I'm sure this has been suggested before, but any chance we could get an item that is worn and holds a talisman, to make interacting with familiars a little less clunky? Something like a neck worn chain that we can attach a talisman to, functioning something like worn cambrinth - messaging to the room that we reach up and touch the talisman on use of the tell familiar command. The current restrictions on actually interacting with the familiar make it feel more like a party trick than a useful, integral part of the class.
ERNESTJ3
ROBERTDH
Re: Wearable talismans
03/28/2013 01:06 PM CDT
I have a vague memory about their being some code obstacles to wearable talismans, though it's a longtime dream.
It's a little hard to go so far as calling familiars a 'party trick.' No, it's not an integral part of the class -- but they never have been. I still wouldn't give one up, telepresence is awesome.
It's a little hard to go so far as calling familiars a 'party trick.' No, it's not an integral part of the class -- but they never have been. I still wouldn't give one up, telepresence is awesome.
BIRDO
Re: Wearable talismans
03/28/2013 03:11 PM CDT
>>I'm sure this has been suggested before, but any chance we could get an item that is worn and holds a talisman, to make interacting with familiars a little less clunky?
A thousands times yes. I've been hoping for something like that for years.
A thousands times yes. I've been hoping for something like that for years.
PSYBORG
Re: Wearable talismans
03/28/2013 07:54 PM CDT
I will never understand why war mages downplay the usefulness of their familiars...you get several MM spells at zero spell slot cost.
Locate
Thoughtcast (yours is better...zero mana...however your limitation is the time it takes to "hop between people")
Distant Gaze/Shadewatch Mirror (yours is better...you can move both ends at once)
Contingency (without limitation of moons)
Bonus:
You can send items to people
Different familiars boost magic abilities based on the element they are attune to
Really, I would kill to have that many spells at zero spell slot cost, all I have to do is "pull out this talisman"
Locate
Thoughtcast (yours is better...zero mana...however your limitation is the time it takes to "hop between people")
Distant Gaze/Shadewatch Mirror (yours is better...you can move both ends at once)
Contingency (without limitation of moons)
Bonus:
You can send items to people
Different familiars boost magic abilities based on the element they are attune to
Really, I would kill to have that many spells at zero spell slot cost, all I have to do is "pull out this talisman"
DANFORDS2
Re: Wearable talismans
03/28/2013 08:43 PM CDT
>why war mages downplay the usefulness of their familiars
Because people don't ask us to use them, anymore. It used to be a great way to meet others and start up some RP. Now people ask for a Moon Mage, because Locate is faster. The utility has gotten a little stale because it hasn't changed at all in a long time and is now reduced to having your Fir familiar out while you hunt.
That's not to say all those things aren't useful in their occasional niche, but waiting anywhere from 2-20 minutes to figure out where someone is, and gain the benefit of all those spells (assuming your target isn't moving and wants to be talked to or watched) isn't that great.
Elemental Lord Opieus, Master Warrior Mage of Elanthia
"For a bunch of radical empiricists, the Philosophers' system relies on a whole lot of faith." ~Armifer
Because people don't ask us to use them, anymore. It used to be a great way to meet others and start up some RP. Now people ask for a Moon Mage, because Locate is faster. The utility has gotten a little stale because it hasn't changed at all in a long time and is now reduced to having your Fir familiar out while you hunt.
That's not to say all those things aren't useful in their occasional niche, but waiting anywhere from 2-20 minutes to figure out where someone is, and gain the benefit of all those spells (assuming your target isn't moving and wants to be talked to or watched) isn't that great.
Elemental Lord Opieus, Master Warrior Mage of Elanthia
"For a bunch of radical empiricists, the Philosophers' system relies on a whole lot of faith." ~Armifer
ROBERTDH
Re: Wearable talismans
03/29/2013 02:12 AM CDT
>Really, I would kill to have that many spells at zero spell slot cost, all I have to do is "pull out this talisman"
It's actually a little more onerous in 3.0 - the higher fams eat a significant chunk of attunement. I suppose it gives some longer utility to smaller fams, the only real perk of them previously was the ability to eat foraged stuff (not as useful since kicking piles was introduced) and the lower concentration hits for executing familiar commands.
'you can't make the link that quickly' is super annoying, though. Occasionally I sent my familiar through town to pick up something I stupidly forgot but don't actually care about losing enough to go after it myself, and man do they walk glacially because of the familiar command throttle.
Combat dragging and spell easing are both a little less useful in the 3.0 environment.
Still amazing, in my opinion, but it has been essentially the same system since I started playing (minus most fam kills, +fir fams), and moon mages are on their third or fourth version of Thoughtcast?
