Sun Sep 16 14:33:29 2001


9 o''clock AM, Day of the Sun, 34th of the Month of the Dark Shades on the Theran calendar Emeris perished, never to return.

Race:	gnome
Class:	transmuter
Level:	51
Alignment:	Neutral
Ethos:	Chaotic
Cabal:	None, None
Age:	263
Hours:	200
PK Ratio:	91% (closer to 100% is better)

Well, to all you people who thought I was nexus, I never was. Emeris was intended to be a baron, but his brief interactions with each cabal in turn probably didn't communicate his way of thinking like I hoped.

This character does show that an air major can be successful. It took me 180 hours to hero, and I didn't die in a pk while doing it. However, I don't think I'll go air major again in a hurry.

To all those lightwalkers who feared me (as I know from people telling one other character I play), I'm not sure why. I never really tried to kill any of you. The most I ever did was a quick attack to keep you on your toes (though Tibaloa died when I mistook him for a scion because he was in a form that I didn't know he had).

Anyway, I didn't interact all that much with this character so I've not got many to mention.

Terenvil: you're doing a good job for the nexus. Keep it up. Thanks for organising all those Thar Acacia trips.

Jugynheim: were you just looking for an excuse to attack me, or do you really think it is wrong for me to kill only what I eat? I'm a vulture for god's sake, and I really did eat all my kills. Other food just didn't have the same effect (since the primary purpose was to cut through weapon resistances).

Tobeldest: You should be leader of the village. The others all failed to impress me as they were too worried about ganging and gathering magic equipment etc. I never did attack that villager again if you remember mentioning that he didn't know Thera that well. I'm really sorry that younger thief looted you when you died. I genuinely didn't take anything. Thanks also for your post death attitude. I think you probably know what I mean if I remind you that it was in the arial city.

Zulghinlour: the new abilities to the lesser forms are great. Well done.

Nerylana: *snort* try leaving the village sometime without a posse.


I hope those who I killed didn't feel too bad about it. I always left anything I didn't need, and I often left them more than they had when they died.

Finally, final shifter forms really do seem a little overpowered. I've played a utility/offense shifter before (Benlunkda) and I thought they were then, but when you have the ability to get the jump on people from the air it is just ridiculous. The only way I managed to die was when I'd decided to delete, so I fought a pair of scions to the death on my way out.

I liked your charactor. Thanks for helping me rank a bit in my younger years. Im glad we were friends IC because you were a well skilled air assassin. *grin*

BTW, how does your vulture fare in air to air battles? If I had to guess I would think Vultures would be pretty weak in a fight vs a speedy eagle or falcon....but I would like to hear from an expert.

Take care.

Heh, thanks. I have a lot of respect for you (as a current warlock who can't pk at all well, and) as Emeris. I think doing what I did (surviving then pkilling from a position of strength) is ten times easier than doing what you did (surviving when everyone wanted you dead, then, ummm, surviving some more when everyone wanted you dead as a hero), which is largely why I did what I could to help you out. You are also one of my favorite warlocks now, but I suspect most of the cabal, including yourself, would think of me as a gung-ho but unskilled fighter. Reequiping as a lightwalker is so easy it removes the incentive to stay alive, so I tend to charge in and get battered.

Basically, as Emeris, I tried to stay friends with everyone in the air, which is partly why I didn't fight lightwalkers (as all air trannies besides myself, Terenvil and Tiberianus were lightwalkers and might want to avenge their friends). I also made sure to make peace with them too.

The only fight I had in the air was with Tibaloa. Otherwise I landed and got underground until I determined whether there was any emnity.

However, against Tibaloa it looked something like this.

Your claw annihilates an osprey (or whatever he was).
Your claw erradicates an osprey.

An osprey is dead.

Yep, he didn't even get to try to hit me, and that was from full strength. Lesser air forms really can't fight major forms at all. One advantage of being an air major is that I was never at risk of having to fight a hero shifter while still using my third air form.

Seriously though, I am told the vulture is a match for either falcon or eagle, though falcon dodges better. However, I wanted the skies to be a safe refuge so I didn't attack anyone there, other than Tibaloa. That was just because I thought he was a scion, and thus didn't think he'd be safe to be around in a weakened state anyway. When I realised who I killed I reequiped him by way of apology, and since no one wanted revenge it seemed to have been accepted.

Vultures' main strength was the ability to make any of your forms take on acidic or poisonous attacks, and thus cut through giant/felar weapon resistances. (Thanks to Terenvil for that observation I think.) That is what it seems to be for, for any like me who wondered. However, it fought really well, perhaps because of the time I spent in the form, and in the end I found it more effective to pk in vulture form than to shift into lion form, since that allowed people to escape if they were quick.

