What in the heck happened to the Priest class?

Priest has been isolated into a tiny pocket of playability due to its arbitrary class restrictions.

I understand limiting Devotion with excommunication. There is a solid RP justification.

But Healing? Really? I have been told that I can physically bless people, but the blessing receiver has to be allied to Targossas for it to give a benefit. ((Yet bliss will still work???)) [[Or standing in rites (??)]

This is really too much. You might as well force all new Devotion users to be Targossan.

Look. There are some of us who want to roleplay diverse paths to good. That's how it was supposed to be originally. The garden shouldn't always be accommodating the radicals on this issue. Let it play out in the game. So far, divine intervention on this will only isolate the forces of good into a negligible pocket, especially in terms of class.
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  • CaladbolgCaladbolg Campbell County TN
    Aminah said:
    Priest has been isolated into a tiny pocket of playability due to its arbitrary class restrictions.

    I understand limiting Devotion with excommunication. There is a solid RP justification.

    But Healing? Really? I have been told that I can physically bless people, but the blessing receiver has to be allied to Targossas for it to give a benefit. ((Yet bliss will still work???)) [[Or standing in rites (??)]

    This is really too much. You might as well force all new Devotion users to be Targossan.

    Look. There are some of us who want to roleplay diverse paths to good. That's how it was supposed to be originally. The garden shouldn't always be accommodating the radicals on this issue. Let it play out in the game. So far, divine intervention on this will only isolate the forces of good into a negligible pocket, especially in terms of class.
    Personally I don't understand why Cyrene still has Priest/Paladin but as a side effect in my long time of playing Achaea i've seen plenty of rogues sell blessings to Mhaldorians,Ashtani,Hashani ext ext which is something generally we want to prevent in a rp world. As one of the very few classes with buffs and the only factional class ( I think) with buffs. those buffs should stay towards the side that it's for.


    Now if the buffs worked fine for everyone then every Heretic Cyrene has that constantly intermingles with Ashtani and Mhaldorians AND Hashani gets buffs it kills the class rp entirely.

  • "Good" in Achaea has a specific meaning associated with it. Even non-Targossan priests have to be in the Diaspora. They're a faction-oriented class, so if you want to play one, then you've got to put up with the rules of said faction. Your ability to benefit from the blessings is directly associated with your relationship with the Diaspora (and before that, the Church). You're welcome to roleplay a more diverse path to Good, but if you break the rules that govern what is treated as a privilege, not a right, then you'll risk losing your abilities in the process.

    There's also a mechanical reason, which is that (I think) it used to be the case that back in the day, a little while after autoclass hit, there were priests or priest-alts who'd run around blessing anybody/everybody with things like Earthshields, Endurance blessings, and so on. So it was changed to keep them aligned more closely to a faction.

    As I understand it, you can lose Necromancy in a similar fashion (from the Dread whatshisname). Big chunks of Groves too, if enemied by the High Warden of Nature (previously Oakstone).
    - (Eleusis): Ellodin says, "The Fissure of Echoes is Sarathai's happy place."
    - With sharp, crackling tones, Kyrra tells you, "The ladies must love you immensely."
    - (Eleusian Ranger Techs): Savira says, "Most of the hard stuff seem to have this built in code like: If adventurer_hitting_me = "Sarathai" then send("terminate and selfdestruct")."
    - Makarios says, "Serve well and perish."
    - Xaden says, "Xaden confirmed scrub 2017."



  • It's a faction-locked class. If you don't want to play at the very least a respect for that faction, don't play the class. Simple as that.

    Diversity on the path of good is great. Diversity on the path of good as a Priest whose skills derive from good is a problem, in-game. If you don't mind losing your skills, by all means go ahead; but know that the HELP PRIEST scroll explicitly states Priests are meant to be played within a certain framework. This isn't radical.

