Illithoid Blacktalon

Silmor

Hey folks,

I'm a newbie here and really enjoying my experience so far, but I'm beginning to get worried about my character. I built my character entirely with RP in mind without really considering my characters efficacy in different areas down the line. I am an Illithoid Blacktalon from Glomdoring. My trade skill is in poison and my guild skills are in nature, totems and shamanism. Do these seem like good decisions in making a well rounded character or did I make some poor decisions in my ignorance?

Also, I have seen a few comments around here suggesting that there are already quite a few blacktalons around and maybe not enough love for some other classes. Is this true?

I know there isn't much I can do about it now other than starting over, but I just wanted to check and see what some more experienced/knowledgeable players thought.

Thanks for any replies/thoughts. Hopefully this isn't a silly question I'm asking. I really appreciate your input.

~Silmor

Ianir

Silmor said:

Hey folks,

I'm a newbie here and really enjoying my experience so far, but I'm beginning to get worried about my character. I built my character entirely with RP in mind without really considering my characters efficacy in different areas down the line. I am an Illithoid Blacktalon from Glomdoring. My trade skill is in poison and my guild skills are in nature, totems and shamanism. Do these seem like good decisions in making a well rounded character or did I make some poor decisions in my ignorance?

Also, I have seen a few comments around here suggesting that there are already quite a few blacktalons around and maybe not enough love for some other classes. Is this true?

I know there isn't much I can do about it now other than starting over, but I just wanted to check and see what some more experienced/knowledgeable players thought.

Thanks for any replies/thoughts. Hopefully this isn't a silly question I'm asking. I really appreciate your input.

~Silmor

Hi Silmor,

I'm going to address your third paragraph before the rest of it. Until level 30, you are able to change your race and class at will (for class, do CLASSES and CLASS SELECT <name>, for races, go to the Portal of Fate and REINCARNATE INTO <race>)

As for the rest, my advice is to play the character you would enjoy playing. Do some reading, ask questions about other choices. Don't worry about what other people are doing en masse, whether there are too many of one thing or not enough of another. It's a game, and a roleplaying game at that. Pick a role you enjoy and have fun.

As for skill choices, trade skills are mostly a non-issue and you can pick anything and be fine in the long run. Class skills, you're kind of stuck with nature and totems as a blacktalon. As for shamanism, the balance changes a lot and some classes benefit from certain tertiaries more than others, but mostly everything -should- be viable. My advice is to specifically ask other blacktalon about which tertiaries they recommend and why (why being the important part, as oftentimes people have different reasonings for things or follow bandwagons).

- Ianir the Anomaly

Lerad

Regarding efficiency or min-maxing:

There actually is no "best" race for any class nowadays. Even if there is a clear advantage to using one race over another, most of the time the difference is negligible or circumstantial. Even in the rare outlier when the difference actually is significant, it's usually not big enough to be a consideration for all but the most min-maxing of top tier PKers. Especially at the starting out level, it certainly won't be anything you'd notice, because any significant difference between races only really appear at the demigod (lvl 100) or demigod+ (artifact unlocked) levels.

Also, you don't have to worry too much about class-spread in the org. Generally speaking, an extra of any class brings advantages to a teamfight. Each class has a way to "stack" onto their own class - and some stack better than others of course. For Blacktalon, the more of them a side has, the more chance of room control over the mirrored classes on the opposing side. Melders are always welcome. What's more important, as Ianir says, is to decide whether the class itself is fun for you, since every class plays quite differently, and many people may like one style, and hate the other - don't worry too much about the org. Let the older players do the heavy lifting in regards to filling up gaps, and prioritize your own enjoyment.

Silmor

Thanks for the replies! I do really like my character and I think I'll stick with it as it is. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't somehow completely inept due to my inexperience.

Taer

Bottom line: Ignore everybody and play what you want to play. Will be nice to see something new happen in Glomdoring. You seem interesting.

Silmor

Taer said:

Bottom line: Ignore everybody and play what you want to play. Will be nice to see something new happen in Glomdoring. You seem interesting.

Thanks for saying so. Only time will tell if you're right. Though I have to say that everyone I've met in Glomdoring has been interesting so far.

Steingrim

As others have said, do not chase the class others wish you to play. Unless you only plan on playing a week you could switch and then next week three of that class may return to playing or maybe I piss off a ton of players in Gaudiguch and all the Pyromancers (both of them) go an join Glom.

Play what you enjoy, you bring far more to the game when you're having a good time then when you log in out of some sense of duty.

Poison's probably not a horrible choice for Blacktalon, if you're committed then stick with it. However, if you're not invested in lessons, speak to everyone you can and get their opinions.

Breandryn

I want to point out that poisons is probably one of the less roleplay-ish of the tradeskills. Skills like bookbinding, tailoring, etc let you actually design custom items, which can be a great RP tool. For example, with tailoring, Breandryn knits and so I will design custom socks for people as gifts. Or my character is a terrible cook, so I make people gross food to see how they will react. If you're looking for a lot of RP, you may find that the others more easily create fun RP opportunities, although if you like poisons because of the mechanics and what it says about your character, that's absolutely valid too!

