You people do realize that it is possible to botch a raid on Nil by having someone sit in Magnagora who does nothing, but triggers farscout every couple minutes? That's happened to me - and it was -3- planes away... given that, I really can't see what all the moaning is over. Farscout is absurdly powerful.... and it makes scent look like newbie compared to haymaker.

Squirrel Forage for nourishment.
Night Shroud yourself with mother night.
Skunk Spray other people or the ground with a stinky odor.
Sun Regenerate your ego under the sun's presence.
Rock Make yourself harder to move.
Moon Regenerate your mana under the moon's presence.
Crow Instill fear into others.
Tree Heal yourself in the presence of mystic trees.
Groundhog Burrow into the ground.
Trout Breathe underwater like a fish.
Wolf Become brave as a wolf.
Bear Become strong like a bear.
Stag Quickly sprint in any direction.
Monkey Mastery of the trees.
Horse Leap over obstacles.
River Heal yourself when swimming in the rivers.
Snake Resist poison.

Sun = We don't need an enchantment during the day for Ego
Moon = We don't need an enchantment at night for Mana
Tree = We don't need an enchantment for Health, as long as we stand in the Serenwilde.
Trout = We don't need a Waterbreathing enchantment
River = We don't need an enchantment for health as long as we are in a river.

So let's see.. of all the enchantments we can get.. We don't need Beauty, Mercy, Perfection.. some of the time, and we never need Waterbreathe. This is hardly a "Totems makes it so you never need enchantments" arguement.

This says NOTHING about scrying abilities of any kind.

I don't know about you guys, but I still used scent liberally, and in fact did during Stewartsvilles to see people outside to mark them for Rage coven. So yes, it's still useful.

I don't get this, you are complaining about scent going through Gem, yet Farscout does the same thing, except better since you can target your enemies or allies. So why did you make a thread complaining specifically about it? Complain about your own skills first.

Scent still shouldn't list rooms. vague direction, fine. Rooms though? Meh.

Well then, farscout should give vague directions too.

"You peer into the cosmos and detect Narsrim somewhere on the western part of the Basin."

I agree, Farscout is grossly overpowered. Lose the three-planes crap.

Fine by me.

Actually, Farscout should cost power.

Nah...just move it up into Nihilism/Celestialism and give it a niftier name. Place it at fabled or Mythical

Is that skunk skill the one that mucks up scent? If so, why not allow a few city abilities to muck it up too. Example, scent should not detect people in rooms that are deeply flooded or that have poison gas in them. Also, perhaps cleanse can temporary remove a person's scent (perhaps for about 10 minutes or so). Just a few ideas to counter a skill that every novice in the communes receive.

Then I want a totem that makes me unable to be scried at night.

Again, if it comes down to balance, then why not ask for a skill that stops mass detection abilities like farscout or single-detection like scry? You are asking for something that blocks pretty much our only skill-given detection ability (I don't count Astrosense for obvious reasons).

Have you ever smelled wet dog? I can't imagine a mugwump or merian would be all that much better, either.

That is because the wet dog is not clean. Cleanse not only makes a person wet, but it also cleans them. It is magical, remember? That being the case, my suggestion stands.

Cleanse just dumps water on them, during which time they scrub under their armpits...

I'm with Terenas: I don't see the logic that the sole ability-given detection skill for Communes should have some form of "protection" yet there is no "protection" against scry and farscout, which are both far superior.

Anyone arguing that any skill makes their Gem useless needs to take a reading comprehension class. It hides you from most who lists, nothing more. Anything else you get is a bonus, and whining for more makes you look like greedy bastards.

About the whole Alchemy/Enchant balance, I'm all for making it more fair. Make it so that instead of half the abilities in Enchantments being in Totems, we get half the abilities in Alchemy, like many cityfolk get the abilities that Enchantment gives. That way you rely on us, we rely on you. As it is, communes need Alchemy and would really like to have Enchants, cities need Alchemy and don't really need Enchants.

Fist - Not in Totems
Flame - Not in Totems
Key - Not in Totems
Eye - Not in Totems
Monolith - Not in Totems

Deathsight - Not in Totems
Window - Not in Totems
Waterwalk - Not in Totems
Fear - Crow in Totems
Enfeeble - Not in Totems
Diminish - Not in Totems
Enlarge - Not in Totems
Web - Not in Totems
Sleep - Not in Totems

Dig - Groundhog in Totems
Cleanse - Not in Totems (Absolutely needed)
Scry - Not in Totems
Waterbreathe - Trout in Totems
Levitate - Not in Totems(Absolutely need)
Gust - Not in Totems
Doorblast - Not in Totems
Icewall - Not in Totems
Ignite - Not in Totems

Kingdom - Not in Totems
Beauty - Sun in Totems (Only works during the day)
Perfection - Moon in Totems (Only works at night)
Mercy - Tree and River in Totems (Only works in the Serenwilde or in a river)


So we have 21 enchantments not in Totems, and most of them needed in combat.
With 6 Enchantments that can be argued as in Totems. This is hardly half, and hardly a drain on enchantments as of those 6, 3 of them are highly sought after. Do try and find an arguement now that actually involves facts instead of "but but but they can do this and I can't!"

Why not just ask a glomdoring Novice to skunk spray you. Novice skill, cancelled by a novice skill. Or go up and fight a Mitran for like two seconds. *shrug*