Flipz

OOC: . Arthur notices "Claire" twitching violently and motions to Minoid that if "Claire" attacks Trian, he should target Lynne.

There's a lot of room for interpretation with werecreatures being from Terra Chima--it's the origin of most were-animal species, and hasn't been explored a lot yet. Also, RE: Quest 99: and THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is how you break black Psyche-Locks. EDIT: Link failed, trying .

As a note, I'm hosting a Quest at the end of the month, actually--one sponsored by the Shadeaux and set in Dastan, no less, and one aimed at 4-6 lower-Leveled Heroes. Just putting it out there.

"The same way I killed the last two. They all have their weak point, their moment of vulnerability, by which they may be defeated. We watch, we learn, we observe. We gather intelligence, we strengthen our skills, we sharpen our swords. And when the time is right--we strike."

"No power is absolute, Lynne. Everyone has a weakness..every villain one day falls. I'm not saying it's easy, or even safe. But it's better than slavery." "Besides, why would he care? He's moved on. Made bigger, better creations. You mentioned being the 'first'? I'm sorry to say it, but you're not the last. You're a prototype. Last year's model. You were, like all his servants, a pawn, and he's moved on to other pieces in the game. You're barely a blip on his radar--he won't care that we've freed you, just like we and our friends have freed many other victims of his rule." Though the words were harsh, the tone was soft, soothing, sympathetic. The Skirmisher's Diplomatic skills had told him to be blunt but empathetic, and his words and voice conveyed his commiseration with the poor creature.

"How? He hasn't come here in millennia. He's abandoned this place--abandoned you. Tell me--what can you do with this new life, hmm? Spend it alone, strapped to that table, or wandering this basement for all eternity? What good is eternal life if you have to spend it in eternal slavery?"

"At what cost, Lynne...at what cost? Enslavement? Imprisonment? You've been alive for twenty lifetimes, how much of that has been pain, suffering, torment? You've been alive, but have you lived? When was the last time you laughed, the last time you loved? He stole that chance from you, locked you up down here, and for what? An eternity of torture and captivity? Some friend."

"And what, pray tell, makes you think your Master has your best interests at heart?" Arthur counters diplomatically.

"Why are you doing this, Lynne?" Arthur queries diplomatically. "Doesn't it seem wrong to be fighting us?" Arthur downs his last Smelling Salts before using a Jinxy Juice on Trian, both from the Back Row. "Claire, I want you using that Healing Staff on Lynne--I don't want to hurt her, but I don't want her getting a Free Hit, either. Clif--I mean, Master Grimwald, same deal with Pont, but try to Sleep Dodekka if you can as well. Do not under any circumstances use your Splinter Broom or Unlucky Horseshoe on any of them, that will cause very Bad Things to happen. Minoid, use your Drill Arm from the Back Row to keep Trian occupied, please." Battle Order: Arthur Arthur Minoid Claire Grimwald

Noted. I'll add it to the to-do list...eventually. I don't think Barbarian itself needs a buff, it just needs more focus and more things (Artifacts) designed specifically to play to its strengths and/or do interesting things that other classes don't already. (An example of that as far as Shaman goes is the Shamanic Plate you made for Haldor--we need more stuff like that that makes Barbarians interesting.) What DOES need work are the classes it's expected to advance to, specifically the Expert Classes--we need ECs that use Clubs and Axes and Hammers as their ONLY weapons, and they need to be SUPER interesting and fun to play. Maybe we could make a group effort to emphasize Barbarians, such as including interesting Barbarian-based NPCs, and/or including interesting Barbarian-usable Artifacts, and/or creating scenarios in which Barbarians' skills are especially useful (perhaps something like the first Guffington Quest where items are at a premium, making Natural Respite more useful, mayhaps?).

