It's time for Guido's annual Tae'dae rant. Strap in, kids.

First things first: Tae'dae suck, in terms of their statistics and overall ability to function as a member of -any- guild. They are simply not viable for either bashing or PvP combat, no matter your class. Certain individuals have excelled with them (Thul, Gwynn, ect), but that is only after putting in far more effort than anyone else would need to to reach that point, and they are still inferior.

As a mage, druid, wiccan, or guardian, Tae'dae are obviously worthless. A level three lower equilibrium coupled with 9 intelligence makes them the worst possible magic users. Orclach and Krokani have lower intelligence, at 8, but are unhindered by such equilibrium penalties (Krokani have base equil, Orclach have lvl. 1 penalty).

So, it stands to reason that Tae'daes would make outstanding (or at least passable!) warriors, as they don't have any other option if they want to do anything more than emote and talk. With 18 str, 17 con, and huge resistences to all physical damage and several other types, and a level 3 sip bonus, one would think that is true. However, even with all their amazing statistics and advantages, their disadvantages are so extreme that the Tae'dae is rendered useless.

Level 3 slower balance means that a Tae'dae warrior will never be plausible for offensive combat. In a system in which speed is of the utmost importance they are they slowest in the game - throw in a rather large size (15) and they are so easy to keep hindered, through stuns, webs, and balance/equil knockoffs, and you soon realize that getting in even one swing against an equally skilled foe will be a challenge.

But that's not all. All of the arguments about the ineffective nature of damage knights can be applied to Tae'dae too, because Tae'dae wounding knights are jokes - they have 8 dexterity, on top of the rest of their attacking woes, so you won't be hitting with many afflictions. You're left to choose between being a damage knight (ha!) or an 8-dex wounding knight (double ha!).

Even with their total lack of offensive ability, though, Tae'daes are pure tanks - you can't kill, but neither can you be killed! Wrong. The Tae'dae's ability to be hindered comes in once again - it's no problem holding one down, making them far easier to instakill, and the level 3 weakness to magic means that a Wiccan can tear a Tae'dae up as quickly as it could any less hardy race.

How can they be improved? Well, their disadvantages obviously need to be looked at. If they are too severely reduced, though, Tae'dae will quickly become overpowered, dishing out damage faster than anyone can keep up. The risk of that occuring it far lower now that we have weighted statistics, though, so a Tae'dae can no longer reach such insanely high levels of strength as before. I would suggest lowering them to a level 2 balance penalty, a level 2 magic weakness, and perhaps adding on a point or two of dexterity. I'm not too sharp on combat balancing, though, so I'd love it if someone else could make any more informed suggestions.

Soll just today switched to Tae'dae telepath, using mindburst to kill people since psionic balance is independent of equilibrium.

Time will tell how it works out.

Ooh! I've been wanting to see how a Tae'dae psion works, though I always expected it would be a telekinetic. I could see that working very well, because it essentially removes their slowness and low int from the equation while still allowing them to take advantage of their tankiness. Could be complications, but eh.

You're actually dead wrong on a major part of your rant- Tae'dae make godly bashers as a Mage or Hartstone, and probably as a Guardian and Blacktalon too.

Also, their level 3 magic weakness does not allow them to be torn up "just as easily as a less hardy race", because they also have a level 3 sip bonus, and with such insanely high health, they are going to sip for more than enough to keep them in the green. (Narsrim even used to say this) All warriors get magic resistance, and city warriors get even more. Throw in a magic-proofed great robe (don't really need field plate when fighting a Moondancer by themselves), and some lessons in Magic, and a tae'dae is not going to be torn up by anything.

If the only thing you're considering is tankiness, sure. But since most high-level bashers are tanky enough to kill things on their own without having to worry too much about dying, it's generally bashing speed that matters, in which case tae'dae suck.

If you enjoy influencing, and then killing the mobs afterwards, Tae'dae are the best for that. Sadly, there arn't many places where this is really an option.

The magic weakness is their least urgent woe, yes. It's actually fine, just a bit ridiculous when heaped on everything else. As for bashing, no - Tae'dae are uber tanky, so you'll save money on healing items and be able to bash some areas at a lower level, but it will take one a ton of hits to kill a denizen. Hits that take ages to regain equilibrium on.

They can influence, yes, one of their few strong points.

In the low 30's, a tae'dae mage can clear Spectre Island of everything but the Emperors. Very easily.

