Soul system

The Soul System reflects a Paladin's standing as a paragon of justice. The level of a Paladin's soul in turn reflects the size of the soul pool that powers a Paladin's abilities. The size of a Paladin's soul pool is directly related to the Paladin's circle, charisma, and state of their soul.

Soul State

The benefits of a pristine soul are:

• Larger soul pool (powers Paladin abilities)
• More potent Sixth Sense
• Your hands are blessed against the undead while brawling.
• Soul-dependent abilities (such as Smite) will be more potent.
• Eligibility for guild quests

Possible Soul States

A Paladin can check his soul state by rubbing a soulstone or walking through a soulstone arch. The soul states from best to worst are:

1. gleams brightly with a pristine luminescence!
2. pure white light
3. steady white hue
4. chalky grey
5. pallid grey
6. cold and lifeless, tainted darkish grey with sinister black streaks
7. stunned by a soulstone arch

Soul Drift

As time goes on, the Paladin's soul will gradually become darker. However, it will never naturally fall below the chalky grey level. This is a fairly long process, so as long as the Paladin perform "good" deeds somewhat regularly he or she should have little trouble maintaining a pristine soul.

Improving Soul State

The following actions purify a Paladin's soul:

• Protecting someone against a creature that is a danger to the Paladin. Timer: 1 hour
• Killing Undead/Cursed creatures, so long as the Paladin gains experience and lands the killing blow. The effect is random; you will not experience a boost in your soul every time you make a kill.
• Feeding a starving caravan
• Starting an RPA
• Tending a non-Paladin's wounds. Timer: 1 hour
• Tithing at an almsbox. You will get the maximum boost to your soul by tithing 5 silver. (If you tip more than 5 silver, you will not experience any additional boost.) Timer: 4 hours
• Praying on a pilgrim's badge, the greater the number of altars and shrines on the badge, the greater the boost to your soul. Timer: 31 minutes
• Playing a hymn or psalm at a devotion-capable altar or shrine. Requires 100+ in your chosen instrument for hymns and 200+ in your chosen instrument for psalms.
• Tracing the Glyph of Mana in a room that has a Cleric and a corpse in it.
• Listening to a Cleric read the entire Book of Chadatru in Theren Keep.
• Praying to Chadatru at the Shard, Crossing, or Mer'Kresh Chadatru altars. (This is the biggest soul boost available.)
• Praying in the meditation pool in the Hibarnhvidar Guild Hall.
• Obtaining a Chadatru favor will occasionally give a soul boost.
• Cleaning an Anloral pin from Soulful Trinkets.
• Successfully ACCUSING someone of necromancy or theft.

Reducing Soul State

The following deeds will stain your soul:

• Stealing or listening to a class on stealing (requires penance)
• Grave-robbing
• Killing another adventurer
• Attacking first in a CvC situation
  • Even worse if the target is stunned.
• Attacking, advancing, or retreating while hidden or invisible
• Hiding during combat with other adventurers
• Handling, making, or using poison or poisoned weapons
• FLEEING from combat
• Throwing dirt
• Spitting

Repentance

Attempting to steal or even learning about stealing will cause you to lose standing in the guild. You will not be allowed to circle or learn new abilities until you complete a specific quest of atonement. (You must atone even if you only listened to one pulse of a stealing class before joining the guild.)

To repent, you must PRAY CHADATRU. At this point, you will pray for forgiveness. You must not do anything during the prayer, or you'll have to start the prayer again. After the prayer, you will be restored to good standing, and any stealing ranks that you gained will be erased.

>ASK VERIKA ABOUT CIRCLE

Verika glances at you sadly, "Stealing by Paladins is not permitted. Even learning how to do it is forbidden. To return to good standing in the guild, you must perform the following penance. Take a journey up to the northwest to Therenborough, and in the Chapel of Chadatru repent of your wrong doings! The length of your penance will be up to the gods."

>PRAY CHADATRU

Showing true repentance, you pray for forgiveness.

[Your penance will take X seconds.]

As you complete your prayers, a brilliant flash of white light blinds you! Searing pain lances through your soul as your sins are cauterized by holy fire! When the light subsides, a soft voice whispers, 'Go forth free of guilt and sin no more.' As the voice trails off, you are left with a wondrous sense of your own well-being.

Soul Pool

The size of a Paladin's soul pool is directly related to the Paladin's circle, charisma, and the state of his soul.

A Paladin can check his soul pool by exhaling on a soulstone. From best to worst, the soul pool levels are:

1. It brightens with an inner light, which lingers for a few moments before returning to its normal state.
2. It pulses rapidly with an inner light!
3. It pulses steadily with an inner light!
4. It pulses slowly with an inner light!
5. It pulses briefly with an inner light!