 in every other combat stat. The mercenaries all have 20hp and the equivalent of 20 Strength, 15 Attack and 12 Defence. Harran has 15hp and the equivalent of 10 in each combat stat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main objective here is obviously to kill Harran. Once the archers begin shooting, the mercenaries will proceed to charge up the slope and engage the archers in melee. The archers will continue to fire on Harran until they are engaged, at which point the fight is left up to you. One of the most obvious strategies is to kill off the mercenaries first, to leave the archers to begin shooting at Harran again, but this may take too much time considering the distances. Another idea is to either shoot Harran until he falls, then eliminate the mercenaries. Note that if you try to engage Harran in melee, he will begin running.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, what must be done is to concentrate attacks on Harran from higher ground to bring him down as soon as possible and prevent him from leaving the area. After that, the mercenaries may be dealt with at your leisure, or you can speak to Vendric to end the mission and receive your reward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric: Well done! You have removed one of Asgarnia's most evil individuals. The people will thank whoever eliminated this parasite of society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vendric awards you with 300gp. Additional "rewards" may be collected while in the mission area, by looting the dead bodies before leaving. You also gain the Shout of the highwaymen, "Stand and deliver!"

Great 2nd quest/skill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One question, would the 'stand and deliver' be an emote?

Very well done, I'm senseing a Blizzard entertainment theme slightly, Warcries from Diablo II and the Shout 'Buff's as the called them being displaying similarly in WoW.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But this doesn't matter, you've taken the idea, and manipulated them into your own creation. Excellent writing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

However I always do wonder this whenever I read a good suggestion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will Jagex ever be able to actually program it, it sounds good and nice in theory, I mean your idea's are excellent, and far better then the run of the mill suggestions I see. (Good suggestions are ones of old, from people such as Militaris, Orzu (What the heck...) and Rouge Celt.) And with such idea being posted by you. I am beginning to highly regard you as a premiere writer of suggestions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Chaosbringer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PS. Write more Blood Warrior please :)

what would happen if you fail? would you start over again? i love the idea, its f2p and it hasnt got to high rewards to, nice work!

Great 2nd quest/skill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One question, would the 'stand and deliver' be an emote?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:o Does this mean we can all be Adam Ant Dandy Highwaymen?! :D

what would happen if you fail? would you start over again? i love the idea, its f2p and it hasnt got to high rewards to, nice work!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you fail, you'll have to start the mission all over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the feedback, guys. I'll try and get the next segment thought out and ready by tomorrow.

 

Great 2nd quest/skill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One question, would the 'stand and deliver' be an emote?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:o Does this mean we can all be Adam Ant Dandy Highwaymen?! :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

highwayman mask, steel short sword, black cape and monks robe top :D

Wow!

 

 

 

Excellent idea! Great job, seriously! (nice writing, too :D )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As other people already said, its a good, serious idea, not something like a new purple dragon with 500 hp and combatlvl 634 or so.

 

 

 

I like also that its f2p, and that its not difficult, and the reward is not high. Good balance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But a small note: If Jagex would release it, all f2p'er would do this quest immediately. But there are also lots lvl 50+... Are those quests not too easy for them? Oke, they need to do this, because everybody want the option tho shout. Would it not be nicer if the lvls of all the warriors, mencery's, highwayman's etc higher if you have a higher combatlvl? I think if youre lvl 80+, you could kill all menceries and bandits alone, and that would not be that fun...

 

 

 

Example: if youre lvl 60, I think that lvl 40 for the bandits and soldiers make it more fun. And if youre lvl 80, make the lvls of the bandits and soldiers lvl 60...

Again EXCELLENT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

however I found one very minor problem, since the enemies are mercs, wouldn't they stop attacking the archers if they lost the person they are escorting?

Great idea! I really like it, but I agree with the 50% def. drop would be too much. My post in mainly in response to, well, I don't know who it was, but it was about the ability to program it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 10 squares probably wouldn't be a big deal because they already have that in the magiks [whatever they are] where it hits multiple enemies, so that's not a big deal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The increase & decrease in stats wouldn't be an issue because potions and curses alter all of that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The party part probably wouldn't be too big of an issue; I don't know if any of that was worked over in Castle Wars, or whatever they are, but I don't see it being a major issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So from my standpoint I'd say the only programming problem would be the attacking from behind & attacking from a lower point. Neither of them have things already in RS that compare to them, so that would be totally new programming, and I don't know what the engine looks like so I can't say whether or how it keeps track of a player's altitude & direction, but I have faith in JaGeX so programming-wise, this whole idea shouldn't be a major issue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's just what a small-time programmer says.

hmm maybe but this would be a quick addition to the game.

*claps alot* must have taken quite some time, very thought out :o

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i like the idea :)

Beautiful idea....very well thought, you even included topographical maps :P This would allow Runescape to take a big step in tactics during team battles. Great idea, I really hope this is implemented into the game :) Keep up the good work!

:shock:

 

 

 

Well done!.. save this thread.. send ur resume to Jagex.. i bet u could land urself as a jagex programmer..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Impressive topological stuff and details..

I love you Zonorhc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

j/k

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

anyway, your ideas are always well thought out like this, but usually need some dumbing down to fit the general rs population

awesome ideas :D