More Suggestions

Spindle

Before the invention of the spinning wheel in the real world, women spun using a drop spindle whorl. These look like a large wooden top, the wool is attached to the spindle and then it is spun like a top but in the air, suspended by the strand it is spinning.

The advantage of a drop spindle would be that it could be carried with you. You could spin in the bank, in the flax fields, even while you are walking (in the real world people can spin using one of these while they walk). Disadvantages of using the spindle would be that it takes longer and requires more skill.

Time to spin: twice as long as when using a spinning wheel.

Skill level required to spin using a spindle:
Ball of wool: 9
Bowstring: 22
Crssbowstring: 22
Magic string: 35

Quick find code: 77-78-357-58513971

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Mage Armor

Where you sit in the combat triangle is determained less by your skills and more by what you have equipped. The triangle is critisized for being out of balance. One way of nudging the triangle more toward ballance would to create a new set of Magic armor which would help spell casters survive against Melee attacks.

First let's look at the current situation with common armors. It is difficult to make comparisons but I'll talk only about the less exotic armors and am interested only in their defense bonuses. For this comparison I've taken a rough average of Stab, Slash, and Crush defense and call it Melee defense. I also am only looking at "sets" covering body, legs, and head (not boots or gloves).

Rune:
Melee Defense = 157
Magic Defense = -11
Range Defense = 159

Black Dragonhide:
Rune:
Melee Defense = 90
Magic Defense = 93
Range Defense = 93

Mystic Robes:
Melee Defense = 0
Magic Defense = 39
Range Defense = 0

Rune armor makes complete sence within the triangle - melee fighter are supposed to be weak against magic so a -11 is fair. The Black Dragonhide armor is nearly equal in all forms of defense, this is why it is often used by melee fighters when fighting against mages. It would have been better if Black Dragonhide had very poor defense against melee, but that is left for other threads. The real problem is the magic armor is simply terrible!

Let's look at other common magic armors.
Infinity Robes:
Melee Defense = 0
Magic Defense = 44
Range Defense = 0

Still awful!

Bark Armor:
Melee Defense = 67
Magic Defense = 78
Range Defense = 32

Better, but far from being good enough.

Mage needs better armor.

Two new armors:

Totenkopf Silk Robes, made from silk recovered from giant Totenkopf Moth cacoons.
Requirements: Deffense 30, Magic 45
Magic Attack: +20
Stab Defense: +15
Slash Defense: +180
Crush Defense: + 5
Magic Defense: +80
Range Defense: +5
The silk also sometimes wipes poison partially off any blade that cuts through it, so anyone wearing this armor is 50% less likely to be poisoned. This armor would offer fantastic protection against slash attacks and some protection against other attacks. It protects mages from three of the most feared melee weapons: dragon claws, whips, and poisoned daggers. A good mid level armor.


Harmonic Robes: These robes emit harmonic energies which disrupt attacks. They are not effective against ranged weapons however.
Requirements: Deffense 60, Magic 75
All Melee Attack Bonus: - 35
Ranged Attack Bonus: - 40
Magic Attack Bonus: +40
Stab Defense: +120
Slash Defense: +100
Crush Defense: +180
Magic Defense: +90
Range Defense: 0
This new high level armor fits in the triangle by protecting mages from melee but not ranged attack.

These two new armors might, at first, look too powerful, but even these are less powerful than simple rune armor is for melee fighters.

Quick find code: 77-78-104-58513980

Suggestion Blitz

I decided to make March suggestion month. Here are suggestions I made on the official forum last night:

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Ordan's notes

Mining and smithing could use some more rewards at upper levels. This is one small possible reward.

Ordan works at the blast furnace selling ores. He also can un-note lower level ores. If a player has both mining and smithing skills at 80+ then Ordan will admit that he also has a private store of adamantite. He usually only makes this available to dwarves and he would get in trouble with his boss if he sold the ore to you, but he can un-note any adamantite the player carries . . . for a price.

If a player who has 90+ in both mining and smithing talks to Ordan then he will also admit that he has a similar store of rune ore. Like the adamantite, he can't sell you the ore outright, but he can un-note any rune ore the player wishes; also for a price.

Quick find code: 79-80-979-58506125
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Herblore Defensive Ointments

Problems addressed:
~ Herblore is not as popular as other skills.
~ The Defense potion is not often made because Ranarr Weed is used to create Restore Prayer potions instead.
~ Potion prices are often lower than the price of components.
~ Some herbs are underused and cheap, so farmers are not motivated to grow them.

Introducing: Defensive Ointments.

Ointments are mixed in the same way as potions. Only one dose per vial is created however. Instead of drinking ointments you pour them over your own head. Each ointment offers 5-25 points of protection against one specific type of attack. This bonus is added to the effects of your armor.

Stab Defense Ointments: Guam + oak root. Level 28. Exp 70. Temporarily adds 5-25 points to your stab defense bonus.

Slash Defense Ointments: Marrentill + willow root. Level 35. Exp 82. Temporarily adds 5-25 points to your slash defense bonus.

Crush Defense Ointments: Tarromin + maple root. Level 40. Exp 90. Temporarily adds 5-25 points to your crush defense bonus.

Range Defense Ointments: Harralander + snake skin. Level 44. Exp 95. Temporarily adds 5-25 points to your ranged defense bonus.

Magic Defense Ointments: Spirit Weed + crushed gem. Level 49. Exp 110. Temporarily adds 5-25 points to your magic defense bonus.

The effects stack with other ointments and with other potions.

If a person wants to protect themselves against whips and claws they may decide to apply some Slash Ointment before doing battle. Or if a player wishes, he could apply Stab, Slash, and Crush ointments and even drink a super defense potion before doing battle in melee: the effects compliment each other.

Quick find code: 77-78-381-58506130

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Make Satchels work like the Cornucopia

Satchels came out with the Tower of Life quest. Although they can hold a banana, a cake, and a triangle sandwich, they are not stackable and are almost never used by players.

I propose that they be changed to work like the cornucopia (earned during the Thanksgiving 2008 holiday event): place food in a satchel and it stores the food's healing points.

10 points can be stored in a plain satchel,
14 points in a red satchel
16 in a black satchel
18 in a gold satchel
20 in a rune satchel

Quick find code: 77-78-694-58506132

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Redo Runecrafting multiple tables

Both Paul and Mod Mark stated in the recent Q&A that it would be good if players were able to do something new every time they went up a level. They also admitted they needed to fill in the gaps at high levels. One easy place to effect this sort of change is in the creation of multiple runes. I propose the levels at which you can craft multiple runes be changed thus:



If you consider the levels where you can create combination runes, and the levels where you can get pouches then something new would be available most of the of the time you level up.
Each herblore level where you could do something new:


Effects of this change:
People are motivated by frequent rewards, gaining new abilities for almost every level will keep runecrafters motivated.
More multiple runes means more experience gained, so it would become easier to work up RC levels.
More runes means cheaper runes and that would make magic cheaper to use.
This would also have a large effect on the rune economy, but I'll leave that to others to predict.

Quick find code: 76-77-336-58506123