Mindstalker or Harbinger for Rauatai Marksman/Spy/Assassin?

[Cyrus_Blackfeather]

Hey guys, 

 

So, I asked this question in a sense over on the PvE side of the forums, but decided to ask it here because of the different focus. The character I really want to play for my pro-Rauatai Watcher is a gunslinger, either Pistol/Pistol or BB/Pistol (Since you can finally hold a gun in each hand). I figure it fits with the industrial aesthetic and... metric tons of gunpowder they've got going on (Seriously, what did they THINK would happen in the pro-Huana route?). I picked a Rogue because I like the idea of playing a covert agent character, a spy/assassin who collects information and eliminates key threats (Though this does kind of limit me in terms of the bounties I can take, unless I just decide to treat those as OOC). 

 

But I'm having a little bit of trouble coming up with a second class. Right now, I'm deciding between Chanter or Cipher. Both offer a fairly similar playstyle - weapon damage with spells worked in - but come across very differently RP-wise. 

 

Cipher, in both PoE1 and PoE2, has far and away the most unique dialogue choices of any class. Understandable, because of the heavy theme of souls involved in both games. It also makes sense for a character like this to know his way around his target's mind and soul, picking away the information he needs and vanishing without a trace. It also gives access to probably some of the coolest ability descriptions, as you're told exactly how you're destroying your target's mind, body, and soul. Aesthetically, I feel like it fits this kind of character the most, though perhaps not for a Rauatai playthrough because of their wariness toward animancy. That said, it's got a practical military intelligence use, so who's to say? Are there any Ciphers or Cipher multiclasses on any of the RDC ships you all have encountered? 

 

From the Wiki:

 

A recent discovery in the Eastern Reach, ciphers were once called "brîshalgwin" ("mind hunters") by the Glanfathans. Ciphers have the ability to directly contact and manipulate another person's soul and psyche, using an ally's or enemy's essence as the focus for their magic. Though most ciphers are still found in the Eastern Reach, practitioners of the techniques have spread throughout the known world. They are gaining acceptance over time, but are generally distrusted, especially by the uneducated.

 

Definitely indicates that there would be some in Rauatai, though I wish there was more of a description 

 

Chanter, meanwhile, seems to have a heavy significance to Rauatai, culture-wise. I've seen Chanter NPCs on plenty of Rauatai ships. That said, their lore entry also points to them being... everywhere, basically. Their magic works in a similar-ish way to Ciphers, albeit focused on the latent soul energy in the environment, rather than on current, living essence. It's described as a recitation. All of these events have happened before, in history or legend, the Chanter is just recreating them in his or her own image. I could see the potential for this working really well as well, simply because the Chanter has quite a few spells that affect targets' Will (Like Charms, or Paralysis), but as an overall package, it's less appealing than the Cipher. I'd be interested to hear your further thoughts on it, though.

 

Ultimately, I'm /leaning/ toward the Cipher for being more of an overall package that's appropriate to what I want to do, but I acknowledge the Chanter as a solid choice as well. Gameplay-wise, both seem like they could be a ton of fun. 

 

 

[handsomenat]

Well in other thread on Atsura, Incendax noted that there are two ciphers in Atsura's office and proposed that they might be feeding him intel telepathically. So yeah, RDC definitely employs ciphers and I can totally see a cipher working as a spy for Rauatai. Also Rauatai is against mining luminous adra, but who's to say what their overall stance on animancy as a whole is. Cautious, for sure, but stuff like mind-reading? Can't say for sure.

 

Also in my experience Ciphers had less unique dialogue in PoE2. A good chunk of those unique dialogue options were in scripted events, e.g. when you encounter a large sea creature a cipher can scan its mind to see if they're sentient. That sort of thing. In PoE1 being a cipher felt almost... crucial in some quests.

 

Chanters are among Rauatai's elite force called Ruquapa, which consists also of barbarians and wizards. They're the vanguard. Lore College has a big cultural significance too. Not sure if that's what you were pointing to in your post? Anyway on a surface level chanters from Rauatai don't seem to be trained for subtle tasks like diversion? Ofc with roleplay you can play against the type etc. and it shouldn't restrict your choices.

 

Personally I'm biased towards playing as a cipher, simply because it felt so rewarding in PoE1. One of my newer Watchers in Deadfire is a multiclass chanter but I'm not that far into game and haven't formed an opinion yet.