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[Shelved][✓] [Lore Amendment/Addition] Mysticism | Hexes Rework, Wightdom Acquisition, & QoL Changes


Valannor
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“Cold be hand and heart and bone,

And cold be sleep beneath the stone;

Nevermore to wake on stony bed,

‘Til the sun should fall and the moon lay dead.

In black wind the stars shall die,

And still on gold here let them lie,

‘Til Living Synod rests its gaze,

O’er barren land and withered haze…”

 

♫♫♫

 

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Rite of Consumption & Wight Changes

 

The following shall be added to “Rite of Consumption.”

 

Spoiler

- Phylacteries must be signed by the ST to ensure validity and proper tracking - but the sign may be placed underneath the Phylactery so as to prevent metagaming. 

- For the purposes of the Rite of Consumption, Mystics may forcefully create an apparition that is weaker than normal - at roughly 15-19 souls, as opposed to a full-fledged 20 soul apparition. While Wightdom acquisition should be a challenge, it should not be rendered impractically difficult or outright implausible.

- Knowledge of this rite and how to perform it must be marked on one’s MA/TA. Wights created will attain the knowledge of this rite as part of the process automatically.

 

The following redlines shall be added to Wights, and their affiliated flavor text in the lore changed to reflect these changes.

 

Spoiler

- Upon demanifestation, a Wight shall require an IRL week to reconstitute itself and take shape once again. They require a single IRL day to recover from any wounds, lost ‘limbs’, etc. unless fed and healed by a Mystic other than themselves.

- Invocation may only be utilized once per combative scenario. The Wight decides the effect that an Invocation grants, if any - this meaning that the player invoking them must contact the Wight they are invoking. 

- Wights may have their ectoplasm be any color or shade within the normal themes of Mysticism (White, Black, Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, or Green of any hue.)

 

Reasoning:

 

Before these changes, Wight phylacteries lacked any method of tracking whatsoever, being player-signed structures that no one could feasibly keep tabs on if foul play occurred. This way, all phylacteries are on record and marked down for documentation. As well, Wights needed a small tweak to make demanifestation far more damning, and to put a limit on the effectiveness of Invoking a Wight. 

 

As well, there have been numerous complaints of Apparitions forced to be undergamed by event staff when Mystics have sought out Wightdom, due to the incredibly strong nature of these creatures. The events experienced by the community thus far however have typically been seen as difficult, so this change was targeted towards maintaining the status quo and alleviating pressure from the ET to try and get these creatures perfectly right in terms of their combative abilities. Having played an Apparition myself, I can attest to the difficulty of truly getting into the mindset of these colossal titans. 

 

 


 

Soul Harvesting & Menhir Mechanics

 

The following shall be added to “Rite of Hindering,” within the paragraphs and redlines pertaining to Menhirs. 

 

Spoiler
  • Souls harvested must be kept track of and documented appropriately by whatever means the Occultist deems fit - usually screenshot evidence is enough. 
  • As a Menhir accrues more souls, it may grow larger in proportion and be built up by the Occultists for aesthetic flair, though this is not necessary. 
  • Individuals slain or scavenged within the proximity of a Menhir will have their essence consumed by it, counting as a Soul for the purposes of the Occultist. On a non-pk death, a singular count of Essence/Soul Fragment is yielded, while on a PK death a count of 3 is yielded. 

 

The following shall be removed and changed from that same section.

 

Spoiler

To create a menhir, at least two mystics must, in tandem, pull the veil inwards towards a naturally-formed stone spire, causing the spire to gleam with the ethereal light of ectoplasm.

 

TO

 

To create a menhir, at least two mystics must, in tandem, pull the veil inwards towards a stone spire, statue, or similar, causing the object to gleam with the ethereal light of ectoplasm and its stone to turn menhirous - dark and gloomy, perpetually cold and ghastly.

 

The current “Rite of Scavenging” shall be removed, and its mechanics incorporated into the “Saturation” liturgy and additional redlines added, as follows.