You know, I've been taking a good, hard look at some of the underutilized classes (especially Barbarians), and I've come to a few tentative conclusions. Regarding Barbarians: 1.) Barbarians tend to get overlooked because they come off as the "default" Hero, upon which all the others are specialized variations. Consider: Mages get elemental damage, Clerics heal, Knights get shields, Rogues earn money, and Rangers are ranged. Yes, Barbarians hit hard, but that's hard to "feel" when you're first looking at them in the class list, and the fact that they're first alphabetically does them no favors. Additionally, that advantage of "Barbarians hit hard" turns into a liability considering the next point: 2.) Barbarians are underutilized because of weapon proficiencies. This sucks, and there's GOT to be something we can do to improve it. The Barbarian has access to six weapon types; let's look at what each type ends up used for: *Hammers: Clerics, occasionally? There aren't a lot of memorable hammers, I can think of exactly two: Nerwen's crowbar, with a lovely multiplier versus Mechanical enemies, and Johon's hammer that deals Sealed, the name of which escapes me (it was a Kinto creation). Artisans can use them, but a.) why would you use a hammer when you can use broomsticks, and b.) no one's really mentioned looking to use Artisan as a class; a similar thing goes for Alchemists and Regulators--they don't have ranged weapons, but they have access to daggers, and there are TONS of crazy, powerful daggers out there--they're cheap and common, and SO many classes can use them it's not even funny. *Spears: I defy anyone who owns a spear to tell me it's not specifically for Dragoon. *Halberds: See spears. *Greatswords: These used to exist, but they disappeared because they're useless. They've been completely supplanted by longswords, since the only classes that can use a greatsword but not a longsword are Necromancers (who have better options anway) and...Barbarians. Hmm... *Clubs: These frustrate me (and are the reason I've started looking into this): there are some COOL clubs out there, but we're never going to see them used because physical-attacking Barbarians that aren't Raiders just don't exist anymore; Endgame has put out at least two now that will do nothing but rot in people's inventories, which makes me a sad panda. (Note to staff, we need a sad LEGO panda emoticon.) Alchemists and Infiltrators have daggers (and only Atramor seems to be interested in going Infiltrator anyway), and Beast Warriors use ranged weapons far more effectively. *Axes: Who the hell uses an Axe anymore? I think Erik is the only Hero who has interesting axes of any note. Axes and Clubs in particular join Greatsword and Scythes in the "weapon types that nobody is actually going to use" club, which saddens me. There are WAY too many daggers and longswords out there and in use, in part because there are WAY too many Expert Classes that can use them. But the final nail in Barbarian's coffin is this: 3.) Barbarian Advanced Classes suck when you're coming into them as a Barbarian. Point-by-point (obviously with personal bias, but still): *Berserker: Single-target restriction is PAINFUL. You don't have a shield built up from time as a Knight, nor a lot of Gold income to buff it yourself. *Battle Mage: Mage classes in general are hard to get into as a non-Mage, and especially since you don't get the special effects from your weapons the way you did as a Barbarian. (Probably the coolest Barbarian AC, though.) On the plus side, the damage output is phenomenal--it's an unorthodox but very good choice for a Mage, to be sure. *Hunter: I think it's pretty obvious that this is far more a Barbarian option for Ranger rather than the other way around. You'd also have to start your ranged weapon from scratch, the way Berserkers have to deal with the shield. *Shaman: These are weird. Mechanically, they work great, but there's usually better options for Clerics, and there's not a lot of interesting builds/Artifacts designed for them--Haldor was one, but he's gone now. In all honesty, though, Shamans are a LOT better than people seem to give them credit for. Probably the easiest class to switch into from Barbarian next to... *Raider: This is the option everybody chooses, and I think we all know why. No offense to the people who've taken the class, but it's really, really overused. 4.) Barbarians have limited Expert Class options. Barring a total rebuild at Level 30 (which, granted, is possible), Barbarians have basically four options with regards to weapon compatibility and general Artifact compatibility overlap: Alchemist, Beast Warrior, Infiltrator (sorta), and Regulator. (Winged Warrior, Skirmisher, and Dragoon also share major weapon compatibility, but tend not to share Artifacts with Barbarians.) Since two of those will basically never be offered again, that leaves just two classes for them to work towards--and since, as mentioned earlier, Beast Warriors do better with ranged weapons anyway, it's basically Alchemist or nothing. Definitely not encouraging for new players. Regarding others: These Expert Classes are underused/under-discussed: Artisan, Cannoneer, Chi Monk, Infiltrator, Winged Warrior. Of those five, the middle three have gained a little prominence recently (thanks to Erdathcath, another character, and Atramor, respectively making plans for each of the above), but Artisan and Winged Warrior still lack players with intention to use them. Artisan is...weird and hard for me to analyze, but Winged Warrior is definitely a class I'd like to see making a comeback--especially since, unlike most of the Quest-access ECs, JimB has stated repeatedly that he's open to other QMs offering it. I want to see that, and I want to see Winged Warriors in action--they're just too awesome to let the class sit around doing nothing. Lastly, on one final note: I really, REALLY want to see Infiltrator Atramor alongside Skirmisher Arthur (preferably with Regulator Skrall and Dragoon Hoke along for the ride). Both statistically and roleplay-wise, that would be a BLAST.

