WPS smithy
A WPS smithy is an automated or wandering NPC that appears at most festivals and pay events to apply weighting, padding, and sighting (W/P/S) to weapons, armor, and bows, respectively. It may also appear as a service performed by wandering merchants. The service was created as part of the W/P/S system change that rescaled those three services from 1-50 points to 1-5000 services.
Mechanics and Service Window
| Weighting/Padding/Sighting (W/P/S) Combat Effectiveness Rating (CER) vs. Total Services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The merchant service to add combat effective points (CEP) will, in most cases, offer to increase the number of services on an item. The relationship between combat effective points and services is shown on the table to the right. Weighting (for melee weapons), padding (armor), and sighting (for ranged weapons) all share this table and are collectively known as W/P/S. The number of CEP on an item is also known as the combat effectiveness rating (CER).
For example, adding 20 services of critical padding to a non-padded item will give it a 2 CER. Adding 20 services to an item that already has 130 services (9 CER) will take it to a total of 150 services (10 CER).
If the number of services on an item fall within an intermediate CER, the item will provide a % chance equal to the progress towards the next CER to increase the combat effectiveness to the next value: an item with 145 services will have a 75% chance to confer a 10 CER (150 services) in combat instead of 9 (130 services). It is possible for an item to have both critical and damage padding or weighting, as applicable, and they can be added separately with a corresponding price surcharge. The total number of services per item is still capped at 5000.
Service Windows
When a W/P/S merchant service is offered, the price (silvers or event currency) of adding services increases as more services are added within the same Service Window, which is set as six two-month periods (Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct, Nov/Dec) spanning a calendar year. This Service Window is tracked per item across all merchants and venues. Cost per service only increases with the number of services added within this window, not the total number of existing services on an item.
Every W/P/S service done an item within a two-month service window (as specified above) will increase the Service Count within that window. Items will become more expensive to work on as the Service Count increases. Price increases happen at Service Counts of 5, 10, and 15, with significant price increases starting at 20+. On the first service after a Service Window ends, the Service Count is reset.
Service Pricing
W/P/S service pricing is dependent on the other mechanical attributes of the item other than the one being serviced. Each attribute is assigned a point value that is summed to determine the total gear points for the item.
| Weighting/Padding/Sighting (W/P/S) Gear Point Values | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Silvers price is then calculated for each gear point, with higher gear points costing more per point.
| Price per Gear Point | ||||||||||||||||
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A few item properties are not calculated in the above manner and instead are added on after the value above is determined.
| Additional types of W/P/S: | |||||||||||
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| 500 silver * Number of Services of types other than the type currently being serviced. | |||||||||||
| Creature Bane: | |||||||||||
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Finally, The value is multiplied by the Service Count multiplier and any service type multiplier.
| Service Count Multiplier | ||||||||||||||
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Service Type Multipliers
- Critical Weighting/Padding carries a 10% increase on the final price.
Currencies
- All calculations use a base price of silvers, then are converted to alternate currencies at an exchange rate.
Cost Minimums
- GM Merchant Offerings - 10,000 silvers for damage/sighting or 11,000 silvers for critical. Requires 6 gear points or higher to go above minimum.
- WPS Wandering Wagon - 75,000 silvers for damage/sighting or 82,500 silvers for critical. Requires 33 gear points or higher to go above minimum.
- Please see conversion rates below for other currency offerings when offered.
Conversion Rate
The conversion rate varies from event to event.
- Bloodscrip - At Duskruin 2018 the conversion rate was 750 silvers per bloodscrip*
Calculation Example #1: Padding
| 5x Armor, T1 Ensorcell |
| 5x Armor = 25 gear points |
| T1 Ensorcell = 3 gear points |
| Total gear points (GP) = 28 |
| GP 1-20 = 1750 each = 1750x20 = 35000 silvers |
| GP 21-28 = 3250 each = 3250x8 = 26000 silvers |
| Total Silvers: 61000 |
| Duskruin February 2018 Conversion Rate: 750 |
| Total Silvers divided by Conversion Rate == 61000/750 = 81 |
| Critical Multiplier of 10% = 8.1 |
| Total Bloodscrip Cost: 89 (Which defaults to 110 because it is the minimum.) |
Calculation Example #2: Weighting
| 8x, T5, Combat Script, Flares |
| 8x enchant = 40 gear points |
| T5 Ensorcell = 15 gear points |
| Combat script = 20 gear points |
| Flares = 7 gear points |
| Total gear points (GP) = 82 |
| GP 1-20 = 1750 each = 1750x20 = 35000 silvers |
| GP 21-35 = 3250 each = 3250x15 = 48750 silvers |
| GP 36-50 = 5000 each = 5000x15 = 75000 silvers |
| GP 51-60 = 6500 each = 6500x10 = 65000 silvers |
| GP 61-70 = 8000 each = 8000x10 = 80000 silvers |
| GP 71-82 = 10000 each = 10000x12 = 120000 silvers |
| Total Silvers: 423750 |
| Duskruin February 2018 Conversion Rate: 750 |
| Total Silvers divided by Conversion Rate == 423750/750 = 565 |
| Critical Multiplier of 10% = 56.5 |
| Total Bloodscrip Cost: 621 |
Selection
Smithy access is limited per event, and services may require either silvers or bloodscrip.
