Some thoughts.

[Dauthi]

Can Neutral and Good mages get a spell equivalent to vampiric touch. Maybe give Shamans locate object, and make rift harder to save, i have a feeling this is why no one plays them anymore. Dispel magic is an awesome spell, could we bump up some other non-mage spells. Confusion= useless. As i already stated, Rift= not worth the xp time. All n all, i will gladly put in some time testing, i am not asking for everything to be equal. Would just like to see something different than six mages and 1 cleric on. FYI Corri being the only non-Evil or UA mage around. I just hate the thought that the only character i have worth playing is a mage. i would like to hear some ideas on this.

[Alusair]

I agree with Dauthi, as it is now are most classes tweaked vs evil and it really doesn't improve the odds of adding more players apart from those playing evil. Something to balance classes would improve game in my opinion, at least making confusion be noticeable on target once in a while, as it is now ive been confused for 10mins and not even noticing it apart from when i started to speak.

For good clerics maybe make righteous assault a skill worth spending pracs on. As it is now nobody use it and many dont even bother praccing it.

Making a good/neutral mage nowdays is more or less waste of time.

[morgaine]

i thought maybe there has been a small improvement made to confusion, it's still not worth using...for more hten the off shot you can confuse avaricve into attacking the Onyx Dragon, certainly confusion is not what it once was... why was this changed to begin with? Was this just a result of the wis/int changes?

[Hiro]

Is vampiric touch by itself enough to unbalace good vs evil mages?

[Schwartz]

Thanks for the suggestions, they're a bit of a big run-on thought stream. Can you break each one out, with your basis or justiication for each? I'm interested to know your thinking in each of the ideas you present...

Schwartz

[menelaos]

I believe, that vampiric touch does greatly unbalance good/neutral mages vrs unaligned/evil mages.... to be honest loosing vampiric touch was a big hit to my character when i joined a neutral following.

All and all i would rather be a good/neutral mage then a shaman...

[Grale]

Two cents from a career good/neutral mage...

I've been playing mages for pretty much my entire (12 year) TFC career now, and to be honest, vampiric touch is a non-issue. Compared to a bright potion or something, it's an inferior healing method, and I'm happy with my lightning bolt, thanks.

Mages, to me, have always been utility characters - not power killers. Historically, that mantle has always gone to warrics and shaman (when rift was hard to save). Maybe that's swung - I've been inactive for a while. That being said, I get asked to help with a kill a LOT of the time... silence and dispel are too useful to ignore.

But the strength of being a good/neutral mage was always in my versatility. I get in, get what I need, get out, run around, and can do a lot more - especially in terms of mobility - than any other class. I am useful in the extreme to my team, so I don't need to kill you... but you'll have a hell of a time killing ME... and you'll get REALLY frustrated trying.

Catch me if you can... and most of you can't ;) The few that have usually did it in nice big teams who all swing major caps, and when I was doing something stupid... but if you see me out in the open, you'll never pin it on. (The only exception - I was 1-rounded by Vex when I first hit level 20... DEMO/DEMO/DEMO/DEMO dead!)

Be a mage... see the world... meet interesting people... and pull their butts out of the fire when they go somewhere they shouldn't have. Where's the fun in just killing them all?

A mage is a class for a different purpose than killing. Revel in that, instead!

[eldric]

It is strangely quiet here... <----- my quiet
(Invis) (Light Red Aura) (White Aura) Mugen is here.
Mugen leaves east.

<539hp 276ma 582mv 682gp > k m
They aren't here.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > assault m
Mugen arrives from the east.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Your righteous assault devastates Mugen.
You have stunned Mugen!

#Take that you filthy evil! (mugen is scared now)

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
You outmaneuver Mugen's dodge attempt.
Your blast devastates Mugen.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > b
Mugen zaps you with a golden wand. <--- Uh oh, what is this? A pointy stick?
The white aura around your body fades.
Your footsteps land heavier.
You feel more vulnerable.
Your body no longer absorbs raw magic.
Your wizard mark fades.
You feel less righteous.
You feel less righteous.
You feel less aware of the world around you.

# Good Grief!

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > l

Someone dodges your attack.
Someone deftly moves out of the way of your attack.
You parry someone's attack.
You parry someone's attack.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > Someone dodged your attempt.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Sparks fly, as someone's magical protection blocks your attack.
Your blast devastates someone.
Someone parries your attack.
Your armor deflects someone's attack.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Someone parries your attack.
Someone deftly moves out of the way of your attack.
Someone dodges your attack.
You dodge someone's attack.
You deftly move out of the way of someone's attack.

<539hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Someone zaps you with the grim marble wand.
Someone's dispel good maims you.

<500hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Your blast devastates someone.
Someone parries your attack.
You deftly move out of the way of someone's attack.
Your armor deflects someone's attack.

<500hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > in
You are carrying:
a gold potion with green swirls and black spots
a scale mail helm
a cloudy blue potion with cloudy blue swirls
( 5) a saddlebag
a green potion with cloudy blue swirls
a purple potion with blue swirls and gold spots
a cloth baldric, draped over the shoulder
a bright orange potion with black swirls
a purple potion with glowing swirls
a grey potion with gold swirls
a gold potion with blue swirls
a large rolling pin
a midnight black robe
bag made from Kurix hide

<500hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Someone zaps you with the grim marble wand.
Someone's dispel good *** ANNIHILATES *** you. < a nice wand hits nice and hard.

#Uh owie?

<398hp 296ma 586mv 682gp >
Your blast devastates someone.
Someone dodges your attack.
Someone deftly moves out of the way of your attack.
Your armor deflects someone's attack.
Your armor deflects someone's attack.
You parry someone's attack.

<398hp 296ma 586mv 682gp > flee
Attempting to flee...
# Yeah time to leave. Those wands are rocking my world.

[hork]

ouch, that wand dispelled alot of spells. how much svs were you wearing? i zap zirux with not as much luck. went through 3 of those wands on him once. ::blink::

[Belsambar]

For my two cents, I don't believe that vamp and energy drain are overbalancing...but it would make it a heck of a lot easier to xp and wander if you had the ability to gain just that little bit of hp back, however you can. Certainly help when xping or doing a mobmastery, and not everyone (especially mages like me) can keep a constant stock of heals at all times...yet and evil mage can burn through heals, start vamp touching, and might get the extra dmg and hp they need to end the fight 2 rounds sooner...

...which can make a lot of difference.

As for the cleric stuffs, well...yes, confusion should probly work better. It's rather easy to save now, as is rift (to a point) but I always think that playing a char for one spell is just...stupid. Shamans have LOTS of ways to do damage, people don't experiment enough anymore imo.

And personally, I think the good side might need a little boost anyway, since evil is fairly rampant. But on the idea of keeping balances, well...neutrals don't have any neutral only abilities, and often don't have as many abilites as either goods OR evils...so how bout some love for the neutrals? :P

[damian]

well...neutrals don't have any neutral only abilities, and often don't have as many abilites as either goods OR evils...so how bout some love for the neutrals?

(Cheers is agreement)
Yes! Love for the neutrals!
Goods have righteous assault, I propose neutral assault. :P