Howdy folks,

I've got a new system that just went live for you all to enjoy that adds a new purpose to the appraisal skill. First, this is a process aimed at advanced users, so you will need at least 200 ranks in appraisal unless you happen to have a very special item that will be discussed later.

The process starts by APPRAISE FOCUS <something>. <Something> can be a lot of different things, and not exclusively an actual item. For now I'm leaving it to folks to discover various options, but after a short time I'll be updating the help section to let people know exactly what sorts of things work for what they want to accomplish.

Once you focus on your <something> a short RT will accompany the beginning of a research phase, and messaging will indicate what target skill is being appraised. The main research phase is done without RT, but you will not be able to perform certain complex actions without ending the research early. This actually uses the same mechanics that magical research does, so you can't do both of these at once either. If you end the research early, you can start back up again with only a minor penalty to time accrued. The research phase duration is based on the difference in your appraisal skill and the target skill. If your appraisal skill is higher than the skill being affected, then the research is shorter.

Once the research phase finishes, you will be messaged again regarding your eureka moment. Three things happen at this point. First, you get a big chunk of appraisal exp. Once again, if the target skill is less than your appraisal skill, the chunk will be bigger. Next you will start gaining smaller chunks of appraisal every once in awhile if you are actively working on the target skill. These smaller chunk will continue for about 20 minutes. Finally, you will gain an exp drain bonus to the target skill. This drain bonus will last for 20 to 60 minutes, and the potency of this bonus is tied directly to your appraisal skill. The drain bonus will allow exp to convert from field exp to actual ranks faster.

Once the bonus period ends, there is a cooldown tied to the skill that was targetted. You will not be able to immediately start another appraisal research that targets the same skill back to back, you will either want to wait it out, or start a different project. The drain bonus also does not stack with the drain bonus that RPAs have, the higher of the two will apply if you happen to have both going. Generally, RPAs will be the better bonus. You also can only have one research active at once. There is a special item type that can be used to research multiple skills in one research setting.

Special items haven't arrived yet, but when they do arrive, they can be researched to bonus 1 or more skills at a time. They also have the added perk of a quicker research time and no minimum appraisal skill to use.

You can also APPRAISE FOCUS CHECK during any part of the process to check on what is going on.

That's about it, let me know if you have questions or problems. But mostly, I hope you enjoy this new appraisal use.


ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

>>Kroonermanrevenge: What's the primary stated focus of this? As an alternative method for learning appraisal?

I am testing it now. Immediately after completing this type of research, you will gain a chunk of appraisal experience.

>>Breakthrough!
>>You've pored over the possibilities, weighed out the consequences, and dismissed a few flawed techniques. Finally, you think that you've grasped a new approach for the subtleties of twohanded edged type weapons inspired by its abstract. All that's left is to put it into practice.

Result: Appraisal: 756 70% intrigued (16/34)

Additionally, if you are actively using the target skill, you will continue to gain appraisal experience after completing the research.

Lastly, the target skill will receive a temporary bonus to its drain rate.

> appraise focus check
You have completed research awarding you a bonus to twohanded edged.
This bonus should last quite a bit longer.

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Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall rank!

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At work so I haven't tested yet, but it looks to be geared towards 2 things:

1. Training appraisal, particularly for those with significantly higher appraisal than combats or very high skill period.
2. A teaching substitute you can activate solo that allows you speed up learning in a single skill of your choice instead of directly learning experience.

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And to buff up one of your crafting skills, APP FOCUS your <crafting> book.

(Sorry if these are supposed to be PAFO)

~~Kythryn~~
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

>>(Sorry if these are supposed to be PAFO)

Not to the point of keeping secrets. I only left out the details in case some people want to try and figure out their favorite skills on their own for the mystery of it before it all ends up on elanthipedia.

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

These are in reverse order because the phone and cut and paste don't play well.

<<2. I'm not sure what you mean by this. You get appraisal exp for doing the research, and you get a bonus to how quickly a different skill drains field exp.

Just that its an option instead of teaching to let you learn more in a skill of your choice that doesn't rely on another character. That's why I said it does a instead of b. It still accomplishes the same goal as teaching in the long term, less efficiently but not being subject to the whims of another player.

<<1. Well, regardless of the skill disparity, it trains quite fine. The perks I added to the system to encourage use for lower skills was to give an added bonus to those than felt the need to backtrain some skill for some reason. It also makes having a lot of actual appraisal useful for making the ability work better.

