I posted this in the big ol' Racial Rebalancing topic, and while it got some positive replies, it got a bit overlooked, and someone suggested I make a separate Ideas topic. Well, here it is, 'cause I really really want to see this implemented (or at least get some admin feedback telling me it won't be).

NEW RACIAL ABILITY FOR ILLITHOID AND KEPHERA: MINDTALK

o Can mindtalk upon reaching level 50. MSAY TO to send them an anonymous, psychic say while standing in the same room as them. They would reply by normal says or tells, or, if kephera or illithoid, they could choose to MSAY back. You can only MSAY to a person, not the whole room. Similar to Dreamspeak in Dreamweaving, but it's easier to identify the speaker due to skills like Scent, Thirdeye etc. which are much more common than Indigo and other methods of seeing dreambodies. The main difference between mindtalk and dreamspeak is that you can modify mindtalk with emotes like regular says. For example, MSAY TO BOB Your lutes are superb. would result in Trader Bob seeing something like "A contented voice ripples across your mind, "Your lutes are superb." On the other hand, adding :@ might cause "An angry voice throbs in your mind, "Your lute gave me dysentery."" These would appear in the normal cyan color of regular says. I think it's important for it to be initially anonymous (i.e., no "throbbing head veins" messages when Leiliadhe msays) to keep in with the mysterious/stealthy nature of the Undervault races.

What are everyone's feelings on this? I think it would be a very exciting and cool little addition to kephera and illithoid, who are described as very psionic in the RP, but whose abilities don't really reflect this. Obviously it wouldn't be balanced to have us all shooting Cthoglogg psi-beams everywhere and razing cities, but I don't think my idea is unbalanced.

So, ask questions, and such. I'd love to talk this out with folks, especially admin-ish folks, who must be lurking somewhere.

I have something completely unhelpful to contribute that this made me think of.

NEW RACIAL ABILITY FOR ILLITHOID AND KEPHERA: MOONWALK

o Can moonwalk upon reaching level 50. MWALK TO to find the shortest, land-based path to a person and walk backwards to them, appearing to glide smoothly over the surface. Due to the slower walking speed, the moonwalker will be visible in each room they pass through for five seconds. You may only moonwalk to a person reachable through normal walking. If the target changes locations, the moonwalking will continue to the original room. Upon arriving at the room, the moonwalker will spin around and yell, "OOOOOOOOOOO," causing all glass items in the room to shatter. All normal communications and emotes are available during a moonwalk.

Upon more critical reflection, maybe this should just be a racial ability for illithoid. A moonwalking kephera just seems silly.

I also like the mindtalk idea.

I like the idea! I don't really like the whole 'a smile ripples across your mind' description.... maybe something like 'The image of a smile fills your mind along with the words, "Your lutes are superb!" But other than that, I think it's a neat idea!

Wtf, Xinemus. And those song parodies... you're too much. XD

He's made out of cool.

I like both of these.

Woo, I love it. I would never use says again!

I could be a mini mini mini Morgfyre

Yes. Please. YES.

THE NPC ILLITHOIDS TALK TELEPATHICALLY, WHY CAN'T WE?

You can also tell with the npcs though. Is this meant to be ranged or in person, if it's at a range then I can see it getting annoying fairly quickly when someone is feeling emo and you can't snub because you can't tell who it is.

pssh expecting me to read... anyway. Aside from using 'msay' (may want to change it to something different) it looks cool and I'll get to cudgel illithoid so yay!

Just out of curiosity, what's wrong with msay?


edit: According to a PM I got (why not just post here?? ) msay is the command used by Admin to make a mob say something. So, yeah, I see why msay isn't the best command choice!

Hokay. See, this is the kind of feedback I like! We'll have to think of something besides msay. Still no feedback from the sneaky admins, though.

(Mainly because the things I were going to say, have been said.)

Maybe Kephera can MSAY to their hive only (they can make hives, right?) while illithoids can do it to anyone. Kephera aren't that psychic... right?

Kephera are plenty psychic. They have communicated with us telepathically on multiple occasions. They can even psionically interfere with dreams.

The question is more whether they're psychic individually or as a collective-- and I'd say it does tend to be more of a collective one (that, or most of the normal kepherans just are receptives but can't actually send beyond the hive).

Look at those sentries that yell out warnings to the hive, for instance, as well as most of the attacks from Kepherans versus the ones from Illithoids. The psychic attacks / visible ability seem to be strictly the domain of female kepherans (the nurses and queens). The male ones are all about yelling, kicking, and screaming bloody murder as they die.

remember, psionics is also monk skill. Master Osiertu teaches psymet, and he's male.

The need for mindtalk manifests itself! In Glom today, I met a cool newb who was trying to RP being a Loboshigaru who couldn't speak Common. Which is impossible, but still, a cool little RP. Being an Illithoid, I could understand her, but not talk back, because all I speak is Common and I can't speak telepathically (yet! admins plz love us! ). It's clear: my idea would increase RP.

Individual kephera have also given telepathic messages and even images. One injured one was trying to communicate with us sans language for a while before an invisible, unthirdeyeable illithoid went all ninja on his throat and ran away.