Dear All,
This is a heads-up that some requirements of the guild will be undergoing some slight changes. Most of these affect older level clerics and basically just gives them more freedom to chose how they will spend their study time. Evasion will be a more important skill for beginnners to practice, but by generally looking at the lessons most of you have learned, I don't think it will be much of an imposition or even anything you will notice.
Also, I see I gave an incorrect address to reach me, for those prayers, that should read
DR-Alnilam@play.net.
Thanks all, for the input and suggestions.
Regards,
Alnilam
DR-ALNILAM
DR-ALNILAM
Little Changes
07/20/1998 06:16 PM CDT
A few quick notes on some minor changes today:
(some of these items also appear in news 17)
1. Perceive can now be used to see favors on a dead body. Appraise is also still in place, and hopefully soon we will have some corrections to the wildly long roundtimes some of you may have experienced. I learned at simucon this was unintentional, so hopefully the time it takes to appraise for favors of a living person will be more reasonable.
2. Perceive will also tell you if a dead body has been raised favorless before (starting today it will keep count, obviously there is no way to tell the history before this change.)
3. Spirit heal is now self-castable, but you will not get experience for it.
4. Many shrine areas (especially devotional areas/altars) should not be open to frantic familiars mindlessly seeking "cleric help". Likewise, areas santified with Meraud's commune should also keep familiars away. Please let me know if this does not work as intended or if there are specific areas you would Like or prefer to have accessible to familiars.
5. Protection from Evil will now help protect from the spells that undead and creatures like the adan'f cast. The protection of the spell can be boosted (for clerics) if your devotion is strong. I hope to have this expanded to physical attacks as well soon (from those creatures that you can harm with Harm Evil).
(Actually we are still testing creatures to see what they are casting, so it's possible not ALL spells are currently set up for this. Don't have a fit just yet if you find one that doesn't seem to be doing anything, just yet.)
6. Sluaghs have returned to the Zaulfung area, and although the spiny dyrachnis are still there, there should be quite a reduction of the number of those nasty creatures. Please let me know how this works out.
7. Devotion has been slightly restructured. In that restructuring you may notice that it is slightly less costly to consecrate ground, but you still won't get a lot of them. The intention is to try to find a balance that normal activites in a day should provide you with enough devotion to function smoothly in a normal day.
Please post any problems you experience with these changes, and/or use BUG.
Thanks all!
Alnilam
(some of these items also appear in news 17)
1. Perceive can now be used to see favors on a dead body. Appraise is also still in place, and hopefully soon we will have some corrections to the wildly long roundtimes some of you may have experienced. I learned at simucon this was unintentional, so hopefully the time it takes to appraise for favors of a living person will be more reasonable.
2. Perceive will also tell you if a dead body has been raised favorless before (starting today it will keep count, obviously there is no way to tell the history before this change.)
3. Spirit heal is now self-castable, but you will not get experience for it.
4. Many shrine areas (especially devotional areas/altars) should not be open to frantic familiars mindlessly seeking "cleric help". Likewise, areas santified with Meraud's commune should also keep familiars away. Please let me know if this does not work as intended or if there are specific areas you would Like or prefer to have accessible to familiars.
5. Protection from Evil will now help protect from the spells that undead and creatures like the adan'f cast. The protection of the spell can be boosted (for clerics) if your devotion is strong. I hope to have this expanded to physical attacks as well soon (from those creatures that you can harm with Harm Evil).
(Actually we are still testing creatures to see what they are casting, so it's possible not ALL spells are currently set up for this. Don't have a fit just yet if you find one that doesn't seem to be doing anything, just yet.)
6. Sluaghs have returned to the Zaulfung area, and although the spiny dyrachnis are still there, there should be quite a reduction of the number of those nasty creatures. Please let me know how this works out.
7. Devotion has been slightly restructured. In that restructuring you may notice that it is slightly less costly to consecrate ground, but you still won't get a lot of them. The intention is to try to find a balance that normal activites in a day should provide you with enough devotion to function smoothly in a normal day.
Please post any problems you experience with these changes, and/or use BUG.
Thanks all!
