Goblin Squad Member
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So what do you all think about the possibility of training at player assisted academies?
The institutes would be where you could train common skills from fellow players (Tutors) and provide benefits for those who continue patronage as well as for the company the institute belongs too. Both benefits would increase marginally for the number of loyal pupils (continuing patronage) it maintained.
I know it was already planned to have the best training available at player settlements, but what if it actually came from other players?
I see a slew of possibilities on the magic user end of this idea.
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Goblin Squad Member
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This is one of the main goals of The Empyrean Order. Besides hunting griefers and criminals ourselves, we'll also be offering training services to characters and tips for player 'training' as well, to help people defend themselves more effectively.
Unofficially, I like to sum our missions up thusly:
Player-empowerment
"Give someone a fish, and you feed them for a day.
Teach someone to fish, and you feed them for the rest of their life."
Crime-fighting
"Give someone a fire, and you keep them warm for a night.
Set someone on fire, and you keep them warm for the rest of their life."
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Goblin Squad Member
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This just brings back my DnD memories about group magic casting. Epic spells galore. x3
I've been thinking about mechanics for sort of ritual magic with groups (high end summons and things I was thinking), I think it would be an awesome feature to have a whole school/skill devoted to group magic, maybe as a sort of team minigame for a successful cast xD
But that's totally OT. Sorry. If I had millions of dollars I would totally be turning my ideas into games. haha.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I was speaking in the game function sense Keovar... like an actual mechanic.
For instance, 10 wizards who have trained at your wizard academy consistently (as often as necessary) results in the wizards of your CC receiving +1 to their spellcraft skill. Those 10 wizards may not be part of your CC but they are using your facilities. After a month of consistent patronage, they might gain +1 to the PfO equivalent of knowledge arcana.
Initially, it would only be a small bonus, but if 500+ wizards are frequenting your training grounds, it could possible provide enough of an advantage to edge out the win in a battle. This in turn would give opponents facing your faction reason to attack the academy and diminish your advantage feeding into the large scale battles / siege warfare side of the game.
Those PCs that actually take part in training other PCs might complete research faster, learn a different variation of a typical enchantment, or eventually teach better than other PC's lending credit to the teacher's name. Being a protege' of Keovar would actually mean something in mechanical terms.
Of course, the more powerful of these possibilities could be easily lost or taken even. A pupil vs teacher duel for the head position within the academy would make for great drama. Academy vs academy wizardly warfare for bragging rights.
Just imagining something the equivalent of the Hosttower Arcane actually happening is exciting. And it doesn't have to be limited to spell casters. Just some thoughts.
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Goblin Squad Member
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You could make it a PC faction kinda. Gain rep the longer you study under said master, while the master gains prestige that would allow them to upgrade their academy or what not.
I will say that I dont think challanging the master would work sense why would you want to be the student to begin with. Not to mention these masters will likely be backed by a guild or at least in their domain so thats kinda like challanging the guild. Student rankings for jr and sr positions on the other hand I would like.
I also think the academy should be a boon to a settlement not a reason for it to get attacked sense really you cant target one without the other getting involved. So it would fall under normal war rules in that case.
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Goblin Squad Member
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I keep imagining ritual magic as caster's means of participating in mass warfare; groups of 10 casters perform rituals to substitute as siege equipment. Or, they can operate at shielding a settlement/camp.
Something much like that was done in the 'realm spells' and 'war magic' of Birthright, my favourite 2nd Edition setting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthright_(campaign_setting)
Unfortunately, Birthright was born in the twilight of TSR, but the concept lives on, in a sense. The whole game was set up for kingdom-building, like a continent-sized version of the Kingmaker AP, and in a similar sense, PFO is an online version of Kingmaker.
