Flipz

Arthur gazes at the sinking light streaming in through the windows and sighs. It was time to go. "Miirym," he calls, holding out an arm, and the golden dragon leaps to his shoulder. She whispers a few words in his ear, and he nods before passing by the Quest board, to which he pins a simple note. With that, Arthur once again leaves the Hall, heading back to his true home.

Yet another reason for there to be more faction reputation drops, then. A lot of people with rep have dropped out of the game, the newer players (and those of us who just haven't been able to catch a break!) could do with some more.

I'm really hoping I can take her on my next Diana Quest, it's coming along nicely.

Lemme try and phrase this more coherently. Right now, we have two camps: Dragons are a class feature of Dragoon (current rules and rules interpretation), and Dragons are a significant, permanent character upgrade (the "Dragons need more care and attention" camp). So here's my thoughts on the matter: *Dragoons are, like all Expert Classes, at the whims of QM rep drops. Out of sheer fairness, there should not be any penalty for players not being able to switch to Dragoon the moment they hit Level 30, because their ability to do so is very much not under their control. *The number one goal of this game is fun, not realism. A player should not be penalized for changing classes when they aren't having fun, especially given that their original class may be tweaked to be more fun at a future date. *Now, if we want to change Dragons from a class feature to a permanent character upgrade, that's fine (and could be really cool), but this means a.) the Shadeaux reward class needs to be something different (so that it's more in line with the existing reputation-reward ExC's), and b.) the Dragoon class needs to become an independently-awarded Expert Class with the requirement of "must have been awarded a Dragon egg. *Following the previous point's line of thought, a Dragon egg would be an unprecedentedly precious reward (even more valuable than a full Adamantite crystal) that functions like the Harlot and Weather Mage books with the added restriction of being soulbound to the Hero it's awarded to. Once hatched (which happens as soon as the Hero reaches Level 30), the Dragon functions as it currently does, but levels independently of the player; the dragon itself would grant the player the Pet Dragon job trait (regardless of the class they're playing), allowing the player to decide how they want to play. *How would this be balanced? And if the Dragon-owner can be any class they want, why would they want to play Dragoon? At the end of a battle, the player can choose to level up their Hero OR their Dragon, not both...but Dragoons do not have this restriction; this combined with the significant power increase to Dragon's Wrath (and maybe a new Dragoon Job Trait that boosts the Dragon to replace "Pet Dragon") would significantly incentivize Dragoon play, while keeping the Dragon significantly balanced for other classes. I would be fine with Dragoon going either way, but it CANNOT be both a Job Trait AND a permanent character upgrade at the same time; the two are mutually exclusive.

If there's going to be some kind of independent leveling for Dragons, though, then it doesn't make sense for the Dragon to have to go away and stop leveling if the player changes class; you can't have it both ways. The whole problem with Dragoon stems from the fact that it's not player choice that determines when they can get their Dragon, it's up to the whims of QM reputation drops. (Well, that and all the baggage from existing Dragoons and how the class was in the past.) Getting one of the six or seven eggs is played as a Really Big Deal, but it's the only class for which that sort of thing happens. I...I almost think that the Shadeaux need a new Expert Class concept altogether, with Dragoon being given out more like Winged Warrior, since Dragoon is just so different than any of the other faction-based Expert Classes. No, 103 didn't work, period. No offense to Kinto, but mechanically 103 did not work. At all. Blah, words. Lemme take a minute and type up some more coherent thoughts in the Expert Class Discussion.

Obviously, if the potential isn't obvious, they aren't doing the minstrel at all.

"I can. I, uh...didn't exactly know it at the time, but it was my cousin she'd kidnapped and used to regenerate herself. Stole his youth to regenerate her own. Bitch." Arthur spits. "But I'm no Hero anymore, and taking her down is a Hero's task. I can only hope that those five give her what she so richly deserves." Miirym jumps down to the table when Annienal moves, seemingly amused by the Mystic Knight's actions. Still, it is toward Arthur that her focus is directed. "<Arthur...>" she sighs concernedly, almost to herself.

