Jump to content

[✗] [Magic Lore] - Runesmithing


Josh3738
 Share

Recommended Posts

-1

Immortality is kinda anti-Brathmordakin as I see it. A dwarf is supposed to go to Khaz'A'Dentrumm and not avoid it entirely.

Otherwise, reasons are already stated.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Much of what is written here makes me afraid that it will be abused but I have been shown that in the right hands abilities and magic that seem a bit overpowered make for very interesting rp, IE the Azdrazi. Please don’t **** this up. Good luck lads.

Link to post
Share on other sites

-1

An interesting lore concept that was created by the dwarven community for the dwarven community to give a unique magical flair to the race that has been turned into a star wars (ex: immortality, ruhn blades, ogradhad tokens, velkan gauntlets) knock off that is heavily controlled by an incredibly small amount of people. Runesmithing is in dire need of a complete rewrite due to the unwieldy and vague nature it currently has that leads to absurd situations in which players can gerrymander it into pulling off feats that were never intended to be possible. After reading this whole lore piece I get the impression that it is ripping off and adding multiple various jokes and adding it to the lore on the assumption that nobody will bother to fully read the entire piece. I think this piece has been written with the assumption that it will pass and continue to be unmoderated so that this lore can further devolve .Below I will list each section of the lore that seems to be problematic to me and give a short reason as to why.

 