I was talking about combat appraisal, not the new system. Combat appraisal doesn't teach squat if your appraisal is past the creature's teaching range, which is a common occurrence for Lore primes and to a lesser extent secondaries. This new system fills that gap.

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Very neat, and a much more convenient way to train appraisal, but the wording is a little confusing:

You have completed research awarding you a bonus to light armor.
This bonus should last quite a bit longer.

Is it providing a bonus to light armor? Or training appraisal whenever light armor is trained? EXP MODS doesn't show any skill buffs.

Ah, I get it.

So, no way to cancel an extant project?

That's pretty much what I thought.

Not really sure why I want to learn scholarship, it just irks me that it's the lore I have most concerted trouble learning.

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I'm a badger, I be badgerin'

This is totally nit-picky, but when you do an APP FOCUS CHECK, it currently reads this along with the duration:
>You have completed research awarding you a bonus to locksmithing.

From what I understand though, when you do this research, it isn't offering you a bonus TO the skill, it is offering you a bonus to LEARNING the skill, right?

So maybe it should read something more like:
>You have completed research awarding you a bonus to learning locksmithing.
or
>You have completed research awarding you a bonus to the rate you absorb your locksmithing training.

With the current wording, at least to me, it reads like it should be something that shows up when you do an EXP MODS, you know.

~~Kythryn~~
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain

>apprais focus serv
You search inward to examine a grumpy Shadow Servant for commonality, focusing beyond any individual details. Instead you concentrate your efforts toward honing your knowledge of empathy based on that abstract.

Found this amusing.

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Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

>>Typo:

Fixed

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

This also seems wonky:

As a Moon Mage and a Trader:

> app focus inner
You feel vibrant and alive, but that doesn't seem to inspire you to learn new things.
You search inward to examine , focusing beyond any individual details. Instead you concentrate your efforts toward honing your knowledge of unknown based on that abstract.
> app focus check
You feel ready for any sort of appraisal focus.

I assumed it would research Primary Magic an NMU, but it doesn't do so on my Trader. APP FOCUS MAGIC on my trader does research Inner Magic, however.

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<<APP FOCUS <missile weapon> in left hand
<<Should be fixed.

Yup, it is!

<<This should be fixed as well. It'll probably say Inner Magic for the time being, and once Traders are updated with their magic stuff it will switch to that.

This is all I get on my Trader now. Note that it's also what I get on my Moon Mage:

> app focus inner
You feel vibrant and alive, but that doesn't seem to inspire you to learn new things.
> app focus check
You feel ready for any sort of appraisal focus.

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>>This is all I get on my Trader now. Note that it's also what I get on my Moon Mage

Yep. Neither of those guilds use anything Inner related. That should only really work for Barbarians as it's the short version of Inner Fire.

>>I took a stab at Bardic Lore being an instrument and Summoning being a talisman or familiar. I have no clue what Expertise would be, and Endurance probably doesn't have a tie-in yet.

Nope. Yep. Something. Not yet.

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

Fixed that message to be less boring.

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

> The research phase duration is based on the difference in your appraisal skill and the target skill. If your appraisal skill is higher than the skill being affected, then the research is shorter.

Are you sure this is working? I have 1347 Appraisal, 925 Brawling and 139 Chain Armor. Researching Brawling took 210 seconds, while researching Chain Armor took 240 seconds. Perhaps there's a random component? I also got what looked to be the same amount of experience for each.

>>Are you sure this is working? I have 1347 Appraisal, 925 Brawling and 139 Chain Armor. Researching Brawling took 210 seconds, while researching Chain Armor took 240 seconds. Perhaps there's a random component? I also got what looked to be the same amount of experience for each.

Nope, looks about right. Anything beyond a 400 rank difference caps the difference in research time and exp gain.

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

Ok, tested this with a copy of your character. Both were 240 as they should be. Let me know if there's something else you might be doing that could be affecting things.

ASGM Ricinus
Core, Logistics, Survival
Cleric Advocate

Yeah, it's looking like I just messed something up with timing the first one. I'm getting 240 seconds every time, now.

> Next you will start gaining smaller chunks of appraisal every once in awhile if you are actively working on the target skill.

Is this based on generating field experience in the target skill, or absorbing it? Absorbing would make sense, given what the ability does, but it sounds like it's based on generating.