I just became a member of the "Trabe" tribe, apparently, but did not gain any affiliation or sect title associated with it.

Is there any significance to being affiliated with a specific tribe? And is there a way to reset membership? (especially if there's no significance to it right now)

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"When I grow up, I want to be a soulless monster trapped in a suit of enchanted armor and compelled into violent service for a commercial institution through torturous psychic conditioning." -- Armifer

>AFAIK there is no way to reset membership, and at a certain point (38th? 39th?) you may get a title relating to your tribe. I have Skindancer, but I don't have the other Nomad title (Just Nomad), so who knows? I also can't get the second nomad cantrip, so again, who knows?

That's pretty weird, I'm stuck with "Nomad" and nothing else, but I've gotten all 3 sect cantrips.

>And as for significance, of course there is! It allows you to connect to your past, cement your place in the great migrations and culminations of our history. Without it, you're just another bastard child cursed to never know the face of your father.

True, but I don't get an affiliation nor a trinket to show for it. All I can do is give people my word that I typed "ask nomad about trabe" twice. That's as good as just saying it and never doing it, then why the hard coding blocking us from changing it?

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"When I grow up, I want to be a soulless monster trapped in a suit of enchanted armor and compelled into violent service for a commercial institution through torturous psychic conditioning." -- Armifer

>ask cheru about nomad
Cherulisa says, "The Nomads of the Arid Steppe are one people and one tribe, forged by the peace of Kir Dor'na'torna. Our oral tradition claims that the original tribes formed during the time of Grazhir's fall, though there is little proof of such a claim. As our title suggests, we are the people of the steppe: It is here that we tend our herds, hunt our game, and migrate with the seasons under the light of the moons."

>ask cheru about tribe
Cherulisa says, "There are some who exalt the individuality of the tribes, but I do not. Just as the Moon Mage Guild threatens to slide back to the days of isolated and threatened sects, I will not let the one people of the Nomads return to the fractured and warlike tribes. That is the way of the false Kir and his Bonedancers."

>ask nomad about guild
The fur-clad nomad snorts in contempt before saying, "We honor the Lunar Accord and respect that the Celestians speak the truth: we would likely have been extinguished under the weight of Imperialism without the Guild. We embrace the arcanum of the Moon Mage Guild and teach young shamans in the Guild's ways, but Throne City is very far away. We sit at the base of the Trabe's spire, the divination of the Skindancers plays out the future in every yurt, and even the strange enchantments of the Nera supplement the art of the sigils and stars. Our heritage remains strong, and I will speak more about it if you wish."
>

>ask nomad about sect [also respodns to nomad and heritage]
>
The nomad clears his throat and says, "There are many tribes here on the Arid Steppe. Most were united under Kir, long years ago." He pauses to scratch under his furs. "Together, we are known as the Nomads of the Arid Steppe, but it is important to remember each tribe's individuality. The most prominent tribes are the Skindancers, the Windwalkers, the D'Reathor, the Nera, the Khamur, the Chagur, the Trabe, and the Benesu. A few speak of the Bonedancers, but they are renegades."


>ask cheru about kir
Cherulisa says, "A name of great good and great evil. Kir is the peace maker, who came from the powerful and barbaric D'Reathor yet spoke the words of the spirits. Many years later, and still with us today, is the false Kir. He claims the name, but his doctorine is twisted, violent, and insane."

---

Bonedancer

>ask cheru about bonedancer
Cherulisa says, "Not a tribe, not a people. The Bonedancers are madmen who make a mockery of our culture and the peace of Kir. Stay well away from them if you value your sanity and your life."
>
>ask nomad about Bonedancer
The fur-clad nomad shivers and says, "Bah. The Bonedancers are terrifying. All tribes can find beauty in nature, but this lot finds it within piles of bleached bones, the marrow sucked dry. Most are S'Kra Mur or Human, and almost all are completely insane. When Katamba and Yavash are full in the sky, they will often hold perverse revelries where they toss powdered bones into a blazing fire, looking for portents from the rising ash. A dangerous group. Stay away."
>

