a new order of mages in the planning

[Meow]

I'm planning on making a new mage guild that will follow the spirit of Gild's The Chosen where there would be a sharing of spells.

Basically it'll probably work just like the Chosen with spells being submitted and an item that would channel the spells. Members would put spells into the pool than members of the appropriate level would be able to cast that spell from the pool. Of coarse this would have a daily limit to how many times that on may access the pool.

Also I have plans for fighter characters to have enchanted items that would have an enchantment pool they could access like the one for the mages so no one's left out. I'm thinking of having the pool start with some basic enchantments that fighters can add to through questing too.

please tell me what you think and any advice for making running PGs and is the system fair and the like.

[Breaker]

I think it's a good idea. Gild was really on to something, and he's not around to carry it on, so if someone else wants to, I say go for it.

As far as I can remember, the Chosen had two divisions, the mages who used the spell, and their Warders, fighter-type characters who traveled with them to help and protect them. If you incorporate that feature, then there's a good chance I'd join.

[Meow]

yeah, I was planning on giving fighters a purpose but I want them to be a little more independent becuase I thought they needed their charge a little too much.

[Ashiakin]

I never really liked The Chosen, to be honest. It just seemed like a get-out-of-power-gaming-for-free card. If you're going to go through with it, I think the more restrictions you put into it the better. Otherwise it might just end up being one of those PGs everyone joins to get extra abilities at no cost, but everyone else hates because they see it as institutionalizing power-gaming.

[AdventWings]

Hmm... Yamihara was very interested by the idea, though I must admit that there are some flaws that would constitute as powergaming. The high flexibility and range of spells is certainly one issue that needs to be addressed.

Do you have anything laid out yet, as in the power structure and level restrictions on spells? Also, I believe the purpose that Gild had for the Mage-Warder Bondage was that there would be IC incentives to role-play with each other as opposed to just wander off on your own. Personal ties often enhance a storyline, after all.

[Breaker]

I fail to see how the idea of sharing spells constitues "powergaming". I don't remember the exact details, but I know Gild put quite a few restrictions on it based on character levels and whatnot. Besides, all power groups have to be approved, right? And something like spell-sharing would DEFINITELY receive careful consideration from the approvals crew. I think the entire idea is a great way to motivate people to not only RP with each other, but get to know each other's characters and storylines.

[Cyrus the virus]

I'm going to say no. When I was in the Chosen, I found myself uncomfortable with letting people use Luc's spells. That and another reason or two, I suppose, but that's the biggest one.

[Shifter]

I never really liked The Chosen, to be honest. It just seemed like a get-out-of-power-gaming-for-free card. If you're going to go through with it, I think the more restrictions you put into it the better. Otherwise it might just end up being one of those PGs everyone joins to get extra abilities at no cost, but everyone else hates because they see it as institutionalizing power-gaming.

Ditto.

It will bother those who refuse to join because members will be getting something for nothing while the rest work hard as hell for half as many boons to their arsenal.


Suggestion for this clan: Make the rewards appropriate for the effort members put in.

[Cyrus the virus]

Enough bitching about the spell-sharing of the Chosen. The simple fact is that whether you liked it or not, there was a reasonable explanation for it and it was within Althanas' rules. If you hated it so much, you guys should have spoken up about it then, not now. Just like if it becomes a problem with the clan Meow might make, you should speak up then.

[Shifter]

What's wrong with you, Cyrus?

As far as I can tell, everyone's been voicing their honest opinion about the system and giving advice to Meow, which is pretty much the reason this thread was made.


There's no reason whatsoever to discourage peoples' criticism of a bygone clan so long as it doesn't take an inflammatory form.

[Breaker]

Ditto.

It will bother those who refuse to join because members will be getting something for nothing while the rest work hard as hell for half as many boons to their arsenal.


Suggestion for this clan: Make the rewards appropriate for the effort members put in.

First off, the system wasn't "Join the clan and get a bunch of overpowered spells for free." You had to do at least one thread to become a member, and there was probably another quest involved in order to become a part of the codex. I didn't read that part too carefully because I've never played a magic using character.

Anyone who remembers Gild would know that aside from being one of the most talented writers this forum has ever seen, he was also a very fair, open minded type. No one is trying to powergame or take advantage of the system here. The Chosen was just a clan made to highlight mage type characters, with the Warder addition so mostly anyone could join. The sharing spell thing was to bond the whole group together and to make the PG original and different.

It seems strange to me that no one spoke out against it when Gild first brought the idea up (indeed, it got practically 100% support), but now people are condemning the idea.

[Cyrus the virus]

You can voice your opinion without discouraging others to join a PG that might have a certain feature. It was a unique idea that was within the rules, and you're allowed not to like it. But certainly not to complain about it when it was never a problem to begin with. Nobody in the Chosen ever powergamed, and the issue wasn't even brought up until now.

[Ashiakin]

Meow specifically stated, "please tell me what you think and any advice for making running PGs and is the system fair and the like." No one here has done anything but that, as far as I can tell. Also, the idea that people are incapable of changing their minds or looking back on something and thinking it was bad in retrospect is pretty silly. I think this thread will be a lot more helpful to to Meow if people are offering honest opinions rather than condemning people for having them. No one is discouraging anyone from joining Meow's PG. That would be impossible, since it has not been formed yet. If it it's something I end up liking, I might join it myself.

