NPC Spawn Issue: Many animals in Kithicor should have their own factions [Archive]

Dolalin

08-31-2021, 05:37 PM

It seems many animals in Kithicor had their own factions.

So far I see Wolf, Bear, GiantBat, and FireBeetle.

I see references of this from May 99 all the way to Jan 2001, so I think it spanned the timeline.

27/05/99

"Actually, last night I wound up fighting some bears in Kithicor
forest, and when I killed them, my reputation with "bear" went down.
I never saw this before, so I tried killing some in other zones, but
they didn't do it. I thought that it was interesting and should
mention that there apparently IS a bear faction (and a GiantBat
faction.)"

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.games.everquest/c/S3NJ_ENSVLA/m/UxTSA0SwgTUJ

13/07/99

"I got this feeling that someone wasn't happy about my killing a wolf in<br/>
Kithicor. Fortuantely not that Holly Windstalker kind of right before you<br/>
die kind of feeling, but more of a prickling along the back of your neck you<br/>
get when your 'Wolf' faction takes a hit."

https://github.com/dbsanfte/eq-archives/blob/master/mailing-lists/eqbards/html/3389.html

1/10/99

"A few weeks ago a newbie was having trouble with a wolf in Kithicor. I
healed him and he killed the wolf. I then see the message "Your faction
with wolf has gotten worse"...whoa! When did they add this in? I am a
ranger so I don't ever kill wolves unless it means saving the life of a
fellow adventurer (which is what I did). Since there is now a wolf
faction...is there any way that I can raise it? I've only help kill
about 5 wolves and 1 grizzly bear in my entire 25 levels so it may not
be a problem but it is still good to know."
---
"Kithicor Forest is, well, wierd. There's a few strage factions there
that don't really seem to be fully implemented. Wolf is one of them,
along with Giant Bat and Firebeetle. They've always been there, at
least since release. They don't really seem to do anything, so I
wouldn't worry about it."
---
"There is factions with a lot of animals in Kithicor..
You could get lower faction with 'FireBeetle' in there.. Wolf is just
another faction that can go down I guess."
---
"The only animals that have faction are the ones in Kithicor, and even
then I think that its completely broken. You can kill as many wolves
and bears as you like, as long as its not the bears in Surefall. It
doesn't matter to your guild, or to the other animals."

https://groups.google.com/g/alt.games.everquest/c/X6rOtMkl7kA/m/M_oorZE6lvAJ

Submited by: Luldawen On: 1/8/2001 7:33:23 AM

I was romping around the woods of Kithicor Forest with an Ogre who was immediately attacked by a Gray wolf. Well, being in a team, I helped defend him and kill the wolf. To my surprise, I got a negative faction with "Wolf."

Is this new?? I've had to kill wolves before, rabid in Qeynos Hills and other when group member were attacked, but I never incurred a faction hit of any kind.

And this brings me to my next question, can you gain faction since it seems it can be lost?

I am a ranger, so the wolves con amiable to me. I'd like to keep it that way. Please respond with any knowledge or views on this situation.

Luldawen of MT

https://web.archive.org/web/20051004031254/http://www.everlore.com/bestiary/beastdetails.asp?mode=show&BID=2051

Passenger

07-15-2025, 08:34 PM

I believe this is tied to the placeholders for the Shralok orcs in the southwestern corner of the zone.

- https://web.archive.org/web/20000118211640/http://www.everlore.com/geography/default.asp?mapID=1709
Submited by: Elfric On: 07/18/1999 2:48:29 PM
...
Note: orcs that spawn around that area are lvl 16ish, and drop pretty much the same items of the orcs at highpass. In order to get them to spawn, you must kill the animals that spawn around the large-trunk tree closest to the zone corner. You will know which animals are the ones that spawn there, since whenever you kill one, they give faction hits against their respective species. Example: kill a giant bat and your factions with 'Giantbat' will drop. Weird.

From a Necro hunting guide posted to Allakhazam:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20050816213807/http://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/classes.html?class=14&mid=9669938347594&num=0
NPC Hunting: Chief Gan`Shralok - Levels 17-22
Posted @ Tue, Aug 22nd 9:23 PM2000
By: Kithias

Ok, here is the promised guide after Trissa to take you to 22. Now that you’ve got your 16th level spells and have had a level to play with them, head on over to Kithicor during the day (go at night at your own risk) and get to the High Hold Pass zone entrance (loc: 400, 4800). Now turn around, gather shadows, and facing out to Kithicor with the zone at your back, hang a right along the zone border wall and follow it a short distance. Eventually you should come to a few orcs.

This may be important depending on the way you use this guide, but move about and count the orcs, get to know their spots and the lay of the land (again, heh, do this during the day and invisible). You will notice four spawn points total. There are two near a large tree, 1 farther back on the hill and 1 on the hill closer to the zone wall. This last one is the Chiefs spawn point. The other three can spawn anything from orcs (his followers) to fire beetles to grey wolfs and wolfs to giant bats and skeletons. Those are all Place Holders, but you should notice that they don't roam at all, and stick to particular spots.

