TOPIC: Belt o' Vine, huh, Good Gods. What is it good for?

Long time gamer, new True Dungeoneer, first time poster.

Because I am a gamer, I can’t help myself but to metagame when playing any system and True Dungeon is no exception. To the seasoned vets of TD who possess significantly more historical information than I, I ask the following metagame question(s):

Last year I had received the Belt of the Vine completion token which is clearly very useful against plants (but plants only). Does this mean that I can anticipate fighting plant-like creatures or some sort of animated plant villain in 2014 (or perhaps beyond)? How have previous completion tokens related to subsequent TD events in the past? I would hate to throw away the key to a lock that I would need to open later. Otherwise, given how constrained the benefits of the belt are, I think this uncommon may have Mystic Silk written all over it.

Veterans, please share your thoughts with me.

Thank you very much.

Lex wrote: Long time gamer, new True Dungeoneer, first time poster.

Because I am a gamer, I can’t help myself but to metagame when playing any system and True Dungeon is no exception. To the seasoned vets of TD who possess significantly more historical information than I, I ask the following metagame question(s):

Last year I had received the Belt of the Vine completion token which is clearly very useful against plants (but plants only). Does this mean that I can anticipate fighting plant-like creatures or some sort of animated plant villain in 2014 (or perhaps beyond)? How have previous completion tokens related to subsequent TD events in the past? I would hate to throw away the key to a lock that I would need to open later. Otherwise, given how constrained the benefits of the belt are, I think this uncommon may have Mystic Silk written all over it.

Veterans, please share your thoughts with me.

Thank you very much.

The token will be useful in making ring of heroism.
As far as in game play, never know. Maybe be useful 2014 up to unknown.
It may never be useful. Just don't know.

Keep in mind that the Ring of Heroism (+1 Level) has part of it's ingredient cost two different completion tokens from three different years, starting in 2013. So, you are probably better off holding onto the Belt to trade away or use towards a Ring of Heroism than you are by converting it into Mystic Silk. Unless of course you are desperately in need of more Mystic Silk to get towards a transmuted item (and even in that case you could probably trade it at least 2 for 1 for another uncommon).

Props for the Edwin Starr reference, Lex.

Personally I'd hold on to it until at least 2015. As others have mentioned that is the first year there will be chance to turn in the belt to make a ring of heroism (so if nothing else it will likely have more trade value then). As to its specific bonus its hard to say when or if it will come into play but Jeff has a habit of making things like this useful eventually. Minotaur horn of alert for example was craft-able in 2011 but didnt become super useful until 2013 when it could overcome the camp ambush and wake your party in grind. Similarly some of the water breathing items left over from the sealich adventure were useful for completing some of the truecraft mini quests in 2012. So I would be very surprised if we didn't encounter some form of plant based adversary in the next few year.

There were two plant monsters just this year, and there have been others in the past. I like it b/c it does not specify that the damage has to be melee damage, so it boosted my spells.

As long as those spells require slides

Like with any other specific monster type selection you run the risk. Without forknowledge its a gamble. Even if you know the item will have an effect on one or more of the creatures in the run its never all of them so you might be better off with another item.

To boil all that down, if you choice is between +3 on maybe one monster or +2 on all of them, its a better choice to go for the +2.

If its your only belt, its a no brainer.
Like I tell the groups I coach, "well you never know if its going to come up but since its your only choice lets go with it"
If they do have another option I'll ask "if you like to gamble"


Now, since you like to meta-game. Meta game this. We know our next stop is a Desert like environment with a possible airship ride along the way. How much opertunity will there be for plant life?

For 2013 we knew we were heading through a forest and it came up twice(IIRC).

I have not read anything from the 2014 modules, but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of "desert" and "plants" is a cactus.

Cactus elemental?

To me, it was an "in game" item. Youn find treasure from what was in the dungeon that year.

Druegar wrote: I have not read anything from the 2014 modules, but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of "desert" and "plants" is a cactus.

Yeah thats about all I could come up with as well.
I will laugh if we encounter the dreaded cactus-man. But worry not! as he is part man that will negate the plant bonus