Maligorn

There aren't -that- many Blacktalon around. Career and active Blacktalons that I can think of so far are Crek and Jaspet, with Tyamit occasionally being Wyrdenwood.

Silmor

Thanks for all the input folks. I've already invested in poison lessons so I don't think I'd change it, but that's good to know. I'll just have to be extra creative in RPing with poison.

I think this has really helped me feel dedicated to the character I want to play. So thank you all for that!

Steingrim

Silmor said:

Thanks for all the input folks. I've already invested in poison lessons so I don't think I'd change it, but that's good to know. I'll just have to be extra creative in RPing with poison.

I think this has really helped me feel dedicated to the character I want to play. So thank you all for that!

As long as you're not using poisons to try and make more gold than you can just hunt for you should be fine. It is questionable for you to be putting many lessons into it until you're probably trans all guild skills and close to a few other general skills. That said, you're a transfer or are buying a ton of credits for lessons, never-mind.

If you want to RP with poisons, you might occasionally get a bite if you offer to gather poisons for free if they take you to slay x (where x is the type of corpse you need). Be clear you want to go along else you risk someone just showing up with a bunch of corpses. 

One thing to consider is after you get demigod you can put your gained experience towards learning the demigod power secondTrade and have two trades active at once.

Silmor

Steingrim said:

One thing to consider is after you get demigod you can put your gained experience towards learning the demigod power secondTrade and have two trades active at once.

That's good to know. Perhaps someday I will be able to master both poison and cooking. Not suspicious at all 

Deichtine

There's a difference between the trades in that some trades are designing trades and others are gathering/set trades.

Like tailoring or forging lets you design very individual stuff for you to use, trade or sell. Herbs and poisons are gathering professions. You go out and pick herbs or milk critters so there isn't any customization.

The roleplay in them is what you make of them. I've actually had a little bit of impromptu role-play with being a poisoner myself with helping ecologists craft their fetishist.

And to echo what everyone has said race is really not a big deal mechanics wise for combat. There are certain races that do certain things a bit better than others but its so minor its not going to make a big difference. Although on that note illithoid are probally one of the best influencing races around.

Deichtine

Oh ya as a note though poisons isnt great for making gold. But most tradeskills are not great for that right now so I wouldn't worry about it too much.

Deichtine

Silmor said:

Steingrim said:

One thing to consider is after you get demigod you can put your gained experience towards learning the demigod power secondTrade and have two trades active at once.

That's good to know. Perhaps someday I will be able to master both poison and cooking. Not suspicious at all 

I'm like 80% sure you can bake poisons into a cake?

Breandryn

You can indeed put poisons into food. Brea was traumatized to discover that actually worked. I don't use poisons but I'd happily try out some of the RP Steingrim described - I love wandering and interacting over random stuff, so feel free to find a reason to bug me IC if you want someone to do poisony stuff with. I had fun RPing with similar gathering stuff with ecology.

Tylwyth

Maligorn said:

There aren't -that- many Blacktalon around. Career and active Blacktalons that I can think of so far are Crek and Jaspet, with Tyamit occasionally being Wyrdenwood.

*gazes at mailgorn coldly*

Veyils said:

Silmor said:

Steingrim said:

One thing to consider is after you get demigod you can put your gained experience towards learning the demigod power secondTrade and have two trades active at once.

That's good to know. Perhaps someday I will be able to master both poison and cooking. Not suspicious at all 

I'm like 80% sure you can bake poisons into a cake?

Yes, that's why Crow Trickster exists, though without OldCromatine it's kinda pointless.
@Silmor you will be the only active shaman in Glom that I am aware of, though I and others know about it, alts past skill/class choices etc... For combat you want to look into how your trances work and which ones you know. Shamans have a lot of mundane utility, in that you can calm the weather down or make it worse.  This is most powerful in your meld but also works(to a lesser degree) outside of it as well.

Tyamit

Maligorn said:

There aren't -that- many Blacktalon around. Career and active Blacktalons that I can think of so far are Crek and Jaspet, with Tyamit occasionally being Wyrdenwood.

I've been Wyrdenwood for 90% of my time playing! I think class spread is a lot less of an issue with the new multiclass system in place, though. Some of us can spread to accommodate if it's ever really a problem.

Versalean

I think that at the point that anything at all depends upon us having more Wyrdenwoods I'll start praying for a failed Ascension.

Maligorn

Tyamit said:

Maligorn said:

There aren't -that- many Blacktalon around. Career and active Blacktalons that I can think of so far are Crek and Jaspet, with Tyamit occasionally being Wyrdenwood.

I've been Wyrdenwood for 90% of my time playing! I think class spread is a lot less of an issue with the new multiclass system in place, though. Some of us can spread to accommodate if it's ever really a problem.

Yeah my b. Tyamit is -usually- a Wyrdenwood.

Kalaneya

Glad to hear you're around! Nothing much to offer except for play how you like and see where it takes you and your character. Feel free to chat with me whenever you see me around!

Silmor

Thanks for all the advice! I'm sticking with my character as is for now. I hope to see you all in game.