 

Spoiler

- If, instead, the Occultist does not wish to slay the individual and instead reap their essence while leaving them alive, they may instead imbue their intent within this liturgy to Scavenge their victim. When this is done, the ‘killing’ blow would instead elicit a terrible agony as a large chunk of the victim’s soul essence is siphoned from their spirit, the wound instead kneading back together and leaving a ghostly, pale white scar as the victim is rendered unconscious for the rest of the encounter. Upon awakening, they would be left with no more than vague memories of the encounter, unable to recall faces, names, locations, interactions, etc. that occurred prior to, or during, the encounter; however, they would be left with vague nightmares of the experience for the foreseeable future. This scar, and the mental unrest, may be healed by means of Deific magicks such as Paladinism or Shamanism. 

 

  • Those who have been scavenged will be unable to recall exact details of the encounter, seeming to them like only a feverish blur. They may still recall vague flashes of the interaction, but not enough that they could discern faces, locations, or other niche details to any accusatory extent. 
  • Mortals who have been scavenged are immune to it for three IRL days after.
  • The wound received from Scavenging does not kill the victim. Its presence may be lessened to some extent, but cannot be fully healed outside of deific magics.
  • The Essence yielded from Scavenging constitutes a singular Soul Fragment. 
  • When utilizing the liturgy “Saturation” or the Sacrament “Rite of Harvest,” the Occultist may store the reaped essence of a singular victim within their conjoined Phantom, for later deposit at a Menhir or an Eidolon’s Apparition Cradle. On a non-pk death, a singular count of Essence/Soul Fragment is yielded, while on a PK death a count of 3 is yielded. 

 

Replacing Rite of Scavenging, the following spell shall take its place in the Mysticism ‘Sacraments of Pale’ roster - dubbed “Rite of Harvest.”

 

 

 

Spoiler

Rite of Harvest

 

Amidst the exigencies of occult rites lie the ability of mystics to draw forth the esoteric, spiritual essence of mortality, and store it within menhir to power their profane sacraments. In this vein, it was soon discovered by mortal mystics that one need not even lift their blade to reap the vital essence they coveted for fell rite and hex alike.

 

Mystics may forcibly drain the soul essence and fragments of an individual, allowing it to be stored within a menhir. As compared to the power of Saturation, however, this rite is a far subtler approach to enacting the Synod’s will within the realms of mortal men; able to be performed by adept Occultists in masquerade as fortune tellers, priests, or occupations of a similar nature that a given Mystic may choose to use as their facade. 

 

Firstly, as with all rites and liturgies, a Mystic must gleam - though when utilizing this particular rite, only their eyes would seem to be overcome with a ghostly glow, a near-mirror image of the phantasmal world they themselves view each and every waking hour; other optional tells may include things such as their skin becoming deathly cold, their skin sinking into itself as their clothing seemingly withers and decays, or other tells normally associated with mystical gleaming. Over the course of [3] emotes, a Mystic may perform a ceremonial or occult rite of their choosing, this entailing things such as a palm reading, a prayer or anointment, or an act of ceremonial harvest; so long as it fits within the prescribed themes, it shall be valid.  While this rite is being performed, the Mystic must maintain either direct eye contact with their victim, or maintain a touch upon their skin either bare or through thin cloth - with things such as supernatural phenomenon often occurring during this rite, though strictly for flavor and no combative benefit. 

 

Once the rite is completed, the individual would find themselves winded, a brief vision pertaining to themes of the undead, spiritual, and occult playing throughout their mind - often taken as a revelatory experience, or as an ill omen, but the exact details and reaction are left to the victim’s choice. They would find themselves taken by a great degree of lethargy thereafter for an IRL hour at the most, and in the following narrative week, would experience mild nightmares and night terrors as their soul recovers from the ordeal, replenishing itself. A total of 1 Soul Fragment/Count of Essence may be retrieved via this rite, for later storage within a menhir or an Eidolon’s Apparition Cradle. Once an individual has been afflicted by this rite, they are immune to it for the next 7 IRL days. 

