Latency clarification

[mystry]

I agree that mages should have some method to detect a Latent. If it was a spell, then it would have to be a universal one that any element could use.

I kind of don't want it to be a spell though. Maybe just a chance when looking at an individual that they get a flavor message like '<element of latent here> seems to react to <person name>'s presence'

Or something.

[Puciek]

I agree that mages should have some method to detect a Latent. If it was a spell, then it would have to be a universal one that any element could use.

I kind of don't want it to be a spell though. Maybe just a chance when looking at an individual that they get a flavor message like '<element of latent here> seems to react to <person name>'s presence'

Or something.

That's lazy though and requires zero effort from the latent player, just wait for a mage to find you. I'd much rather have proper guidance for new player so they know how latency manifests.

[mystry]

That's lazy though and requires zero effort from the latent player, just wait for a mage to find you. I'd much rather have proper guidance for new player so they know how latency manifests.

Its kind of impossible to put the burden of finding a mage on the latent, because there's no way to detect a mage unless they screw up or out themselves. Besides, it would make more sense (at least to me) for a fully awakened mage to be able to sense magic in a latent, who doesn't have the skill or training to conceal it or suppress the effects the cause on their surroundings.

I'm really not sure what kind of guidance you could give a new player beyond 'strange things are happening around you'!

[Puciek]

That's lazy though and requires zero effort from the latent player, just wait for a mage to find you. I'd much rather have proper guidance for new player so they know how latency manifests.

Its kind of impossible to put the burden of finding a mage on the latent, because there's no way to detect a mage unless they screw up or out themselves. Besides, it would make more sense (at least to me) for a fully awakened mage to be able to sense magic in a latent, who doesn't have the skill or training to conceal it or suppress the effects the cause on their surroundings.

I'm really not sure what kind of guidance you could give a new player beyond 'strange things are happening around you'!

It has worked in that system for few decades now, so I kinda have to disagree with the impossible (though for some part of it we had manus guild that was icly contactable so... that made things more streamlined if you wished so).

What is missing though is explaining how latency should show, and hence the topic. But the guidance usually given by older players and staff (when asked on visnet/tells about it) was always that there are many minor coincidental things happening to your character. They do not control it, it just happens, and happens a lot more often than to normal people. Minor stuff, like having a bird land on your shoulder, or never failing to start a fire, or spotting something in a deep shadow by "pure luck". For an innocent bystander this is nothing, for a mage who knows what to look for - and who pays attention to the person, its enough to spot the pattern that those are too common for average person. And then when directly questioned the latent can absolutly admit to feeling odd, weird, and so on - again, keywords that mages understand as they've been latent too.

Of course order can spot those too, if they've dealt with enough mages who have explained them the latency process, but that's also why latents are in danger until awakened, as until they they do not have control over those events.

But alas none of this is in any helpfiles, and instead it's all relied on just visned/tells/pnotes passing of knowledge to keep the mystery. And that I don't really like, so I'm suggesting to put that guidance out as a helpfile for latents.

[Satoshi]

To my understanding the latents being awoken are usually players who are aware of the latency who decide to awaken them themselves--they do the seeking of the mages, they put forward the right things. If they want to be awoken, they make sure to seed those little things (which I do agree should be in a helpfile somewhere if only for suggestions because I wouldn't have thought of some of those things) so that other people can see them, but there's still no coded effects of being latent for others to see, which makes the danger 100% optional. And some people will automatically want to suppress these 'random happenings' around those that might punish them ICly for it. It's currently totally up to the character if they act on that latency at all. And there's 0 threat on that latent being caught if the player decides to ignore it. And being latent should be the opportunity for RP and character growth. You get the option to opt out of it, so it's not like people who don't want this possible threat or growth would be forced into it.

And thematically, anyways, a lot of mages might not WANT to be mages in the first place. It goes against theme that every single latent out there ever would find out about their, in the Davite's thinking, horrible tainted soul and actively SEEK someone out.

