(03-17-2015, 02:35 PM)Naunet Wrote: I would really caution against using game mechanics from 1.0 as a lore base. It's far more likely that SE expects us to just retcon in our minds what conjurers and thaumaturges have been and are capable of doing.
I can understand this viewpoint, but I also believe that because of the retcon we can use the 1.0 mechanics as a lore base. During the Las Vegas Lore Panel, Fernehalwes fully admitted to the retcon of CNJ and THM abilities when he was explaining the lore team's involvement with all other teams working on re-writing the game, basically ensuring that everything remained within the lore boundaries of the game. But when the battle team approached the lore team and told them they were swapping the mechanics of the two classes, it was something the lore team didn't have much say in and were forced to retcon the lore and hope no one noticed.
Which basically means that 1.0's classes, abilities, and mechanics were created with the world's lore in mind, while the 2.0 classes were created with mechanics in mind, not lore. So if anything, we should be looking at 1.0's classes, because the 1.0 lore still holds true to them, even if mechanics have changed - because there has been no new lore to account for the discrepancy. Why would a CNJ not be able to commune with Fire Elementals? There's absolutely no reason.
Is it a grey area? Sure. But it's a grey area that will never be filled in.
(03-17-2015, 03:10 PM)Gegenji Wrote: Right, but ACN are not alone in their focii. THM use the gems in their staves as mentioned in the GSM quest chain, and even CNJ "attunement" is aided directly through their staves as mentioned in one of the CRP quests.
I could be wrong, but I think the difference could be that an Arcanist's grimoire isn't just a focus like staves for Thaumaturges and Conjurers, but also an amplifier of their aether. According to the lodestone text on the mediums, it's the actual glyphs and symbols drawn in the book that are the focus for an Arcanist's spells, but it's the quality of the ink in which they are drawn which facilitates easier casting. Where as a Thaumaturge's strength comes from within himself and a Conjurer's strength comes from nature, perhaps an Arcanist's strength is more or less dependent upon the quality of their weapon?
Serendipity Wrote:This gemstone is the focal point of the design, both aesthetically and practically speaking. It is what allows a thaumaturge to channel the aetherial energies within.
Anonymous Arcanist Wrote:For an arcanist to weave his spells, he must conjure in his mind the image of distinct mystical diagrams known as arcane geometries. These geometries are inscribed upon the pages of a grimoire, such as the one you constructed at my request.
The most important aspect of any grimoire is the quality of the ink used to illustrate its pages. Geometries drawn with ink that is especially conductive to the flow of aether allow the arcanist to more effectively channel his magical strength.
Sadly, I don't have the text for the CRP quest explanation for conjurer staves, so I'll quote the original medium text off the lodestone below:
