RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes

Knight Kat · **06-01-2014, 08:39 AM**

So I am reaching out to all those savvy with lore to find out if there is anything in the lore that says non-magic-users can use aether to enhance physical abilities, or channel aether into attacks. (i.e. Lancers, Archers, Pugilists, Gladiators and Marauders). If so, to what end? How does it work, and to what level of intensity?

I realize that there may not be answers to these questions, but I thought I would try asking. I am curious for various reasons.

I have heard that the Monk story quests talk about the use of aether for Monks, but have never leveled Monk, so I do not know the details.

Also, in the Lancer story quests...

Show Content

Other little examples like the Bard's wind-arrow attack exist, so it does seem that the game mechanics certainly hint to the use of aether in Disciple of War attacks, but I want to know if there is any lore that either confirms or denies this. Maybe even something that gives us an idea of the limitations?

All responses welcome, but I do ask that people back-up their answers with at least mentioning where they got the information.

Ciel · **06-01-2014, 11:44 AM**

I think there's a possibility that it can be used by melee, up to a certain extent.Â Mostly this is noticeable with the base classes, such as in the example you use.Â Mechanics-wise, the base classes can use some magic abilities from other classes, but these options decrease significantly once a full Job comes into the picture.

It's also explained in the lore that not everyone can use Aether, but those who have a strong affinity for it (i.e. your character) can use the either to travel to the Aetheryte locations.Â This is regardless of class or job.Â

Where individual character stories are concerned, I think there is a lot of room for interpretation and SE has left it fairly open that way.Â I think it's possible for a melee character or other DPS character to make use of Aether for some of their abilities.Â Aside from the NPC's ice patches, as you mentioned, I can think of a number of Lancer/Dragoon abilities which may adapt Aether as a necessary component.

Examples: Power Surge, Life Surge, Invigorate., just to name a few.

Paladins may make use of it through Flash.

Other than that, I don't think there's a lot of lore set-in-stone.Â They're minor details compared to some of the bigger, story-driven concepts SE has to focus on.

Nebbs · **06-01-2014, 12:54 PM**

In Character you could take one of the basic introductions to magic so you get some rudimentary skill. For me that would be a good way to explain the cross-class skills.

I used this initially for my Archer that had a raw untrained ability to heal (it was a tiny tiny thing like a cut), they later enrolled formally with the Conjurers and developed that raw talent. It does not have to be one of the guilds it could be a mentor, some tribal shaman or that strange fellow in your dreams etc..

Naunet · **06-01-2014, 01:13 PM**

There are a lot of spells across all classes that I think strongly suggest at least some magical power, some possessing more than others. Some examples:

Archer/Bard:
Wind Bite - I have a hard time imagining what else could do "wind damage" other than a magically enhanced arrow/arrows speeding by so fast that the very air displaced by their travel causes pain to the target.
Flaming Arrow - This could either be manually lit or lit with a player's control of aether, so there's some wiggle room of interpretation for this one.
All of a bard's songs - Self explanatory here. It's highly likely a combat bard imbues their music with aetheric charge to lend it beneficial effects.

Gladiator/Paladin:
Flash: Especially its blind effect. It could be some sort of hyperconcentrated burst of aether.
Rage of Halone: Could be a cool spiritually-charged spell.
Buffs like Sentinel, Tempered Will, Bulwark, and Hallowed Ground: The obvious interpretation here is that the person is using aether, either their own or drawing on the environments, to enhance their own physical stamina, or as some sort of magical shield, or whatnot.
Cover: This one is pretty cool. How does one literally redirect pain and injury from another onto one's self? Perhaps a projection of the paladin's mana towards the other person in question that, though extremely difficult to maintain, is enough to shield them. The paladin feels the pain of the attack because the aether is a part of their body.

Lancer/Dragoon:
Life Surge - One interpretation could include a sort of aether-draining effect, drawing out the target's energies to bolster their own.
Invigorate - While this could just be an adrenaline rush, it could also be due to magical skill.
All Jumps - The dragon power that lends dragoons their ability to carry out physics-defying leaps is arguably due to a certain manipulation of aether in and around their bodies.

Marauder/Warrior:
Bloodbath: Like with the spell Life Surge, they may have the ability to drain another's aether for a short time and manipulate it into their own bodies.
Berserk - Easily argued as an aether-enhanced rage (though it could also just be an entirely mental thing, depending on the person).
Thrill of Battle - Similar to the two spells above, though again it could also be chalked up to just an adrenaline rush.
Holmgang - Clearly magical in nature, unless you want your character to run around with a chain specifically for this purpose (which is totally cool).

Pugilist/Monk:
Featherfoot: Are they just good at evading, or are they using aether to make them selves temporarily superhuman? Wink

Second Wind: Obvious effect of drawing on aether to heal yourself in some way, though with a relatively minor effect compared to someone with more specific training.
Internal Release - The name of this ability tickles my magic senses. I'm thinking some kind of ability that pulls on the person's aether and just wildly releases it through their attacks for a time.
Arm of the Destroyer - When taken in context with its animation, I think there's an argument for this to be a magically enhanced concussive spell.
Fists of Earth/Wind/Fire - Some kind of mental stance that could align with aetheric manipulation.
Mantra - Words can contain power, in this case aetheric power.
It's also worth mentioning the lore of monks as it relates to chakras and how that likely implies a strong manipulation and understanding of one's aether.

So yea! It's more than possible to make a case that ALL classes have the capacity for some degree of magical ability. I don't think it's required (e.g. you could easily RP a magically-inept archer or whatever), but it's certainly possible.

