Ok, so my moonie is to the point where it's time to start thinking about joining a sect and I need some help choosing. It's a big decision because it's one which is irreversible so I don't want to screw it up and have regrets later. After doing my own research about each group, I've narrowed it down to the Monks, Nomads, and Progeny. Those 3 seem to be the ones I'm most interested in.

My questions are, how did you pick yours? Are you happy with your decision and why? What resources did you use?

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-Nasty

>If I could do it over, in the fallen, I'd probably choose the heritage house.

If you're still playing that character, you can join Heritage House. They allow other sects to join.

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I thought to myself "what sect likes killing stuff?" so I chose the barbarian sect.

Think of your characters backstory, and most importantly, their personality. Don't join because of the moon waffles, join because the vibe of the sect.

For Kand, it was between the Nomads and the Gypsies. Nomads made the most sense.

We need more G'Nar Pethians. Be one of those.

-Coralin

<<I don't recall there being any actual bonus or negative to using a prediction tool that is "outside" your sect.>>

This is interesting. I had been told there was like a 20% bonus to using tools matching your sect. But I'm not experienced enough a moonie to know which is correct.

Kaxis

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>You tap a large jar with a stained label depicting a skull and crossbones.

>In the large jar you see some toad oil, some moda tongue oil, some dolomar oil, some moruryn oil, some westanuryn oil and some viper sac oil.

>You exclaim, "Collect all six!"

I spent over a year agonizing between Celestial Compact , Fortune's Path, and Nomads of the Arid Steppes. Distantly in fourth place was the Monks. The rest were right out, discarded with a moment's thought. Finally went with Celestial Compact.

Monks were pretty easy to cull, the only thing I really liked about them is their sect tool.

Factors favoring the Nomads were the fact that, well, they sounded the most primitive and shamanistic. My MM is a Prydaen. Aside from the shamanistic theme, didn't really have any other points favoring them. Don't like divination bones from a flavor standpoint, perhaps a drum and focused meditation would be better.

Between the Compact and the Gypsies was a harder choice. Gypsies have sect affinity for 2 of my favorite spells, and I like their cantrips. Also have the neatest sect tool. But I just don't see my mage as being the gambling wayward sort of gypsy.

The winner though, was Celestial Compact because my favorite tool are charts. That's just how I see predictions being done, by mathmatical calculations of the positions of the stars. Also a major fact was that Celestians have an affinity with "light based spells", and one of my favorite spells is Clarify Gem, which is going away, which is described as using light to fix defects in gems.

Ironically, I really don't use tools all that much in day to day training, except sapphire prisms.

My favorite tools, from a thematic point, are the charts, followed by the divination bowls (but couldn't stand RPing a Pethian), the prisms, and the cards.

Basically it was long hours of me thinking about "What do I feel is the most correct way to divine the future?" and "What does a precognitive seer look and act like?", and then I backed up with reading my other non-DR fantasy literature for my favorite seer characters. One book has a character who uses pools of water, one is about fantastical shamans who use parallel alternate timelines and basically "look for a future fairly close to this one to compare, since you can't look in the future of your own timeline without disturbing it", and so on.

Wouldn't say I'm happy with my choice, but I don't regret it either. It just is.

Lyzalian Farscribe

>>Actually an opinion cannot be changed or corrected. Nice try back of line.-VERATHOR
>>But it can be wrong.-Starlear

Just to clarify a few things about sects, unfortunately a lot of people misinterpret sect histories a lot.

>>I could go Nomad for the cryptic wise person who seems from a lost age...

Just saying, that if your going to go that route your a lot better off going G'nar Pethians. Don't even have to gouge your eyes out, thats not something the sect as a whole does in fact its actually looked down upon if its done without achieving enlightenment(I.E. 90% of the pethians were doing it wrong back in the day, for much lulz on my part). Ironically their also probably one of the best for TF too if you just want to shrug RP off.

>>the scholarly planner and deep thinker and investigator route for Compact.

