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[Shelved]Paragons of Purity


Gladuos
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Summary of Edits for the LT:

Spoiler

Hello guys. As per requests from the LT, I've made edits to rebalance some of the Paragons' abilities. Foremost I nerfed the burn on touch ability to only give a protection against dark magics and taints, not as an aggressive weapon against dark creatures. Secondarily, I added a new major weakness wherein a Paragon can lose all their creature-specific abilities if left in complete darkness. I hope these are satisfactory, and if you think I should change anything more, give me a PM. Thanks!

Paragons of Purity

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[Archangel by Lorenz Basuki]

-A cleric of Tahariae prepped for battle against the impure while in her sanctified form.

~~~

Suffering plagues the Descendants. It rends their flesh with claw, tooth, and taint. The most innocent and pure wither in the presence of the Darkness. Tahariae, in His glory, decides otherwise. With the gifting of a boon, His children are given resolve in the face of utmost adversity.

~~~

Paragons:

    Paragons are clerical servants of Tahariae who have been given the ability to enter another state of being. Through a widening of their connection to Tahariae, a set of newer boons are added to a cleric’s skillset. While this may be true, their powers do not necessarily increase in potency and the cleric is still left as mortal as when they began life’s journey. The god of Purity, as much as he wishes for the suffering of this world to end, would not wish to create utterly unnatural and prolonged lives in his servants - only add to their tools to defeat the Darkness.

    In a similar fashion as when first connected to become a cleric, Tahariae or a Paragon sends their light into the prospective being’s soul so they may alter their connection with Tahariae. The difference in this connection is that it becomes perpetually open without the need of concentration, allowing holy aengulic light to course through the new Paragon’s body at all times.

   This gives a number of effects which will be outlined below. A cleric made into a Paragon this way may opt to enter this state where their connection is always opened, or narrow it again to be similar to a regular cleric’s. They will have two separate forms depending on the state of their connection - as when it’s fully opened the holy light will have various effects on their physical appearance. When it’s more narrowed like a regular cleric’s, they will be exactly as any other holy servant of Tahariae, physically or magically.

 

~~~

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[Dwarf Cleric by TentaclesandTeeth]

-A Paragon while in natural form, invoking the power of Tahariae.

~~~

Abilities:

    Through deep and focused meditation, a Paragon may will for their connection to alter between its two new states: widened or narrowed. While narrowed they're in their natural form; the Paragon identical to any other mortal cleric in almost every way. When widened they enter into what is known as their sanctified form. This will give them a few extra abilities not normally possessed by a cleric as well as a couple weaknesses. As such, a cleric must be wary with what form they choose as they cannot shift so easily, taking roughly 5-10 emotes while outside of combat and impossible to do while in conflict.

   The holy power while in this sanctified state resonates within their physical body and starts to enact change to their flesh, causing aengulic mutations to gradually sprout into existence. These changes are almost always entirely aesthetic, offering no true advantage to the Paragon other than the charisma of appearing as an aengul might. This could allow non-functioning wings to grow from their back that lets them hover at best, or cause their eyes to take on a holy glow that remains at all times. Their skin might change to the tint of their light’s color, or they could emit some light from their body that forms into the appearance of a halo (always too dim to be useful). So long as it doesn’t offer true value in capabilities and appears holy, it is a possible mutation. Not all Paragons have to look exactly the same, but those are the precedent options for physical change. Should a Paragon narrow their connection again, these physical changes revert back to their natural bodily look.

   A Paragon has a perpetual connection to Tahariae while in sanctified form, causing light to always course through their body. Alongside the physical changes, they also no longer need to spend time forging their connection or praying to Tahariae to begin casting. This might scratch off one emote from clerical casting, but otherwise gives no type of advantage save for that one.

   The light coursing through a Paragon’s sanctified body also numbs much of their pain if they ever become physically wounded. It doesn’t stop any of the bleeding or damage from being done, it only soothes the Paragon from the sensation of injury, allowing them to continue their mission or heal themselves without as much strain.

