Mad King Thorn's Hidden Lair (a work in progress)

Well, works been kind of slowing down lately. Got a lot of time to think while I'm wielding bumpers for Nissan....so this is a little something I've been working on. Posting it now, because I've thought about it long enough, and really just need some more heads in on this, there are things missing that I really could use help with. So here goes...

The whole concept, is that someone has found a hidden area in the crevasse, the one we first encounter the Destroyers in. Turns out to be a certain Mad King's hidden lair, and we're out to loot it. Or something...obviously, we'll need some sort of motivation to go down there...

Starting quest

A new quest is available at the 3 NPCs who grant us the quest to access EotN.

The dwarves excavating the crevasse below have discovered something. There are reports that excavators have been attacked by large candy monsters. Why don't you head down and help the excavators with their problem.

After accepting the quest and heading to the crevasse, players will find a dwarf NPC right inside. Talking to him will load them into the instance.

The dungeon

It'll begin in a cave, where you will follow the dwarf to where they have been excavating. In the distance you see a large set of doors with two giant Candy Corn guards. Both level 28 Necromancer bosses.

After defeating these two bosses, you'll find yourself in a cinematic. Mad King Thorn appears, warning those who enter against the dangers of entering his lair, and that they would be fighting by his rules. It would then show your characters running through the gates after him.

Mad King's Rules

What do you think of when you think of Mad King and Halloween in Guild Wars?

In this case, I was thinking of the Mad King's military prowess, more specifically how he uses it during the festival.....to play Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Think of the special snowball skills we get for the Wintersday missions. And the how the Dragon arena is set up. This is kind of what I'm going after.

A whole dungeon where you fight as rock, paper or scissors.

2 skills for each choice. For example, when you are rock, you have a stance which makes you immune to rock and scissors, but you die from paper. You also have an attack which will kill any scissors, but can do nothing to paper or rock.

You'd have to be in the correct stance to use the corresponding attack.

I figure, since the Mad King seems to love to kill people and bring them back, maybe there is no death in this dungeon. If you die, you revive in a 10 seconds automatically. Of course, if everyone dies, then you return to outpost. Some sort of environmental effect would do this.

The lair

I'm thinking of all those Halloween decorations we already have mixed in with the designs and looks of existing dungeons.

Remember the dead body in Lion's Arch that talked if you walked over him. I'm thinking a whole hallway filled with them. The Kind is mad, right? Scary, yet silly.

Enemies could be Chained Souls, Grasping Ghouls, Necrid Horseman, etc. All having the same rock, paper, scissor skills as the players. Just they don't return to life from the environmental effect.

Final Battle

I have no idea. This is where I'm really stuck. The King would be too easy if he had the same skills as you, as long as there were three players, one using each skill, the King then wouldn't stand a chance, it'd be pathetic.

I thought about maybe giving him some boss skills that work within the limits of rock, paper, scissors. Or just making him unleash waves of minions against you, and then giving up and letting you take his treasure....

I don't know....

The treasure

Got a couple different ideas here;

• hero armor - give any of your heroes armor to look like either the Mad King or maybe like one of the Candy Corn monsters...
• halloween masks - a way to release previous masks, every player gets a random mask, or even a new one...
• halloween items - just a way to farm all the halloween consumables, items, and alcohol...
• mad king mini - because i want one.
• ??? - your ideas here!

Well, thats what I got. Go to town. I need ideas, don't just /sign it. Add to it.

Hmm, nice concept, though I'm not sure on the whole rock/paper/scissors thing. The stuff I'd like to see are:

-3 man dungeon, acting much like Fronis Irontoe's Lair.
-A fair amount of movement, to differentiate from Fronis Irontoe's Lair, and to defend yourself (skills would be based around chaotic events, perhaps spawning wards for defence and Chaos Storm like offensive skills (some draining health, some draining energy, some draining speed, or whatever))

EDIT: Seeing as the dungeon is based around movement, wards would be a bit crap, instead you have skills which give bonuses to your other party members while they're in range (earshot maybe?), so that it's sort of like a ward that moves with you at it's center. Also, have set of core skills that each person has, and each person has the rest of their skillbar filled with skills that define their role, for example, someone gets unique ward things, someone gets direct offense but with odd requirements (standing in a defensive ward AND being at 100% health or something like that). The last guy could get area manipulation stuff, like slowing down everyones attack speeds, giving everyone a 50% chance to miss, and the last skill having a 50% chance at either reducing your party's recharge by 50%, or giving all your party members screens a spiked eggnog + eggnog effect that can't be turned off (so it's sort of like you get a nice bonus or you're fumbling around for a bit.)

great idea i would like to see that in this years haloween hmm good idea on the mini but dont make it a rare drop like the panda or it spoils the game from the people who doesnt get one even if theyve farmed it like 100 times.armor not so keen.

I like this idea and I am always up for new hero armor ^_^

nice idea I'm not a big fan of fixed skillbars tho. Having enemies use Rock, Paper, Scissors skills would be nice.
for example:

Rock, a projectile attack that causes 80 damage & knockdown, 8 second recharge & 5 energy cost.

Paper, a defensive skill that gives allies in earshot +60 armour and +4 health regen.

Scissors, a melee attack that causes 50 damage, bleeding & deep wound, 5 adrenaline.


As for the Mad King (assuming an 8-man party), maybe some skills like:
"You Lose!", shout. target foe dies. 20 second recharge.

"I Win!", shout. gain 10 heath regen for 5 seconds. 20 second recharge.

"Fly my pretties!", shout. Summons 4 level 20 flying monkeys (all warriors), 120 second recharge. (oh come on, you know you want this skill :P)

Summon Guards, spell. summons 2 level 20 Mad Kings Guards (necros). 2 second cast, 60 second recharge.

Raise the Dead, spell. summons 20 level 2 skeletons. 2 second cast, 60 second recharge. (yes, you read right, that's summon 20 level 2 enemies)


Anyways, 'tis a nice thought. it would be amazing to have something like this introduced after next halloween.


Cargan

I'd like it too, but with some changes.

- Name: Mad King Thorne's Forgotten Tomb.
- Access gain: Hidden NPC in Shards of Orr. You find a hidden lever, open a hidden door and help a necrid horseman that is attacked by other undead in a hidden chamber. He instructo you to talk to another NPC for your reward.
- Entrance and Quest: Talk to NPC in Gadd's Encampment.
- Localization in the Map: Middle of the Sea of Sorrows.
- Enemies: Ghosts, Skeletons, Phantoms, Mummies, Zombies and other undead.
- Chest: Chest of Halloween Time Gone

The enemy would be Mad King Thorn, his skills would be:

"BOW BEFORE ME!"
Shout. All enemies within earshot must stop doing anything and use the /bow emote or they will receive 150 damage and be knocked down.

Killer Joke
Skill. All enemies within earshot must stop doing anything and use the /laugh emote or they will suffer from 4 random conditions for 10 seconds.

Greatest War Leader
Spell. You summon one random undead creature from each undead kind: 1 Ghost, 1 Mummy, 1 Zombie and 1 Skeleton.

Rock, Paper, Scissors
Spell. You play rock, paper, scissors and one random effect is applied on target depending on your choice. Rock makes target enemy become Dazed and receive 100 blunt damage. Paper makes target enemy Bleed and receive 100 slashing damage. Scissors make target enemy suffer from Deep Wound and receive 100 piercing damage.

When you lower King Thorne's HP to 1, he regains all health. He and all enemies around turn neutral and stop attacking. The King congratulates you for helping him in his boredom, and bid you farewill until next time or next Halloween. And finally the chest appears and you can open it.