- Location
- USA
Can Spellthieves actually steal spells from other mages? Or is it more of a misnomer?
The Lighthouses and the Pit (Fantasy Mage Quest)
- Thread starter occipitallobe
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Can Spellthieves actually steal spells from other mages? Or is it more of a misnomer?
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
The can, but they don't, because it typically results in other people ganging up on them.
- Location
- Straya
Yes, they can, though the manner in which they can do so is fairly limited by range, time, and the power of the spell being cast (Spellthieves can only steal 'so many' spells in a day before tiring out in the same way other mages can regularly cast), and doing so tends to piss off other mages, who rule over all of civilization.
- Location
- Straya
Those are the sorts of questions you'd really need a Second Ascension mage to even begin answering, and there aren't many of those..
So, playstyles for possible magics:
Spellthief, Glimpse: start as a force multiplier for another powerful mage (adventuring or otherwise), then go freelancing and develop a retinue, then second ascension.
Fleshcrafter: start as a community service mage in the city, develop connection and retinue, go adventuring/lording over a village, then second ascension.
Bladebound/shaderunner: work as trade escort/trader, with an occasional adventure, assassination or theft.
Tremorfeet: straight up lording over a village
Spellthief, Glimpse: start as a force multiplier for another powerful mage (adventuring or otherwise), then go freelancing and develop a retinue, then second ascension.
Fleshcrafter: start as a community service mage in the city, develop connection and retinue, go adventuring/lording over a village, then second ascension.
Bladebound/shaderunner: work as trade escort/trader, with an occasional adventure, assassination or theft.
Tremorfeet: straight up lording over a village
- Location
- USA
True but because of the way the towers seems to work. Some combinations of powers are going to be considerably more rare than others because fewer people might not meet the powers requirements in the tower.
If the personality required for Bladebound gets about 30 percent of the Orange Lighthouse mages. And Shaderunner is 50 percent for the yellow. Having both would already be rare. But add in a chance that the personality requires for those specific powers are rare like an Angry/Cautious personality and they could be very low numbers of that combination.
Also it could be possible that some personalities like Cautious people rarely go for higher ascensions at all. If you're cautious why risk death for more power? Sure some Cautious people would but probably a smaller subset than Prideful people would.
I'm just guessing on the actual personality characteristics for powers, just using made up ones for examples. Interesting to think that depending on our choices if we ascend again we could be an exceedingly rare combination.
- Location
- Straya
Optimal playstyles. A Tremorfoot can be a combat mage, or just earth magics to help build little fortifications to descend into the Pit, it's just that their magic doesn't lend itself to those options so well. A Bladebound can rule over a village, fighting all the local Darklings to protect it, it's just inefficient compared to having amazing earthen fortifications and a well-trained militia. A Spellthief can go around storing spells, and use a massive repertoire to hunt for Artifacts in the Pit. It's just that other schools of magic do it better.
That all being said, if there's something you'd prefer to see or do first (defend human civilization among fellow mages and do research in the city, defend innocent villagers, barely able to defend themselves, go on adventures trading items and spells, or take tremendous risks descending into the massive Pit that lies at the centre of the continent to retrieve Artifacts of unknown potency) aligning your magical choice with that thing isn't the worst idea.
Barondoctor
The things I chase come to me.
- Location
- The other side of the mirror
- Pronouns
- He/His/Him
Light it, ascend, and go find out. =P
Umi-san
Procrastinating.
- Location
- ꙮ
It's a multiplier, yes, in the sense that it lets you do the same thing better but in the same way. You're not learning to heal yourself, gaining ranged or AoE attacks, etc.
It synergizes but limits.
- Location
- Straya
Inserted tally
The Orange Lighthouse
- Location
- Straya
The Orange Lighthouse. You had set your mind upon it. There were many who went to the Yellow Lighthouse, but the Orange was something different. Something you'd decided upon. Each year those who wished to go were to put their names down, and upon doing so you trained vigorously, making sure you strengthened your legs, made sure you could run from danger when told to. You worked hard, and as you gained strength you found yourself more Stubborn. The other children who looked down on you for your hopefulness and compassion often found that once you began a course, you were rarely dissuaded.
At the last, you were brought. Names were barked out, though (of course) you can no longer remember yours. Six Shaderunners, with names that were cloaked like their bodies, danced through the shadows, in and out of sight, calling you to come with them. Memories of your old life are hard to come across now, so much blotted out by the incandescent blaze of the Lighthouse.
You remember little pieces. The travels there, the Spinewolf slavering not ten feet away from you as you stood absolutely still until a Bladebound carved it into pieces with contemptuous ease, bisecting it once and then twice, the creature falling into four quarters nearby.
Then the Lighthouse.
Yes, you remember the Lighthouse.