   The last relevant ability afforded to a Paragon while in sanctified form is what occurs when Dark magics or taints contact with their light-infused bodies. Due to the light inside their bodies, Paragons have protection from most forms of impure powers making direct contact with them. This is more of a defensive shield as it only prevents things such as necromancy drains, or soul puppetry for example, from targetting the Paragon rather than being able to burn a dark creature on contact. The holy light is just not potent enough to burn impurities in such an aggressive manner as that. At most, dark creatures would feel a mild discomfort while touching a Paragon.

   It should also be mentioned that any of the passive abilities possessed by a Paragon still drains from their personal pool of power. If they are ever to over-rely on it to the point that it exhausts them, the abilities cease to function and they merely retain sanctified appearance without the boons of having light coursing through their body until they recover from the strain. They can still keep their inherent connection though, even if it might be useless without any energy.

 

~~~

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[Redemption of the Fallen Angel by DreadJim]

-A Paragon laid low with fatigue and injury, the last of his power simmering by his feet.

~~~

Weaknesses:

    Primarily Paragons can be wounded just like any other creature. They are made of flesh and bone, able to be crushed or rended with the same resistance as a descendant counterpart. They can bleed out and be poisoned, their organs can fail and they can lose consciousness. Tahariae wished for his Paragons to not be too far off from descendant-kind so they would not be unnatural lifeforms, allowing them to always understand the plight of Man. They still need to eat, breathe, drink and sleep to stay adequately living just as anyone else. Whatever kills a regular man could likely also kill a Paragon unless countered by one of their aforementioned abilities or an ability afforded by clericism.

    Although being a cleric and Paragon gives a resistance to most forms of dark magic, there is one antithesis they must fear. The strength of the abyss acts as a direct counter-measure to their radiant existence, causing immense physical pain to their body should it be used against them. The abyss and light battle vehemently within a Paragon’s sanctified body, causing them to burn as though subjected to acid. They can feel this too as though nullifying their passive pain numbing ability. Should a practitioner of strength of the abyss persist in attacking a Paragon with their magic, the cleric will eventually die and dissolve away as it eats at their very being. However, abyss seeds are far less corrosive, causing a Paragon's sanctified form physical weakness for the entire time while stood within the radius. They become half as strong and two times slower, moving lethargically in speed.

    Iconoclasm is likewise a powerful ability to be used against a Paragon, though nowhere near as violent. Should a Paragon while in sanctified form be subjected to an iconoclast’s mists, they will gradually feel themselves weaken. After prolonged contact of up to 5 emotes within the mists, the Paragon will become entirely paralyzed and incapable of moving until released from the mists.

   A Paragon becomes entirely infertile while in sanctified form - male or female. Though they can bear children while in natural form, shifting to their holy state will kill their child. Unfortunately, the power of Tahariae's light was not meant to course through infantile bodies in an uncontrolled manner such as this.

   Finally, a Paragon's sanctified form has one final weakness in the shape of mundane darkness. When a Paragon finds itself in complete natural darkness, or light with a brightness dimmer than one torch, it will begin facing adverse effects. Immediately after entering a space without light, the Paragon's holy light will wane in potency as though reliant on its typical radiant ambience. All of the sanctified-specific abilities will become so weak that they no longer work in any significant fashion. They start being able to feel pain again, the connection to Tahariae becomes as slow as a regular cleric's, and they find themselves no longer warded against dark energies. In this way, a Paragon is most powerful while in the light of day as opposed to its antithesis of night. Should a person ever wish to fight a Paragon on more equal footing, removing them from any relevant light sources would be a good start.

 

~~~

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[Celestial Forest by Kanizo]

-The luminous avatar of Tahariae. Forever watchful. Forever judging. Forever guiding.

