Tonight I'll be releasing some updates to manipulate ability. This isn't the rewrite -- I just wanted to get the system into a more usable state for now, so I made some small changes that will hopefully make it usable until I can really turn my attentions to it. Among the changes:

1. Manipulate now teaches empathy better. It's nowhere near healing, but it should teach better than perceive health, as a rule. However, since manipulate is a combat ability, this means that the Empath's empathy must be challenged by the creature they are manipulating in order to learn.

2. The number of creatures an Empath can manipulate at once is now limited to two. This was a compromise for me to make it teach better. I wanted it to balance fairly well at level, so I had to cap the number of creatures you can manipulate.

3. Empaths can now stop manipulating a creature they have manipulated. You can choose to stop all manipulations (MANIPULATE STOP ALL or MANIPULATE STOP EVERYTHING) or you can stop manipulating a specific creature. (MANIPULATE STOP THIRD LEUCRO)

4. If the creature and the Empath are not in the same room, the manipulate link breaks. Fairly straightforward.

5. Empaths can no longer manipulate constructs. Manipulation is an application of empathy, and requires a life essence to work. Constructs do not have life essences, so manipulation does not work on them. It never should have worked at all, but manipulation was not updated when constructs were initially released.

6. The concentration cost has changed. There is now a small initial concentration hit for manipulating something. Then, a certain amount of your concentration is 'allocated' toward manipulating that creature, for manipulation purposes only. This means that the concentration stays in your pool, but in order to manipulate, you must have the concentration to allocate toward manipulating the creature in question. Clear as mud? Excellent!

7. Help messaging is now hopefully more helpful and reflects the stop changes.

I think that's everything. Please respond in this topic with questions/feedback/comments.

Melete

>Clear as mud? Excellent!

Zing!

If this isn't the rewrite then call me impressed. I haven't tested this at all, but I'm pretty sure you just fixed about half a decade worth of manipulate complaints.

>The concentration cost has changed.

Actually a very smart way to do it, it keeps the concentration requirement without actually zapping the concentration... nifty.

>Empaths can no longer manipulate constructs.

Makes sense.

>If the creature and the Empath are not in the same room, the manipulate link breaks.

Amen.

>Empaths can now stop manipulating a creature they have manipulated.

Again, sweet.

>The number of creatures an Empath can manipulate at once is now limited to two.

With current spawn issues this is completely appropriate... there's no reason to go back to the days of 28 sand sprites fighting each other once the empath has left, lol!

>Manipulate now teaches empathy better. It's nowhere near healing, but it should teach better than perceive health, as a rule.

Icing.

>Melete

Thank you.. from me, them, former and future, et al.

I didn't see it on the list but I thought I'd ask. Will manipulated creatures not attack friends (group/avenger).

Thanks.

Syllanthis

In certain circumstances a manipulated creature will also attack the Empath. At least one of those circumstances existed before this change.

Also, what is the range of experience needed to learn empathy through manipulate. I'm keeping one first tier snow goblin manipulated continuously and my empathy hasn't moved.

48th circle, not sure what the rest of the stats you need to respond are.

Thank you.

Syllanthis

Thank you. I'm no where near my empathy in regards to combats.

Syllanthis

>The range is fairly generous, so you don't need to have everything to be even rank-for-rank, but there still must be some challenge there.

Yeah, it would help interpretation of my advice to know that my goal right now is to get my Warrior Mage's Evasion, Shield, and Light Chain above his TM... So I'm crazy about defenses.


Elemental Lord Opieus, Expert Warrior Mage of Elanthia
"For a bunch of radical empiricists, the Philosophers' system relies on a whole lot of faith." ~Armifer

>>My black goblin friend tossed an axe at me when my Alfar Guardian was the only other creature in the room. The goblin was facing the guardian and had already thrown an axe or two at it. It only threw at me once (without turning to face me), then went back after the guardian.

Creatures with their own weird targeting mechanics may do this. This is especially likely when it comes to creatures with special attacks, and spellcasters. Unfortunately, it's going to have to be fixed on a per-creature basis.

>>I was a little surprised to be told that "You strain, but cannot extend your will any further" with only one creature manipulated

It's not going to be a huge priority for the time being. At level, it should be over 1/2. You seemed to be pretty close to at level from what I saw. (I've been monitoring to ensure nothing explodes). So at level, you can manipulate one, in general.

>>Manipulating a guardian spirit yields nonzero experience though, is that intentional?

Not intentional. I'll see what is up in there.

Melete

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[Turmis] I'm about to shoot beards in the face

If anyone's keeping score, Manipulating one challenging opponent seems to be a better method of experience gain than finding something of which you can Manipulate two. I don't know how close I came to finding something that I'm barely able to manage two, but one assassin beats the snot out of anything else I've found so far. Bonus points for good experience gain being a side effect of using the ability for its intrinsic value.

Thanks,
-Death's Nemesis Karthor