Perhaps Terenvil (vulture) or Tiberianus (eagle) can tell you more about their respective abilities, though I'm pretty sure Tibs would come down on the side of the eagle, from past knowledge of his character.

>(as all air trannies besides
>myself, Terenvil and Tiberianus were
>lightwalkers and might want to
>avenge their friends).

Artoiz.

>I also made sure to make
>peace with them too.

Yep, sucks when the skies aren't friendly.

>Your claw annihilates an osprey (or
>whatever he was).
>Your claw erradicates an osprey.
>
>An osprey is dead.

Doubtful, since osprey is a final form. But yes, air-to-air battles between final and pre-final forms are ridiculous.

>One advantage of
>being an air major is
>that I was never at
>risk of having to fight
>a hero shifter while still
>using my third air form.

Just don't fly until you get a final form. Or, at least, don't do so when you know there are unfriendlies around.

>Seriously though, I am told the
>vulture is a match for
>either falcon or eagle, though
>falcon dodges better.

It is. As a matter of fact, all the air forms are pretty well matched. Much more so than some of the other focuses. I haven't lost a duel yet with osprey, having fought falcon and golden eagle. Would still rather have falcon, though. The sheer intimidation value of its special ability keeps most people from attacking you in-flight ("what if he has protections up?")

>spent in the form, and
>in the end I found
>it more effective to pk
>in vulture form than to
>shift into lion form, since
>that allowed people to escape
>if they were quick.

Ah, the bane of the air kitty. :) You kick serious ass with your offense form, but if you shift they'll get away. Unless you're Tiberianus. *mutter*

> Finally, final shifter forms
> really do seem a little overpowered.
> I've played a utility/offense shifter
> before (Benlunkda) and I thought
> they were then, but when you have
> the ability to get the jump on people
> from the air it is just ridiculous.

I copied this from your other post so I wouldn't have to reply twice. Hope you don't mind. As for final shifter forms, they are obviously quite strong but I'd disagree that they're overpowered. Yes offense forms kick warrior's asses. Yes defense forms tank better than almost anything. This is balanced by one simple thing. No way to lag people. This is a big deal. Most heros can withstand one or two rounds even from an offense form. That's enough to flee and quaff, or cast word and follow it up with a teleport.

So, while they're powerful, they're also easy to get away from, with the possible exception of tiger and dolphin (for classes that can't cast/commune word of recall).

> The only way I managed to die was when
> I'd decided to delete, so I fought a
> pair of scions to the death on my way out.

Oh, trust me, there are ways. Getting trapped in no-recall underground areas, for one. Fighting smart necromancers without the benefit of a certain maran power. Getting caught requesting something. Etc. etc.

>Oh, trust me, there are ways.
> Getting trapped in no-recall
>underground areas, for one.
>Fighting smart necromancers without the
>benefit of a certain maran
>power. Getting caught requesting
>something. Etc. etc.

My personal worst, sylvan deathsquad. Snared, waylayed - insected and entangled twice before waylay lag ended.. no mv's to move with, not able to recall and generally fubared

you can boost your moves way above their normal max while in vulture form, so you are extremely unlikely to run short. I also wore some +moves things just in case.

My moves were usually in the region of 800 when I attacked (plus Jugy was my only enemy in Sylvan that ever attacked me). I have no hard feelings about that. I just always wondered whether he was being bloodthirsty or living to his ideals.

As an air form, I rarely went to norecall underground areas (for the obvious reasons). I knew enough areas where people can't fly to, see you, or sneak up on you to keep me safe. I didn't do any exploration with this character either.

Yeah, you're right, I would side with the golden eagle...

Mind you, the osprey and falcon seem to be the same size, so they can fly in the small spaces a golden eagle can.

Generally, the golden eagle does pretty well in the air. Not incredibly well, but i do win over half the fights I've had...

And people do get away from me, sometimes =)

No. I always prefer making friends to enemies. Yes, killing any wild creature, especially just to serve your forms is deserving of immediate or as-soon-as possible response. Turn a blind eye and I'm not a good warder much less captain. Sorry if it caused hard feelings. Good luck in the future.
Jugynh-eim

While I'm sick of people twisting roleplay to allow them to do whatever they want, I suspected this wasn't the case here. I couldn't stop wondering though, so I thought I'd ask here.

I was a little surprised that I warranted hunting above other candidates though, since people kept telling me you were looking for me. It was only because I didn't want to hurt any sylvan that I flew off from you and Selfren when you ambushed Terenvil. I basically thought of myself as nature friendly, but still wild in essence.