Shattered Kingdoms

This is because persuade counts as an attack, which is also why you get reported for attempted murder/mugging for doing it inside a law area even if successful.

*wince* Thanks for telling me. That's the next thing I was going to experiment.

If there's a group of people, and I persuade one to do something (and succeed), they won't all attack me (automatically) will they?

If you succeed...Why would they attack?


If you failed, the whole group would attack...Yes. But not if you succeed.

If I remember well, persuasion does not allow NPCs to drop certain items. IE: the stock of a shopkeeper, certain decorative items the NPC wears, items that have been bound on the NPCs via certain scripts.

I had an idea and asked around and discovered that persuade is still, for all these flaws, still capable of a very unique and useful thing.

Given the remarkable nature of this useful thing and all the baggage the only other method to enjoy it requires, all this red tape almost makes sense to me. Or, that is to say, I'd accept all these drawbacks as a bard if I got to enjoy the benefits you can still reap with the current skill.

That is not to say it couldn't be improved, though, of course.

I don't think bards have an actual problem power/balance wise even though persuade isn't completely ubar or anything. Persuade still has the power to grant a person and if wanted his entire group as well some otherwise very restricted buff spells.

Personally I think the bard class just isn't for everyone since it's as support minded as it is..

Persuasion does not allow a bard to force a NPC or a PC to drop an item of any kind, or to give that item to the bard or another person. The most it can do is force a NPC or PC to remove item X. Remove all is restricted from persuade's use as well, as is release all.



This was more true before religion spells were taken off all NPCs.



Solo bard action is very possible and totally hawt. In fact, two of their most powerful abilities can *only* be used when solo.


Persuade *does* need a buff, but it doesn't come in the form of allowing remove all, release all, or even allowing a bard to force people to drop items. The buff it needs is a reduction of lag by about 1/3 - 1/2, and a reduced mana cost. The drawbacks to persuade in general are enough to balance the skill, the additional drawbacks of intense ME costs and roughly as much lag as being tripped are over and above what is needed to balance the skill.

EDIT: Oh, and the improve rate of this skill needs to be increased drastically. The fact that you must use this ridiculously risky and costly skill about 2431634623546245723546123512346234614^10 times just to improve through superb to mastered is mentally challenged.

How much mana is it, anyway? 10% or so? And if you fail, are you basically thrown into combat with 5 seconds of lag from the attempt?

The mana cost *seems* to be somewhat related to the level of the persuaded target. It seems to range from 6-8% per use.

If you fail, you are instantly thrown into combat. You can do nothing except pray that the NPC you're trying to persuade doesn't spam harm or petrification on you for two-three rounds.