Sounsyy · **06-01-2014, 01:29 PM**

(06-01-2014, 08:39 AM)Knight Kat Wrote: So I am reaching out to all those savvy with lore to find out if there is anything in the lore that says non-magic-users can use aether to enhance physical abilities, or channel aether into attacks. (i.e. Lancers, Archers, Pugilists, Gladiators and Marauders). If so, to what end? How does it work, and to what level of intensity?

I have heard that the Monk story quests talk about the use of aether for Monks, but have never leveled Monk, so I do not know the details.

So there was a thread on the RPC a while back that, to summarize the consensus, was that all class/job "Abilities" were enhanced by the person's aether. Where as auto attacks were not, hence why they don't do hardly any damage. Basically it explained why we, the player character, could defeat beings of stone or metal like the Magitek Vanguards when all other NPCs' attacks are realistically deflected. However, this thread was not a lore-based discussion. (I went back about 16 pages trying to find the thread but I could not, merp. It's lost in there somewhere.)

Moving on!
To answer your question about Monks and aether, yes. Monk's channel aether from ancient battlefields to open what they call their "Chakra." It's been a long time since I've done the Monk quests as well and I don't want to butcher it, so I'll turn it over to Erik:

"The monks and the Fist of Rhalgr are interesting in the same way as any other organized religion - a sad, pathetic, and humorous way. The Fist teaches those foolish enough to listen that through rigorous training of the mind and body, and with constant invigoration and refinement, one can approach the sublimity of Rhalgr Himself. Such is their power of concentration that they are able to master the aether within their bodies and channel it in a manner that grants them immense destructive power. The monkhood insists on calling this internal essence "spiritual energy" or "life force" - but trust me when I say it is nothing other than aether."
-Erik

As for the other classes/jobs, I'm not wholly sure if there's any lore specifically tying their abilities to aether. I will investigate and get back to ya! ^^

EDIT: Windbite
"For showing such compassion to your peers, I wish to teach you a new technique - Windbite. With Windbite, you can bring the power of the very air around you to bear against your opponents. And they will suffer long after you've nocked your next arrow."
-Luciane "The One That Got Away"

Kind of up in the air on this one, perhaps whichever way you want to play it off. Could be aetherial, could just as easily not be.

Knight Kat · **06-02-2014, 08:58 AM**

Thanks for the answers thus far everyone.

I am kinda thinking about In-character abilities that can be used rather than what the game mechanics alone portrays. For example, would anyone use a GLD flash IC? Do you think it would be widely accepted by most if someone did that?

I play my character as a Lancer, not a Dragoon, but I am still not sure on what that means or entails. I am not sure what I should make my character capable of and not capable of. That is the main reason why I am asking. I believe this can help other players develop their characters as well.

Sounsyy · **06-02-2014, 10:52 AM**

Well, Flash is a magic spell. It runs off the Spell Speed GCD and costs Mana. And more than anything it seems to be the last surviving relic of the 1.0 GLA/PLD that used many succor magicks in combat. I would say it is justified in the ARR side of things by having the conjury subclass experience.

But not every Gladiator ICly has conjury experience. My character Sounsyy is a tried and true Gladiator of the Bloodsands. But she would never ICly use Flash because she has no magical mastery. But I would venture it's perfectly acceptable for a GLA who does boast some magical expertise to use Flash ICly. Depends on a character to character basis I guess.

For Lancer, I (personally) would probably not use anything that seemed magical or dragoon-y. (To be fair though, my lancer characters are all from Ala Mhigo, not Grid or Ishgard.) But Life Surge could easily be played as the Lancers way of tapping into their inner aether and channeling it into a powerful next attack. The rest of their abilities don't seem to aetherially connected. And if you've been receiving training from IC dragoons, maybe you've picked up some of the physical techniques? Whether or not you wanna make fire erupt from your spear is a personal choice.

FreelanceWizard · **06-02-2014, 01:37 PM**

I remember that thread. Smile

I'm with Sounsyy in thinking there's a lot of room to play with how much Aether factors into any given DoW. You could have your special attacks be like Excellencies in Exalted -- a sort of intuitive use of Aether to enhance an otherwise mundane action to make it more effective. Alternatively, you could have every special attack be an expression of Aetheric force, such that without the Aether, it'd be impossible or ineffective. On the other side of the spectrum, you could be a highly skilled, expert combatant who can jam a spear between the armor plates of a Magitek Vanguard or put a sword right through a crack into Titan's heart. I think that the lore here is grey enough that, as long as you have a reasonable narrative justification for what you assert (and you assert that it's just that way for you, not everyone Smile

), you should be on solid ground.

synaesthetic · **06-02-2014, 03:47 PM**

If you wanted to be non-magical, you could rationalize Flash as the use of a flashbang. Smile

FreelanceWizard · **06-02-2014, 04:38 PM**

Ooh, that's good. Smile

Also, there's the option of using magitek, as Garleans exhibit effects that are extremely similar in appearance and effect to Eorzean magic. Magitek Flash might be a flashbang grenade, a rapidly rotating mirror, a blinding strobelight, etc.

A particularly cheeky friend of mine has suggested that Flash could also performed in the manner of the Flash Mobs in Erfworld, but... I doubt most will want to go that route. Smile

IMO, what you don't want to do is go too far afield from the extant effect. Flash generates enmity and applies Blind, so whatever the source is, it should plausibly have those effects -- but that's part of the plausible narrative.

Use of aether for Disciples of War?

RPC has moved! These pages have been kept for historical purposes