[SKILL] Meditation

[Vibius]

My suggestion comes from the fact that some spellcasters barely have any "utility" spells memorized, most of them are either offensive or protective, and when the need of using a utility spell arises the spellcaster just forgets a spell and after meditating for some they have it.

Part of the struggle of a spellcaster is planning ahead the spells that would need that day balancing carefully offensive/protective against utility spells otherwise they have more offensive/protective power than they really should have, so what I propose is adding a small restriction that would cause to think more carefully about the spell list, that would mean that you can't use the meditate skill after have passed at least 15 RL minutes since the last time a spell was forget, the "time counter" would run even if the character is not logged.

I think that this modification would make spellcasters more interesting by proposing some struggles to the player and having to take strategically decisions ahead in time.

[Mele]

I don't think that fits with the roleplay factor one bit. A character wouldn't wake up in the morning and panic to memorize a full 70+ spell list making sure to get specific spells in "just in case". They'd bust out their spellbook, sit down and memorize a spell if it was necessary and repeat it then.

It's a little bothersome to me how often ICly I see "I don't have enough of those memorized." "I only can cast that once right now." (In MY opinion) A better way to roleplay this would be to meditate, and smote reading your spellbook and memorizing the spell until it was recharged.

I can only see more lack of roleplay with spellcasting if it was such an insane wait period. "Sorry, I can't cast that spell because it's not in my memroy and I'd have to wait too long."

[Selveem]

It's called game (and class) balance..

In any case, that's never been a real factor here. Judging by the polls, the general consensus is apathy.

I would, however, like to see things more balanced but it's not worthwhile for me to raise the banner without any backing.

[Mariela]

I would -hate- that.

As it is, so many things are dependent upon the 15 minute time incriments as it is.

(Have you ever waited on a shop to open? FOREVER. An hour and a half later you can finally go get the one silly little thing you have to pick up.)

In my case, as a spell caster, and a clerical one at that, I find often that I don't have enough copies of certain spells ready. Why? Because a group goes from having 3 people to tackle a quest to 30. There is no way to prepare for that in my "morning" as my character gets up to take care of it. What do I do? I either ask for more clerical help, or I sit back and tell them that they need to give me a few moments to pray or gather myself. And then I do that. I like to think I RP very well the time I have to spend flipping my spells around, fiddling with the domain ones to make sure I got everything back down pat.

As it is, it takes time to rememorize spells as it is. Meditate, even if you are a grandmaster at it, still takes time to replenish itself. You end up sitting there RPing while things are gathered up. And that gives the warriors time to plan and plot, and for the leader to give you the breakdown of what exactly is going on, what we are looking for.. .forming up the group and so forth. While you, the spell caster, is sitting on their bum, listening vaugely. Butfor the most part, concintrating on what you are doing.. which is meditating.

Have you seen someone meditate? It's pretty much, sit down, focus meditate. Nothing too flash about that. You just stay still. There is no hand waving. Sometimes there is chanting.

What can I say. I think as a spell caster, I have enough penalities without having to add and additional 15 minutes to be able to put a spell in my memorization chart if needs be. I handle the divine magics. If my goddess wants to hook me up with 15 spells of flight.. then by all means... why should it take my goddess 15 additional minutes to grant them to me? Divine magic!

[Nedylene]

I try to sit and think of the utility spells I use regularly and ones I most frequently forget. I usually keep a good mix of utility spells available but do find sometimes I need to sit and memorize more as a party grows.

Now, there are a few horrifying situations I can see arising for myself personally if a shift was changed and one had to wait for quite awhile. Now, not all Faith Managers have a High priest(ess) item that instantly creates a symbol. One of mine included. Those I have faithed I am sure are already amused at the fact that I came all prepared to faith them.... then had to excuse myself to go memorize the spell for their symbol. Wasn't me.. I swear. OR .. one I have had happen. A youngster calls me frantically that they have lost a limb and need help before they bleed to death and I swoop over and have to patiently wait and pray that the spell regenerates before the player in question dies. I do not even know what it would be like to go there and watch them bleed to death because I am waiting for a spell to come back that is not used frequently and in fact I think I have only ever had the occassion to use it three or four times. Just examples.

[Mariela]

Exactly. Nedylene.
Oh god. The Selunites and Sharrans are agreeing! Noooo! IT's the apocolypse!

There are just spells you pray to your god and HOPE they will give it to you in enough time. ANd some of it is out of character error cause when it gets right down to it... we are humans who live in a world without spells. Our character's dont. in theory Mariela and Nedylene both would be praying at the appropriate hour they are supposed and they would be given the spells by their goddess taht they would need in a given day. Sometimes it's things they ask for, and then sometimes it would be things they wouldn't cause their gods know they will need it.

And there's your flavor text. When situations come up with at least in this case, the priest/cleric class need to memorize something, maybe it should be pressed upon them as they are faithed that they need to RP that meditation or at least make some sort of sign that they are imploring their given god for the power that they did not have prepared. For example, Nedylene steps out to get the holy symbol. Obviously Shar is wanting to speak to her alone about the supplicant. Maybe play that up... or waiting while something memorizing as someone bleeds to death. Its obviously a ploy to teach a lesson from the gods.

Or in my case, memorizing raise dead again after raising one person. I murmer to myself and then I stand up and make an invocation type prayer praying to Selune and all her power to grant me the power. And sometimes when I mistype and have to try a second time at raise dead... you take that into the RP and make it so your character learns something from it. (INsert Mari's comments about almost accidently raising someone's soul into a wooden crate cause I mis targeted the raise dead spell.)

There are TONS of ways to insert RP. I think it's EASIER for the spellcasters cause we have to meditate. We don't need more time slapped on us. We just need more awareness that we are boring when we meditate.

The people who I'd love to point the finger at for not RPing while waiting for meditate are the fighters and others who are hanging around while we wait. Hell, ham it up already.

[Nedylene]

The people who I'd love to point the finger at for not RPing while waiting for meditate are the fighters and others who are hanging around while we wait. Hell, ham it up already.

You mean.... they don't purposely try to distract you? I need your friends.....

Seriously though, Mariela said it way better then I ever could.

[Selveem]

The truth of the matter is that while we are attempting to move towards 3.5, we need to be cognizant of the fact that this is a MUD - not D&D. Our full-time, ever-available GM is a game engine run on a server.

The reason why I posted what I did was for the reaction I got: "Wait! But we already enjoy this luxury that is absolutely not found in D&D!"

Nedy and Mari, thank you for your participation. I hope the same 'exceptions' are considered for melee classes that have been getting the short end of the stick since caster revamp.

[Mele]

I pointed out some crappy ways meditation was roleplayed and I play more priests than the game has all together! :P