*points silently at Atramor*

"Of course, Pretzel. In fact...you're going to fight Baba, aren't you? Here, take the 100 gold now, this other Hero can just pay me directly; this way you have the gold now to stock up on supplies. Give her Hel from me."

The only bad thing about this is that now I'm going to look like a copycat when I host a Quest with a semi-similar traveling concept and two of the exact same destinations in a few months.

In both of these cases in the past, effects have still been transferred (both Hero-on-enemy and enemy-on-Hero).

Arthur gratefully accepts the bottle. He raises it as if in toast. "For Bluto." As soon as Thormanil has left, Arthur slowly makes his way back to his table, notably deflated. Miirym leaves her perch on the table, coming to rest upon her partner's shoulders. "<What is wrong? You seem as if you wished to follow them.>" The Dragon seems disappointed that a glimpse was all she had gotten to see of her draconic counterpart, but she seems more confused than anything else. "I did. I do. But Baba--as much as she's done to me and my family--is someone else's problem." Miirym spreads her wings and soars from Arthur's shoulders, choosing a helmeted head at random on which to land for a better perspective; for better or for worse, this turns out to be Annienal's. Miirym screeches aggressively at Arthur. "<If this Baba has wronged our family, then do we not have a right to seek retribution? A responsibility, even?>" Arthur shakes his head. "We're not Heroes anymore, Miirym. Our place in the world is no longer so large or so grand. It is enough that I may be here with you, to care for my family while knowing Heroes I trust are out there keeping the world safe." Miirym seems dissatisfied with the response, but relents regardless. "<I do not understand this decision,>" she says, still speaking Draconic, "<But I will accept it.>" Arthur smiles. "Thank you, Miirym. I can explain more once we return home." Arthur glances up at the high windows of the Hall, at the angle of the sunlight streaming through. "Which will be soon. We don't want to keep Mom and Noel waiting. I hear he might be bringing Hél over for dinner tonight." Miirym perks up at this. ""<I would not wish to miss that.>" "Neither would I, Miirym. Neither would I."

Arthur spotted Thormanil leaving the Hall. "Miirym, stay here, I'll be right back." "Thormanil, wait a moment." The Dragoon hurried to catch up to his more experienced counterpart. "I know you don't have much time, and I know you've face her before, but I wanted to share my own advice on Baba. She's a Mindflayer, which means she has powerful abilities to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I've seen her at work, at the Foundation Day Ball--she put the heads of the Houses under her spell, and nothing we could do could lift the enchantment. I'd recommend seeking protection from Hexes and Confusion, maybe even a Lover's Locket as well if you can swing it. Don't underestimate her magical powers, either. She was able to summon multiple minions from other planes, and even nine Heroes had trouble taking them down." He paused, momentarily out of breath after his rapid speech. He glares, not at Thormanil, but at the memory of the hateful witch and the pain she had caused to his family. "Here," he says, giving Thormanil 200 gold. "I want you to have this. Gear up, and when it comes time to strike her down...make her pay. She stole my cousin Bluto's youth, made him suffer in captivity, left my whole family in pain...I want that pain avenged, blood for blood. No mercy." He clasps the Dragoon's shoulder. "Good luck."

As a QM, I can most definitely say that this is false, at least as far as my Quests go. If a player says they'd particularly enjoy Questing with someone in particular--or, more importantly, if they'd particularly not enjoy Questing alongside someone in particular--I'll try to take that into consideration. But ultimately, I'm going to choose the players most likely to successfully work with me to tell a satisfying joint story, regardless of any pre-formed parties. Actually, in most cases, I'd be less likely to pick someone who's lobbying extremely hard for a party of their selection--it indicates to me that they're more likely to try to take over the Quest itself as well if I bring them along, which is obviously not something I want as a QM. My advice is to just sit back and let the Quests come to you. If you think a particular Quest would be great for your character, fantastic--sign up for it, mention a few times how excited you are for it, whatever; that's fine. If the QM agrees, then they'll pick you--and if not, well, that just means you're available if another really interesting Quest comes along. TL;DR: don't make plans, keep your expectations in check. Let each Quest be what it is without trying to force it to your own vision, and you, your fellow players, and your QM will enjoy the Quest much, much more.