EDIT: Also, Meow, if you are going to base your PG off the Chosen, you might want to contact Gild and ask for permission or let him know what's up. Just so he won't come back someday and get mad and think his PG was stolen. (Unless Gild designated you the leader of it.)

[grim137]

Personally I liked the idea of the Gild though I never had any intentions of joining it. I didn't think much about the rings since I assumed Gild had some sort of restriction(s) that kept the thing from being over powered. Honestly I say go for it though I don't think I'll join.

[Winter]

I would much appreciate a magic association of some sort, but I the idea of shared spells just does not quite sit well with me. If it was more of a shared knowledge thing, as in people teach spells to other mages to better themselves and better eachother in the pursuit of magical knowledge, then that would be a Guild worth making. What information you have put forth, in light of my ignorance as to Gild's Chosen, it seems this is a simple excuse to allow mages and warriors to access more spells and enchantments.

I don't know the background story, or the true purpose. I suppose that wasn't the question. If you put forward an idea for a PG then maybe you should give out this as well? My understading is that this would be oriented around pursuit of power. If so, Eoin would never join.

[Meow]

Meow specifically stated, "please tell me what you think and any advice for making running PGs and is the system fair and the like." No one here has done anything but that, as far as I can tell. Also, the idea that people are incapable of changing their minds or looking back on something and thinking it was bad in retrospect is pretty silly. I think this thread will be a lot more helpful to to Meow if people are offering honest opinions rather than condemning people for having them. No one is discouraging anyone from joining Meow's PG. That would be impossible, since it has not been formed yet. If it it's something I end up liking, I might join it myself.

EDIT: Also, Meow, if you are going to base your PG off the Chosen, you might want to contact Gild and ask for permission or let him know what's up. Just so he won't come back someday and get mad and think his PG was stolen. (Unless Gild designated you the leader of it.)

Yeah I thought about that but I have no way of contacting him. Though I don't consider myself as stealing the chosen, just being inspired. I'm trying to keep this to be my creation, I just want to have a similar role as the chosen in being an open PG that helps players better realize their characters.

And yes Winter, the main purpose of the Guild is expanding knowage, though there wuill be some NPC members that are after power.

[Alberdyne_Cormyr]

Meow I have a couple of questions about the PG.

I personally like the idea of a Mage-only group despite the fact that I've never really played a strict Mage character on Althanas before. Lorenor was attempting to acquire SOME magickal abilities towards the end but I really wanted that more for the purposes of a storyline I had set up with Pat for Antioch.

But that's ancient history now.

My main interest is the idea of Fighters using Enchanted Items.

I think this could work really well for Alberdyne cause of how I've written him out and how I plan to develop him. I got a couple of suggestions for the Enchanted Items system for you to get the ball rolling. I think there's a lot of wicked potential there.

If you mention The Tap in this whole thing I think that you can really open the floodgates to create a wicked-cool PG with this.

[Dissinger]

First off, the system wasn't "Join the clan and get a bunch of overpowered spells for free." You had to do at least one thread to become a member, and there was probably another quest involved in order to become a part of the codex. I didn't read that part too carefully because I've never played a magic using character.

There was about three things that stopped people from powergaming wiht the ring.

1) The number of times you could use it was based off rank in the guild. If you joined for the nifty abilities you only got to use ONE of them ONCE.

2) You had to do an actual quest under Gild's guidance, basically if he wasn't satisfied with the effort, he wasn't about to give you the ring.

3) You also had to be willing to share with the Chosen. If you decided to horde your abilities chances were unless the PG had been around a long ass time, you weren't going to be able to use it more than once or twice.

That all said, you also forget that the spells were to have differing effects dependant on if you were mage or warder. Most people didn't bother, and so ended up using them as the original caster would do. The fact was the group invariably self regulated itself since you had to be the proper level as was described to use it, and since most people who would be prone to powergaming it were not going to put in the effort, it wasn't worth it to join.

That said, go with whatever you feel is good Meow. While Gild had some crazy ideas on where he was taking it, he most definitely didn't corner the market. That is to say, I doubt he woudl be that angry. If you want to make it a place to learn magic and make a schools of magic to counter the Rairaen schools, more power to ya, I think its about time something like this was brought back and implemented.

[Winter]

Miss kitty, if you do get this up and running I would be very honored to join if youd have me!

maybe work out some alliance between the Alchemology Society and your Guild? They apear to have similar goals.

[AdventWings]

Alchemology? Is that the same thing as Alchemy?

Heh, things are getting interesting, Meow. I hope you have your PG structure rigged up from the many suggestions made in this thread by now. If not, ask around with the other PG leads that are still around. Uhh... My mind is not that good, so I don't quite remember who else here runs a guild or powergroup.

But, not to make me sound like an idiot... Here are a few suggestions for the PG Orgainzation:

* What is the purpose of the PG?
* Who will the PG benefit?
* Who can join the PG?
* Who have access to what incentives of the PG?
* Where in the political spectrum is the PG? (Believe me, a PG will inevitably be caught up in the politics of any region its name reaches)
* How are the members regulated?
* Who is the leader of the PG?

If you can answer these questions, you're pretty much good to go. :D