Skill Idea: Feign Death

[Bullet Eater]

I was thinking about this cool idea for a skill for the sneakier guilds in
Armageddon. Basically, it would be called "feign death", and it would allow the user to fake his/her own death.

If the skill is used, it will show to the user "You fall to the ground and attempt to fake your death." If it's sucessful other people will see "The body of the tall, muscular man is crumpled on the ground" or whatever the actual "dead body" message is. If it fails other people will see "The tall, muscular man is reclining here" as if the user was resting.

Since feigning death would require one to hold their breath, they should lose endurance or stun points as they feign death longer and longer. Perhaps it should also require you to be bleeding or injured. And since real dead bodies can be looked into and be picked clean of possessions, so should a fake dead body. Except the faker will be aware of it in some way.

The only problem I see with my idea is when "behead" comes into play, in which case I'm not sure how the player or game would react.

Any thoughts?

[Hymwen]

Hm... that sounds like a fairly decent idea, I think, but it may be very difficult to code as you describe it with looting and so on.

Another thing is that twinks might just make a habit out of typing 'kill person' again to make sure the death wasn't feigned, but that doesn't make the idea worse.

[Marc]

While not a perfect alternative, you could just emote it.  The list of situations where 'feign death' would be useful is pretty short and I can see why it would be pushed back to, oh, just after making wagon mounts hitchable (again) or alcohol brewable (please?!).  ie don't expect it anytime soon.

While emoting can be crushed by a twink, the armag community is pretty good if you're trying to rp. You never know.. it might work.

[Pantoufle]

Nifty idea but what happens when I type 'look in corpse' and it prompts me with 'You do not see that item here'?  I then know you're faking by way of the code.  This may be one of those instances where hardcore RP (with little more than emotes and change ldesc) is superior to implementing Diku commands.

[Eternal]

Sounds like a dirty magick trick to me...

Still, if you feign death in Armageddon whatever is attacking you should then proceed to eat you... or chop your head off, just to be sure.  As far as coded benefit, I can't really find a use for it better than:

"change ldesc lies motionless in a crumpled heap"

Lord Templar Hard Nose thinks commoners should feign death more often, wait... no feigning.

[Lazloth]

One implementation (not necessarily this skill, but this concept) has less "rp" use than coded:  when engaged, a successful check forces your opponent(s) to disengage [if only briefly].  Fairly common in H&S/MMO* type games where managing hate and aggro is critical to survival for some of the non-tank classes.

Could be a more 'advanced' variant of "flee"... but I don't play enough truly combat-minded PCs to know if something like that has utility.

[Moofassa]

One who feigns death, is open to mortal wounds.


I could just lop off your head, is it worth the risk?

Hell, I cut off heads all the time just for fun.

[creeper386]

I honestly think that if this was to be implemented, people would have the ooc knowledge that it's possible they are feigning death and just keep hitting them, or removing their heads, or doing something to be sure the person is dead.

Even though, it may not be realistic, for them to do so.

So, I think it'd cause more problems then it'd be worth.

[corona]

You've been playing too much WoW.    I think that the feign death idea wouldn't work too well, given that most beasts that are trying to kill you are doing so, so they can eat you. And I think they'd use your feigning skillz as an open invitation to begin dining.. and yes.. leaves you open to mortal wounds. You could always rp playing dead - if it was a humaniod and interactable oppenent, but that's just my view. (And I do realize that most interactable opponents are human like you and me and aren't satisfied until they see you REALLY dead... but maybe.. just MAYBE you'll find someone who will play along.)

[RunningMountain]

This would be a bitch to code, and kinda pointless in my opinion.

[Malifaxis]

Feigned deaths should be RP'd with support of the staff, not coded.

[Hexxaex]

I say it's an interesting idea, but there are too many downsides to it.  A good roleplayer will realize OOCly that your character is pretending to be dead, but may react ICly as if he is.  If you roleplay past what the code tells you, that's a good step in the right direction.

[Kalden]

Dumb. Feigning sleep is kinda cool though.

[Cegar]

Both of which can be done with emotes.

[rufus]

Isn't changing your ldesc to the sleeping ldesc while you're not sleeping abuse?

[Hexxaex]

Isn't changing your ldesc to the sleeping ldesc while you're not sleeping abuse?

It's twinkish to change the ldesc to "is sleeping here".  Change the ldesc to something else, like "lies on the ground, eyes closed" or "is curled up on the ground, motionless"

Again, a good roleplayer will realize you are pretending to be asleep.

[Marc]

Why is it twinkish?

If you're standing up it's twinkish, but resting?  why not?

[spawnloser]

It has been said by staff that changing your ldesc to include that you are sleeping when you are not IS abuse.

There are more creative ways of setting your ldesc that allow you to continue to emote and possibly convince people you are sleeping without saying, "I'M SLEEPING," that are acceptable, I'm sure.

[Yokunama]

Isn't changing your ldesc to the sleeping ldesc while you're not sleeping abuse?

If you are pretending to be sleep, I do not see any reason not to. Maybe it should be something similar. (ex: lays motionless, with his/her eyes closed)  Since the standard sleeping message of the code implies to the other player(s) the character is sleeping due to the code, I can see it as abuse.

[UnderSeven]

Well the reasoning behind calling that abuse i think it this:

If you change your ldesc to something deceptive it can cause problems, such as sitting when you are standing, or resting when you are not.  Obviously if your char is standing everyone would know and saying they are sitting would well... need I go on?

The same can arguably go for sleeping because if someone is actually asleep, or even pretending to sleep they probably need to have their eyes closed at the very least, where as if your char is not actually asleep but their ldesc says they're asleep, you as the player get the full benefit of your char being able to see everything around them.

So yea, it is arguably abusive I think.

[daedroug]

Isn't that the point of feigning sleep though? to be deceptive, i think it would be better to change it to the coded one because otherwise they are going to react differently then if they were actually sleeping. I know plenty of people that if they see a sleeping person they might try to keif somthing from them. Now obviously they arn't going to take the same risk if they know for a fact that they arn't codedly sleeping.

[spawnloser]

If you're pretending to be asleep, your eyes are closed so that you can't see the person semoting the approach to stab you in the eye.  When resting or sitting, you can see the semote.

Don't abuse the code.

[Majikal]

If you're pretending to be asleep, your eyes are closed so that you can't see the person semoting the approach to stab you in the eye.  When resting or sitting, you can see the semote.

The -only- real reason I see with the chang ldesc idea.. though.. this is a huge problem. heh. This is something that each person would view differently if they experienced it ig. I don't think it should be something that's done...

chang ldesc lies here, snoring with his eyes half-closed...
With that.. I'd probably play along with.. but not 'is sleeping here' or simlar code-like messages.

[spawnloser]

Like I said, earlier, Majikal.  Be creative.

[daedroug]

are you telling me you've never lied down and when some one walked in pretended to be a sleep hile peeking out between eyelids every once and awhile to see what they were doing?

[spawnloser]

There should be a way to notice that they are not really sleeping.  There are signs.

Editted to add: Oh, and even though I agree with this policy, it's not me you have to convince.  The staff has said it is abuse.  Plain and simple.

[Marc]

Mind finding the thread that states that instead of claiming?  Not saying you are wrong, but it helps to back up with facts (ie a link) not just stating it.

[Cegar]

Well, Xygax sait that emoting that you fell asleep in a chair was somewhat abusive.

http://www.zalanthas.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20409&highlight=sleeping+sitting

[Marc]

Ok.  Thanks Cegar.  I'm happy with that