All right, now that you are familiar with where everything is, on to tactics. There are two that I used. First, if you have a group or feel brave, you can tackle this entire group. Pull the two orcs nearest the trees, hitting either one will bring them both. Use your favorite method: FD split the spawn, harmony/lull one of them, or just take them at the same time. Next pull the orc on the hill, not the Chief. Pull him away from the chief and back to the zone wall (where you’ll do most of your fighting, you don’t want to be deep into Kithicor). Last but not least, nail the Chief. If you can do all that within 5 to 6 minutes and still be ready, guess what, the two tree spawn points are going to be up soon. They may not always spawn orcs, but they’ll pop shortly. I was able to take the camp this way with a friend of mine. He played a bard, and was also 17. It was basically non-stop fighting, with an occasional pause for me to med up or the pet to heal up.
...

I didn't see any other mention of a skeleton serving as a placeholder. On P99, there is a skeleton that paths pretty close to the camp, but I believe it was only up at night. Also, this player only notes 4 total spawns, but on P99 at least, a 5th orc does spawn a little north of camp and paths even farther north. If that placement is correct, it's plausible this player just missed it or thought it not worth the trouble.

From Everlore's page for the Chief:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20010917182529/http://www.everlore.com/bestiary/beastdetails.asp?mode=show&BID=157877&pg=1&sortby=4
Submited by: I know things On: 6/23/2000 3:47:19 PM
Great experience for me at level 21, easy to fight, even though I am a druid, he misses very often, and roots, I just blast and blast, no Dot, just a barrier and blasts..

Arlian - 21 Druid(duh) on Tarew Marr

P.S. Wrek Shralok, Captain Shralok, Vopuk Shralok, C`Habrel Shralok, and a couple more spawn near this area, Wolves and Bats are place holders, I advise not killing the placeholders as you lose faction with Wolf.. Giant Bat.. ect for the place holders. Dumb? Yes!

P.S.S. great to powerlevel your friends on, and watch out, even safe to hunt here at Night, no skeletons or the like wander over commonly.

The above provides additional evidence of the Chief being a static spawn. This player had no qualms camping the Chief, but cautioned against taking faction hits on the placeholders of the other orcs.

On Illia's Bestiary entry for Chief Gan`Shralok:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20090313204754/http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?id=1880
Place Holders
Posted: Dec 31st 2000 2:42pm
gymnkata

I've see the creature or monster npc's that give faction a giant spider/bat, gray wolf, and fire beetle and all give faction hits to their respective brood. I don't know if these are place holders for the others to spawn so be careful if you decide to kill them. The wolves are likeable to high elves and the bat and spider are indifferent! :-) happy medding without undead in peace.

- https://web.archive.org/web/20020105114830/http://www.everlore.com/quests/default.asp?mode=35&id=40727
Submited by: chris barlow On: 3/9/2001 2:15:21 PM
Worst you can meet

Just to correct Evergloom, Kith in the day has young kodiaks and its fairspattering of skeletons. The orcs - in the corner near the HH zone - are in their low to mid twenties, will group and aggro. They are a mixture of pure fighters and shaman type casters. They have place markers so its just possible they may notbe there.
Gervaise

On Illia's Bestiary entry for a cliff spider:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20020321181945/http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?id=6872
Faction
By: Kresnik
Posted @ Fri, Aug 17th 6:39 PM 2001

Killed one, My faction with Giant Spider took a hit, Que?
...
RE: Faction
By: Mathadon
Posted @ Fri, Aug 17th 7:00 PM 2001

The mobs that are place holders for Shraloks (and perhaps others in Kith) have their own factions. Others include "Bear", "Wolf", and I think even "Snake"

Eleena Transient
Grandmaster High Elf Smith (245)
Collective of Dark Honour
Terris-Thule

I couldn't find corroboration of a "Snake" faction or snake placeholders.

RE: Faction
By: Anonymous
Posted @ Thu, Sep 6th 5:58 PM 2001

While I was camping Chief GanSharkok and waiting for him to spawn I wondered off and i saw a cliff spider. I decided to kill it cause I could use its silk for tailoring. Ive actually killed it twice both times but the first time I didn't see the faction hit. Then the second time it said, "Your Faction with GiantSpider got worse." I was like WTF so I asked my friend and he was like, "Oh crap...very bad." He then told me that if my faction standing with any animal got bad enough Druids would attack me on sight. He told me NOT to kill them anymore, and that it a serious thing. Its ashame cause I think they loot two spider silks everytime. Or at lest they did both times I killed it. So anywayse thats what the faction is. Basically be sure to not kill it and if you think you killed a lot of them go to a druid guild and con an NPC there. Although if you are an evil race and don't care about the faction hits I think that theses things are an excellent way to get spider silks for tailoring. I found both of them while camping the orc in that corner if you head right from the hh zone.

