Nether taint ideas

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Vitello
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Nether taint ideas

Post by Vitello »

Just a few ideas,


Taint level- Perhaps taint in tiers, but higher tiers while giving advanced power makes one further weakened to Ferris/Thaumaturgy effects.


Aid to pcs-I know a rook with a sorcery channel can aid a reanimated minion and help restore their energy. Could this benefit be extended to tainted pcs? Can tainted give aid to minions?

Nether resist/immune/absorb-As it sounds, perhaps linked to taint level.

Some sort of regeneration/reanimate power since tainted can't recieve Thau healing.
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Post by Noctere »

Funny you should mention that. The GM staff has been discussing ways to improve the nether tainted feature. In fact one of the ideas being tossed around -is- different tiers of nether taint. We have also being discussing some sort of balancing perk to offset their healing difficulties. I don't want to get your hopes up but some of the ideas involve making nether tainted able to stay in a fight a little longer... under the right circumstances. Thus not needing to heal as often.
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Acarin
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Post by Acarin »

Looking back on this, I see that the majority of this has been added and in very cool ways, so thanks for this!

I know there are already two rather enjoyable mechanics in place to keep tainted individuals in the fight longer that address different aspects(consume and the other one), but I came up with an idea I figured I'd share regarding regeneration/reanimation involving the consume verb.

I have been thinking about the consume verb and why exactly tainted individuals have a thirst for blood (stated under effects even though I don't think they're exactly vampires...). Since many sorcery abilities are powered by soul shreds, which are collected into a blood talisman, it seems somewhat logical to me that a tainted individual drinking blood would also be absorbing soul shreds from their victims along with the blood.

Perhaps consume could be used by tainted individuals to collect soul shreds and these soul shreds could be given to a rook (harvested into a blood talisman) through some transfer process that is mutually agreed upon at a later time?

Either that, or I could see collected soul shreds becoming more integrated into a tainted host and being used to either further enhance the second currently in place mechanic or actually provide some low level of regeneration much like the lower potency poulticed bandages (This process would be impossible using nether due to it's destructive tendencies, but I would think that soul shreds would be physically beneficial and downright healthy for a nether tainted being).... of course, in this second case the soul shreds would be consumed automatically when wounded so you'd have to keep killing and drinking to heal...

Each wound severity could be given a certain number of soul shreds required to heal it.... So for example in order to bring a severe wound down to a bad wound, a total of 25 soul shreds might be needed.

Keeping the number of kills required to "bandage" and heal down more severe wounds high would prevent any abuse of this mechanic as it would become very difficult to keep large amounts of soul shreds in reserve if they are consumed automatically whenever a wound is acquired...

Comments/Feedback/Suggestions/Discussions welcome.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Acarin »

I just thought of this, but this could fit in well with sorcerous raising abilities if sorcerors could infuse stored soul shreds into a nether tainted or nethrim corpse to heal them to the point that they can reanimate...an expensive process of course. The sorcerors in the rook parlor are capable of healing corpses for animates. Perhaps they're using a similar process (don't know the details of this) since I know that they're not using thaumaturgy to do this... (and probably not herbal formulas either).

EDIT: Also, it would probably be a good idea to make harvesting and consuming mutually exclusive if a mechanic like this were to be added to prevent tained rooks from doubling up on shreds.
Last edited by Acarin on Fri Nov 09, 2012 1:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by KianTheArcher »

I have an issue with Nether tainted individuals being able to store and trade soul shreds. The issue is, when you consume, you are already absorbing the soul shreds in the form of nutrition and energy gained. This is also an issue I have the soul shreds providing regeneration. You're already gaining energy back, so you're using the soul shreds to begin with. On top of that, I think that soul shred manipulation is best left to Rooks, since they are supposed to be Sorcery experts. While Udemi have access to Aeromancy, their control over it isn't as great as an Elemancer's, for a good comparison.