Alnilam
DR-ALNILAM
Re: Little Changes
07/20/1998 07:59 PM CDT
<<<I hope this includes the soul drain of the snare hafwa thingies and the fear the bonies put out.>>>
Yes it does. :)
However the hafwas are really nasty and a young cleric, even with pfe, is not going to do too well. An older player however, could be safe from those attacks with pfe, whereas without, would be most vulnerable. Kalira, I think you'd be somewhat better off, but not entirely safe from those winds.
Alnilam
Yes it does. :)
However the hafwas are really nasty and a young cleric, even with pfe, is not going to do too well. An older player however, could be safe from those attacks with pfe, whereas without, would be most vulnerable. Kalira, I think you'd be somewhat better off, but not entirely safe from those winds.
Alnilam
DR-SKRALTHAEN
Malediction Changes -- Now Live
08/06/2000 11:52 AM CDT
The aforementioned updates to the Malediction spell are now live. So what the heck did we do to it?
1) The ceiling evasion penalty (creatures only) was reduced by an almost inconsequencial amount. Nobody should notice much change at all here, although those who are on the very verge of certain critters might.
2) The ceiling offense penalty (creatures only) was reduced by a large amount. Those who were able to get the offense penalty will notice a fairly large change here. The spell was effectively turning hafwa into field goblins for far too long a time frame. This has been reduced so that the spell is not the "Ultimate Death Sentence" spell any longer, although it is still very potent and will keep a creature that is just above your skill level from completely pulverizing you. It will not, however, allow folks to hunt creatures 50 levels above them. Sorry :) (Note that the younger clerics don't get the offense penalty since this spell is tiered somewhat like Benediction, and thus they will notice no change.)
3) The minimum mana for the spell has gone up. Five mana was just far too low for the spell's potency and duration. The new minimum mana ranges between 8 and 16, dependant upon two factors -- Do you have low devotion, or moderate-to-high devotion? Are you snap-casting, or have you fully prepared the spell? If you keep these two things in mind, you will be able to prepare the spell with eight mana minimum and the added burden won't be too much over what it had formerly been. Snap casts are still possible, they just cost more mana for the same effect.
"But you said all the changes weren't going to be bad!"
I'm getting there ;)
4) We have added in two more penalties against creatures. Before the changes, Malediction only hindered a creature's evasion. This has now been extended to include shield and parry skills as well. We trust that this will make up a bit for the reduction in the offense cap.
That's it, folks. I ask that you all test the new version of Malediction as if it were just released today. Comparing it to the old version won't get us anywhere, as the old version (mainly the offense penalty cap) was far too overpowered (yes, for ANY guild). I am certain that you folks will still find many uses and joys in this spell if you take the time to see it for what it is, and not what it was but is no longer :)
-GM Skralthaen
PS: The premium preview for the spell has been extended for the next week due to the nature of the changes that have been made. It should be removed from preview next Sunday.
1) The ceiling evasion penalty (creatures only) was reduced by an almost inconsequencial amount. Nobody should notice much change at all here, although those who are on the very verge of certain critters might.
2) The ceiling offense penalty (creatures only) was reduced by a large amount. Those who were able to get the offense penalty will notice a fairly large change here. The spell was effectively turning hafwa into field goblins for far too long a time frame. This has been reduced so that the spell is not the "Ultimate Death Sentence" spell any longer, although it is still very potent and will keep a creature that is just above your skill level from completely pulverizing you. It will not, however, allow folks to hunt creatures 50 levels above them. Sorry :) (Note that the younger clerics don't get the offense penalty since this spell is tiered somewhat like Benediction, and thus they will notice no change.)
3) The minimum mana for the spell has gone up. Five mana was just far too low for the spell's potency and duration. The new minimum mana ranges between 8 and 16, dependant upon two factors -- Do you have low devotion, or moderate-to-high devotion? Are you snap-casting, or have you fully prepared the spell? If you keep these two things in mind, you will be able to prepare the spell with eight mana minimum and the added burden won't be too much over what it had formerly been. Snap casts are still possible, they just cost more mana for the same effect.
"But you said all the changes weren't going to be bad!"
I'm getting there ;)
4) We have added in two more penalties against creatures. Before the changes, Malediction only hindered a creature's evasion. This has now been extended to include shield and parry skills as well. We trust that this will make up a bit for the reduction in the offense cap.
