The following change should be considered experimental. I am not 100% certain I want to keep it, but I want to at least try it out to get opinions. Your constructive feedback is appreciated.

The following rituals have had their messaging changed: Preserve, Consume, Harvest, Arise, Dissection, and Cut.

In most cases there are actual changes to the prose, to be a bit less generic in tone. The two big changes, however, are:

1) 3rd person messaging is much more obvious, describing the sort of desecration you're doing to the corpse.
2) If you have Obfuscation up, no 3rd person messaging occurs at all.

Further notes:

A) Consume's 2nd person messaging is not blocked by Obfuscation. If you Consume a PC, the victim will always be messaged.
B) Failing a dissection, due to the nature of the messaging, has no 3rd person messaging even without Obfuscation.

This is live in Prime and Platinum for now, Fallen to follow if we decide to keep it.

-Armifer
"Perinthia's astronomers are faced with a difficult choice. Either they must admit that all their calculations were wrong ... or else they must reveal that the order of the gods is reflected exactly in the city of monsters." - Italo Calvino

>>2) If you have Obfuscation up, no 3rd person messaging occurs at all.

this sounds cool. I like the experiment and look forward to testing it.

---

Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.

No, only dissection, because of the nature of the failure message.

-Armifer
"Perinthia's astronomers are faced with a difficult choice. Either they must admit that all their calculations were wrong ... or else they must reveal that the order of the gods is reflected exactly in the city of monsters." - Italo Calvino

Being able to dissect PCs would be really cool. Just for flavor purposes.

You know what else would be cool? Being able to use Preserve on flowers. :V

---

Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com

Agreed, the new messaging is amazing. Even the third person stuff is appropriately badass.

---

Thayet
Twitter: @thayelf
Tumblr: thayette.tumblr.com

>>I thought about it, but I don't want you to so easily and quickly produce the magnitude of wounds someone would get if you were literally opening up their chest cavity and then slicing open their extremities. With critters I can abstract that into a botched skin, but for PCs I'd feel compelled to actually apply damage.

Not to possibly ruin a good thing (good being subjective...), but doesn't devour already does this and then some?

---

Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.

>>Devour actually does something worth the impact and is multi-step so can be avoided by a perceptive player by departing? Dissect doesn't take any preparation at all, so it's instant wounds.

Ehhh... I don't know if "depart in under 10 seconds (or fewer) to avoid this" is that big a difference.

---

Uzmam! The Chairman will NOT be pleased to know you're trying to build outside of approved zones. I'd hate for you to be charged the taxes needed to have this place re-zoned. Head for the manor if you're feeling creative.

On the flip side, I've always wanted to be able to douse necro corpses with naphtha. Seems like that would be fair.

---

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

>> Not to possibly ruin a good thing (good being subjective...), but doesn't devour already does this and then some?

Funny that you bring this up...



Necromancer kneels over your corpse to make a few quick, precise cuts with his ritual knife. He looks pleased, afterwards.
DEAD>

DEAD>
Necromancer reveals himself.
Necromancer gestures.
Moderate streams of viridian and copper leap from Necromancers's outstretched hand, coalescing around your body and forming a pulsing link between you. The streams flare a sanguine red, devouring your corpse as Necromancers's body mends.
"Burn him! Burn him!" You hear the cries echo around you as everyone in the vicinity immediately gives Necromancer a wide berth!

DEAD>
Necromancer says, "Delicious."
DEAD>
Your external left arm and left hand wounds feel better.
Your internal left arm and left hand wounds feel better.
Your external head, neck, right arm, right leg, left leg, right hand, chest, abdomen, back, right eye, left eye and skin wounds feel fully healed.
Your internal head, neck, right arm, right leg, left leg, right hand, chest, abdomen, back, right eye, left eye and skin wounds feel fully healed.
Your external head, neck, right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, right hand, left hand, chest, abdomen, back, right eye, left eye and skin scars feel fully healed.
Your internal head, neck, right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, right hand, left hand, chest, abdomen, back, right eye, left eye and skin scars feel fully healed.

Healer drops to her knees swooning from some incredible pain.

DEAD>
Healer's cambrinth orb falls to the ground.

You feel slightly disoriented as Healer breaks the link with you.
DEAD>

DEAD>
You say, "Haha... what."
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Heal spell.
DEAD> health
You are a ghost! You must wait until someone resurrects you, or you decay. Either way, it won't be long now! (HELP for more details).
DEAD>
Person exclaims, "Oh he ate him!"
DEAD>
Healer exclaims, "Ho! Trying to kill me!"
DEAD>
You ask, "Did he just devour me?"
DEAD>
Affecting a slight whine, Healer emit a string of low, mumbled meows that sound a lot like a list of complaints.
DEAD>
DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare with a brilliant silver glow as his attention focuses on something you cannot see.
DEAD>
Cleric gestures at you.
A warmth surrounds you briefly as the tatters of fog that shroud your memory part somewhat.
DEAD>
Cleric says, "Hang on."
DEAD>
Healer gestures.
DEAD>

