Ple-Sen
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Okay, I’ll write my analysis of the convictions now.
Mana
A good choice for support characters. The bonuses to attributes are mainly of a social and defensive nature, while the abilities are focused on healing and protecting allies. The unique ability for non-lethal damage is interesting, but it’s hard to say how often it will actually be used. Nevertheless, there are no particularly serious obstacles to creating a combat character with this conviction – it all comes down to a -3 penalty to attack, which is not so difficult to compensate for with the chosen origin or weapon specialization. A possible problem is that a third of the available origins also give a penalty to this parameter, so the choice for combat characters is not so great. The only alternative is to take a Lily and rely on magic arrows, which is not a bad option.
Dante
Not the most interesting conviction in terms of bonuses, but one of the strongest and most versatile. Without any additional investment, the character will have a +20-40% bonus to experience gained at the start, which can be increased by another 2-4% by choosing the appropriate weapon specializations. The passives also look quite useful, especially considering their cost. Some may object to the situational nature of the damage bonus, but in the context of the current setting, it will almost certainly be useful.
Abelia
Here, the features become situational and ambiguous. It is difficult to call the first free passive unambiguously useful, and its penalties even on paper are equivalent to minuses. But I would say that +30% to damage received is definitely not worth +30% to damage dealt, while the defensive alternative would be more useful for a support character. And the key word here is "would be," since the most useful abilities for support characters went to other convictions. Of the paid abilities, only the ability to gain information seems interesting to me, since antimagic is too expensive and situational (but it may be useful in the right situation), and resurrection does not seem like something that players (even those willing to become skeletons) will use. Unless the ability to use it on themselves, in case the character is in danger of death, makes it a little more useful. But in general, from a gameplay point of view, this conviction is more suitable for some kind of Karinez, who is blown away by the slightest breeze, or someone who has increased their speed to 20+. And for me personally, such an opportunity to break the initiative system does not make this conviction more attractive.
Risha
A conviction that, as I understand it, is associated with certain risks, but also offers significant bonuses for it. The events alone are worth a lot, but along with them comes access to magic and a couple of quite useful, albeit expensive, abilities. But the high cost of abilities should not be a big problem when you have twice as many event points as other players.
Superbia
Another flexible and quite strong conviction, although perhaps not as strong or versatile as Dante. No penalties to attributes, while the bonuses are useful for mages, warriors, and even bards. Singing is a useful option for a non-combat character, although not the most interesting from a gameplay point of view. Blocking is always a useful ability, albeit situational. And you don’t even need to talk about the items in Revan’s expeditions.
Avaritia
A good choice for a merchant, but for someone else, the choice is quite average. The bonus to speed is definitely useful, as is the starting capital in Revan’s games, but these are the only bonuses for non-merchants. But it’s still more useful than Abelia, in my opinion.
Gula
A potentially strong conviction with a good set of passives, but the start with it promises to be difficult. First, without a bonus to speed from the origin, the character will act rarely. Secondly, -1 to movement is very noticeable for melee characters, especially those who have chosen specializations that do not allow this disadvantage to be compensated. +90 HP is, of course, good, technically even equivalent to 9 attribute points, but not when you have nothing but health and you are slow, and your penalties are equivalent to -7 attribute points. If you don’t want to play a ranged character or use a melee weapon with a bonus to OD (Roman sword, saber, dagger, and in a very, very distant perspective, an axe), then I would choose something else.
Invidia
In my opinion, a mediocre conviction. Perhaps even one of the weaker ones, especially if the character already has access to magic. And one of the few that can break the game balance only by pure chance. +500 experience is essentially equivalent to +5 to the attributes of other convictions, just with a greater degree of control. Potentially, they can be turned into +15 attribute points, but these attributes will be random, and the chances of this are extremely small. Access to magic is potentially useful, but it is difficult to assess its exact usefulness at the moment. The paid abilities include both a useful combat option for warriors (although a small chance of a critical hit looks a bit strange), potentially allowing you to kite the enemy or counter archers/flyers, and a number of useful non-combat (or not directly combat) options.
Ira
If you want to create your own Tsukiko, get controlled by a mage/succubus, and cause a party wipe, then this is a very strong choice. There is less randomness with the attributes (which will not allow you to pass into the city), and there are good combat bonuses, but the main advantage of the branch, in my opinion, is the halved damage from ranged attacks. Perhaps one of the strongest passives tied to a conviction. The chance of a critical hit is not very interesting, but it is cheaper and better than alternatives from weapon specializations. Duelist is situational, but we all know that Revan has quests for duelists in almost every game.
Luxuria
One of the strongest convictions for a melee warrior. Seriously. Considering the passives, only the bonus to charisma can be characterized as something of dubious use. Gaze is a cheaper and, outside of encounters with archers, a stronger alternative to Risha’s Delusion. Allure is potentially massive (but on average +4-9, depending on the origin) bonuses to dodge and accuracy, which will not work only against Mage Guild characters. In a duel between Ira’s terminator and a Luxuria character, I would bet on the latter.
Tristitia
Something like Abelia, but without the two-sided passive, with a slightly weaker dispel (the rest of the abilities are identical, Revan?), and more useful in combat (or after combat) options. I can’t say that I’m particularly impressed with this conviction, since the bonus to speed looks thematically strange (I would rather expect bonuses to will or charisma, even stranger than El-Isin, who has no bonus to charisma), not to mention the potential watermelons.