As for the second idea, the only things I can comment on that is the process to heal corpses is (I'd imagine) based on herbs instead of Sorcery, and that making Consuming and Harvesting mutually exclusive firstly doesn't make a lot of sense, and secondly would make playing a Nether tainted Rook potentially impossible if Consume was automatically made to take over for Harvest, or potentially against established lore if Harvest overtook Consume. Since Nether tainted is an affliction that isn't automatically (to my knowledge) gained, it'd be fair enough to leave Consume and Harvest separate.
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Post by Acarin »

Nether tainting is actually automatic Kian. For most nether tainted people it was not necessarily a choice they made (although for at least a few I know of, it was). It was caused by specific conditions being met.

If one of the components and necessities for use of sorcery is soul shred manipulation, I don't see why other individuals who use sorcery wouldn't have some control over them (at least in a passive way) especially considering that sorcery is easy to use.

This isn't really analogous to any other forms of channeling in my mind. Elemancers do not require anything special for their abilities over Udemi. They simply have more control. Sorcerors would still have considerably more control over soul shreds if this were to occur just as Udemi can still utilize aeromancy but not to the degree of elemancers.

You also state that you think that soul shreds are already being consumed by nether tainted people using the consume verb. This is not really the case as it stands. It seems as if it's simply sustenance for drinking blood (resulting in a small amount of food and energy). There's nothing to suggest that soul shreds are being consumed or even taken up at the moment.

To address your last point, the idea that harvesting and consuming would be mutually exclusive would be to prevent tainted sorcs from getting 2 soul shred per corpse rather than one. This would be justified considering one could claim that the soul shreds are extracted at a high efficiency by either process leaving none for the other. They would of course remain separate actions. You just wouldn't be able to do both to the same corpse. You'd have to choose whether to harvest or whether to consume any particular kill). Neither would take over for the other as you say.

As far as healing corpses, maybe someone could post the messaging so we have an idea as to what their process is? I find it hard to believe that a corpse could be healed with herbs. It's already dead.
Last edited by Acarin on Fri Nov 09, 2012 5:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by KianTheArcher »

1.) I'm pretty sure Nether tainting is not an automated procedure. As in, a GM has to do it to you. Though I could be wrong.

2.) One of the components for advanced sorcery is soul shreds. Basic sorcery can be compared to basic aeromancy. And Elemancers DO require special things for elemancy. They require a separate ability for every channel of each element they use. So realistically, it could be said that Claw of Shar do not have the techniques or control to manipulate soul shreds. While Sorcery itself is easier to use, Soul Shred manipulation is done via the Soul Harvest ability.

3.) I can pretty much say without a doubt that soul shreds ARE being consumed by nether tainted people using the CONSUME command. Firstly, the command is consume. Secondly, a corpse that has been consumed can't be harvested. IE, the soul shreds are gone. this is another reason why Consume and Harvest don't need to be mutually exclusive. This applies to the nutrition and energy. The nutrition and energy you're gaining ARE the soul shreds. You don't gain energy from the blood specifically, but from the Soul Shreds within the blood. Again, since the Consumed corpse can't be Harvested, that would mean that Consume removes the soul shreds.



I have a heavily nether tainted alt, so I'm familiar with what the affliction entails.
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Post by Rias »

Why tainted individuals have a thirst for blood isn't necessarily known. These individuals only know simply that they have a thirst for it. Yes, there is a lore reason behind it. It's not meant to be common knowledge, even to those who are affected by it.

A harvested corpse shouldn't be able to be consumed, and a consumed corpse shouldn't be able to be harvested. If this isn't the case, please BUG it.

Only Rooks will be able to harvest soul shreds. Consuming blood is very different from harvesting a soul shred. Consuming blood requires simply drinking blood like any other liquid. Harvesting a soul shred is a much more involved channeling process that involves specific knowledge and procedure. Simple knowledge of sorcery won't grant knowledge of how to harvest souls. Basic channeling of sorcery is relatively easy compared to other methods of channeling, but that doesn't mean sorcerers will automatically learn specific procedures and rituals somehow.

