(10-17-2014, 07:12 PM)Warren Castille Wrote: In true No Fun Allowed fashion, I don't even consider Return a canon ability. If it's different than Teleporting from crystals, blah blah blah no one ever gets kidnapped etc.

I think I could be talked into considering that everyone's got an Aethryte they just naturally are more attuned to and are taxed less for teleporting (or... returning?) to, but magical transport just throws so many wrenches in normal RP for me.

(10-18-2014, 01:48 AM)Ryoko Wrote: Huh. I guess "How?" would be my big thing. I mean, surely there must be more training involved than the main story's "Go touch it!" quest, right?

Nicia Wrote:Before one might understand aetherial travel, one must first understand the substance that makes it possible - aether. What is aether you ask? Why, only the source of all being! Though it cannot be seen, it is everywhere... or should I say, it is everything. Aether flows around us and within us, and without it we would cease to exist.

When we die, it is believed that the shock separates our spirits from our corporeal forms. Our bodies are then broken down and are absorbed back into the aetherial river, while the soul is left to journey to its final destination in the afterlife. Some call this "returning to the lifestream." However, our ancestors discovered ways in which, through meditation and focus of spiritual energies, one could reduce her body to aether without losing the grip on her soul, in turn allowing for travel upon the Lifestream. These methods have been given the names Return and Teleport.

Nicia Wrote:As you travel through Eorzea, you will oft come across large floating deposits of a crystalline substance known as aetheryte. The one before us here is a fine example. It is said that aetheryte is the solid manifestation of the planet's lifeblood, aether, and that by touching it, the aether which makes up our bodies resonates with that contained in the crystal. This is called "attunement."

Normally, when one's body is reduced to aether, it will naturally gravitate to the location with which it resonates the greatest - or one's "home point." This is why upon losing consciusness in battle, many wake to find themselves back at an aetheryte. In other words, aetheryte act as lodestones, assuring that the body, in its aetherial form, is not lost to the pull of the greater flow. And, because signatures of past attunements are maintained within our bodies, it is possible (with some spiritual training, of course) to ignore the pull back to the strongest resonation, and travel to another beacon. Many refer to this as "Teleportation."

What is even more amazing is that when teleporting, we can "carry" those with whom we have created a bond, such as an adventuring party - assuming they have previously attuned with the desination aetheryte.

Nicia Wrote:As Return merely involves allowing the body to be drawn back to the strongest aetherial beacon - one's home point - it is fairly easy to execute and requires very little spiritual exertion. Usually, a few moments of rest is all that is needed before it is safe to attempt another jump. Teleportation, on the other hand, comes with a greater price. A great deal of spiritual energy known as "anima" is required to fight the natural flow of the Lifestream and guide one's body and soul to a comparatively weak aetherial beacon. If one's body lacks sufficient anima, teleporting to a location may prove impossible. Luckily for most of us, anima is restored quickly and should not prohibit regular travel.

Then why, you ask, must we pay gil when using Telport? Well, after the Calamity, many of the existing aetheryte camps were destroyed. To relocate and rebuild them required a large sum of money, much of which was lent by certain men of business from Ul'dah. The gil you pay when either leaving from or arriving at an aetheryte goes to paying off that debt.

(10-18-2014, 02:07 AM)Iex Wrote: Edit: It should also be noted return only works for Cities (well... I think)

(10-17-2014, 07:12 PM)Warren Castille Wrote: In true No Fun Allowed fashion, I don't even consider Return a canon ability. If it's different than Teleporting from crystals, blah blah blah no one ever gets kidnapped etc.

I think I could be talked into considering that everyone's got an Aethryte they just naturally are more attuned to and are taxed less for teleporting (or... returning?) to, but magical transport just throws so many wrenches in normal RP for me.

(10-18-2014, 12:37 AM)Ryoko Wrote: Gotta go with Warren here. Personally, I don't even use teleportation IC. It was my impression that only powerful wizards and those with strong aetheric connection could even use the aetheryte crystals. 

I feel like we need to set heavy limits on who can use teleportation and how. Otherwise, even on the surface, traditional methods of travel become significantly less meaningful. If we kept digging deeper into the societal impact such magic being widespread would have, we'd get into a world so far removed from our own that we couldn't even properly RP in it. 

Now I'm not saying it should require Louisoix levels of magic to use, but I think some natural talent and a few years of training are in order. We could even go as far as to say that more powerful mages can bring people with them.

(10-18-2014, 02:07 AM)Iex Wrote: In the case of prisoner....

I would assume the health of the prisoner would affect the their ability to teleport. Also, I would assume the person may need to know where they are currently located... basically able to 'locate the stream' to take them home.

(10-18-2014, 01:04 PM)FreelanceWizard Wrote:

(10-18-2014, 02:07 AM)Iex Wrote: Edit: It should also be noted return only works for Cities (well... I think)

You can actually bind to any Aetheryte for Return. When I'm doing leves in an area and I'm undergeared, I'll usually bind to the nearest Aetheryte. My typical bind point is Revenant's Toll, actually.