I'd like to suggest bumping the set of available unempowered abilities up to 51. There are several reasons for this:

- Shamans and paladins only get their real power through empowerment and the paths/virtues they are given. They would still need full empowerment, but they would be a decent character without it.
- Lower player count (and I assume fewer imms) means that traditional empowerment is an unattractive path. With all the damn Imperials running around I'd like to play a goodie shaman/paladin, but I don't have the free time to twiddle my thumbs at 20 waiting for empowerment. There is no way in hell I'm devoting time to a role and praying when I feel like its a crapshoot on getting 1 specific imms attention.
- Letting a player play his char up to 51 lets the imm observe how the player will really act. Instead of seeing what they do in a note or an interview, they can be observed interacting with other players over a longer time. Full empowerment and immteraction can be a much richer experience because there is no clock ticking, and no player that needs to be given something to continue playing the game.
- Communers who displease their god could still lose their powers. But the staff would be giving the players a little trust up front that could be revoked based upon RP conduct.

A few key abilities of healers and druids would need to require full empowerment. Such as gate for a healer and the hunt for a druid, but there would be no harm to the game to letting unempowered players use almost all the abilities of communer classes. There would still be a strong incentive to appease your god.

It might also be a good idea for communers to use a 'pledge'-like command and dedicate themselves to an immortal to get their powers to 51.

When I had more free time, and the player count was higher, empowerment wasn't a big deal. Of course I haven't played an empowered class in over a dozen years for this very reason.

All empowered in less than 10 hours or so.

Rayihn
Streinat
Whiysdan

I've had quite a few of empowerment characters across pretty much every spectrum of alignments and ethos. I honestly can't think of a single time where I couldn't find an immortal within a reasonable span of time. Also, these types of characters can play very differently depending on what you want to put in, and what you want to get out.

It's not uncommon by any means to have an immortal patron you visit maybe three to five times tops over your lifespan. Then again you could be making some sort of effort to interact in one form or another on the majority of your log ins, but that is all entirely up to you. I've even had empowerees that had no shrine, did not formally "worship" and for the most part lived like an empowered character but with a "friend" in the skies.

Basically what I find it all comes down to, have a thought out character before you roll one, and what I do personally is get a bit of gear on me, a couple pks in the early tweens and by the time I get an audience with my Imm, i'm pretty well defined as a character all ready and odds are that they have probably already taken a look at me and watched me before my first pray, sometimes.

I've even logged in and found out my empowerment was upped while I was out of the game because of time conflicts. That being said using the note command, an anonymous email, or even the fact that you have prayed a few times (Use the immortals name in the pray, this helps trust me) will get you attention one way or the other.

I've seen this empowerment argument many times but to be entirely honest I have never, never experienced this. 10-15hrs max unless there is a time conflict that neither can compromise on, or you are following a dormant imm.

Just a side note, there are plenty of times I had to follow the same imm over several characters to really go the next step in their particular religions, plenty of times I did well, and plenty of times I simply just #### the bed. It's trial and error in all honesty but I seriously doubt you would be hard pressed to play an empowerment character at all these days. Use the wizlist, use note, and be consistent.

Before you ask us to reinvent the wheel on the empowerment system, give it a shot in its current form. Then give us some real feedback if it feels lacking. You may also find that it works out really really well currently and you could be giving us praise instead.

The empowerment system does not work well, the wheel analogy is way off. You need to ask the players before you make a statement claiming it works well. The point of the game is to draw people in and encourage them to play. The current empowerment system is a barrier and discourages players.

I have given it a shot a few times in the last few years. I've written a role, prayed at shrines and ran around for 20-40 hours with several healers, druids and shamans. I haven't heard a peep with any of those chars. Now maybe if I stick it out for 100 hours I'd get that precious empowerment. But you're asking me to spend a lot of time twiddling my thumbs and not playing the game.

it works.

>it works.

It absolutely does. Pick from active imms if you're having trouble. Email/note and I bet you get your empowerment before 25 hours.

I have never/ever been able to get empowerment through email. I never got any answers. The only exception has been Amaranthe's first challenge.

But on the other hand, I have never had a problem getting empowered in less than 20 hours, by active IMMs using wizlist as my guide.

