OldeTymer

Senex reclined back in a chair, reading the PSA as he sipped his morning tea, "Quite an interesting study! Though, perhaps I am out of sorts...does the author not refer to these selections of pets as both cool and hot? I never took the temperature of a tarantula, but snakes indeed are a cold-blooded creature... I'd like to pick this zoologist's brain on the matter." The old man finished off his tea and collected his quill and ink.

"May teh Brath guide 'is path and 'is soul be ever at rest," Octavium of the Deepstone mutters a prayer.

Herobrine...my old foe. So we meet again.

Whether a rule can reasonably be enforced or not by moderation should not dictate the implementation of the rule if it's the right thing to do. Sure, it's nearly impossible to monitor all interactions between players on other platforms outside of LotC, but it is still right and proper to place safeguards on the server where we can to the best of our ability. If it's right, then do it. These anecdotal arguments against banning FTBs are meaningless to the point of this post.

Hello! And welcome to LotC! I am an old player, but recently returned, myself. I kind of enjoy the wanderer vibe, but I definitely understand the want for a casual group to be part of! I can say I have found that to be the case in Du Loc, and I'm continuing to look out for more locations. I recently moved to the west-coast USA, so I'm also a Pacific-timer! Hit me up on discord if you'd like to RP or to share resources for casual groups we find! HistoryChap#0934

LotC has changed a lot in the years, especially in terms of RP quality and style. I think the suggested additions to the form are welcomed as it hearkens back to the application process of 2011, 2012, and 2013 which effectively produced much of the community today. But some things do make it appear a bit lengthy, which could go well or push people away who really just want to get in and get a taste of the RP. I think it should be kept in mind that players coming onto LotC do not need to be seasoned roleplayers. I also don’t think anyone is ever “qualified” to roleplay – we all had to learn sometime and somewhere, so given a lengthy application, players should be cut some slack unless clearly stepping out of reasonable bounds.

Hello, folks, I was requested by a former member of our community, Salamandra, to do him a favor. This guy is a truly old RPer and character here on LotC with an outstanding persona and character about him. Not so long ago, though, he found it was his time to take a necessary leave from the server. He recently concluded a complete autobiography of his character's entire history from Aegis to Vailor, and has asked me to post it to LotC as an official piece of writing to be viewed by the player-base. This extensive reading can be found through the following link to a Google doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c0PiMCq6_2AB36QdY9l5nEmvaBJhXRPATMZhY0fxb6M/edit

Please keep the comments relevant and disregard past RP issues. This is a lore proposal. As for making the magic more accessible - I agree very much with Booklight and with Cmack. And as I mentioned in the first few sentences of this lore proposal, the magic is underway to reaching more people. By no means will it become something that can spread like wildfire across the Druids. It is meant to sort of be a "rite of passage" like thing for Druids who have devoted their time to the Aspects, Druidism, etc. That's an entirely in-character traditional aspect of this lore, however, and also not essential to this thread. Although, I do believe that in order for a magic to be able to expand with changes, it should also be able to be used sufficiently and by more than just a couple associated people - and I can't iterate enough that this is happening to the fullest extent capable in RP right now, but it will also remain in RP. Thank you, Booklight, especially and so far, for your feedback.

