Talk:Careers

From Cities

Contents 1 Answers 2 Wizard 2.1 Switching Back 2.2 Hopping 2.3 Healing? 3 Armourer 4 Starting as a Wizard/Armourer

Answers

Go to the lists (new room in the royal palace) to re-register as a knight (costs 2 days ap, but nothing else)

If you want to re-wizard yourself later you go back to tommy with another XXXX and 2 more days.

If you want to re-armourer yourself later, you have to go back to the Ancient Castle and visit Master Armourer Wayland. And no, you can't kill the guards again

MD is a knight skill.

Ouch. Invariably easier to be a knight than a wizard, thus far. I don't suppose Armourers can ever become MD's?

Edit: You forgot one, oh Pancake of Wisdom. Can the Hop spells place oneself within the Death Mountain range deep in the Kingdom? macksting 22:47, 3 September 2006 (BST)

According to the talented Billz8, no. macksting 23:36, 4 September 2006 (BST)

Wizard

Collect spells? How does one do this? On that note, XXXX was a spell in Final Fantasy 1... macksting 19:10, 29 August 2006 (BST)

Spells drop off Oz monsters mostly, with a few from regular monsters. MrFoo 19:19, 29 August 2006 (BST)

It's true! Thanks. I've been laid up after getting wankered from fighting a Jason. macksting 19:15, 30 August 2006 (BST)

I also heard tell that spells are one-use-only, after which a new copy must be procured. Is this true? macksting 20:26, 31 August 2006 (BST)

Corollary: If so, why can't they simply have a break rate, like a weapon or other piece of equipment? macksting 20:26, 31 August 2006 (BST)

They're one use per item, but they can last for a set number of AP, e.g. fleeting strength lasts 20AP MrFoo 20:38, 31 August 2006 (BST)

Nevertheless, a brutal expense, the requirement of randomly picking up or buying spells as you go. Fighters have a far more dependable (though far less varied and convenient) capability to deal damage. I'd rather like these scrolls to die as an item, rather than an activation. macksting 21:44, 31 August 2006 (BST)

Break rate = 100% Droll 21:45, 31 August 2006 (BST)

It's not actually as bad as you make out. I've been managing to get quite a few spells, whilst using them. I'm not breaking even, but I'm also not spending ages with no spells to cast. The only trouble I see is that even thoguh the items neded to cast spells are common, I can see me running out of them fairly quickly, since the spells that need say, a bow, drop more often than bows. MrFoo 21:47, 31 August 2006 (BST)

Interesting. Still, it was the combination of effects which bothered me most; the fact that each spell eats up inventory, while removing your ability to cast the spell. Couldn't we just reduce the break rate on scrolls? Some of these spells have a pretty high cost, anyway!

One of my concerns is that, right now, we're not wizards; we're scroll-readers. macksting 21:52, 31 August 2006 (BST)

Indeed. The reason why I like wizards in rpgs is that they don't depend on artifacts but can cast "at will". In the present situation they actually rely more on items than knights because they don't have the damage multiplier.--Solune 23:23, 31 August 2006 (BST)

It actually surprises me that they're not following the "learn spells" paradigm (i.e. spells are written to a spell book, but the wizard still has to memorize a spell before he/she can cast it). Seems to me that'd be a perfect fit for the AP model. -- Thog 02:49, 1 September 2006 (BST)

I guess I'm in the minority, but I think the way they implemented it is pretty clever. It gives them three mechanisms for balancing spells: the rarity of the spell drop, the rarity of the co-casting item, and the mana cost. There is the opportunity (although given the titles I don't think it's how they've implemented it so far) that level 2 spells will not just be a stronger version of the level 1 spell, but that there will also be a level 2 spell that has the same strength effect as the level one spell but with a more common co-casting item (or lower mana cost). Having spells used up allows them to make spells with much stronger and varied effects without unbalancing the game (and they can be easily taken out of circulation if they are too unbalancing), and I'd rather see that than have the spells be limited to small variations on current game mechanisms. There was a problem that without spells, a wizard had a hard time getting spells. Now that wizards get 1 free level one spell a day, I think that problem is mostly solved (especially since an apprentice doesn't get the mana to cast more than a spell or two a day). Hendsch 13:59, 1 September 2006 (BST)

Patience... there's more planned for later... Part of the plan is that wizards will be able to gain desirable items which they can tben trade with knights for the spell ingredients which are worthless to knights. Elseware 14:03, 1 September 2006 (BST)

Perhaps... and yet I can't help but worry. Ideally, this class should be as useful as a knight, even if part of the balance is in money-making potential or other critical elements. (Quests only completable by wizards might qualify to an extent, considering how often new quests come about.) Even so, if one doesn't have the spell, it only does marginal good to have the components. macksting 19:37, 1 September 2006 (BST)

A free spell each day? Which one? I can't say I've ever seen a message saying I've gained a spell other than from killing stuff... MrFoo 14:23, 1 September 2006 (BST)

No message. It just appears in your inventory at midnight. I've gotten Thick Skin, miss a little less, and one Hop (it's easy for me too tell since I have so few spells). See

[[1]]

Yes, I suppose that would fix it somewhat. Higher level wizards; would they also gain a free lev. 2 spell, etc? macksting 19:35, 1 September 2006 (BST)

Switching Back

Before taking the plunge and changing my career, does anybody know (or could one of the great Lords clarify) how one would switch back to Knight? I'd be most upset if it required yet more cucumber sandwiches, though at least the dragon kills + XP would stay with me. Darksartago 15:45, 2 September 2006 (BST)

quoting from conversation#careers (presumably Elseware speaking) : "When you become a knight again, you regain all your old abilities, but you can only be a wizard OR a knight at any time and changing costs a heap of AP (2 days)" I think I saw somewere that you just had to go and see the 'king to change careers--Solune 17:26, 2 September 2006 (BST)

