Since many still complain that druid saplings are unfair, I have a linked solution that would rebalance mages in contrast to druids.

1) Give Realitycheck a 25% chance of failing. Enough to be noticeable occasionally, sometimes very bad, but not always.

and

2) Create a new skill near Master level in Elementalism, 'Awareness'.

Awareness - Sense the elemental character of your environment.
You are so attuned to the elements in your environment that you will be immune to illusions or magics which attempt to conceal the true nature of your surroundings.

This skill would mean that anyone who possesses it can cast their demesne over the top of illusory terrain without needing to dispell it first.

These two changes need to be implemented together, not separately.

What do you think?

(It would also implicitly solve the sapling/terrain combo problem, btw)

So essentualy you're making mage demesnes as hard to take off as druid ones.

Personaly, I'd rather it be the other way around: Have saplings take 1 chop to remove. It'll also mean less coding to accomplish (setting the strength of the sapling vs. adding in a new skill and putting a random factor to a skill)

No, saplings should go in 1-2 chops. That's not in dispute. But I'd like to make realitycheck not quite as certain also, to avoid the inevitable realitycheck/forcecast instant combo.

I don't see the point or need of creative ways to address this problem at all. Outside of a true forest (serenwilde, vesucia, glomdoring, faethorn), saplings are SUPPOSED to take one chop. If they are taking more than one chop, it is a bug.

Envoy reports are due Jan 8th. Make sure your envoy addresses this.

Well, I thought some of the variability in chopping was balanced by the fact it didn't protect from all attackers. Are opposed druids supposed to be able to bypass them?

If so, I'd like mage protection to have a similar disadvantage.

First off, giving realitycheck a chance to fail is a horrible idea. While it may fail or may not fail , saplings would still always be chopped after X swings.

Second off, any skill that allows you to ignore the illusionary terrain should not be lower than fabled.

Fair enough.

What level of skill is required to be able to ignore saplings?

There isn't any level of skill because it does not exist, just as this skill idea does not exist. However if it did, totally ignoring illusions, at a lesson count you can reach by the time you walk out of Newton is a bit extreme.

It does exist. I can forest over blacktalon demesne with saplings. All I need is the ability to forceforest (which is around Master, isn't it?)

Also for the record, I believe I brought up the proper solution to this when Saplings first came out. Hartstone can ignore Hartstone Saplings, and Blacktalon can ignore Blacktalon Saplings, but they have to mulch opposing.

This would have been the easiest fix, but everyone was against it because "it promoted more conflict". A pretty silly statement in my books, as the saplings themselves promote conflict daily.

Thus, it does exist, doesn't it?

I don't see why a mage equivalent is extreme.

And yes, I would have preferred that solution too, but we all know I got chewed out for suggesting anything other than 'a tree is just a tree', whoever summons it.

LoL @ those who went against you. We all know there is only one forest type, right?

A tree is just a tree..HAH

Oh, don't start that again.

It would be a fine solution, I'd just hate to see the RP shift that would bring. I dislike how everything is dichotomous. It's more fun if "a tree is just a tree". Black and white, good and bad, that's boring. More gray!

You can forceforest over opposing forest type. Happened all through Dairuchi - Blacktalon saplings everywhere, Seren forest.