# Main Quest # General Information ### Setting and Background #### Fall of an Ancient Civilization: - An ancient civilization once wielded powerful magic, creating immensely potent artifacts. - After their collapse or leave, these artifacts were damaged and lost their original purpose. - Their magic now leaks uncontrollably, affecting the environment in unpredictable ways. - a myth #### Lost Artifacts: - Over centuries, fragments of a particularly powerful artifact were scattered across the land. - These fragments ended up in the possession of various factions, often without them understanding their true nature or power. - A large central piece of the artifact remains at a specific location, radiating nightmares that the player party recives #### Effects of the Magic: - The leaking magic subtly alters the environment, often going unnoticed by ordinary people. - Some factions inadvertently harness the fragments, causing changes to themselves or their surroundings. ### Factions and Goals #### The Factions: - Each holds a fragment of the artifact, using it for their purposes or ignoring its significance. #### The Coven: - A secretive group aiming to restore the artifact’s power and control it for their own ambitions. #### Player Objective - **Mission:** - The players must stabilize or neutralize the artifact’s broken magic - This requires locating the fragments, learning their whereabouts and properties through quests, and collecting the leaking energy. ### Gameplay Flow **The artifacts must be reachable without faction quests.** ##### Exploration and Information Gathering: - Players uncover the locations of the fragments and learn how their leaking magic affects the forest and its creatures. - Factions unknowingly or deliberately use the fragments, influencing local animals and ecosystems in unique ways. - Completing quests for or against these factions can make the final retrieval of the fragments easier by: - Reducing resistance from the faction. - Weakening the fragment’s defenses. - Providing insights into the fragment’s powers and vulnerabilities - making the last run easier #### Absorbing Artifact Magic: - In later runs, the players goal should be to visit the fragments locations to **absorb the magic of each fragment**. (partly) - Absorbing the magic changes the Gamplay (GAME DESINGN) - - - - (The act of absorption destabilizes the magic further, signaling the importance of reaching the central artifact before the situation spirals out of control and strengthens the player) #### Final Run and Showdown: - After absorbing all fragments’ magic, the final goal is to bring the accumulated magic to the central artifact’s location. - This final run is the culmination of the quest, where the effects of previous choices (faction quests, alliances, or conflicts) play a critical role in determining the difficulty. - At the central location, the Coven awaits, seeking to use the fully charged fragments for their own ends. #### Endgame Options(WIP): - Players must decide whether to: - **Stabilize the artifact**, restoring balance to the forest. - **Destroy it entirely**, which could erase the magic of the artifact but at a great cost. - The final confrontation with the Coven determines whether the players succeed in their chosen path. # Background # Summary for Meeting (14.11.24) \## Allgemein In einer uralten, von dichten Wäldern und geheimnisvollen Lichtungen durchzogenen Welt leben anthropomorphe Tiere verschiedenster Arten – darunter Rehe, Füchse, Eulen, Frösche und mehr. Jede Art bringt einzigartige, teils tierische Verhaltensweisen und Fähigkeiten in die Waldgemeinschaft ein. Diese Tiere führen ihr Leben in kleinen Dörfern oder versteckten Siedlungen. Der Wald beherbergt mehrere Fraktionen, von denen jede ihre eigenen Überzeugungen und Ziele verfolgt und die Magie unterschiedlich schätzt oder verachtet. Magie ist in dieser Welt eine seltene und wertvolle Gabe, die nicht leichtfertig genutzt wird. Sie manifestiert sich vor allem als Heilkraft, die Krankheiten heilt und die Lebenskraft der Kreaturen erhält. Zugleich gibt es uralte und verbotene Zauber, die in den tiefsten Winkeln der Wälder verloren gingen. Einige Fraktionen streben danach, diese alten Mächte wiederzuerwecken, während andere sie lieber verborgen halten, aus Angst vor ihrem zerstörerischen Potenzial. So entsteht eine latente Spannung im Wald. Die Atmosphäre der Welt ist von