Since I have a couple (from reading the helpfiles) I thought I'd start a thread.

Fetish and bloodritual: These work on PC corpses only, or any corpse? The helpfile isn't clear.

If PC corpses only, might I suggest an enhanced sense of smell for Mundunugus so that they can locate PC corpses more easily. (Also would help with warbanners etc.)

n/t

Shig-ru Fever!

Amaranthe wrote pages and pages of stuff (frighteningly quickly) to create the image and style of the overall project, and lots of other people pitched in along the way- Seb for inadvertantly writing a lot of handy code (for other stuff) that I could steal and modify, Nep for helping balance stuff out and coding a couple skills where I hit snarls (and pestering me repeatedly about finishing Skill #20), Qaledus for testing and design help, Khaso for several seed ideas that turned into skills, Arvam for various productive design discussions, and probably a half a dozen other people for pitching in small pieces and ideas where they were needed.

The broader point is that very few of these kinds of tasks "belong" to one person, even if we often designate a "point man" so people know where to direct questions and/or throw rocks.

Random note: After these projects go live, a lot of people typically rush out and play whatever's new in large numbers. This is also a good time to play things that are set up well to kill the new thing. The pendulum is your friend.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Is this skill something that happens in conjuction with exsanguinate (which the helpfile sort of suggests) or something that happens when drinking the blood (as the helpfile also sort of suggest by mentioning posioned food/drink)?

I was wondering if there had been any thought on incorporating coffins into gravesleep?

The helpfile doesn't sound like you need one, which I think is good, I was thinking along the lines of some enhancements if you used one. I'm sure the skill works fine the way it is, I just feel sorry for the poor coffin maker. I don't think he'll ever get any business.

muhhahahahahahahahahaha

But that poor coffin maker. He's been waiting for business since before I started playing. There just don't seem to be any good ideas for them.

(Feel free to come up with some and send them to the Immortal via e-mail, I'm sure they won't mind! I'd check the sign in the Coffin Shop for more details.)

But with this, it seems there might be an avenue for someone to finally make use of them.

Orcs aren't very good carpenters.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

nt

With the increased interest to play orcs, and the now seeming formidability of neo-orcs to maintain that interest, will the exp bonus of orc-grouping be removed?

I'm envisioning a world where groups of lvl 20 2-hour orcs roam Thera, and the one lone elf is weeping quietly to himself.

-Exit

I started looking at the math for it, and I think it will be revised in the short term.

Essentially, the bonus is really good at low levels and nigh-worthless at the higher ones. For the reasons you mention, it'll probably get tweaked a bit at both ends.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

I believe: will work on either, but work better / do more on PCs.

General note: I can't update helpfiles from here, but we'll get around to updating them in the near future.

Both Fetish and Blood Ritual work on either PC or NPC corpses/parts. They are much more effective on PCs in most scenarios, though a number of other factors come into play as well.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Can you clear up a bit on whether these skills are meant for like polearms or spears, or if any heavy weapon will do. Hack specifically mentions long two-handed weapons, which I would think means poles/spears, but hack doesn't really make sense as anything you could do with a spear, but certainly a large two handed axe would make sense.

I think two handed axes, etc. are okay. I may be wrong.

Any sufficiently heavy weapon will do for the Mamlauk skills in the general case. (Note that merely being two-handed is insufficient. A heavy one-handed weapon can work, however.) I believe the echoes account for odd cases, but I'd need to check if any specific exceptions (i.e. Hack and spears) exist.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Orcs lack any real strength and while I see stone hands as increasing the wield weight but prior to getting that skill, which I know is quite soon after adapting, whomp requires a heavy weapon but what is heavy to a giant with 'trapping legacy' would be too heavy for an orc Mamlauk. I am not expecting an exact figure but would weapons of about 20lbs or more be sufficiently heavy to use the Mamlauk skill set?

Reason I ask is that I am torn, because of all the skills looking so brilliant, between which adaptation to follow. Equipment limitations would factor in any decision so any help would be appreciated.

-----Abernyte

It's simply "weight greater than X". The skill set was designed with only orcs in mind, and it was assumed that Mamlauks would need to carry weapons despite mild maledictions.

Orcs lack any real strength and while I see stone hands as increasing the wield weight but prior to getting that skill, which I know is quite soon after adapting, whomp requires a heavy weapon but what is heavy to a giant with 'trapping legacy' would be too heavy for an orc Mamlauk.

I wouldn't call 23 a lack of real strength. And you're only talking about a two-level range without it.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

>It's simply "weight greater than X".

Care to indulge the value of X in this case?

Is trapping weight greater than X or a function of weight?

