The only time it would suck is if it got added onto Con, actually. With the recent alterations to make high stats not as good, having anything above 14 or 15 is barely effective. The curve of effectiveness ramps up very quickly at this point. So if you had a Merian aquamancer with 20-something INT, and they get another 3 added on, you would barely notice.

edit: the reason con would be good, is because it would still add onto your health, regardless.

Me too, but at first with all the essence you demi's have stored. I see it as a case of "blue ball" syndrome, in which you have enough "essence" you need to just blow it here and there for a bit.

edit - gosh glad I didn't say "wad" in that metaphor, but you get the picture. Well Ashteru will



(This emote looks cooler than the thumbs up, but that is what I am declaring it to represent)

A lot of potential here, love the concept. The current numbers are ridiculous though.

Ooh, should True Ascendants have lessened essence costs in "their" domoth just because they have a connection to it and such

Thrones can be big. Think of that Portable Throne from 300 the Persian Emperor used.

Also, a real-world equivalent can be found here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chair_of_Saint_Peter

In short, you could consider the Dais part of the Throne. If it's a big Dais, good battling zone!

Isn't the player formerly known as Soll the only True Ascendent though? And all the rest will be Vernal Ascendents, elected by their org?

plz 2 be keping in mind lol that Estarra said that it's more a figurative thing, beating seated on a throne.

This system seems to allow for more people to ascend as true ascendants though, later if events such as ascension 07 occur again rather than the player becoming a god like Ayridion they would become an ascendant such as Ilyarin (or atleast that's my impression)

The only one so far.

Ahh ok! I see

Looking forward to LolapAscension 08, then!

Are VA's going to be just this combat/throne work then?

Previously there had been mention about more RP based abilities - are those out the window?

It would have been nice for VA's to have those - as they're the touch to the Divine.

Something like the ability to take over minor NPCs, regional effects/emotes within reason of the area and size. Such things would be great for rituals and the like - to have 'illusions' to be cast without it being offset by those who have the ability to critique with said illusions.

While it seems I'm an odd one out, and while the Throne system is nice, it's a bit disappointing to see more combat things put in and more emphasis on that.

This is a great concept but the numbers for essence loss are just not feasible in their current state. There needs to be some cost/benefit balancing.

Let's say a demi/ascendant can get 1 million essence per day when they make an effort. For a demi we're looking a minimum of a week of bashing just to get back what they spend on a major blessing. Half a week for an ascendant. That's nothing to sneeze at. Especially if you're competing with a bunch of other demis/ascendants for essence.

I don't see many people doing this for the benefits it gives. Even Ascendants. The benefits would have to be as outrageous as the costs. Or costs could be adjusted to better match the benefits.

While Aoife is nowhere near Demigod yet (the goal is level 70 by the time she's 25 and 80 by 30, heh), this also concerns me. What is the incentive for demigods and Ascendants to expend absolutely massive amounts of essence when they appear to have little benefit for the demigod/ascendant? Especially when these benefits must be achieved by sitting/standing/dancing in place in one room for up to an hour?

Even assuming that "sitting on" a throne for an hour means that the Demi/Ascendant also gains the benefit from "sitting on" a throne, he or she expends just massive amounts of essence (and an hour of his or her time, in one go or cumulatively) for this benefit, while the rest of the race/guild/city that the throne-sitter is part of seemingly expends nothing.

I like the idea of individuals and/or orgs being able to help an Ascendant/Demi in gathering the necessary essance. After all, the benefit is mostly for the group - it makes sense that the group would be able/have to help. Maybe they can only donate a percentage of the essence or something.

I strongly agree. I was excited about the fact that some RP powers were going to be given. This does not, however, mean that this is the only thing Ascendants will get. Estarra said, "The actual powers are sketchy." So I think we can look forward to them getting a lot more than this, geared towards the more RP side of things.

As it stands, this isn't so much a "power" as it is "something to do".

Ah, maybe there could be two sets of benefits? Maybe allow the person in question to choose either to effect a widespread area (Race/Guild/Org) or personal. The personal one would probably be something that just makes them...gods. Healing? Make it nearly impossible to kill due to regeneration. War? Ramp it up so they hit you with a sneeze and you are blown apart. Maybe give the Ascended in question a bit of ambience. Like flowers growing under their feet for Nature. Maybe the major effect could be room wide for allies if it's personal.

Or, lessen the cost and give normal sized benefits for the cost?

A single shrine for true ascendants that allows people to offer corpses to give them a (small) fraction of a creatures essence? (kinda joking)

I have to agree with Catarin here. If the costs are not lowered, or a way for demi's or ascendants to gain essence in this new area, it will put a severe strain on the bashing areas of Lusternia moreso than they are already.

Alot of non high level players, don't quite realize exactly how time consuming gathering either essence (or exp for titans) is. But Catarin is right, a week of serious bashing to regain what they would lose for a major blessing, and when I say serious, I mean they log in, bash and only stop for sanity breaks, or to refill potions. Not the normal, 20mins to 1 hour of daily bashing. More like 4-8 hours of bashing a day. Now, that being said, it will put a serious strain on the bashing areas that are in the basin. Competition for essence among demigods/ascendents will be bad enough, then throw in people wanting to bash for basic experience.

I think, that there should be cool things to do in this new area that can give essence to demi's and ascendants. This would take away the "possible" strain on the regular (astral/prime/UV) bashing areas. Maybe something like minor quests, some bashing, or finding some "orb" or such and holding it while in the "new area", which would cause the essence loss to be halved for demi's or something. I dunno, either that or the numbers need to drop some, that or the benifits need to be as good as the amount of drain possible on a demi. (Which I think would be the worse way to do it, since that would make these benefits easy to obtain by the TA's and VA's, and still be really powerful).

Bah missing NCIS, gotta run. But can anyone think of any ways to make it so that the fragile exp/essence ecosystem in lusternia isn't further strained by introducing this new area?

I love the idea of the area, just hoping that we can make it so it isn't detrimental to the rest of the basin's non demi/ascended when it comes to bashing.

I don't really like the idea of having an option to just benefit themselves, at least if they're an ascendant. Demigods maybe. But I think they should get a personal benefit along with the race/guild/city.

I like the idea of having things happen around the ascended though, maybe based on what throne they sat on or whatever, just for the neat RP factor.

I also like the idea of citizens being able to help their ascendant (not really demigod, that doesn't make sense).

Maybe just give them a special area accessable only through the Havens or something. Give them the "Elite" hunting grounds.