Clerics and Withering

[The Old Hack]

I would like to share some of my thoughts about clerics and Withering here. Please note that your mileage may vary and that what I state should in no vise be seen as a criticism of the Withering system, which in its current form is refined and adds tremendously to server mood. (Except that I miss the flies. You almost never see them any more and they made me freak out, I wish they appeared a bit sooner. >.<)

Now, when it comes to dealing out PC treatments for Withering, clerics are hard to beat. They get access to Remove Curse at level five, earlier than anyone else, and they are people of faith with a duty to care for their flock. Also, especially in the case of Good clerics, they are often very willing to extend aid even outside their own faith. (When I played little Briar, she was extreme in her view -- she would help anyone at all for no pay as her own personal war effort against the Withering.)

Since I myself very much like to play Good characters, I head into playing a cleric knowing that this will likely be an expensive experience XP-wise. And that's fine with me! It is my choice to cast the spell and I can live with slower or even no leveling, as in the case of Briar. However, I can live with it precisely because it is my choice. I do not like the feeling that it is somehow mandatory for clerics to do Withering treatments exactly because they are clerics. It makes them feel singled out to carry a fairly heavy burden. And I have encountered this attitude a few times, subtly or less subtly, and to be frank, it makes me feel more than a little sad and uncomfortable.

Doing these treatments should be a player choice unencumbered by social pressure. The XP expenditure is not small and some players of clerics really do not like it. And that is fine! It does not make them bad people. It just means that they feel the server is already hard enough XP-wise without them adding to their own challenges. A player of a cleric is just as human as everyone else. If they played a fighter, no-one would have this expectation of them. How is it fair to them to suddenly have to face what almost amounts to a demand for Withering treatments just because they are now playing a cleric?

A cleric player recently asked my cleric politely and humbly for alleviation. I agreed, all IC, and went to prepare some. While I was gone, someone else sent the player a Tell where he was informed that 'clerics can treat themselves, don't mooch off others', or words to that approximate effect. I'm afraid I have to disagree with that. It is not just a question of a mechanical ability. If we have to get right down to it, clerics have as much of a right to XP as everyone else does.

You can even justify it ICly with the greatest of ease -- using the treatment might be painful and not all clerics deal equally well with the pain of doing it, or it is a question of some level of empathy and sensitivity and the cleric just can't get a grip on it, or maybe the character is simply bloody Neutral or Evil instead of Good and can't see why it is their job to alleviate everybody else or even themself when someone else is willing to do it.

I have seen this more than once before. Other cleric players have come to see characters of mine that have a reputation of being willing to give out treatments, and honestly, why shouldn't they? For that matter, why should I say no to precisely them? I can't see it. It was my choice to open the tap, no-one forced me to -- why then should I turn it off for specific people? (I might turn it off for everybody at some point if I had IC reason to, but I see no reason why I should treat clerics as somehow less entitled to treatments than everyone else!)

Okay, that was quite a ramble, but I wanted to get this off my chest. All of this was my personal opinion which people should feel free to ignore if they prefer (or alternately, to point and laugh at), but I wanted to say what my own attitude to it all was.

<3 to EfU. Rock on :)

~tOH.

[xXCrystal_Rose]

Your view of it is pretty spot on! My cleric of Kossuth, for example (with renewal domain) would eagerly give cures. Of course you had to suffer for it. Cleric of Garagos, however, only ever gave out two cures, and those people were required to sacrifice 30 bloody deaths or so in his name. People never even tried to ask her for cures as far as I recall and she would force others to use Remove Curse items on her rather than casting it herself. It's definitely not a mandatory cleric responsibility ^^

[Aethereal]

Thank you for your post, The Old Hack. It should not be yet another burden put upon the player of a potentially very demanding role and I agree absolutely with the sentiment expressed.

I haven't had too much trouble with it personally while playing my priest and have helped those who approach or are in need, but the XP loss represents a very significant burden upon a PC and I have had cases where PCs who I have offered to treat have outright declined, in favour of not placing the burden upon my PC and finding alternate remedy. (Especially after Briar was found dead, seated by the hearth in the Mist's End...)

It's really good to see the variety in roleplay when it comes to treatments and especially adds to the salience of the difficulties people face on Ymph when regressing the Withering takes a toll on the lifeforce of those who would enact it.

[granny]

If I were to play such a cleric, I would demand them to make jobs that would please DMs that would give me bonus for putting people together doing interesting things.

To taint the well for a Talontar... to eliminate some polititian for a Maskite, to flood some area or to kill some enemy for an Umberlite, to plant a garden of herbs for a Chauntean... and so on

[wcsherry]

It is fine to play a magnanimous cleric. Each character will handle the scenario described in your post differently. If you want to play a greedy Waukeenar that robs the city blind to cure them - so be it. If you want to play a selfless Ilmateri, again, so be it. Just remember that clerics are mortal representatives of deities in a polytheistic world. Each deity, just like each cleric, should be actively competing for the prayers of the community.

[Random_White_Guy]

If the Ilmateri are undercutting your prayers as a waukeenite don't be afraid to flex in the other direction. Start offering discounts of supplies and equipment for prayers like PCs have done in the past. I know Jagged's Master Merchant Waukeenar certainly did.

my kelemvorite Mortimer's big thing was undead hunting so typically I would drag people to the crypt and have them help me purge it, before curing them. Equally, use it as a means to bolster your faithful. After so many curings badger them to sit down and talk about the faith, try to flex conversion on them like in RL asking them to sit down and think about Kelejesus before you cure them.

A little flavor and creativity goes a long way in EFU.

[Corrigo]

I'm currently playing a cleric of Umberlee, and have no intention of providing withering treatment for anything less than a hefty fee. I certainly wouldn't feel obligated to provide the treatment at cost to myself, just because I'm playing a cleric, especially as it just doesn't fit with the concept!

[The Old Hack]

All of the above is excellent and I agree with it; some of it I wish I had thought of myself earlier. And all of it goes straight to the point:

THE CLERIC IS NOT PUBLIC ALLEVIATION FOR PENNIES. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO THE CLERIC'S HELP. THE CLERIC SETS THE PRICE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE PRICE YOU ARE FREE TO ROT.

This most certainly includes having permission to shut up and not try to tell cleric players that they are doing it wrong if they seek alleviation from other clerics rather than doing it for themselves. I do appreciate the sentiment of wishing to 'spread the load' among clerics, but in this case it is misguided; I feel that any part of the load is voluntary for each player, be it small, large or none at all. They themselves set the limit.

As a comment on setting prices: I have so far done it differently with each of my clerics. Lucita does it freely for anyone who fights alongside her against the Lich and its minions or who is known to engage in important actions against it. (She only does one alleviation each time, but still.) If some merchant or someone she doesn't know wishes alleviation, they get to donate to Helm. Little shy and humble Briar did not charge at all, she said donations were welcome but not mandatory. For some reason this resulted in her absolutely rolling in gold and having better clerical gear than any other cleric character I have ever played on EfU. Go figure.

~tOH.

[granny]

THE CLERIC IS NOT PUBLIC ALLEVIATION FOR PENNIES. YOU ARE NOT ENTITLED TO THE CLERIC'S HELP. THE CLERIC SETS THE PRICE. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE THE PRICE YOU ARE FREE TO ROT.

That's a bit harsh... I'd say...

"KEEP IT UP AND I WILL CURSE YE PE`SANT WITH MA GOD`S WRATH"

For some reason this resulted in her absolutely rolling in gold and having better clerical gear than any other cleric character I have ever played on EfU. Go figure.

I know the feeling... my richer PC was a slave.