---

Skindancer

>ask cheru about skindancer
Cherulisa says, "We are what many of the eastern Moon Mages think of when they say "Nomads." Our lives are often played out beneath the moons, without even a yurt to protect us from the harsh weather of the steppe. We commune with the spirits through our wandering."
>

>ask nomad about Skindancer
Touching the copper sigils on his ivory carving, the fur-clad nomad says, "Skindancers, yes. I am of that tribe. Our travels take us through all the lichen tundras, rocky plains and icy wastes that the Steppe has to offer. Nature is a beautiful thing beneath the moons, but conspires against us oft times. For this reason, we rely heavily on skins, laying them down before throwing bones of foretelling, sleeping upon the warm hides of yaks, dancing upon them during weddings and funerals." The nomad pauses. "The quality of the skins we carry can show at a glance where we stand in the tribe."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Skindancer, all you must do is ask me again."
>


>ask nomad about cherulisa
The fur-clad nomad chuckles before saying, "A proud Skindancer, though her interest in the Trabe spire makes many wonder. The Bonedancers and their false Kir hate her with a passion, but the tribes stand behind her...and Throne City too, much further behind. She teaches the curriculum of the Guild, but honors the spirits and the tribes."

---

Benesu

>ask cherulisa about benesu
Cherulisa says, "In the old days, the Benesu were the wealthiest of the tribes, and were constantly besieged because of it. They created powerful Perception and telekinetic magic to fend off poachers. The Benesu spear, though it is nothing more than brightly painted wood and iron, is one of our greatest symbols of tribal violence."

>ask nomad about benesu
The fur-clad nomad softly says, "Benesu is a name connected with the animals of the Arid Steppe. The greatest herds were tended by the Benesu, which led them to unending conflict with the other tribes. In battle they favored their spears, which they painted bright colors. It is said that with the magic of the moons, the Benesu could hurl their spears at poachers on the horizon and strike unerringly at their hearts."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Benesu, all you must do is ask me again."

---

Trabe (remember Trabe Plateau?)

>ask cherulisa about trabe
Cherulisa says, "Had the D'Reathor of the past been a little less violent, there are many things we may have known. I would've liked to have known a Trabe and asked them about the shaping of this crystal spire. But there are no more Trabe, merely children of the D'Reathor who have stolen their name."
>

>ask nomad about trabe
The fur-clad nomad peers down at the ground before saying, "The ancient tales say the Trabe, the men of the plateau, "tamed the crystal" and shaped the blue spire which Cherulisa took as her guildhall. Little is known about the tribe, since they rarely left the sight of their blue monstrosity, rarely trading with the others. They suffered great hardships for their isolation and finally fell in a great battle against the D'Reathor. The men of the Trabe were slain and their women were taken." The nomad snorts. "Some of the children of the D'Reathor still claim the heritage of the crystal shapers, but no true Trabe lives."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Trabe, all you must do is ask me again."

---

Chagur

>ask cherulisa about chagur
Cherulisa says, "Too much drama and too much blood." She shakes her head and continues, "The Chagur say a great warrior of the Khamur murdered a daughter of the wisest seer among the tribe at the time, driving him to suicide and robbing the Chagur of his wisdom. Whether it is true or not, the crime echoed through the generations in their stories, up to the near annihilation of both tribes at the Plains of Grief. For most Nomads, the old hatred is now a historic curiosity; a warning for what will happen if we abandon the teachings of Kir."

>ask nomad about chagur
The fur-clad nomad frowns and says, "All the tribes were violent before we became a single people, but the Khamur and Chagur were especially so. In the furthest past they were like brothers, trading freely and fighting side by side. It is said a great betrayal ripped the two tribes apart, though to this day neither tribe will admit they were the betrayer. Their wars were bitter and lasted many long years, staining the eastern reaches of the Arid Steppe red. Their greatest battle cost both tribes two-thirds of their men, mere months before Kir brought his message of peace to the tribes. The Plains of Grief are said to still bear the scars of that battle, its land twisted by the memory of primal and violent magic."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Chagur, all you must do is ask me again."

