Option to not use reagents

Excellent feedback and comments on reagents all. I think there are some really good directions that the devs could take based on some of the ideas here. As for the system as it currently is, I think a simple way to implement the idea in the OP would be to put a flag on the deck building window that gives the option to use or not use reagents with that deck equipped. That way one could have a pvp deck ready that uses reagents, but also have a pve deck to swap to that doesn't use reagents. This would at least get this idea started.

Over time they could decide to devote more development time to the system and make it so that we can customize which reagents we wish to use with which spells. It would be cool if for instance I only want to use black pearl with my lightning spell, and save my ash for something else. That would be useful when you're lightly armored and don't need to consume all the reagents for the spell to get it down to 0% fizzle chance.

 

That really doesn't make sense to me at all as a justification for requiring all builds to include a form of melee.

 

I wouldn't mind using reagents if they gave my mage more power in his spells.

Pure mages do not yet exist. I want to be a pure mage...but sadly in 95% of fights you have to melee due to there not being enough ranged spells and damage to kill mobs before they reach you.

The cost of reagents is high, but speaking for myself, if it improved my cooldowns/damage/fizzle then I'd carry them with me always.

 

It sounds to me like one thing that is really lacking in magic is high level protection spells that would allow mages to absorb a few hits. So they can still fire off a few close range spells without getting pasted That being said.. close range spells ought to be more deadly than ranged.

 

I think reagents should be a gold sink for mages, the basic types of reagents should be easily accessible through NPC vendors (eg: training reagents) and the higher quality reagents should be gathered and farmed by players. Pricing of these reagents are determined by the player economy.

I also like the idea of continually upgrading a staff with gems or metals to augment different spells or add bonuses to a mage's power. A mage could dedicate his wealth and resources to upgrading a staff and perhaps even name the staff once it reaches a certain power. Something for mages to spend gold on instead of just the reagents that are consumed by casting spells.

I hope there will be more item destruction though. I'm trying to figure out why the same player would continue to check my vendor...once a player finds the best types of weapons and armor...why would they return to my vendor if all they need to do is repair the same item over and over? Perhaps limit the amount of times a weapon's max durability can be repaired using repair kits.

Perhaps blacksmiths with low repair skill can destroy weapons and armor entirely. Shouldn't a blacksmith know how to make the weapon in order to repair it to it's original state?

 

More than protection, mages need damage. The damage high-tier spells isn't great, no Kal Vas Flam for us. Well, maybe not yet.
Mages in UO also didn't kill things before it came close, but they did have protect and reactive armor. They could survive because the fights were short due to huge damage output.

 

Maybe we could remove cooldowns, too. This would make combat much more faster, intense and action-oriented!

 

Do you really want the same to apply to mobs? Would have to completely rebalance power/damage & armor or everything.. including players will die very quickly.

 

Not being very knowledgeable on all things considered Magery. Also having been noted as one without much common sense. My pea brain says if i want to swing a sword, I need to use a sword, and to protect my self a shield. Same for the path of Robinhood, bow and arrows. Without them I am a gnarly old fist a cuffs bar room brawler at best. Logic would dictate to be a wizard or sorcerer one would need something to go along with the magic words and all. Having noticed that not to be the case! I find that a bit strange. But then again I am strange...


ps would be nice to be able to gather reagents in enough quantity that it makes sense to go do so.

 

There are reagents in the game?

 

Depends where you are drawing your ideas of magic from. If you stick to D&D, arcane magic used reagents ..but also needed to be memorized each time you wanted to use it. D&D sorcerers and bards, however, needed no reagents or memorization. Then there was channelers (my favorite) that either sucked the life force out of anything near them to power spells or channeled it directly from the emental planes and coverted it into pure energy.

 

Channelers would use the game mechanic of mana pools.
Here is the current 'focus' idea.

If I concentrate real hard, I can swing this sword with a double slash.
If I concentrate hard again, I can make my fists turn to fire and shoot a short distance.

Right now, magic is just a skill, so why bother going into any lore or research about the schools and such. Maybe we need bludgeon attunement to start matching skill trees. (Sarcasm alert)

 

Focus actually makes pretty good sense to me, not sure why that would be an issue.

 

Just for perspective I'm going to recap Ultima magic.. feel free to fill in anything I miss.

Interestingly enough, magic in Sosaria was originally outlawed until UI. There were no reagents but spells cost XP to cast and gold to buy. In a sense then you could say that XP was fuel for spells.. and it didn't regenerate on it's own.

UII simplified magic quiet a bit.. but it's UIII that begins to introduce lore into Sosaria magic with the Cult of Runes and the Cult of Truth.. Wizards and Clerics respectively. Mechanically UIII was a simple mana cost but lore-wise all spells had to be prepared in advanced through some form of ritual. (A bit off topic but this is when Oracles began appearing also).. Example:

As you can see, UIII also first introduces the first words of power into Ultima lore. UIII magic (lore-wise) has similarities but otherwise a very different feel from traditional Ultima magic.

UIV as many of you know introduces modern Britannia magic. Where every spell requires reagents, and uses both mana and words of power. Gameplay wise only one game actually requires spells to be prepared before casting. It allowed also for spells to be refined during the pre-prep process. According to the lore however (ie the manuals) all reagents needed to be prepared. Example:

Side note: It's interesting to me that a lot of the ideas going into Shroud come directly from early Ultimas..

Ultima of course has a few other magic systems via spin-offs. Martian Dreams doesn't have traditional magic but still required "reagents" in the form of berries that give you powers. Savage Empire has totem magic, which still requires a form of reagent to be used with totems.

The only Britannian magic that doesn't require reagents is Rune magic.. where reagents are replaced by runes representing the words of power. HOWEVER, this appears to be a unique condition only known in the Abyss in Underworld I. The explanation for this phenomenon is this..

and so not reagents doesn't apply anywhere else.

The final magic system known in the Ultima universe come from Pagan in UVIII and that too requires reagents.

UO as most probably know.. also uses what we think of as modern Britannian magic.

Now we are in an age of NEW Britannia magic.. and here's my personal take on it.

Until Richard comes around and says flat out that Obsidian and Black Rock are two entirely different things.. SotA Obsidian is Black Rock.. their descriptions in how they behave and interact with magic seem very similar (so far). In UVII a black rock generator was used to disrupt magic throughout the world.. which is exactly what Shardfall did (and continues to do) but on a larger and uncontrolled scale.

I would submit, that if the shardfalls were removed from the world.. magic would return to 'normal'.. that our existing magic remains "modern Britannia" magic that is being disrupted by the presence of large deposits of obsidian/black rock and that we've simply learned how to use magic in this disrupted state.

The point I would like people to take away from this is.. as magic has developed in Richard's universe.. reagents (with but one exception) have always been a hard requirement for spell casting. There is, admittedly a case to be made for special exceptions.

 

Ya ... so, you buy a sword and swing it how many times? Repair it how cheaply? And you equate that with what cost of a reagent you have to use to cast every spell?

Poor example IMO. Archery, perhaps. Also a pain in the ass.

 

Both the current cost of reagents and repairs are only place holders.. as is the cost of arrows.

 

Then maybe they should go swap a few numbers around in their placeholder prices. It would take a modification to a few database entries ...

 

They should. I've no idea why they've left some of the prices as they are.