Report 847

Report #847
Skillset: Influence Skill: Idols
 Org: Hartstone Status: Rejected May 2012
Furies' Decision:
We think the solutions given over-complicate the esteem system.
Problem: To cut down on needle-based server bloat, the new esteem system
revolving around figurines was created. However, the nature of the figurines
mechanic makes it more expensive to offer small(er) amounts of personal esteem
at a shrine, as figurines used are destoryed. This also de-personalizes what
could be a very cool figurine/player/god interaction based around what Esteem
means. This report seeks to make esteem offering to a god easier and increase a
missed facet of order RP.
Solution #1: Create a new skill at the Inept level of Influence called 'Idols'
 that allows each player to favor a figurine. This figurine then
 becomes their 'idol', a personal statuette that has special
 value. No one else may offer from this figurine, or transfer
 esteem to or from it. This figurine will not be destroyed when
 offered from. Favoring a figurine removes all essence and levels
 from that figurine, as does favoring a different figurine, which
 may only be done once per Lusternian Year. Idols should not
 decay, or should recover decay time when esteem is added to them.
Solution #2: As solution 1, but cause idols to not increase in level through
 battles. You may transfer esteem from a idol to a normal figurine
 for offering (or sale) if you wish, with the normal loss.
Solution #3: As solution 2, but make it so that you can transfer esteem to
 your idol for no loss. Transfering away from the idol would still
 have equal loss. This is anticipatory for some other minor bonus
 to offering from your idol.
Player Comments:
---[Enyalida on 5/14 @ 23:38 writes]:
It would be interesting to also allow each god to customize a short offering
message when their members are offering from their idol. Making a special
favored figurine would open the floor for that sort of thing, and make it an
interesting post. I can imagine that some people/orders would be averse to
letting on what their idol is, while for others it could be a personal choice of
interesting import to share. This report dosn't do much to actually make the
idol different (except making it a better instrument for personal use), but
further changes could make it a more interesting mechanic with special
abilities/powers!
---[Enyalida on 5/15 @ 00:21 writes]:
As there were some questions: This would make a figurine you don't have to throw
away to offer, and that won't decay (as fast). Because of these two things, I
wrote in some limits which may make this report seem complicated. In fact, it's
just simplifying what you can do with it compared to a normal figurine!
---[Xynthin on 5/27 @ 14:56 writes]:
I am on the fence with this idea-- I am not sure that it is needed (especially
once the figurine artifact runes go public), and it seems to make the whole
thing more complicated. At the same time, having a figurine that doesn't decay
is good (which is why I bought the rune). Solution #4: Make figurine runes
publicly available.
---[Enyalida on 5/27 @ 19:46 writes]:
Well, the solutions seemed pretty simple to me. Designate a figurine, that
figurine dosn't decay. All the rest is just hedging against possible complaints,
such as figurine rune redundancy. I prefer these solutions over an artifact
version as it makes a universal RP opportunity that just isn't the same as
buying a big rune to slap on an otherwise normal figurine. I think that making a
different figurine rune bonus of comprable value would be wonderful, but would
like to point out that if my suggestion 2 goes through, you'll still want a
figurine rune for a battling figurine! Not connected to this report, I'd suggest
asking for figurines to not drop ALL levels when offering from them (if runed),
making them instead drop a certain number based on some schme like amount
offered, with base amounts to prevent abuse. So, offering only a little bit
might drop the minimum levels (let's say 5), but offering a huge amount could
reset the figurine, as it is now.
---[Xynthin on 5/28 @ 04:01 writes]:
I'd be pretty happy if an artifact-runed figurine only lost 5-10 levels when
offered... it'd make the rune clearly better than the idols suggested here.
---[Inagin on 5/31 @ 12:14 writes]:
This new esteem system would have been a lot simpler if we were given an option
to offer a percentage of the esteem on a figurine. A figurine could just lose
the same percentage of levels that was offered. However, given the existence of
the Figurine Rune, any changes to the system now would be difficult. Perhaps,
the Figurine Rune should remove the 5% loss from transferring esteem instead?