---

Khamur

>ask cherulisa about khamur
Cherulisa says, "Too much drama and too much blood." She shakes her head and continues, "The Khamur claim that a bitter and ill-mannered Chagur slew the daughter and only child of their chieftain for rejecting his advances. Whether it is true or not, the crime echoed through the generations in their stories, ending with the near annihilation of both tribes at the Plains of Grief. For most Nomads, the old hatred is now a historic curiosity; a warning for what will happen if we abandon the teachings of Kir."

>ask nomad about khamur
The fur-clad nomad frowns and says, "All the tribes were violent before we became a single people, but the Khamur and Chagur were especially so. In the furthest past they were like brothers, trading freely and fighting side by side. It is said a great betrayal ripped the two tribes apart, though to this day neither tribe will admit they were the betrayer. Their wars were bitter and lasted many long years, staining the eastern reaches of the Arid Steppe red. Their greatest battle cost both tribes two-thirds of their men, mere months before Kir brought his message of peace to the tribes. The Plains of Grief are said to still bear the scars of that battle, its land twisted by the memory of primal and violent magic."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Khamur, all you must do is ask me again."

---

Nera

>ask cherulisa about nera
Cherulisa says, "Many years after the tribes had formed, the ragged Nera came to the steppe and adapted to life here. Wherever they came from, they brought the knowledge of Lunar enchanting with them. It was crude by modern standards, but unlike anything the tribes of that day had seen. The Nera traded knowledge and labor for their survival in those harsh days before Kir's peace."

>ask nomad about nera
The fur-clad nomad looks down at one of his copper sigils before saying, "The Nera are a strange people. They came from the mountains of the west, though the Windwalkers will not claim them. They name themselves after an ancient leader of their tribe, who they venerate the same way many others speak the name Kir Dor'na'torna. Nera is said to have been a great enchantress, so beloved that the very spirits of the earth grew mad with grief at her passing. They fled their isolated land and commingled with the tribes, bringing the art of the sigils with them."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Nera, all you must do is ask me again."

---

D*'*Reathor

>ask cherulisa about d'reathor
Cherulisa says, "The peace maker came from them, but they still embrace a harsh stoicism that the Sophisters might enjoy. The image of a warrior Nomad, spear in hand and dire magic on their lips, comes from the D'Reathor. Be it war, in in their vision tents, or in supporting Kir's vision of peace, they are said to have done nothing by half measure."

>ask nomad about D'Reathor
The fur-clad nomad ponders for a moment before saying, "The D'Reathor were, at one time, the most barbaric of the Nomads on the Steppe. Those days are long gone, but they are still a harsh people. Elaborate facial tattoos are used to mark their status in the tribe, with some so decorated that their skin color is no longer apparent. Another aspect of the D'Reathor involves their vision tents, where they spend many days in a trance to divine the future. This is a dangerous thing, and not everyone who emerges is unscathed from the experience."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the D'Reathor, all you must do is ask me again."

---

Windwalker

>ask cherulisa about windwalker
Cherulisa says, "They were once an insular tribe, which gave rise to odd rumors about them, such as some silly business with a catapult. Still, when we shared out knowledge after the peace of Kir, they taught us much about what is now called "enlightened geometry" and the use of teleportational energy."

>ask nomad about Windwalker
The fur-clad nomad smiles and says, "The Windwalkers are an interesting bunch. Most of the Arid Steppe is flat, but as one heads far to the west, massive mountains rise up. This is the domain of the Windwalkers, moving north and south with the seasons, but never leaving the higher elevations. There they build homes on sheer cliffs, where one false step would lead to certain doom." The nomad gazes toward the west. "Some say they're insane, and that they use great catapults to hurl their tethered warriors into the sky to hunt birds. Rumors abound that they have the ability to teleport into the sky and back down again in an eye blink."

The fur-clad nomad whispers, "If you are interested in being known to all as a member of the Windwalker, all you must do is ask me again."

---

"When I grow up, I want to be a soulless monster trapped in a suit of enchanted armor and compelled into violent service for a commercial institution through torturous psychic conditioning." -- Armifer

i'm curious whether he has anything to say about Lasarhhtha. <bone dancer>, was a mm/necro.

