REAPER MODS SUCKS AND IS NOT DnD,. STOP REAPER.MODE NONSENSE.

[EdsanDarkbane]

So. Longtime player, heavy supporter of SSG, and DDO. Not gonna say I outspend everyone, but I Rank.

I have been silent about reaper mode; no more:

Reaper Mode Sucks and it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

SSG you cannot compete with games that offer progression similar to Reaper Mode. All of the games that use that system do it better than you do.

You created a problem with AC, PRR, and MRR and Dodge. These need to be adjusted slowly and frequently until it is solved. A good suggestion is to merge AC and PRR. (Strimtom credit).

Addressing the stat crunch could be done by adding in a CORE mode balanced around 32point builds.

Consider allowing NO previously earned gear into this mode.

You could allow for randomly rolled items for slots at a chest at the start of the quest. The more party members the more choice as loot can be passed and traded.

Leave TRs overpowered, and don't give those players a challenge. TRing for more challenges is the logic of a fool. TR completionist is enough of a challenge.

REAPER MODE IS A CASH GRAB, AND OTHER GAMES DO IT BETTER.

Focus on bringing this game closer to dungeons and dragons. Add languages, add detect magic, and read runes. Incorporate that into character creation and the quests you make.

[superevbully]

So. Longtime player, heavy supporter of SSG, and DDO. Not gonna say I outspend everyone, but I Rank.

I have been silent about reaper mode; no more:

Reaper Mode Sucks and it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

SSG you cannot compete with games that offer progression similar to Reaper Mode. All of the games that use that system do it better than you do.

You created a problem with AC, PRR, and MRR and Dodge. These need to be adjusted slowly and frequently until it is solved. A good suggestion is to merge AC and PRR. (Strimtom credit).

Addressing the stat crunch could be done by adding in a CORE mode balanced around 32point builds.

Consider allowing NO previously earned gear into this mode.

You could allow for randomly rolled items for slots at a chest at the start of the quest. The more party members the more choice as loot can be passed and traded.

Leave TRs overpowered, and don't give those players a challenge. TRing for more challenges is the logic of a fool. TR completionist is enough of a challenge.

REAPER MODE IS A CASH GRAB, AND OTHER GAMES DO IT BETTER.

Focus on bringing this game closer to dungeons and dragons. Add languages, add detect magic, and read runes. Incorporate that into character creation and the quests you make.

yawn .......find grps challenge yourselfs and have buckets of fun .................soloing will make u feel this way

[Tyrande]

I have to agree Reaper Mode is not D&D, but fun? I personally think its fun.

However, have 2 Doom reapers along with a Vengeance reaper and a despair reaper in the same room when healing a tank and trying to run for your character lives? Not fun. :\

I forgot there being a Fear Reaper as well, and this isn't even a R10.

That will never happen in an actual D&D session.

[Cranjis]

REAPER MODE IS A CASH GRAB, AND OTHER GAMES DO IT BETTER.

But its free...

[vryxnr]

That will never happen in an actual D&D session.

I've had DMs modify encounters with extra enemies, more powerful enemies, special unique creations of their own, and random elements as well. I think one time one was even called a reaper.

Previous "D&D" video games like Baldur's Gate also had difficulty settings you could change, but they were far less creative (more/less hp, do more/less damage, enemies can/can't crit).

and *** is "D&D" anyways? I always thought of "D&D" as a loose framework to inspire creativity with friends via roleplay and combat. The specific rules are not actually all that important. When we played 1e, we called it D&D. When we played AD&D2e we just called it D&D, when we played 3e we called it D&D, when we played 3.5 we called it D&D, when we dabbled in 4e we called it D&D, when we played 5e we called it D&D, and when we played Pathfinder we called it D&D. When we incorporated house rules we still called it D&D. When one friend tried to create his own rule system from scratch, we called it D&D. Sometimes we had gaming sessions where things were not medieval fantasy, but western in style, theme, and technology. We had futuristic sessions with flying cars and laser weapons. We had prehistoric caveman games. We even had some more anime inspired games of D&D as well as D&D campaigns where we recreated characters and worlds from different unrelated video games! ALL of those were still us playing D&D.

We've also played published adventures completely by the book, published adventures that the DM modified heavily, custom homebrew adventures where the quests were completely made up ahead of time but in a specific campaign setting, custom homebrew campaign settings/worlds, and even games where everything was random (bringing in elements of Advanced Hero Quest where the dungeon layout as well as enemies were completely random by the roll of the dice) when we just wanted to bash through a dungeon and collect loot.

So what is D&D then? And what is DDO for that matter?

I find it much more useful to define something by what it is, not by what it supposedly isn't.