einem düsteren und geheimnisvollen Ton geprägt. Überall finden sich Überreste vergangener Zivilisationen: uralte Ruinen, verlassene Artefakte und Hinweise auf frühere Konflikte. Dunkle Kräfte lauern im Verborgenen, und ein alter Fluch, der ursprünglich eine aus dem Ruder gelaufene Magie ist, bedroht das fragile Gleichgewicht des Waldes. Die Hauptquest dreht sich um diesen Fluch, dessen Einfluss immer stärker zu spüren ist. Die Spielercharaktere erleben Albträume und prophetische Visionen, die sie warnen und auf eine Spur verfluchter Artefakte leiten, die über den gesamten Wald verstreut sind. Jede Fraktion besitzt eines dieser Artefakte und geht unterschiedlich damit um – manche sehen darin eine Quelle der Macht, andere erkennen nicht einmal die Gefahr. Wenn eine Gruppe von Spielercharakteren stirbt, erhält die neue Gruppe wieder einen Albtraum, der ihnen den Weg weist. Um den außer Kontrolle geratenen Fluch zu bändigen, müssen die Flüche der einzelnen Artefakte aufgesammelt und zum ursprünglichen Artefakt gebracht werden. Jeder Fluch beeinflusst die Umgebung und verstärkt die Mächte ihrer Gegner, was zur finalen Konfrontation mit dem mysteriösen „Coven“ führt – einer Gruppe, die versucht, die dunklen Mächte durch verbotene Rituale zu beherrschen. # Main Quest Draft ### Meeting 4.12 #### **Start the Run - First Run** - **Nightmare**: Subjective and cryptic introduction to the story. - **Tutorial**: Introduce combat mechanics through an early encounter. #### **Main Quest Overview** - Collect 3 artifact links. - Stop the coven from linking the 4th artifact. - Break the curse and end the nightmares. ## Quest: #### **Artifact Discovery** - **How do players find artifacts?** - Exploration-focused gameplay. - **Merchant leads**: Gain hints after haggling. - **Sub-quests**: - Escort someone to a shrine. - Retrieve magical knowledge. - **Anti-Magic Faction Quests**: - Gain rumors by completing tasks (e.g., a training grounds quest). - **Combat/Hidden Nodes**: Unlock hidden artifact locations through battles or exploration. - **What are the artifacts?** - Players can identify them visually. - Additional quest elements include: - Coven involvement. - Dream offering guidance. - Corrupt personalities of those near them. - Found close to thorny brambles ##### **Player Awareness** - How do players figure out their purpose? - Trial and error. - Nightmares. - Coven encounters. - Merchant interactions. ### **Merchant Mechanics** - **Core Idea**: Artifact wander between every run - **Details**: - Artifacts are tied to leaders as jewelry. - Protect the leader to earn link or buy it - failure forces players to buy them. - **Artifact Effect**: Grants a speed buff. ### **Anti-Magic Faction** - **Core Idea**: - Artifact known to be in a cave, once activated, caused deaths. - City records indicate artifact-related events (weapons, classes, etc.). - **Combat Mechanics**: - Soldiers guard the artifact. - The faction's strong/weak no fight against Soldiers - **Enemy Summons**: - Artifact summons various enemy types. - enemies tailored to counter the player’s group? - **Objective**: Survive for a set time limit or defeat a certain number of enemies. - Visual indicators for progress ### **Magic Faction** - **Faction Quests**: - Provide better path to the artefact. - Artefact is in a sanctuary surrounded by admires - **Combat Mechanics**: - Enemies are buffed until death. - Strategies: - Outrun enemies. - Use crowd control. - Tank through damage. - **Objective**: Acquire thorns link and escape. - **Ability Buff**: Enhances attack power. ### **Coven Mechanics** - **Main Quest**: Stop the coven from completing their artifact links. - **Side Elements**: - Coven lairs serve as key locations. - Quests include: - Interrupting rituals. - Raiding their hideouts. - **Encounters**: - Stop rituals during specific quests. - Random encounters after completing objectives. - Optional mini-boss fights with coven generals tied to individual artifacts. ### **Ending** - **Progression Control**: - Early access to the final area triggers warnings. - Ignoring warnings results in failure or death. - or - No path to the end - **Final Boss Mechanics**: - **Allies**: Players fight alongside NPC allies against the coven. - **4 Generals**: Players must defeat artifact-bound generals before the main boss. - Boss stronger than any individual player. - Mixed class mechanics (e.g., healer, DPS, tank).