"Just trying to save as many lives as I can." Arthur smiles at the compliment, but then frowns. "Speaking of which, let's hope we can get Lynne cured and to safety before the other Devils decide to try and stop us, though I rather doubt it. We're in for a challenge, I'd bet." "Speaking of amazing things, any luck with the weapons room, Claire?"

Actually that Bone Scepter is really good for starting Mages--they could theoretically start out with a Diamond and make themselves super-effective versus enemies, or be able to cast against enemies they wouldn't otherwise be able to hit (i.e. pure Holy enemies). EDIT: Why didn't that merge, it was only 15 minutes apart?

"Ah, excellent, did your search end well? We should probably meet up in the Devil Room now."

Ooh, Beast Warrior Ellaria...that would be interesting.

"Agreed, gladly." Arthur holds his pack open for the bookmark. "If there's any of these other books you think we should bring along, grab them now--we won't be coming back through here again."

Suggestion: have her carry the helmet, it'll look better. You can then use a tiny bit of clay to stick her crossbow to her back. By the way, have you considered which Expert Class you'll be taking Ellaria, or is she just going to wait for High Cleric? No party communication at all? Isn't that the entire premise of the Heroica system?

"All right, Bookmark," Arthur begins Diplomatically, "here's the deal. This place? It's going to get drabber, and barer. No one is ever coming back down here, ever again. So I'm going to offer you a deal: I'll take you to the surface with us, and bring you to a new home with a constant supply of new books and new stories to explore--either the Heroica library, or the Eubric Theater, whichever you prefer." "However, there's a catch, and it involves that immersion spell of yours. I'll admit, I'm impressed at the ingenuity, and there are actors who would kill for that level of immersion--but it's dangerous, especially since I have no idea if the antidote can be mass-produced. So: in exchange for giving you this new life, you must never cast that spell again." Arthur pauses for effect. "Do we have a bargain?"

Just a little. I like that torso a lot, though, as well as the change to Ignis Fatuum to reflect the perma-Poisoned. The helmet, however, is stretching it a bit.

Q102: You should intentionally kill a bunch of wolves with AoE so you get extra daggers from them to sell later.

Plot twist: the two locked-off passages lead into each other. Somehow.

Arthur places the Double Mirror on the pedestal in the current room, the Southeast Mirror on the pedestal in the Suicide Room, and the Northeast Mirror on the pedestal in the Weapon Display room. "Claire, I'd like you to place one of these Southwest Mirrors on the pedestal in the Grand Dauntlet's room, Cli--err, Master Grimwald, I'd like you and Minoid to take the other Southwest Mirror to the pedestal in the Devil Prison. I'm going to take this Northwest Mirror to the Bookmark's Room. When you come back, Claire, come through the Suicide Room--I want you to appraise the weapons there, see if any of them will be useful in dealing with the beings Regret has imprisoned. Once you've done that, meet up in the Devil Prison with the rest of us." Once the others have gone, Arthur heads to the Bookmark's Room with a personal mission in mind...

"I wouldn't count the first one, that's less of a sign of personality damage and more of a sign you're adopting the basic Heroican way of life," Arthur quips dryly.

Arthur reads the inscription and checks the mirror. "Minoid, think you could sketch out a rough map of this place, including the two eye carvings and the pedestals?"

So "French" can be a colloquialism for it, I don't see the problem here. On a positive note, Sandy, way to go with the elemental-damaging enemies who carry elemental weapons! Going to have to adopt that practice right away.