    As a side-note, we'd love to recall devotion if admin would ever let us. I don't see that happening though.

     i'm a rebel

  • JurixeJurixe Where you least expect it
    It's a pity the mechanical change came so far after Rho's attempt to draw back devotion to Shallam, or you could have neatly tied it in with that. Or alternatively just have belatedly come up with some IC RP justification for it after the switch (this may have already been done, in which case never mind).
    If you like my stories, you can find them here:
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  • HalosHalos The Reaches
    edited March 2015
    Actually, I just realized that the original blessings hardcode change happened to come around the same time as Rho's heyday
    PUBLIC NEWS #17386                                      (09/05/2007 at 05:55)  
    From   : Bishop Rho Dev'Evensong
    To     : Everyone
    Subject: The Deadline of Withdrawl
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    The one-year grace has ended. From this day forth any priest or paladin
    loitering in Ashtan or proclaiming citizenship of that place shall
    forfeit their access to Devotion, by decree of the Holy Church of
    Achaea.

    May the Light lead and we never fail to follow!
    Bishop Rho Dev'Evensong
     
    Penned by my hand on the 22nd of Phaestian, in the year 459 AF.
    As for just letting things happen... well. Been there, done that.

    It's true that prior to Rho we had priests and paladins loling it up in 5 cities. Even after Rho players on team Good were constantly scrambling to mitigate damage and fall out from lulzy players relentlessly using the faction's own skills against them. The bureaucracy was real (Shallam had almost 2kish enemies. The Church maintained enemy lists of upwards from 6k enemies. Mostly to keep a rein on blessings)

    The past 200 years has been a gradual (or not so gradual) shift towards more zealous, loyal factions with unique flavour. Most of the playerbase has welcomed the change. And it's not just been happening on Team Good. Part of the purpose (or convenient side effect) of instating the alchemy class (and the Nurazar storyline) allowed forestal abilities to become special and unique to their home faction again. Prior to the Cauda Pavonis appearance you had Sylvans, Druids, and Sentinels all six cities (yes even Mhaldor) traipsing about the woods, ripping up herbs, soul rezzing, and generally being obnoxious special snowflakes.

    I remember old priest. I'd say it's changed for the better!

    A frenzied cleric screams, "Like more than one halo!"
  • AodfionnAodfionn Seattle, WA
    edited March 2015
    Cyrenian priests get more benefit from it than I do as a Targ paladin, but I get more than the jack-all that rogue/Cyrenian paladins do.

    That kind of irks me, but it is what it is for a number of sound, logical reasons.

    To OP: I would suggest you definitely look at whether the Devotionist path is going to be something you're sure you want to keep to. I say this not to discourage you, but because you seem nice and excom isn't fun for anyone involved. 

    Aurora says, "Are you drunk, Aodfionn?"
  • AerekAerek East Tennessee, USA
    She's not wrong, though. Priest's abilities are so heavily tied to Targossas that it's essentially ineffective (and arguably unwise) to play one outside that city. Do so invites the constant threat of massive penalties that mandate a class change to continue playing the game, with no real reward for doing so.

    Essentially, I agree with the OP. If Priest is going to be so heavily restricted, best to just limit it to Targossas entirely and not waste everyone else' time. The practical ability to play in the "grey area" was long ago extinguished, so let's just drop the pretenses and recall the classes as Mhaldor has.

    -- Grounded in but one perspective, what we perceive is an exaggeration of the truth.
  • ShirszaeShirszae Santo Domingo
    Thats awful advice. If a Paladin or a Priest wants to risk themselves by playing in Cyrene then that should be their prerogative.  I mean, there's not even a need for a grey area in the matter. Some people might just not like to live in Targ, but still like Good or whatever. Perhaps those people would just rather be rogue and be in the Diaspora that in the city proper. It happens.


    And you won't understand the cause of your grief...


    ...But you'll always follow the voices beneath.

  • Shirszae said:
    Thats awful advice. If a Paladin or a Priest wants to risk themselves by playing in Cyrene then that should be their prerogative.  I mean, there's not even a need for a grey area in the matter. Some people might just not like to live in Targ, but still like Good or whatever. Perhaps those people would just rather be rogue and be in the Diaspora that in the city proper. It happens.



    Good is Targ. Period. End of discussion.
  • MishgulMishgul Trondheim, Norway
    Yeah, I mean, Shirszae's argument is assuming what "Good" is, in the game, and what kind of "Good" priests and paladins are attributed to. These kinds of things really need to be defined before we argue how it impacts things.

