I was just wondering if anyone has done any extensive testing regarding the importance of charisma in the new soul system, especially regarding our "power pool." I have some extra tdp's to spend and was pondering the effectiveness of going from 22 to 24 charisma.

Thanks!

Sir Khadgarian

<<If its like it was before more charisma seemed to make the glyphs cost less soul to use. For example tracing GOL and staying above pristine.>>

More charisma=bigger soul pool.

What in the world ties us to our soul? Why is it that our soul state determines anything at all? Do we have soul because we can dance good, or sing well, or are smooth with the ladies? Is there anyone on this board at all that knows anything besides mechanics?

Anyone know how to ask the question of WHY? Hell at this point I'd even settle for why ask why.

Currently this is all speculation no matter the theory any one churns out unless they are a GM, but the way I envision soul working is that the soul is a latent thing inside every person in Elanthia, but only paladins have been able to bond with it. By increasing in charisma and doing whatever else increases the size of the soul pool, the paladin more deeply increases his bond with the soul. The soul state is how much the soul has bonded with the paladin. So when you tank your soul, that is the soul deciding it doesn't really like you that much.

The soul pool is a reflection of both the soul's willingness to continue doing things for you and its own remaining fatigue. Glyphing and leading tires it out until it decides you aren't worth any further effort it would have to expend.

That's my theory and I'm sticking to it until I hear otherwise.

Player of Linras Cauldrath

>I beleive it's the spirits of former Paladins returning from the Starry Road to lend their powers to us. That's why we can't not feel bad when we do something wrong.. because it's not us weakening, but it's the spirits of these former Paladins not being as willing to stay connected to you.<

Excellent theory.

>Should Humm decide to act against the wishes of his Gods, then their ability and willingness to help him will reduce, and their help will be less effective and less often. For the Gods to assist him, they need his heart and mind focused upon what they feel is proper. It is his actions that tell them if and when he is able and worthy.<

This is what I believe as well. But I guess no matter what the theory is, there is nothing that ties our soul state to anything in particular save for what is deemed an injustice in the civililized (or lack thereof) mortal world...i.e. killing, theft, etc.

We already know we can't put our soulstate or anything for that matter into the hands of the people because it then becomes more of a popularity contest than a true definition of a persons deeds. I think it's important that a Paladin be measured and tied to that which gives him or her their abilities, but I do not know how to do that without separating the Paladin into paths.

Ok a young paladin came to shard seeking the white orb. He found it but the orb rejected him. Confused and a bit frustrated he found his way to the Adanf safe spot and asked for help. After checking his soulstate which was steady white we headed off to the tower to do the ritual, after completion it bumped up to pure white. Well still wasnt enough so off to tithe, 5 silver later still not quite there. Back to adanf safe spot for a tend. One tend and pristine. This took all of 20 minutes. Doesnt seem all that hard to me.

Tyden

I know it take a bit longer the higher ya get but its very doable if you just set out to do it.

Where can ya tithe in Shard? Or did ya go to Crossing?

>when Rod addjusted the levels making chalky nuetral and all the whites positive he also ended drift once you hit pristine.

I believe Glemm is right, it's higher end pristine that the drift goes away. You can still drift at lower end pristine.

That's how I understood it at least, might want to get GM clarification though.

You trace the Glyph of Light around you. An empty feeling pervades your soul, but nothing else happens.

Is this a message that my power pool is empty? Or is it something else?

Litharius

Exhale on your soulstone to see the current level of your soul power.

Tyden

1. It brightens with an inner light

2. It pulses rapidly

3. Pulses steadly

4. Pulses slowly

5. Pulses briefly

Tyden

Get more charisma.

Clyn

> Get more charisma.


Yep. Franky, my own experiences with the new power pool is that it allows me to do infinitely more than before, and recover significently faster. I can dip deeply in the power pool and be right back up and ready to go again the next day.

Charisma - don't leave the guildhall without it.

Discipline 30 Charisma 30

Now here is a real oddity. No, I haven't doen anything bad. I haven't done anything to take a soulhit.

The wierd thing is, I played a defense-strategy in a Tournament, didnt' take a soul hit - DID use Glyph of Light. I was slwoly pulsing or something like that. That was last night. Now all of a sudden..

---

>rub soulst
You rub the soulstone...

It gleams brightly with a pristine luminescence!

>exhal soulst
You breathe softly on the soulstone...

It brightens with an inner light, which lingers for a few moments before returning to its normal state.

---

Now my question - Was/is my soul-pool Bugged, or my soulstone? Its odd, after DAYS of doing nothing at all to impreove/hurt my soulstate or soul-pool, and its stuck at quickly pulsating or rapdily or something. I use an ability, and within 24 hours, my pool goes up to tip top (unless I am wrong, but I am pretty sure this is tip top full)

~ Teh Solo Hunta

Took a peek over at you and I was unable to find anything weird going on.

~M

~ Teh Solo Hunta,

well i cast all types of magic all the time and i check my power pool and my soul alot. And not once have I noticed my power pool go down.

Here's pertinent info.

Disc 40, Charisma 31. 299 PM.

Clyn

>>I propose that all GM's that monitor player interaction have the ability to give paladins a soul RPA.

RPAs themselves give soul.

I'm sorry, but if abusability was made a major concern, we would never get anything. Halt is abusable. Smite Foe is abusable. Bond Weapon is abusable.

I find it very ironic that thieves and rangers have been given the most potentially abusable ability in the entire game (sniping), yet we are concerned about the players who prefer to play beacons of light making poor use of their abilities.

If soul gain was purely from RPAs, either a huge amount of GM resources would have to be plowed into just monitering paladins to see that they earned it, or no paladin would ever be able to use their abilities because the soul drift would work far faster than we could possibly get soul unless we were amazingly lucky.

I've played this game since far before the web move and only break character on very rare occasions (yes, even when playing in TF) yet I have not recieved a single RPA with Benzali that was not part of an event or a bug report. Then I play a moon mage for a couple days that had no history or personality and get 3, two of which while I was breaking character. There are just not enough GMs to reasonably moniter for these things and give them out consistently enough for a workable system.

I'm a bit optimistic, I know, but I think it would be much easier to notice the people consistently abusing the mechanics and slap a warning on them for it than to have to catch every single instance of a good deed any paladin does.

Player of Linras Cauldrath

Pristine's as good as it gets right? And doesn't the power pool replenish over time?

Steel.