Find Ring

The Encounter

Trigger:

• Forest event (100 weight, only if cities module INACTIVE)
• Travel event (100 weight, only if cities module ACTIVE)
• Requires cities module installed
• Random encounter

Initial Message:

• "You stumble upon a small pearl ring concealed under some leaves."
• "You know that the forest is full of surprises, some of them nasty."
• "Will you pick it up?"
• Ominous warning hints at danger

Your Choices:

• [Pick it up] - Take ring, risk consequences
• [Leave it Alone] - Ignore ring, continue safely

Choice 1: Leave it Alone

Safe Option:

• Message: "You don't think it's worth your time to pick up the ring, and you travel on your way."
• No consequences (no rewards, no penalties)
• Continue forest/travel
• Boring but safe

Choice 2: Pick it up

Initial Action:

• "You lean down and place the ring on one finger."
• Ring goes on your finger (automatic)
• Outcome determined by your Voldemort Encounter count

Chance Formula:

• Threshold = max(5, ceil(VE count / 5))
• Success if: e_rand(0, threshold) <= 1
• Probability: 2 / (threshold + 1)
• More Voldemort Encounters = worse odds

Voldemort Encounter Table:

Voldemort Encounters (VE)	Threshold	Success Probability	Outcome
0	5 (minimum)	33.3% (2/6)	+1 charm
1-4	5	33.3%	+1 charm
5-9	5	33.3%	+1 charm
10-14	5	33.3%	+1 charm
15-19	5	33.3%	+1 charm
20-24	5	33.3%	+1 charm
25-29	6	28.6% (2/7)	+1 charm
50-54	10	18.2% (2/11)	+1 charm
100-104	20	9.5% (2/21)	+1 charm
500+	100+	<2%	+1 charm (almost impossible)

Outcome A: Success (Low VE)

Good Ending:

• Message: "You feel charming!"
• Reward: +1 charm
• Ring accepted, no negative effects
• Probability: 33.3% for VE 0-24, decreases thereafter

When You Get This:

• New players (VE 0-24): 1 in 3 chance
• Mid players (VE 25-49): ~20-30% chance
• Veteran players (VE 50+): <20% chance
• High-VE players (VE 100+): <10% chance

Outcome B: Failure (High VE)

Bad Ending:

• "A strange feeling comes over you."
• "Before you have a chance to remove it, the ring burns into your flesh."
• "The pain is intense, but in a moment is gone, and as you look down, you see that the ring is gone too."
• "`#You lose `#some hitpoints!"

HP Damage:

• Damage = 5% of current HP (round down)
• Minimum damage: 1 HP (if calc = 0)
• HP floor: Can't go below 1 HP (won't kill you)
• Example: 200 HP = lose 10 HP, down to 190 HP
• Example: 10 HP = lose 1 HP (5% rounds to 0, min 1), down to 9 HP

Ring Fate:

• Burns into flesh (painful)
• Disappears (no permanent equipment)
• Gone when pain subsides
• No lingering curse or debuff

Strategy Guide

Risk Assessment:

• Low VE (0-24): 33% charm gain, 67% minor HP loss → WORTH IT
• Mid VE (25-49): 20-30% charm gain, 70-80% HP loss → MAYBE
• High VE (50+): <20% charm gain, >80% HP loss → NOT WORTH IT
• Very High VE (100+): <10% charm gain, >90% HP loss → TERRIBLE ODDS

When to Pick Up:

• VE 0-24 (33% success rate acceptable)
• High HP (can afford 5% loss)
• Need charm badly (worth the gamble)
• Feeling lucky

When to Leave Alone:

• VE 50+ (<20% success rate, bad odds)
• Low HP (5% loss could hurt)
• Don't need charm urgently
• Risk-averse playstyle

Lore Analysis

Why Does This Happen?:

• Ring is magical (obvious)
• Reacts to player's Voldemort Encounter history
• Theory: Ring judges worthiness based on VE count
• Low VE = pure/innocent = ring accepts
• High VE = corrupted/experienced = ring rejects violently

Mystery Questions:

• Who left the ring under leaves?
• Why is it booby-trapped for veterans?
• What is the "strange feeling"?
• Where does ring go when it disappears?
• Why pearl specifically?

Cities Module Dependency

Event Weights:

• If cities active: Travel hook returns 100, forest hook returns 0
• If cities inactive: Forest hook returns 100, travel hook returns 0
• Never appears in both simultaneously

Purpose:

• Without cities: Forest event (no travel system exists)
• With cities: Travel event (forest reserved for other content)
• Adaptive event placement based on server config

Comparison to Other Ring Events

• Find Ring: Pearl ring, VE-based charm/HP
• Crying Lady: Diamond ring (from breakin), return for rewards
• Engagement Ring: Relationship mechanic (if exists)
• Multiple ring-related events in game

Limitations

• Punishes Veterans: High VE = terrible odds (almost always HP loss)
• Low Reward: +1 charm is minor (not game-changing)
• Minor Penalty: 5% HP loss is small (not devastating)
• No Explanation: Why does ring judge by VE count? (unexplained lore)
• Binary Outcome: Only 2 results (charm OR HP, nothing interesting in between)