Magic Balance Suggestion

[Rabek]

So. The Knights vs Mages post revealed that the intent is still for mages to be more subtle than performing magic shows in public.

Several changes have gone in over the years that I feel worked contrary to this goal and should be reverted in the interest of restoring theme and hopefully making mages less the star of the game.

These suggestions are probably going to be immensely unpopular. As a note for reference, I have played nearly exclusively mages since the original TI many years ago. I've a lot of experience here.

I'm going to try to avoid mentioning specific spells unless they're already widely known (flight), or otherwise necessary for my points. I don't want to spoil things for those that are unaware, or reveal trade secrets.

First: Remove mattack.

Back in the day, before mattack existed, we had a different help file for fecho (the command that lets mages emote manipulating their element). Back then, the level of fine control necessary to perform an attack was considered beyond the ability of modern mages. It required either spells (most/all of which have been removed, for the better) or circles above 6, which was the limit for mages at the time (we had natural mages at one time who counted as one circle higher, and they were the only way to hit 6). This bit of lore was ignored entirely because of people complaining about being unable to attack with magic. Now we're in an unpleasant place where either mattack is useful and the balance vs the Knights is lost, or mattack is useless and we have more people complaning as well as a bit of code that has no real point to it. It was better off gone; as it is, it only sets unrealistic expectations for new mages as to how mages should function.

Second: Remove learning other elements

Another thing we didn't have back in the day. I kind of expect the most backlash on this one. Here is my rationale: before we could learn other elements, the biggest and best plots required teamwork. You needed a coven, or the manus, and you needed timing and to work together. A lot of spells are even made largely useless when mages can perform all they need by themselves, without help. Now, you only need to meet another mage twice. Once to learn the first spell so you can grind it however high, then again to learn the other spells you've now unlocked. Granted, higher level spells take a long time to teach, so it may be more meetings than that, but for most elements the spells with the most utility are in the middle. Higher level spells are otherwise typically very niche or largely useless, except for Air really, when it comes to actually doing things. Another problem with this change was a shift in IC mage culture. It used to be that being 5th circle was all you needed to be considered an "archmage." Now, you're basically laughed out the astral if you aren't at least competent in multiple elements, and some people have proposed "archmage" being a master of all 5. Removing the learning of other spells would force mages to work together and roleplay (my primary reason for wanting to revert this change, if I'm honest), and it would solve the problem of mages grandstanding and holding magic shows in the Crossroads once a week. Magic would be something to be feared, because a major project would take multiple mages in concert, meaning that there would likely be actual purpose in the attacks beyond just showing off. Granted, solo showing off can still happen (I did it when I was a newbie), but it far more often tends to end in death for single-element mages without support.

Third: Remove Will to Power

I don't think this spell is widely known outside of mages. I dislike spoiling, but I believe this spell to be the single worst thing to contribute to the problem of combat mages, even if it predates all the others I've mentioned. In short, it lets you use your mental stats in place of your physical ones. With this, a Mage can spend all their XP on maxing Intelligence and Wisdom for maximum learn slots (allowing them to get access to most spells of most elements as well as having weapon and defense skills) while still having maximized combat stats. They only have to buy them up high enough to meet prerequisites (I'm pretty sure it doesn't override prereqs), then they can cast Will to Power to have physical stats as high or higher than any knight. It can last hours if your magic skills are high enough. While I love, in theory, the idea of using your mental stats as physical ones, and it fits the in-game lore, and it's nice and subtle, I've talked to combat mages. This is the spell that lets them do it. Given all the ways it fit, if #2 were removed so that only a specific type of mage could use the spell, or you had to find one of that particular mage to get it cast on you, I would be fine with leaving Will to Power in place.

As it is, the ability to learn all elements simply makes it far too easy to combine effects that are extremely potent without having to go to much effort to do so. You can even learn without players at all, though at a cost. It's simply a one-time cost for something you can then do infinitely thereafter.

Bonus option: Rebalance Air magic

As I stated in Knights vs Mages, Air magic had spells removed and added to the point where it's almost entirely all about being flashy in public. This is the opposite of what happened to Fire. It's also opposite what I believe TI's magic should be; subtle and support spells to aid your plots rather than being the focus of a plot. It's hard to fear that mages are causing plagues or sick children in the background when every mage you see or that gets caught was flying above the Crossroads shimmering and shooting lightning at innocent people. If magic is subtle or designed to be used out-of-sight (there are blatant spells I wouldn't remove because using them in public gets you killed rather than protecting you from getting killed), it increases the paranoia of the setting since you can blame every evil act without a cause as being from mages. If magic is blatant and public, that takes the focus and the subtler evils get lost.

[Andruid]

Unless they've recently bumped the minimum rank/circle for Will to Power, I agree that it could stand to have higher prerequisites.

As for teamwork, I worry that the size of the pbase doesn't really support that kind of play -- not if you want to survive for any length of time. Right now, learning from other mages is one of the primary reasons mages take the risk to seek each other out. Whenever I'd spend time in the astral, all anyone ever wanted from me was my knowledge. It'd have been nice if it the RP had been about things OTHER than whoring for spells and magic lessons, though.

[chronodbu]

I disagree with will to power personally. I feel for its respective element, it's awesome and really cool in its own way. Maybe requiring a higher level for it if it is a problem, but I cannot say I have seen any problems so far.

As for mattack, personally love that mages can manipulate their raw element to attack with. Really feel it's in a good place right now that is neither useless nor overpowered. I can count an instance I have witnessed where it was put to great use recently.

I do like the idea of restricting learning more than one element though, but would find it weird seeing that if there were other mages on grid(ie older mages) who have multiple elements already. Would be unfair to take it from them and tbh kinda unfair for them to have it and nobody else.