Shattered Kingdoms

Short and sweet, the demand command works for darkies exactly like the request command for lighties, except it's level based. A dark aura'd character can demand items from NPCs that are a minimum of 10 levels under the characters level. So a GM character could demand items from at best, a level 40 NPC. Darkies would still have to kill any NPCs higher than level 40 for any items they wished, as such NPCs are not intimidated so easily into giving up their possessions.

Basically, it'd just be an RP change mostly, because anything you could demand you could just as easily kill the NPC for. But it would prevent say tribunal members from having to kill their own 'citizens' for equipment they carry or have picked up off the ground etc... It also makes sense that weaker NPCs would place less value on an item than their life, and would be willing to hand it over without a fight if it meant keeping their head.

You can request here? SWEET!

Err... and it sounds like a great idea...

Heh, certain specific darkies can request certain specific items.

On topic, though, evil hearts can kill for what they need. They don't need request-lite.

Yes, they can, the point is a lot of times it is nonsensical to do so.

Aye, as a lighty you can request items from other light aura'd NPCs, instead of killing them for it, which is frowned upon as a lighty. It's based on level and charisma however. At GM you need I believe 16 charisma to request GM items from other light aura'd NPCs.

My first mud had this and it was great because I tend to go for extremes, (ie total pacifist) and if I'd had to kill NPCs it would have entirely defeated the purpose. NPCs ARE PEOPLE TOO!!

That's what I love about the Taslamar academy. You just beat the crap out of the NPCs instead of killing them.

Okay, Sypher. You told me to suggest so I will.

Instead of having this as a darkie skill and making it request-lite, I'll offer up a different idea for it and remain ambivalent to my idea while opposing yours. Your scenario suggested a situation with a tribunal member and a member of your kingdom. I would suggest a tribunal skill called 'demand', which would be the lite form of the current tribunal skill. It would require certain NPCs to be flagged as demandable, and not putting undemandable flags on NPCs.

Any shopkeeper who becomes demandable would not give up any item the shopkeeper normally sells or has bought but would give up any other item. Other demandable NPCs would give up anything they don't have to start disrobing to give up. I think this would resolve some of the issues you've brought up.

Again, I am ambivalent toward this idea.

Edit: And Ashokia, I like your sig. So much so that my first high-level char was accused of being Yoda.

Yoda is the man.

I'm not opposed to this idea, as it correlates directly with the one I proposed. I could see this working in exactly the same sense, however like I illustrated over YIM, I really don't see a halfling mother of four refusing to give up her yellow dish cloth if it would mean saving her life. Which is why I proposed it be included for all darkies, as lighties have no need for it with request really. Also as you already pointed out, it is in effect request-lite, and obviously not nearly as useful as full blown request, you'll still have to kill any NPC that holds anything really valuable, as they are almost all without fail over level 40.

Either way, I wouldn't mind seeing this implemented in any incarnation.

Very skilled Yoda was out of the bog to pull that X-Wing Fighter.