I don't like the empowerment system either, but the problem has nothing to do with the delay for the 1st IMMteraction.

From your first post:

"When I had more free time, and the player count was higher, empowerment wasn't a big deal. Of course I haven't played an empowered class in over a dozen years for this very reason."

From your second post:

"I have given it a shot a few times in the last few years. I've written a role, prayed at shrines and ran around for 20-40 hours with several healers, druids and shamans. I haven't heard a peep with any of those chars. Now maybe if I stick it out for 100 hours I'd get that precious empowerment. But you're asking me to spend a lot of time twiddling my thumbs and not playing the game."

There is a huge difference between those two pieces of information you are presenting. Your second one is quite a bit more useful to us in terms of why you dislike empowerment.

It is true. Personally I find the conflict between the two statements causes me to question the credibility of the second statement.

Anyone who includes "lower player numbers" as any reason they should get their way loses all credibility to me.

There's a big difference between trying a char, the first 40 hours, and playing a char, which is to hero and at least a hundred hours there. I can honestly say I haven't played an empowerment class in as long as I claimed.

The consensus seems to be to email. I have always tried to keep my chars away from OOC communication of any kind. And I have always seen emailing an imm as a request for special treatment and a bit tacky. It doesn't feel right to email, but the next time I try to play a communer I'll do exactly that. I'll email an imm before my char takes one step in the game.

I'm surprised that this method would be prefered by the immortals. I really thought you guys were busy enough without having to interview every single person that wants to play a communer. I have to wonder how many players ditch their chars shortly after immortal empowerment especially when they have very little invested in the char. I still think that being more trusting with empowerment would be a better use of your time and players time, but if email is the way you want to go, then I'll give empowerment that way a try some time.

I have to be one of the worse when it comes to not wanting OOC communication. I've deleted solid characters over ROTD for trivial issues, but that's just me.

Here's what you do:

Note to Immortal
Note Subject Stepping from the Academy, the young so and so pledges his loyalty.

Note + IC introduction of yourself for the first paragraph.

Note + The times you are most often about with some descriptive flair.

Two simple paragraphs and it's all In Character. The cool thing about this too is that next time they log on they will see this and start looking at your character possibly even when you're not online so when they are online, which for some has to be a short time, they can already come to you with an idea.

Email as a last resort, or for dormant Imms you are taking a shot at anyways but know or expect they won't be able to interact.


You obviously disagree with the current system but to be frank, the system works and isn't going to change. Give my advice a shot and come back with your results.

I've played three in the last few years. Each time, I was seeking empowerment from a non-active or not-very-active Imm. First time, I found the Imm through prays alone within 25 hours. Probably much less, but it was a couple years ago, so my memory is a bit foggy on the details. I do know, though, that I was pleased with how quickly I accomplished it.

The second one was a new shaman right after paths were introduced and I wanted to try one out. I would log in, pray, then get busy ranking. If the group came to a lull and ranking stopped, I'd go pray again, then find another group. My focus was on ranking and other stuff, rather than idle praying. Then one day, I log on, go pray quick, and get busy. About half hour later, my Imm appears as I'm running around looking for gear, and 5 minutes later I'm empowered.

The last empowerment character I played was just about a month or two ago. I spent a little time at level 20 praying periodically as I gathered gear, but wasn't getting any responses, so I emailed the Imm. about 20 minutes later, the Imm logged on just as I logged off cause I had to take a bathroom break. They email me back saying we'd just missed each other and they'd catch me in a few days when they were on again. I had my phone with me so the email came in on my phone immediately. I quickly replied and said I'd only stepped a way a moment, and would be right back. I hopped back on, they logged on, and after a few minutes discussion, I was empowered.

Overall, I have to say that I'm much more impressed with the ease of empowerment these days than I was back in the day when there were regularly over 100 players on at any given time. Back then, I played empowerment classes a lot, and it always took MUCH longer than what I've experienced lately.

EDIT: Moveover, I've grouped with quite a few empowerment characters in the interim between mine, and most of them were empwwered fairly quickly also. The only characters I've seen who have had to wait a very long time for empowerment were almost always followers of Daevryn, and given the nature of his religion, I don't find that at all strange.