Neither soul shreds nor sorcery will be used to heal or regenerate wounds.

How sorcerous "raising" will work is still being thought out. The Rook Parlour service to heal corpses originally only worked on animated (thus living) creatures. That it works on the dead now was a somewhat shotgun change put in, and doesn't quite make sense lore-wise, admittedly.
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Post by Acarin »

[quote=KianTheArcher]1.) I'm pretty sure Nether tainting is not an automated procedure. As in, a GM has to do it to you. Though I could be wrong.

2.) One of the components for advanced sorcery is soul shreds. Basic sorcery can be compared to basic aeromancy. And Elemancers DO require special things for elemancy. They require a separate ability for every channel of each element they use. So realistically, it could be said that Claw of Shar do not have the techniques or control to manipulate soul shreds. While Sorcery itself is easier to use, Soul Shred manipulation is done via the Soul Harvest ability.

3.) I can pretty much say without a doubt that soul shreds ARE being consumed by nether tainted people using the CONSUME command. Firstly, the command is consume. Secondly, a corpse that has been consumed can't be harvested. IE, the soul shreds are gone. this is another reason why Consume and Harvest don't need to be mutually exclusive. This applies to the nutrition and energy. The nutrition and energy you're gaining ARE the soul shreds. You don't gain energy from the blood specifically, but from the Soul Shreds within the blood. Again, since the Consumed corpse can't be Harvested, that would mean that Consume removes the soul shreds.



I have a heavily nether tainted alt, so I'm familiar with what the affliction entails.[/quote]

1) You are wrong:
[quote=Rias]Tainting can indeed occur automatically rather than by choice.[/quote]
This is posted in the minor beacon thread and I know for a fact and from personal experience that this is correct.

2)Basic sorcery and basic elemancy cannot be compared anymore than thaumaturgy and sorcery can be compared. This is your opinion. I strongly disagree. Saying that there is an ability requirement for elemancers that is not present for Udemi has absolutely nothing to do with sorcery. Part of sorcery is using soul shreds. The tainted have a passively learned ability to use sorcery, therefore, they likely utilize soul shreds in some way. I actually see the skills of a rook as being a synthetic/copied and expanded use of what naturally occurs in tainted individuals. This is my personal viewpoint on it however and not necessarily supported by game lore. I am not suggesting soul shred manipulation abilities. I am suggesting that a tainted individual be capable of storing them... and then consuming them in a passive fashion.

3) It is your opinion that the consume verb uses soul shreds. You are drawing a conclusion without sufficient evidence to support your point. Not being able to use both together does not suggest that the shreds are consumed to give you energy, or even that the shreds are taken. There are a considerable number of other explanations possible (they may be dispersed or lost through tainted metabolic processed, consuming may spoil the corpse for harvesting, harvesting may change the taste/structure of the blood in some way so it is not fit for consuming). It is fine to speculate or give your opinion, but it is just that. An opinion and not the definitive answer.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Rias »

Just to put in an official word right here in this thread: yes, nether taint can occur automatically. We as staff don't intend to reveal how this occurs. It doesn't happen all at once however - it's not just an on/off switch.
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Post by Acarin »

You stoop momentarily over the corpse of a limping infested merchant, tear open its flesh with your teeth, and drink blood from his wounds, feeling reinvigorated and less hungry. (Never got this message before)

Nether taint suggestion: Ability to do this to living things as an attack? Combat roll involved of course. Smaller returns than from a corpse? Some damage and maybe a knockdown (for both)?

You lunge at Spearhead, tear open his flesh with your teeth, and drink a small amount of blood from his open wound.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Rias »

The tearing open with the teeth thing should only happen when the corpse doesn't have any open wounds already.