Punt... interelated with kick? Also, it seems like it's a way to remove your current target from combat (like in group v group fighting).... Why can't we use it on little smack talking orcs? :)

Rush.... is this run speed? Any drawbacks to not hitting your target?

I don't actually think these are questions that will be answered, but they're included for completeness.

>Punt... interelated with kick? Also, it seems like it's a
>way to remove your current target from combat (like in group v
>group fighting).... Why can't we use it on little smack
>talking orcs? :)

Very similar to kick in a lot of ways. You can clock anyone with it kick-style, but only targets meeting certain conditions will go flying.

>Rush.... is this run speed? Any drawbacks to not hitting your
>target?

I'll say it's something similar to run speed. You might find it worthwhile to rush past specific obstacles or people, but I doubt you'll find it's worthwhile to rush everywhere the way that a gazelle can run everywhere. (If you do, it probably means I need to change it.)

>I don't actually think these are questions that will be
>answered, but they're included for completeness.

I'll say it's something similar to run speed. You might find it worthwhile to rush past specific obstacles or people, but I doubt you'll find it's worthwhile to rush everywhere the way that a gazelle can run everywhere. (If you do, it probably means I need to change it.)

My impression from testing was that it was similar to a dumber, angrier gazelle. It's not great for transportation (notably, it's tiring), nor is it intended to be. But if you want to jump in and brawl, it's good for that.

valguarnera@carrionfields.com

Staff defense: Helpfile mentions "wince away" with regard to staff defense. This just a colorful word choice, or does it denote that parrying is still hard, but they learn other ways to defend?

The choice of the word wince makes it sound like they cower better against staffs, since the cower helpfile specifically mentions wincing, skulking, etc.

Dirty fighting + last stand? I'm just curious if these skills are interelated or cumulative in any way.

>Staff defense: Helpfile mentions "wince away" with regard to
>staff defense. This just a colorful word choice, or does it
>denote that parrying is still hard, but they learn other ways
>to defend?
>
>The choice of the word wince makes it sound like they cower
>better against staffs, since the cower helpfile specifically
>mentions wincing, skulking, etc.

Colorful word choice, because at the moment it's a Skrugga skill and they're fly like that. In practice, think of it as the 'defend against other people wielding staffs' half of the staff skill and not the 'wield staffs and whip people with them' half of the staff skill. That would be pretty close to how it works.

I'm just polling for opinion, but it *seems* like this skill is designed to suplement an orc's bad(ish) defenses. For instance, in a group of three orcs, you'd ideally want three different types... but who would stand in front? The Shig-ru would make sense from an rp-perspective (what with the masochism), but they're an orc tanking, which tends to be less than ideal. Where as the Skruggra might be the most capable of avoiding damage (via cower) but it makes the least rp sense. Is it meant to be that they (Skruggra) aren't so much actually cowards (as in would refuse to stand in front) as they are orcs who've honed their "sensible sense of self-preservation" into such a fine art that they are less cowardly?

I'm thinking aloud here, but it seems like different paths would have different personality profiles, and the Skruggra's rp would be in almost direct opposition to the role they would be forced into in the village.

>Is it meant to be that they (Skruggra) aren't so much
>actually cowards (as in would refuse to stand in front) as
>they are orcs who've honed their "sensible sense of
>self-preservation" into such a fine art that they are less
>cowardly?

You could play it either way (and you'll see when you get
there), but I don't see it so much as a 'sensible sense' or
'an art' so much as 'instinctive self-preservation'.

They aren't tanks (protective front to the group) in the
conventional sense, no orc truly is, but their instincts
are definitely geared toward me-live over you-die.

>I'm thinking aloud here, but it seems like different paths
>would have different personality profiles, and the Skruggra's
>rp would be in almost direct opposition to the role they would
>be forced into in the village.

I could see a Mamlauk throwing a Skrugga out front as bait. ;)

Qaledus
qaledus@carrionfields.com

Although I predict that Mundunugu's will be default "leader" of any orc group they're in (they have the most to offer/bribe other orcs) and the Shig-ru's and Mamlauk's will be the strong-arm of the orc village. Leaving the wily Skrugga to battle against the mystical Mundunugu's for any real leadership. But that's of course, assuming people play the path's they chose, or chose their path's according to their RP... so I guess that won't happen at all :)

Edit: I forgot the biggest and most insane assumption made, namely that more than one orc above level 35 is playing at the same time. Hell, a single orc above 35 is a strong village at this point. Of course I expect that to change in the short term.

Also, just because you love me, Outlanders get screwed again. As if they really needed another strong enemy.