~~~

Behavioral Changes:

    If a cleric remains in sanctified form for too long, they may begin to feel changes in their mental state. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it acts almost like light-therapy, causing the cleric to linger their thoughts on more peaceful and happy things. Diseases of the mind start to flake away if they were there in the first place, causing the Paragon to embody more of what Tahariae wants out of the mortal realm. They become more placid, if at least towards those that are not impure in their deity’s eyes.

    When in the presence of the impure, the light inside their form bubbles and writhes, causing an intense natural anger to gradually over-come them. This isn’t an active possession of rage like the bloodlust of orcs, but can cause a Paragon to be easier to lash out against the impure. They may find themselves lingering on negative feelings against undead, ghosts, demons, or anything of those categories. The natural wrath of Tahariae’s light eases their mind in that direction just as much as its benevolent tendencies do for anything else not impure. This may not be an instant change, but can happen over the course of months to years being a Paragon. This can be avoided more easily if the cleric chooses to remain in their natural form far more than the sanctified one. This doesn’t give a radial understanding of what is or isn’t impure either - the Paragon merely reacts this way with the knowledge of impurity.

 

Reasoning:

    With the lack of a lot of holy creatures on this server, I felt there was a bit of a vacuum waiting to be filled. Mainly the only form left on the holy side I can think of is Ascended which are elevated from the get-go. And no, I don’t consider Druids a holy-type group. Deific yes, but not holy. The clerics haven’t had something like this in a very long time, so I thought I’d give it a try.

    I wanted to write this without it being a blatant power creep, something which gives as much weakness as it does benefits. A magic transformation should always be about enhancing roleplay, something that a person should aspire to because they’re fully dedicated to the type of roleplay they’re in rather than just for the power. I wanted this to mainly be about aesthetics, things that’ll give interesting flavors without really having to be hugely overpowered. I made them not have immortality or resurrection powers because I feel that’s extremely over-done on this server at this point - not to mention needlessly adding to power. Though this still gives some abilities, I hope I accomplished that vision. Regardless, thank you for reading!

 

Redlines:

-Requires a CA to become a Paragon, taught by an already-existing Paragon with a TA. Must also be T4 in both war clericism and priest healing to be eligible.

-A Paragon must learn how to create other Paragons from an existing teacher, necessitating a TA. This means you can’t create other Paragons just by being one.

-Takes time to enter or exit sanctified form. 5-10 emotes while outside of combat only.

-Paragons are not immortal or ageless. Likewise they can die physically just as easily as any other descendant unless stopped by some ability. Cutting, crushing, suffocating, poisoning, etcetera may all work.

-Paragons require the same things to live as the descendant races. They must breathe, eat, drink, and sleep.

-A Paragon in natural form is identical to before they became one. They have no extra abilities when like this - although none of the weaknesses either.

-Physical alterations in sanctified form are entirely aesthetic. One cannot fly or glide with their feathery wings, but hovering is fine. If glowing, it must be an inconsequential light - not even as bright as a torch.

-Their intimate connection will at best scratch off one emote from casting, and won't be any faster compared to a normal cleric when already connected.

-The casting of a Paragon is not more potent than a non-Paragon. A T5 war cleric Paragon has just as much power as a normal T5 war cleric, for example.

-Sanctified form has pain numbing, but is not immune to it. Should their muscles begin to fail or their brain starts lacking too much oxygen, they will falter, faint, or even die.

-A sanctified form's body, being infused with light, is shielded from dark magics or taints making direct contact with it. This light is not strong enough to be used as a weapon against dark creatures, only as passive protection.

-Using any of the sanctified form’s abilities will gradually drain away one’s power until exhausted. Any boon requiring light to fuel (being all of them except connection) will become null until adequately rested again.

-Strength of the Abyss burns like fast-acting acid when touching a Paragon’s sanctified form. Prolonged contact can eventually dissolve and kill the cleric entirely. Abyss seeds only cause physical frailty for a Paragon, becoming half as strong and half as fast.

