limited metagaming wilderness exploration

nikodemusp

Hi all!

Is there a reasonable way of playing the wilderness areas that does not rely on the player knowing where to go and what to avoid, without constantly reloading?

For instance, my CHARNAME would reasonably be able to find Zurlongs boots, and perhaps go looking for the half-ogres, as you are given some indication of where to go from the quest givers. But I have trouble motivating how my party would know where to go looking for Bassilus or Brage. And if you just decide to explore randomly, you risk your party being wiped by a stray vampiric wolf or whatever behind the nearest tree.

I guess what I'm asking is, if there's an order to playing the areas that makes sense from an RP perspective, and doesn't make you run into totally level-inappropriate encounters.

ajwz

Well, I compulsively explore every area in it's entirety anyway, so not finding stuff is never an issue from a roleplaying perspective.

As for issues with non level appropriate encounters, just playing through the story sensibly until after nashkell mines (by following notes and advice) will lead you to the end of nashkel mines safely.

Even after that, the bandit camp and areas proceeding it are not going to cause too many headaches.

It's only around about the time you go to cloakwood that you risk inappropriately difficult encounted just by following the plot, but by that time, you should be around a reasonable enough level (4 or 5) to be able to win just about any encounter by adjusting tactics and using consumables appropriately.

SirK8

There's some tavern rumors that give some indication where Brage is, not much to go on, but at least an RP reason to start searching out some areas

Time4Tiddy

If you want to RP a bit more than just, "if I don't know, I don't go", you might consider that typically, areas near roads and settlements are safest, while those farthest removed would be most likely dangerous. This is pretty much how the Sword Coast is laid out. The maps in a direct line to and from your storyline objectives is definitely the safest, especially if you skirt forest rather than plunge in.

With this in mind, you could RP that your CHARNAME is hesitant to leave the safer roads at a low level, but as she gains in power, she is willing to venture farther afield. If you know Brage is out there somewhere, you might be tempted to more fully explore dangerous territory to find him.

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Eudaemonium

thespace said:

I play rangers (stalkers) often, so it's easy to justify trekking through the wilderness, especially in search of Brage, Dyanier and winter wolf pelts, which the shop owner in Naskel offers $ for the first time you talk with him.

In my first playthrough I spent about... a year or more of in-game time just hunting winter wolves for that guy. I think I might have reached the (pre-TotSC) level cap before doing the Nashkel Mines.

Alexisisinneed

Your character is being hunted by bounty hunters and assassins. So he is on a constant move never staying in one place for more than a day. And during his travels he just happens to run into Brage and Bassilius. I mean you don't have to automatically go to their respective area's, but you could make a pattern in the area's you explore.

Dino

The different locations are basically points of interest on the world map. Maybe your ranger spots interesting tracks or smells something in the breeze, or maybe you have heard something of interest etc...

So fully exploring these areas are completely normal from a rp perspective. And a stray Vampiric Wolf should not be a problem. If it is, you shouldnt be exploring the wildnerness yet.