IMO DDO is a virtual D&D game that is essentially it's own edition, homebrew if you will with house rules to make it more functional in a video game setting (inspired by 3.5, 4e, 5e, and other MMOs as well), with difficulty settings, with some custom enemies that can appear in the harder settings and a few other random elements thrown in, set in a world where you can visit multiple established campaign settings/worlds (modified by the aforementioned house rules of course) with some published content and some custom content, setup in a way where you can weave through one or multiple storylines as you want to.

That is totally in line with what some of the better GMs I've run with would do in sprawling multi-year long campaigns that we all considered to be D&D.

DDO is a D&D video game with house rules, not limited by one specific edition of rules or one specific campaign setting.

[archest]

Reaper mode is more D&D than the regular content as its very much harder to solo this content at low past life .
and with low reaper points.
it forces party members to act together as an adventuring party more than solo content levels.
if you have forced tr'ed to have the power to solo the content then your at end game aren't you.
until the cap is raised.
I personally am very very far from solo R10 its extremely hard to sol r1 for my level of character including past life enhancement.
I play a game to play with others , guess that how i grew up without a computer and only board games and rpgs available.
I want the server populated to increase availability for lfm's at level .
still in the epic is good for solo and r1 for groups.
as well this would work for your style of game play forming a guild of adventures and running the story lines ??? an increased population on the server you play on

but noting I have played in R6 and successfully made it through without death in a party.

[Scrag]

it forces party members to act together as an adventuring party more than solo content levels.

My limited experience with reaper groups as a first lifer was a. not being able to keep up, b. dying instantly in traps and having to be carried, and c. never being able to make it to the quests before they are half done and needing to be escorted to end chest.

I am positive some people really love it, but for me its all about heroics.

[Tyrande]

My limited experience with reaper groups as a first lifer was a. not being able to keep up, b. dying instantly in traps and having to be carried, and c. never being able to make it to the quests before they are half done and needing to be escorted to end chest.

I am positive some people really love it, but for me its all about heroics.

I have seen this as well, especially in Slavers https://ddowiki.com/page/Slave_Pits_of_the_Undercity pt1, where either wings (Exalted Angel core 3 or FvS L17+), a good rogue, or evasion plus Shadowdancer T5: Greater Shadowform is required when running on R8+.

If those conditions are not met, even with a good character, there would be a thousand deaths and needs to be carried half way to the end fight.

[mikarddo]

I have to agree Reaper Mode is not D&D, but fun? I personally think its fun.

However, have 2 Doom reapers along with a Vengeance reaper and a despair reaper in the same room when healing a tank and trying to run for your character lives? Not fun. :\

I forgot there being a Fear Reaper as well, and this isn't even a R10.

That will never happen in an actual D&D session.

2 Dooms, Vengeance and a Fear is where the fun starts

The only real issue is with Veng circles you cannot see. Thats not fun.

Steamrolling rooms is all good but hardly memorable. Winning against the odds is memorable.

[ahpook]

Reaper Mode Sucks and it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

You cannot use the argument that it is not Dungeons and Dragons as this whole game is not Dungeons and Dragons. It is inspired by D&D but as a game it is so far removed from the turn based game ran by a DM that your statement is meaningless.

The answer to disliking reaper is to not play reaper. I would support an argument that Reaper mode should not boost non-reaper XP (thus making it a favored mode for leveling) but removal of reaper is a non-starter.

[Wahnsinnig]

For me reaper has saved the game.

Back when elite was the highest difficulty the game had become really stale, and rolling through life after life on elite autopilot was not fun.

Reaper added fun and excitement, first at low skulls, later at higher skulls as characters got more reaper points.

Reaper mode is more fun, more exciting and less predictable than elite ever was. It revitalized the game for me, without it I would not be playing DDO any more.

[droid327]

Yeah its cheesy, but I dont think its wholly game-ruining. I think there's just a few tweaks it needs to make it better incorporated into the progression of difficulty as your characters progress...

- Start self-healing penalty from 0%, not 60%
- Reduce all avoidances the same; dont penalize Incorp and Conceal more than Dodge and AC
- Make quest XP the same as on Elite
- Remove Reaper trees (this one apparently is in the works)

The thing I dislike most about Reaper is it favors certain build strategies and makes others unviable. You shouldn't have to design a character specifically for Reaper, you should just be able to play any build "better" and have it work the same from E to R1 and as skulls go up.

[superevbully]

For me reaper has saved the game.

Back when elite was the highest difficulty the game had become really stale, and rolling through life after life on elite autopilot was not fun.

Reaper added fun and excitement, first at low skulls, later at higher skulls as characters got more reaper points.

Reaper mode is more fun, more exciting and less predictable than elite ever was. It revitalized the game for me, without it I would not be playing DDO any more.

Soild post and i feel the same way for most part

[Kilgrave]

Yeah its cheesy, but I dont think its wholly game-ruining. I think there's just a few tweaks it needs to make it better incorporated into the progression of difficulty as your characters progress...