And when you're getting 20-30% a kill.. you need to sort of re-evaluate "speed". Sure, once you get to a point where there's nothing bigger to kill, speed might be an issue, but given how people say that astral isn't worth it because there's no gold given but so much healing needed, I'm thinking that a tae'dae will pretty much have it all to themselves, which still results in the afformentioned godly bashing

Also, Lightning style was just upgraded for warriors, so that made tae'dae warriors a bit quicker for bashing.

I can clear spectres in the low 30's on just about anything - well, all but paladins and emperors. And speed is extremely important on astral, you want to get in as much as you can before neurosis takes over. Even so, whatever edges they have in bashing, they can't kill in PvP.

I've personally wondered how a tae'dae psionicist would do (rawr for massive ego) but never had the lessons to try it out myself. That and my obsessive nature makes it hard for me to drop a character once I've gotten on a roll, no matter how borked.

But anyway... in the style of our Father, let us ramble on endlessly.

Bearhug. I know it can be used prone, and with broken arms, and in a variety of positions it really just shouldn't, but if you're in the position where you need to be using it, you're screwed anyway. Might be interesting if it did some wounding, gave some sort of infliction, or had some other benefit other than working from the screwed position... but as it is, it's just cuddling. A novice with a half-decent autosipper could hold it off. I could stand to see it removed entirely, and have a penalty reduced somewhere, but right now the only purpose Bearhug serves is to remind Taurians, Merians, and Furrikin how good they have it.

I can understand some sort of equilbrium and balance penalty. But it really, really pisses me off that people can writhe free of my gem before I'm finished regaining equilibrium. (Before you ask, I hang around faelings way too much.) The combination slowness and tankiness is more annoying to poor Daereth, though, who can quite merrily drop me to the floor and leave me completely unable to attack in a few seconds, but without an instakill can never, ever finish me off. If you receive a petition to nerf my health, it's from him.

A level 3 magic weakness is enough that, while I can handle running into three sabertooth cats on my own, I still can't hunt gorgogs for fear of death. A recent test recorded Nightkiss hitting me for 1200 (trans Magic, from an Aslaran,) which my sip barely keeps up with if that is ALL that is happening to me. We won't go into what Succumb does to me. Someday, many years from now, when I get hold of double flame runes, you will all know this pain. You don't truly think much of those massive fire weaknesses now, because Pyromancers don't exist and all, but I remember and I will use it...

Paladins are cake with a tae'dae in the low 30's.

And with the new stat changes, a Tae'dae's ability to hit 21 strength, and the boost to lightning, might actually mean something. But no one's been in a position to test that.

One of the most prolific bashers of Lusternia - Melanchthon - has stated that tankiness is not paramount in bashing. Rather, you should just be tanky enough to handle whatever you're bashing, and the rest is speediness. That's why shadowlord faelings, with their average con, sip bonus, and level three balance bonus are an excellent hunting race. Ditto for mugwump.

Nightkiss is 50% cold and 50% asphyxiation.

Succumb is based on your Magic skill, not your magic weakness/bonus.

Nightkiss does 1200 to you because it's partially percentage based, and tae'dae have a higher percentage of health.

Bashing is slow (2 minutes per Lobstrosity) but a huge amount safer than Astral. Unless I run into 5 of something or am hit with three super-attacks from linked monsters, I will not die. Telepathy seems to work good. Demesne effects are difficult. I have little choice but to spend the 8 power for Flashflood, because I cannot efficiently set up effects on a timer without spending 2+ minutes doing it. My staff is pitiful, but so is everyone elses when aimed at me. My staff is 5.5 seconds balance, phantoms takes 6 seconds, dispelling illusions takes 6 seconds. It's very debiliating in combat if you try to do anything but Telepathy. If only Mindblast were a hunting skill.

I agree with you. I would like to see Tae'dae reassessed in some manner, but I have not been Tae'dae long enough to have thought of viable options.

I changed into tae'dae once for bashing guards and I just remember counting down the minutes until I could switch to another race...bashing as a tae'dae is HORRIBLE at high levels when you kill so fast with quicker balance and criticals that you don't need to be that tanky it sucks...and I tried fighting as a tae'dae with psionics as well...some things you just need to use eq for and being off balance for 6+ seconds (same as super channel) is a lot of time to give your opponent to mess you up or run

I can agree there. It seems like I will probably be changing to a more suitable race. Which means I have to pick a race that I can work as. I really need something tanky enough to hunt safely, with good Charisma for Telepathy, and without the horrible balance/equilibrium.

Have you tried Lucidian or Trill, theyre not bad. They offset each other, so if you were to do that youd have to pick between semi-good con or semi-good charisma. Same Intelligence.

I changelinged into a tae'dae to see how much Tuek's magic attacks would do against me. I'm trans magic, and he still did about 1500 damage.