    I am fine with priests being limited outside of Targossas. The game should really empower houses and cities more than it does because otherwise, you might as well not have them.

    -

    One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important

    As drawn by Shayde
    hic locus est ubi mors gaudet succurrere vitae
  • edited March 2015
    Hell, you're lucky. Giving blessings to others is not all it's cracked up to be. As a Target priest, I literally feel like a personal vending machine or a two cent prostitute. No 'how are you'... No 'Lovely weather we're having'. It's just oh can you bless me? Any hour of the day. Constantly. Especially since only two or three people play priests in Targossas. 

    I get that we're supposed to be nice, all encompassing people - but it just irks me that giving blessings is sort of an expected commodity. A game mechanism that has lost all of its value.

    Perhaps I'm just being overtly grumpy in my priesthood, but let's treat those that can give empowerments, runes, blessings, etc with a little more respect. We're people too. :(
    Focus on results and you'll never see progress. Focus on progress and you'll see results.
  • Damn phone and its autocorrect. I meant Targossas priest, though we might as well be wearing a target! :P
    Focus on results and you'll never see progress. Focus on progress and you'll see results.
  • YaeYae
    edited March 2015
    Tristyn said:
    Hell, you're lucky. Giving blessings to others is not all it's cracked up to be. As a Target priest, I literally feel like a personal vending machine or a two cent prostitute. No 'how are you'... No 'Lovely weather we're having'. It's just oh can you bless me? Any hour of the day. Constantly. Especially since only two or three people play priests in Targossas. 

    I get that we're supposed to be nice, all encompassing people - but it just irks me that giving blessings is sort of an expected commodity. A game mechanism that has lost all of its value.

    Perhaps I'm just being overtly grumpy in my priesthood, but let's treat those that can give empowerments, runes, blessings, etc with a little more respect. We're people too. :(
    I just automatically give certain people Harmony (the forestal blessing) as soon as they enter the room. I don't really like doing small talk when they want something else, and would rather have people straightforwardly ask me for it if they'll end up leaving right after. :open_mouth: 
    If you need me, you can find me sporadically on the Achaea Discord as Yae. 
    Do not DM on forums unless you're ok with waiting a couple months!
  • Tristyn said:

    Perhaps I'm just being overtly grumpy in my priesthood, but let's treat those that can give empowerments, runes, blessings, etc with a little more respect. We're people too. :(

    Blessers should be seen, not heard. Now get to blessing!

    This is my way of showing affection towards our resident blessers. I am also not a very good role-model. 

  • HerenicusHerenicus The Western Front
    Yae said:
    Tristyn said:
    Hell, you're lucky. Giving blessings to others is not all it's cracked up to be. As a Target priest, I literally feel like a personal vending machine or a two cent prostitute. No 'how are you'... No 'Lovely weather we're having'. It's just oh can you bless me? Any hour of the day. Constantly. Especially since only two or three people play priests in Targossas. 

    I get that we're supposed to be nice, all encompassing people - but it just irks me that giving blessings is sort of an expected commodity. A game mechanism that has lost all of its value.

    Perhaps I'm just being overtly grumpy in my priesthood, but let's treat those that can give empowerments, runes, blessings, etc with a little more respect. We're people too. :(
    I just automatically give certain people Harmony (the forestal blessing) as soon as they enter the room. I don't really do small talk well when they want something else, and would rather have people straightforwardly ask me for it if they want nothing else of me and will end up leaving right after anyway. :open_mouth: 

    This would get so annoying. At least people only ask me for proofreading help and I can choose whether to use the blue pen ("Looks good!" +2 corrections) or the red pen ("It stinks!" + 20 corrections).
  • MelodieMelodie Port Saint Lucie, Florida
    I have stayed far away from this conversation on purpose, but: Hi Aldair. Nice to see you. :)
    And I love too                                                                          Be still, my indelible friend
    That love soon might end                                                         You are unbreaking
    And be known in its aching                                                      Though quaking
    Shown in this shaking                                                             Though crazy
    Lately of my wasteland, baby                                                 That's just wasteland, baby
  • CaladbolgCaladbolg Campbell County TN
    Tristyn said:
    Hell, you're lucky. Giving blessings to others is not all it's cracked up to be. As a Target priest, I literally feel like a personal vending machine or a two cent prostitute. No 'how are you'... No 'Lovely weather we're having'. It's just oh can you bless me? Any hour of the day. Constantly. Especially since only two or three people play priests in Targossas. 

