The four imperial inners are a rp consequence from actions of mine. I was a priest of Zulghinlour, turned into a priest of Shokai. As a punishment for my betrayal, Zulgh had my ghost slay the Omegus, and was replaced with four guardians. I would suggest if you want this portion of your complaint changed, it will have to be IC.

That was the plan long before you existed, long before the Empire actually existed again. When Onglaurst approached me as Darmok, we had several conversations. Among them was one about the form of the Empire once it was established again. He said that each sect would have its own guardian (as it does) and that each sect would have its own inner guardian (as it does).

I don't diminish Coronado's ic importance, as he was the catalyst for the change in-game, but ooc? No. This was the plan all along. Like everything else, the imms had a plan for change and went about doing it, coding it, etc., until it was all set and they thought ready to implement. Then, they look at the playerbase and figure out an ic way to get it done. You happened to be around at the right time, so they used your action as the excuse for something they had planned for many months.

I tend to think the Watcher actually is a much better defender in mass-battles. Let's assume for example, there are five Empire and five Fortress on. From what I've dealt with from the Watcher, he tends to get a little pissy when there's lots of people raiding. That area wrath attack thing-which, by the way, you forgot to mention-seems to do more damage and of course, area attack. Compare this to the Empire. Their inners just do the same old same old, but they die faster, and compare getting half-way done with a raid on each with one strike. You do half the damage needed on the watcher....no differance. Do half the damage needed against Empire, they're down two guardians. Means you're taking less damage, less maledictions, and can beat the other two down even quicker. Anyways...yeah, the Watcher could be a bit more varied...all other inner guardians do some form of malediction, rather than pure damage, but don't go TOO far off the end that the Watcher's useless.

From what I've noticed, if there are five people raiding, the watcher will be dead in under ten rounds anyway. The prelate in particular, by having sanc, slows how long it takes to slay all four of the Imperial inners. Although from what I noticed, five on five raids will usually take place at the two sets of Centurions before they even reach the inners, and will even usually be resolved before team Fort even reaches the Vanquisher.

If team evil were to raid the Fort in numbers of five, the primary battle would have to take place at the outer, who would fall in timely fashion anyway(due to the 20 second warning if we're lucky), assuming that the Forties weren't summoned one by one to it by the Imperial Gank-Amplifying power black circle(as well as the protection from summoning that prevents THEM from being ganked). Once team Empire moves to the inner, the watcher becomes little more than a meat shield, especially if it's five on five combat. It doesn't deal significant enough damage, or have the crippling powers of say...the assassin with it's wristbreaking, ESPECIALLY the prelate with the healing curse, etc etc, to make much difference in the fight other than being a distraction.

Another small difference between the two cabals about those healers(that just don't exist right now). The way they are laid out, most Fortie healers are going to be acolytes who can't(according to the path they chose) even follow the raiding party INTO the Imperial inners to lay down some mass healing(assuming you aren't healing cursed), or to help in their own small way with those Imperials waiting for you at the inners. The Empire doesn't have this restriction at all, nor does any other cabal who can have healers for that matter, unless it is the personal choice of the healer. It's even more relevant with the current lack of Brigade members physically able(High enough level) to survive a raid into the inners with any sort of efficiency.

Of course, Empire doesn't have as much potential for Invokers/transmuters as the Fortress does, even though most mages end up Scribes/Acolytes anyway. This being because being a Maran mage gives you litte more benefit(The powers are really made to compliment fighting types)than being an Imperial mage, aside from that whole lack of respect thing.

I also won't disregard the promotion thing, and powers geared towards the sect thing, because I realize that in this department Imperials also have a small advantage. Maran powers in general are helpful for any class that relies on weapons(which is what most Maran are going to be). Given, I would say they are more helpful to Maran warriors than those given to the blade sect. The shadow powers are nice for them, and divine powers are nicer for them than they are for Maran shaman(and rare healer). Should we talk about Acolyte powers, they aren't much more useful for defending, and definately not as powerful in the protection department as Black Shroud. And of course they ALL get the magic of Centurions, which can't be rivaled in usefullness in cabal wars by any other cabal power. Of course, it isn't really the Maran way to complain IC, so that's not a viable solution.

I will make a final comment that despite these inequalities I'm still having fun with my character most of the time, as I had with my other Fortie. This is probably an issue in part becuase so often Fort attendence in hero range is not what it used to be during my play times, or what I'd like it to be, and that naturally would make it less fun.

Their best defenders (Imperial healers) get insanely powerful black shroud and a beefy mana redux.

There currently are zero (0) imperial healers.

As for your other comments, I will leave for Shokai to stab at, since
it's his board.


Thanks,


Grurk

That was a "best defender" example. Currently, the best healer the fortress has is a paladin.

That's still infinately many times better than Empire has right now. Their best are their shamans possibly aristaeiaing the inners (if it's even possible), and the...one? Two? necromancers brandishing staves of healing. Oh, maybe the bard's life to the dying. Compared to the Fortress' typical strong showing of paladins, and more than a few transmuters (who may not have healing, but slow/haste properly used, plus repairs are rather nice yet)