Manipulate ability

Manipulation is an Empath guild ability which causes most critters to regard the Empath as a friend or non-threat. Influenced creatures will cease most hostile actions towards the Empath, and may even attack other creatures. Evil or undead creatures, on the other hand, will become enraged and focus on the Empath as an enemy.

History

For several weeks, Empaths began receiving visions of various things whenever they entered the dying state: the back of a turtle, the feeling of tossing waves, an oddly shifting figure moving toward them with concern. These visions culminated in Empaths being called to the island of Aesry where they met Trylaine, who was one of the First Empaths. Trylaine taught the ability to several of the Empaths that arrived and taught them how they may pass the ability along to others.

Learning to manipulate

The manipulate ability must be taught by a fellow player Empath who is able to teach it. (In the Platinum and Fallen instances of the game this ability can be learned from the NPC Nadigo.)

Requirements

Teacher

• Must be an Empath.
• Must be at least 40th circle.
• Must have at least 200 ranks of effective Empathy (can be boosted via a LINK or any other Empathy booster).

Student

• Must be an Empath.
• Must have at least 10 ranks of effective Empathy (can be boosted via a LINK or any other Empathy booster).

Syntax for teaching

• Teacher and Student enter combat.
• Teacher: MANIPULATE FRIENDSHIP <STUDENT>
• Teacher: MANIPULATE FRIENDSHIP <CREATURE>
• Wait for the following message:
  

Teacher: You sense that {student} has suddenly grasped the basics of manipulating friendship.

Student: You suddenly grasp what {teacher} has done and comprehend the general method whereby you might be able to manipulate friendship yourself.

How to manipulate

The syntax is MANIPULATE FRIENDSHIP <CREATURE>.

There are several possible outcomes:

• You will succeed versus a manipulatable creature. The critter is immediately removed from combat engagement, and there is a small hit to concentration. The creature will then either leave the room, attack another creature, or attack a PC in the same room. Some of the Empath's concentration remains devoted to maintaining the manipulation.

Sample messages: "{creature} falters, and suddenly ceases to advance upon you." "{creature} falters, and suddenly ceases hostilities towards you."

The creature will show in ASSESS combat messaging as "friendly".

Many creature special abilities or attacks remain unaffected by manipulation. For example: a manipulated gryphon will still use its knockdown attack on the player, despite being friendly.

• You fail versus a manipulatable creature. This indicates that the Empath already has two creatures manipulated or that manipulating a second creature would be too difficult for the Empath's abilities.

Sample message: "You strain, but cannot extend your will any further." "You are unable to grasp the {creature}'s attention."

• You will succeed versus an undead/evil/cursed creature. The creature notices the attempt, and likely chooses to attack the user in a rage.

What can be manipulated

In general, only combat creatures can be manipulated. Creatures such as familiars and shadowlings, which are not part of the normal combat system, cannot be manipulated. NPCs such as guards, shopkeepers, and guild leaders cannot be manipulated.

Constructs cannot be manipulated due to lacking a life essence. Similarly, undead cannot be manipulated due to the corruption of their life essence.

Factors in the success of manipulation

Determining whether you can manipulate a creature occurs in a two-step process.

The first step -- let's call it the "skill contest" -- pits your empathy and charisma against the creature's level to determine whether you have the empathic power to manipulate the creature at all. (Being empathically shocked penalizes you for the purpose of the "skill check." The more shock you have, the greater the penalty -- at 100% shock, you cannot manipulate at all.)

If you win the skill contest, a second analysis -- let's call it the "concentration cost" -- determines whether you can focus on maintaining the link. This cost analysis considers the creature's level, your empathy ranks, and your concentration. (Recall that concentration is a function of discipline, intelligence, and stamina.)

There is also a bit of a random factor, so if you are on the cusp of being able to manipulate one or two creatures, you may not succeed 100% of the time.

• Concentration: ability to initiate and maintain the manipulation link
• Empathy skill: determines which creatures you can manipulate
• Charisma: Assists in manipulating creatures a minor amount.
• Type of creature: The undead cannot be manipulated. Evil or cursed creatures can sometimes be manipulated.

Empathy hard caps

You can learn a decent amount of Empathy from manipulating a creature, provided that there is some challenge. (The amount of experience is somewhere between health-walking and healing.) If your empathy grossly exceeds the combats of the thing you're manipulating, the act will not be sufficiently challenging to teach empathy. The range is very generous compared to other skills such as weapons or armor.

Player reported Empathy caps can be found on individual creature pages in the Bestiary. These pages should list the skill required to manipulate one and then later two creatures at once as well as the teaching cap. Much of the manipulation data is incomplete due to recent changes to the ability.

'New' manipulation

In 2011, the manipulate ability received significant changes from its original form. Returning empaths will find the updates have made the ability more user friendly and useful.

• The empathy experience awarded by manipulation was significantly improved.
• There is now a limit of two manipulated creatures at once per Empath.
• Empaths can now use MANIPULATE STOP <creature> to release a specific creature or MANIPULATE STOP <all/everything> to release both at once.
  • Creatures automatically break the manipulation if they are no longer in the same room as the Empath.
• The concentration cost was significantly changed. Now when manipulating there is a small initial concentration cost, and then part of the Empath's concentration remains allocated solely for manipulation.
  • Prior to this change there was a very large concentration cost for manipulating creatures.

Notes

• Manipulated creatures do not count towards an areas creature limit, and do not negatively impact creature spawn.
• More than one Empath can manipulate the same creature at once. This will cause the creature to be friendly to both Empaths, and will teach empathy to both (if each Empath would otherwise learn from that creature.)
• Once successful, the manipulation will remain active for several minutes, or until the creature dies or de-gens. It can be be stopped early with MANIPULATE STOP <creature/all/everything>
• You can manipulate up to two critters at one time, based on your skill.
• Creatures that you have befriended will show in the ASSESS combat messaging as "friendly".
• Manipulation has a generous teaching range compared to similar abilities at mid and high ranks. Prior to 100 Empathy ranks the teaching range is not as generous.

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