    I get that we're supposed to be nice, all encompassing people - but it just irks me that giving blessings is sort of an expected commodity. A game mechanism that has lost all of its value.

    Perhaps I'm just being overtly grumpy in my priesthood, but let's treat those that can give empowerments, runes, blessings, etc with a little more respect. We're people too. :(
    That is one of my favorite lines to ask for blessings.

  • edited March 2015

    This is interesting to me.  It annoys me far more when people make a bit of small talk because they want something.  Then, I have to do the stop and chat AND give them the thing they want. 


    EDIT:  honestly the most polite way to go about this sort of thing is to ask on CT, and if no one responds... if you can live without whatever the bennie is for the time being, don't single people out and ask them directly. 

  • If you don't want to be asked, get a veil and gem and always stay in dragon.
  • edited March 2015
    Rispok said:
    If you don't want to be asked, get a veil and gem and always stay in dragon.
    In my experience people will still ask sometimes anyway, dragonform or not. (I don't mind if I'm not busy, since it takes about three seconds to lesserform, bop them on a head, and then start dragonform again, but they'll ask all the same.)
    - (Eleusis): Ellodin says, "The Fissure of Echoes is Sarathai's happy place."
    - With sharp, crackling tones, Kyrra tells you, "The ladies must love you immensely."
    - (Eleusian Ranger Techs): Savira says, "Most of the hard stuff seem to have this built in code like: If adventurer_hitting_me = "Sarathai" then send("terminate and selfdestruct")."
    - Makarios says, "Serve well and perish."
    - Xaden says, "Xaden confirmed scrub 2017."



  • AerekAerek East Tennessee, USA
    edited March 2015
    Shirszae said:
    Thats awful advice. If a Paladin or a Priest wants to risk themselves by playing in Cyrene then that should be their prerogative.  I mean, there's not even a need for a grey area in the matter. Some people might just not like to live in Targ, but still like Good or whatever. Perhaps those people would just rather be rogue and be in the Diaspora that in the city proper. It happens.
    Aldair said:

    In any event, as a player I like how it's set up. It adds much more flavor to Good and is a constant reminder that Good transcends Targossas. 

    You're both preaching to the choir. When I started playing, that was exactly the reason I picked up a religious Priest in secular Cyrene. I find those sort of dichotomies interesting, and wanted to explore it. I spent the better part of 6 years playing in that grey area, and loving it. It was fun, and a group of us built a respectable little community and a lot of good memories doing it, but over time, the Garden and leadership have made clear that they did not like that grey area, and have actively taken steps to extinguish it.

    The gradual move toward stronger control of factional classes, combined with Excom/Anath getting harsher and harsher in terms of penalties (Originally they just stopped daily regen, now they stop regaining Devo/Essence from any source, and Priests/Apostates can't even use most of Apostasy/Spirituality once they hit 0) has made it beyond clear that the Garden's intention is that these classes should be completely unplayable if you step out of line, which means your very ability to play the game hangs in the balance. The only way to play like that is to walk on eggshells every day, and even then it's a toss up. I don't know how Shirszae's avoided Anathema for so long, but Wessux tried hard to stay in Mhaldor's good graces, and still wound up Anathema'd with no explanation given. My own excommunication came about because I knew as a character with strong convictions, eventually I would piss someone off and it would happen, so I figured I should go out on my own terms. (And continued to play Paladin without Devo for another 6 months until politics forced me to change. It was fun, in an underdog, "hard-mode" kind of way, but I don't recommend it.)

