A New Kind of Challenge

[GrampaBill]

How about a challenge where you have to survive as long as you can?

Depending upon the starting level of the challenge you end up with spawns comparable to Weapon Shipment and the original Servants of the Overlord end sequence. Now since lag is a consideration, it'll have to be increasing CR mobs instead of increasing numbers.

I can picture the CR30 runs being full of Doomspheres, Ghaele and Drow Priestesses. Maybe some Mimics thrown in for their slowing attack.

The number of stars equates to the length of survival.

[madmaxhunter]

That would be a hoot, could be run on low level toons, starting with Korthos rats and ramping up from there. Make it to devils and you are omni-uber!

[Ungood]

Have you run Ring of Fire?

[sephiroth1084]

If you don't get major benefits for killing anything, and the goal is just to survive, then you end up with monks, casters (especially favored souls and air savant sorcerers) becoming the absolute best characters at running the challenge, because they simply stay away from everything. Now, yes, those characters are often the best at running any challenge, but the playing field is a little more level when combat, the chance of being surrounded, and limited mana start coming into play. If all you have to do is run away and heal, the fastest characters and those with the strongest self-healing will be the ones out soloing the thing with ease.

Even with Dungeon Alert (assuming mobs keep spawning), unless you have a tiny, tiny room, these characters will probably have a disproportionately easy time with such an endeavor.

[Rawel_San]

In my mind an open ended survival type challenge is just inherently un-D&D-like. The premise of D&D campaigns
is that you can succeed. It might be very hard, but it can be done. I wouldn't like a challenge of this type.

[countfitz]

I like the idea!

I'd want it to be like HoX, minus the whole puppy part. Harder and harder spawns that can really kill you. Beholders need to be a part of it, so you have some balance between divines and everyone else.

I would love to see this exploited by a rogue that has crazy good hide/move silently etc. skills. They seem so useless most of the time, I'd love to have a place for them to be able to use an iconic rogue skill.

I would also love to see this exploited by a true AC/PRR tank, like 130 AC style.

[SiliconScout]

If you don't get major benefits for killing anything, and the goal is just to survive, then you end up with monks, casters (especially favored souls and air savant sorcerers) becoming the absolute best characters at running the challenge, because they simply stay away from everything. Now, yes, those characters are often the best at running any challenge, but the playing field is a little more level when combat, the chance of being surrounded, and limited mana start coming into play. If all you have to do is run away and heal, the fastest characters and those with the strongest self-healing will be the ones out soloing the thing with ease.

Even with Dungeon Alert (assuming mobs keep spawning), unless you have a tiny, tiny room, these characters will probably have a disproportionately easy time with such an endeavor.

This is easy enough to counter. You get your stars not so much on the time directly but the strength of the last wave you defeated. and the new wave won't spawn until the old one dies OR after a set period of time (say 2 minutes)

Simple would be you walk in on level 5 quest ...

1 star = CR 5 wave defeated (the level 6 wave killed you)
2 stars = CR 6 wave defeated
3 stars = CR 7 wave defeated
4 stars = CR 8 wave defeated
5 stars = CR 9 wave defeated

realistically though you would want level ranges

waves hit one after another each 1 CR harder, they spawn in shorty after previous is defeated OR every 2 minutes.

Take the party level/5 and that is the range you need to complete per star.

So a group of say level 11's will have a star every 2 (11/5 = 2.2) CR they defeat.
1 star = CR 13 wave defeated
2 stars = CR 15 wave defeated
3 stars = CR 17 wave defeated
4 stars = CR 19 wave defeated
5 stars = CR 21 wave defeated

Could be fun for sure though.

[GrampaBill]

Have you run Ring of Fire?

Yep, and I thought about that after I posted. This is a similar idea to RoF but still a bit different.

[sephiroth1084]

This is easy enough to counter. You get your stars not so much on the time directly but the strength of the last wave you defeated. and the new wave won't spawn until the old one dies OR after a set period of time (say 2 minutes)

Simple would be you walk in on level 5 quest ...

1 star = CR 5 wave defeated (the level 6 wave killed you)
2 stars = CR 6 wave defeated
3 stars = CR 7 wave defeated
4 stars = CR 8 wave defeated
5 stars = CR 9 wave defeated

realistically though you would want level ranges

waves hit one after another each 1 CR harder, they spawn in shorty after previous is defeated OR every 2 minutes.

Take the party level/5 and that is the range you need to complete per star.

So a group of say level 11's will have a star every 2 (11/5 = 2.2) CR they defeat.
1 star = CR 13 wave defeated
2 stars = CR 15 wave defeated
3 stars = CR 17 wave defeated
4 stars = CR 19 wave defeated
5 stars = CR 21 wave defeated

Could be fun for sure though.

You just described the two Eveningstar Arena challenges.

[justhavinfun]

Would have to be based on a timer not on waves defeated. After all the goal is not to kill everything just to survive.

After the first couple of runs people will figure out where to hide. Enter and run to the hidey hole. Maybe throw out an obscuring mist. Any buff that you can think of that helps with hiding like camo. Go invisible then get into sneak mode.

Sit back and watch the mobs come and go. Keep an eye on your buff timers and reapply when needed making sure not to be seen. Wait for the ding saying that you are done and collect your exp and recall.

Unless all mobs are suddenly bestowed with true sight the above would work. A bit boring in my mind, but could be some real easy exp and loot.

[blerkington]

Hi,

In a similar vein, did you ever farm the King's Forest random encounter, A Grim Disturbance?

If you don't kill the red-named necromancer, his minions just keep on spawning. They appear at a decent pace, so it's not boring, and at least 500 spawns occur.

It's good, hectic fun, and great for getting your slayer count up. And if you're lucky enough to get it near a shrine, you're set.

Thanks.