Also be careful when talking with the nomad, accidentally asked about the same one twice, and now I'm part of a tribe I didn't want to be...

I'd be nice if you had to do Confirm the second time around, since I wanted to be a Windtalker, not what I ended up getting.

So, at long last I have joined a sect and am now a Monk of the Crystal Hand. All I can say is, I am terribly terribly let down. I'm not certain if people of other sects feel the same but yeah - I kinda wish I hadn't joined at all. First off, and not a huge deal I suppose, there doesn't seem to be any way to get rid of Tiv's Cloak other than it just timing out. Minor gripe I know.

However, Way of the Disciplined Step aka cantrip balance. I used it right after joining. Checked balance and saw it took me to nimbly balanced from solidly. Great thats awesome! Tried to reuse it a few minutes later.

"You've just recently chanted that cantrip, and will need time to restore your energies before trying again."

10 minutes later

"You've just recently chanted that cantrip, and will need time to restore your energies before trying again."

20 minutes later. 30 minutes later. Etc.

As of right now I STILL cannot reuse this cantrip. I dont know what manner of logic went into deciding this needs such an absurdly large cooldown but wow I am totally blown away. I still dont actually know what the cooldown is!?

In my mind, and maybe my perception of this is at odds with GM intentions here, sects are for a) RP and b) some minor perks via cantrips and spell affinities. The spell affinities, to me, are largely no big deal. A little extra duration here, inconsequential min prep discount there. In a world where spells cap at triple digits and there is heavy incentive to cast as close to triple digits as we can muster - I would say just about all the minimum prep perks across guilds (fir fams for WMs etc) were made largely irrelevant just by design. Fine, no biggie.

But when I look at other cantrips I could have had - cantrips that warrior mages have and don't have to choose between - I'm just upset. For general awesomeness strictly for RP, I could have had a herald to announce my awesomeness to a room. I could have had a real spell perk in an improved chance to keep scrolls on unleash. For the pvp minded, I could have had the ability to see if there were people lurking in the shadows or invisibility. I could have deceived bactrace or locate. As far as my perception goes of the actual usefulness of cantrips in general (including wm cantrips), whether mechanical or "coolfactor", this is actually just about the worst possible cantrip that exists. It has ZERO "coolfactor" - there is no value to this cantrip for roleplay. Considering the nature of balance as a mechanic is that its always trying to get back to neutral, this cantrip's only possible use would be immediately after an unbalancing maneuver or for using ranged weapons since that form of combat doesn't naturally generate balance. And even for those scenarios, a cooldown in the tens of minutes if not hours is absolutely absurd.

Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal to me if obtaining it had no cost, but as a Moonmage it has a very real cost. Sect choices are final. The opportunity cost is every other option I could have chosen.

Sorry for the rant, just very disappointed. I tried to be as informed as I could before I bit the bullet and decided my sect with the information I could find available. And this is what I'm left with. An RP tool (mantle) not as cool (personal opinion) as others I could have chosen and a cantrip for mechanical benefit (balance) that as it turns out fails royally.

P.S. If you really want to, you still have the option of joining the Heritage House if you're already that jaded about your choice.

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Elanthipedia - https://elanthipedia.play.net/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page

Why are sect cantrips intended to not be particularly useful? I find several Warmage cantrips to be very useful. What purpose does a RP void cantrip have if not to be usefull? Why have them at all? The cantrips that dont further roleplay at all clearly ARE intended to be useful. There are only 2 ways about this - Roleplay or Mechanics. WoDS is clearly the latter.

As for being disappointed no matter what I chose. No, that would not be the case. A big cooldown on something fun but silly and for roleplay (looking at you Shaderald) isnt a downside at all. I cant imagine needing to announce my arrival to a room every 30 minutes, much less more frequent than that. Deceiving a backtrace is pretty niche for when its needed as well but certainly seems cool enough when you hunting a or hunted by a player. Furthermore, if the backtrace part of that is what you want to avoid your KNOW when/if you want to use it, reducing the need for a short cooldown. Even a Yes/No on your cantrip example for seeing hidden/invis can change your behavior in a potential pvp situation. Thats the only examples Ill bother to give here because I already feel sorry for ranting on my last post.

