So I’m wanting to add a new part to Settlement Mode and that would be acquiring companions. My idea is you can pay 100 caps to make a random, shuffled draw from the character cards and have an opportunity to acquire the companion. Once you make the draw, you need to next make a CHA skill test. If its a success, you have acquired the companion. If you fail, the card goes back into the companion deck. If your companion dies in battle, all the companion’s items drop on the field for an opportunity to be gathered. After the battle, the dead companion is returned to the companion deck.
Your default companions would be settlers and Dogmeat.
Does this seem like a good balance or no? Thanks in advance guys!
Why do you want to set a fixed cost for companions? I like the idea of getting a random equipped unit, but I think the unit cost should be the real cap cost in order to keep the balance.
So, the point here wouldn’t be getting a unit for less caps, but getting a random companion with a great equipment (Settlement mode gives only a very basic equipment for units)
It’s certainly an interesting idea! I think I agree with yopablo though, the caps cost should be the cost of the items (maybe switch the order around, so you draw a random card and then decide if you want to try and hire them?).
For named characters I was thinking of trying to do missions related to how you meet them in the game. Ie, have a load of raiders (just using settler stats, unless Wave 2 drops before I get around to it) to make a sort of Combat Zone for Cait, or fight through a load of ghouls to get to an AI controlled Danse. You could also do some missions inspired by the quests you do to get a settlement to join the minutemen, and just have them come to your main settlement instead?
I honestly forgot about the unit cost (even though I use it for every scenario/campaign battle). That’s perfect guys and thanks for pointing that out. I feel like a dunce lol. I just didn’t like the idea of being able to grab whoever I wanted without some way of earning/acquiring said companion.
Just to clarify, this would be just to add them as a selectable option from your Settlement, and not that specific mission, right? So you would still have to pay their caps cost if you wanted to take them on a mission. Kind of like what we have for equipment already.
If that’s the case, then maybe ad a building to the Settlement list for housing others. Limiting the number you can have on hand, but upgradable to be able to House more as you progress.
That’s correct and great idea for housing. Maybe a house holds 1 companion. Not too sure about what the base cost for the structure would be and then the upgradable aspect to it. Maybe 100 for the base and 75 for every upgrade?
If it’s just to add them to an available pool, I think I’d skip having to pay that part, and just go the settlement housing route to pay to give them a bed. You’ll already have to pay caps anytime you want to actually use them.
Paying for the building, then paying to acquire, then paying to use would really add up. Unless you wanted to also add another benefit, such as some of them granting a free upgrade of another building. Piper auto bumps your newsstand by one, etc… That might offset the additional cost of doing it that way.
Sry about the confusion AlxRaven, i would only spend caps whenever they were randomly drawn from the campanion deck. After that they are yours to use at your desposal until they are eliminated. Then you would just rinse and repeat for the next drawn companion.
That’s why I would pay for the housing space. I wouldn’t rebuy the space after the companion’s death, it would just be vacant until the next companion arrives (Including any prior upgrades).
And just to clarify, whenever a companion is eliminated on the battlefield, the items that are dropped would be any that were not the default items from the companions card, but rather, whatever was given to the companion.
Cool. I like this option a lot as it adds to the theme. Course I also plan to have a set layout for my settlement, for when I want to run attacks on my base. And watch it grow as I add to it. So I may be a little more into settlement mode than others. Lol
Will do. I’ll probably adjust it a little. Beds and Dog houses for 100 caps each (1 new companion per bed/doghouse) and give a settlement four beds and 1 doghouse to start with. Non-synth Robots don’t take up beds if they’re drawn.
I’ll probably also copy Alaiteir’s idea as an alternate to CHA tests: some characters could have scenarios to recruit them. we already have the codsworth/dogmeat scenario, and Alaiteir had good suggestions for Cait/Danse
That’s perfect guys and thanks for pointing that out. I feel like a dunce lol. I just didn’t like the idea of being able to grab whoever I wanted without some way of earning/acquiring said companion.