Can you resume being a Wizard without going back to Tommy? macksting 00:19, 3 September 2006 (BST)

I would presume not. The Knight's Registry in the 'King's Palace allows you to return to Knighthood, but not change from a Knight to anything else. (At least if you have given up Smithing). Unmeasured 21:25, 2 October 2006 (BST)

Hopping

Discussion in the Requests for Information page bring this to mind; probably mentioned elsewhere, too. Has anybody tried Hopping into the zone inside the Death Mountains in the middle of the original Cities territory?macksting 19:39, 1 September 2006 (BST)

You lose a Minty Python Ice Cream.
You lose 2 Mana.
You can't go that way
You lose a Hop East Spell.
Now using Fists.

Hopped me to the North instead. No dice. Billz8 01:34, 4 September 2006 (BST)

What about other inaccessable places, like the High Plateau, Harvey's Farm, Ignatz's Pool etc? - Isambard 23:12, 9 September 2006 (BST)

Healing?

I've just noticed that I'm no longer an MD. Does this mean Wizards can't heal people? I'm on a retreat for the Totem quest right now so I can't try, but have any fellow Apprentices worked medical magic on somebody else? JohnnyRogers 20:34, 2 September 2006 (BST)

Armourer

Bright side of this is that, even with a low damage multiplier, armor should offset that for the character somewhat. And, like an Air elemental character and his/her plum jam, it's a money maker. :)
Wonder how well that works in practice.macksting 19:10, 29 August 2006 (BST)

Well, armour drops your to-hit as well, so an armourer wearing armour might be well-protected, but is gonna take a (long) while to kill anything. I did hear rumours of armourer-forged weapons, but don't know how much that will help. Vashenka is hoping for the money making thing :) (As well as the fun of making new stuffs, which is not negligible, of course.) Vashka 22:23, 29 August 2006 (BST)

Oh, man. Drops your to-hit?! Yet another example of air players getting the advantage. Does to-hit apply to spells... and, for that matter, can wizards use armor? macksting 19:11, 30 August 2006 (BST)

I was surprised that it was so cheap in AP to make a piece of Armor (although it is probably on par with other crafting). Also, it doesn't seem that the current leather goods described are worthwhile to wear. Maybe Armourers will be able to create unique items (with a "Created By" text associated with them)? Also, perhaps items could be improved or just made better from the start by spending more AP and/or more ingredients - double-strength leather pieces that take 100 times the AP, for example.

I imagine the armourer has multiple levels, like being a knight and the wizards. Perhaps there'll be more for the level 2 smith to make (more iron-intensive, perhaps). Syagrius 20:35, 18 September 2006 (BST)

Hmmmm. According to the Cities Stats pages (http://cities.totl.net/stats/), there's an L4 Armourer in the game.... Andrewsi 15:20, 23 October 2007 (BST)

given that it hasn't a name yet and there's only one, I guess its one of elseware's. Any bets on when it will open, and on what it will involve ? Also any bets on when kangaroos will appear ?--Solune 15:42, 23 October 2007 (BST)

Starting as a Wizard/Armourer

Is it possible to start a player as a Wizard? It's certainly impossible to start an Armourer without being a pretty high knight (as you actually have to fight those guards yourself). But a Wizard? All you need is a XXXX and visit Tommy... so, someone give an XXXX to a new char, and then summon that new char to Tommy?

On the other hand, since this doesn't really seem to bother anyone... (safe me, but I always care for the lowbies (I always, no matter which game, have some lowbies (mostly only lowbies ;) ))

I've got tashina up to Armourer without ever becoming a 'sir'. I admit to havin a good streak of drop-luck (a couple of athames to sell) and a bit of help (the loan of a diamond bling and a sea horsie after I spent several days AP failing to get to R'1eyh) from the alt-tribe. I made heavy use of glass swords and rainbow blades to get the higher level guards. Becoming an Armourer subsequently required only money - and as an Earth char tashina just grew and sold wheat and figuring out the trap (buying a whole shed load of string). I'm working on Master Armourer at the moment and it is *very* slow going without mining tools (so maybe I should go back to the growing and selling wheat so I can buy some...). The main problem I forsee is not having any fire abilities; so I think that once I have become MA I shall become a Sir, initiate into fire and then switch back to smithing. I think that becoming a shaman without becoming a Sgt. Duke first would be more tedious - although I guess that one could use spells to slay Morpheii most people don't seem to have bothered opting to collect most of the CDs before becoming an Apprentice; it would be an interesting challenge to do without. --naath 10:34, 17 January 2008 (GMT)

Not that hard at Pvt. Duke, actually. If your dropluck doesn't suck. S. Mackie 14:05, 17 January 2008 (GMT)

Actually, it's pretty doable to become a Shaman without even joining the military - Elan wizzed out before the military option was even available. -- Thog 14:55, 17 January 2008 (GMT)

Not as much fun as bagging and stuffing trophies as a Shaman, though. :) S. Mackie 15:17, 17 January 2008 (GMT)

Calm Breeze reached Knight, Apprentice, and Shaman without having killed a single monster. But that's was a specific challenge and involved selling *many* Plums to buy CDs. Back then the cheapest on the markets was offered by Dragon at 250,000. :-) Sadly the pacifistic Calm Breeze can't get any further on any current career path. And he also can't get a Magic-Good and so can't enchant bling. -Stelio 00:04, 18 January 2008 (GMT)