The great orange beacon, shining out in all directions. The light bathing you, making you feel more then you were, as though previously you had merely operated a marionette on strings, and now you truly inhabited a human body, with sensations and awareness far greater than you had ever had before. Soon after, the Shaderunner leading the expedition spoke, his voice going from silent to all-encompassing in a single moment, a sensual whisper that slid into your ear and accepted nothing more than your complete attention.
"I am the Evening Masque. This is the Orange Lighthouse. Those who die, you are lucky. For those who do not -"
He gestured to a small chest nearby.
"We have enough vials of poison for half of you, if it should come to that. We will not return you to the City, and you cannot hope to survive so pained. Poison is available for those who wish to die painlessly. For those who Ascend..."
His eyes took on a reverent light.
"There will be further information forthcoming. For now, aspirants, go forth. Claim power, or taste death."
Nobody, it is said, remembers what transpires in a Lighthouse. You were no different. Still, you knew the truth. The power of the Orange Lighthouse was linked to avarice, and it was the breadth of your greed that truly set you on the path for the power you claimed. For you were...
[ ] Greedy Enough to Desire All the Wealth of the Earth
Greed pulses through your veins and arteries, and it always truly has. You desire endless wealth, endless power. You would use it for good, of course, with compassion and with hope, but you must accumulate. Your desires are tremendous and your hunger enough to consume all the stores of treasure on the earth. You want to construct great palaces filled with servants, wealth, and Artifacts, great hoards of power stored within massive dungeons. You desire above all things else, and your wants are your masters, and you their faithful servant.
You become a Tremorfoot. Become EXTRAORDINARILY more Greedy. Tremorfeet are powerful elemental manipulators who can move earth en masse, at the cost of accuracy and speed. Tremendous at putting up fortifications and building cities, moderate at setting up traps, and poor in direct combat.
[ ] Not Owned By Avarice, Not Fool Enough to Disdain Wealth
Others desire much, or are willing to give away all their own. You are not a fool, but you are not some miser accumulating wealth on wealth. You spend as you will, accumulating things you desire in the service of your thoughts and dreams, but mere accumulation is not enough for you. You have no objection to wealth, but no particular desire to accumulate wealth and power, merely the knowledge that these things can be useful.
You become a Bladebound. No change to Greed. Bladebound are sword mages of the highest order. They are weak on the walls of a city or ruling a village, but are extraordinarily one-versus-one combatants, making them some of the best explorers and Pit-diving, as well as solid traders.
[ ] Untouched by Desire, Detached From Greed
The truth is this: you are a soul with few desires for yourself. Others might want wealth piled up upon wealth, but you see wealth merely as a lever to be used as it can be. Accumulating things does not strike you as desirable, and while you have desires, they are hardly for yourself. The things you want are for others to use, for others to do and become. If you are to gain power, let it be in the service of others, not in your own service. You have no especial desire to serve others, of course, merely that you do not desire things for yourself.
You become a Fleshcrafter. Become EXTRAORDINARILY less Greedy. Fleshcrafters change the flesh of others, both healing and enhancing. They are valued tremendously when it comes to defending cities, they may rule villages with relative ease, and may even explore or trade once they have built up a retinue of empowered retainers. They are, however, very weak at Pit-diving.
Notes.
Firstly, all your Emotions will determine what you can and can't do as a character to a large degree. Our current Stubborn, Compassionate, Hopeful character is more likely to engage in helping others (Compassionate) even when the odds may not be ideal (Hopeful) and is unlikely to deviate from that course (Stubborn). These stats are quite changeable in the course of the game, as they're comparatively minor Emotions compared to the Greed you might gain or lose here. This isn't game-long (you can change your Greed over time), but it'd take a lot of concerted effort over a lot of time by the thread to reduce (or increase) Greed to neutral - in-game years without major life-changing events.
As a non-Greedy character, you will find it very difficult to accept rewards unless you have an immediate use for them (or they're replicable, like knowledge), and accumulating wealth is very, very difficult indeed. Even if you can make decisions to get wealth (or powerful Artifacts) occasionally, you'll often be finding yourself giving them up.
Conversely, as a Greedy character, turning down a reward even from poor villagers might be tough (even with Compassionate to balance it out), and you're likely to be pushed towards options of accumulation and the like.
At the last, you were brought. Names were barked out, though (of course) you can no longer remember yours. Six Shaderunners, with names that were cloaked like their bodies, danced through the shadows, in and out of sight, calling you to come with them. Memories of your old life are hard to come across now, so much blotted out by the incandescent blaze of the Lighthouse.
You remember little pieces. The travels there, the Spinewolf slavering not ten feet away from you as you stood absolutely still until a Bladebound carved it into pieces with contemptuous ease, bisecting it once and then twice, the creature falling into four quarters nearby.
Then the Lighthouse.
Yes, you remember the Lighthouse.
