swils

Fabian, Finding myself in the company of Orcs again, and having just written another of these letter that opened up something of an old wound, some uncomfortable memories were stirred. I've got this pair of Fighter's Boots. They're not particularly heavy, but they're weighing on my conscience. I'm not quite sure what I was thinking when I turned on my employers and demanded 'em. I wish I could go back and redo those last few moments with Rogue and Ranger... They deserved better. A pair of boots. Can you believe it? I hope that I was somehow acting under the Archivist's--he was the big-bad-guy that time around, y'know how it goes--control, though I know I wasn't. Please take these boots and pass them along, but leave the history behind. If you can find a set of feet they'll fit, I'm sure they'll strengthen the owner's resolve, Rogue fought hard til we... Anyway, have a good Grogmas and expect a visit once I return from across the sea! -Thormanil

Take the Valve approach: "Collect 100 coal and you can turn it into a Diamond!"

I kind of hope everyone just starts sending you back Lump of Coal: Good for fire tending.

Sorry, my internet is being really spotty right now. There's a lot in here to try and catch up on through my phone, heh.

Anwyl, Arx seems to have learned a nifty trick. In the heat of battle he'll grab onto my shoulders and start tryin' with all his little might to lift me up off the ground. Even getting just a foot or two off the floor can add that extra 'oomph' to an attack, can't wait to see how well it works as he gets stronger! In an effort to help him, I'm sending you this Wyvern's Tailblade. The thing's massive and I've got no idea how I'd swing that thing without both feet firmly planted in the ground. It's nothin' masterfully forged, but it's pretty unique: came straight off the rear end of this nasty wyvern I fought a while back. Sharp as heck, it's served me well but maybe you can find a better home for it, now. -Thormanil and Arx

Bah, let them upgrade others' weapons for a fee if they so desire. It'd be a nifty way to do business.

Regifting, Zakura? Tsk tsk

During the last stretch of the cart ride to the Clanmeet, Thormanil had scratched out a few letters. The first read as such: "Bluto, It has been quite some time. I find myself again in a land foreign to me, and with another young'n at my side. This one's not a stow away, though. His name is Arx and he's a recently hatched little dragon. He's shier, but I think you'd like him and I think he'd warm up to ya. How is Baba trea I can't pretend to care about that hag. Bluto, I only hope you can forgive us for leaving you there. We, well, I really don't know if we had a choice. It is a decision that will haunt me forever. Abandoning you into that witch's arms--the thought of it disgusts me. We took you into our charge and damn it, we failed you. I can only hope that Baba hasn't been awful to you. I've included something that, with any ounce of luck, will free you from her grasp and take you to a safe haven on a farm not far from the port. With a short journey, it may allow you to return to your family before Baba's even realized what's happened. I don't know if it will work, but it's the best I can offer you for now and I can only hope that it works. Take care, boy, and don't let that witch corrupt you. With deepest regret, Thormanil Nihai" Next to Thormanil's name, there was a small clawprint. Arx has quickly figured out how the ink worked an left a little signature of his own. Attached to the magical letter was one Teleportapple.

"Lets get on with it."

"And I bet they'd win that fight. War's as much a culture as the refinement you seek from the Kingdoms. Nothin' wrong with adoptin' some of their ways, but seems to me yours is a strong people, shouldn't be givin' that up lightly. That fightin' spirit'll keep you from gettin' walked all over in any later negotiations."

"Culture? What, ashamed of your roots? Though, I suppose the humans yer borderin' will be more likely to work with ya if you share their ways."

"Aint it obvious? We're sellswords, after all. We're here for the reward, the glory! Hah!"

"Not gettin paid, eh? Your wallet begs to differ!" Thormanil laughs, and Arx looks up. "Back t'sleep, Arx. Got plenty of travel ahead of us. 'Legends'.. Got a nice ring to it! Should make sure everyone back in the freeport hears it that way, heh."

I think it's pretty obvious what brought us all to Eubric, Scuba.

"Obviously our strong arms've been called in to see to it that no one interrupts these talks. Sure, y'could have fellow orcs be the enforcers, but who's to say they're not bein' paid off? Least this way, we've been hired by the, uh, council, I s'pose?"

"How 'bout 'Legends of the Southern Islands, willing to bare blades in the name of a glorious (sic. well-paying) cause!' I rather like the ring of it, m'self, even if it's a bit fancy."

