Very well, I've stayed out of this discussion thus far, mainly because most of it is not within my ability to solve. It has now been going in circles for a long time though and it is no closer to reaching any sort of consensus than it was when we first started. As such, I shall try to summarise the problems that people have put forward.



This, frankly, is not something I have to solve, but the envoys in combination with people like Roark, Sior and Estarra. The Institute currently has two individuals with Envoy rights, who I am sure will do all they can to make this a success.



I will look into this in a few weeks once I have a bit more time and if Estarra will let me.



I know there are some vaguely defined ideas on what the orbs are which may or may not be approved in the intellectual heritage of Estarra. As with the Harmonics skill, I'll look into addressing this in a few weeks.

Wow. That's quite generous. I don't recall seeing this happen before but I haven't been around since the beginning either.

I've been here since well before bards and monks, I do not remember seeing this sort of offer either but I am kinda considering it after spending the last six months waiting for the Institute

Before the Institute came out, I always thought that it would work a bit like Harmony (coincidentally) where each gem would give a minor effect while combining them in different ways (like combining chemicals/elements) would produce different results. I definitely didn't think the new guilds would be like the other guardians, given that our planes have twelve entities.

You should typo it. That's an interesting twist on the dangling modifier. (If you look closely, it's the pigeon, not the wand, which is releasing the stream of energies.) Maybe in the process of rewriting it to be grammatical they'll also make more interesting.

Idea:

Add a skill called Constructs which involves creating constructs out of the gems present. This would be a bit parallel to the Pathways skill in Illuminati, but only to an extent. Researchers could construct a golem that is somewhat similar to the deleted Nexus costructs/mechas that were deleted together with the Nexus Weakenings conflict system. Constructing a golem is a long process, and since they are not sentient beings, they need to be charged by linking them to a master crystal thing in the Continuum, or if the Researcher has a crystal spire, they can charge their golem by linking them to it. The golem's power would gets depleted over time each time it is activated. Using different gems for the different body parts of the golem has different effects, for example, if you use diamonds for the golems torso, it will get a defense boost. The Researcher can also create their own ipad/PDA/mini-computer-golem-interface thing that allows them to control the golem. Also, the golem requires having a 'heart' - and it has to be a heartstone of its creator:ninja:.

The skill's syntax would be something like:

CONSTRUCT GOLEM INTERFACE
-Allows you to create a crystalline interface which allows you to control your golem. The interface is also required to create a golem body parts.
-requires a LOT of gems.

INTERFACE CHARGE
-Charges your interface using your dross power/powerstones.
INTERFACE CHARGE GOLEM
INTERFACE CHARGE GOLEM FROM SPIRE
-Charges your golem by making it link to a node/nexus/special machine-crystal thing/your spire.
INTERFACE LINK
INTERFACE UNLINK
-Links your interface with the Institute's Golem Creator 2.0 machine so you can start creating your very own golem.
INTERFACE EJECT
INTERFACE SUMMON
-Works like beastmastery, drains an amount of interface power per use.
INTERFACE GOLEMSTATUS
-Gives you statistics about your golem.
INTERFACE STATUS
-Gives you statistics about your interface (mainly power)
INTERFACE ORDER GOLEM BERSERK
-For X power you can momentarily increase your golem's offensive statistics, but it also decreases your golems defense.
INTERFACE ORDER GOLEM DETONATE
INTERFACE ORDER GOLEM DETONATE
-You can order your golem to detonate itself/ a specific body part for massive room damage against your enemies. Detonating your golem destroys it permanently, and you have to create a new one. Detonating a specific body part drains a lot of power from your golem's power pool. To repair your golem, you need to construct a new body part using the machine.
INTERFACE INVEST GOLEM
-Something similar to the powers you can invest angels/demons with. Investing powers requires a specific type of gem. There would be a limit to the maximum powers you can invest your golem with.
INTERFACE INVESTLIST
-Lists the powers you can invest your golem with.

*Using interfaces would require but not take balance/equilibrium.


CONSTRUCT GOLEMPART USING
-(A golem would have the following body parts: HEAD, HEART, TORSO, RARM, LARM, RLEG,LLEG)
-CONSTRUCT GOLEMPART HEART does not require a specific gem, but it requires you to have a heartstone in your inventory. It does not consume the heartstone as the stone only
serves as a template.
-You can use any of the Researcher-used gems to create the parts(ruby, diamond, opal, jade. etc.) and each gem has its own effect.
-requires a LOT of gems.
-Examples of the benefits of using a particular gem type:
o Ruby - More damage?
o Diamond - Improved defence
o Onyx - Improved speed
o Amethyst - More health
o Jade - Improved energy gain when charging/Increased energy pool?
*Using a specific type of gem for a specific body part allows you to unlock a few golem skills-thing.

