The pinnacle of perfection?

[Mr. Potato Thumbs]

What type of training and what kind of person must one be to become a true, canister-deprived, Shaped-free Agent? I am curious as to what your thoughts are. There was a short yet interesting discussion in the "Refuge" thread about Agents. Guardians and Shapers would be tempted by the canisters (and perhaps a Geneforge) for one primary reason: power.

 

The PC has met Guardians and Shapers who took the green goo plunge, such as the canister-addicted Barzites from GF2 and GF3 has characters with "illuminating" personalities. Yet each time an Agent has been encountered, she is a true, loyal Shaper. Period. Shanti. Macallan. Diamant. The Agent at the Besieged Camp. As the subject line indicates, an Agent seems to be the least likely tempted by the canister conundrum present throughout the series, mainly GF2 and GF3.

 

It would be counterproductive for an Agent to consume canisters, no doubt. The little old cleaning lady with that "glow" about her would cause some degree of suspicion. Seriously, I am interested about your thoughts on the matter.

 

Even though my preferred character of choice is the Agent, I have no bias against the other two classes. I respect them, have played them, but have never finished a game as either one. The Agent suits my style of play. Solo.

[Archaeolagent]

Again, we haven't met that many Agents at all -- something like four or five, total? -- and we've met relatively few Shapers and Guardians gorged on canisters, certainly less than 1 in 4, so it could just be random chance.

 

Agents, presumably, desire a significant amount of self-control, given their solitary tactics and lifestyle. Canisters risk having that taken away, without providing any significant benefits to an Agent.

[Goldengirl]

Hah! Agents have just as big a need to strengthen their magic! They certainly have a bigger need than the Gaurdians. Oh and you missed a certain Canister Loving, Servile Saver, Shaper School Dropout: Greta.

[Student of Trinity]

But Agents are good at hiding. And maybe at disguising themselves? Suddenly it hits me: Learned Darian is an Agent!

[Archaeolagent]

I'd argue magic strengthening canisters make a MUCH bigger difference for Guardians, who are hard pressed to put very many points in magic skills. An Agent with Battle Magic and Spellcraft skills of 15 each is barely going to notice an extra point in Ice Spray or Kill, and extra points to Blessing spells are practically useless.

 

Shapers, of course, get their creations at higher levels permanently if they use canisters, a much more significant gain.

 

...Now, if we are talking about isolated unskilled shapers trapped on Sucia Island, it's a different story, but there has only been one (Goetz wasn't an apprentice, was he?), so that's hardly relevant.

[Dikiyoba]

Yes, Goettsch was a fully trained Shaper.

 

Dikiyoba thinks that Greta would use canisters if she were out adventuring on her own and not traveling with the main character.

[Delicious Vlish]

There were TWO on the island. You find the body of the second in one of the very first areas. You identify him as a shaper because of his robes, and he didn't die all to long ago. In the area where you meet the Fyoras for the first time. He's hidden, and you have to go looking for him in an out of the way place, a dead end.

 

In all honesty, I think Agents know all to well the inner workings of Agents. At least, past the initiate level and in to the apprentice level. And they would know that canister usage would lead to them having an accident somewhere some time.

[Zeviz]

I think Greta is an example of why you don't see rebellious agents: agents are special forces of the Shaper society, so their training requires them to display even more loyalty than regular shapers. Agents that show any indication that they might rebel are kicked out, as happened with Greta.

 

Quote:

Originally written by Delicious Vlish:

... And they would know that canister usage would lead to them having an accident somewhere some time.

No "accident" befalls canister-using loyalist PC in Gf1 or Gf2. The only negative in those endings is that you are isolated, but it's hard to be friendly with an arrogant, exessively powerful person who glows in the dark.

[Dikiyoba]

Originally by Delicious Vlish:

 

Quote:

There were TWO on the island. You find the body of the second in one of the very first areas. You identify him as a shaper because of his robes, and he didn't die all to long ago. In the area where you meet the Fyoras for the first time. He's hidden, and you have to go looking for him in an out of the way place, a dead end.

There is a Shaper body there, but it's been there since the island was evacuated. At least, that's my impression from the description text:

 

Quote:

You find a sign that the evacuation of this island was not completely orderly. There is a body here. It's barely more than a skeleton. It's been here for a long time. Based on its garments, you think it was a Shaper.

The fact that it exists at all after two centuries is a little improbable, although the Shaper might not have been left behind from the evacuation. He or she might have died a century ago when the head researchers came back to create their tomb. And Shapers do use lots of toxic chemicals in their work, so perhaps the chemicals helped preserve the body. But for whatever reason that it's there, it's certainly not recent.

 

Dikiyoba.

[Delicious Vlish]

I said all that long ago.

 

To be perfectly frank, if it had been 100 years, the bones and the robes would be gone. He is still fairly intact. It might not be recent, but it is not all that long ago.

 

And for some reason my memory is telling me that there are a few more bodies like that on the island. Somewhat recent corpses of shapers.

[Archaeolagent]

The text suggests the body does not much postdate the evacuation, and these kinds of picayune continuity snafus are not uncommon in Jeff's games. I agree with Dikiyoba. Better to stretch science in a game that already does so heavily than to stretch the writing and the designer's intentions.

[Randomizer]

In GF1 there are a few bodies left over from the evacuation/return period. The first one is found in the second area.

 

Agents are picked for their abilities to function on their own and think out a solution. Guardians are brawn and not much brains, since they have lower starting intelligence and like Alwan prefer to take orders. Shapers are the researchers and go in groups of creations and guardian bodyguards.

 

Agents can get by without the cannisters since they mostly just give them power a little earlier. The searer spell in GF3 is the first one. An extra die of damage doesn't make a difference. In GF2 the cannisters are a little more helpful like strength and vlish.

[Student of Trinity]

Maybe Shaper robes are super-durable, and repel scavengers.

[Major]

Quote:

Maybe Shaper robes are super-durable, and repel scavengers.

Yes, they are highly blessed with magic that makes them last, uh, well, forever?

[MagmaDragoon]

Simply, they are made Shaped Fibers, that allow Shaper's robes to be super-maded.

 

[Student of Trinity]

Three words: Shaper haute couture.

[MagmaDragoon]

Translate please!

[Dikiyoba]

In the future, self-reliance should be your friend.

 

Dikiyoba.

 

Edit: Added .

[MagmaDragoon]

Thanks.