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Pretty self-explanatory, the feat sometimes decides not to work. When I say spring attack, it is really in the sense of getting in and out of combat without triggering attacks of opportunity. At first, I thought it was only a specific monster in a specific quest, but now it can be at any moment, with anything. Below are several instances of it, it occurs 2-3 times per fight when it happens (once or twice per week)




Thanks for looking on the matter.

WHO : The clerics and same deity characters .

WHAT: Clerical zone buffs are improved. Bless and prayer give +2  to rolls instead of +1 to the faithful of the same deity, for example.

WHY: Gives a mechanical incentive to have  several characters share the same faith. The same way nonhumans get a bonus from racial domain turn undead abilities, but have  it act as a faith unifier instead of race.

[Screenshots]

Bio : Desir was raised in the temple of the Radiant Hope, a small and discreet temple in the Peerage Ward, devoted to Yeman. She has nearly no memories of her parents, and her childhood was one of strict discipline and harsh labour. She is focused on the duty for which she was raised ; Help protect the Peerage, either from outward menaces, or cleanse the impurities coming from within.

End of the run, my friends.

Above was the core concept of the character. The idea was to play a strong-willed, uncompromising devout of faith ready to make the direst actions for her cause. (No "start a cult" plan there, just use faith as a backing dogma for her vision) As irony would have it, she has been pitted several times against odds she couldn't do much against as a very « knightly, physical » type of character. (scheming, being outlawed) It was my first character here, and my first cleric EVER, so there was a lot to learn. Several mechanical mistakes hindered her, but mistakes are part of wisdom and experience. I definitely had my share of fun moments though. While a part of me would really like to conclude the story, I have to admit that playing her feels like a dried up concept. Playing a character for so long also makes it a bit tougher to retire her, but when the spontaneity is no longer there...

I have plenty of screenshots that will narrate her story way better than words. Get ready for a shot of nostalgia, because you will see many of your previous characters, there.

Thanks to everybody who offered me the opportunity to develop Desir's personality through interactions. Special thanks to Glyph (Bad Tom), ElegantNoble (Ruth Frost) Electrohydra (Victoria Skybloom and Katarina) and the patriots players for being key figures in the priestess' story. There are many others I could name, but I just can't remember right now every great roleplay I've had in those nearly six months. If you had a good moment with Desir, then I much probably had too, and can think of yourself included.

Screenshots

Beginnings
[hide]Very first hour in-game as a player/character/NWN Enhanced edition.
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Venturing out with a glittman next session.
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At the beginning, she nearly joined Sunpurse in an attempt to "keep an eye on them".
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Some of her first tastes of the outside world after leaving the temple where she was raised.
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Discussing with Sunpurse and Orzan retainers. On good terms at the beginning, they would become her enemies over time, through various events. (Except Ruth Frost, which was a good friend, even though their respective allegeance and friendships would put them in an odd position.)
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Skybloom Era
[hide]Secret discussion with Victoria Skybloom and Aileen Ladershorf, fellow companion of the tournament.


House Skybloom and House Glitt working together. Desir has always been on excellent terms with them.


A tournament duel


Events led Skybloom to collaborate with Velstra. They turned out to be more than the pompous bourgeoisie Desir believed them to be.




The demise of her Lady against the champion of the Nothing, in a tournament duel.


The tournament finale. Nephezar against the Nothing. It had a special meaning for Desir. But what would come after wouldn't help her either...

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Interlude
[hide]Spiritual guidance offered to several characters who came to her. (I can't find the other ones screenshots...)
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She nearly became a frontier cleric in Auld Findlay's Glen. Etzio's retirement stopped the endeavours quickly, but it was a great tour of Ring 94.
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Oh...
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Patriots Era
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Discussing faith with a disciple of Sa'i.
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Finale
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Her warmace.
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Epilogue
[hide]The time outside the temple changed Desir radically. While she is still a loyal and strong-headed woman, her temper and zealous nature were softened. With the initial intent to keep an eye on the major houses in the Ward through friendships, her goal then shifted to the house of Skybloom, which she saw as an ideal path to apply the ideals of Yeman. The death of her lady and the rise of Nephezar's fanaticism after the Banner Tournament saw her forced to exile herself to Ticker Square, where she joined forces with Tickertowne's Patriots. There, she learned to know and trust the nonhumans races, from which she had very few contact in the Ward, even less during her time in yemani temples.