That's it, folks. I ask that you all test the new version of Malediction as if it were just released today. Comparing it to the old version won't get us anywhere, as the old version (mainly the offense penalty cap) was far too overpowered (yes, for ANY guild). I am certain that you folks will still find many uses and joys in this spell if you take the time to see it for what it is, and not what it was but is no longer :)
-GM Skralthaen
PS: The premium preview for the spell has been extended for the next week due to the nature of the changes that have been made. It should be removed from preview next Sunday.
DR-SKRALTHAEN
Changes To Come
11/07/2000 05:08 PM CST
Hello folks!
I'd just like to drop a quick note so that you all aren't completely shocked by a rather large change that is coming rapidly around the corner. With Enbarr now officially in his capacity as Guild Guru, we had a spot open for a Cleric Development Assistant. I've been quite active over in development these days, and spend most of my time working on projects rather than holding meetings and whatnot. I think I just enjoy it a bit more. I enjoyed my time as your liaison immensely, I just always have this creative itch to "make stuff". This, in the end, clinched my decision and I will soon be moving over to the Product Development team to develop things with Enbarr for the guild as my main responsibility.
Not to worry, though. In the past couple months we've had a new Liaison in training. This person is very close to taking the reins from me as Liaison, but until then I will remain in my CE capacity (although that's a matter of days now!). This transition should be seamless, as I will step down the same day that the new person steps up.
I'd like to say that I am monumentally pleased at how enthusiastic the new person is, and I am sure that they will do a superb job. Wonderful times are ahead! Look out for a post from Enbarr soon, introducing the newest member of our team. It's a great time for our guild, we've now got a full staff!
-GM Skralthaen
PS: Not to worry, I'll still be finishing the P5 contest. Just need to find the time, which hopefully I will have once everything is settled ;)
I'd just like to drop a quick note so that you all aren't completely shocked by a rather large change that is coming rapidly around the corner. With Enbarr now officially in his capacity as Guild Guru, we had a spot open for a Cleric Development Assistant. I've been quite active over in development these days, and spend most of my time working on projects rather than holding meetings and whatnot. I think I just enjoy it a bit more. I enjoyed my time as your liaison immensely, I just always have this creative itch to "make stuff". This, in the end, clinched my decision and I will soon be moving over to the Product Development team to develop things with Enbarr for the guild as my main responsibility.
Not to worry, though. In the past couple months we've had a new Liaison in training. This person is very close to taking the reins from me as Liaison, but until then I will remain in my CE capacity (although that's a matter of days now!). This transition should be seamless, as I will step down the same day that the new person steps up.
I'd like to say that I am monumentally pleased at how enthusiastic the new person is, and I am sure that they will do a superb job. Wonderful times are ahead! Look out for a post from Enbarr soon, introducing the newest member of our team. It's a great time for our guild, we've now got a full staff!
-GM Skralthaen
PS: Not to worry, I'll still be finishing the P5 contest. Just need to find the time, which hopefully I will have once everything is settled ;)
DR-ZABARI
Changes to AE
12/29/2000 02:31 PM CST
Hello everyone!
Just in time for the end of the year, I'm pleased to announce some long awaited changes in our spell Aesrela Everild. (AE)
1. The accuracy of the spell has been upgraded.
2. A bug that caused the spell to "fail unexpectedly" too many times against the undead has been fixed.
3. And lastly, the spell can now be cast against other players. Casting against players will not cause you to drop to the unclean status, but you will lose a "portion" of devotion each time you do.
All in all, I think you will be very pleased with the changes.
Enjoy!
-GM Zabari
Just in time for the end of the year, I'm pleased to announce some long awaited changes in our spell Aesrela Everild. (AE)
1. The accuracy of the spell has been upgraded.
2. A bug that caused the spell to "fail unexpectedly" too many times against the undead has been fixed.
3. And lastly, the spell can now be cast against other players. Casting against players will not cause you to drop to the unclean status, but you will lose a "portion" of devotion each time you do.
All in all, I think you will be very pleased with the changes.
Enjoy!
-GM Zabari
DR-SKRALTHAEN
Changes to Prayer Beads
03/31/2001 05:28 PM CST
Per popular request, prayer bead carving and primer experience is now open to all professions. There have also been some difficulty adjustments to both carving and primer reading for non-Clerics. This was done to ensure that this ability is kept special to the Cleric profession. Since Paladins are of a related realm, they will receive a middle-of-the-road bonus. While they will find it more difficult than Clerics, they will find it easier than everyone else.
