The Player Action Widget (PAW)

[Badwater]

Players will have a new tool with CEP 2.2 that they will keep in their inventory, and it will probably be a good idea to quickslot it in time - the Player Action Widget, or PAW.

The Paw is fully automatic. Any of its functions are done based on your race, encumbrance, skill level, or whether you have the item necessary to perform the function. I used all of these functions in a test module and believe me, it's very cool.

Initially you won't see much going on because Talus hasn't had any areas updated with the PAW in mind, but soon enough that is going to change. When it does, the PAW will be able to do the following:

• Listen at the door

Based on your character's Listen skill, you can listen at a door and see if you detect anything on the other side. There are several levels of Listening that return information based on your Listen DC.

• Detect Traps

You can Detect Traps based on your PC's Search ability. Note that C.R.A.P. traps will not be automatically detectable by standing near them, like you've seen in Talus up to this point! You will have to actively search for traps.

• Spike this door shut

Doors can be spiked shut so they won't open. An enemy on the other side might be able to bash it, but that might buy to some time to run.

• Spike this door open

Doors can be spiked open as well. Believe me, I'm going to invent some reasons why you might want to do this....

• Remove the spikes from this door

No sense in wasting gold, right?


• Search this area (25 foot radius)

In addition to the above, tracks can be found that return more information if you're a Ranger.

• Create a campsite here

Resting under the Advanced Resting rules will require some sort of campsite in order to rest. The amount of HPS you get from resting will depend on how elaborate your campsite is and what the weather is.

• Apply Bandages

I'm not sure if the Death, Dying, and Respawn functions work. I could not recreate them in my test module. If they do not work there will be no need for bandages.

• Jump

You will be able to use the PAW to jump over rubble, objects, and pits in those places where jumping is allowed.

• Drive a spike into the ground, secure a rope to it, and lower it into the pit.

What D&D world is complete without pits, I ask you?? Talus is now complete!

• Retrieve rope

More pit action.

• Climb down the rope

And hopefully survive whatever is in the pit...

• Listen

Doors aren't the only places where a good listen might be helpful, eh?

• Rest

We'll be able to have our cake and eat it too, where resting is concerned. I will have areas that are intended for very low levels (like the Challenges) allow for resting at any time, as we do now. Other areas will allow for resting only in the parts of the area that allow resting. Inns will be where you can get full rest and recovery of HPS.

There will be parts of Peridotia, where the Advanced resting is to be used, where your challenge token won't work - that way you can't jump back and forth just to rest. Sorry, but you've been warned.


The PAW is fully automatic, so you can use it and you won't be spammed with a bunch of useless menu functions - only what your character can do or use shows up when you use the PAW.

I will indicate in the Module Updates thread what areas have been update for use with the PAW.

Edit: Removed the functions that currently do not work.

[Badwater]

Through the next week you're going to see more and more areas that require using your PAW to rest.

The places where you can rest are not marked at all. The builder lays down triggers in whatever part of the area resting is allowed. Testing seems to show that in No PvP areas resting is allowed in any part of the area no matter where a trigger(s) are laid, but if the builder has set an area to No Rest then as long as a trigger is put down then resting using the Advanced Resting rules is allowed.

So you as a player will need to equip your characters with camping items - bedroll, tent, wood and a way to light it to make a campfire - any or all of these combinations. The better equipped you are the more rest you'll get. If you're on a bedroll in the rain you're not going to get as much rest as if you had a tent and campfire also. Inside in a bed gets the most rest.

I have added a fenced in area by George P. Vendor, right before entering the Challenges (even though I failed to make the sign usable, that will get fixed tonight ) that is a marked Resting Area. There you know for sure you are allowed to rest and you can experiment with your different options and what happens before going out against the baddies.

This will take a bit of time for us to get used to, so experiment until you get it down.