-Stumply 19th Lvl Mage
(Yes I'm a gnome)
GNOME POWER!!! Thouloxe Pells Server
Shralok placeholder
By: Nitramous
Posted @ Fri, Aug 17th 6:27 PM 2001

The only place I've ever seen a cliff spider has been as a placeholder for one of the Shralok orcs.

- https://web.archive.org/web/20011226073222/http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?zone=20
Shralok orcs and placeholders
By: Anonymous
Posted @ Thu, Oct 4th 11:55 AM 2001

In addition to all the named orcs listed, I have also seen the orc that drops the Shralok pack spawn in the camp (though I've only seen him once, I always check the camp when I'm heading that way). Also, I've seen any number of placeholders in the camp, including: a gray wolf, a young kodiak, a giant bat, a fire beetle, a cliff spider, and (hold on to your hats) a tiger. Yes, I said a tiger. I have no idea on the rarity of this mob. Killing any of these placeholders will give you a faction hit with that respective animal group (it must be a pretty big hit because I went from indifferent to apprehensive with CliffSpider faction in one kill).

The tiger is likely a triggered spawn involved with the quest Grim's Tiger Revenge (https://everquest.allakhazam.com/db/quest.html?quest=216) and not a placeholder.

----------

Out-of-era comments:

- https://web.archive.org/web/20020625142040/http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?faction=72&start=0
Other Faction Hits at Shralock corner in Kithicor
Posted @ Mon, Apr 15th 11:32 AM 2002
I was foraging oak bark for cultural tailoring in Kithicor. I kept myself amused by nuking the Shralok Orcs in one corner of the zone. Sometimes the spawn was not an orc. A gray wolf, a fire beetle and a grizzly bear spawned. When I killed these I got a faction hit for Wolf, FireBeetle and Bear.

A short distance from the corner I killed a cliff spider and got a faction hit for GiantSpider. This spider had been on my tracking for awhile and may originally have spawned in Shralok corner (*shrug*).

I didn't get faction hits for similar critters in the rest of the zone.

I haven't seen these faction on any boards.

Thicket Tundrabog
Woodelf Druid
Povar

- https://web.archive.org/web/20051223105419/http://eqbeastiary.allakhazam.com/search.shtml?zone=20
TIger
Posted @ Tue, Jan 27th 5:27 AM 2004
By: RendaelBrigh

A tiger needs to be added to this bestiary.

I was helping my ogre shaman get quick faction at the orc camp.

I had been looking away from the screen a minute. I looked back to see what I thought for a second was a Bst pet tiger standing in one of the orc spawn points.
I then remembered someone saying in a post here concerning Kith that they had seen a tiger.

It looks just like a medium size orange and black stripe tiger from Stonebrunt or Bst pet.

It was green to my 24 shaman.

Funny how any of these animals that spawn here give negative faction hits with their species....

Your faction with (GiantBat, FireBeetle, Wolf.....) got worse.

----------

We can see some overlap in the Kunark-era ShowEQ dump:
- https://web.archive.org/web/20011222023218/http://www.geocities.com/ficticiousname9/zone/Kithicor_Woods.html
Name Level HP Race Class Position

Chief Gan`Shralok 19 409 Orc Shaman (-868,4537)
Curkur Shralok 15 430 Orc Warrior (-678,4530)
Hagnis Shralok 14 390 Orc Warrior (-717,4410)
Recfek Shralok 12 300 Orc Warrior (-792,4500)
Tulonk Shralok 13 - 14 330 - 350 Orc Warrior (-589,4094), (106,4247)
Unked Shralok 15 307 Orc Shaman (-740,4536)
Vopuk Shralok 15 390 Orc Warrior (-718,4411)

giant bat, a 9 - 11 220 - 260 Bat, Giant Warrior (-678,4530), (-740,4536), (-792,4500)
gray wolf, a 7 150 Wolf Warrior (-740,4536)
wolf, a 2 30 Wolf Warrior (-678,4530)

----------

On P99:

There are 5 orc spawns in the southwest corner. One appears to always load the Chief, 1 appears to load as Tulonk Shralok or a Giant Bat, and the other 3 appear to be any of the other named Shraloks. The Giant Bat placeholder for Tulonk did not give any faction hits. I killed them all several times, and spawns reloaded the same way everytime. They do path a brief distance.

There are 3 other spawns in the immediate vicinity as well. These appear to always load as cliff spiders. They do give a hit to GiantSpider faction as described in the above comments, but they don't currently serve as placeholders for the orcs.

Based on the evidence above, all orc spawns except the Chief should have a variety of placeholders that give corresponding faction hits.