 

  • Tells of the occult are allowed to be subtle, though still must be displayed to the extent described within this rite. Premonitions experienced as a result of this rite’s usage on an individual don’t grant them legitimate foresight, though they may certainly believe it to be such - these brief visions being entirely to the design of the victim. 
  • Supernatural phenomena occurring while this rite is underway are entirely for flavor and non-combative. This may include things like an ethereal breeze blowing throughout the nearby area, books flipping pages of their own accord, ghostly whispers being spoken from the shadows, etc.
  • The Lethargy experienced as a result of this rite’s use does not prohibit an individual from fighting back, fleeing an encounter, etc. more akin to general grogginess and tiredness than debilitating exhaustion. 
  • Victims of this rite are immune to it for 7 IRL days afterwards. They must be soul-bearing Descendants (or Kharajyr) in order to be considered valid targets for this ritual. 
  • Tier 3 Sacrament, may not be performed in combat. 

 

Reasoning:

 

By and large, simply fixing up a lot of what was broken upon prior amendments to the lore, quality of life tweaks, and replacing Scavenging’s spot on the roster with something that lends well to genuine engagement with other individuals in roleplay while keeping true to the core themes and identity of Mysticism. As well, I am attempting to curb the issue of lore-mandated murder hoboing when it comes to soul mechanics, given prior issues. 

 

 


 

Hexing Changes

 

Rite of Hexing

Timegeist shall be moved to “Minor Hexes.”

Flamegeist shall be moved to “Major Hexes.”

Cagegeist shall be removed. 

 

The category of “Major Hexes” shall be reorganized as follows.

 

Spoiler

Flamegeist

A malignant hex of fire and brimstone, this polygeist must be primed over the course of 2 emotes, during which the item would begin to gleam a malefic orange hue of ectoplasm. Once activated, this hex would last for the duration of 6 emotes, and will only be applicable by the trigger of Touch. Should the hexed object make contact with an individual during this time, it would inflict a burning feeling which courses throughout the body from the point of contact, causing them to feel as if a terrible fire were flowing through their very veins. Despite this, the hex causes no physical bodily harm, but is nonetheless excruciating to experience.

  • Must make contact with an individual through bare skin contact or through thin clothing, not taking effect otherwise. 
  • Only afflicts the mental sensation of burning fire running through the veins, and does not actually burn one’s veins. Equivalent to a red-hot iron being pressed against the skin, or an actual fire burning them. After the hex’s trigger is no longer applied, it takes 1 emote afterwards for the fiery pain to fade in full.
  • May only be used once per narrative or combative encounter, and will recharge passively out of combat over the course of a narrative hour as the polygeist suckles upon the essence imbued in the object.
  • Should a creature be immune to conventional flame, though are still a valid target of this hex, the hex applies as normal. It is the sensation of burning, not literal burning. 


 

Tormentgeist

A cruel hex of perdition, this polygeist would be primed over the course of 2 emotes, during which the hexed item would sputter and snarl as stygian ectoplasm weeps from its surface. Once activated, this hex would remain active for up to 2 uses in an encounter. This hex may only be applied through the trigger of Touch, such as upon bare skin or through thin clothing, whereupon it will begin to take effect over the course of 4 emotes of continuous touch, slowly scaling as it begins to inflict a horrid, stinging and searing pain wherever contact or interaction is made. This pain can be debilitating, rendering the recipient writhing in helpless agony should they be subjugated beneath it. Upon the cessation of touch, the hex would fade from an individual over the rest of the encounter, counting as one application/use in the encounter. 

  • Must make contact with an individual through bare skin contact or through thin clothing, not taking effect otherwise. 
  • Only afflicts an individual with pure, abject and crippling pain on a mental level, dealing no true physical harm. Only lasts as long as the trigger of touch is applied, and the pain would fade once the encounter has ended.
  • May only be activated once per narrative or combative encounter, and will recharge passively out of combat over the course of a narrative hour as the polygeist suckles upon the essence imbued in the object.


