Treasure maps

[tukkek]

Probably best implemented as a Feature that gives an Item that lets you go to another Location (Dungeon or Wilderness) to unlock something unique like a Boss Fight with random Mechanics, Templates, Monsters, etc (nothing outside Branch functionality). Alternatively it could create a Branch or something similar but these things are already plentiful in the game (and even moreso in endgame #269 ). Just a reward chest would be OK too, perhaps even as a first implementation.

Upon generating said Item, an accessible position in another Location would be generated. The player needs to (possibly find it first then) go there and the Map will tell them if they're in the correct Floor or not. If they are, then it gives a vague idea of how distant and to what direction the treasure is.

This idea has many merits, not the least of which is the mode of play alone. Lore serves a similar purpose but it's more straighforward and less involved: find the right floor and just explore as normal. Maps are more interactive and fun to engage with, while Lores are more goal-driven and strategic (hinting at the next location to go). Other merits are reusing lower-level content (see ahead) and generating unique Fights that would otherwise be out of place at random or too common if implemented as something like a Dungeon Feature.

Balancing is of the essence here: the Dungeon chosen as the Map's location should be Easy relative to where the map was found - this means it's probably somewhat irrelevant content for the player by now but Maps give a good reason to go there explore. The Boss Fight itself should be memorable: probably Diffiicult but maybe even Deadly, as long as plentiful spoilers are given when the Map is read (which would count as EL-1, including for rewards). The rewards themselves could also be spoiled, to prevent players being disappointed at the end of a long sidequest. Note that difficulties here are relative to the EL the map was found in!

Balance-wise the goal is to have the exploration be fun - with the usual trappings of Dungeon delving but much more relaxed then what the player was doing when they first found the map. Second, the Fight should be difficult and unique enough to be its own reward but not in a way where the player doesn't want to bother following through just for the benefit of a 50-50% chance of dying. To this effect perhaps a Difficult fight is better suited for a first implementation.

Another issue here concerns the verisimilitude of going into a (possibly previously cleared) dungeon and finding something completely new there. One way to solve this is to co-opt a piece of Furniture (also spoiled in the Map itself) or even locked Chest and turn it into a trigger with a much higher DC (let's say +10) - meaning that players could theoretically find the booty by accident but it wouldn't be likely during a level-appropriate exploration of the content. If they did find the content before the map, it's OK as they would either recognize it via the plentiful spoilers or go back the place, already explored and see the leftover of said battle ("there was a hole here"). Activating the map wouldn't require a perfect spot, just that the Furniture be in line-of-sight.

Generating the content on-the-fly once the Map is in hand would be easier but generating Lore is more involved than this so it shouldn't be a problem. Issues of finding a proper EL location not being guaranteed can be solved by stretching the acceptable range pretty easily.

In addition to having this as a Rare Dungeon Feature, having this as a Branch Feature or Shop Labor would be dubious as the game World can't handle an infinite number of post-generation-generated Maps but perhaps a mid-tier unique Dungeon with a few guaranteed Maps and perhaps a static Map seller NPC could be a cool, playstyle-enabling concept. He could even be reused in endgame #269 to generate on-demand end-game Fights (as long as they can be safely generated) around the game World or to sell endgame crafting reagents. To balance such a location, the best idea is probably to have it be a mid-tier Dungeon with X scrolls at large and then have the NPC sell X High-tier Treasure Maps. Since the Dungeon would need dedicated visuals, this could still be tied to a new Branch (Treasure branch of treasures) but perhaps with the Maps inside the Branch being replaced directly with the fights, with full spoiler prompts, to avoid the generation problems it would cause.