...huh. Yeah, I actually like this one.

Is it just me, or are there a number of image links in current and past Quests that are starting to break? It's...actually a bit disconcerting, actually...

OOC: Scubacarrot has offered to buy the Scroll of Fear for 100 gold and the Scroll of Sloth for 200. "Hmm...it's rare and valuable. Truth be told, the Bright Polish and Level-Up Mushroom that Pretzel gave me were payment for the staff alone. I'd like to sell it to you, but I'm afraid it's worth more than anything you could give me. Tell you what, though: give me first pick of the loot you bring back from your next Quest, and the staff is yours. Does that seem fair to you?" "That's all I want, truthfully." Arthur is taken completely off-guard by Throlar's unexpected admission and apology. But something in his tone tells him the dwarf's apology is sincere. "I...thank you," Arthur says awkwardly, unsure of what to say. "I know I myself was not the most patient of our companions on that Quest, so in light of that I feel I owe you an apology as well." Is this really the same Dwarf? Arthur wonders to himself. How times change...

Some thoughts on Expert (and other classes in general, to be frank) that have been swirling around in my head: *We need to buff healing. No, not potions and the like; Ethereal healing. Right now, there's no incentive for Ether-based healing classes to heal outside of limited potion supplies, something that becomes basically a non-issue at Advanced Class level. 134 was a GREAT example of this; why heal and risk failure when you can just pop a potion and pay back later? It's the same reason Minstrel songs are so powerful: you announce the action, and it happens, with no chance for failure. While I feel like adding a failure mechanic to consumables would be rather ridiculous, I do think that Ether-based healing needs something to make it more appealing. *Chi Monk. Right now, there's little reason to use its healing, especially since the SHIELD roll gives no healing to the heal target. IMO, Chakra needs a rework: in some ways, it's RIDICULOUSLY overpowered (I mean, it's a full heal PLUS a positive effect PLUS a purge of negative effects), while in others it RIDICULOUSLY underpowered (once you have all the effects--which happens a LOT--it becomes just a single-target Roots, it does literally nothing if you already have full health and no effects, and not to mention the earlier-explained problem with healing others). Maybe have a different effect for attacking versus healing...or heck, even changing the "full heal + negative effects purge" to be on the heal target if the monk is healing someone else would be a good start. *Mages. Mages are really powerful, as evidenced by the numbers I ran for giving away the Overkill Gloves. Ether costs are, as usual, the way to go here--I know some people have proposed a cost based on Power, but I'm favoring an Ether cost multiplier per Row the spell has to cross (so a spell cast from the Front Row at an enemy in the Front Row costs 1 Ether, while a spell cast from Back Row at a Back Row enemy costs 4 Ether). In order to avoid nerfing Level 1 mages into the ground, this change wouldn't apply to them (perhaps incentivizing some higher-Level base class play?), or else some other method of base Mages (and ONLY base Mages) having reduced Ether costs or increased Ether recovery would help offset the change. (This is a "top of my head" idea, though, so the likelihood of it being terrible is pretty dang high. ) *Minstrels. The last nerf was good, but they're still too tough to kill on an individual level. We need to a.) incentivize them to attack normally (mostly via Artifacts), b.) make their music carry more risk/randomness, or c.) both. Maybe have the songs work more like Weather Mage weather, with the effects' cost and duration being determined by die roll? It seems like the fairest idea to me mechanically, but others might have better ideas; the big thing for me is changing songs from a "I say I sing a song and it happens" to a "I say I take an action and a die is rolled to see what happens" deal like every other major non-consumable-based action in the game requires.