 

Frightgeist

An insidious hex of fear and dismay, this polygeist would activate over the course of 2 emotes of its trigger being applied to an individual, this being either Sight, Incantation/Audible or Touch. While its trigger is being applied to an individual, the hexed object would weep pale blue ectoplasm like winter frost, the air becoming chilled in its immediate vicinity. In any given encounter, it may only be applied to an individual once, and no more. Once it has taken effect on an individual, they would find themselves afflicted with a paralyzing and heart-wrenching sense of fear akin to hearing a Wight’s wail, inflicting a deep sense of trauma and fear to the point where the victim is forced to freeze or flee in utter terror, essentially subduing the “fight” in flight or fight. The effects of the hex only last a maximum duration of 3 emotes. Alternatively, the victim may wrestle with the geist and roll out of twenty in order to free themselves prematurely; they must roll higher than a 14 to break free of the geist’s influence and persist.

  • If the trigger is Touch, the object must make contact with an individual through bare skin contact or through thin clothing, not taking effect otherwise. If the trigger is Sight, they must maintain direct eye contact with the hexed object. If the trigger is Incantation/Sound, they must hear it uninterrupted for 2 emotes while within #rp distance of the hex. 
  • Only afflicts an individual with an urgent and occult sense of induced fear, triggering their ‘flight’ response - prompting them to either freeze or flee from the hex in utter terror. May only afflict an individual once per encounter, and may be broken out of prematurely with a roll of 14+ and an action dedicated to fighting off the spirit. 

 

The following shall be added to “Minor Hexes.”

 

Spoiler

Paranoiageist

Items hexed with a Paranoiageist will inflict deep-seated paranoia and irrational fears and anxieties upon those who interacted with the cursed object, often driving them to isolation and seclusion as the effects worsen with time - even trusted friends perhaps coming to be seen as assassins in wait, or enemies plotting their demise at the hexes’ most extreme. 

 

The following redlines shall be added to Rite of Hexing, or changed if italicized

 

Spoiler
  • The durability of a hex is at least two times that of its natural endurance, with metal being incredibly durable though not indestructible. Larger hexes or MArt hexes might require further effort, though never would one be completely indestructible. Major Hexes do not benefit from the durability increase without an MArt - and neither will Hexes applied to weapons or armor.
  • Hexes have no effects upon undead, spectral or corporeal - strictly affecting the living. Due to their acumen for the Occult, Mystics are immune to hexes of their own creation that are in their possession, but may be freely cursed by hexes made by different Mystics, or their own hexes if wielded by another. 
  • Incantation/Audible or Sight based hexes may only be triggered within #RP distance. 


 

Reasoning:

 

Hexes, while originally intended as curses to put on trinkets to ruin the lives of those afflicted, have proven to be incredibly combatively powerful and beyond reproach by many folks, given their vagueness and potential for abuse. This amendment seeks to fix this by bringing the combative hexes to heel, while not impacting the efficacy and intent of non-combative hexes, and instead expanding upon their potential uses.

 

 


 

 Spell Tweaks

 

The following redline shall be added to the spell “Diminish.”

 

Spoiler
  • In a non-combative scenario, Diminish lasts until ended by the Mystic. 

 

The following redline shall be added to the spell “Expulsion.”

 

Spoiler
  • One may take a major action in concurrence with the expulsion of their Graven, such as blocking an attack or swinging their sword.

 

Reasoning:

 

Things that should be there but were removed during Edit-mageddon for some odd reason. Just making sure they’re noted down so no issues are present. 

 


 

Gleaming Changes

 

Gleaming, the casting tell of Mysticism, shall be changed to allow for gentler aesthetics that are not as glaringly evil, allowing for aesthetic freedoms on an individual level. 

