Thanks to Rika for bringing this up. It seems that Highmagic doesnt have a Highmagic only requirement aside from Enchantments, I was wondering if we could create a new Trade like Mining perhaps. In the trade you can mine for ores which you can later refine into different metals or into gems which can be cut later by Jewelers. This can possibly solve the crises of metal shortage in the basin. Well anyway it's an idea we can build on, thoughts?

Well, it's a good idea, downside is that we'll expect people to go 'automatic' while mining. Unless the system is that if they mine too much, causes cave-ins and they'll die and drop the ores or they can't mine for a particular amount of time till they found a new seam of ore in the tunnels.

I rather like this idea. But I'm thinking Transmutation.

If we introduced a new metal (generated solely by Power), and perhaps provide a way to transmute one metal to another and similar effects, it would provide enough help without completely destroying the value of those items. Scarcity isn't all bad, really. And this needn't be limited to metal. Perhaps one could convert two gems of a family into one gem within the same family (family being somehow grouped by mystical relationship rather than chemical).

This skill would also need a means of making some unique products. The new metal is one, but it would need more than that. Perhaps very minor magical trinkets? It would be best if there were little to no overlap with other tradeskills, I would think.

I dunno, I would mine my ass off if I had the skill. Kind of like when forging. I would then set up triggers for the cave ins to serpent and port out.

Now, it can't be as automated as forging though, since I am sure there will be only so much you can mine in a room. Also, would need to work in all underground areas.

I think recovering gems, iron ore, steel, gold, silver and if you actually wanted a new metal, that too. But I don't think you would need a new metal.

I am not sure how it would fit into a high magic only skilltrade though? What would highmagic have to do with mining.

And isn't enchantment a highmagic only skillset already?

That leaves poisons and herbs as lowmagic only (if I remember right)

Alchemy as nature only, enchantment as elemental/cosmic only. So that's equal.

Poisons and herbs aren't. The obvious thing to do if this actually needs addressing seems to be to move poisons to highmagic only (letting anyone who currently has it and lowmagic keep it.)

Failing that, and failing "do nothing" I like Eldanien's idea more.

Well it's a good idea, downside is that we'll expect people to go 'automatic' while harvesting. Unless the system is that if they harvest too much, the plants will get angry and they'll die and drop the herbs or can't mine for a particular amount of time till they found a new plant growing in another room.

Seriously Verithrax, if you got nothing to contribute in this topic, please don't post and if you're hitting that to me as a herbalist, too late, I'm no longer one.

It seems to me bookbinding would be a good candidate for a highmagic only tradeskill.

As in, high magic is an intellectual and structured approach to spellcraft. It makes sense to me that only those who have perfected patient and careful attention to detail could scribe magical documents, and obviously they would be much more scholarly in their general approach, and thus familiar with books and scrolls.

I agree with Avaer. Bookbinding is better suited to Highmagic than Mining.

If Mining were to be introduced, I'd expect it to be somewhat similar to herbs in that there would be limited quantities of metals found in certain terrains and you'd have to work to dig them out. They'd replenish themselves (salt the mines!), but probably more slowly than herbs.

I'm picturing Ildaudid stuck in a caved-in mine with his prismatic barrier holding up all the rubble that would otherwise crush him to death. If he moves, he dies. If he doesn't move... well, he doesn't move.

Well perhaps Mining in realms wouldnt be like manual labor ooc, utilizing rituals to extract the ores from the earth without disrupting it, and not the dwarven form of pick-shovel mining we have in game, or perhaps as Eldanien suggested an "alchemic" way of mining through transmutation.

No. It's more than a little irritating to go up (I admit I auto harvested, but I moved myself, and selected the plant amounts myself) and find that the harvestbots have stripped a plane or area down to minimum, far faster and more efficiently. It's a legitimate comment.

Mining could be similar to herbs, with mercury instead of spices.

i like mining although i think there will need to be more uses for metal than is now or, make the metal in villages less? force people to manually load aether ship turrets with metal weapons?

also for all this i've really always liked the idea of a tattoo's skill for high magic users. tried getting it as a monk only trade skill but never took.

That sounds like a better (and more efficient) idea. Just make HighMagic a prerequisite for Bookbinding. People who currently have LowMagic + Bookbinding would either be allowed to keep their skillsets, or receive a full refund.

Especially because bookbinding has all the enchanting stuff in it.

I like mining, I can see this of great use in the underdark. Reminds me of Moria in LotR or Mithral Hall from Forgotten Realms. I've actually got some ideas bouncing around in my head, if anyone wants to get with me on IM, we could have a lovely brainstorming session, and toss out an idea or two on this thread.

Undervault.

Yea, I would have 60 seconds to contemplate my life and how I got stuck in this cave in, and them bam! bye bye Ild

I agree with bookbinding though, venoms doesn't seem like a highmagic influenced skillset. Since you are dealing with natural animals and stuff for the venoms.

Bookbinding would work better (though I'd expect to keep mine, lowmagic or otherwise) but I was trying to put poisons in the way since that would make it 1-to-1 rather than 2-to-1. Poisons and herbs -> bookbinding.

Doesn't seem like a major concern though.