The great orange beacon, shining out in all directions. The light bathing you, making you feel more then you were, as though previously you had merely operated a marionette on strings, and now you truly inhabited a human body, with sensations and awareness far greater than you had ever had before. Soon after, the Shaderunner leading the expedition spoke, his voice going from silent to all-encompassing in a single moment, a sensual whisper that slid into your ear and accepted nothing more than your complete attention.
"I am the Evening Masque. This is the Orange Lighthouse. Those who die, you are lucky. For those who do not -"
He gestured to a small chest nearby.
"We have enough vials of poison for half of you, if it should come to that. We will not return you to the City, and you cannot hope to survive so pained. Poison is available for those who wish to die painlessly. For those who Ascend..."
His eyes took on a reverent light.
"There will be further information forthcoming. For now, aspirants, go forth. Claim power, or taste death."
Nobody, it is said, remembers what transpires in a Lighthouse. You were no different. Still, you knew the truth. The power of the Orange Lighthouse was linked to avarice, and it was the breadth of your greed that truly set you on the path for the power you claimed. For you were...
[ ] Greedy Enough to Desire All the Wealth of the Earth
Greed pulses through your veins and arteries, and it always truly has. You desire endless wealth, endless power. You would use it for good, of course, with compassion and with hope, but you must accumulate. Your desires are tremendous and your hunger enough to consume all the stores of treasure on the earth. You want to construct great palaces filled with servants, wealth, and Artifacts, great hoards of power stored within massive dungeons. You desire above all things else, and your wants are your masters, and you their faithful servant.
You become a Tremorfoot. Become EXTRAORDINARILY more Greedy. Tremorfeet are powerful elemental manipulators who can move earth en masse, at the cost of accuracy and speed. Tremendous at putting up fortifications and building cities, moderate at setting up traps, and poor in direct combat.
[ ] Not Owned By Avarice, Not Fool Enough to Disdain Wealth
Others desire much, or are willing to give away all their own. You are not a fool, but you are not some miser accumulating wealth on wealth. You spend as you will, accumulating things you desire in the service of your thoughts and dreams, but mere accumulation is not enough for you. You have no objection to wealth, but no particular desire to accumulate wealth and power, merely the knowledge that these things can be useful.
You become a Bladebound. No change to Greed. Bladebound are sword mages of the highest order. They are weak on the walls of a city or ruling a village, but are extraordinarily one-versus-one combatants, making them some of the best explorers and Pit-diving, as well as solid traders.
[ ] Untouched by Desire, Detached From Greed
The truth is this: you are a soul with few desires for yourself. Others might want wealth piled up upon wealth, but you see wealth merely as a lever to be used as it can be. Accumulating things does not strike you as desirable, and while you have desires, they are hardly for yourself. The things you want are for others to use, for others to do and become. If you are to gain power, let it be in the service of others, not in your own service. You have no especial desire to serve others, of course, merely that you do not desire things for yourself.
You become a Fleshcrafter. Become EXTRAORDINARILY less Greedy. Fleshcrafters change the flesh of others, both healing and enhancing. They are valued tremendously when it comes to defending cities, they may rule villages with relative ease, and may even explore or trade once they have built up a retinue of empowered retainers. They are, however, very weak at Pit-diving.
Notes.
Firstly, all your Emotions will determine what you can and can't do as a character to a large degree. Our current Stubborn, Compassionate, Hopeful character is more likely to engage in helping others (Compassionate) even when the odds may not be ideal (Hopeful) and is unlikely to deviate from that course (Stubborn). These stats are quite changeable in the course of the game, as they're comparatively minor Emotions compared to the Greed you might gain or lose here. This isn't game-long (you can change your Greed over time), but it'd take a lot of concerted effort over a lot of time by the thread to reduce (or increase) Greed to neutral - in-game years without major life-changing events.
As a non-Greedy character, you will find it very difficult to accept rewards unless you have an immediate use for them (or they're replicable, like knowledge), and accumulating wealth is very, very difficult indeed. Even if you can make decisions to get wealth (or powerful Artifacts) occasionally, you'll often be finding yourself giving them up.
Conversely, as a Greedy character, turning down a reward even from poor villagers might be tough (even with Compassionate to balance it out), and you're likely to be pushed towards options of accumulation and the like.
Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
I argue, again, that the path of the Fleshcrafter is not only the safest option (On the backlines..), but also a most unique choice - How often has SV played a Healer? How often, I ask?
And - How many Fleshcrafters have we seen as a child? About zero. A Fleshcrafter was the one person who could have saved our character's mother. Power more than itself.
And - How many Fleshcrafters have we seen as a child? About zero. A Fleshcrafter was the one person who could have saved our character's mother. Power more than itself.
Last edited:
- Location
- scrabbling
[X] Untouched by Desire, Detached From Greed