Excuse me if I'm wrong here, but runed totems don't need to be bonded for the runes to work. That makes them exactly like statues in forests, and the skill to take down a statue is availible to everyone. How does bonding even come into this? If -only- axelords were able to chop down totems, it would still be rather rare, and it would take a lot of time just like it does for statues. And as far as being able to rune your totems, we have the same problems in the cities with finding people with runes to rune our statues, so stop your whinning.

Totems must be bonded to work. I runed a lot of our totems, but that's just so people who don't have runes can bond them and have them work.

this isn't about hte stupid totems, this is about axelords you want a totem thread go make one, we are to discuss possible solutions for the uselessness of chop or possible changes that could be made so that it is replaced with somthing more useful.

What are you on, Marcalo? Originally you wanted to be able to -chop- our totems down. And now you're saying it isn't about them? Do you honestly think we'd bother posting if you didn't bring up being able to chop totems? Why don't you ask chop to be able to take down statues then? Good idea!

i ment people are making this a totem thread, sorry i should really read what i post before i actually post it.......

I've always wanted to see a way to remove totems, but I prefer fire/questing to raiding, which can be dangerous. Doubling up skills is quite common (compare Riding to Stag/Totems) but it seems in this case it actually improves the environment skill, not just replicates it.

How about if Axelords were able to spend at least 15 minutes hacking at a totem and slowly chip away the carvings? At which point it reverts to an Elder tree and is able to be chopped. That puts it on par with statues (although since totems generate our power and cost quite a bit more to make the fact Miakoda warns when one is being chopped somewhat balances the difference). If the totem is bonded, the bonded user gets a warning when they are hacking.

I think totems should be choppable. Make it work the same way as taking down a statue, and we'll be even.

Remember, communes have another advantage, as soon as someone cuts down a tree, the Nexus guardian will cry out.

As much as I don't want our defense to weaken, I think it'd make sense for totems to be choppable by axelords with great effort, and it'd finally let us get rid of those annoying double totems in the Glomdoring.

people complain that ohhh it will attack seren/gloms power source, so? the marilynth quest hinders mag getting power, you don't see me going omg we must nerfz it, you shouldn't be able to just get power without some reasonable way to stop you, having axelords being able to chop down totems at about the same rate a artist works down a statue would be a good idea, even if the whittle them down back to the great tree's or what ever comes before they become a totem, and then they would have to chop to get rid of the tree's. i don't see it being that big of a deal since really how often do you think any group would go ohhh lets go spend a hour per room choping down tree's? it would make the skill at least be useful.

Only if Magnagora has to use some obscure quest mob in the Serenwilde to kill Marilynth. A lot. Just so you can't gain power for extended periods of time.

Or Celest has a way of stealing spectres.

what the hell are you talking about? the marilynth quest removes the spectres from spectre isle, until you raise ladantine empower him enough to go kill her, it takes roughly 3-4 hours of solid work to raise ladantine and empower him.

Know how long it takes to raise a totem? During which time they're vulnerable to regular chopping?

I am very well aware. Trust me, I was one of the people who stayed up for more than twenty hours straight back when the Wyrm was necessary.

Now let's talk about totems. We'll assume one month = 25 hours. Although it's more like 25 hours and fourty minutes or so in either direction, give or take.

We need to plant 5 nuts, for saplings. In one room. This needs to be done BEFORE the Full Moon. This is, basically, about 3-4 hours of straight pixieiing, MAYBE. For one room.

Full Moon. mulch 2. 25 hours later. mulch 2. 25 hours later. carve.

That's in excess of 50 hours of work solely for one totem. Assuming people are straight pixieing, of course. That's an addition of 3-4 (more like 5-6) hours PER ROOM. Of an EXTREMELY mindless task. And if you lose a tree JUST before the New Moon, like, when it's at a stage past sapling, you need to plant MORE saplings, and wait until they catch up. In theory, with good timing, you could stop us from growing new totems indeffinately.

So. Care to explain the balance?

i'm not saying one chop should cut threw the totem, i would be happy with it working like removing a statue, and during that time it screams over your respective communes and generally said chopper would be stopped unless its a well organized raid i would assume. its not like it would happen very often, if honestly ever.