The taint doesn't give you fangs or anything, so I can't really see it being used as an attack any more than any person could try to bite someone else in the neck.
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Post by Kiyaani »

Acarin will next ask to file his teeth =)
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Post by Acarin »

Can I file my teeth?
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Blitz »

Nether Dentals, anyone?
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Post by Acarin »

Good point... if they can do it for claws...
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Kiyaani »

I wouldn't want nether in my mouth, regardless of how it tries not to touch the wielder.
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Post by Acarin »

It alright to jam nether into your eyes, but the moment you put it in your mouth it's too much?
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Post by Kiyaani »

Putting it in your eyes causes damage. Didn't you notice?
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Post by Acarin »

I hadn't! So that's where all those eye wounds are coming from.
20:21:01 [CHAT - (a mysterious GM)]: With obvious effort, Zuki pries up a thick scale over a drakolin's chest! Zuki spearhand-strikes the soft, unprotected area under the scale! Heart ruptured, death follows immediately. A drakolin lets out a final bellow of rage and falls lifeless to the ground.
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Re: Nether taint ideas

Post by Acarin »

Nethrim/Nether-tainted individuals seem to like to consume blood. I would think they'd be able to smell/sense their food source and the life force emanating from living creatures just as certain holy people can now sense the tainted/nethrim.

How about a ridiculously high chance for tainted individual to sense the presence and location of any living, non-nethrim/non-tainted critter/individual in the room... maybe base the success on the level of taint (since I can't think of any skill that would be appropriately high and easy to acquire to base this on) with the range being 90-99.9% of the time (with 0 perception of course).

No one thinks that's unfair, right? Only a few PCs would have it, and we have precedence now to allow such things when it's restricted.

Also, maybe a frequently activating fear effect that targets anyone on the enemy list? Or anyone who senses the dark nature of a tainted individual?

They're just suggestions. Please keep that in mind while commenting.
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Re: Nether taint ideas

Post by Kiyaani »

And here I thought you were going to keep it civil and constructive instead of snarky and biased. I miss you coming around to play Acarin, but you know what I don't miss - every time you login you basically open with - Is Rias around? - and when you get no reply immediately logout. You disregard the amazing game you're playing over one beef with the purity system and instead of trying to compromise or work with the system you make demands of the devs and storm out like a petulant child when those demands aren't met.

It was nice that you stuck around last night to chat a bit and even do some things ICly, but why don't you tone down the rage and conspiracy theory that the GMs are out to get you and see if fewer veiled accusations and more constructive criticism gets you somewhere? Sorry if this seems rude, but it's really starting to annoy.

1) If you think thaumaturgy is too easy to acquire, try offering an alternative method of detection for the purity system, or suggest ways to make thaumturgic skillgains more balanced. If you want it straight percentages based on purity level then that's fine by me since it's gained through RP and not skill grinding.

2) If you think stealth is too gimped by this system, think of ways to hide yourself otherwise. Maybe if more than one source of nether is in the room only one can be detected since it befuddles the senses. Perhaps a new ability can come from this.

3) Maybe instead of making the target found for the pure, it just gives you a feeling they are there but you still have to search for them.

4) As far as I know being tainted doesn't make you a bloodhound. If you want that, try going with canim again and make a suggestion for that system instead. I would not be opposed to tainted individuals being able to sense thaumaturgic ability in a person since I'm sure by now nether has found ways to try and avoid eradication.

5) I'm not sure why you would have a fear effect as a tainted individual. You've said yourself, you're still human, not pure nether. Those who would sense you are trained by the church to combat nethrim, not hide from them. If you want to make someone afraid, do it through RP. My alt is already afraid/rebellious of your character due to our past interactions depending on what particular mode she's in that day.
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Re: Nether taint ideas

Post by Rias »