After the Patriots slowly faded away from existence after the demise of their leader, the remaining members of the group didn't stay for long in their Tickertowne, for an ultimate clash between the Nephezarite bannerhouse and Tcharmorrar, the dragon ruling the town, led to the surroundings' destruction. Including House Nephezar, and sealing the Solar Shrine.

...And everything was back to normal. The priestess was once more allowed to walk in the Peerage Ward without fear of persecution, but her home temple has been closed in the meanwhile, just as the path to the main place of worship for the Sun Church has been. What now? Should she lead the same fight as she did before? It did not has the same ring in her mind.

Even though she had made vows, she strangely felt free with the absence of the Radiant Hope Temple. She did choose to pick up their mantle, taking care of the homeless orphans...though it was done her way...

*   *   *

Children galore in this « New Tickertowne ». From nonhumans and refugees from what used to be Ticker Square. Rumours has it that a Yemani has taken up residence there : Spreading the teachings of the Burning Lord to those who wishes to hear them, healing them, and showing self-defense techniques. The woman in question, while giving a first impression of sterness, reveals a teasing and cheerful mood afterwards. She wears a simple robe, and teasefully says she used to wear when she was « outlawed ». The children likes it when she tells stories of battles and adventure, a time before she sold most of her possessions to help shelter the refugees (...says the woman), and for what was deemed too dangerous to be shared with the city, was left to drift away in the Waters. Even a dragon eye, which was a gift from a man, a ringrunner, a life path quite different from her own, she « liked » a lot...

Among her belongings, a brass warmace with a mantra engraved « shall not escape his glorious warmth », and a piece of cloth tied to it. She's been told once it resembles the banner of House Skybloom, but the woman pretends she simply likes the bright colours. From time to time, a halfling with a tophat pays her a visit in New Tickertowne, teasefully calling her « Daisy »...[/hide]


For the finale, a song I've been sent once when Desir was nicknamed « Daisy ».
Thanks guys.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmiNlZAiDqo

My intent with this is clearly not compete with EFU. Sometimes we're in situations when we can't afford to spend time to play on the server, and in other situations, we find the creativity well has dried out and either need a break or find another one to inspire ourselves.  What I offer here is\are single-player game(s) that need very little playtime to achieve something, and at the same time offer alternative sources of inspiration for concepts. Or just satisfy your imagination.

You are welcome to post your little gems for fellow players.


Sunless Sea

From Failbetter games, which created similar games like Fallen London (web-browser game) and Sunless Skies, Sunless Sea is a rogue-like game that puts you in the shoes of a « zee captain ». It happens in the victorian era, and London has mysteriously been transported to an underground sea, (the Zee) where a Terra Incognita awaits there to be explored. It is an incredibly rich game world based on years of lore development from Fallen London, features a permadeath system (optional) with an emphasis on trials and errors, audacity and exploration in a victorian horror setting. Each time you die, (and it'll happen) part of your ressources and stats will be transferred to the next captain, depending on what you've chosen\unlocked during last game.

You have to manage supplies, fuels and morale on your ship. You'll recruit officers that gives stat boosts, offer personal storylines and possibly quests to follow. The main focus, however, is the stories that are delivered through time. This is a slow-paced game, and should be enjoyed for its atmosphere, not for performance. You gain experience (fragments) by discovering new things, and get stat points (secrets) by amassing enough of them. You have five stats; Iron, Mirrors, Veils, Pages, Hearts.

