Manticore Quest

Quest Availability

Level Range:

• Minimum: 10 (default minlevel setting)
• Maximum: 14 (default maxlevel setting)
• Must be within range when Dag offers quest
• Can level up while quest active (within reason)

Trigger:

• Visit inn, talk to Dag Durnick
• dagquests hook checks if you're eligible
• status pref must be 0 (not started/failed before)
• If eligible, Dag offers quest

Requirements:

• dagquests module active (reputation system)
• Level 10-14 (default)
• Haven't completed quest before (status != 2)
• Haven't failed/abandoned quest (status != 4)

Quest Offer

Dag's Pitch:

• "Yer just the person I be needin'."
• "There be a wagon found destroyed, the sides filled with spikes."
• "The survivor be tellin' the tale o' the trouble."
• "I figger one manticore, maybe more, t' be claimin' that trail fer their territory."
• "They be very aggressive, so ye should be havin' no trouble findin' the beasts"
• "yer trained well enough that I be willin' t' trust this t' ye."
• "There be no bounty though 'cause we ain't let the information get out"
• "but the wagon owner be killed in th' attack, so whatever ye find at the scene ye can keep."
• "Do ye be wantin' t' take on the beast?"

Your Thoughts:

• "You almost take a full second to consider how mean this creature might be, but you're a hero after all."
• "How hard could killing some small monster blocking the trails be?"
• (Narrator foreshadowing: It's NOT a small monster)

Choices:

• Take the Job: status = 1 (active), "Search the Trails" nav appears in village
• Refuse: status = 4 (failed), -1 Dag reputation, Dag chuckles and spits, you feel cowardly

Searching the Trails

Navigation:

• Appears in main village gate nav section
• "Search the Trails (1 turn)"
• Only visible when status = 1
• Costs 1 forest fight turn

Process:

1. Click "Search the Trails (1 turn)"
2. If no turns: "You feel far too tired to hike to the trails today. Maybe tomorrow."
3. If have turns: Hitch ride with wagon, dropped at trail start
4. Walk down trail looking for wagon remains
5. Random encounter (e_rand(1,7))

Turn Cost:

• -1 forest fight before outcome revealed
• Turn consumed even if wrong trail
• Can search multiple times until manticore found

Search Outcomes

Outcome Probabilities:

Roll	Probability	Outcome
1-2	28.6%	Wrong Trail (wasted turn)
3-4	28.6%	Grey Wolf fight
5-7	42.8%	Manticore fight (quest goal)

Outcome 1: Wrong Trail (28.6%)

Description:

• "You walk down the trail, eyes peeled, strung tight for ages"
• "until you spot a wagon travelling towards you."
• "Confused, as you thought this part of the trail was closed until the threat had been dealt with"
• "you hail the driver, only to find that you were left at the wrong trail!"
• "Fortunately he is kind enough to give you a lift back to town"
• "and you return, your time wasted."

Effects:

• Lost 1 forest turn (already deducted)
• No combat, no rewards, no penalties
• Can search again
• Pure RNG bad luck

Outcome 2: Grey Wolf Fight (28.6%)

Encounter:

• "You walk down the trail, eyes peeled, strung tight for ages"
• "until you spot what seems to be the caravan in the distance."
• "However, as you drop your guard to move closer"
• "you hear a howl to your left and you back away as a grey wolf stalks towards you!"
• "You must ready your %s to defend yourself!" (your weapon)

Grey Wolf Stats:

• Level: Your level - 1
• Weapon: "Hungry Jaws"
• Attack: Equal to your attack
• Defense: 75% of your defense (0.75x)
• HP: 110% of your max HP (1.1x)
• Type: "quest" creature

Victory:

• "The wolf collapses on the ground, bleeding from its wounds."
• If HP <= 0: Saved by moss (set HP to 1)
• "You quickly flee the scene, hoping to avoid the rest of the pack."
• Experience gain: e_rand(2,4) * 0.002 * your experience (0.2-0.4% exp)
• "You return to town, shaken by the attack."
• Can search trails again

Defeat:

• "Your vision blacks out as the wolf tears the throat out of your already badly injured body."
• "You have failed in your mission to kill the foul creature!"
• YOU HAVE DIED!
• -10% experience
• -all gold (stolen by scavengers)
• Go to Shades
• News: "[Your Name]'s body turned up, torn to shreds!"

Outcome 3: Manticore Fight (42.8%)

Encounter:

• "You walk down the trail, eyes peeled, strung tight for ages"
• "until you spot what seems to be the wagon in the distance."
• "Remaining careful, you circle round"
• "and spot the hideous creature lying in wait by the side of the road"
• "spiked tail waving as it awaits its prey."
• "You charge the monster, which whips around to face you"
• "and hisses before pouncing with its terrible claws!"

Manticore Stats:

• Level: Your level + 2
• Weapon: "Terrible Claws"
• Attack: 115% of your attack (1.15x)
• Defense: 110% of your defense (1.1x)
• HP: 140% of your max HP (1.4x)
• Type: "quest" creature

Manticore Spikes Debuff:

• Name: "Manticore Spikes"
• Rounds: 20 combat rounds
• Effect: Minion attacks (minioncount = 3)
• Damage: Up to player level per hit
• Total potential damage: 3 hits × 20 rounds × player level
• Round msg: "The manticore flicks its tail over its head and sends a volley of spikes at you!"
• Hit msg: "You are hit by one of the spikes for {damage} points!"
• Dodge msg: "You dodge one of the spikes!"
• Wearoff: "The monster runs out of spikes!"