For that matter this falls under Pethians as well, though its shared among several different sects.

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>>I was always a big fan of the Progeny; it's what my Prime MM was. Aside from really liking the lore and shadowy rebellious feel of the sect, the abilities are also very useful, both for utility and RP. Silent, stunless teleport, improved moonblade, and a fun little herald.

You'd be doing the Progeny a great disservice if you decided to play them as rebellious. They are the least rebellious of the sects. They hold some of the greatest political power within the moon mage guild. Rivalling that of the compact. Yet while the compact has several seats the Progeny only has one seat and it has all that much power. This seat is also uncontested. It belongs to the Crowthers and the next person who takes it will be another Crowther. There is no descent, to all but those who speculate on the skeletons in the closet they are the upmost and upright Citizens of a province. Untold amount of money is spent renovating and maintaining Ilithi's beauty by the sect.

The Progeny doesn't stick it to the man, The Progeny is the man, or at least the one pulling his strings.

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>>2. S'kra from an old family of moonmages & bards from Leth Deriel. Fancies himself a bone-dancer. Nomad of course.

No one fancies themselves a bonedancer, if you do, your doing it extremely wrong. Bonedancers aren't moon mages, they can't be moon mages. They are completely cut off from the plane of probability, corrupted beyond reason, and utterly insane. If you want to fancy yourself a bonedancer go rollup a necromancer you'll be closer to home.

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>>In short, my choice was mostly RP driven, but with a small eye toward cantrips that appealed to me. Also, being unsected for so long taught me that you really won't suffer from not choosing, or choosing one and using the tool of another (although this might be worse than if you're an unsected using the wrong tool). I can say that my training tools get driven into a very poor state, but the tools I keep for important predictions are easy enough to keep in good condition. And no matter what I seem to get very good predictions, on the whole.

>>Finally, this reminds me. I wonder if spell affinities will change with X3.0? Or... if anything else will change for sects?

Yep, doesn't really matter what sect your in. While they have choices its all relevant to how you want to play your character. Unfortunately a great deal of people don't RP their sects right and teach others not to do it right. This isn't so much the case anymore but it was how things were many years ago.

As far as sect affinities the only one that might get changed is Tezirah's Veil, but as far as I know theres no plan to change any of the affinities.

_______________________
It is impossible to strive for the heroic life. The title of hero is bestowed by the survivors upon the fallen, who themselves know nothing of heroism.
-Johan Huizinga

>>Or... if anything else will change for sects?

Theoretically Sects are due for a rewrite at some point (Though how much of that will be cosmetic vs backend remains to be seen) but it's by no means a 3.0 project. It's just something I'd like to do with the foundation that Bardic Heritages are going to be based on (Since that's a core system other guilds can tie into).

-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

>>dependent upon whether you follow the teachings of the first Kir or the second... or whether they were the same...


>>And who says you can't play an insane moonmage character? <G> Kssarh does it quite well...and he's of the compact. :-)


You fail Nomad history, Teachings of the First Kir are Skin Dancers, Teaching of the Second are bone dancers.
_______________________
It is impossible to strive for the heroic life. The title of hero is bestowed by the survivors upon the fallen, who themselves know nothing of heroism.
-Johan Huizinga

<<Bonedancers aren't moon mages, they can't be moon mages. They are completely cut off from the plane of probability, corrupted beyond reason>>


Actually, this is incorrect according to Armifer. He posted as follows <I can't find it in the forums, but its in Elanthepedia under Bonedancers and Boneelves> ... all hail elanthipedia...




>>I am at least pleased to see that you're discussing the Tribe as a faction of the Nomad Sect, rather than as an extension of the [fabled/hypothetical] Necromancers Guild (as I have often dreaded would happen).

Oooh, yes, that I can be clear on.

The Bonedancers are a part of the Nomads of the Arid Steppe's lore. Calling them Necromancers just because they have a corpse fetish is sort of like calling the Sophisters Warrior Mages just because they like kung-fu.

