Elementalists in Allanak

[LittleLostThief]

It shouldn't be harder to play a gemmed than a magicker who lives in the wilds.

You might scream that it is a karma class and should be harder, but I'm still arguing that it shouldn't be impossible to have a roleplay oriented profession when there are PCs around.  And if the only play that you can come up with to interact with my PC is to NOT play with PC, perhaps it is you who could find some ways to be more clever.

If anything, it's probably insanely easy to make a living as a fully maxxxed mage.  But it's also fun to play BECOMING a competant spellcaster, instead of hiding away in a Temple or hole in the ground until you have exhausted your skill list and popping out and being "Wooohoooo!  I'm teh awesome!"

I posted this in the World Discussion because I felt it was mostly pertaining to the culture of Allanak and how different social groups interact with each other.  But there are always trends that come and go, and as someone said, I can only imagine that this is the backlash over something else that was posted on these boards.  I'm sure in another year things could be changed significantly (if this incarnation of Armageddon is still around).

[ale six]

I once played a gemmed vivaduan who made her living primarily as a whore (with some occasional income from being a rinth rat, healing, and selling water.) No one really wanted her around in taverns, and she got ran out of places more than once. But I think people wanted the CHARACTER around, because they were happy to give her interaction when she was there.

The worst thing you can do to a gemmed mage is give them the "invisible" treatment - i.e. not talking to them, ignoring them, making them sit at the bar alone. That's no fun for anybody.

[Barzalene]

The worst thing you can do to a gemmed mage is give them the "invisible" treatment - i.e. not talking to them, ignoring them, making them sit at the bar alone. That's no fun for anybody.

I agree, however ignoring the magicker at the bar is often the most organic reaction. If you're law abiding you can't hurt them. If you're reserved you can't scream at them. And if you're afraid you why would you strike up conversation.

[a strange shadow]

You can ignore someone ICly while still providing interaction on a scene-based level.

The difference between sitting at the bar and doing nothing outward to indicate that you're alive, or slapping that kankfly away from your face and accidentally bumping into the gemmed's elbow.

[staggerlee]

Emote pointed looks away as ~gemmer walks into the bar, staring down into his drink.

hemote twitches, his face hardening into a scowl for a moment as ~gemmer speaks up to order his drink.

And... so forth.  Colorfully ignore them

Edit: Damn it, shadow beat me to it while I was typing.

[Barzalene]

I agree. But in the end, you're still ignoring them. And I agree with those suggestions, but what I really wanted were suggestions how to interact with them in a way that excludes  ignoring them while still holding on to the fear and loathing.
(while still avoiding confrontation, if your pc would because of personality or fear not want to be confrontational with someone who could turn their babies into finger-wiggling freaks with a few whispered utterances.)

[staggerlee]

I suppose you could pretend to befriend or hire one to turn it against an enemy, I mean if they're so scary to you you probably have a healthy respect for how much that could affect someone you didn't like.

Economic answers seem the best, if they had professions that made them useful there'd be more interaction, especially if they had to be more competitive to get past the stigma.  Magicker/merchant or whatever, but the class system makes that awkward.

Maybe you could pay one to spy on other magickers, to make sure they're not up to anything nasty behind Nak's back.

Maybe you're super annoying and everyone hates you, so only the most socially desperate people (magickers) will hang out with you, and you have to swallow your bile and deal with them anyway.

I don't know anything about the magick code, but if they need any kind of components for rituals/spells someone could potentially make a living gathering and selling them to magickers, without liking magickers.

Someone could conceivably become interested in 'blocking' or 'curing' magick, through herbalism or whatever, and need to study them and test things on them.  You wouldn't necessarily need to have any plan of ever succeeding.

I don't know honestly know much about the magicker code/culture or anything, but I figured I'd try to be constructive.

[staggerlee]

I suppose you could also nervously buy them a drink, choking down your disgust, and pretend to make conversation to keep them happy and calm.

God knows we don't want that walking bomb over there getting upset.

It's a stretch, but I guess it depends on the character to a large degree.