The experience formula has also been adjusted to fit the quality of the finished product. In the original system, a pine bead gave pretty much the same amount of mechanical lore EXP as an ebony bead. The lower quality beads will now give a little less experience, but higher quality beads can now give a good deal more than before.
To top it all off, primer roundtimes have been cut significantly.
Happy whittlin'!
-GM Skralthaen
The experience formula has also been adjusted to fit the quality of the finished product. In the original system, a pine bead gave pretty much the same amount of mechanical lore EXP as an ebony bead. The lower quality beads will now give a little less experience, but higher quality beads can now give a good deal more than before.
To top it all off, primer roundtimes have been cut significantly.
Happy whittlin'!
-GM Skralthaen
DR-SKRALTHAEN
Fair Warning -- Spirit Health Changes
02/12/2002 12:15 PM CST
For those who have been unaware of the process, Spirit Healths have been under a reevaluation stage for the past year or so. The old numbers for player spirit health were very narrow (a fraction of body health) and were tough to work with in balancing abilities and systems around. Meanwhile, critter spirit healths were arbitrary, and on the whole a GREAT deal higher than that of players. This reevaluation's goal was to get players and critters more in line with their spirit healths, so we could begin to expand that facet of the system.
Once these changes go into effect, the raw numbers of player spirit health will rise a great deal while the raw numbers of critter spirit health will drop a great deal. This shouldn't be all too noticeable, since there aren't many things that deal with spirit health. Those things that do utilize spirit health -- including the Soul Attrition and Spirit Healing spells, as well as Auto-Depart times -- are being rebalanced under the new numbers.
Auto-Depart times in particular will see a noticeable change. This mechanic was designed originally when 30th level in the game was considered godly. Currently, mid-level players are able to achieve an astounding 2-3 hours on average. This makes the entire mechanic a non-issue for the most part. Obviously, this needed to be revised. Auto-depart times will likely settle somewhere around 30 minutes to 60 minutes on average for mid-to-high level players, depending on spirit health.
We expect these changes to spirit health to go live when the Magic Moratorium lifts. I've been hinting for the last year or so that Charisma will be involved more heavily -- and it is. Stamina has been removed as a component to spirit health since its effect is great enough upon vitality, with Charisma rising to be the biggest factor. Discipline will be a moderate factor. Intelligence and Wisdom will be minor factors.
Do not ignore your Charisma if Spirit Health is important to you. This does not mean you should train your Charisma like a runaway train. We suggest you not ignore it, and train in moderation. Alternately, you could save your TDPs and train a couple points at a time after the changes go live to gague its affect on you. Choose wisely!
-GM Skralthaen
Once these changes go into effect, the raw numbers of player spirit health will rise a great deal while the raw numbers of critter spirit health will drop a great deal. This shouldn't be all too noticeable, since there aren't many things that deal with spirit health. Those things that do utilize spirit health -- including the Soul Attrition and Spirit Healing spells, as well as Auto-Depart times -- are being rebalanced under the new numbers.
Auto-Depart times in particular will see a noticeable change. This mechanic was designed originally when 30th level in the game was considered godly. Currently, mid-level players are able to achieve an astounding 2-3 hours on average. This makes the entire mechanic a non-issue for the most part. Obviously, this needed to be revised. Auto-depart times will likely settle somewhere around 30 minutes to 60 minutes on average for mid-to-high level players, depending on spirit health.
We expect these changes to spirit health to go live when the Magic Moratorium lifts. I've been hinting for the last year or so that Charisma will be involved more heavily -- and it is. Stamina has been removed as a component to spirit health since its effect is great enough upon vitality, with Charisma rising to be the biggest factor. Discipline will be a moderate factor. Intelligence and Wisdom will be minor factors.
Do not ignore your Charisma if Spirit Health is important to you. This does not mean you should train your Charisma like a runaway train. We suggest you not ignore it, and train in moderation. Alternately, you could save your TDPs and train a couple points at a time after the changes go live to gague its affect on you. Choose wisely!
-GM Skralthaen