Mana
A good choice for support characters. The bonuses to attributes are mainly of a social and defensive nature, while the abilities are focused on healing and protecting allies. The unique ability for non-lethal damage is interesting, but it’s hard to say how often it will actually be used. Nevertheless, there are no particularly serious obstacles to creating a combat character with this conviction – it all comes down to a -3 penalty to attack, which is not so difficult to compensate for with the chosen origin or weapon specialization. A possible problem is that a third of the available origins also give a penalty to this parameter, so the choice for combat characters is not so great. The only alternative is to take a Lily and rely on magic arrows, which is not a bad option.
Dante
Not the most interesting conviction in terms of bonuses, but one of the strongest and most versatile. Without any additional investment, the character will have a +20-40% bonus to experience gained at the start, which can be increased by another 2-4% by choosing the appropriate weapon specializations. The passives also look quite useful, especially considering their cost. Some may object to the situational nature of the damage bonus, but in the context of the current setting, it will almost certainly be useful.
Abelia
Here, the features become situational and ambiguous. It is difficult to call the first free passive unambiguously useful, and its penalties even on paper are equivalent to minuses. But I would say that +30% to damage received is definitely not worth +30% to damage dealt, while the defensive alternative would be more useful for a support character. And the key word here is "would be," since the most useful abilities for support characters went to other convictions. Of the paid abilities, only the ability to gain information seems interesting to me, since antimagic is too expensive and situational (but it may be useful in the right situation), and resurrection does not seem like something that players (even those willing to become skeletons) will use. Unless the ability to use it on themselves, in case the character is in danger of death, makes it a little more useful. But in general, from a gameplay point of view, this conviction is more suitable for some kind of Karinez, who is blown away by the slightest breeze, or someone who has increased their speed to 20+. And for me personally, such an opportunity to break the initiative system does not make this conviction more attractive.
Risha
A conviction that, as I understand it, is associated with certain risks, but also offers significant bonuses for it. The events alone are worth a lot, but along with them comes access to magic and a couple of quite useful, albeit expensive, abilities. But the high cost of abilities should not be a big problem when you have twice as many event points as other players.
Superbia
Another flexible and quite strong conviction, although perhaps not as strong or versatile as Dante. No penalties to attributes, while the bonuses are useful for mages, warriors, and even bards. Singing is a useful option for a non-combat character, although not the most interesting from a gameplay point of view. Blocking is always a useful ability, albeit situational. And you don’t even need to talk about the items in Revan’s expeditions.
Avaritia
A good choice for a merchant, but for someone else, the choice is quite average. The bonus to speed is definitely useful, as is the starting capital in Revan’s games, but these are the only bonuses for non-merchants. But it’s still more useful than Abelia, in my opinion.
Gula
A potentially strong conviction with a good set of passives, but the start with it promises to be difficult. First, without a bonus to speed from the origin, the character will act rarely. Secondly, -1 to movement is very noticeable for melee characters, especially those who have chosen specializations that do not allow this disadvantage to be compensated. +90 HP is, of course, good, technically even equivalent to 9 attribute points, but not when you have nothing but health and you are slow, and your penalties are equivalent to -7 attribute points. If you don’t want to play a ranged character or use a melee weapon with a bonus to OD (Roman sword, saber, dagger, and in a very, very distant perspective, an axe), then I would choose something else.
Invidia
In my opinion, a mediocre conviction. Perhaps even one of the weaker ones, especially if the character already has access to magic. And one of the few that can break the game balance only by pure chance. +500 experience is essentially equivalent to +5 to the attributes of other convictions, just with a greater degree of control. Potentially, they can be turned into +15 attribute points, but these attributes will be random, and the chances of this are extremely small. Access to magic is potentially useful, but it is difficult to assess its exact usefulness at the moment. The paid abilities include both a useful combat option for warriors (although a small chance of a critical hit looks a bit strange), potentially allowing you to kite the enemy or counter archers/flyers, and a number of useful non-combat (or not directly combat) options.
Ira
If you want to create your own Tsukiko, get controlled by a mage/succubus, and cause a party wipe, then this is a very strong choice. There is less randomness with the attributes (which will not allow you to pass into the city), and there are good combat bonuses, but the main advantage of the branch, in my opinion, is the halved damage from ranged attacks. Perhaps one of the strongest passives tied to a conviction. The chance of a critical hit is not very interesting, but it is cheaper and better than alternatives from weapon specializations. Duelist is situational, but we all know that Revan has quests for duelists in almost every game.
Luxuria
One of the strongest convictions for a melee warrior. Seriously. Considering the passives, only the bonus to charisma can be characterized as something of dubious use. Gaze is a cheaper and, outside of encounters with archers, a stronger alternative to Risha’s Delusion. Allure is potentially massive (but on average +4-9, depending on the origin) bonuses to dodge and accuracy, which will not work only against Mage Guild characters. In a duel between Ira’s terminator and a Luxuria character, I would bet on the latter.
Tristitia
Something like Abelia, but without the two-sided passive, with a slightly weaker dispel (the rest of the abilities are identical, Revan?), and more useful in combat (or after combat) options. I can’t say that I’m particularly impressed with this conviction, since the bonus to speed looks thematically strange (I would rather expect bonuses to will or charisma, even stranger than El-Isin, who has no bonus to charisma), not to mention the potential watermelons.