    Yes, the game currently affords you the -ability- to play these classes outside their respective cities, but I think that's vestigial at this point. Doing so means you're playing a game of Russian roulette with your class skills every single day. Everyone's number comes up eventually. Everyone makes a dumb decision at some point. And in this case, that dumb decision leaves you with a choice of class changing or leaving the game. That's just not a good decision to give players, especially new ones that don't quite understand what they're getting into. Our hardened veterans will shell out for a new class and soldier on, but I've seen a lot of new and mid-tier players pick these classes, but don't want to play in Shallam/Targossas, and when they find out what playing outside of those cities means and don't have the time or money to switch class or start a new character, we lose those players.

    I'm not bitter about this, I have supported Shallam/Targossas asserting strong control over Devotion, because it makes sense and it's good for the game. As far back as the "Great Excommunication", even while I was preaching against Rho/Silas as a character, I completely supported the move as a player. But it's time to call a spade a spade. In the past, it was reasonable to play Devotionals outside of Shallam, but that's just not the case anymore. The risks are too great, the rewards are too little, and the game's atmosphere is completely different from what it used to be. It's just time to embrace the modern era and lie in the bed we've made.
    -- Grounded in but one perspective, what we perceive is an exaggeration of the truth.
  • Halos said:

    This sounds familiar.

    http://forums.achaea.com/discussion/2811/as-per-announce-2586-how-do-priest-blessings-work-now-with-the-church-gone/p1

    Particularly:

    Tecton said:

    People with the Healing skill get 100% of the benefit
    Targossas citizens and allies get 66% of the benefit
    Everyone else gets 0%

    Which is just inherited from this change:

    ANNOUNCE NEWS #2586                                     (08/21/2007 at 10:31)  
    From   : Clementius, the Weaver
    To     : Everyone
    Subject: ReWeaving Blessings
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Blessings have changed today!

    Your class and relationship to the Church are critical in
    determining if, or how much, a blessing will benefit you.

    Church members and all priests (yes, all) will gain the
    full benefits of all blessings.

    Church allies will gain about two-thirds benefit.
    Church enemies will gain no benefit whatsoever.
    Everybody else will gain about one-third benefit.

    What blessings? The blessings we are referring to are
    willpower, endurance, and the three Spirit shields.

    Full effect means just like things have always been until now.
     
    Penned by my hand on the 5th of Lupar, in the year 458 AF.


    And also:

    http://forums.achaea.com/discussion/2846/why-is-priest-blessing-effectiveness-written-into-the-game-code/p1

    Particularly:

    Blujixapug said:
    It's a combination of IC "makes sense" and OOC balance stuff.

    Earthshield specifically is a very strong physical defense. For a long time there were issues with people stacking earthshield on top of other damage resistance defenses like algiz, class defs, and racial defs. Something like a dwarf or horkval mage with algiz, earthshield, stoneskin, diamondskin, and racial damage resistance was ludicrously tanky. As the factions grew more polarised, it became harder for non-Shallamese to convince a priest to bless them, and people would do things like use force abilities to 'steal' blessings. Earthshield was so highly valued that people would avoid logging out while they had it, instead AFKing overnight in journals or while burrowed. Rogue priests were prized. People would make priest alts to learn just enough Healing for Earthshield, and stand around giving them out.

    Shallam was unhappy that other factions could get their unique benefit of earthshield/bliss, in addition to their own benefits like soulcage, particularly with spiritshields/bliss compensating Shallam for their major self-imposed restriction of not hunting innocent NPCs. There was a feeling that while Shallam was defined by what they wouldn't do - no necromancy, no occultism, no killing innocents - Ashtan would take all classes and use all skills, regardless of being associated with their enemies the Church, and be all the more powerful for it, and that was dumb. Also everyone not a horkval mage was unhappy with how broken those guys were.

    So spiritshields became linked to priests/Devotion users and Church membership. And defense stacking was nerfed to be multiplicative, rather than additive.

    And also:
    Halos said:
    If you are asking for some sort of events post where you can read the account of the Church's High Convocation Against Heresy or the Sacred Blood Ritual of Oathbinding performed by the Hierarchs of Celestia, then I think you will be disappointed.

    There is no IG event or canon explanation for how this came about, mechanically. 

    It was probably more like Team Good complaining to patrons saying  "we're tired of ppl blessing enemies its so unfun" and then Tecton/Clementius saying "ok, we'll fix it next classlead".

