Well, since I've been called chatty <accuse Reexa> I figure I should live up to it and make a new topic.

Essentially, being somewhat invested in training my lore skills, I'm growing increasingly concerned about my ability to train this skill. The only way to train this skill with any degree of efficiency is in combat. And, while I dabble, I am hardly one of those empaths that enjoys dancing with critters.

Is there any plan to rectify this is the near future? So far, its the only required lore that the guild does not have an efficient way to train. Seeing as it is a component of some of how well we perform some our abilities (namely shift), I'd really like a way to be able to train it.

In the past, there have been numerous suggestions. I also have a few of my own suggestions. I'll list some of them here.

*The diagnostic link should teach a small degree of appraisal.

*Appraising herbs for potency

*Appraising how long a bandage will hold.

*A diagnosis command that would teach a combination of first aid, appraisal and empathy.

*Charts, similar to compendiums, that are filled with different diseases, maladies and conditions that we can study. Scholarship, appraisal and first aid could be used to diagnose and determine appropriate treatments.

Anyhow, does anyone have any fresh ideas? And more importantly, is there an empathic solution in the works to give us access to one of our five counted lore skills? I know Ssra was talking about making noncombat skills that are now primarily dependent upon combat to learn, more accessible. I certainly hope that this would include us, both for Appraisal and for other skills.

Thanks

>>Anyhow, does anyone have any fresh ideas?

We should be able to appraise the mud to determine how sticky it is (we can already appraise the swimming and climbing stuff, so why not escaping as well?)

Bookstuffs that teach within a certain range should be appraisable to gain insight on what the teaching ranges might be (ie, compendiums, those old textbooks, spellbooks, even guild-only items like ledgers and sigilbooks). Or perhaps what skills they teach.

Appraise herbs to get an idea about their strengths. Perhaps this or recall herb might be able to support something about the alchemical possibilities of said item (more along the lines of what can I make with this rather than which is better).

We should be able to appraise wounds to determine how easily we can tend them. Similarly, once tended, we should be able to estimate about when they will need to be changed or if the wound is still there (for the latter, perhaps the experience given could be given early by forcing a natural unwrap).

We should be able to appraise a PC to determine when their nose will fall off from too much shifting. ;)

Hmm, what about puzzle items like word searches, sudoku-type number games, and so on? These might require a special handling to allow the grid to be shown, so naturally these probably aren't even at all possible or the grid would have to be specially handled via the inline image capabilities like you see for critters and rooms.

Wayerd Search (hah! Take that you forage-minded rangers!)
-buy tablet of word search sheets (sheets = uses, might also be in envelope form so that you can share with friends instead of passing around the entire tablet). Each sheet has a list of words and maybe a grid of letters (if it's not too much trouble to pull off, and the words don't have to be hidden).
-TURN TABLET/SHEET to choose a word to look for, PULL TABLET to remove a sheet
-APPRAISE TABLET = information about the tablet (ie, weight, worth, number of sheets left, etc) plus a LOOK for the top sheet.
-LOOK SHEET will show the list of unsolved words and the grid, with solved words showing up in monsterbold on said grid. LOOK TABLET will additionally show the look of the tablet.
-APPRAISE SHEET will perform a skillcheck against your appraisal (primary) and perception (secondary, probably comparable to the empathy/perception setup for wound transferrance) to see if you spot the chosen word. If successful, you will mark off the word and the change will show up in LOOK SHEET.

*Su Dokora* (Su Helmas, get it? :))
-see Wayerd Search for first 4 items
-WRITE command gets new syntax: WRITE {large square} {small square} {number} ON SHEET, works only on Su Doku sheets.
{large square} - position of 9x9 square you want to choose a square in
{small square} - position of cell in {large square} you want to write the number in
{number} - value to be written into {small square}
-sheets will eventually wear out
-APPRAISE SHEET evaluates your number placements. Right answers are monsterbolded on grid. You can continue writing in your numbers until the APPRAISE SHEET causes your sheet to disintegrate on you.

Challenge to the Word! (no hiding, no khr--err, wait, nevermind. Umm, draw?)
-see Wayerd Search for first 4 items
-WRITE command gets second new syntax: WRITE {wordposition} {word}.
{wordposition} - number and across/down section (ie, 14d, 3a, etc)
{word} - value to be written to {wordposition}
-sheets will eventually wear out
-APPRAISE SHEET evaluates your word placements, right answers show in monsterbold

J'Lo, I'm a ranger.. I'd believe anything.....
The Manipulation List -- http://symphaena.com/index.html

>The only way to train this skill with any degree of efficiency is in combat.

Not sure how high this will go but I've been appraising the directions in the Faldesu. I started doing this with a Ranger and find it also works adequately for my Empaths.

Asbhuan

>*The diagnostic link should teach a small degree of appraisal.

>*Appraising herbs for potency

>*Appraising how long a bandage will hold.

>*A diagnosis command that would teach a combination of first aid, appraisal and empathy.

>*Charts, similar to compendiums, that are filled with different diseases, maladies and conditions that we can study. Scholarship, appraisal and first aid could be used to diagnose and determine appropriate treatments.

Wow. I love every single one of those ideas.

~ Player of Farman et al.

http://www.elanthipedia.com/wiki/Main_Page