DEAD>
Healer wobbles, looking a bit faint.
DEAD> l
[Northeast Wilds, Grimsage Way]
An enormous tower of grey marble rises imposingly from the ground, its stones fitted so closely that it appears to be one seamless spear of earth. The top of the tower gleams brightly, the light reflecting from the panes of a skylight set into the roof. A set of gleaming ebonwood doors inlaid with gold lead into the tower.
You also see a crystal-dusted cambrinth orb etched with the sleek image of a jackal on the prowl, a basilisk head arrow, a basilisk head arrow, an opened Munchausen's grave, a small sack, a pile of rocks, a divine charm, a small sack, some jackal-pelt leather, a tumbled river rock, an osage stick, a cypress stick, some braided vines and a firewood bin.
Also here:

Obvious paths: south.
DEAD> health
You are a ghost! You must wait until someone resurrects you, or you decay. Either way, it won't be long now! (HELP for more details).
DEAD>
Cleric works carefully at tending your wounded left hand.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Heal spell.
DEAD>
DEAD>

Cleric gestures at you.
A shaft of pure white light pools in Cleric's hands and streaks out toward you. An intense tingling washes through you as his spirit intertwines with yourself.
DEAD>
Munchausen slings a fur-lined doeskin satchel over his shoulder.
DEAD>
You say, "Cambrinth orb on the ground...."
DEAD> l
[Northeast Wilds, Grimsage Way]
An enormous tower of grey marble rises imposingly from the ground, its stones fitted so closely that it appears to be one seamless spear of earth. The top of the tower gleams brightly, the light reflecting from the panes of a skylight set into the roof. A set of gleaming ebonwood doors inlaid with gold lead into the tower.
You also see a crystal-dusted cambrinth orb etched with the sleek image of a jackal on the prowl, a basilisk head arrow, a basilisk head arrow, an opened Munchausen's grave, a small sack, a pile of rocks, a divine charm, a small sack, some jackal-pelt leather, a tumbled river rock, an osage stick, a cypress stick, some braided vines and a firewood bin.
Also here:
Obvious paths: south.
DEAD> say err
You say, "Err."
DEAD>
Cleric picks up a crystal-dusted cambrinth orb etched with the sleek image of a jackal on the prowl.

DEAD>
Healer says, "Mine..."
DEAD>

DEAD>

Cleric offers Healer a crystal-dusted cambrinth orb etched with the sleek image of a jackal on the prowl.
DEAD>
Healer says, "Wait."
DEAD>
Healer gestures.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
With a wave of Healer's hand, she looks a little better.
DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare briefly and the blue-white hue intensifies.
You feel pangs of despair as Cleric's gaze slides over you, seemingly without registering your presence.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
DEAD>
With a wave of Healer's hand, she looks a little better.
DEAD>
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
With a wave of Healer's hand, she looks a little better.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
With a wave of Healer's hand, she looks a little better.
DEAD> l
[Northeast Wilds, Grimsage Way]
An enormous tower of grey marble rises imposingly from the ground, its stones fitted so closely that it appears to be one seamless spear of earth. The top of the tower gleams brightly, the light reflecting from the panes of a skylight set into the roof. A set of gleaming ebonwood doors inlaid with gold lead into the tower.
You also see a small cambrinth orb, a basilisk head arrow, a basilisk head arrow, an opened Munchausen's grave, a small sack, a pile of rocks, a divine charm, a small sack, some jackal-pelt leather, a tumbled river rock, some braided vines and a firewood bin.
Also here:
Obvious paths: south.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare briefly and the blue-white hue intensifies.
You feel pangs of despair as Cleric's gaze slides over you, seemingly without registering your presence.
DEAD>
Healer assumes a tense stance, concentrating on something.
You're able to decipher telltale signs of the Vitality Healing spell.
DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare briefly and the blue-white hue intensifies.
You feel pangs of despair as Cleric's gaze slides over you, seemingly without registering your presence.
DEAD>
Healer accepts Cleric's cambrinth orb.
DEAD>
You notice as a grey panther slinks into the area.

The grey panther begins to watch the goings on carefully.

DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare briefly and the blue-white hue intensifies.
You feel pangs of despair as Cleric's gaze slides over you, seemingly without registering your presence.
DEAD>
Cleric's eyes flare briefly and the blue-white hue intensifies.
You feel pangs of despair as Cleric's gaze slides over you, seemingly without registering your presence.
DEAD>
Healer mumbles something unprintable.
DEAD>
Healer falls down!
Healer's in shock and dying!

DEAD>
* Healer is slain before your eyes!
Healer's cambrinth orb falls to the ground.

>> I'm not quite sure what you just posted - the healer was working on your corpse, but a Necromancer DEVOURed before the healing pulse went through, so the Empath got a max wounds in all locations heal, but didn't die for a little while?

Yup! If you notice the Empath spamming heal vitality near the end of his life. Basically a new way to kill empaths! GO FORTH MINIONS!!