-Iconoclasm weakens a Paragon over time when directly contacting the mists. After a period of 5 consecutive emotes, a Paragon’s sanctified form will become paralyzed until released.

-Rendered infertile while in sanctified form.

-A Paragon will lose all of their sanctified form's abilities while in an area with darkness dimmer than a torch's (the brightest starry night isn't enough for this). This means losing pain numbing, and dark magic protection while simultaneously having to spend an extra emote focusing to cast - as a regular cleric would. They also still retain all their other weaknesses, which may stack on top of this one.

-Any combat scenarios involving a Paragon remain at the time of day as when it started unless agreed upon by the players to move time forward. This is because of minecraft's quick day-night cycle, and how that would affect the Paragon's weaknesses sporadically.

-A Paragon will feel behavioral changes if they remain in sanctified form long enough. Peaceful and benevolent under normal circumstances, with a growing disdain towards the impure.

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Lore that actually adds something without actually increasing your power in any way????????? Nonsense.

 

For real though, it's nice to see something like this that doesnt seem to grant any real boosts - it's just a new way of casting and spooky special aesthetics. Lots of people dont like "endgames", but I dont see a problem with it if its not power grabby I guess.

 

+1 :)

 

Edited by Fury_Fire
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aengulic form?? call it smth else

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Holy moley! A CA that DOESN'T render you blatantly OP?! Or even subtley OP? I cannot press the +1 fast enough. TAHARIAE WILLS IT!

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2 minutes ago, Tsuyose said:

aengulic form?? call it smth else

 

I'm sorry DAD. Got any ideas?

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i do and forever will despise endgame magics.

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8 minutes ago, WanderingSpirit said:

i do and forever will despise endgame magics.

I suggest you reread the lore and realize this isn't an endgame magic.

These aren't Keepers or the endgame the clerics had long ago. This isn't even an endgame.

 

This just alters appearance.

 

Anyways, a solid +1 from me. 

 

Creative lore that simply adds flavour to rp. Not an attempt at a power creep we are so used to seeing from both sides.

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I think it's charming. It avoids the endgame trap, and I for one have desperately craving a greater diversity in the holy genres as of recent. Gets a big ol' +1 from me. 

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10 minutes ago, WanderingSpirit said:

i do and forever will despise endgame magics.

The general argument behind not liking endgame magics is that people dislike the idea that they are power-grabby. Assuming that this is the case with you(correct me if Im wrong), can you explain how this is so with this lore specifically? Im genuinely curious :^)

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2 minutes ago, Fury_Fire said:

The general argument behind not liking endgame magics is that people dislike the idea that they are power-grabby. Assuming that this is the case with you(correct me if Im wrong), can you explain how this is so with this lore specifically? Im genuinely curious :^)

All 'endgame' magics turn into circle jerks and they've never worked before except celestialism. This one, if done right, can go right. But i generally just dont support anymore 'endgame' magics as the majority of them become dog ****.

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Beautiful piece that merely adds some flavor and nice looks to clerical magic without a power boost or grab. Me likey. 

 

keep-calm-and-acquire-aesthetics-16.png

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Just now, WanderingSpirit said:

All 'endgame' magics turn into circle jerks and they've never worked before except celestialism. This one, if done right, can go right. But i generally just dont support anymore 'endgame' magics as the majority of them become dog ****.

So you dislike it based on concept rather than context? Read it over a few times, trust me it's nice :')

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I like this unique take to a more 'powerful' form since it does not actually seem to give you more power in the sense of making the paragon's words basically become law no matter how stupid it is or in the sense that this does not bolster the potency of spells cast. I do think that as an added measure, and despite the need for a CA, this should be taught more as an advanced technique taught to teachers who have proven they can maturely handle such a thing so they are not viewed as someone who has set apart or above the rest. 

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