"No I can't," Arthur says with a smile. "If it were anyone else, I might hesitate, but you've been a faithful companion in the time we've known each other. It's a deal." OOC: I'll go ahead and wait to update my stats until you've had time to update yours, just so it's easier for you to do a copy-paste. "The broom and book together are worth 1,000 gold, or 500 gold apiece," he says, thinking back to the previous prices for such things he had seen from traveling traders. "Though I should warn you that the former is only usable by those who also have the latter." OOC: Word of Sandy is that the Weatherfax Broom is only suitable to Weather Mages, just FYI. "The Stag Antlers...I can actually use them while you can't, so it'd take 150 gold or a comparable weapon I can use to convince me to part with the weapon. Sylvania's Cowl is not for sale. The Duke's Coat-of-Arms I just sold to Pretzel, and the Cloak of Deception I'd happily trade away for 25 gold or a Phoenix Essence." Arthur appears legitimately pained to have to turn down so many of Warlen's requests. "Sorry to say, but the Unicorn Helmet is an Artifact I can still see myself using. Perhaps one of my weapons would be more helpful to you? I've stood in your shoes once, so I know the frustration of finding the perfect Artifact only to see it snatched up at the last moment. My only advice is to be open to a change in path, should such an opportunity present itself to you. You may find yourself embracing a way of life you would never have expected." Arthur looks affectionately towards Miirym, whose stance had relaxed proportionally to the amount of material goods she still stood to protect.

I actually like this idea. Aren't they separate (if related) races in D&D as well?

Arthur notes a sickly green hood and a gem of wind poking out of Vindsval's pack. "I'd be happy to trade that Sapphire for the scroll, if you're interested. From the looks of that hood, you could certainly make good use of it." Realizing that more than a few Heroes were interested in his wares, the Dragoon begins to sort out his inventory on the table a little more. Even as he does so, several more pink envelopes burst into existence, the former mage having to take a moment to read through all of them before he can continue. "Well, these two," he says, setting aside the Scroll of Fear and Scroll of Sloth, "seem to be worth 300 gold together. I'd let go of the others for a smaller amount, but I think I'll hold onto the Scroll of Armor Sundering." OOC: The Lens, Duke's armor, one Healing Staff, and all six remaining Scrolls have already been claimed by Pala for 1,000 gold plus his Bright Polish and Level-up Mushroom. "Nerwen! Good to see you again. Well, I paid 75 gold for it in the first place, so I'd happily accept the same in return." Miirym swiftly takes wing, circling above a few times before settling down on Arthur's table, wings unfurled in a protective hawk-like stance just as her Dragoon lays out his Weatherfax Broom and his copy of Begone With the Winds, indicating that both are for sale. "<There is another of my kind here,>" she says, still speaking the language of Dragons. "<I can feel it.>" Arthur thinks back a little. "That'd be Arx, most likely. Thormanil's partner. I don't believe you've met." Arthur returns his attention to his fellow Dragoon. "How is Arx, anyway? Must be rather large and experienced by now, no?"

Arthur nods in silent contemplation of this new information. Miirym, meanwhile, beams at Sorrow's words about the magnitude of the importance of her race, ruffling her golden scales in a shimmering cascade of light. She at first appears indifferent to Annienal's attempt to touch her, but then soon turns and unfurls her wings aggressively, her mouth opened in warning. The more observant in the room would note her gaze fixed not on the Elf but on the half-giant Witch behind her extending an enormous hand to Arthur, but the mistake was easy to make. Arthur, however did not let his partner's distress slip his attention. "It's all right, Miirym." He slowly shakes Vindsval's hand. "Arthur. Arthur Ziegfried, former Hero of Heroica." Arthur pauses a moment, considering. "Why not? I won't be using either of those items any time soon. Why not give them a good home with someone who could make better use of them than I?" He rummages around for his Overkill Gloves to give toNamyrra, but pauses. "Although...I don't think it'd be too much to ask that you send me a bit of cash from time to time. You'd be surprised how much differently gold moves outside the life of a Hero." He slaps a palm to his forehead in self-exasperation. "That's right, I did lend them to Skrall, didn't I? I'll write you a note, explaining that he should give them to you once he's back from the Fields." He quickly scribbles a letter onto a new sheet of pink parchment and hands it to the Fenarian, then digs through his new pack for the aforementioned Lens. "I know that Lens at least is in here...swear all this stuff was easier to manage as a Hero.." he mutters. Finally growling in exasperation, he clears a space on the table and upends the whole bag, spilling its contents across the surface. "Sorry about that," he says, extracting the Lens from the pile. "Now, how much were you offering for it? It cost me a fair chunk of change back in the day, so I don't think 150 gold would be unfair for it," he says, holding it up where the interested buyers could see. Arthur frowns at Lind. "I'd much rather sell my equipment to Heroes who can actually use it. And as for this mask..." he looks at the off face covering. "I'm actually going to hang onto it for now. Reminder of the friend who sold it to me." He smiles, remembering fondly his memories of one of the first Heroes to welcome him to the Hall.

