The Pallid Mask

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

First off, this is not a recruitment thread.

PC turnover in the Pallid Mask is incredibly high. Most people I talk to say the faction is boring. Yes, it has an incredibly narrow focus on the undead. But nothing has been said you cannot expand more.

This is one of my all time favorite factions. I like this faction more than the Stewards of the Ark, and the Stygians. Why?

It's because I have three things.

An Agenda, a Crew, and a plot to make it work.

The Pallid Mask has an incredibly narrow focus, but this is something to point you in the right direction. The Pallid Mask has room for hundreds of concepts, and nothing cannot fit unless you are a blatantly evil necromancer.

I can see this group doing a lot, and frankly, I am kinda disappointed as to the player base not taking more interest.

Your thoughts and views of the Pallid Mask would be welcome!

[lolmagics]

I see their core direction as being too narrow and their primary enemy as rather dull. I hate fighting Nightrisers and find them to be more annoying than deadly, mostly due to them being Undead in the first place. I'd much prefer that the faction was a little more broad and that there were more antagonist factions to go after from the goodly side of things.

[Dr Dragon]

I agree the Palid Mask's focus on only undead can be really lame and narrow. Also the fact is there's no longer a Nightriser Dm faction makes it also pointless. Really I think the Palid mask should just vanish or die.

[Garem]

Except then you have the Numinous Order v. 2.0. If that's a good or a bad thing, I won't say here, but you have to bear in mind that it's already been done as a PC and a DM faction and both were brought to an excellent close with awesome plots.

All of that aside, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more diverse Pallid Maskers around. Playing a prominent PC enemy of everything these guys stand for, these guys have a very simple approach that hasn't changed in the 3 or 4 generations of Pallid Mask characters I've interacted with.

Honestly, just closing the faction as an NPC faction sometime down the road when there are some stronger PC players who can guide it to a closing would be another option. Not like it hasn't happened before under remarkably similar pretenses.

[The Beggar]

I think that it can be guided well, and still remains a very interesting faction with potential given the right PCs and the right push.

[Divine Intervention]

Yes the thing of fighting undead is fairly narrow, but you've all mentioned simply nightrisers and the Pallid Mask is about destroying more udnead than just the unique Ymphian brand undead soldier.  Also it's goal is to destroy undead, that does not mean your PC must fight only undead nad do nothing else.  I am currently playing a Pallid Mask pc and I don't spend 100% of time fighting undead.  It's a cool faction with interesting stuff and really if you are a paladin a join it, that doesn't mean you must stop doing other stuff, by taking it to a close we end up with virtually zero good factions.

[Drakill Tannan]

You are undead hunters. The parish has lots of necromancers, go against the parish then. Actively work to ban necromancy from the colony. Hunt down necromancers, etc.

In the same way, you can use the undead excuse to do any quest where undead appear, koblds? You're in a quest to slay the kobold necromancers, etc.

Reasearch as well. maybe the palid mask looks for a way to get rid of the nightsien once and for all, and they might find the answer if they explore the island well enough? work along witht he shrouded island syndicate to find such information.

If it is narrow, then unarrow it ICly with your PCs.

[putrid_plum]

I personally think the Pallid Mask has great potential for someone who wants to think outside the norm.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

I personally think the Pallid Mask has great potential for someone who wants to think outside the norm.

I have played in this faction twice with quite successful characters, and I have observed the following about the faction.

Distinct lack of faction NPC support: If a guy gets in trouble, he can expect to be executed without so much as a send off by any other member.

Wide Variety of tasks: The Pallid Mask should be interviewing heroes and people who affect the everyday life of the ziggurat. Lack of ACTIVE MEMBERS has hurt the faction more than helped it.

The Concept is there, the Pallid Mask needs a new reputation other than people who complain and if fanatics describing the evils of animation.

[The Beggar]

If the faction needs a new reputation IMO, then it should be brought about by IG actions of a PC.

[putrid_plum]

"Distinct lack of faction NPC support: If a guy gets in trouble, he can expect to be executed without so much as a send off by any other member."

The Transcendant Conclave is like that and I get the feeling so is the Sons of Sabuth.  Really it's up to the members of the faction to change it's image.  Again just look at the Transcendant Conclave.  Xeral made it very evil and dark, power-hungry!  Is the entire faction like that??  Who knows!  But you get my point.  If you want to be taken seriously don't run around like nearly every Pallid Mask PC I have seen and spout the obvious, show/prove why what you say it true.  Lead by example, inspire people to follow your words, change the laws.

[Disco]

Some of my best moments on EFUA was in the Pallid masks. I can strongly encurrage people to join it. It may take some hard work to bring more players into the faction though.. Many players in a faction = lots and lots of cool stuff.

[Nightshadow]

The few times I got the chance to do any Pallid Mask stuff as Constantine it was incredibly fun... However, anyone intending to join should be aware that for the most part you are not part of a faction, you are alone in your fight against undeath/necromancy. I spent weeks alone, doing nothing, and it wasn't a timezone problem as I play at completely random times of day, and checked on all the times of day, trying to see when I should try and log in. Eventually I had to convince my OOC friend to join the server, make a cleric of Lathander (Amelos) and join the Mask, just to have someone to play with. And yeah, if you're going to die, don't expect much help. I infact got more help from folk inside the Mask BEFORE I was a member, they even raised me once, once I was in, though... Constantine was left out to rot once this came up: http://www.escapefromunderdark.com/forums/showpost.php?p=170165&postcount=2

Not even a 'Goodbye Constantine, thank you for all you've done trying to eliminate necromancy on the island.' (I wasn't as heroic as that one other Pallid Mask guy, I think it was Drake... but I had a few notable achievements within the Mask). Once he was exiled like that, and no one bothered to speak with him about it, even though there were folk in the faction, I just quit the character.

But yeah, when you do get the chance to do stuff, it's incredibly fun, just don't expect to do it as a team, and don't expect help... ever.

[Underwood]

Playing a PC who's goal is to discredit the Pallid Mask, I would think that perhaps some of the reputation problems are completely IG.

It is not only my character, but some others as well that have actively made attempts to give them those labels. This thread is kind of proof that an IC action is making a difference in the server.