At the August 2017 run of Duskruin Arena (the inauguration of this service), access was granted via random selection of arena competitors who had won their round. Winners with perfect rounds were given a 10x chance to be selected. Selection was announced when the winner received their package via verbal message from the scripmaster NPC. Selectees could then be reminded that they had been selected via the DUSKRUIN verb.
A plump grey-bearded scripmaster flags you over and says, "Here are your winnings, Person." He shows you an arena winnings package. He continues, "Outstanding performance, Person! I can see why they call you the Champion of Duskruin Arena. We were impressed with your performance, so you've been invited to the smithy by the bloodforge." The scripmaster hands the package to you.
At the September 2017 Festival of the Fallen, there were 50 spots available for up to 5 services per spot (item passing was allowed) and the merchant handled everything manually.
Estimates
At Duskruin Arena, there is an assistant outside of the service room at the Bloodforge Workshop to give estimates on items (in bloodscrip currency only). These estimates are also available at the Blacksmith inside, but make sure you know what you want and have the appropriate amount of bloodscrip redeemed/onhand before entering the Blacksmith's room as exiting the room before working on an item will result in the waste of that invite.
Example is critical padding on full leather Forest Armor. Bloodscrip costs numbers aligned for easier reading; the log below is a precise depiction of appearance in game.
>ask assistant about estimates
A dwarven blacksmith assistant grumbles, "Gotta tell me what yer interested in. You could ask me about estimates for DAMAGE, CRITICAL or SIGHTING, though."
>CRITICAL
A dwarven blacksmith assistant scribbles a hasty estimate of work and slides it over for you to read.
|--------------------Summary---------------------|
Item: a copper-traced aspen green leather shirt
Modified Padding Type: Critical
Current Service Window Count: 0
Service Window Reset: 0d 0h 0m
Estimated Costs:
Next Service: 110 bloodscrip
Next 5 Services: 550 bloodscrip
Next 10 Services: 1237 bloodscrip
Next 15 Services: 2887 bloodscrip
Next 20 Services: 4812 bloodscrip
Next 25 Services: 10862 bloodscrip
|------------------------------------------------|
>ask assistant about special
A dwarven blacksmith assistant looks over your green leather shirt and says, "I see a special property and it has already been reviewed."
The estimate above is the lowest possible service cost for an item at the August 2017 run of Duskruin Arena. Costs may go up based on item enchant, functional script, Ensorcell level, flare status, or pretty much any other existing item property except fluff scripts and current W/P/S level if adding the same type (adding critical W/P to an item with existing damage W/P, or vice versa, will cause a surcharge). If an item has a fluff script, it may artificially inflate the price of the service. Use ASK ASSISTANT ABOUT SPECIAL to check if an item script has been reviewed by GameMasters for this service. If it has not, BUGITEM and ask to have the script reviewed for W/P/S purposes.
A base conversion rate of 750 silvers to 1 bloodscrip is currently (Aug. 2017) being used to estimate silver costs, but staff may re-evaluate this rate and/or the base cost in the future. Thus, the lowest service cost of 110 bloodscrip would cost 82,500 silvers.
Theoretical estimate in silvers, numbers aligned for visual clarity.
|--------------------Summary---------------------|
Item: a copper-traced aspen green leather shirt
Modified Padding Type: Critical
Current Service Window Count: 0
Service Window Reset: 0d 0h 0m
Estimated Costs:
Next Service: 82,500 silvers
Next 5 Services: 412,500 silvers
Next 10 Services: 927,500 silvers
Next 15 Services: 2,165,250 silvers
Next 20 Services: 3,609,000 silvers
Next 25 Services: 8,146,500 silvers
|------------------------------------------------|
Blacksmith's Room
Again, make sure you know what you want and have the appropriate amount of bloodscrip redeemed/onhand before entering the Blacksmith's room as exiting the room before working on an item will result in the waste of that invite.