Druidic Shapeshifting is a secretive magic that, for a long time since its creation, was exclusive to the point that it almost went inactive as a magic. Lately, through in-game efforts, the magic has begun efforts at expanding to reach more Druids of experience and dedication to the RP. There has always been a feeling about the current Shapeshifting lore that some of its restrictions are unreasonable and doesn't allow the magic room to expand. Since efforts have begun to revive the magic in-game, I thought this would be a good time to propose a few minor additions and tweaks to the magic. When the lore was written for Shapeshifting, the server had many mechanic restrictions. Due to this, and due to the fear that Shapeshifting might become an overpowered or metagaming magic, restrictions were written in the lore barring Druids from choosing certain types of animals to Shapeshift into (namely, aquatic animals and flying birds were restricted). The reasoning was purely OOC, due to the restrictions that no players should have the mechanic advantage of flight or water-breathing over other players. Currently, constructs and spectral races have the water-breathing mechanic. Now, I am not proposing that Shapeshifters should be given waterbreathing and/or fly by any means, as Shapeshifters don't need these mechanics to RP the magic, and they also don't receive access to mob-disguise (unless being on a staff team with the appropriate PEX). I am simply making a point that the mechanic restriction which once barred Shapeshifters from choosing birds or aquatic animals is no longer a factor. From an IC, RP, and lore perspective, there is no reasonable sense why the Aspects bar Druids from choosing birds or aquatic animals, either. Therefore, my first proposed alteration of the magic is to remove the restriction of choosing birds/aquatic animals, thus allowing Druids who are introduced to Shapeshifting to be able to choose any animal, whether it be mammal (land or sea), reptile, bird, etc. As I mentioned, there was an initial fear with this magic that it would become overpowered or bring up issues with metagaming (in cases where a Shapeshifted Druid could eavesdrop on a conversation as a mouse in a window). However, I think it's been proven at this point over the past few years that Shapeshifting has not met this expectation, and the magic has been treated responsibly. Therefore, there are a couple more alterations I wish to achieve with Shapeshifting. Previously and currently, a Shapeshifting Druid is not allowed to use any other of his Druid magic while in his bestial form. This even included the Druidism subtype Nature's Communion, which is the basic and essential form of Druid magic. Without access or progress with Nature's Communion, a Druid is pretty much incapable of performing his magics. Therefore, I propose that while Druids are Shapeshifted, they can still use Nature's Communion to remain connected with Nature and understand other animals - along with this, other non-Shapeshifting Druids would be able to use Nature's Communion with a currently Shapeshifted Druid due to the Druid being in the embodiment of a beast, therefore fitting the criteria of being able to be 'communed' with by other Druids (previously, Druids were incapable of 'communing' with a Shapeshifter in his bestial form, thus raising a red flag that the animal might be unnatural or unfairly and without-reason exploiting the Shapeshifter). Shapeshifters in their bestial form would be able to 'commune' with Nature/other animals, yes, but not with other people. The reverse is true that an attuned Druid is able to use Nature's Communion to commune with the Shapeshifted individual akin to doing so with any other animal. Druidism doesn't allow Druids to use Nature's Communion on other people of the Races, however when a Shapeshifter is in his bestial form, he is thus an animal and no longer a man or woman of a Race. A tl;dr proposal changelog: - Remove restriction that bars Druids from choosing certain animals due to mechanic reasons - Continue to restrict Shapeshifters from having access to fly, water-breathing, or mob-disguise - Remove restriction that bars Shapeshifted Druids from using their abilities of the Nature's Communion subtype, but allow attuned Druids to use their abilities of the Nature's Communion subtype to 'commune' with a Druid in shapeshifted form Here is my proposed, altered Shapeshifting lore:

I support this alteration on the grounds that it gets rid of direct healing - a thing which should have never been added in Athera and which I have constantly opposed. HOWEVER, I think an edit should be in charge regarding the wooden limbs. Druids with the Control of Nature subtype can make the limbs, BUT only other Druids with that subtype would be able to make use of these limbs with the magic. I think Druids with the Nature's Healing subtype should be able to make the limbs useable for even non-Druids, as the way I have always RP'd it as Callax involves a specific remedy and blessing on the wood that allows it to morph to an extent with the physical body of the person receiving the limb. Therefore, it becomes useable for that non-Druid as an alternative to Runesmithing or Alchemical limbs.

