As we probably all know, AO’s power system on the surface is like any other generic power system but as you move deeper in it gets a lot more interesting and different from the norm, such as sea curses. But, there are still obvious flaws like for example the fact that the strongest mage in the world could get offed by a basic, well-aimed gun shot (which I kind of don’t see the problem with since the combat in lore seems very mobility based but since the community sees it as a problem it probably is a problem) and how spirit energy, which should be around as important as magic energy, barely gets any attention because of its late addition. So, what would the forumers do to improve the current power system (apart from getting rid of spirit energy cuz it has potential)?
Honestly, I don’t really think it does. Feels more like it gets filled with bigger and bigger plot holes.
Sea curses being especially problematic.
Yeah that was a pretty weak example all things considered.
lore wise same but i dont like how its handled in ao
personally id keep it that way but make it so mages have to prioritize balancing by having defensive spells in their kit and maintaining it so they dont get murked instantly by a stray bullet or focus on going all out on offensive while abandoning defense like a glass cannon
also physical fighters focusing on reinforcement through trace magic energy barriers surrounding their body/ general physical enhancement
it’s now common place for people to wear a sort of harness imbued with spirit energy (still has to be created by an oracle, but is made in such a way that the user’s spirit energy can fuel it even if they can’t use spirit energy themselves), which passively projects a shield around them, protecting them from physical and magic attacks.
your hp bar pretty much becomes your spirit energy reserve.
Yeah that is a really neat idea to solve the problem.
one thing I really don’t like about AO’s power system is mutations. correct me if I’m wrong but from what I remember, you can only mutate your 1st magic and the mutation would replace your 2nd and 3rd magic (if I’m not tripping), it might be a minor change but I would make it so that you can mutate all 3 of your magics and the mutation would replace the magic that gets mutated
Yeah thats one I agree with. I don’t see the point of why you should be forced to keep the original magic alongside the mutation. Also just doesn’t make sense for hybrids.
oh yeah bring minds back
dont like the idea of mutations being nepotism/hecate shard based
its way coooler for someone to mutate their magic from their mental state even if its generic
Right, time to make my contribution, I guess.
Curse constructs, just like magic constructs, are no longer permanent. If the curse user wants them to exist “permanently”, they will have to constantly focus a portion of their mind and energy into maintaining the construct. This means that only very powerful curse users can afford to actually use their curse to create ‘matter’ whatsoever, or they are quickly overwhelmed. This, of course, extends to any bodily modification they do with their curse. After a curse user dies, everything made using their curse will vanish swiftly, returning to magic energy.
Their constructs, on top of depleting naturally over time, can also be damaged by both physical and magical means, in which case the ‘matter’ will disperse back into magic energy. Thus, a curse user who is overly reliant on their constructs will end up losing simply by exhausting themselves due to constantly trying to replenish their constructs.
Magicless people and beings are, thus, also theoretically capable of defeating curse users without aura or devourers if they manage to attack them and avoid being killed enough to deplete the curse user’s magic energy, after which they will be forced back into their human form.
I just noticed midway while typing this that this thread is about the power system and not the magic system which is a whole can of worms to open since much of is just a chop suey of One Piece, Fairy Tail and Harry Potter
Won’t fix much of what makes it generic but first thing first, make regular magics non-genetic/not hereditary, I’m not really sure why magic is hereditary if Vetex and Tech are going to back off from potraying the consequences and logical ends of what would happen in a royalty dominated fantasy world, I’m looking at the whole ‘Neviro is an inbreed’ debacle that happened a while ago
Also curse inheritance for some reason is extremely arbitrary, why exactly 2 vertical generations? I’m pretty sure that this is somehow connected to Neviro again to retcon being an inbreed
also what does curse inheritance even do?
we know of at least 3 characters who use it, but it doesn’t really seem to do much?
calvus’ inheritance just makes his magic a little more green and gives the pillar the knockback thingy which doesn’t do any damage and actively makes the attack weaker by extending the attack allowing for much easier punishment.
octavious’ inheritance does even less. just changes some colours on the ult iirc
and of course neviro
his inheritance just makes his spear look like it’s been covered in squirrel shit in some random guy’s attic for the past year
is this just more evidence that curse users are bums?
Prob has a lot more effects in lore but Vetex isn’t doing a good job at making them seem powerful (also I’m pretty sure the calvus inheritance has an after explosion but I guarantee you that you will never get hit by it ever because of the knockback it has)
where did u see this
also octavious’ doombringer inheritance makes his attacks slightly bigger so its possibly just a tiny imbue buff 
in the game
I mean, look at this
remove magic only being able to harm people cause they also have magic
allow magic to actually block physicals (no more bs % damage) would prob be the Passive magic/trace magic energy that can be sensed which is also responsible for the increased durability. which can be increased further by actually concentrating (Focus/aura & similar skills)
Oracles would be able to better communicate with spirits/ghosts (literally, the “spirit” stat)
Chaos/“The Sight” while still being able to manifest spirits, it would also be partially responsible for the degradation of older ghosts
Chaos is more “visible/active” around areas they are present at instead of only acting on the individuals committing the atrocities (like the chaos strikes/beams could occur randomly in places like Akursus and the dark sea, but be stronger the closer to the epicenter you are)
You should also be able to sense the magic buildup in the environment instead of only being able to sense creatures (spots where magic lightning will soon strike, tornadoes, chaos in general even since it is responsible for magic, etc:)
I’m pretty sure you would be able to have a mutation as your first magic
The way vet described it iirc was as follows
If my magics were lightning, water, ice, and I mutated to aether lightning, I would be able to replace one of my other magics with lightning if I wanted to keep it
my only real gripe is how durability works, in that it doesnt work at all
got characters shattering entire continents with their attacks but are vulnerable to knives and bullets
Oh yeah speaking of this Arthur Cursebeard is now #1 strongest mortal
And even so at most he might be able to destroy a continent by really straining himself
Durza is classified as a dark spirit or something
But yeah, Cursebeard on top of the verse, everyone else is weaker including dragonlords and the like