Ceres also has the +15% damage artifact.

how does +15% become double the damage of other players?

Because it's +15% + karmic blessing + imperial merian + that other thing. It all adds up.

Add on the champion artifact staff, which increases damage.

Add on a War blessing.

Add on a Knowledge blessing.

There's a bigger difference in damage between going from 18 to 20 intelligence than there is going from 12 to 14 intelligence. Perhaps more than going from 12 to 15 or 16 intelligence. There's a curve in gain for each point. Hence, the Knowledge blessing (which gives +2 intelligence) is actually more effective for high-intelligence races than lower intelligence races, for purposes of intelligence-based (IE, magic) damage. 20 intelligence is a lot, particularly with a level one faster equilibrium. As an aside, the same holds true for Strength.

Even if it scaled linearly, there are other threshholds one approaches or bypasses by exceeding typical values.

I don't feel this is unbalanced, as there's opportunity cost involved. A high-intelligence race caster might have gone with the blessing of Life instead, being as they tend to have low constitution. Merians crave HP a lot more than most other commonly chosen spellcaster races. One tends to find a strength and focus on it, get that one strength as potent as possible so as to have a reliable base to which one can grow a tactical plan.

That said, I'm not convinced about blessings being a good thing or bad thing. I'm going to wait and see how it works, what gets changed. That's a different topic, anyhow.

I don't think blessing should be nerfed, but since the Karma system was designed to curb PK and encourage hunting and questing, perhaps the blessings themselves should only be affected when hunting, not other people, similar to the critical hit system. It is absolutely rediculous to the amount of damage a Merian Mage can do with 18 intelligence + knowledge + war + scepter, throwing in the Champion staff, and that is utterly insane.

odd, that scaling does not seem to be true for Strength.
my 23 str is barely stronger than my 22str.

Yeah, the scaling for strength is really obscure and significantly weaker than intelligence. Malicia tested gore on me at 14 strength and at 18 strenght, there was barely a 100 to 200 damage difference, suffice to say, it's pathetic. But when Geb tested magical damage, his damage easily increased 300 to 400 damage going from Dracnari to Merian, it's rather painful.

I would be the second happiest man alive if they made STR like INT.
or even INT like STR.

The first happiest would be someone who I can not describe on these forums without getting myself censored.

*peer that last bit*

Solo for PvP, I'd have to say Ur'guard, Hartstone, Nihilists, Celestines are the most potent.

Group for PvP, people with Moon, lichers and Totem people when resurgem is possible (because of the ability to keep constant pressure through little or no-loss dying), Aquamancers (which in a group situation is more potent for demesne effects than Hartstone, despite sap).

For hunting - Ur'guard, Paladins a distant second, Nihilist and Celestines a distant third.

For versatility - Mages, Guardians, Warriors a distant and forgotten last.

For any class, there's a glaring lack. Overall, I'd have to say Ur'guard (if you can deal with being groundbound and poor to travel), or Nihilist for a blend of variety and combat potency, closely followed by Celestines.

Those are my thoughts, anyhow.

Guardians are WAY more versatile than mages. They can deal out all sorts of awesome combos with their cosmic ents, specializations, all those juicy skills. Whereas mages just have runes/illusions and then staff the enemy to (or chasm for Geomancers).

Also, demesne effects no longe stack, so Aquamancers don't make that potent a group anymore. (Back when they did stack, though, I remember Tuek pointing out repeatedly how 5 Aquamancers could perma-stun you.)

EDIT: Oh, about Ceres...

2309h, 3892m, 3152e, 10p exkdb-
Ceres's aura of weapons rebounding disappears.
Ceres points her staff at you and blasts rolls out from the end, cooking your
flesh.
564h, 3892m, 3152e, 10p exkdb-