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There was a great and powerful Druid. He walked the wood with his gnarled staff and ancient wisdom, and with each step his energies encouraged the flora around him to flourish. He was a true soul of the forest; his great longing not to live in the company of others yet to spend an eternity serving the Aspects of Nature in any way he could. This Druid was clever-his mind was sharp and he knew that his body was just a vessel for his soul which connected all Nature in some way. With this in mind he traveled the forests, the plains, the rolling green hills spread with verdure, and he found a Sacred Grove, filled with the natural energies of the world, and he picked a sapling from a most ancient tree. He took this sapling in hand, and harnessing the power of his Druidic arts, he began to grow it, first binding his hands, binding his arms,legs, wrapping around him as if a spindly, gnarled, oaken rope. As the elder Druid let out a final gasp, a cry to the Aspects, he pierced his very body with the roots of this tree, and with the last of his effort drove the roots into the ground, stained with his blood and sucking out the tasty nutrients of the earth. There was a great tree in his place, gnarled, beautiful. For many weeks, even months this tree stood, tall, resilient, silent, until one quiet morn with the rise of the sun-its great trunk began to bow outward, and like wax from a candle, or a great boiling ball of water something began to take shape. The nearby wildlife did not retreat, rather they came to bear witness to such a momentous event-it was a miracle of Nature. The boiling blob took shape, and bare before the wildlife stood the ancient Elf, his complexion that of bark yes but still very much alive. And this, is the ancient and tightly kept secret of the Soul Tree. ~The Druii’ithirn, Arcanum of Ancient Secrets ~*~ Soul Trees Soul Trees are an ancient, heavily guarded secret of the Druids. Existing even before the origin of shapeshifting, the Soul Tree was a way for powerful elder Druids to maintain their commitments to the Druidic Order and Nature despite the dangers of their profession. The Soul Tree effectively maintained the life of the Druid until such time as they willfully forfeited it, or the tree itself was destroyed. But the creation of such a thing was no easy task, and many Druids who were unprepared have perished in the attempt. Creation A Druid who endeavors to perform this technique OOCly accepts the risk of potential permadeath. The process involves killing the original body and capturing the soul before it escapes inside of the tree. Theoretically a 100% success rate could be achieved by 2 Druids, but the knowledge of such is so rare that those who know would understand the risk is necessary to weed out the Druids who have not placed their faith in the Aspects. It would be a low failure rate, but an existing one. The rate would be determined by an OOC overseer (typically the elder Druid passing on the knowledge of the Soul Tree), something similar to how magic is taught (to ensure fairness and accountability). A Druid must ICly have gained extensive experience over Control of Nature, and Nature’s Communion in order to perform this technique. He would have to be experienced and confident not only in his magical abilities, but also in his faith in the Aspects and Nature, as well. It is advised that he finds a safe place to place the tree, and only informs the most trustworthy of people. Additionally, sacred groves or natural areas filled with Druidic energy and power knock off modifier points for that permadeath, so it is always a good idea to look for places where you are most likely to succeed. (IE Growing a tree in a cave with very little dirt will likely not succeed. Although Druids have been known to sow seed in the most odd of places, it is difficult and this is incredibly unlikely.) Once the modifier is decided, the Druid begins the process of growing the tree around and through his body, and proceeds with a roll (typically out of 100, with a certain window set for potential permadeath - this window is decided between the person attempting to create the Soul Tree and an overseer). If he succeeds, he become a Tree Lord and proceed with building the tree. If they fail, they die midway through, and... well... it is not pretty. Though with all that good compost the tree will likely grow into a magnificent beauty anyway! Death and Physical Attributes Because the Druid's soul now exists separate from their bodies, he is not resurrected by the monks. Instead of waking up at the cloud temple, the Druid is "regrown" from their Soul Tree. The time by which this process takes could be anywhere from moments after the death until years later (IC time). The event of a Tree Lord's death is very unique, modelling after their obtained physical livelihood. The Tree Lord is foremost identified by his race - although he is concurrently race and tree, as much one as the other. Though, the flesh takes on a bark-like appearance and substance, typically more noticeable at the arms and legs, and the Druid's blood becomes a dark red sap-like substance. The internal body still functions similar to a normal individual's, but it also adopts a new appearance not unlike that of the flesh. Death is experienced by the same manner as before, although pain is perceived differently. If a Tree Lord is stabbed through the chest, and because he does not photosynthesize (no leaves - still hair), he would suffocate. If his sappy wooden heart was cut out, he would die. A couple unique situations would involve burning (as he would burn much more successfully than a normal, fleshy body) and dehydration (he requires even more water than before, thus dehydrating quicker than other people). The feeling of pain still exists, but because the Tree Lord is physically both a tree and his race, pain is magnified by some activites (such as being cut or burnt) and dulled by others (being pinched, hugged, choked). Death becomes a spectacle of Nature, as well. Upon death, the Tree Lord's body does not simply remain for scavengers to come along and pick their meal. Nature quickly assumes dominion over the Druid's body and often it will be overgrown by moss, grass, mushrooms, etc, and become part of Nature. The body is then regrown anew from the Soul Tree. This experience is not pleasant or meaningless, however. Though his soul is not handled by the Monks, it is not fully present in his body, so the Tree Lord is incapable of recalling events or people involved with his demise. Although, when he regrows, he returns with the physical memory of the feeling of death (burning alive or being stabbed suddenly becomes terrifying!). This unique attribute gives some depth and meaning to death and the potential for interesting RP and character development. The Tree Lord cannot take his own life as an easy escape from a situation. By taking his own life, he willingly severs his connection from his Soul Tree and is incapable of regenerating ever again. Alas, the Aspects have smitten him and he is doomed to the dreadful PK. Saplings Soul Trees do not generally retain saplings. Instead, if cuttings of the tree are nurtured for long enough, they become a living part of the tree. In the event of the destruction of the tree, if the cutting is nurtured by Druid magic, then the cutting would still be alive and the soul would rest there. At that point it could regenerate once more into a body, consuming the cutting and giving a final body to the Druid, or it can be replanted and over the course of a very long time reach its strength to maintain. Why is this important, OOCly? We do not want things such as map changes to cause permadeath for characters. Again misuse of this will not occur, and those attempting to will be dealt with. Pros/Cons For a Druid, this is a way of committing to a very long life of work to the Aspects and protecting Nature. As with 99% of all Druidic techniques, this would be incredibly overpowered if not for the years of training and commitment to the Druidic ways that slowly shapes the mindset of a Druid. The consequences are very real and the Druid knows that each time they regenerate could be their last if the Aspects are displeased with their service. If anyone misuses the ability for personal gain or anything that does not follow their character or established culture that they should be doing anyways, that life will be their last (blacklisting still applies). Cultural lore is a big part of Druidism and the Druidic Order. Members are not expected to all act the same, but they are an Order of people with principals, and there is an understanding of things trained Druids at this level would not do. Pros: The player is not resurrected by the monks. While they do not remember the events and people associated with their death, they do regrow from their Tree with the physical remembrance of the feeling of death (i.e. remembering the feeling of being stabbed in the chest or burned alive). Essentially live until their tree is destroyed, or they commit suicide and sever their link with the tree. Body of wood! Resistant to cold, and while pain is felt it is perceived differently, the body does not have "blood", lots of different and fun things can be thought up with this for RP. Cons: Body of wood! Flammable! Breakable! Lack of flexibility in extreme temperatures! The body has many elemental weaknesses due to its composition. It is more flammable than most trees, and the body can snap under pressure pretty easily. If somebody RPly destroys the tree, or the character kills himself, the character permanently dies. This is so unless a sapling of the tree has been kept. The Soul Tree is naturally resistant to weapons and flame, but it is destructible - their destruction must be RPly done and the owner notified, as the attack on the tree will immediately cause them to return to the tree to defend themselves instinctively. It can take from within the day of death to multiple IC years to regenerate from a tree. The time frame typically depends on the intensity and meaningfulness of the death. More to come involving soul tree saplings - stay tuned! Note that an overseer is typically the Druid who passed the knowledge onto a particular Tree Lord, but an overseer may also be somebody like Arik, Callax, or a knowledgeable LM that would only make judgements upon request and gauge situations to help with the RP.