On the flip side, I'll put a strong emphasis that the true Bonedancers are not Necromancers, and will not have access to anything in that "sphere." They don't raise corpses or have a special knack for Necromancy. They are Moon Mages.


<<as I firmly believe that upstanding citizens have the inalienable right to strike down musicians whenever possible.>>

>> You'd be doing the Progeny a great disservice if you decided to play them as rebellious. They are the least rebellious of the sects.

I guess I should clarify. I played my Prime MM during the Mirror Wraith Prophecy events, and Tezirah wasn't exactly everyone's favorite person during those times. That's where I was coming from with that statement. You are correct, they are very political and high society.

>>Theoretically Sects are due for a rewrite at some point (Though how much of that will be cosmetic vs backend remains to be seen) but it's by no means a 3.0 project.

Neat. Is there going to be a sect wipe at that time? Because if not I may irrationally hold on to my unsected status.

>>It's just something I'd like to do with the foundation that Bardic Heritages are going to be based on (Since that's a core system other guilds can tie into).

Awesome. From what I've read about the Heritages, it seems like a great system to use for sects.


-- Player of Eyuve

FAR too early to say at this point.

That'll likely depend on to what degree they change. If you ask me today (And you are) I'd say the most likely answer would be a one time chance to change to any other sect -- but if down the road we decide otherwise and this quote comes back to haunt me I swear, you'll wish it was only Kssarh after you.

-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

I read the elanthipedia page a little more closely and found these two bits

>> Furthermore there is a roughly 10% penalty to power beyond this for use of a tool from a sect other then your own. Neither of these penalties influence duration, polarity, or accuracy

and

>> In general being of the proper sect and having high astrology (And perhaps other skills) will increase the odds of bonding being beneficial

I think it's a really bad idea to choose a sect based on any perceived or real mechanical edge. I play a monk and have absolutely no problem using capped bones and a tokka deck as my primary prediction tools. Raesh put out a fest shop recently with insanely awesome prediction tools of all types so capped player-made bones aren't the absolute only option for top level prediction work. Not to mention that kind of stuff changes, a lot.

The sect identities aren't quite as narrow as you first think when considering stereotypes either. Read up on some of the major figures in each of them, that helped fill in some depth for me. For what it's worth, I think a Bone Dancer is totally viable. But that also comes from someone who has played his monk through an arc that currently has the monk pretty much disowned by the sect.

No one says you have to be a respected conforming member of your said sect.

>>Also, can you comment on why bones are the only tool that can turn a negative prediction positive?

>>> They aren't.

Does anyone know which other prediction tools can change a bad prediction to good? I've pretty much just using bones because of that utility. I know mirrors don't and I'm not sure on Tokka Decks.

<<Does anyone know which other prediction tools can change a bad prediction to good? I've pretty much just using bones because of that utility. I know mirrors don't and I'm not sure on Tokka Decks.>>

I'm interested in that too. I thought that bones were the only tool that had an extra modifier allowing for a turned prediction based on pool size (the "your knowledge of the heavens" message). We might be talking about different things too - all tools might have a chance for turning a bad prediction to good based on bonding, but only bones has the pool size thing.

>Does anyone know which other prediction tools can change a bad prediction to good?

Bowls I know do. E-pedia even lists the messaging difference.

Lyzalian

>>Actually an opinion cannot be changed or corrected. Nice try back of line.-VERATHOR
>>But it can be wrong.-Starlear

>>Does anyone know which other prediction tools can change a bad prediction to good?

All. The messaging for some of the tools... leaves something to be desired.

In the vast majority of cases all* tools act essentially the same under the hood. I tell you this because the messaging really doesn't reflect it, and I rather people feel free to use what tool fits their RP vs avoiding a tool they would otherwise use because they feel it is mechanically "inferior" to others.

*Bones are... special and really do not act like the other tools in many ways. I'm at a loss to adequately explain why it was set up this way.

-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