[Gimfalisette]

The thing about mundanes and gemmers interacting is that almost NONE of it should be done openly, unless you're a mundane doing official templarate business (or House Oash business) with them. If you openly do business / have other interactions with a gemmer, as a mundane, you should get ostracized for that.

Mundanes shouldn't be soliciting gemmers for sex at the bar in the Barrel, nor allow gemmers to solicit them for sex there. Do it over the Way if you want. But you WILL want to keep it secret.

Mundanes shouldn't be asking Vivs to sell them water, publicly, UNLESS those mundanes work for the templarate/House Oash. Again, we have the Way for stuff, folks. (You don't want your buddies to know you drink gemmer water, do you?)

Gemmers shouldn't be sitting at the bar (or anywhere in public outside their Quarter) having casual conversations about magick, components, etc. Or waving flaming swords around. Etc. (We all know this, right?, but it still keeps happening in game.)

And like I said before, there are some really valid IC reasons for the current state of things in Allanak. Find out IC.

[amish overlord]

Perhaps an increase in business with magickers for curses and blessings on enemies!(Even if not a real curse or blessing) Go to local ruk and ask them to curse your rival stone mason! Or even to bless your work(of course should be worried about the "price" other than sid give)

Can create fun situations, they do some strange elaborate ritual to curse your rival(may not actually be spell) And they get somewhat sinister rp! And it might work, or appear to!

As a mage if have another sub class, make charms using it! Charms that keep away dujals, terrible giant monsters with huge teeth and tentacles(whether such a creature exists is not necessary) And other made up benefits!

Amish Overlord  

[Sokotra]

now it seems that every time that I try to interact with a non-gemmed PC the powers that be are summoned and I'm carted back to my Quarter far away from the eyes of other players. .

Yeah, I guess there's some IC stuff that has gone on very recently and over time that has caused this... but I'll just throw out some suggestions, for the heck of it.

1. Hire a shady type to take care of the people harassing you.

2. Wear a mundane cloak with a hood and/or RP covering up the gem with a handkerchief/neckwrap or something.  When people look at you funny or something, just toss out emotes that show that your gem is covered.  If nothing else, that should start some interesting RP interaction.

3. After you get carted off just wait a while and go back again.  Offer bribes?

[jhunter]

I had a gemmed Whiran one time that made money pretending she could tell fortunes from reading palms. People were afraid but she did get enough suckers here and there to support herself.
Thanks to the people that played along with that btw. It made the character more fun for me.
With the exception of some occasional casting in the temple, I don't think she ever really used her magick much.

[Rhyden]

I had a gemmed Whiran one time that made money pretending she could tell fortunes from reading palms. People were afraid but she did get enough suckers here and there to support herself.
Thanks to the people that played along with that btw. It made the character more fun for me.
With the exception of some occasional casting in the temple, I don't think she ever really used her magick much.

That character was awesome, jhunter. The prediction she gave my character actually came true too!

[Rindan]

Your problem is in taverns.  My suggestion?  Get out of taverns.  A tavern is probably the absolute least friendly place for a magiker.  Think of it this way.  Imagine you have a friend who has a friend that is a neo-Nazi.  Your friend swears that this neo-Nazi is not a bad guy, he is just confused and got mixed up.  Your friend swears that he is an okay guy and that he is awesome at school work and can help you with your homework.  Now, you might be able to put aside your reservations if you have a decent reason.  That said, the last place  you are going to meet your friends neo-Nazi with a swastika tattooed on his forehead is in a local place where your friends or people from work hang out.  Even if you can tolerate the stigma of interacting with such a person, your friends a whole lot less likely to be understanding.  You would go to a relatively private place and make every effort not to be seen.

This is how I think magikers are likely treated.  These are just not people you want to be seen with.  Even if you have a good reason to deal with one, you wouldn't want to do it in the open.

My advice?  Find places outside of the tavern to RP with people.  In the tavern, most people are going to avoid you because that is exactly what their character would do.  Joining a clan is the easy solution.  Finding/buying a private location and getting people to meet  you is the harder solution.  Whatever the case, you really can't complain when people don't want to hang out with you in a very public place.  As a gemmed, you have all the social appeal of neo-Nazi in New York City.