Smuggler Archive

The ideas on these all kind of tie together so I guess it's better to discuss them all at once.

This post is based on the ideas that were laid down by Vampirerobot in some previous threads. I will briefly go through that here as well though.

Okay-
SLICING:
As far as what you can slice and how you slice everything remains the same with these exceptions:

*At Slicing I- Personalization Disks (defined below)
are added to the of things you can slice.

*Minimum percentages are added as you go up the slice
tree:
Slicing I: 6%
Slicing II: 8%
Slicing III: 10%
Slicing IV: 12%
Master: 15%

*At slicing I you get the schematic for an Advanced
Precision Knife.


** Personalization Disk:
These are disk built by DEs that were originally used in outdated droids. Smugglers can slice into them and change the programming so that it is sliced into a weapon or armor they can be used as a Pick-a-slice tool.

These disk allow the smuggler the choice to alter Speed/ Damage/ HAM/ Encumberance/ Effect or even to change damage type using the experimentation window we are used to. Thus personalizing the equipment for the customer.

A player may only have 1 personalize item in their inventory at one time. A smuggler may have 2 ('cause they need to be able to own one and slice another). A Master Smuggler may have 3.

These disks though must be decoded first- which involves smuggling them through several starports in order to obtain the right "cracks" for the codes.

*** ADVANCED PRECISION KNIFE:
Use of this tool allows you to do more precise work so you gain a 5% bonus to your slices when you use it. The downfall is the materials to build this tool are RARE and therefore costly.


SPICES:
We all know these need help- I don't have any suggestions as to exactly how spices should affect the user yet but It would be nice if there was more variation to how we created them. So some spices we would just craft. Others would need loot drops and still others would call for crafted items from other professions.

Also, spices need to have experimentation count in order for our market to be competitive. That means resources count. I don't see why we should be exempt from the rules of crafting that everyone else has to follow.


INFAMY:

Vampirerobot broke this down very well in a previous thread, I'm just adding to it.
Basically, you gain Infamy for selling spice and slicing equipment. Once you gain enough Infamy a bounty can be put on your head.

This sounds simple (and to some scary) but there are a lot of knots to untie for this to work fairly and consentually such as:

*We want to protect players from having a PC bounty hunter roll up on them without their consent.

*Infamy should also have a lot of consequences BEFORE a bounty is put on your head.

*Caylin pointed out that in order for someone to be in a situation that might lead to PvP they need to consent to it- such as Duel or the GCW. In otherwords in order to PvP you need to be a part of a faction in the GCW. This is an SOE promise to the customer that will not be broken.

That said, let's look at Infamy again and introduce Infamy Caps.

Infamy is gained when you SELL (not craft) spices and slice equipment.

The amount of Infamy you have is always falling- so in order to stay infamous you need to have a steady amount of illegal behavior. Stop slicing and spicing for a few days and your Infamy will fall to zero.

Being infamous cuts into a smuggler's business as it is intrusive to his illeagal behavior. So here are a list of things that happen depending on your Infamy status (with this chart the highest Infamy you can have is 100):

at 1-20 points- Nothing happens- you are small time and attract little to no attention.

at 21-40 points- Random small time Thug NPCs will spawn to attack you. These are guys who envy you and are looking to make a name or are mad 'cause you are cutting in on their business.

at 41-60 You attract the athorities and get random Fed dub- Cor Sec type spawns. At this point you lose -5 to sneak, Mask faction and Mask Group Faction (total).


at 61-80 The Empire is NOT digging you at this moment- whether you are aligned or not- you should expect a visit from some not so friendly troopers. At this point you lose -10 to sneak, Mask faction and Mask Group Faction (total).


at 81-90
Your name is on the Bounty Hunter Terminals and
Your infamy is making it harder for you to sneak around so you get -15 to Mask Faction, Mask Faction Group and Sneak.

at 91-100 You have achieved most wanted status-
Higher Bounties- plus another -20 to Mask Faction, Mask Faction Group and Sneak.

INFAMY CAPS:
A smuggler can only gain so much Infamy per how many boxes they are up the Spice and Slice trees. For each box your Infamy cap goes up 10 points. That means a person with Slicing II and Spices IV would only be able to earn 60 points of Infamy. Someone with both trees completed would only be able to earn 80 points of Infamy.

So how in the heck do you end up on the bounty hunter terminals if you can never earn more than 80 points of Infamy?

FACTIONAL ADVANCED PRECISION KNIVES:

The schematic for the Factional Advanced Precision Knife can only be obtain on factional missions. FAPKs can only be built and used by factional players. These knives work exactly like Advanced Precision Knives with two exceptions:

1) They are MUCH easier to build as they use common
materials.
2) The Infamy gained by these tools ignores the Infamy
Caps in the slicing and spice boxes.

So if a smuggler uses these tools they could earn more than the 80 point Infamy Cap and end up on the Bounty Hunter Terminals but you can only use these tools if you have signed up with a faction in the GCW.

There it is folks.
My proposal for the Smuggler Revamp-

Be sure to look for Vamps thread on Infamy and my thread on Personalization Disks (which lays out a plan for player to player smuggling) titled: "Attention All Starport Personel".

I will put the threads here if I get a chance.