Shattered Kingdoms

If its such an issue, just make more bondservants. They won't be so QQ'd if everyone could have one.

Of course, I have a sneaking suspicion that most people posting against this have been the one's on the pk'd end of the bondservant usage spectrum.

That and honestly, the only people I had actually seen using them (that could have changed) were cloth priests. :/

Bondservants always have been a problem, maybe something will get done about them this time.

For reasons already stated (Best stated by Treno, among others), the bondservants are completely imbalanced and shouldn't be allowed in the game. They're pets that completely ignore the charisma-based lag order commands, they can wear equipment on every slot, and they don't count against your total pet count. It's a PURCHASEABLE leadership skill, without the charisma-based order lag, and it's a horrible idea.

The fact that they have so many weaknesses (Summoning, luring, etc, just like tribunal guards) doesn't change the fact that they're a horrible addition to the game.

Well I'd like to make several points. First off the summon the bond servant away tactic isn't really any good. I've been on at times where there were only 15 or so players and only one or two of those players could summon and they sure weren't going to do it for me.

Secondly the arguement that because people can enchant their things so that they are so great that mages need bondservants 'cause spells don't work isn't really a good arguement. I can't believe that was brought up. Any deep-elf sorc with two spelled up, armed, charms will be able to kill any pc for the most part without using any other spells.

Third this game isn't NPC wars. PC's aren't supposed to have a zillion NPCs. The entire reason Dulrik changed control undead to having lower concentration and altered animate dead so it would have concentration is because pc's aren't supposed to have an army of NPCs. Even necromancers are not supposed to have that now. They will get a couple powerful controls and a handful of animated to support that.

Finally, there is no reason why barbs, mercs, rogues, and other classes should get to have what I view as a limited form of dominate. I mean you can have a merc with a powerful law NPC, one of the many overpowered store bought pets that take a gm warrior about four or five rounds to kill, add to that a spelled up equipped bond servant and you've got some seriously warped stuff going on.

It's not supposed to be that way. It's stupid. What's more it's not really balanced. Unless they are going to open a 'slave' market in the empire, a "squire" market in taslamar, a "woodland companion" market in Ayamao and markets in other places that people can get to when they are banished in the north it shouldn't be.

That's my two cents.

I want to chime in here too. I play a cloth priest and definitely could use bondservants to my advantage. But I don't. My character doesn't speak aghelian well, so he doesn't know what to say to the servants to make them do stuff. And then they kill each other when they walk in on each other, and you can't make them flee. You can't make them world of recall with you. If they engage an enemy that is too strong for you, you cannot make them flee with you.

I am okay with them being taken out or left into the game. They really are a pain in the [REDACTED] if you ask me. I can see that they can be used to an advantage, and the fact they their shop is not in a neutural territory does make it harder on lighties. But any sort of slave shop will make it harder on lighties, because they have a harder reason justifying its use. I rather see scouts get a high level skill that allows them to tame animals to the point that they could sell them. That would be cool.

I think they are overpowered. I play a sorc.

So suggest a feasible solution.

I am not entirely enthralled about Ain's idea of tanso steel which is in insane abundance. Instead, I would like advanced necromancer/hellion trainers. The income to the North stays steady, it gives people a reason to come, it does no harm to light-aura characters, and follows along with the RP of the Black Hand and that Kingdom.

Maybe even a 'Benjamin Williams, Retired Warlord' NPC, hellion trainer.

Archaic, that won't give you nearly the revenue that the 9 plat per bondservant market currently does.

If it's an economic issue, ought to sell something useful and frequently bought, like vials, scrolls, detections, other pets (northern pet store sucks) etc.

Like I said - certain pets from that shop are plentiful enough.

So insane that no one ever has an urge to buy armor from the north, right? Clearly, then, you have your own ideas as to what would make cities "equal" in economy and purpose - but I can tell you that a hellion/necromancer trainer wouldn't help you as much as actually having things people would return for (once you find a trainer, why would you go back after having trained stuff?). People die, tanso steel is reliable and easily acquirable.

Heaven forbid that a "low-to mid end" material type be easily acquirable, right?

Jhorleb's on the right track, though. Staves of flight, (no one will buy detections if they can just go to a certain levelling zone and get them for free), a couple of defensive wands, maybe a jewelry shop.

I'd love to see some Northern themed armor of a useful nature.

Id love to see the wastes have proper necromancer trainers. What sort of necromancy school doesn't train animate dead. Honestly.