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Post by musashi on Jan 5, 2014 15:51:57 GMT -5
I've always wondered what the big deal was with Nilazis. Why are they so feared and/or dangerous? I've actually had the karma for some time - only ever played one, but not really past the "spam and bide your time" phase of playing a magicker. I branched a couple things, but was ultimately none too impressed. I understand what most of their spells do, but I fail to see how they can be as dangerous as they're often made out to be.
You can make other magickers worthless, or avoid them completely, but after the spells come down you're still basically just two people devoid of combat skills trying to flee and/or melee each other. You're pretty mobile - almost as much as a whiran. You can fuck with psionics but not in any lasting or useful way. You can create an army of undead which can be scary with the right minion, but before you can use that buff 20 day warrior PCs corpse, you must first kill him -- good luck.
I can understand from an RP perspective where they can be freightening, but codedly I don't see where their "true power" comes from. Perhaps it's in part from the staff's tendency to use Nilazi as a subguild for undead psionic vampire sorcerers. Maybe I just need to spend more time playing the class. As I've said, I played it once but I essentially just ran around the sewers fucking with Drovians and accumulating other rogue magickers' camps in my portable hole until I had essentially a life-time's supply of food, water and torches. It was under-stimulating to say the least.
So, what's the deal with this class? It seems virtually defense/offenseless against wild critters and mundanes. What makes them scary?
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Post by lulz on Jan 5, 2014 17:48:44 GMT -5
You answered yourself, meaning you need to spend more time playing the class. They are easily some of the most powerful beings playable; if you do not know how to take advantage of their full capabilities then that's on you.
If you *really* want to fuck hardcore with people, charm them. Great spell.
Also, throwing on turn element and letting some krathi blast himself to death is rather enjoyable.
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bobo
Clueless newb
Posts: 58
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Post by bobo on Jan 5, 2014 19:47:50 GMT -5
While other elements are "powerful" by having combat or resource power, Nilazis have a subtler but far more satisfying kind of power -- plot power. They can shrink the size of the world enormously by moving large groups from point to point. They can suppress the Way. They can fake deaths with pseudo death and psi suppression. They can impersonate others with possess corpse. They can spy better than any sneaky with dead speak. I've never even gotten around to using charm, but I'm willing to bet it's devastating.
Nilazis may not be as impressive as far as pure blasting spells, but they are easily equal or greater in power to a Whiran. You just have to have actual plot-related goals to advance, and it helps if you're not a loner, since so many Nilazi spells work well with others.
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drunkendwarf
Displaced Tuluki
SUCK IT, NYR AND ADHIRA
Posts: 211
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Post by drunkendwarf on Jan 8, 2014 12:37:08 GMT -5
Mon possess corpse + psi suppression + elemental fog + travel gate/portal + portable hole + shield of nilaz + dead speak. You are the ultimate background plot driver. And no one is ever going to catch you. Your face/sdesc becomes known? Mom possess someone and go on about your business. You don't need a lair, you've got portable hole. Everything you own comes with you. All you need are a few remote save rooms marked. It IS hard to be a lone nilazi...but manage to get yourself into a group, and holy shit the possibilities are endless.
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Post by BitterFlashback on Feb 13, 2014 16:12:05 GMT -5
So, what's the deal with this class? It seems virtually defense/offenseless against wild critters and mundanes. What makes them scary? Unless they changed how Possess Corpse works, it does the following: * Basically turns you into the victim physically. You get their physical stats, descs, etc. * Retains your mental stats and skills. * Gives you the victim's clan ranks. On mon level it's permanent. Odds are if you took over a templar or noble you'd get screwed by the imms. A decent-ranked member of the GMH? Doable.
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Post by lulz on Feb 13, 2014 22:05:25 GMT -5
Odds are if you took over a templar or noble you'd get screwed by the imms. A decent-ranked member of the GMH? Doable. On the IDB staff laughed about my suggesting to allow my Nilazi kill and take over the corpse of a Jihaen; he had plans to poison Tuluk's water supply. They shot me down after discussing it on the IDB, so I just started attacking their gates with waves of undead HGs and dwarves.
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Post by BitterFlashback on Feb 14, 2014 3:15:16 GMT -5
On the IDB staff laughed about my suggesting to allow my Nilazi kill and take over the corpse of a Jihaen; he had plans to poison Tuluk's water supply. They shot me down after discussing it on the IDB, so I just started attacking their gates with waves of undead HGs and dwarves. Holy shit I wish I said that. Quote error? Because if you did that you're awesome. I'm sorry you got fucked over.
