Question:

Should people be earning VA for roleplay reasons, or for combat reasons?

The folks who were raised for roleplay reasons are the ones who are going to be targeted first, as Talan said; if you limit it to a number, VA is becoming a combat boon, to be given to combatants. RP-raising is no longer all that important.

It'd be easy enough to slap Glom some other way, power-wise.

Exactly. So there are two options here, ignore that suggestion which is so heavily tilted in their favor. Or allow all organizations to suddenly raise just as many ascendants as Glomdoring so we are on equal footing. lol.

Edit to add: RP and combat don't have to be mutually exclusive. You can do both.

maybe I should have phrased that better and said close to impossible, the only people going to be raised are the super combat saavy leader types.

The solution I proposed will effectively still make it possible for people to be raised and people won't be raised just because they have the power to do it and not punish the current people who are already raised.

Simplest would be to just make it so everyone has to pay back the difference before they can raise any more. It'd mean those with more would have to spend longer paying off the debt before they could raise anyone.

I would be fine with Lendren's idea of giving Glomdoring a 'power debt' they have to pay off before they can raise another VA ever again.

At the same time, Glomdoring excelled and succeeded and earned the power to raise as many ascendants as we have, so, really an upkeep is just punishing us for doing well, it isn't my fault you guys can't raise the power for more VA's and the ones you do raise are less active

Honestly, I'm over here feeling really... really upset at this point. I was raised by Glom for RP reasons. I was our first VA. I'd like to think that I've more than earned it over the years, but now... yeah, that doesn't matter any more. It just matters if I'm a good fighter and will use the skillset for combat. Otherwise, it's just time to replace me.

This isn't even what I was raised for. This isn't what VA was billed as when it first came out. Glom raised me, Serenwilde raised Nejii, Celest raised Malicia... not for combat, but because we were all models of people in our organization. Now... well, Nejii's mostly inactive so I imagine he gets cleared up when Serenwilde wants a new combatant. I may keep mine for now, but in the future when someone else comes along... good-bye cult, good-bye all the work I put in hunting it up, good-bye real-life years of work.

And yes, I'm rambling a bit here. Mostly because you've just sprung this on us, and it's seeming so bloody over-done, and most definitely like a punishment. We're getting slapped because we used the mechanic the way it was coded, and now it's being forced to be even less of an RP-path.

Crek will never have a chance to get VA now. Narynth... unlikely. Half of our VAs are going to be told, "Too bad, so sad, fsk off." And, yeah. I'm just going to end this post here.

I thought (among other things) about something like that as well. Other things being draining power from the nexus, mini-events that require us to drain the power personally (would likely feel better), having to "empower" Vernals, etc.

He's just pissed they gave his VA spot to Narsrim, pay him no mind.

The way it is in place is the way to go. Glomdoring has more ascendants than it needs. Almost every 'fighter' within it is ascendant now. That is absurd and ridiculous. Don't do the cost method, do the upkeep which taxes and cuts dead weight from the organization. Make true ascendants not count and the rest can play Demigod with the possibility of losing it like the rest. This mechanic has great effects on the game.

1. It makes Ascendant special again instead of the new Demigod.
2. It reduces skills that are near gamebreaking in power that should be limited to a few (Aegis, fearaura, ect)
3. It gives a penalty to those who have to step down from VA again. Ascendants never lose ascendant so they can raid repeatedly to their hearts content. Where would Urazial be if he became a Demigod on his own without ascendant to protect him? Probably level 92 to be honest with you and downgrading daily.

There could be more but I am lazy to write it. Do not let the masses of whiners bend your will, Estarra. This is a forum zerg of every ascendant whining to get their way. I say gogogo.

Edit: And I would appreciate if you gave the Glomzerg a warning against character attacks. I am only presenting my allowed opinion on what are supposed to be civil forums.

Stop owning then!

Two of those fighters (Sojiro, Xiel) are True Ascendants. Like Ceren, and Soll. They don't count in this.

As far as true fighters go, for VAs we have Krellan and Sidd.

The rest of us are more RP / "earned". Rewards for what we've accomplished.

But, yeah, if you're limiting it in number, you're just restricting who can earn it to those who value the combat and combat buffs it gives the most. As you yourself state here. Replace the RP VAs with combatants is a go? :/

1. It makes Ascendant special again instead of the new Demigod.
2. It reduces skills that are near gamebreaking in power that should be limited to a few (Aegis, fearaura, ect)
3. It gives a penalty to those who have to step down from VA again. Ascendants never lose ascendant so they can raid repeatedly to their hearts content. Where would Urazial be if he became a Demigod on his own without ascendant to protect him? Probably level 92 to be honest with you and downgrading daily.



My idea accomplishes all these as well, turns out

I'd be fine with a power debt that Lendren suggested, I'd also be fine with some sort of punishment for VAs that die and have no essence (maybe permanent longer reform time per death?) which I supported when it was originally brought up, I just didn't like the exact punishment proposed.

Magnagora raised Thoros for RP and combat reasons. I know that might sound like a shocker but instead of adding to our Demigod numbers we went the route of raising someone who already had it because in an RP-sense they deserved it the most. It is possible to have both, Xenthos. With a cap of around 4 (if you don't want to pay the cost) you can pick and choose, especially with true ascendant not counting. And if it really is that RP worthy, then take the 5 or 6 ascendants and pay the cost for your RP. Estarra already said she looked at power costs.

Personally I've never really liked the 'ascendant for RP reasons' idea. Most of the skillset and buffs are entirely combat related, also always thought that cults should just be attached to Avatars rather then Ascendants.

And don't think it should be a reward that given enough time and power, everybody worth anything could eventually achieve. Though it really would suck for Glom, I'm against the just increasing the cost each time.

Ascendants was a bad idea, period. Just my opinion. Sorry if it isn't constructive.

Agree. I am down for 1 per city/commune. Maybe keep true ascendants. Maybe.

Most of Ascendence is cults and not directly combat related, which is what I find odd about this whole thing.

Let's think about what the problem behind too many VA's is these days. Too many VA's means too many demigods. What if we just make it so that VA no longer gives demigod? Then we can lower these upkeep costs. Raising someone to VA will no longer boost an org's fighting power substantially. If you raise a non demi they bash to demi first then gain access to ascendance as well as the rest of the VA domoth perks.