How big of a factor is size?

Not a huge one, probably not even worth considering when creating a character.

Easier to just copy that over. Very little at the initial stages of playing, really.

Don't forget the ultra-rare dwarven bards. They're tanky as hell with the brewmeister bonus+racial resists+alcoholic tolerance. >_>

You know, I never thought of it before, but I should try that. I don't use my cameo nearly enough.

I started a Wiccan and didn't seem to like it too much. Reminded me too much of a Druid in Achaea with the totems skill. Will try bard and a guardian soon enough.

Just as an aside, the Totem skill is rather different than the other games version.

As above, the base skills are pretty elementary to ingrain the idea of belonging to an organization. It's when you enter the specializations that you start noticing the dandy identifiers (mostly) unique to each guild.

I skimmed over but not sure if you were told about tradeskills.

Guardians, Bards and Mages share the Enchanting trade but with differences. Like if you needed Acquisitio you'd have to go to a Celestine rather than an Aquamancer or Bard. Enchanting is not available in any other guild in Celest, besides those three. So Paladins and Monks can't pick it up.

For Bards you can be an alchemist, but you won't be able to make any of the higher-up purgatives and curatives if you're in a city. If you're a Lowmagic bard you can pick up herbalism as well - and you CAN have more than 1 tradeskill.

So if you are looking for a good money maker, alchemy/herbs is a good way to go, though you'll be doing a lot of boring grinds if you want to make loads of money. Enchantment is also super boring but ALSO a good money maker if you're at it often.

There are also all-access tradeskills, such as jewellery, artisan, bookbinding, cooking, etc. These are trades where you can design your own stuff if you've got a creative bug in you. These are not limited by archetypes, as anyone can have them.

http://sites.google.com/site/xieltalnara/Skills <-- you can look there for further information, though I honestly wouldn't worry overmuch about a tradeskill when it comes to picking classes. Like I had said before you can make tons of gold doing herbs/alchemy/enchanting but it is boring work. you won't really make much gold with the other skills (except bookbinding which seems to have been bolstered a lot), as people usually pay for the comms and that is it, not really for the labour.

Totems in Lusternia isn't like Metamorphosis in Achaea. It's a secondary skill, not the primary - Wiccans just channel the spirits for 'defenses', then continue on their merry way blasting apart miscreants with their nature-cursing talisman.

From what I've read, it's also really not like Metamorphosis due to being able to bond all the spirits at once. (or as many as you know, at least) Instead of having to switch between them constantly.

Good to know. I should also ask.....out of the guardians bards and wiccans.....which archetype ....in your opinions.....is most fun to play? Which ones get the most kills in group combat? Thanks again!

I've always felt guardians/wiccans have been the most fun RP-wise since they are the sort of "spiritual-leadership" of the city and are most connected with the entities that critical organization conflict revolves around. Having all the ents following you around is also pretty cool.

I wouldn't say any is better than the other in group combat. They all have insta-kills available that work well in group combat and generally have the same damage output (maybe bards a little bit better than wiccans/guardians with the DPS unless you're balestoning).

And just realized something...if you're a shadowdancer...does that basically mean you have to get good at manualing in aeon?

You're not going to be using choke 1v1. While you're choking someone, your group will be focusing on attacking them.

Ahhh, good to know! Are shadowdancers good at all 1v1?

Yes, definitely. And yes, Shadowdancers kinda rely on Choke one on one, so you'll have to get used to fighting in it as you go along dabbling in combat. I'd suggest getting a system to handle curing in all forms, really, whether in choke or not so that you worry less over the vast number of afflictions Lusternia has and concentrate more on the fun offense and defense skills.

What are the roles of say a celestine, shadowdancer, and harbinger in group combat? Those are the three guilds I've been really looking at and am trying to decide between. Thanks again for all the help!

Celestine: Beckoner, manakill possibility, Inquisition chain.

Shadowdancer: Choke machine, manakill possibility, occasional wisper.

Harbinger: Timed instakiller, group hinder/buff, scissorflip spammer, perfectfifth monkey.

Of course, tertiaries also play a role in what else you can offer a group in terms of utility, but the above are some of the things you're gonna really wind up doing.

Celestines set their angels to attack an enemy your group want to focus and then use a timed instakill called Judge on the target. Also, the Celestine can try to "brand" the person a heretic and an infidel so they can call an inquisition on them aka stun the target for 8 seconds and strip them of almost all of their defenses. Also, some choose to put up an aura called Holybeing that heals any allies in the room.