If Arthur goes on Zepher's next Quest, it won't be as an official Heroican (meaning permadeath is on). I'm *just guessing* that something will happen there that will lead to him going on Zepher's finale, but I'm still planning on retiring him permanently after that. I actually meant to do this before my hiatus, but a.) the right people weren't in the Hall at the right time, and b.) I really couldn't have handled it--I needed the time away from the game to recuperate.

"I don't know if word has circulated around the Hall yet, but I've left Heroica. It started when my birth mother revealed herself to me, and invited me to visit her and my half-brother Noel. Helping my cousins Lilly and Bluto alongside Althior and Alexis helped me realize how important family is to me--and how much I was going to have to neglect Miirym if I wanted to keep adventuring. They need me more than than the world does right now--Miirym in particular. Things are better than they were a few months ago, but it's all a work in progress--as I'm sure you know yourself," he says, nodding to Arx. "...Sorrow? Is that you? Aetherius, you've certainly changed. Merlyn and Morgan were telling me a story about you just the other day, something about turning each other into frogs? I can barely keep up with those two sometimes." He shakes his head wistfully, then sobers. "How's Karie? Haven't seen her since before the wedding...still hate that I had to miss that." Arthur reaches out to shake the large creature's hand, but before he can he is interrupted by a tone as a pink envelope bursts into existence in mid-air. By the time he has grabbed it, the half-giant has already turned away to argue some more with Lind. Arthur shrugs, scribbles out a reply, and sends the message back on its way. Miirym cocks her head, then crawls around the other side of Annienal's head to the table, before gingerly reaching a claw out to rest on the Mystic Knight's hand. She blinks in her reptilian way, enjoying for the moment the reverence with which she acted and spoke towards the dragon.

On the streets of Eubric, a lone figure, robed and armored, roams freely. For the first time in a long time, he felt free--free of the mad scramble for life, loot, and love that had been his Heroica life for so long. And yet... he thinks, spotting a familiar Artisan running back and forth between the great stone Hall and the Marketplace, there are some things--some people--I still miss. He smiles wistfully and walks up to the massive doors leading into the interior, laying a loving hand upon their weathered surface. Perhaps it's time for that visit I promised the Veterans. Arthur whistles, then shades his eyes with a hand as he scans the sky. Far above, a glint of gold glimmers and then grows as a splendidly-shining reptile soars to her Dragoon's call. She perches upon the man's shoulder, preening herself as she settles in--an unnecessary action, as each scale has already been polished to perfection. She sighs smoke into his ear, but it's clear the gesture is one of mischief and not malice. "<You called?>" she asks somewhat snootily in Draconic. "I'm going inside. Want to come?" Miirym considers her options for a moment. "<Perhaps. I sense something of interest inside. I make no promises of staying if I become bored.>" Arthur chuckles at his partner. "Fair enough," he says, offering his arm out to allow her a more comfortable grip as he opens the doors and strides inside. Within the walls of the Hall once more, Arthur marvels at how different the place feels as an outsider. Though still as warm and inviting as ever, so many of the things he had taken for granted now seemed fresh and unfamiliar, from the roaring hearth to the crest beneath the Quest board to the painted portraits of Heroes past and present. Even Scheherazade seemed new, despite her familiar face never having changed since the day he had first joined. The Dragoon took a deep breath before surveying the Hall, his gaze eventually settling upon another Dragoon like himself sitting not too far away. Miirym takes wing as soon as he starts to move. "Thormanil!" he calls by way of greeting. "It's been too long. Glad you could be here for my last visit. How has Heroing been treating you?" With an unerring sense of irony, Miirym alights upon the back of Annienal's chair, eying the elf curiously with beady reptilian eyes.