Way echoes

[Suhuy]

Well, I guess I see things more optimistically than that. I've seen what Arm was like in '93, I've seen what it was like in '03 and '13. The current playerbase is leaps and bounds ahead of where it used to be. That isn't to suggest I naively think there isn't abuse going on, I've been witness to some quite recently, in fact. It happens. But gone are the days where more players than not spar nonstop for IC days at a time, or sneakily do things that are not IC for their character concept during off peak hours because they feel no one is watching. Again, not saying it doesn't happen - I'm saying it's no longer the norm. After being gone for a few years and coming back at one point, I was quite impressed with the overall maturity here. You'll be hard pressed to find magicker or elf loving humans nowadays. Half-giants act like half-giants, muls act like muls, and magickers are no longer Batman or some other ridiculous caped crusader with a silly affectation and X-Men style pseudonym. People will do things they need to survive provided it's within the framework of what's realistic to do. When I'm playing the person doing the hunting, yes, I do trust the person on the other end. I trust they won't do something wildly OOC in order to get away. Respectfully, it sounds like you just see the worst in everyone and assume straight away that they'll cheat - and that's not the kind of atmosphere I think we should be fostering here.

More importantly, it needs to be decided first if using the Way actually causes a person to exhibit any visible effects before we decide what's realistic or not. Based on current documentation, there's nothing unrealistic about 100% concealing when you use contact or psi. That isn't to say I don't think it would be an interesting turn of events if subtle clues were occasionally prompted, as in your idea, but I'd appreciate a heads up from staff implementing this in advance, since it will now mean we have to RP our characters differently than we have done since the dawn of time.

[Is Friday]

Respectfully, it sounds like you just see the worst in everyone and assume straight away that they'll cheat - and that's not the kind of atmosphere I think we should be fostering here.

This idea is meant to facilitate more tension in face to face interaction, provide depth or challenge to subversive acts, and give weight to physical threats. It's meant to encourage more middle ground between questioning and killing a captive. Although it has a much wider scope it impacts.

I'm not saying that contacting people and spreading info like that is metagamey, but it certainly would be more interesting if you added some visual representation of someone who is using the Way. Right now the Way only matters for your plots. Let's get those things connected and have more people involved.

[X-D]

I am glad this got necro'd...I got to see havokblue's post again and snicker again.

[Harmless]

Although I kind of get HavokBlue's desire to play ultimate bad-asses who don't even bat an eyelash when using the Way, I have to say that the help files and some extrapolation of their meaning imply that that kind of roleplay is not really appropriate.

Whether it should be done with feels alone, or emotes+feels, I think something is definitely warranted. You don't have to give it away by any means -- because we all know that "hemote narrows his eyes slightly" will cause your typical upstart His Arm recruit to explode with suspicion -- but you should have your use of the Way influence your roleplay.

Frequently, what I will do is constantly keep tabs on my character's mood + feels. The mood is great. If I am using a lot of skills or moving often, the mood becomes "tired." "Drained." "worn out." Etc. Then, when my character responds to people, that mood influences her responses.

I think people could get MUCH more creative with how they roleplay too much Way usage. Just extrapolating from the help files, a huge list of possible symptoms of "over-waying" can be conceived.

...While the use of the Way is not simple (it makes demands on one's consciousness, as measured by your character's stun points)

Stun points are a representation of your mental consciousness. Many things can tax your stun points, from combat, to concentration, to using psionics, to the abrupt stop after a fall.

The loss of all your stun points will result in your character becoming unconscious for a period of time.

Levels of impaired consciousness include: confusion --> disorientation --> delirium, lethargy, stupor, and coma.

Alertness and being oriented to place and time are major characteristics of consciousness. Alertness means that you are able to respond appropriately to the people and things around you. You are oriented when you know who you are, where you are, where you live, and what time it is.

When consciousness is decreased, your ability to remain awake, aware, and oriented is impaired.

Symptoms that may be associated with decreased consciousness are:

seizures
loss of bowel or bladder function
poor balance
falling
difficulty walking
fainting
lightheadedness
irregular heart beat
rapid pulse
low blood pressure
sweating
fever
weakness in the face, arms, or legs

[Dresan]

A little late to this party but I like this idea.

As other have said it would be great if it involved having a high watch skill.

Heck, I'd probably take this idea a lot farther. A new toggle on/off skill like listen that would allow you to see messages sent over the way, assuming you are in the same room with the person sending them ( you wouldn't get messages they are receiving though).  Or maybe high watch and/or listen skill allows you a chance to see their subtle lips moving and mumbling when they use the way giving you a chance to figure out what they might be sending.

Okay maybe not, this might cause a lot of problems.