  • Tenets of Ogradhad – An OOC means of maintaining power within the central group. The reason I list this is OOC is due to it not being a created player group but rather a group that is included in the lore piece itself to give it more legitimacy and authority then any opposing sects that may arise. This addition to the lore seems to be in direct response to the elves gaining access to golemancy in years past which caused an excessive inflation in the amount of golem smiths on the server.
  • Tools – Minor annoyance here. The importance of tools has always seemed to either be far too much to the extent that people would jokingly claim they would steal other runesmith tools to pseudo disconnect them or the opposite where they would hardly be mentioned and would be downplayed. It just seems like a piece of the lore that has always been problematic to effectively adhere to in a literal sense even though it thematically works.
  • Binding Connection – The rolling is stupid and easily circumvented by players just mass attempting. It’s a gamey mechanic that shouldn’t be part of the lore.
  • Ritual of Shattered Stones – Falls into the same trap that all “Must be taught by someone who knows” lore piece. Who will initially know (Just the Lore Writer or All current Teachers)? Doesn’t this just put more power into the hands of senior Runesmiths to maintain a stranglehold over those under them. Further the line may only be successfully spiked after having broken one of the Tenets of Ogradhadeasy to see how this is going to result in bending the definitions of the rules to protect those who are liked by the central controlling group and those who are on the fringe. This gives further power to a group OOCly vetted and enforced by those in charge of the lore.
  • Ritual Altar – Only able to be created by those that know, basically even if you put in the work for a TA you still need someone to walk up to you and say ooga booga now you can actually teach others with my schematic.
  • Runes – Man runes either are ******* amazing to the point of being powergaming (lava) or suck. There are very few examples of well balanced runes and this section needs a large rewrite. I will say though that the better clarification of tiers is a great addition so kudos for that.
  • Khorvad Rune – What does this actually do, its always been listed as event rune but where is the documentation of what it can do. Is it just a mcguffin for ET or is it that Time Travel Rune used to regain lost artifacts (Also what the **** was that time travel event).
  • Thanhic Alloys – more thanhium make bigger boom
  • Dwedohin Stailininn – Ruhn Alloy + Soul Anvil = none of the reprecussions thanhic alloy was supposed to have
  • Bolstering a Rune - No longer all that relevant due to the powercreep from all the implemented alloys created
  • Recarving Runes – Couldn’t seem to find a section dedicated to this topic but I still wanted to touch on it. Recarving runes seems like a shoehorned implemented redline to satisfy individuals outside of the dwarven community critical of dwarven lore but in practice is a nonexistent repercussion. It doesn’t fit thematically with the idea of a dwarven craftsman who has reached the peak of his craft that is able to create heirloom artifacts. Rather these craftsmen have to essentially recharged a rune every “x” (these times are often inconsequential and picked out of a hat) for the purpose of getting lore approved.
  • Dharok Gems – The amount of messages I got as soon as these were added to the lore is absurd. Originally it was just the infinity stones that were controlled through events. A good example of why staff making additions to magic lore via events should be heavily discouraged to avoid blatant favoritism (notice how the only players to get floating castles are always close to staff)
  • Ruhn Blades – It’s lightsabers. It’s a hot blade that grows/shrinks from the handle. This really highlights how out of control the lore has gotten from what it was originally meant to be. Initially dwarves only really wanted to have a culture specific type of enchanting lore which was heavily stomped on at the time. Now left with minimal supervision we see that instead of just trying to fill that niche of neat enchantments its gone to the point of having lightsabers. I understand this server does take inspiration from multiple sources but atleast those inspirations atleast adhered to the idea of a fantasy server.
  • Forgedwed mask – Is this a scuba mask or just an air ventilator. 
  • Ogradhad Token – Star wars hologram. It allows for absurd meta-gaming by having it replace bird written messages in which you can send something that a character cannot disprove and just serves as a OOC way to stomp down on illicit behavior. This artifact does have the potential to be very interesting in a similar vein to the opportunities Ogradhad runes can have, but it seems that it is far more open to being abused then its predecessors.
  • Velkan Gauntlets – Google unlimited power.
  • Isle of Ruhn – Please stop with the floating castles that cannot be destroyed. Instead of having that massive Admin/Lore Team approved Thanhium pit you’ve just shoe horned in Dharok Gems (Lore Team / ET approval required) to once again get back floating citadels. What proof are you sending out that you are recarving. Further why is it that they slowly descend, shouldn’t there be severe repercussions for this type of absurd feat. This just seems so blatantly overpowered and no other magic would ever get away with it (unless they had a pocket admin).
  • Flesh Runes – While I do agree that Flesh Runes should be part of Runesmithing some of the redlines seem off. the whole implanting process without a Rune Smith seems odd, does this mean you can stockpile these flesh runes and sell them to surgeons. Seems like a kinda joke idea of having a organ harvest kinda vibe with the whole surgeon and blood flow mentions in it.
  • Rune of Fire – Torture rune, just kinda seems like an odd thing to include. Doesn’t really thematically fit with all the previous bits of the lore. Not to mention torture roleplay is almost always bad. It often devolves into “give me the info” and the person screaming “never” while they outwait the antagonist who will then eventually just kill the person to be done with it. Also why would the person with the rune imbedded in them activate it? Or does this mean that Runesmiths can choose to activate Flesh Runes on other individuals and force Runes upon them.
  • Rune of Strength – Midget hulk runes. It seems like the repercussion is purposefully written so that you can say its not OP while also being easily sidestepped by having your friend hit you in the back of the head and you going “oh no I’ve been incapacitated”.
  • Rune of Life – Immortality Rune, really doesn’t fit thematically at all with the original intentions of Runesmithing. You see this in combination with all the previously mentioned artifacts to culminate in a Sith Lord knock off.
  • Rune of Enhanced ____ + Rune of Well Being – Ancient Chinese Dwarven Runic Medicine to keep you nice and strong. Honestly these are just filler pieces that will be barely used.
  • Rune of Pestilence – Another torture rune? Just seems like a filler piece to be the opposite of the previous Rune of Well Being. Same concerns as Rune of Fire.
  • Rune of Voidal Severance – I do wish Runesmithing Dungrimm runes were not so ****. Although this seems like a weird solution and is even more egregious when you consider that Runesmiths can be handing out these runes to dwarven medics to then go and capture a elven mage and force this rune upon them without a runesmith present. At least that is the concern I have with the outcome of how these are being introduced.
  • Rune of Hearth/Wyvurn Grasp – Seems like filler content that will just up being used to either ignore consequences or torture individuals.
  • Runic of Vigour – Runic Viagra. I think this confirms my earlier suspicion of some ancient chinese dwarven medicine meme being added into the Runesmithing lore. I’m all for these sorts of in jokes within the community (dwarf cops) but having it part of a Lore piece meant to better the dwarven culture just seems poorly thought out.