Acarin wrote:Nethrim/Nether-tainted individuals seem to like to consume blood. I would think they'd be able to smell/sense their food source and the life force emanating from living creatures just as certain holy people can now sense the tainted/nethrim.
You would be thinking incorrectly.
How about a ridiculously high chance for tainted individual to sense the presence and location of any living, non-nethrim/non-tainted critter/individual in the room... maybe base the success on the level of taint (since I can't think of any skill that would be appropriately high and easy to acquire to base this on) with the range being 90-99.9% of the time (with 0 perception of course).
Now that would just be silly.
They're just suggestions. Please keep that in mind while commenting.
Here's another suggestion: In the future, a better way to register a complaint and get results would be to present the concern clearly and straightforward rather than being vague and sarcastic. If you're being vague in the interest of keeping lesser-known mechanics secret, it's best to opt for a private means of communication like email (mine is rias@contrarium.net, or you can send to clok@contrarium.net to send to all the GMs at once) rather than going to an open and public discussion forum in order to discuss something you think isn't supposed to be open and public.
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Re: Nether taint ideas

Post by Acarin »

Thanks Kiyaani. While you don't think I want to compromise, I suggested a few of these when the system came in and they were turned down directly. The system in question is beneficial to you (for one character) and impacts none of your other characters, so I know you feel that it's fair/reasonable or just don't care enough. I, however, believe that it's a MAJOR imbalance and possibly the worst one I have seen to date. No one else is addressing/discussing it because, as you've told me, it only impacts me. I do not believe I am being singled out or that this is a conspiracy at all. I believe that the effect on players who met the conditions were not and still are not being adequately considered. It's hard to remain constructive after a point, so you'll have to excuse my slight frustration and abrupt disconnects, but I haven't exactly had a lot of time to play lately and have still been trying to accomplish something constructive when I can briefly log on. I think I should clarify that my post was not meant to be snarky or sarcastic. It was a legitimate suggestion and you have to admit there is now precedence for such a mechanic as I stated.

If such an imbalance exists, why not add another that logically follows to balance the system? It doesn't solve the previous problem but elevates another group to the same ridiculous level that the previous group has been. It may not be the ideal way to do things, but going down the road this is going, it honestly seems logical to me if the other mechanic is going to continue to exist. I mean that in the most sincere way possible (again, I am not being sarcastic).

Honestly, would it really be that absurd/silly to render every stealth user's stealth skill useless to only a small handful of players? Apparently you and Rias believe that it would. I believe it would as well. If it would be that ridiculous, then why is the existing equivalent mechanic implemented? That's equally silly but STILL THERE.

So then, why is it that my idea is silly, Rias? Nethrim have an obvious connection to nether. Nether is practically everywhere and interacts with living matter, correct? If that is the case, why is absurd that a nethrim/tainted could sense "lifeforce" (by sensing loss of environmental nether to organic matter, light, etc. and tracing the loss back to the source of elimination) anymore than a thaum user doing the same by sensing concentrations of nether (to which they are not at all attuned and have no logical mechanism to sense... THEY BURN IT AWAY). I happen to like the idea (although, again, it would be a major imbalance) and was honestly proposing it.

The reason I added that suggestion line is because I was expecting misinterpretation of my suggestion... and it happened. I in no way meant to address the other mechanic here except to justify why the mechanic I suggested would be reasonable.

Kiyaani, Re: Fear, some nethrim have a fear like effect (werewolves maybe?), so why is this so unreasonable as well? It may not entirely fit in with the lore (again, mainly human as we've both stated) but thought I might as well throw it out there. I'm not entirely sure why any nethrim have a fear mechanic if that is the case (or why any players other than mummers are able to induce fear if it should be entirely an rp decision).
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Re: Nether taint ideas

Post by Nootau »

That does seem like a interesting buff though it doesn't seem to fit for just every nether being to have. This sounds perfect for those who actually specialize in controlling nether to its limits and molding it into more usable states, Sorcerers. I don't think a Claw or one simply tainted by Nethrim would be able to control and pick out the traces of taint that might be in some as most beings don't have tainted souls and stay dead the first time they are killed rather than allow the soul to be manipulated.
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