Wheeeere is that Aether wolf? The great ranger wolf embargo ended years ago.
It's actually a little more onerous in 3.0 - the higher fams eat a significant chunk of attunement. I suppose it gives some longer utility to smaller fams, the only real perk of them previously was the ability to eat foraged stuff (not as useful since kicking piles was introduced) and the lower concentration hits for executing familiar commands.
'you can't make the link that quickly' is super annoying, though. Occasionally I sent my familiar through town to pick up something I stupidly forgot but don't actually care about losing enough to go after it myself, and man do they walk glacially because of the familiar command throttle.
Combat dragging and spell easing are both a little less useful in the 3.0 environment.
Still amazing, in my opinion, but it has been essentially the same system since I started playing (minus most fam kills, +fir fams), and moon mages are on their third or fourth version of Thoughtcast?
Wheeeere is that Aether wolf? The great ranger wolf embargo ended years ago.
CLEARLEAF
Re: Wearable talismans
03/29/2013 07:08 PM CDT
>>Really, I would kill to have that many spells at zero spell slot cost, all I have to do is "pull out this talisman"
It's actually a little more onerous in 3.0 - the higher fams eat a significant chunk of attunement.
Yea, after I read that post I decided to sit down and try to gain enough attunement through just casting spells to summon my fir familiar and it was something around 5-10 minutes of casting gar zeng, chain lightning and arc light over and over before I could summon my lynx. At 360ish summoning. So...not exactly 'pull out this talisman' anymore.
Admittedly, doing summon admittance for a minute or two probably would be enough to gain that much attunement, but still...
It's actually a little more onerous in 3.0 - the higher fams eat a significant chunk of attunement.
Yea, after I read that post I decided to sit down and try to gain enough attunement through just casting spells to summon my fir familiar and it was something around 5-10 minutes of casting gar zeng, chain lightning and arc light over and over before I could summon my lynx. At 360ish summoning. So...not exactly 'pull out this talisman' anymore.
Admittedly, doing summon admittance for a minute or two probably would be enough to gain that much attunement, but still...
ELRIIC
Re: Wearable talismans
03/29/2013 08:31 PM CDT
I don't see how someone asking for a wearable talisman should translate into "Be happy with what you have because our way is harder"... I'm sure there are a dozens ways to make Moon mage spells better.. But this is the Warrior Mage suggestion folder.
I'd also like to see wearable talismans. Our familiars have historically received very little love at all.
<<"earning too little skinning experience for a day or so isn't nearly as bad as having a spell that breaks your wings."
ERNESTJ3
Re: Wearable talismans
03/30/2013 07:50 AM CDT
I think that our familiars are a very cool, very powerful RP tool, it's just that they're so hard to interact with on the fly, or in a smooth, seamless manner.
ENOTS
Re: Wearable talismans
03/30/2013 12:51 PM CDT
I have enjoyed role-playing an argument with my familiar- before threatening to feed it to a critter! ;)
Player of..
Sometimes the key to happiness is not assuming it is locked in the first place- Ziggy
A journey of a thousand SMILES begins with a single step- Ziggy
Player of..
Sometimes the key to happiness is not assuming it is locked in the first place- Ziggy
A journey of a thousand SMILES begins with a single step- Ziggy
CATHULU
Re: Wearable talismans
04/22/2013 08:35 AM CDT
>I will never understand why war mages downplay the usefulness of their familiars...you get several MM spells at zero spell slot cost.
Locate
Thoughtcast (yours is better...zero mana...however your limitation is the time it takes to "hop between people")
Distant Gaze/Shadewatch Mirror (yours is better...you can move both ends at once)
Contingency (without limitation of moons)
Because they are not even close to the same thing?
Locate : can't locate anyone hiding or inviso. It also takes a long time for the familiar to actually find said person.
DG : see above
Contingency. Lol really? Getting dragged to an adjacent room isn't even in the same league of being able to teleport to a different province.
Are Familiars useful, sure. Is it a ability that defines the guild? not even close.
- Erixx
Locate
Thoughtcast (yours is better...zero mana...however your limitation is the time it takes to "hop between people")
Distant Gaze/Shadewatch Mirror (yours is better...you can move both ends at once)
Contingency (without limitation of moons)
Because they are not even close to the same thing?
Locate : can't locate anyone hiding or inviso. It also takes a long time for the familiar to actually find said person.
DG : see above
Contingency. Lol really? Getting dragged to an adjacent room isn't even in the same league of being able to teleport to a different province.
Are Familiars useful, sure. Is it a ability that defines the guild? not even close.
- Erixx
