Report 1087

Report #1087
Skillset: Planar Skill: Gatemaster
 Org: Institute Status: Completed Mar 2013
Furies' Decision:
We will lower the equilibrium cost for gatemasters using bonded gates.
Problem: Gatemaster was a transcendent skill developed to replace Conglutinate
when it was shifted down in the skillset. Part of the skill features a gate
bonding mechanic which sees little use due to how very restrictive it is.
Specifically, it restricts use of the gate to the bonded gatemaster only, when
gates woven by players are almost always used for the sake of other players as
well, and requires at least one other player to help weave it in the first
place. The ability to render the gate impossible to unravel by anyone but the
bonded gatemaster is otherwise appealing, but is generally foregone due to the
usage restriction. This report seeks to change Gatemaster so as to open more
opportunities for its general use.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #1: Replace exclusive gate use with a new feature for
 Gatemasters: TELEPORT BOND. This will allow the
 Gatemaster to teleport to the room where the gate
 exists on either plane. This form of teleport comes
 at no power cost. Teleporting to the bonded gate can
 be done from anywhere on the plane for the same delay
 as TELEPORT NEXUS, or in five seconds if you're in
 the same local area as the rift. Much like with
 teleporting to your nexus, a monolith at the gate
 will not block passage. However, someone could still
 block passage at the gate by distorting it. All other
 teleport restrictions apply otherwise.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #2: Make transversing a 5 second channeled action if you
 transverse through a planar gate bonded by someone
 else.
[A: 0 R: 0] Solution #3: Allow the Gatemaster and their allies to transverse
 through the bonded gate with a halved equilibrium
 loss. Alternatively, divorce this halving of
 equilibrium loss from gate bonding and make it apply
 to all forms of transversing a Gatemaster may
 perform, then lump it in with one of the prior
 solutions to further enhance the skill.
Player Comments:
---[Shuyin on 3/12 @ 06:46 writes]:
1 and 3 is fine. Alternatively, maybe we can have gatebonded gates bypass
distort. Then it'll be pretty great IMO
---[Vivet on 3/12 @ 17:02 writes]:
Solution 1 was originally similar to that, Shuyin, in that I suggested allowing
gatebonding to completely block distort entirely. However, several people
suggested it would be too powerful, and so I ultimately developed teleport bond
in its stead. For the sake of clarification, I believe you are suggesting that
the gatemaster who has bonded to the gate (and only they) would bypass distort?
---[Shuyin on 3/12 @ 20:24 writes]:
Yep.
---[Ushaara on 3/13 @ 14:40 writes]:
All three solutions seem reasonable to me. Supported.
---[Zynna on 3/14 @ 13:25 writes]:
Support 1 or 3.
---[Eventru on 3/21 @ 03:39 writes]:
How often are gates actually used by the general populace except for raiding?
---[Eventru on 3/21 @ 03:39 writes]:
As opposed to cubixes, etc.
---[Vivet on 3/21 @ 14:01 writes]:
Gate networks are regularly maintained on the Crystal Meadows to go to any
number of places on prime, and as nearly as I have seen, this has been the most
frequent and regular use of player made rifts which can actually be unwoven. The
only instance I can think of where player made rifts have had a major role in
raiding were in the dwarven mining villages, but bug fixes to distort have
rather handily stopped that. Gates are used for convenience purposes at present
-far- more than for the sake of raiding, though you might argue that there's
just not very much raiding either.
---[Vivet on 3/21 @ 14:14 writes]:
And yes, especially on the higher planes, cubixes and aetherships see
significantly more use than player made rifts (are any ever used, besides the
undestroyable ones?).
---[Tulemrah on 3/22 @ 19:05 writes]:
For some reason I don't like solution one, but I don't any better ideas outside
of what I'd suggested in report 871. I'd be fine with any of these three
solutions, though. No to bypassing distort.
---[Xenthos on 3/22 @ 22:22 writes]:
The entire point of a bonded gate is to make it immune to destruction- such a
thing -should- have a hefty downside associated with it. Being able to make it
immune to destruction for a few days and still allow everyone to use it is not
acceptable to me. I wouldn't mind seeing it tweaked so a bonded gate can bypass
distortion (and that would make the skill much more useful), but I don't like
the solutions presented.
---[Vivet on 3/22 @ 23:55 writes]:
If it could be unwoven in exchange for blocking distort, that'd be fine too.
---[Shuyin on 3/23 @ 20:41 writes]:
Practically speaking, no one uses bonded gates ever. Allowing them to bypass
distort gives them a use for raiding both mining villages and cosmic planes,
something needed given that it's so easy to just type NEXUS DISTORT and have
raiders be unable to leave except via ship. I'd be fine if they were destroyable
if you loosened up on the distort restriction.