Tl;dr – Runesmithing has seem to devolved from what it was originally intended to be (speaking in the context of the discussion that were started in 2.5). Instead of being a thematically fulfilling piece of lore that is meant to create heirloom artifacts that will have a storied history and are passed on from dwarf to dwarf as a means of community recognition it has become into an Outcome focused lore piece that is used to create joke/OP items stolen/inspired from other works of fiction (Star Wars/Avengers) or Culture (Ancient Chinese Medicine). Many of the redlines introduced are purposefully done to avoid real repercussions which seems to have been done in response to the initial struggles Runesmithing had (which are legitimate and were bullshit). Rather then trying to fulfill the niche of an accomplished dwarven craftsman creating a specialized item for figure of importance (ex – sword with fire enchantment for aesthetic purposes) the lore has turned into Runesmiths being able to become Sith Lords that can wield lightsabers, blast lightning, and hulk out.

 

I would heavily encourage those who have given this lore a +1 to give it another read over and truly scrutinize it rather then think about what niche interesting thing a Runesmith has promised you.

-1

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’d be very happy if Runesmithing was handled and rewritten by a newer sect of dwarves that weren’t absolute jokes and just wanted to keep the magic as locked up and undefined as possible. At least the lore is basically an easily denial when it comes into reviewal time. Runesmithing is something that I think should be a key magic that’s kept on the server, but having Josh sit around on the ST for 7 months promising this rewrite then posting it immediately when he was removed kinda shows the power-play this lore post is trying to do.

 

This is the chance for a new generation of runesmithing that isn’t plagued by the ancient old heads that have dragged down lore. Get to it guys, I trust at least someone out there to really grab this lore by its balls and make it interesting again

Link to post
Share on other sites

I’ll be expecting $50 USD in my PayPal within the week if you want any chance of this lore being passed. Thank you and I hope to hear from you soon, Mr. Josh & fellow members of the Wheel of Friendship

Link to post
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, ScreamingDingo said:

I’d be very happy if Runesmithing was handled and rewritten by a newer sect of dwarves that weren’t absolute jokes and just wanted to keep the magic as locked up and undefined as possible. At least the lore is basically an easily denial when it comes into reviewal time. Runesmithing is something that I think should be a key magic that’s kept on the server, but having Josh sit around on the ST for 7 months promising this rewrite then posting it immediately when he was removed kinda shows the power-play this lore post is trying to do.

 

This is the chance for a new generation of runesmithing that isn’t plagued by the ancient old heads that have dragged down lore. Get to it guys, I trust at least someone out there to really grab this lore by its balls and make it interesting again

You know, its fun how such thing was attempted. It was a poor outcome if you’d look at how it was formatted, but taking a look at the comment section of the post, you can see the runesmithing crew, trolling and tearing the entire post apart. If there’s even the tiniest attempt of another dwarven group of re-writing and turning runesmithing into what it was originally supposed to be, I put all my accounts on the table that, the group involved in another re-write will face a lot of backlash, rp wise and ooc wise from the main controlling group of runesmithing.

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Here’s an actual critique where I’ll be focusing solely on the writing and the function of runesmithing in a role play setting.

Section 1: Runesmithing Basics

Spoiler

The Order of Ogradhad
The Order of Ogradhad comes off as extremely vague in its description. Why was it founded? If it’s age old, why don’t we know more about it? Even the companion post fails to answer these questions in appropriate depth. Personally, I’d like to see more history included to give reason as to why the Order of Ogradhad even matters, because as it stands right now I feel a strong disconnect between the actual lore and the order meant to go with it.
 

The first redline is something that I feel is fair to anyone taught runesmithing. Association with the order is not mandatory, but one is free to be apart of it if they so choose.
 

The second redline is where the first part of the post begins to fall apart. As discussed by @Tato and @Aengoth, the Tenets of Ogradhad are far too vague and come off as a way for strong OOC control over the magic. While a list of tenets make sense for a group of magic users to follow, the way the Tenets of Ogradhad are presented make it seem that the OOC will of the leaders will take priority over any legitimate RP reasoning. The language of “perceived crimes” might as well say that RP doesn’t matter, and a runesmith will be removed for whatever reason the leaders feel.

