Why don't you want to make a herald

[Andrael]

+1 to kato's idea of boards

[Arishel]

Can I get a like for above comment? Interchangeable bulletin board sounds cool that can be updated by a herald. That alone would make me want to play one. With that you will get more peeps coming to check out the board, more pk affiliated with that, more interaction with all those people. I vote two thumbs up for that.

[Vanisse]

That should be easy enough to put in and the basis is already in place. I will move the scribe board to NS and we'll put in others in other cities as I get them. Great suggestion, thanks.

[Nycticora]

I thought heralds already had this, and it changes what the Timaran town crier says

[Vanisse]

doesnt affect crier at the moment

[Davairus]

It might be fun to have a bodyguard you could hire, this would be a bit like mercenary, along with a set of powers that depended on the bodyguard and cost money to use. That makes a little sense from where I'm sitting because its (a) defensive (b) has a drawback for the extra power to compensate for not defending a cabal, same as assassins used to. (c) Makes it plausible for hire bouncer to make an exit from the game, which is currently clearly an anti-pk skill. (d) Kind of helps heralds feel like famous celebrities. Who doesnt love those?

So for instance, he could absorb blows like a mirror/blur affect, but every time it happens costs you the damage amount in gold coins.
This could also replace mantra since the bodyguard can charge you some money in return for diving in front of you.
An example of a higher level bodyguard skill would be extending his protection to someone of your choice, so for instance, as a Herald, use your bodyguard to guard a newb. Again, costing you gold for services rendered.

An interesting question is whether a bodyguard would be legally allowed (i.e. by Justice) to become an aggressive mob after the owner is attacked, since bodyguards job is to protect the owner.

[Andrael]

you guys already nerfed mantra, damn thing used to last forever now its a few hours.

[Nycticora]

last thing I want to see is another charmie

[Davairus]

Next time you guys don't feel like even discussing an idea please just kindly shut the fuck up and let the discussion happen without you. You're fostering an environment which is hostile to suggestions... an idea which isn't that great will trail off without your "assistance" anyway, but nobody is going to want to risk a great original idea when they know there's just going to meet that kind of reception.

In fact I'm sure Heralds wouldn't be in this state if our previous Imms hadn't acted like that in the first place. Mantra is rubbish because nobody wanted your input on it. So lets nip that in the bud right now.

Heralds already have hireable bouncers FYI.

[Vanisse]

Guys, it's ok. I appreciate everyone's input here but it would really help if you just explain why you don't like an idea. Let's foster discussion in a constructive way

Andrael, mantra used to be basically a 24 hour bubble wrap you could wear, saving you from PK. You could just keep it up all the time and any time someone came after you mantra would pop in their face, you could cackle and run off. It was an ok idea when Heralds were forced to be no-PK, but if we're moving to embrace PK this has to either be nerfed or go entirely. Because now people can pop mantra and then get whacked by a Herald.

Nyc as Dav said bouncers are already in, his idea is about adjusting what we have to improve it. The bouncers at exist at the moment only function within the tavern to chuck barred folks out the door (and I saw Rimera attempt to use it and it still ended pretty quickly with a Herald corpse, although she probably didn't know how to use it effectively either.) If we replace that with a mob that isn't restricted to Herald areas it's probably way more useful.

[Andrael]

Ah, so the lowering of Mantra was to prevent the Herald from more or less possibly curb stomping someone, even when caught unaware. Okay, and for the bouncer/bodyguard, It would make sense to have it last for time, not someone that just follows around all the time, we have pets for that. Perhaps at Chronicler or so, they get the ability to call the bouncer and it stays for a longer time the higher up in the Heralds they get? Sort of how it stays longer the more 'famous' you are?

[Clifton]

I love the idea of a defensive, summonable, transferable body guard/henchman for heralds. The strength I'm thinking is like the old Justice special guards.

Imagine, you're around and Mkatos (or some other badass that's going to wipe the floor with you) logs on. You know you're about to get attacked and that it's going to end poorly. Luckily, your friendly neighboorhood herald is on, and he's got just the thing you need. You ask him to get his bodyguard to protect you. Maybe it only costs the herald 5k gold but he's charging you 15k. But now, you have protection. When Mkatos comes and attacks you, you've got another brawler on your side. And maybe that brawler even becomes aggressive and is willing to start the fight in your stead. Now you've got a chance, or at least a better chance to not die.

Heralds get more PK active. Heralds get an expanded role. People who suck at pking suck a little less. People who are boss at pk'ing have another problem to contend with.

[Olyn]

What happens when the boss players make Heralds?

[Andrael]

Heralds lose body guards ;D

But you have to understand, Heralds have a lot of stuff they have to be doing, I'm pretty sure if a Herald was just going around killing people, Vanisse might give the the good ol' boot.

