Shattered Kingdoms

They cost money just not much. So instead of one sorc to drain the account you need one sorc with patience. Also there are items that can make ANY class character etherial. So I consider an etherial barb much more ic than attacking a tribunal character and not commiting a crime.

Here is a IC reason why bounty NPCs and go ethereal Kingdoms employ people to make pills or potions that can do it. Be thankful that they dont sell these to all their guards only give them to their bounty NPCs.

The tribunal bank balance is only half of what is broken about it. Before cash as even around if someone banished wished to help a tribunal that was getting driven into the ground they could run around ethereal and spawn hundreds of bounty NPCs and the nation is practically safe for any attack.

If you want to talk realistic why do bounty NPCs travel alone first thing I would do as a nation leader would be have my bounty NPCs travel in groups that could take out the dangers they are likely to face. Less frequent bounty NPC spawning but spawning what is equal to the nations war party would be much more effective. Also on the subject of realism why will only one law NPC follow a tribunal member (even a leader) at a time ? Why do the guard NPCs or the inner guardian scale with more PCs online? When you have the answers to these questions you have the same answer to why to bounty NPCs start ethereal.

The idea that mages spawn to deal with outlaws who are ethereal works for sorcerors but against a necromancer who can have a hoard of ethereal undead it doesnt work. Maybe all bounty NPCs should be rogues and open with backstabs and use scrolls of petrification or finger of death because thats a good idea. Or perhaps a nation should employ shaman bounty NPCs and just voodoo people who are banished regularly. As you can see there are so many better methods for defenders to deal with outlaws an ethereal spawning bounty NPC doesnt seem so bad. It happens for game balance if you dont want the NPC to throw at you travel with another PC. Traveling around a kingdom you are banished in is not something you are meant to be able to do alone.

Johnix said it best.

Apart from that, don't QQ about ethereal law NPCs. Go in Taslamar with one semi decent healer as a sorc and totally destroy their economy. Then no more templars will spawn, ethereal or not, you would have won and people like Ardith would cry rivers of tears.

I can tell silmar is pro-tribunal. Can any IMMs take a look at this thread?

I don't see any reason to remove the bounty hunters that spawn with etherealform. There are lots of good points in this thread, but its just going to have to stay the way it is, because of the opportunity for abuse.

A

I don't think silmar is getting the point here. There is no current IC reason, plus ethereal pills have been practically removed from the game, atleast the good ones. The others, are VERY RARE, like a superb uber magical item.

Necromancrs cannot travel "ethereal" when they do, they do it for only two ticks and I've never seen a necromancer who walks around with a bunch spamming zap on himself. Also, I doubt any necromancer is walking around with a hoarde of ethereal to fight stern guards..

I stick that we need to do one of two things. Cannibal's idea that guards should not be allowed to go ethereal yet spawning them does not cost money, only when they die. Therefore the spawning part will be fine, and no mage will get bashed ethereal, die, looted, and thrown in jail by a completely OOC NPC. I don't think that a your examples of "voodooing people" and "backstabbing bounty NPCs" does any justice as I can tell you are being sarcastic, but we are trying to make the game more balance, not wimp tribunal NPCs.

Like I said, I'm not arguing that there shouldn't be bounty NPCs, (IMO I'd like to go back to the way tribunals were played 4 years ago. There was alot more PK for tribunals members back then when I had a Keeper.) I'm just saying we should make them reasonable. They should be mage NPCs or something a bit more managable for someone who is ethereal. It will get away those pesky sorcerors who are running around trying to do things. It just doesn't make sense when you walk two leagues into Zhenshi and end up getting bashed while ethereal by a griffon and then sent to jail. Cmon.

Techniqually they cost a little bit of money on spawn, and then they cost full price if killed. If memory serves me though, the cost of spawning is refunded should they not be killed.

Acherner -- I realize the abuse that it could cost, I am just concerned with the IC relation of them. I think Cannibal has a great point and it changes the system, removes the ethereal NPCs, and allows for no abuse to be had. It is perfect when it comes to addressing all sides.

After playing my warlock and having that wand that gives etherealform, it last for more than 2 ticks. Also, you can justify this ICly by this, "it magic not real," therefore suspend your disbelief for this and work around it. It sucks being an outlaw, but it doesn't stop you from going anywhere really. It is an annoyance in the wild at best.

If you don't like the outlaw NPCs, then make a character that'll obey the laws and keep from being wanted, it's that simple. Duh?