Non-combat skills and magic

[red fred]

as pathfinder seems to have kept non-combat magic and skills for the variety and usefulness in game, i expect they will also be available in the mmo.

in case it is planned to take them out, i thought i'd put in my 2 cents and mention that i stopped playing most MMOs because of their focus on magic and skills only useful in combat.

i've been looking for an MMO with good non-combat magic, but have not found a good one so far. hopefully pathfinder will be the one :-D

[Raysdan]

I agree, having magic limited to combat, while simple, really only breaks the surface what it could be used for. It could be used for simply things such a druid using warp wood to craft a ladder (or other simply enough wooden object) or could be used in combination with expert carpenters/druids to hasten or improve the production of a complex wooden boat/siege tower (or other complex wooden object.) A skilled wizard could cast certain spells (with material components) to enchant a piece of farmland to allow crops to grow quicker or larger.

While I am unlikely to engage in banditry upon this game's release, a group of caravan/wagon raiders could put an alarm spell on the road so they do not constantly have to watch it for approaching individuals. When something crosses this zone a small message will pop up for the wizard saying that the alarm was tripped. Then either a scout or the raiders go out to check the situation. However an unskilled or simply inferior wizard will not cast the most hidden alarm spells, so if the caravan has an individual trained in detecting such alarms (or simply magical auras) and is skilled enough to detect the alarm (perhaps even being able to detect the person who casted it, and then cross check that name with a list of criminals) they know something may end up coming for them. I used the example of an alarm spell because the nonmagical means of keeping eyes on a road could easily be thwarted by scouts sent forward by a caravan.

Im sure other (definitely better than what I just came up with) means of using magic outside of combat could be thought of, and I think it could really add something to all parts of the game.

[Raysdan]

Due to a failure on my first perception check i was unable to find another thread on the matter. But, Viola! I fell through pit trap which carried me into the deep dungeons of the...you guessed it....the archives. It was dark, damp, and smelled of death. However I pressed onward ever vigilant, determined to discover this place's deep dark secrets. However, soon the darkness seemed to creep into my very soul so I decided I valued my life and ran the hell out of there. I grabbed this musty old tome while I was down there, heh, maybe it'll be worth some gold to some scholarly fool.

http://paizo.com/forums/dmtz4w6w?Utility-Magic

Decided instead of deleting my post i might as well post the link to the one where it was previously discussed.