[Taleroth]

If it is the old heralds days, the boss players will get booted out.

Spending more time pk-ing than writing stuffs.

*glares at clifton*

[Clifton]

Don't see a problem with that if bodyguards are defensive in nature and only trigger when the guarded target is attacked.

So Boss player will just be like a regular unaffiliated pker.

I believe heralds deserve the pleasure of being pk'ed and full looted just like everyone else.

[Dogran]

I know Cliffy remembers my Herald... haha

[Mikoos]

Monster play. Tired of being a north square sitting herald? Summon up a very weak mob that the herald can control which can interact with players, even attack them. Makes the world come more alive (seemingly NPCs interacting with players) and let's those who like to pk...feel like they can.

[Vanisse]

This is an idea branching off an idea I had awhile back when we first instated cabal-controlled weather, put off, and then revived when I had a discussion with Kato this morning.

The idea I had was to have waves of NPCs summoned by changing weather - if the powers are unbalanced, waves of minions will travel from the dominant cabal's city to the enemy cities, marching through areas and attacking enemy cabal members and NPCs of the enemy cabal. Every so often there would be a boss mob who would stomp the enemy city (e.g. Knight wages war on Darkhaven) and the boss mob would go about ravaging the city, destroying shops and taverns and attacking defenders. Players would then have to destroy the boss in order to restore shop access which would need maybe 1-3 Theran days to recover (during which the shoppies would be restocking supplies, repairing damage, etc.). Slaying the boss would net you gambled drops, as well as accolades from your cabal for defending your city (maybe cabal currency or something like that). We could create a new honor repute for people who are champion defenders. Even if you're not in a cabal, you might feel called to arms to defend your hometown, so you can participate too and be rewarded by hometown cabal's currency.

This will take a pile of work to create but it is something I am very interested in so you will see a version of it coming along. I can't give you an ETA though.

The idea I have branching off of this one promotes the integration of Heralds and Mystics as cabal affiliates, which is why I'm putting it in this thread. Because they are coterie nature, they are currently prohibited from actually participating in cabal warfare. From speaking with Kato I get the impression you really want to see cabal affiliates do something. The main perception is that Heralds can't actually affect situations, only record them. I want to change that. I want cabal-affiliated Heralds to put their cabal number 1: they should be dedicated to the cabal's code of conduct and ways of thinking. I'm not saying that they can't also keep an objective eye - they will likely be more objective in nature simply from collaborating with other Heralds of other cabals - but I want them not just to be there as receptacles of notes and news but actively playing a role. I am really impressed by Irion because he takes his affiliation to Legion seriously and forwards its agenda. That's the kind of stuff I want to see moving forward. Heralds still have the option not to affiliate and to remain neutral, just as players have the option not to choose a cabal and to support sides as they wish.

The idea I have is, once the NPC waves are implemented, to add a new power to Herald and to Mystic to allow them to support their affiliated cabal (or perhaps to support a cabal in general, if you do not affiliate). This power would be called something like 'persuade' and would cause the invader NPCs to doubt their affiliation to their home cabal, and have a chance to turn against their own. Mystics would have a power of 'reason' which would cancel the Herald's persuasion. So in effect Heralds fighting with emotion and Mystics fighting with the reason and logic. Heralds would thus gain a function as a cabal's NPC offense while Mystics would gain a role as the cabal's NPC defense. Caballed players would be the PC offense and defense.

Thoughts?

[Vanisse]

Couple more thoughts I have on the matter:

This is all done with the ultimate aim of promoting RP. Kato made an interesting point this morning that almost all of our RP relies on the efforts of the playerbase, and in other threads we've had discussions and complaints that the RP simply isn't good enough. With the NPC waves you'll feel supported by the realms and you won't feel so alone when you're trying to champion a war, for example. You just have to get your possession on top and then you can start making grand statements without feeling silly.

I am freeing Heralds from the role of "objective reporter" that they were shackled to in the past. I thought it was a good idea for years but with cabal affiliations this no longer represents a logical strategy. You still have the option of this if you choose that path but you now also have free rein to truly roleplay any alignment/ethos combo, barring cabal invasion and douchebaggery. I will be holding every Herald to extremely high RP standards. If you continuously do something that doesn't befit your chosen affiliation you will be removed from your post.

A fallout from this is that from now on, or once we have more cabal affiliated Heralds, I expect cabals will stop automatically offering safety to Heralds and instead judge them on an individual basis. In order to play a neutral Herald (neutral in stance, I mean, not of align/ethos) you will have to negotiate your place very carefully and make lots of friends. People who naturally play pacifists should do very well in this position (I was one of those myself), so pacifist Heralds are still perfectly viable should you choose to make one.