"Troll-mounted platforms? Ho, now this I've gotta see!"

This debate really won't ever end until the rogues' generated gold goes straight into the common loot pool, rather than their pockets, and gets divided by the PL after the fight. Not that I'd ever want that to be the case, but that's the only way to 'balance' it, to quell the cries of 'rogue only helps himself' etc. Or, y'know, until people just accept it as it is and move on, but yeah

Thormanil hops up into the cart with Arx settling in next to him. "Aepyornii? Taken down a few of those nasties back in the Fields, never thought someone'd try ridin' one."

In this case, the difference on both sides of the coin (hehe, coin) came down to about 50 gold. I'm sure that's what you're referring to, what with both sides passionately defending their cause over that same 50 or so gold

And often, they do. I may be remembering wrong, but didn't Guts use two Essences that fight? Talk about coming prepared. In truth, even if a rogue (a damage dealer) only comes equipped with stuff that helps him get more shield rolls more often, that still benefits the party. Sure, they'll be raking in tons of gold, but they're also doling out some substantial AoE dpr. Honestly, it annoys me that this "RP situation" brought this discussion back into the spotlight. I guess it's fine if a player and their character share a vision, but try and have some IC perspective. As per the original Rogue design, the rogue pickpockets gold. That's being stealthier than the victim can detect. Surely in the flurry of combat, if an NPC can't realize they're being manhandled, then a fellow PC might not notice it? Though later iterations of gold generation don't share the name, I think it's fair to extend the idea. In my head, Hoke shouldn't have even been aware of the exact amounts looted by the rogues. If nothing else, let that be a rationalization for not cutting the rogues' share of the loot.

This was the farthest North that Thormanil had ever traveled. A breeze caught him and sent a chill through his limbs. He would need warmer clothes to find comfort here. Arx, on the other hand, seemed oddly content, curled up in Thormy's hood. "Where's the nearest inn? Cots on that boat just don't feel as comfy as they used to." I can't believe I forgot to grab a bedroll after switching to dragoon

@Flipz, I'm all for strategies where a rogue's income can be maximized and then split across the cooperating party, you know this Every time this argument comes up, I'm always on the side of "Change the attitude, not the mechanics" (not that there's a call for mechanics change here). No class can do it alone, heck, Guts would have capped at ~400 gold if there hadn't been a team there to get him back up. I'm no saint and wasn't about to make a martyr of myself while I was a rogue-type, because the opinions seemed fairly set in stone, but as you said, happier parties means less foul cries. @MDM, If they were killing enemies, I'm satisfied. Sure, I was a bit annoyed that I got stuck attacking one of the guys who could pick my pockets, and had I actually lost a significant sum downing him, I might have asked for some compensation, but I took the target nonetheless, not complaining that the rogues may or may not have been taking easy targets. If someone took on Gombur(? The guy who could lower WP/SP) and lost some upgrade levels, I'd think it nice if the group, especially the rogues, pitched in to cover that expense. But IIRC that didn't happen, either. The fact is, we all contributed to the enemies dropping in our class-specific ways. We all deserve a fair split of the loot. That means not counting the extra generated gold that has literally no effect on you. If, in a given fight, you somehow manage to roll a crapton of Enchants, and somehow you had enough ether to support them all (not through consumables, but, say, some restorative ability by a friendly, if such a thing were possible), should your cut of the loot be docked just because you got so much free gold in upgrades? I don't think any of the rogues put up a huge amount in buffing consumables to aid their take in this fight, though Guts did use a few Essences. Since most of them aren't covering any consumables costs, I think it'd be awesome if they split off a portion of their gold to add to the pool. They certainly wouldn't have had as many enemies to harvest from if they hadn't been a part of this large party, nor would they likely have survived the fight. But am I going to punish them for that extra gold? Not at all. Even if it's a pittance compared to their lootings, its still their share that they earned. Edit: The heavies were taking people out left and right. Burning Essences senselessly while there were smarter targets on the field. Those of us with the SP and Health to handle them should have been keeping them busy while the damage dealers cleared the fields.

You're comparing hard loot to excess loot, or rather, set items to generated gold. The BK removes a drop from the pool, rogue-types only generate gold, not pull it from the pool.

Oh, no argument with that. It just became difficult to tell if it was actually RP'ing or just arguing that same point but using their characters' voices.