 

From

Spoiler

Gleaming

 

To draw upon the ectoplasm they are endowed with is an even greater feat, demanding a substantial amount of spiritual strength and strain on the part of the occultist. When a mystic draws upon their wight-granted powers, their ties to the mortal plane lessen, resulting in the individual taking on several distinct spectral characteristics. This often manifests as an ethereal green glow, sunken facial expressions which reveal bones, eyes glimmering blue or green light, greased and perhaps smoothed hair, and clothes or garments becoming tattered while casting are all signs of gleaming. The further a mystic delves into the occult art, the more prominent the gleaming will become. For example; while a newly crowned mystic may have their hair grow white and their skin glossy when they gleam, a tier four mystic would have translucent flesh sink back into their skeleton, revealing dully glowing bones beneath.

 

 

To

Spoiler

Gleaming

 

To draw upon the ectoplasm they are endowed with is an even greater feat, demanding a substantial amount of spiritual strength and strain on the part of the occultist. When a mystic draws upon their occult magicks, their ties to the mortal plane lessen, resulting in the individual taking on several distinct spectral characteristics. This may often manifest as an ethereal glow, sunken facial expressions which reveal bones, eyes glimmering in a ghostly light, greased and perhaps smoothed hair, and clothes or garments becoming tattered while casting are all signs of gleaming. The further a mystic delves into the occult art, the more prominent the gleaming may become, at their descretion. For example; while a newly crowned mystic may have their hair grow white and their skin glossy when they gleam, a tier four mystic would be allowed to have translucent flesh sink back into their skeleton, revealing dully glowing bones beneath. So long as the hue of ectoplasm is valid and within the prescribed spectral themes (White, Black, Red, Yellow, Blue, Orange, or Green of any hue) and the aesthetic of the gleam likewise conforms to Phantom guidelines, it is permitted - this is to say a more benevolent Occultist may choose to have their ectoplasm be of a candescent snow-white hue, with the aesthetics of a Specter, while another may display more gruesome traits within the aesthetic of a Poltergeist. 

 

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Real talk, may you and whoever whoever else consider changing gleaming to some degree as to allow a modicum of public casting viability where mystics aren't instantly revealed as a spook? I.E. allow some spells to have a specter's white stylings so a mystic blade could pose as a Canonist hexer and use spiriting / expulsion / whatever or a conjurer can use handling and come across as a holy exorcist rather than a blue necromancer. Imo part of mysticism's problem is that it's overtly flashy (because gleaming can be so scary at later tiers and is obviously dark) and doesn't have a middle ground to let it blend into semi-normalized use depending on cultures (like a delf ancestral priest or a Canonist paladin). That doesn't have to be only the white vibe of specters but it comes to mind.

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32 minutes ago, Zarsies said:

Real talk, may you and whoever whoever else consider changing gleaming to some degree as to allow a modicum of public casting viability where mystics aren't instantly revealed as a spook? I.E. allow some spells to have a specter's white stylings so a mystic blade could pose as a Canonist hexer and use spiriting / expulsion / whatever or a conjurer can use handling and come across as a holy exorcist rather than a blue necromancer. Imo part of mysticism's problem is that it's overtly flashy (because gleaming can be so scary at later tiers and is obviously dark) and doesn't have a middle ground to let it blend into semi-normalized use depending on cultures (like a delf ancestral priest or a Canonist paladin). That doesn't have to be only the white vibe of specters but it comes to mind.

 

I've been wanting to expand the allowed aesthetics of Mysticism for some time. If you believe it'll fit in this amendment, I can certainly go ahead and do so! 

 

Edit: Change lumped into the submission. 

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2 hours ago, Zarsies said:

Real talk, may you and whoever whoever else consider changing gleaming to some degree as to allow a modicum of public casting viability where mystics aren't instantly revealed as a spook? I.E. allow some spells to have a specter's white stylings so a mystic blade could pose as a Canonist hexer and use spiriting / expulsion / whatever or a conjurer can use handling and come across as a holy exorcist rather than a blue necromancer. Imo part of mysticism's problem is that it's overtly flashy (because gleaming can be so scary at later tiers and is obviously dark) and doesn't have a middle ground to let it blend into semi-normalized use depending on cultures (like a delf ancestral priest or a Canonist paladin). That doesn't have to be only the white vibe of specters but it comes to mind.