I don't mean to talk in circles, but even after your previous post, I still must say that the end result is, basically, Druidism. I'll also go into further detail and relate with examples. There is a different method to achieve the magical feats, sure, but the appearance is Druidism. Druids "nurture plants and affect their growth using the Fay to produce hard, gnarled barks and resource enriched plants to be cultivated for domestic use as well as defensive use." The Fayen act much like a similar ability of the Druids as sort of "tree-guardians," only, we call them Treants. The way beasts respond in this magic seems almost identical to how they respond to Druidism. "Beasts are dominated for short periods of time. The controlling of beasts isn't really a combat thing as no beast will fight blindly without respect. Instead of calming an animal to teach it Arbiters [Druids] exact dominance over them over a period of time" in a very similar fashion. Now, beasts respond to Druids based on the Druid's strength of their connection to Nature, but the beast doesn't blindly follow the Druid, either. "The beast can be empowered, giving them increased capability in combat." This part, I don't comprehend too awful well... but I'm taking it as if the beast gains special abilities from the Arbiter? If so, then I suppose that's a divergence in that Druid influence over beasts doesn't change them at all. *|~ I don't agree that the extent of Druid elements is only basic. This magic performs feats of Druidism, only it does so by much different means. Instead of having to have a direct connection (attunement) to Nature, the Arbiters control "pestilence" (which, here, this seems to be a window into Necromancy) to influence Nature. Again, I like the concept and the meat of this lore, I just can't get behind it because it is, as I see it, "Druidism through a Necromancer's window."

