>>Good to know! Without giving numbers, can you say if the align generates more charge than the opposed consumes? Or are they even? Or does the opposed consume more charge than aligned generates?

They're even.

-Armifer
"In our days truth is taken to result from the effacing of the living man behind the mathematical structures that think themselves out in him, rather than he be thinking them." - Emmanuel Levinas

Earth Sense was not +Perception. It was a multi room search at your base perception and then a lingering MO buff that faded when you moved.

Old AEG either created a held or armworn shield with amazing protection at many times the weight and hindrance of comparable shields, and gave a buff to shield skill or augmented the shield protection of the user of an existing shield if it was made of metal and would add a slow level of self repair. New AEG is +STR +STAM +Shield without needing to jump through hoops.

- Starlear

Yeah overall I feel the guild is in a good place. Yes there's a few things I would like us to have, and Summoning needs the fleshing out, but our spell toolbox is quite good and versatile, and we have some of the best buff spells around. Other guilds have good buffs too, but WMs have one of the most complete suites as spells go. Deep toolbox with the right tool for the job most of the time.

The only issue I have with this it sometimes lends a Jack of all and master of none feel. I realize that "feel" is a nebulous thing...but the only thing we seem to be undisputed masters of is AoE and cyclic TM which are situationally good niches, but I do wish we had at least one awesomely coveted single target spell also (like how old Lash felt. Only not overpowered). Maybe something that lit someone on fire?. That is only a minor complaint though.

- Starlear

>In other words, no.

To be entirely honest, I'm not sure what you're doing that this is such a big problem for you. I gave a real example of how I can use pathways while casting opposing spells. It trains the skill effectively, and I almost never hit the "you're out of charge" thing. Can you explain the situation where you're casting just opposing spells so much it tanks your charge? The only thing I can think of is if you can't find a spell that trains a skill in a certain range. But if you're training magics, you're probably not hanging out in dangerous situations, and can recharge with Summon Admittance before you go do something dangerous.

>It's just that the WM only skill does nothing.
>that was ostensibly created to merge two independent systems: pathways and familiars

I don't believe this was the goal of the skill. The skill became a thing because their was a decision that every guild must have a guild only skill. Warrior Mages were lucky enough to have some systems that could be put under that skill so they could begin training it. Pathways and Familiars are not the end all be all of the skill.

So let's take this conversation in a different direction... What would you LIKE the Summoning skill to do?

Javac
JGM - Crafting Team

If you have questions or comments in regard to this post please email me at DR-JAVAC@play.net or Message Board Supervisor Annwyl at DR-Annwyl@play.net.

As a player, Barrage annoyed me. It was an inferior ability with ridiculous requirements to get off. Though as a GM I can understand why it was so limited. Offering a more powerful ability would have led to it becoming the Omni ability that everyone always used because it was best.

Still, managing to get it off in a close PvP match only to have it contribute to my losing (because a CL cast quicker and with less mana would have been 5x as effective) sent me into a rage.

On the maneuver side, brainstorming here...

Fire combat maneuver = bonus fire damage + fire damage over time (more useful on bosses and in PvP)
Water combat maneuver = bonus cold damage + forced RT on target from being frozen momentarily
Earth combat maneuver = bonus impact damage + forced knockdown and thrown to pole or missile range
Electric combat maneuver = bonus electric damage + partial paralysis for 5-10 seconds (heals when expires)
Aether combat maneuver = recharge mana instead of doing damage

These abilities would sap a good amount of your pool, and have a cooldown to prevent spamming/abuse.

At some point I'd like to see all Guilds have a couple special maneuvers tied into their Guild-only skill. But nothing has been proposed yet.

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"I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts."
- Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes

Also, while I like the concept of Barrage, I think I would like it better if it was a pathway that you just turned on and it had a chance to deal bonus damage every time you dealt elemental damage.

Like, you cast fireball, and the way you're shaping the aether causes echoes from the impact of the fireball to reach the plane of fire, and a burst of flame tears itself out of the air and also hits the same location.

Think new MoA, but without a need to cast on targets (If you have Barrage running, this just happens to anything you do elemental damage to...I'd say it should have a charge cost to activate, and rather than just having a charge cost over time, a charge cost each time it deals damage, and it just falls after X amount of damage instances and has a cooldown). It would stack with MoA, making MoA still useful.

Alternately, existing Barrage's weapon strike using your TM skill instead of your weapon skill would be sweet as a nice one-time nuke.

I absolutely agree that Barrage is clunky and not really worth using except for show, I only meant that the concept of it (Spell-swordery!) is basically exactly what I picture in my head when I think of WM's.

- Starlear

>So let's take this conversation in a different direction... What would you LIKE the Summoning skill to do?

If we're confined to the existing system, I would suggest Summoning be learned when a familiar helps the mage during spell casting. This feature is only available to fir familiars when a mage casts the appropriate element but should be scaled down and expanded to all familiar types. The Summoning skill should allow the War Mage to engrave sigils on talismans that endow the familiar that increasing magical prowess of the War Mage (e.g. decreased backfire of TM spells,chance to absorb damage from backfires, and perform some pathway functions such as TM bonus and accuracy). Furthermore, higher ranks of Summoning should provide "soft" benefits such as extending the range of a familiars locate, making less likely to be scared by raccoons or shadowlings, vastly increased travel times, and changing the demeanor of fir and non-fir familiars to pettable and non-pettable(if the mage chooses, of course), respectively. High levels of Summoning should provide "hard" benefits such as allowing a mage to summon and control a familiar while dead to seek help, increase chance to drag while stunned, allow the familiar to perform non-lethal maneuvers in combat that affect balance and/or cause small roundtimes depending on the animal, and the ability to dismiss another Warrior Mage's familiar.

If we can make new things, do you remember the messaging of the Mark of Arhat spell? I'd basically allow the mage to summon elementals in lieu of familiars that would be short-to-medium duration pets with a long timer that cast spells. These would be the higher past fir familiar. I'd start with War Mages being able to summon minor elementals that eventually mature into more powerful elementals based on the Summoning skill. Unlike familiars, elementals would not be involved utility such as locating or talking but as an ally on the battlefield. I would also add a spell that increases a War Mage's Summoning skill though what spell would be called, I have no idea.

TL;DR version: short-term: hunting with your familiar teaches Summoning skill when casting spells, roll the TM bonus and accuracy pathways into familiar abilities that occur passively when a mage has one Summoned. Long-term: allow mages to summon elementals (short duration pets that fight) as well as familiars (that perform utility

>'For ages 44 to 71'

What is this supposed to mean? I was asked to provide improvements to the Summoning skill, I did so. If you have something substantive to say, say it, there's no need to hide behind one-liners.

>Thank God for 1 liners. I'd be vulnerable without them. This is what I thank jesus for on this easter.

>Also that wasn't directed at you (although your tone has been a bit impetuous - notice I didn't say 'For ages 5+'), it was referring to the level of game complexity. It's my peave.

Thanks for the clarification.

>What is this supposed to mean? I was asked to provide improvements to the Summoning skill, I did so. If you have something substantive to say, say it, there's no need to hide behind one-liners.

Feel free to ignore Ragran. The only, and I do mean only, thing he does is drop nonsensical comments. He never adds, he never helps, he just drops more chaos, and not in a fun, joking, way, but in a 'in this thread about armor he decides to post the full contents of page 400 of Julia Roberts third cookbook'.

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I'm a badger, I be badgerin'