- Start self-healing penalty from 0%, not 60%
- Reduce all avoidances the same; dont penalize Incorp and Conceal more than Dodge and AC
- Make quest XP the same as on Elite
- Remove Reaper trees (this one apparently is in the works)

The thing I dislike most about Reaper is it favors certain build strategies and makes others unviable. You shouldn't have to design a character specifically for Reaper, you should just be able to play any build "better" and have it work the same from E to R1 and as skulls go up.

+1

[Enoach]

People run reaper mode for various reasons

1. The Gotta Catch them all crowd
2. The XP/Min crowd (usually the low Rs)
3. The ones looking for more risk with higher reward
4. The ones dragged kicking and screaming because their group decided to run Reapers

I wouldn't recommend running reapers on first life and new player if a choice is available. It can make people feel like they are not useful in a well prepared group.

As what appears to be the case based on forum posts, I'm of the small group of players who play multiple characters. If there was one thing about Reaper I would like to see it would be the vendors unlock based on Server Characters total (notice this is not a Tree share, this is the cosmetic which is the rewards I was hoping Reaper would be limited to)

[amessi1]

yowzer, we are a cantankerous lot (myself included)

um, I like reaper mode b/c it's fun for me...scaling the dungeon up to fit the party for maximum thrill! I don't play to get or win anything these days...I play based on enjoyment of content.

we need the original posters $$ and I've long seen DDO as a platform that could host a wide variety of playstyles and skill levels. I was a 100% online_gaming noob when I started playing this game and I've just kinda ridden the wave.

I think it's unlikely that Reapers go away anytime soon, so how can we build something that excites and thrills the original poster?? The discussions I've heard are around improving Reapers, so maybe that's a topic we could hit (reaper player power sharing OR maybe a full menu to select how many & what type of reapers can spawn (maybe you'd select 0)? PUG raids are largely not reaper, so maybe there's some room here to improve?

Focus on bringing this game closer to dungeons and dragons. Add languages, add detect magic, and read runes. Incorporate that into character creation and the quests you make.

So what would this look like? I'm guessing with new Archetypes it'd be easy enough to add in some new mechanics like you mention, though i'm not sure how you'd get the dungeon requirement to use the new skills built into the bajillions of old quests. You could make these new skills like something existing, but I'm guessing that's not what you had in mind. You could also build some new dungeons that require these new skills, but then you'd have a build that only does it's magic in a handful of dungeons.

we may be on different sides of the reaper preference, but hoping there is a path that lets us both enjoy the game.

[C-Dog]

...and it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

LOL!!!!

Thank you - I needed a laugh today!

"Not D&D"... what exactly do you think that means? What "is" D&D, in your narrow world? You mean "not tabletop canon"? Because then... b'bye to most of DDO quests.

Here's the thing: DDO is not any edition of D&D that you have ever played. Call it "D&D 6.e edition", but it's as much D&D as any other edition you care to name* - it's just not pen and paper. And just like some rules in the Basic Set and AD&D and 5th ed don't mesh, "Reapers" don't have to mesh with those other editions, much less be found/referenced in them.

(* And I can say this, b/c it's licensed - and that approval, btw, is the definition of "What is D&D" and what is not.)

And so this edition makes its own D&D canon within its own edition, with Fey Hunt Hounds and, yes, Reapers, the same as blue-book classes and 3.5 prestige classes are canon as much as 5th ed. A Reaper is as much D&D as an Elven Fighter-Magic-user or a Mystic Theurge or a Hengeyokai Shukenja (like it or not! ).

Haff fun stomin da cassul!
o/

[kpak01]

I have been silent about reaper mode; no more:

Reaper Mode Sucks and it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

While I kind of agree, you're years late saying so.

Reaper was a half-assed lazy, and, with the failing-to-learn-from-past-mistakes approach, inherently temporary solution to the very real problem that power creep had made the game too easy.

They didn't bother to put in the effort to fix balance then, they just slapped on this nonsensical and, as you say, "not Dungeons and Dragons" Reaper mode. At least we did have some challenge for a while.

But they give it more (non-Reaper) XP than Elite, so it became the default difficulty, and they keep piling on the power creep, so now random groups with no tactics can and do just routinely brute-force their way through R10s.

Other than for a few Legendary raids, does Reaper actually provide sufficient challenge anymore? Not really. But will they roll back what's been around for years? Not bloody likely.

The time to speak up about the existence of Reaper mode was before it was entrenched. There's no point in saying it now.

[Phoenicis]

My limited experience with reaper groups as a first lifer was a. not being able to keep up, b. dying instantly in traps and having to be carried, and c. never being able to make it to the quests before they are half done and needing to be escorted to end chest.

I am positive some people really love it, but for me its all about heroics.

Found your problem.

[Martininice]

it is not Dungeons and Dragons.

I mean, it is not like D&D went away, why don't you play it?

Not sure how reaper qualifies as a "cash grab" either.