 

The Tenets of Ogradhad
As they stand now, the Tenet of Ogradhad are unclear; however, they do have the potential to be a proper list of tenets for users of runesmithing to follow.

The first tenet is a perfect example of unnecessary vagueness. What is unnatural and corrupt to a dwarven runesmith? This needs to be explicitly defined to avoid ridiculous levels of OOC control.

The second tenet feels like it should be included in the first, as it mentions “undead and unnatural” as two things runesmiths should not associate with. This tenet is entirely unnecessary on its own and should be used to expand upon the first.

The third tenet is the first to make sense. Not hunting down other runesmiths as a vigilante makes sense in RP and seeks to prevent OOC bickering from translating into the order of runesmiths.

 

The fourth tenet needs expansion as to what serving Ogradhad really means. Guidelines are necessary to give strict RP definitions for runesmiths to follow. The sub-tenet also fits more with tenet three than four, as it deals with harming of the order. The fourth tenet should deal exclusively with defining what serving Ogradhad means in the context of the order.

 

Tools

Tools are mad out to be an extremely important facet of runesmithing, as a smith could not hope to practice the magic without them; however, the unknown nature behind the tools comes off as lazy writing as opposed to a mystery of the magic. As for how the tools work in practice, I think that part is written just fine. A hammer and chisel are fairly straightforward and don’t need too much said about them.

The Binding Ritual (Connection)
despise this part of the lore for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, the separation of knowing the binding ritual and knowing how to make an altar. A teacher of runesmithing should know both of these things at once. Separating the knowledge is what creates the problem of OOC control over the magic, and I have never agreed with its separation. The mystery behind the ritual again comes off as lazy writing. It feels wrong that a magic being associated with Ogradhad, the Brathmordikan associated with knowledge, has so much unknown about it. The ritual should be written to be far more understood by teachers and the runelords at the very least

Diving into the ritual itself is where I really find a problem with this piece of the magic. Activating the runesmith’s tools and binding them to their soul is all well and good, but how the ritual is roleplayed is a broken fragment of the past that needs to be changed. When I was roleplaying the ritual, I was surprised to find that two rolls of 15+ were required for completion or otherwise I would bleed out and die. I asked if I was going into a PK clause and found that the clause was apart of older versions of runesmithing, but in the version I RP’d in I would just die and have to try again after some in-game time had passed. The ritual was clearly never adapted from past iterations of runesmithing aside from the removal of the PK clause. The binding ritual and who has the knowledge to preform it is what needs to be changed the most in runesmithing. Leaving a ritual up to the roll of a die is tedious and uninteresting. (And the fact I had to repeat it 5 times before I got two 15’s was annoying, **** the ritual.)


The Ritual of Shattered Runes (Disconnection)

I have no issue with the presence of spikes and how they are written; however, disconnection relies on a specific set of tenets to justify the use of a spike. The disconnection ritual itself poses no threat to OOC control over the magic; rather, the Tenets of Ogradhad must be written far better than they are now to make it clear what runesmiths can and cannot do. A disconnection ritual makes sense in an RP setting and the requirement of LT oversight of the creation of spikes provides a layer of needed security.

 

The Ritual Altar

I’ve said it once already and I’ll say it again: the knowledge to create altars should be know by ALL teachers and the runelords. I understand the wish to not see the magic bastardized as many others have been, but the knowledge on how to induct more runesmiths should be shared by a wider pool of people. In combinations with a clear list of tenets, I see no reason as to why the knowledge to create altars should not be shared further.

 

I’ll be skipping “Using a Rune” as I see no issues with the three emote rule or how the runes can be activated and having nothing to add.

 

Section 2: The Runes

Spoiler

The Runes

The process of creating a rune has always felt very ordered to me and the order of: base, prefix, root, suffix makes for some structured and enjoyable teaching/smithing RP. 

The tiers have also felt balanced in my experiences as a runesmith. The only risk one takes with tiered runes is the stupidity of the runesmith. Frankly, the magic in the hands of anyone who understands what powergaming means carries no risk in terms of balance. The description of the function of runes and what they can actually do is the highest point of the post, as nothing is left up in the air.