There've been cases where, due to the green nature of (some?) mystic mist, we've gone "Is that a paladin?" until we see they're not summoning something Xannic, if we see anything beyond that at all. Not that that means the majority of the server won't just automatically go "spook" instead of "paladin" because of other aesthetics. 

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i like your funny words, magic man

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6 hours ago, Valannor said:

Phylacteries must be signed by the ST to ensure validity and proper tracking - but the sign may be placed underneath the Phylactery so as to prevent metagaming. 

 

Haven't finished reading but the sign should be visible. In my experience, if players only see a structure and maybe some flavor signs with no context they will assume it cannot be interacted with. We both know the ST frustration when players make tickets asking if x or y is interactable when the area has no sign attached to it and turns out to be a weird thing the wt put down.

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3 minutes ago, Kujo said:

 

Haven't finished reading but the sign should be visible. In my experience, if players only see a structure and maybe some flavor signs with no context they will assume it cannot be interacted with. We both know the ST frustration when players make tickets asking if x or y is interactable when the area has no sign attached to it and turns out to be a weird thing the wt put down.

 

It's something we see with Klones a lot at the current moment, and I am inclined to disagree with you here. If these were meant to be common structures, perhaps, but Wight phylacteries tend to represent a cumulative 4+ months of effort on the player's part, to say nothing of the effort of the unified Synod in their ascension to Wightdom. While it may be a hassle, we also saw what happened with Soul Trees the moment the Arcana Flow vulnerability was included - and any tree with an open sign was immediately targeted for destruction. Players target things with the shiny green sign regardless of whether or not they should know what it is IRPly, and I think making someone go through a modicum of effort to PK a creature such as a Wight is more than fair. 

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4 minutes ago, Valannor said:

 

It's something we see with Klones a lot at the current moment, and I am inclined to disagree with you here. If these were meant to be common structures, perhaps, but Wight phylacteries tend to represent a cumulative 4+ months of effort on the player's part, to say nothing of the effort of the unified Synod in their ascension to Wightdom. While it may be a hassle, we also saw what happened with Soul Trees the moment the Arcana Flow vulnerability was included - and any tree with an open sign was immediately targeted for destruction. 

Then have wights hide them well, but don't hide the signs. I agree 100% with squak on this one. 

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5 minutes ago, rukio said:

I agree 100% with squak on this one. 

 

That's right chief. I'm left chief.

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8 minutes ago, Kujo said:

 

That's right chief. I'm left chief.

What the ****

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Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't Kha souls to 'alien' to be warped by mystics (because of their daemonic origin).

I heard a very specific kha tell me that at one point mystics tried to drain it into one of them funky stones, and as a result the stone began to crack/break. just a question I am more so curious for an answer to

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50 minutes ago, King_Kunuk said:

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't Kha souls to 'alien' to be warped by mystics (because of their daemonic origin).

I heard a very specific kha tell me that at one point mystics tried to drain it into one of them funky stones, and as a result the stone began to crack/break. just a question I am more so curious for an answer to

 

No that was Pund's excuse for why he didn't want Haskir's soul in his Wight's apparition kek. 

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17 hours ago, Valannor said:

The durability of a hex is at least two times that of its natural endurance, with metal being incredibly durable though not indestructible.

 

this is one thing that I've had issues with since the prior Mystic write-up, but it's the physical advantages that you get on a hex. I feel like with this people would just get Hexes to get budget or near bluesteel durability for items rather than just getting it for the interesting effects that Hexes give. there was already some issue with it in the past with some ppl using it to turn Azhl Weaponry's durability from gold onto 'at least' steel or ferrum to turn it into a budget thanhium weapon

 

the fact that there's no limit also makes it kinda vague, and liable for abuse

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