Irons : Represents your tactical abilities and knowledge, both on sea and in-land.
Mirrors : Your capacity of observation, and discernment. Allows your ship to shoots faster.
Veils : Discretion and smuggling. Makes your ship go faster, and remain undetected on sea.
Pages : How knowledgeable you are. Amass more fragments with each new discovery.
Hearts : Passion, charisma and your capacity to reason others. Helpful for mutiny.

Each stat is very useful, depending on what you're aiming for, and used regularly.

Personal experience

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Captain Jamieson

My actual character was a street-urchin. Doing thefts here and there in a gang, he became a zee-captain instead of delving deeper into crime. Exploring the different islands of he uncharted territories, he drew the attention of London's fleet admiral, to whom he sells reports of the places he visits. One day, during a conversation, a snippet of information was said, didn't fell on a deaf ear, and cpt. Jamieson found a secret collaborator, to whom he now sells a part of his informations, making more money, but working with dangerous allies, like the Dawn Machine, that frightens people with an artificial sun. Smuggling boxes of sunlight and red honey wine (made of people's memories), gathering tales of terror and of moves in the Great Game (forms of currency), he is also developing a spy network in a distant port, and whether he does so for Her Majesty or his own interests is up to him alone. Some of his companions on his ship are a tireless engineer who never sleeps, a mushroom-man that serves as a mascot, and a nearly faceless, bandaged cook. Each has their own tale to tell.
Apart from this, and the personal stories of his comrades, the ultimate goal of Captain Jamieson is to find what happened to his father, lost at the zee.

Everything I've told in my personal experience is something that happened in-game. As you can see, it can be easy to be inspired from the wild creativity that galores from the game. I probably mentionned the most light stuff, not to spoil too much.[/hide]

There is also an add-on zubmarine, that offers similar quality stories, like exploring, among others, a sunken cathedral, a city built inside a sea monster, and hunting monsters of the abyss.

The game graphics are to be considered light by today standards, but they are pretty nonetheless, and accompany nicely a vivid imagination that will give birth to whatever wild narrative you're to find in-game. The soundtrack is also great, and really puts you in the mood when you're far from London, low on fuel, morale, and never knows when a sea creature is going to spot you...but the worst (or best?) is if the next discovery is going to save you or end you.

Here are a few screenshots :

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Can be bought there (Christmas soon. Expect a sale!)
https://www.gog.com/game/sunless_sea
https://store.steampowered.com/app/304650/SUNLESS_SEA/

How much interested are you in religious characters?

This is something I've been wondering, and while I can guess a few things from my personal observations and experiences, by taking the time to truly ask the question and ponder, I'll learn much more.

Two things to clarify, first.
(1) This has nothing to do with my unsuccessful attempt to raise a yemanite cult. This is not something that caught the interest of players, and it's fine like that. I won't be angry after someone because he doesn't has the same tastes in roleplay as me...!
(2) This has nothing to do with House Nephezar, or the Lord Departed. I have no hard feelings against their current dominance IG, and a religion backed by a noble house is a totally different matter.

No, I'm asking because religions are scarcely represented IG. Now, we cannot say that half the server play clerics, of course. Not even 1/10. They are very few, and I don't have anything against that. However, I get the impression that the setting seem to be mostly atheist. You rarely see anyone make any reference to any deity, and a lot of characters are ignorant of which deity represents what. And we're not talking about those who literally know nothing about gods. Also, representations of various clergies are quite uncommon : I'd say it mostly gravitates towards either the eight-faced god, or the sun gods. Most others are a rare sight.

Now, people could tell me how it goes in waves, and it wasn't always like that...I'm aware of that, I've owned this game for nearly 20 years. I haven't played it all the time, but enough to see how things go. No, I'd like to know right now, how people feel about the various faiths :
-Do they have some sort of indifference towards them?
-Do they feel religious types are restricting for them? Like a suffocating kind of roleplay?
-Do they feel lost in the wide possibilities in front of them, and rather not get involved?
-Does the fact that there's so much territory to improvise on questions of dogma, an obstacle? (It is either a blessing or a curse, it is just a matter of preference)

And many other possibilities. I just want to have a little chat from players behind their characters, and generally, how they feel about this.

