Expanding the Slavers idea

MentalDrifter

I like the slavers kidnapping you at the starting area idea, but I'm not sure I like the idea of a mini-game, unless you are thinking something like lock-picking in skyrim. I have an idea, but I realize this may be too much scope creep and couldn't be implemented.

Each archetype having their own special way to escape the cage I think would be much more interesting. I also think it would be really good to involve learning a skill as part of being able to escape. Each archetype could learn something new, and being able to learn the skill will unlock an option for escape.

You could also have events like these pop up all over the world and for various levels. There could be a group that kidnaps you to feed you to a pet they have, and only someone with animal husbandry skill can acquire a baby/egg of their pet. Maybe by finding a different food source based on skills they have acquired due to their level.

There could be dungeons with no outside entrance, and you can only reach them by being taken, then you could have those archetypes who can find secret walls learn that skill in order to escape. This could be a group quest that pops up after a certain level, instead of just learning the skill when you level, completing this event would be the only way to learn that skill.

There could be a quest about mysterious disappearances, and when you go to the location your group gets kidnapped, the kidnappers meaning to eat you later. defeating this dungeon and escaping could unlock a special entrance to the underworld only people who have completed the quest can enter, and that can lead to a special dungeon only people who complete the quest can enter, since it's in this hidden pocket of underworld. You could gain faction experience (maybe a group of lizard tulnar don't like this group who wanted to eat you, leading to an entire quest-line you wouldn't have if you never did this quest), The mayor of a node could make this quest available and you get a specific item, skill or stat bonus if you complete it.

You could have a quest that triggers once a craftsman reaches a certain level of siege or shipwright and a group a-costs them in the world and makes them build something for them. Maybe they found an old schematic in a ruin nearby, and building that for them unlocks the schematic for the craftsman. You could choose to build it for them, or try to fight your way out. Building it for them, they release you, but that then triggers an event against the local node or shipping. Fighting them you can die and lose the schematic, or win, and take the schematic back with you canceling the event.

This same group could kidnap a bard and make them play a song they found, the bard learns the song, but triggers an attack on the node, or fights and wins or loses like the above example.

I can keep going, I just wanted to show some ideas for implementation of the idea throughout the world and across different levels and classes.

Arya_Yeshe

I would do something that is simple but adventurous!

I would make a dungeon in which every player who gets knocked down would be imprisoned, the dungeon would have a path to the boss and a path to the prison

The prison would be a proper prison and not just a few cages in a dungeon!

A proper prison like in the Dungeons & Dragons - Episode 8 - Servant of Evil episode, a prison hanging over a lava pit inside a mountain or something else, it just has to be memorable



Every 15 minutes the bridge would be lowered or the gate would be opened if that's the case
Make up a reason to open the prison every 15 minutes, then the players would have a chance to escape through a horde of goblins, some players may pass through them by any means which includes being sneaky or simply tank through the horde or kill them all

The prison could have NPCs to be saved that are linked to a quest or storyline

Players who get knocked down again will go back to prison and they would have to try again 15 minutes later

This prison is connected to a dungeon that leads to a boss, the players in the dungeon could actually go to the prison instead and rescue anyone who is imprisoned and then go back to dungeon and go for the boss anytime they want

The amount of goblins should be increased if there's too many players in the prison

Would not be necessary to be imprisoned to run the boss, people should be able to run the dungeon and go straight to the boss if they want to

If you die to other things like traps, lava, players, etc, you would just die and spawn in the regular spawn and would not be imprisoned over and over