Shattered Kingdoms

There are certain things you just can't conceal, though. Like a big giant glowing hammer of light weapon.

I'd still rather see the mergers of appropriate cabals and tribunals for reasons that have already been hashed over quite a few times, but dual membership is better than nothing.

However, I want to propose an idea...

The first faction you join is your "primary" faction. You gain all usual powers assosciated with the faction. The second cabal you gain becomes your "auxiliary" faction. You gain roughly half of your auxiliary faction's powers- for instance, only the lower 2 levels of a cabal's abilities (though you still keep CB and such) or law immunity + lowest level NPC control for tribunals (warders and sentries in the Keepers, for example).

If you become a leader of either faction, you gain full power in it if it wasn't your primary faction BUT you relinquish any membership in the other faction. I debated over jardek's point about the interesting RP that could result when you're in the same kingdom's trib and cabal, but in the end decided that it simply wasn't worth it. I'd much rather see people devoted to one faction when they're in a leadership position.

You're right the spell as is can't be concealed, but the spell could be adjusted. In stead of making a weapon that has XYZ affects the spell modifies the weapon in hand to have XYZ effects. This is just an example of how some seemingly non-concealable powers can be changed to be concealable.

Lei Kung

I'm not trying to bash you or anything, but what about the origional weapon's affects. You could end up with a weapon that has, say, ABCXYZ affects.

Only swashbucklers should be able to go into a cabal and tribunal at the same time.

Oh I don't take constructive criticism as bashing so don't worry. Now I wasn't offering the absolute solution. I was just trying to show that there are solutions to these issues; such as created items, pets, etc. But to answer your specific question (off the top of my head) I would say the weapon damage type and message would stay the same but all affects would be replaced for the duration of the spell by the XYZ affects the spell grants.

Lei Kung

How would you alter druid skills though, they are pretty noticable.

Also what of MC's area affecting skill, harlies area affecting skill...

Look I'm trying to avoid specifics in a public forum. I suggest if you have questions about certain skills, think about the skill and the need to keep the user secret and be creative. The effects of a spell can be seen but shouldn't be able to implicate the caster. For a hypothetical, if I was to cast a spell at someone (I acknowledge the problem with direct offensive spells) they would see they have been hit and with what but not by whom. Suffice it to say, with AOE spells the effects can be seen just not who cast them. This would mean for the spells that stay with a cabal no one would see the "XXX starts to concentrate", the spell would just happen for those non-member exposed to it. Or that is my current solution.
Lei Kung

But I can think of instances where it would become well known very shortly who was casting it.

You're actually preaching to the choir here. As I've stated, I'd prefer cabal/tribunal merging. However, I can see points that are positive about dual membership, and my arguments are based on the standpoint that Dulrik is going to either enable dual membership or keep cabals and tribunals as they are. I don't have too much hope that a merger's going to take place, given the way he's worded his origininal post in this thread.