Deific runes are a section I particularly enjoy, as none hold any amazing power but expand on runesmithing in interesting little ways. I find each of their individual functions and effects to be interesting to read and RP and are another high point of runesmithing.

 

I’ll probably post the second part of my critique soon because I have a LOT to say about flesh runes and want to take the time to develop a proper argument. 

In my final comment I would like to address @ScreamingDingo
To a Story Writer, I would hope that the quality of writing would be the first and foremost aspect of any piece you critique. Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case in regards to your post. Why is the piece is easy denial? Surely you would take the time to point out actual flaws in the piece instead of insulting the author. You’ve detailed nothing of whats wrong with the actual lore and failed to make any suggestions of your own. If you wish to see someone else pick up the lore, which has been an opportunity for anyone to do, then why don’t you provide something of substance in your reply to incite the action you wish to see? 
 

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Burnsy said:

 

  Hide contents

 

  Reveal hidden contents

The Runes

The process of creating a rune has always felt very ordered to me and the order of: base, prefix, root, suffix makes for some structured and enjoyable teaching/smithing RP. 

The tiers have also felt balanced in my experiences as a runesmith. The only risk one takes with tiered runes is the stupidity of the runesmith. Frankly, the magic in the hands of anyone who understands what powergaming means carries no risk in terms of balance. The description of the function of runes and what they can actually do is the highest point of the post, as nothing is left up in the air.

Deific runes are a section I particularly enjoy, as none hold any amazing power but expand on runesmithing in interesting little ways. I find each of their individual functions and effects to be interesting to read and RP and are another high point of runesmithing.

 

In my final comment I would like to address @ScreamingDingo
To a Story Writer, I would hope that the quality of writing would be the first and foremost aspect of any piece you critique. Unfortunately, that seems not to be the case in regards to your post. Why is the piece is easy denial? Surely you would take the time to point out actual flaws in the piece instead of insulting the author. You’ve detailed nothing of whats wrong with the actual lore and failed to make any suggestions of your own. If you wish to see someone else pick up the lore, which has been an opportunity for anyone to do, then why don’t you provide something of substance in your reply to incite the action you wish to see? 
 

 

Josh as a former LT surely knows the issues his own piece has, since quite a few of these issues have been contested in chats in months that he was also involved in. The main issues have been already addressed by people like @Aengoth , which just dittoing his comment wouldn’t achieve much. I’ll give suggestions and my critiques in the reviewal process, as I do with every other piece of lore. It’s just my opinion as a staff member and a player who has seen quite alot of the exploits of runesmithing and its general descension in quality in the past three or so years that I needed to say what I said. Runesmithing needs to be taken out of the hands of the clique to have people come up with something half-feasible and even close to being accepted.  The sheer amount of memes and jokes makes my own lore deity based on Flamboyant look legitimate.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The first section of runes that deal with summoning and changing of natural things would need to work on how strong these runes are, these runes can produce heavy effects even though, I assume, this magic takes up one slot. 

Furthermore, the tier progression and alteration of some of the runes have either been left the same or just amplified for ultra weaponry based attacks. I could see someone literally just have an object with a rune water runes and release a powerful fireman’s hose while I doubt that even water evocationist at tier 5 can do without have repercussions on themselves. 

And the runes that affect the body seem to lean into a type of blood magic, similar to where we had beserkers and rogues yet this time you guys have amplified everything. Someone with some sort of abilities or knowledge could literally just be twisted into that of the hulk or made into some Super Solider Captain Arcas. I never saw runes as something for the body, it was meant to be magic that alter the world, the language of magic. It seems to be twisted to just be a powerful magic meant to be locked in a group, the dwarves & friends. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

In 2013, Runesmithing was a rallying cry for dwarven freedom in terms of a niche, relatively balanced magic. Having seen the magic in action, it only now seems like a clique’s tool of control. Don’t want to see it on the server.

Link to post
Share on other sites

This lore has been denied. You will be sent a forum PM regarding the reasons for denial within the next 24 hours.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.



×
×
  • Create New...