Niche but unique functions are different than prep cantrip get balance.

Theres nothing else like those. "Prep cantrip get balance" is downscaled-bob without a roundtime. It has no special function outside of the obvious intended one. And at its intended function, its not even qualified to be called a joke.

Yes I am jaded by my choice but no I don't think I am going to go HH yet. I need to see if I can find any reason whatsoever not to before I do because, as with my current situation, its a one way deal.

I don't feel that I approached the choice with the wrong reasons in mind. RP + Mechanics. Mostly former with a dash of the latter. Instead of choosing a grandslam for the former (I really like the idea of Shaderald, I think its a very amusing perk) I figured it would be a smarter choice to get a minor rp tool AND get a mechanics benefit that fit my playstyle. A little of both ends. What I got was just the minor rp tool and a rage-inducing disappointment. I didnt just up and choose on a whim. I thought long about it and weighed my choice as best I could.

I agree that joining a sect purely for mechanical reasons isn't smart. We totally agree. I chose this one purely because it was a split. I thought I was picking a dash of both. Not my favorite rp cantrip, not my favorite mechanics cantrip. I could've gone all one way or the other in making my choice. I thought trying to compromise on both was smarter.

But it wasn't.

Fortune's Path makes dice. I'm just sayin'.

(The one useful thing it was good for was outdated by lunar jewelry years later...)

-Raesh

"Ever notice that B.A.'s flavor text swells in direct proportion to how much one of our characters is getting screwed?" - Brian Van Hoose

@Raesh

Dice + anti-backtrace beats Cloak + nothing =P

Seriously, If I had to rank my personal favorite pure RP cantrips I would put dice right with Shaderald on the huge potential for personal amusement.

Ok then! We've graduated from conversation to you being intentionally obtuse. Frankly I don't need or desire your sympathy so you can take that and shove it. This post was largely to create awareness and express the way I see things in the light of learning the consequences of my choice. Since you graced my post with your responses I wanted to address what you brought up. That's what the forums are for, discussion.

Now for your examples.

Anti-locate = train stealth? How about anti-backtrace.
Quest item? Addressed already. Adding to it? Sects are available by virtue of guild alone. Some players have never been on a quest ever.
Garden's Vision Enchantment? A) Enchantment is getting an overhaul to who knows what but B) Very minor concession
Tangled Fate? Not available to anyone choosing to forgo sorcery for rp reasons and has mechanical downside (corruption) and I think we can at the least both agree that sects are very much an RP choice to make in addition to any other considerations.

Intersting things to point out about your cherry picked examples?
They have no permanent unrecoverable cost associated.
Spells can be forgotten.
Sigils and gems can be reobtained until the enchantment release changes everything.
Stealth isnt trained for anti-locate, its a free tack-on perk to training stealth.
My example is the least available effect? Bob is an unrestricted 3 second cooldown that creates balance AND generates fatigue gain available to any and every guild AND even the unguilded. NONE of your retorts are as universally available as bob. Not even stealth ranks. Not even close

Sects are permanent. Its a one time choice with no take-back. For someone who agreed that sects are also/mostly for roleplay you seem to be very focused on only the non-roleplay examples. Its not just about mechanics cantrips vs mechanics cantrips. A bad mechanics cantrip at the loss of a good RP one is STILL a loss.

Did I choose foolishly? Apparently so because one of cantrips I had hopes for IS useless. I weighed the merits of what the sects had to offer based on the information widely available + what moonmages I know to ask and made a choice. In the end, I made the wrong choice for me. I think I would be happier a Tezerite or a Peth or a Fortune's Path. Most likely a Tezerite though, because having a herald just seems so cool.

War mage cantrips... useful? Like, for not having to buy a lighter? Shaving? Removing lice?

Everything else is silly (but fun!) cosmetic effects. I really enjoy the war mage cantrips but they're a very different animal than the Moon Mage 'do a mechanical thing' variety.

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>Forgive my snark, but welcome to the life of a warrior mage.