Manticore Victory

Death Scene:

• "Mortally wounded by your blows, the manticore falls to the ground with a scream which resonates over the hills!"
• "You have avenged the spirits of the travellers who died in the wagon!"

Experience Reward:

• Formula: your experience × (experience setting - 1)
• Default setting: 1.1 (range 1.01-1.2)
• Default gain: 10% of your total experience
• Example level 12: ~10,000 exp gain

Near-Death Save:

• If HP < 1 after victory:
• "Near to death, you spot a potion in the pouch of a dead traveller."
• "Mortally wounded, you crawl there and quickly down the potion."
• "It eases your wounds somewhat, but you are still barely able to stand."
• HP set to 1 (saved from death)

Loot Scene:

• "With the monster dead, you search through the wagon"
• "but most of the goods are missing!"
• "Someone else has already been here and looted it without killing the manticore!"
• (Explains why rewards are modest despite wagon owner being "rich merchant")

Rewards:

Reward	Default Amount	Admin Setting
Gold	2,000	rewardgold (int)
Gems	3	rewardgems (int)
Experience	10% of total	experience (1.01-1.2, default 1.1)
Reputation	+3 Dag rep	Fixed

Loot Message:

• If both gold and gems: "All you can find is 2,000 gold lying around and 3 gems which were hidden by the wagon master."
• If only gems: "All you can find is 3 gems which were hidden by the wagon master."
• If only gold: "All you can find is 2,000 gold lying around."
• If neither: "You don't find anything!" (admin set rewards to 0)

Completion:

• "You make your way back to the fork in the trail"
• "and tell the next wagon the news on the way back to town."
• status = 2 (completed)
• +3 Dag Durnick reputation (dagquests_alterrep(3))
• News: "[Your Name] defeated a Manticore on the trails! The victims have been avenged!"
• "Search the Trails" nav disappears

Manticore Defeat

Death Scene:

• "You fall backwards to the ground"
• "as the final volley of spikes from the manticore pierces your skull."
• "You have failed in your mission to kill the foul creature!"

Death Penalties:

• YOU HAVE DIED!
• -10% experience
• -all gold
• Go to Shades
• News: "[Your Name] has been killed by a manticore! Travellers beware!"

Quest Status:

• Quest remains active (status still 1)
• Can retry after resurrection
• "Search the Trails" still available

Auto-Fail Mechanic

Level Outgrow:

• Checks at newday hook
• If status = 1 AND level > maxlevel + 1:
• status = 4 (failed)
• -1 Dag reputation
• Message: "You hear that another adventurer defeated the manticore which had slaughtered the travellers."
• Quest fails permanently for this character

Level Math:

• maxlevel default: 14
• maxlevel + 1 = 15
• If you reach level 16, quest auto-fails
• Allows some wiggle room for leveling during quest

Quest Reset

Dragonkill Hook:

• When you kill dragon: status = 0 (reset)
• Can do quest again next playthrough
• Resets regardless of previous completion/failure

Dag Reputation System

Requires dagquests Module:

• Module dependency in requires array
• Uses dagquests_alterrep() function
• Tracks reputation with Dag Durnick

Reputation Changes:

Action	Rep Change
Refuse quest	-1
Complete quest	+3
Outlevel quest	-1

Reputation Effects:

• Higher rep = more quests available
• Lower rep = Dag less friendly
• Quest completion significantly boosts standing

Admin Settings

Configurable Values:

• rewardgold: Gold reward (int, default: 2000)
• rewardgems: Gem reward (int, default: 3)
• experience: Quest exp multiplier (float 1.01-1.2, default: 1.1)
• minlevel: Minimum quest level (range 1-15, default: 10)
• maxlevel: Maximum quest level (range 1-15, default: 14)

User Preferences:

• status: Quest progress (int, default: 0)
  • 0 = Not started / Reset after dragonkill
  • 1 = Active (searching trails)
  • 2 = Completed successfully
  • 4 = Failed / Refused / Outleveled

Strategy Guide

When to Accept:

• Level 10-11 recommended (manticore will be 12-13)
• Have decent gear/buffs
• Can afford to spend multiple turns searching
• Want Dag reputation boost

Combat Preparation:

• Manticore is HARD (level+2, 115% attack, 140% HP)
• Spike debuff does massive damage over 20 rounds
• Bring defensive buffs if possible
• Expect to take heavy damage even if you win

Turn Management:

• Each search costs 1 turn
• 28.6% chance wasted turn (wrong trail)
• 28.6% chance wolf fight (exp gain, risky)
• 42.8% chance manticore (quest goal)
• Average searches to find manticore: ~2.3 turns
• Budget 3-5 turns for quest

Risk Assessment:

• Grey Wolf: Minor threat, small exp gain
• Manticore: Major threat, HIGH death risk
• Death penalty: -10% exp, -all gold
• Only attempt if you can afford to die

Reward Value:

• 2,000 gold + 3 gems = ~5,000g equivalent
• 10% exp bonus = significant at level 10-14
• +3 Dag rep = unlock future quests
• Worth the risk if you win

Common Mistakes

Underestimating Manticore:

• Dag says "small monster" - LIE
• Level +2, superior stats, debuff
• One of hardest non-dragon fights
• Prepare accordingly

Outleveling Quest:

• If you reach level 16, quest auto-fails
• -1 rep penalty
• Do quest early in level range (10-11)
• Don't delay until level 14

Not Budgeting Turns:

• Average 2-3 searches needed
• Could take 5+ with bad RNG
• Save turns before starting quest