I'm sure the subject of bounty hunting, like non-consensual PvP goes hand in hand, but normally the problem with it is how do you stop your friends claiming a bounty. Well perhaps there should be a system in place that not only creates a risk for a PK, but also creates a reward for those were PKed. So this got me thinking, what are the options that a PK thrives on. Well it seems to come down to notoriety and it's how they have fun. Well if that is the case, then there needs to be ways of risking both of those aspects by means of player intervention. in other words, a bounty hunter killing or taking the PK. So I would firstly propose that when a bounty is placed on someone's head, that bounty is paid for by players and not the game. This would only work if the game can give something to that player putting the bounty down, knowing the money isn't just going to the PKs friend. So for that, you need the bounty hunter to firstly bring in the PK. This would be on the kill, the bounty hunter gets the option of sending the victim to the towns jail, that the bounty was placed. The PK, would not just lose the items on his body, but a period of time from in game. Secondly, the bounties would only be given after a target number of "arrests" where made (decided upon by the person who placed the bounty). Onto that, you can also add in stat loss for the PK on a successful jail period So you have everything there now. You have bounty hunters hunting PKs, you have PKs with risk and you have a system for victims to get there own back. You could even pay any of the bounty out with cash that was on the PKs body at the time. For added bonus, while in prison you could give the PKs guild the opportunity of rescue, with the odds in favour of the jailers...(adds in consensual pvp almost!)
I really like the idea of bounty hunting but too wondered how they could work around their friends just claiming the reward. Lets take your jail idea a little further. Players will put a bounty on the person with their own gold if they so choose. You have to be killed by this player to place a bounty. The gold is taken from your bank as soon as you agree on this and held in limbo until the bounty is claimed, as it was in UO. If someone claims the bounty on the person by killing them, they send that person to jail and must wait for the time to pass or pay back the bounty themselves (maybe + an additional amount) to be released early, thus returning the money people originally put on his head through his own pocket. This way the PKers could not possibly make any money off killing himself and also had a way to bypass the jail if he didn't have the time. They could also have a debuff that he could accept that would garnish his wages until the debt is paid and take a percent of all gold made if the PK was poor to begin with.