    Edit: Basically what Blujixapug wrote.
    None of this is new. 
    @Halos : I feel a sense of deja vu, the sensation of doing something I've done before. I feel a sense of deja vu, the sensation of doing something I've done before.
  • HalosHalos The Reaches
    All this has happened before, and all of it will happen again.

    A frenzied cleric screams, "Like more than one halo!"
  • ShirszaeShirszae Santo Domingo
    @Aerek I still disagree. A new player can learn the risks present in their choice as much as they can learn everything and anything else in the game. Besides, they would face similar risks anyway, in the shape of very probably having to class-change if they ever want to leave their cities of choices. Devotionists, at least, are in much better place than necromancers in that regard, what with the Diaspora and all. And I would really hate to see that go away, even if IC I am all for it.

    So again, I think it should be to the players to determine whether they want to risk it.

    And you won't understand the cause of your grief...


    ...But you'll always follow the voices beneath.

  • Halos thank you for the citations. Very helpful. Silvarien as well. I have a lot of reading to do. I haven't played this IRE game, but I'm excited to jump in!

    It seems FUN to RP a priest trying to explore an alternative path. No, I'm not talking getting drunk and handing out shields to enemies. I mean hardcore, philosophical and even metaphysical exploration into what Good is and even what Devotion is. Good is immutable, but must the paths also be? Can we have open debate? Can we have alternative, parallel paths to the same goal? This question is as important for the players as it is for the Garden.

    A lot of Cyrenian Devotion-users, as Aerek has mentioned, have experienced difficulties. Most have abandoned their class due to not the impact of excommunication but due to the limited worthwhile RP one can have while excommunicated. Is this really worth it? Has this enriched the class? Has this expanded roleplay?

    And, for a roleplaying game, I can't believe so many of you want the Garden to restrict things so much. It makes the game incredibly dull when the players INSIST that the skills only work in accordance with an in-game political agenda.

    Excommunication must exist solely for roleplaying possibilities, yes ? Why can't the Deacon just boot people from the class? That may solve the issue more effectively if that's the route you want to take.

    One last thing - I don't see how restricting Healing is ICly justifiable. Can someone explain? Devotion comes from the divine themselves, I understand. But Priests channel elements to cast blessings. Clearly, though, Healing has been restricted since at least 2007. So boo hoo for me, but I'd love an IC argument for this.

    Blujixapug
    's observations regarding the reasoning is interesting. I had no idea they were that strong.


  • Aminah said:
    Excommunication must exist solely for roleplaying possibilities, yes ? Why can't the Deacon just boot people from the class? That may solve the issue more effectively if that's the route you want to take.
    Because kicking somebody out of an entire class can cost them several hundred credits in lost lessons, plus rendering artifacts useless (e.g. artie maces). While an excommunication will hurt a lot, it's presumably possible to work your way back. If you're rendered classless, even taking said class again will still leave you hundreds of credits out of pocket.
    - (Eleusis): Ellodin says, "The Fissure of Echoes is Sarathai's happy place."
    - With sharp, crackling tones, Kyrra tells you, "The ladies must love you immensely."
    - (Eleusian Ranger Techs): Savira says, "Most of the hard stuff seem to have this built in code like: If adventurer_hitting_me = "Sarathai" then send("terminate and selfdestruct")."
    - Makarios says, "Serve well and perish."
    - Xaden says, "Xaden confirmed scrub 2017."



  • Sarathai said:
    Aminah said:
    Excommunication must exist solely for roleplaying possibilities, yes ? Why can't the Deacon just boot people from the class? That may solve the issue more effectively if that's the route you want to take.
    Because kicking somebody out of an entire class can cost them several hundred credits in lost lessons, plus rendering artifacts useless (e.g. artie maces). While an excommunication will hurt a lot, it's presumably possible to work your way back. If you're rendered classless, even taking said class again will still leave you hundreds of credits out of pocket.
    But come on. We have to agree that excommunication likewise exhausts enormous investment. Though, unless I'm totally as ignorant as I seem, excommunication is reversible whereas class removal would not be
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