Discussion on Roleplay Vs. Character Class

To the math argument: As Holy Vow stands right now, combined with Psychic Tether and Verdant Affinity, if I hit one spell packet (cast instantly and for free with Holy Vow), then I can insta-cast spells through Line of Sight with Psychic Tether against the same target. So with the aforementioned set of skills, I can point-and-click "Indignation 800 Divine Body" as fast as I can call it, with breaks to say "Holy Vow: Vow of Sacrifice" every 3 casts. Verdant Affinity will heal for the body cost of Holy Vow after two spell casts. I already submitted a feedback form about this specific instance, but it was simply an example of how much damage new lower list Casters can do compared to the new lower list Fighters. Which there should certainly be a difference, but I think (as do many others) that the current damage disparity between any Caster and any Fighter is a bit large.

O. Nesterin wrote: I was under the impression that Chaos takes bane damage from posi. Sure it is not extra damage but does it bane is equally as bad. I could be wrong in this but if a rules marshall would like to give an official ruling I would amend my statement if it were proven wrong.

You are incorrect. Nowhere does it say this would be the case.

Aleister wrote:

O. Nesterin wrote: I was under the impression that Chaos takes bane damage from posi. Sure it is not extra damage but does it bane is equally as bad. I could be wrong in this but if a rules marshall would like to give an official ruling I would amend my statement if it were proven wrong.

You are incorrect. Nowhere does it say this would be the case.

I apologize for my misinformation.

On the note of Alignments though, how should one roleplay a class if they simply wish to have access to a few skills off of an Aligned class? The thought of fallen paladins from tabletops come to mind ...

~ Joe G.

Alignment (in the lower list sense) is quite fluid. There is no higher being watching your every move saying "oh man, when he doesn't exemplify this PERFECTLY, I'm cutting off his power!" You really have to exemplify the opposite for that to happen. For example, a Priest of Valos might by excomminucated by his Church for not being a perfectly great Valosian, but that doesn't mean he can't still get power that draws from the force of Good - maybe either the deity isn't necessarily paying attention until the power is used for the wrong reasons, or maybe a Celestial is granting the power without the deity's knowledge. This is why Faith Infractions are not super commonplace.

If you recall our description of Hexer that was released for the Alt event, and how James has been talking about the list, it basically boils down to "someone who wrestled with the power of Chaos and came out in control of it." Being chaos-aligned doesn't necessarily mean you want to watch the world burn; it's usually somewhere between apathy and selfishness. However, that can mean a lot of different things for a lot of different characters. (And Chaos can drive people crazy, but it doesn't always.)

The Order-alignment - Healers are Order-aligned. They always have been, because Order is Positive Energy. This doesn't mean they follow the laws to the letter, it usually just means they are in tune with the power that makes everything in the world, that is natural. Cavaliers are Order-aligned and typically lawful; Witch Hunters use this power to destroy things that are unnatural, but are generally in it for the money and not the people; and Healers are just born with this power. This is a really good example of how being aligned doesn't mean you have to act in a certain way, since these three lists are all the same alignment but behave completely differently. Even then, there are plenty of selfless Witch Hunters and villainous Cavaliers. While the source and training of a power/profession are going to be the same, it doesn't mean that each person who has gone through that training has the same motivation, attitude, outlook on life, etc.

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As far as Dragoon goes, there has never been a requirement of being close with your draconic heritage. Think of the other bloodlines - there are randomly Healers and Psionicists born into families all over the place. Dragoon is no different. It just means that somewhere in your character's heritage, there is draconic blood. Some families don't even know or care about it - just that "hey, cousin Jimmy is really powerful, what a talented guy!" With the idea that Spirit of the Dragon is currently on its way to being a continuous skill in mind, your character doesn't even need to consciously be aware of it unless you choose that. Dragon spirits NEVER talk to their Dragoons unless plot is directly involved, so it's only as big of a deal as you make it out to be.