I don't really agree with Ferlas' argument, either, but I'm also not entirely sure that the "imbalance" between potions/enchantments exists, at least to the extent it's being discussed here. You will hear certain city members complaining loudly that alchemy is a massive advantage and far better than enchanting, and you'll hear complaints from Communes about sigils being so necessary and difficult to deal with. It's an intended tradeoff, and there are ways to RP to get around it. Hire an enchanter to remove a sigil, buy a keg, buy a cube-- or trade alchemy/enchantments for what you want. There are uses for both tradeskills. Those uses don't poof because of a low-level skill in the other skillset.

There is also a use for guard. Keeping herbs from dying in meld, keeping them from dying in hibernation-- good! Using it specifically to cut off a tradeskill that everybody else used just as many lessons in as you did... seriously. It's not the same at all.

Oh, I'm not saying enchantments are better than alchemy as a trade skill. Alchemy is better than pretty much anything else as a tradeskill, followed closely by herbs. But there is nothing alchemists or the products of alchemy can deal that cities have no way around. However, there are several things enchantments can produce that only members of cities can get rid of. This is a bit different to tradeskill value. Otherwise ridiculous amounts of skills need to be added to every other trade (bookbinding, artisan in particular, I believe) and I don't think anything can force them to compare to the value of just being able to sell health and bromides.

Nature guard is a slightly different issue, I'll give, and although I don't really care I'll also give that it might do with fixing...but people were trying to dodge the issue in my first paragraph some posts before I got involved and I didn't approve of that so I thought I'd post too. :walrus:

Random hijack for a comment about resurgem...



Actually the only restriction is that the body must be intact. You can resurgem from other planes - I've been resurgemed from Astral by a coven on prime. You can't shorten the target's name, though, you have to type it all out.

No, that's a bug which gets fixed periodically. Currently it's fixed and you do indeed have to be on the same plane.

QFT.

I sell merbloom for more than sparkleberry. Sure. My prices are dynamic, and they change with supply and demand.

I was an enemy of New Celest from the war, meaning they didn't want me on Water. That cut out my supply of merbloom (almost) completely. I purchased a cubix, allowing me to travel to any sphere on Astral and pick up sparkleberry as I found it. These two factors together made it a good business decision for me to charge more for merbloom than sparkleberry.

And you know what? People buy both from me all the time. Something I can't say for herbs that I stock at less than 10 gold per plant.

I'm not thrilled with Krellan for the guarding of all available sparkleberry on the Astral plane, and I -am- Seren, just not a Nature user. There's next to nothing I can do about it, so I'll deal with it as best as I can, starting with not selling Krellan any more of my sparkleberry. (Yes, he bought it from me to resell it to others.)

Not really true. Cities themselves have no access to alchemy which is a vital skill for pretty much anything in the game, cities rely on alchemists to produce vials so that the cities can fight, just like communes rely on cities to remove or create sigils for defence/etc.





Sorry I really must be explaining my points really badly. I'll try and work through them.

Trade skills the communes can get that the cities can't:
Alchemy

Trade skills that the cities can get that the communes can't:
Enchantments

They are the trade skill equal really.
With me so far?

Every other trade skill can be accessed by both communes and cities you understand? Alchemy and Enchantments are the only exceptions. This is fine and balanced.

Nature Guard gives communes an advantage over herbalism.
Cities have no skills to give an advantage over any skill that the communes have access to.

For this to be balanced cities must also gain an advantage over some sort of different trade skill as well or remove the advantage communes advantage over herbalism.

Do you see what I mean now or is there still something your not understanding?

again that's wrong. I've already listed a number of other nature herbalitsts. I am but a fraction. They have every ability to stop what I'm doing by strip harvesting things or by replanting things. while I may be actively guarding, the rest are on the sidelines supporting with their inaction and just harvesting as well.

actually I didn't resell those, I did run out myself and wanted a personal stock. If you'd like I can return them for whatever I bought them for.

No, quoted for aptness. That would be QFA.

Please fix your forum title - the one beneath your avatar. It's irritating me. And continuing the general theme of this thread: Wardrobe = pyjamas.

No. I'm deeply insulted that you would try to equate pyjamas to wardrobe. Wardrobe is not the same as pyjamas. How can you even say that?

woot! congrats for the person who actually stripped my spheres but then was an idiot and replanted half as much! Yay! you just cut the supply in less than half since you didn't even replant a full sphere! Luckily I'll fix this!

I'm sure he/she will be very grateful and will happily take these new herbs.

psh I don't mind them taking the herbs, I left Taurus and Capricorn unharvested for people to take. but how dumb is that to plant them elsewhere but in less amount.

No, you left them guarded so others wouldn't take. And now they're being taken anyways. Ah well-- I can't say I'm too upset.

no i left them guarded so city herbalists dont' take them and sell them at 15 per.

What does it matter if they want to sell at 15? They'll run out really quickly at that price.

cause then people hold out and wait for them? that's less than half my price any smart person would wait for that even if they really needed it

besides people would definately ignore any trade laws to buy that I guarantee it since there have been in the past that have been caught