TOPIC: 2025 Volunteer and Participation

Wade Schwendemann (Dr. Uid) wrote:

Matthew Hayward wrote:

Endgame wrote:
Death Knight Shirt
I appreciate the change, but I'm not sure this creates an alternative to Arcanum Shirt, which means it might not be as popular as desired.

Why on earth would we want a volunteer UR create a popular alternative to a multi-year Arcanum transmute?

I think the implication.is to change the volunteer UR to a slot that would have more options, so as to allow volunteers to sell their tokens.

Fair enough.

Matthew Hayward wrote:

Wade Schwendemann (Dr. Uid) wrote:

Matthew Hayward wrote:

Endgame wrote:
Death Knight Shirt
I appreciate the change, but I'm not sure this creates an alternative to Arcanum Shirt, which means it might not be as popular as desired.

Why on earth would we want a volunteer UR create a popular alternative to a multi-year Arcanum transmute?

I think the implication.is to change the volunteer UR to a slot that would have more options, so as to allow volunteers to sell their tokens.

Fair enough.

Changing the slot is one solution, which is great. Changing the ability to something that is balanced for vol UR power but isn't in direct competition with the Arcanum shirt is another option.

Part of the draw of the vol tokens for repeat volunteers, as I understand, is that they can either be sold or traded for a premium early in the year. If one makes it into the set like Pants of the Panther did, the DK shirt could end up at well below PYP pricing. Could the less desirable UR effect number of vols for a DK shirt event? No idea, but it's worth thinking about.

Ho-Yi Fung wrote: Charm of the Hero / Charm of the Champion: as-is, it's strictly better (but can stack with) three previous volunteer Charms. What if we replaced this with a Charm that read "+2 to Focus or +2 to Constitution (choose at start)"? It'd be a functional reprint of the Greater Garnet Charm , with the choice of being a slightly less damaging untyped Charm of Summer or Charm of Winter for Polymorphers and dedicated Spellcasters (while also boosting healing done). We already have some precedent with the Ioun Stone of Champion’s Choice being a functional reprint of a choice of one of two previous volunteer tokens.

If you changed it from being + 2 to STR & DEX to + 2 to Focus or CON ( choose at start of Adventure ), it’s my belief that this will seriously drive its desirability down making it worth much less from lack of demand. That coupled with the DK shirt kinda being a collector shirt or for the DK set lovers in its current state, this will make the value the volunteers can pull from them much less. With the Arcanium Shirt dominating the shirt slot ( outside of shirt of shielding 👀 ) the desire for its current loadout won’t be that of the charm as it is. I would still suggest the UR Charm staying as is

Picc wrote: Just had a random thought, do we have room to put a "volunteer here url" on the vol tokens like we do for multi-year transmute etc?

+1 tdvols.com or truedungeon.com/volunteer

Beads: Still think consistency through them all would be good, with either all Stats spelled out fully, or all abbreviated to 3 letters.

Charms: Like them much better with being divided into melee/ranged now.

Charm of the Champion: Better, but still feels like such a power increase over Champion's Choice.

Charm of the Hero: Same feeling, over Charm of Heroic Choice.

Death Knight Shirt: I like this better, but agree Vol's may have trouble getting a lot for this.

Defender Greaves: Like this change.

While these new iterations are better than the previous, I still feel like the Charm is too powerful compared to previous Volunteer URs, since it essentially chooses both options of the recent Charm of Champion's Choice. I agree with with some of the other posters that alternatives should be considered, such as +1 Str / +1 Dex / +1 Con, or something with Focus perhaps.

The shirt meanwhile still feels like it will struggle, especially with many of the players who would typically be interested in vol items (or volunteers themselves) are likely already invested in the Arcanum Shirt. It's a long shot but I'm not sure if maybe the 2nd Volunteer UR could become something else for a different slot, like Earcuff or Cloak.

As someone that regularly buys volunteer tokens I don’t know if I would buy the charm as proposed here. Maybe +3 STR or +3 DEX? Make it a great token but you need to pick the build.

OrionW wrote: As someone that regularly buys volunteer tokens I don’t know if I would buy the charm as proposed here. Maybe +3 STR or +3 DEX? Make it a great token but you need to pick the build.

I’m deff not trying to push for more unbalance here but speaking to myself and what I would do. Currently I’d buy both. The Charm for its perks, and the shirt because o love the DK set and will collect them all. If it wasn’t for that I wouldn’t buy the shirt, and if the charm was reduced I wouldn’t either, cost vs benefit just isn’t worth it. I could be in a small group on this one but I do think the shirt should have STR as every other DK piece has STR, and I think the charm should hold fast at what it is.
Either way, I know there will be those who love it, and like I said, you could make the shirt turn you invisible like the cloaking robe and I’d still buy it. I’m a sucker for it. On a side note: I do what yo thank TDA and our Volunteers. This process I can imagine gets a bit rough with all of us talking our thoughts, but we love y’all and will keep enjoying the game for years to come

With respect to the shirt not supplanting those who use Arcanum, I'm not sure it should. However, there is always the Follower Brawling which lets you wear a 2nd shirt.

We don't want a UR that's comparable to Arcanum Shirt, but we also don't want a vol UR that won't interest buyers. Conclusion: Death Knight Shirt is fundamentally doomed as a vol UR.

Consider swapping it with one of the PYP designs that everybody is going to want; I suggest Bead Necklace

(I'm half joking about Bead Necklace. Okay, 10% joking. What I'm completely serious about is that DK Shirt as a PYP design could be tuned in comparison with other PYPs, instead of only being compared to Arcanum Shirt)

It's possible to have a less generally useful shirt compete with Arcanum.

Death Knight Shirt
Immune to Retribution damage & +2 to Strength

Death Knight Shirt
Immune to Retribution damage & regen 1 pt of dmg at start of room

Death Knight Shirt
Immune to Retribution damage & +2 Retribution Damage

Etc.

Volunteer tokens will only continue to be more difficult to create as they are basically just being made at this point to be turned into money. I would eliminate volunteer tokens and just go with giving volunteers URs/relics for their services.

The Charm of the Champion would logically make vastly more sense as a CON or WIS increaser or whatever to be similar to previous volunteer tokens. If want to just perpetuate a system that frustrates players, can make it:

Charm of the Upholder
+3 to Constitution or +3 to Wisdom (choose at start)

This doesn't work so well unless Wisdom becomes better in the game, even if we've gotten to the point where mystic staves can get enough to hit to be viable. If somehow Charisma and Intelligence become desirable, following year can do +3 Charisma or +3 Intelligence.

If that's not good enough, can also go with oft suggested idea of multiyear volunteer transmute and turn these into some volunteer relic that gives a bunch of stuff.

Do the "participation" beads transmute into the Bead of Asgard? If so, should they have the transmute URL?

I agree with others -- either spell out all of the stats or abbreviate them all.