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Post by lulz on Feb 14, 2014 4:10:07 GMT -5
I wasn't necessarily fucked over, so much as they thought it was a silly idea. Circa 2006 it was still relatively easy to blast Tuluk as a Nilazi. I lived down in Under Tuluk and would routinely spend two or three hours slowly building my army before having them all rush the gates. I also armed them of course to ensure they'd take down some NPCs. That character's story ended badly however when someone decided to animate a Tuluki soldier, track me through Under Tuluk all the way to my lair, then spam 'flee self' so they could justify telling the authorities my mdesc/gear/whereabouts. Wish I had that character's old logs, he was a hoot. Tried forcing myself sexually on Manonfire's Kadian/Salarri/whatever-he-was with a possessed Legionnaire once; took him into the Heart and proceeded to fondle his boy parts with highly suggestive emotes until he snapped my neck. Imagine his surprise when I typed "quit" and the corpse fell to the ground in front of him.
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Post by BitterFlashback on Feb 15, 2014 0:15:51 GMT -5
Dude, that's awesome. Except the cheese with the soldier. I hate that the staff frown on people giving Tuluki players reminders magickers are terrifying.
Who could be afraid of mages in this game? They can only be successful during an RPT or in the wastes. Nannystaff interferes with the random. The player-generated.
zOMG SHUT UP BITTER SOM SPONSORED ROLE MIGHT GET KILD LOL!
Sorry imms! Sorry!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2014 0:43:52 GMT -5
A certain magickal plot have thus far been responsible for the death of at least one templar, one noble, 2 byn sargeants, 1 kadius agent, 1-2 sponsored role sargeants in the last 2 years of it. And that's only what's relatively known. I'm sure there is more. Kind of PK happy in my opinion, meh.
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Post by BitterFlashback on Feb 15, 2014 0:54:37 GMT -5
I'm not saying it doesn't happen. I'm saying the imms sometimes step in and stop it. I think that's wrong.
As for PKs... well... I'll give you that. I personally haven't seen a lot of people RPing fear of magic they know OOCly is non-lethal. The superstition they're supposed to role play is often absent. I can't really blame people for thinking they won't get a fear reaction without PKing.
It was worse back before the first time I quit. Mages were a BASH away from being instakilled. they could only cast with empty hands while standing. The lack of fear OOC leaked all over the IC. Meanwhile people persecuted thieves on the GDB with religious fury. I mean real fire and brimstone stuff. Steal was the forbidden arts, not magick. If those GDB assclowns of the day put half that fear and hate into how they were supposed react to mages Arm would resemble its docs.
I have only seen minor improvements since the old days.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2014 17:15:23 GMT -5
Mages are identical to what you describe now. They can only cast with both hands free, unless they are wielding magickal objects. And unless they train off/def, they are a bash away from death. But then again, a merchant can get that off/def just as high, if he really wanted to. Few do.
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Post by BitterFlashback on Feb 15, 2014 20:27:01 GMT -5
That sucks. Back in the old days it had to be empty hands. No exceptions. I'm also sorry to hear mages still have to stand to cast. That was idiotic. Mana regen was based on environment, not position. Unless they changed that it's still idiotic.
I do know mages have it slightly better now. They added more long-range spells since my first go round. There's that spell for Krathi jewelers to abuse.
Comes back to my original point though. People don't have much OOC fear of magickers and it tends to leak IC. the only elementalists I've ever seen properly ostracized are Inventory Elementalists (thieves).
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Post by musashi on Feb 16, 2014 3:16:26 GMT -5
Unless they changed how Possess Corpse works, it does the following: * Basically turns you into the victim physically. You get their physical stats, descs, etc. * Retains your mental stats and skills. * Gives you the victim's clan ranks. On mon level it's permanent. Odds are if you took over a templar or noble you'd get screwed by the imms. A decent-ranked member of the GMH? Doable. Very cool, I was curious about what you gained from the body you possess there. What about skills? I'm guessing those don't transfer? I will definitely have to play one again in the future. Half of what I play this game for these days it to fuck around and/or screw with people, and that corpse possession seems INSANELY fun.
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Post by lulz on Feb 16, 2014 21:34:57 GMT -5
You've no idea. You're in for a treat, trust me.
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