[Badwater]

Resting is going to take some getting used to. Here are some hints and guidelines:

First, the resting button on your screen will not work in the vast majority of areas in Talus! That's not the case yet but it will be. You're going to have to get used to using the PAW to rest. Try this - go to Peridotia Port and hit the rest button on your screen. No resting is allowed; however, the PAW will let you rest anywhere in Peri Port.

Second, resting in most areas is going to take experimentation and some thinking. There's nothing automatic about resting in the areas that I've updated. I'm not going to give 'clues' that are just explanations of where stuff is at. You, instead, get to explore. It's a brave new world! Now, that said, I will give a clue about resting to illustrate my thinking and the way you need to approach your adventuring. In the Volcano Hills, there's giants in them thar hills. You can't rest in the caves because it's too dangerous. You can't rest in the hills because it's too dangerous. You can rest in low lying areas in Volcano Hills.

Another hint: I haven't updated the Eerie Bogs yet, but soon I will. You won't be able to rest in water, that makes no sense to me. You will be able to rest in higher ground - all higher ground.

Think realistically in terms of resting. If you have a suggestion or idea then please post in Module Suggestions.

[Badwater]

I have started incorporating the Jumping function that will show up, when you use the PAW, if you can jump.

First, in order to jump the builder needs to have allowed that to work in the place you are in. Not everywhere will you be allowed to jump even though it looks like you should be able to. (Sometimes placeables are intentionally there as obstructions).

Second, not everyone can jump. You must be large enough to jump. Small creatures - halflings, pixies, goblins, brownies, gnomes, etc. cannot jump - at all! You will have to find another way to get around the obstruction if it is meant to be passed.

[Badwater]

Yes, Pits and Pit Traps are here and working. So what's the difference?

Well, regular pits are not concealed. They are there and seen. If they are obstructing the way then you can go back, lower yourself in, or jump over it. If your character is a small creature then jumping over it is not an option.

You can lower yourself in a pit using a spike and rope or grappling hook and rope. If you want to get to the other side of the pit from inside the pit then you can only toss up a grappling hook and rope.

Pit traps are concealed. If you are searching with the PAW and your search is good enough you will see the pit. If not then you fall in. If you fall in you can be taking damage based on your hit points - 20% to 100% damage. Note that there is not a set number of hit points, this is percentage of hit points, so a dwarven defender with 700 hit points could still run into a fatal trap and die.

So what's the secret? If you haven't been in an area you'll want to explore slowly and search, lest you miss hidden things, be they tracks, doors, or pits. Just running through an area will begin to be more and more dangerous and perhaps deadly. And don't think that just because a pit was in a certain place last month that it hasn't been moved since. They are very easy to move.

The whole point of all this is that adventuring becomes more like a PnP D&D adventure instead of just running through and killing stuff. Talus has become very predictable so updates with new features like CRAP will make Talus more interesting instead of being the same old crap (ok, I couldn't resist )

[slidermike]

Wicked !!

Aug 5, 2009 19:36:22 GMT -5 Badwater said:

Yes, Pits and Pit Traps are here and working. So what's the difference?
Pit traps are concealed. If you are searching with the PAW and your search is good enough you will see the pit. If not then you fall in. If you fall in you can be taking damage based on your hit points - 20% to 100% damage. Note that there is not a set number of hit points, this is percentage of hit points, so a dwarven defender with 700 hit points could still run into a fatal trap and die.

[Delisha Zrazorian]

Ultra wicked!

[laslo7]

Can you make the PAW not take you out of stealth?

L7

[slidermike]

i found with my rogue i can "queue" the actions.. I can click the paw function i want then imediately hit "hide" and get both benefits.. as long as a monster didnt see me during that split second of paw action.
works for both SD and rogue hide/HIPS

[Badwater]

Nov 10, 2009 23:27:48 GMT -5 laslo7 said:

Can you make the PAW not take you out of stealth?

L7

I'll check with the CEP team and see if anyone has worked with this. There may be yet another something that we don't know about that's a fix for it.