AMALGATE GOLEMPARTS
-Unites all the constructed body parts within the machine to create your golem. Congratulations! You now have a golem.
AMALGATE GOLEMPARTS REPAIR
-Repairs your golem by attaching the newly constructed body part to the golem.

Once the golem parts are amalgated, you need to get your golem from the pod via INTERFACE EJECT.

Okay, that's my Researchers-should-construct-things suggestion.


I hope it helps a bit.


EDIT:

I forgot to add

INTERFACE GOLEM ACTIVE
INTERFACE GOLEM DEACTIVE

Also, charging golems puts them into stasis - they can't be attacked when they're charging.

Wow, this is great customer service.

Estarra really is pretty nifty that way.

While I think this is a really interesting idea (though a bit overly complicated and long reaching for a single skill), I don't believe crystal golems with investible powers is how we'll go. I avoided investible entities for Illuminati/Institute and specifically didn't want Harmonics to have any entities. (There was, however, an idea for a homonculus/doppleganger in Transmology that could do limited Paradigmatics but that was tabled.)

The idea for Harmonics has always been spinning gemstones that follow the caster around and I pretty much am set on that. The only change we are currently considering is making the floating gemstones target people rather than enemies/allies which would justify increasing the powers of the gemstones somewhat. So if you have any ideas along those lines, feel free to share!

Hey, here's a suggestion:

Stop complaining that the Institute doesn't have an "angels/demons" concept or a "guardian vibe". I find the Institute, from a spectators glance, to be rather fascinating. Instead of griping that the admins have not provided you with an RP, just go and make your own. You have the Spheres, you have Hallifax, you have your Guild, you have people, and you have (in my opinion) a very good Patron. You have everything that you need in order to make roleplay for both the Continuum and your guild. In fact, I think you have even more oppurtunity for RP than pre-existing guilds since you're not restricted by boundaries like pre-defined ways with Raziela, Japhiel, and so forth. I'm of the opinion that its the players that should be making the RP anyway, not the admins. The admins have already provided you with all the pieces that you need, and it's kind of insult to them that they spent all this time on the Guardian guilds and people are already complaining.

This is all coming from someone who is pretty pessimistic when it comes to the administration too.

Although I -am- disapointed that I can't have an icosahedron following me, I rather like the gems.

This! I've been trying to say this myself, but prolly didn't say it half as well.

People just need to stop whining about the Guardian guilds not being 100% of what they wanted them to be. Really people, such antics befit four year old children.

Edit: Also, I can see plenty of things of what I do as both an Illuminati to build RP, as well as an Institute member. In fact, I think the Institute has FAR MORE potential than the Illuminati.

@Nienla: You should message Aiyana your ideas!

It's not hard. I just picture the Illuminati being similar to the Assassin's Guild of Assassin's Creed. They give off that vibe to me.

Missing the point of at least some people. Saying it doesn't feel like a guardian guild doesn't mean they want angels/demons or even ents that follow them around. If they make gems single target I will concede the point, but until then they feel like mages/bards.

When you have but so many guilds in a text-based MUD, it becomes obscenely difficult to come up with a new concept. Them having a passive offense period makes them like Mages/Bards. I find the gems to be very original considering what other guilds have already. I'm not missing the point at all, the "point" is just stupid.

A few things I think might be neat (forgive me if they are uninformed or ridiculously bad):

Change to Aeonics > Aging:

Change this skill to TIMECHANT INCREMENT / DECREMENT and have it decrement or increment the month that the character was born so that more synergy is created with Astrology.

Changes to Harmonics:

The creation of some "non-entity" maybe? I'm still a noob, though, and think Temporal Conclave is pretty rad... it'd be neat to have some kind of "personal conclave" ... maybe the collected consciousnesses of your ancestors? Your race? Maybe you can attune these to the frequencies of various stones to produce entity-like effects but without an actual entity? I don't know.

Create an effect that lets Harmonics users target blackout, or blackout everyone in the room simultaneously (allies and enemies). This would create some (though, not much) incentive to take Tarot.

Overall changes:

More synergy! My only complaint for the class is the lack of any real overarching strategy and the existence of skills within the collected skillsets that work towards mutual goals.

Pipedream changes:

Create a new skillset called Semiotics, based on symbols!

ACK I'M SO SORRY I ACCIDENTALLY ERASED YOUR POST.

-ESTARRA

!!!

So that's where that went?