(A big thing about some of the magey signs though, also, is that a lot of suggestions seem to thread off of whatever potential element you have--as a latent, you don't know what element you're going to be, at least in my limited experience. So it's harder to cater to those specificalities.)

[galaxgal]

It also often benefits mages to seek out and awaken latents for various spooky reasons, some of which could be viewed as to the latent's detriment.

[Puciek]

but there's still no coded effects of being latent for others to see, which makes the danger 100% optional. And some people will automatically want to suppress these 'random happenings' around those that might punish them ICly for it. It's currently totally up to the character if they act on that latency at all. And there's 0 threat on that latent being caught if the player decides to ignore it.

The thing is that latency can be opted out during chargen for some cost (I don't remember what it is), and if you decided to not pay it, ignoring when it happens is in the poor form to say the least. It's like having a bad roll on say, charisma max, and then ignoring it and roleplaying someone with charisma 100. So I don't see how you can then icly choose something you opted into (or rather not opted out of, however you want to phrase it)? it certainly is not an IC choice for the PC to just ignore latency, as they do not control those events, they happen to them. The danger is why you need to seek awakening.

That's really the point of the lottery system, to force some people into latency even if they didn't planned for it. If we do not like this system anymore, that's a different discussion entirely, but i don't like the of people just ignoring its results because oocly they decide so. Latency non-optional events could be easily added to the code (and I think they may have existed at some time in the past), then it's no longer on player discretion to follow the rules of being latent, but, well, I don't think it would be good for the game.

Even more reasons why this needs proper clarifications with a helpfile what is expected of latent players.

[Satoshi]

So I don't see how you can then icly choose something you opted into (or rather not opted out of, however you want to phrase it)? it certainly is not an IC choice for the PC to just ignore latency, as they do not control those events, they happen to them. The danger is why you need to seek awakening.

See, but that requires the player to be following these unspoken guidelines. Unlike a poor stat roll, which mechanically affects things, latency... doesn't have a mechanical affect that will impact your gameplay or roleplay. Latency isn't going to affect your potency at certain skills, it's just at the moment, an easy way to become a mage.

Which is why I suggested a way to make mages able to see or suss out latents. It adds a layer to the gameplay that might not ever impact a character, but just the knowledge that it could would add some excitement, imo. I also highly support adding in private echoes or pvents that are for latents only that have some of these effects outlined in the suggestions here.

[Puciek]

So I don't see how you can then icly choose something you opted into (or rather not opted out of, however you want to phrase it)? it certainly is not an IC choice for the PC to just ignore latency, as they do not control those events, they happen to them. The danger is why you need to seek awakening.

See, but that requires the player to be following these unspoken guidelines. Unlike a poor stat roll, which mechanically affects things, latency... doesn't have a mechanical affect that will impact your gameplay or roleplay. Latency isn't going to affect your potency at certain skills, it's just at the moment, an easy way to become a mage.

Which is why I suggested a way to make mages able to see or suss out latents. It adds a layer to the gameplay that might not ever impact a character, but just the knowledge that it could would add some excitement, imo. I also highly support adding in private echoes or pvents that are for latents only that have some of these effects outlined in the suggestions here.

It is supposed to be adding, but it is missing guidance on how players are supposed to do it. It may not affect your PC mechanically but it certainly should be affecting them as per even the very skimpy help latency we have now. Hence why we are in a topic which suggeted to add said guidance.

Adding a latent-radar spell just entirely removed the point of latents even knowing that they are latent. Though of course you are welcome to make a feature suggestion of such spell, but maybe in its own topic.

[wix]

I agree that mages should have some method to detect a Latent. If it was a spell, then it would have to be a universal one that any element could use.

I kind of don't want it to be a spell though. Maybe just a chance when looking at an individual that they get a flavor message like '<element of latent here> seems to react to <person name>'s presence'

Or something.

Perhaps latents of a specific element could be detected by mages of that same specific element, while doing the astral projection thing??? just a thought