Each service must be applied individually.
The following example puts 10 services of critical padding on an item, which results in one point of padding for combat effectiveness.
A dwarven blacksmith assistant steps in front of you and states, "Person, before I review my list, be sure you're absolutely certain that you're prepared to do business with the blacksmith. You'll need to earn a new invite should you go in and leave." The assistant continues, "If you're absolutely sure you're ready, then just head inside again within ten seconds."
>gar
A dwarven blacksmith assistant reviews a list and exclaims, "Ah, Person, follow me!" The assistant escorts you through a narrow archway leading toward the smithy and says, "If you want to come back, you'll need to earn another invite."
[Bloodforge, Smithy]
Bursts of heat drift in from an adjacent room, and a sulfuric scent lingers in the air. A blackened pine sawhorse draped with layers of thick padding is nudged against a large worktable cluttered with numerous knives, tongs, chisels, and a variety of other instruments. Burning embers escape from a small furnace in a fiery crimson spray and threaten to set the worktable ablaze. You also see an old dwarven blacksmith.
Obvious exits: out
>ask blacksmith about estimates
An old dwarven blacksmith grumbles, "Gotta tell me what yer interested in. You could ask me about estimates for DAMAGE, CRITICAL or SIGHTING, though."
>CRITICAL
An old dwarven blacksmith scribles a hasty estimate of work and slides it over for you to read.
|--------------------Summary---------------------|
Item: a copper-traced aspen green leather shirt
Modified Padding Type: Critical
Current Service Window Count: 0
Service Window Reset: 0d 0h 0m
Estimated Costs:
Next Service: 110 bloodscrip
Next 5 Services: 550 bloodscrip
Next 10 Services: 1237 bloodscrip
Next 15 Services: 2887 bloodscrip
Next 20 Services: 4812 bloodscrip
Next 25 Services: 10862 bloodscrip
|------------------------------------------------|
>get 1237 my pou
You reach inside your leather scrip pouch and pull out 1237 bloodscrip.
>redeem bloo
You redeem your 1237 Duskruin Arena bloodscrip.
>ask blacksmith about padding
An old dwarven blacksmith grumbles, "I can also pad yer armor to absorb more damage or critical blows when ya are hit. Just ASK me about damage or critical."
>critical
An old dwarven blacksmith scribles a hasty bill of work and slides it over for you to read.
|-----------------Summary------------------|
Item: a copper-traced aspen green leather shirt
Modified Padding Type: Critical
Services to be Performed: 1
Current Service Window Count: 0
Service Window Reset: 0d 0h 0m
Service Cost: 110 bloodscrip
|------------------------------------------|
An old dwarven blacksmith grumbles, "If ya agree with all that, ask me about CONFIRMing the sale. Remember, once ya CONFIRM, ya pay up and all sales are FINAL!"
>CONFIRM
You hand an old dwarven blacksmith 110 bloodscip.
An old dwarven blacksmith takes your green leather shirt from you and limps to the forge. It quickly returns, idly polishing it with a dirty rag as it hands it back to you.
AFTER NINE MORE TIMES OF ASKING AND CONFIRMING
|--------------------Summary---------------------|
Item: a copper-traced aspen green leather shirt
Modified Padding Type: Critical
Current Service Window Count: 10
Service Window Reset: 59d 23h 57m
Estimated Costs:
Next Service: 330 bloodscrip
Next 5 Services: 1650 bloodscrip
Next 10 Services: 3575 bloodscrip
Next 15 Services: 9625 bloodscrip
|------------------------------------------------|
Cost vs. Time
Cost and time-wise, while the prices will vary significantly based upon the exact attributes of your item, we have designed the system such that if you want to to gradually improve your 5x weapon from 0 to heavy weighting over a few years, you can do it for less than 12k bloodscrip (and will be able to break up part of that cost into silvers too) or for around 9m if you go the all-silvers route (silvers is the primary currency that we designed this for, BTW, not scrip or any other alternate currency).
If you want to do it faster, then you also have the -option- to pay more, either silver or scrip. And the option to pay silvers was pretty much completely unavailable outside of pay events in the past. That will not be the case going forward. Wandering merchants can and will offer services for your gear. Merchants at free events will offer these services. Going to pay events will offer opportunities for guaranteed access and the option to pay in alternative currencies but, again, this is a game expansion, not a Duskruin or pay event expansion. It is for everyone, whether you grind bloodscrip or just want to play the game and improve your favorite pieces of gear over time.
-GM Coase