Yes, but the Institute particularly lean far more towards "scientist" than "artist", since the guild is explicitly a scientific research organization. That doesn't mean art is verboten, but it's not the focus.

That said, as I've written before, we have to shake off this false (in Lusternia) dichotomy between "magic" and "science". Magic in Lusternia is reproducible, observable, and works according to set, discoverable laws. It is precisely as much a subject for scientific analysis as metallurgy or magnetism is for us. There's no reason why a Researcher can't study Tarot as a consequence of trying to understand and apply the law of sympathetic magic, or of categorizing the domothean energies. Creating a theory of how Tarot really works sounds like an excellent subject for a research project.

In any case, it seems precisely as appropriate as Hexes, and for the same reason -- that is, you can make either of them work, though neither of them jumps out and says "hey, this is a perfect fit". Either one's frankly a better fit than Ecology for a commune bard, though, so maybe I'm just too used to having to make do.

If Commune Bards got Tracking, I would be in heaven.

Do not want.

Leave my tracking alone.

Well, the admins won't exchange Tarot for Hexes, because Hexes would be overpowered for Researchers; and since Guardian guilds only have four different tertiaries between them, Tarot is the sole remaining choice. So there it sits, even though it's terrible for Researchers and will essentially never be used.

Congratulations! Now you know what it's like to be a Bard archetype.

Seriously though, I sympathize with the Institute and hope a more satisfying arrangement can be reached. It's bad when one of your skill choices is practically useless.

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that I have a very specific RP theme in mind for my Institute character, I'd take tarot just for the Hermit card. So I could keep a collection of cards handy for getting around the freaking city with.

You'd have to go around and set each Hermit card's saved location whenever you log back in. That would be a little time-intensive, wouldn't it?

Optimally, I would like to find a way to make Hexes less overpowered for Researchers as I would like to have a more feasible offense. As of right now, Astro is pretty much the offensive skillset and Healing is the defensive. Tarot is useless.

Also, is there anything wrong with giving Illuminati getting Healing instead of Astrology?

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Pfifth'd pit deathsong.

Astrology has its mystical aspects, as well - which fits in nicely with the cabal-theme of the Illuminati. Sure it's more true to the word 'astrology' whereas the Institute is probably a bit more applied-Astronomy.

Astrology is a Lucidian science. I doubt the members of the Illuminati would ever study something pioneered by their racial enemies.

This has been rehashed a lot - racism still exists in Lusternia, except it's nothing at all like the past. For all we know the zi'Prouep sisters came from outside the Basin, so we really have no reason to call it a 'Hallifaxian Science' by extent, which is all the Illuminati (which hasn't been a mainly-dracnari group for millenia) would probably care about.

There's a reason we don't have Healing and you don't have Hexes, combat-wise. Aurawarped insanity = lol. Researcher with Hexes = (Shamarah's Post Here).

RP it all you want, it just wouldn't work out, and the admin probably wouldn't see it worth spending coder resources on.

By this rationale, nobody in Hallifax should use beastmastery.

I'm sure when the Astrolabe is built, the Illuminati can spin it as a stolen/adapted art, with a Dracnari astrologer instead of the Lucidian sisters every other org has.

The terts aren't going to change.

/thread

Nah, cards last a month outside a cardpack, right? I'd just log in at least once a RL day and make the round of all the places I had cards for, setting the location on a new card. I'd only lose the location if I put the card up before logging out.

Of course, I realize this plan is dependent on the cards lasting 1 IG month, but, most things do, so, I assume the cards do too.

QFT and as a reminder.

I don't, never did, and never will. What do I win?

A sense of moral superiority in a city that values amoral decisions backed by scientific proof instead of preconceived notions of 'right' and 'wrong'.

Translation: Congratulations, Casilu! You've won a fabulous Moral High Horse*!

*Moral High Horse requires Beastmastery to be useful in any way, shape, or form.