I like the lore and the concept, to be honest. However, looking at the magic, it is much too close to Druidism. The only access to controlling Nature in any way (even to the slightly lesser extent than Druidism that you have in this lore) is only accessible through being attuned to Nature through Druidism. I don't have qualms with adding more kinds of magic, but this isn't unique enough. The Nature domain (commanding animals and growing plants/ tree-like golems) is taken care of by Druid magic, and Necromancy already controls corruption. Yeah, the methods are slightly different and this magic doesn't quite line up intrusively, but it is still intrusive to these existing magic types.

In-game name: Werbles Roleplay name: Callax Skype (PM if desirable): dylan.judy Do you belong to any other guilds (and if so, which?): Yes, the Druidic Order. Note: I wonder that should I obtain a coat, might I tailor it to a green; the color is more my flavour. Ah, and I have a hat.

My thoughts are similar to Stobohobo's... It seems as if you are incorporating a variety of different magics into this one idea you have, and it wouldn't be favorable to the RPers of those particular magics that some of your ideas may intrude upon. I can't say that I'm a fan of this lore; it should be more unique.

Callax sits back in a rocking chair he formed from the roots of a tree; he holds the leather-bound tome in his hands. The roots creak sotly as he rocks back and forth and reads the tale with a faint and amused grin. Upon completing the story, he closes the book softly and rests it on his lap, just against his staff. With a distant gaze into the forest, he strokes a spindly hand over his beard and ponders over his love for both goats and tales. He examines the conclusion and introduction of the tome for an author's name, but can't seem to find one. "I think I'll keep a copy of this one," he thinks to himself assuredly, "and the original will be kept in our Grand Library!" He continues to rock in the root-chair for a time, waiting for someone to pass by so he might recommend the book to another.

I think this would add for a very pleasant, enjoyable and immersive aspect to RP. +1 You better make Callax's memorial some wind chimes out of these!

A reply is pinned on top of the previous letter, left for the sender to view upon his next visit. Fungi Druid, I've found no records of your apparant banishment. I am, therefore, left to accept your presence in the grove and in the Order. If you cannot attend the next Moot, then we shall organize a conference between a couple members of the Inner Circle and yourself so that we may speak. Sincerely, Archdruid Callax

Taken care of in-game!