Personally, I believe, and feel like there is an incredible potential with religions. It is not only a matter of belief, but there's a whole cultural aspect behind it. As a roleplaying perspective, this is something that naturally adds -a lot- to any character, if you carefully take time to consider how to integrate this into them. As someone who has travelled IRL and like foreign cultures, religion and culture are closely linked together, and it is an easy way to learn more about a people. So, IG, an easy, yet rich way to create variety and nuances between characters.

The fact that EFU faiths are so briefly described gives it a unique twist : You have to give your own interpretation of it. Because, let's face it, you won't have the same depth of roleplay if you just keep it to two lines. I know what I'm talking about, I've roleplayed one for two months, and now that I have a lot of lore to base myself upon (Reshagan), I feel like what I have to offer with my character has improved -so, much-. You make some points clear, and no longer risk to drift away, or be vague on them. Improvisation is just what it is, it gives something different each time. Also, by writing it down, you no longer have to concentrate to remember it, so you can just use that energy to build something else.

So, I'm curious : It is a general matter of taste from players? Apprehensiveness? Lack of information? Tell me more, all of this is simply a desire to know the community better.

[Resurgence of the Yemanis]

Resurgence of the Yemanis

Convergence of recent efforts to increase the yemanite faith popularity, and House Nephezar's newfound hostility towards different cults of the city, led many devotees of the faith to make their voice heard, and stand together against the coming threat. Whether they are disciples coming from the Shrine Solar, or newly-converted people finding solace and courage in the Burning Lord's teachings during these oppressive times, they all share a common ideology : Stand tall and together against adversity. Aim always higher, do not satisfy yourself with the average. Be bold, be brave, be noble. Yeman's way.


Caracteristics
-Represent one of the oppressed faiths by the Nephezarites
-May still join a faction, but you will have a strong background in a lively religious community
-Play a religious character with mysticism tendencies, rather than the traditional religious portrayal
-Benefit from ever-increasing lore, DM approved, with material like :
*Tenets
*Practices
*Stories and legends

The Reshagan - https://www.efupw.com/forums/index.php?topic=700090.msg728663#new


Races : Predominantly human, any
Classes : Any
Alignment : Lawful-only.


Characters ideas

-A sorcerer who wishes to discipline himself through the teachings of Yeman
-A weapon master training in a monastery
-A monk, master in the application of the dance of Teshala (Custom lore)
-A citizen who's fed up with the hypocrisy and corruption of the higher organizations.
-A bastard child sent to the church, raised to live and fight for the glory of the Burning Lord.
-An adventurer, pursuer of holy relics for the church
-A bard who wishes to explore the mythos of Yeman
-A bounty hunter, who tracks down criminals
-Any cool/relevant idea you can come up with!
-...and warpriestesses, of course ;)

__________________________

Contact me on Discord (Jubek – Desir) if you're interested to either play a yemani, or someone who wishes to convert to the faith.

For those who like to customize messages, letters and journals.

https://www.1001freefonts.com/handwriting-fonts.php


Steps
1 - Download the font, and install it by right-clicking on the file and selecting "install font".
2 - Write your message on the forum, and select a random font. Ex. [ font=courier] [/font]
3 - Change the font's name to the one you've just downloaded. You can copy-paste its name in Word/LibreOffice or any other similar program.
Ex: [ font=Civitype FG][ /font]
(Remove the spaces I have put in the examples. I was only so the command doesn't work ,and you can see it.)

An elf, part merchant, part vagrant, observes a duel from a distance.

On Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/448419806
File online - https://ufile.io/9pq2tybw
(The nice updated version with an EFU intro that couldn't fit into Vimeo 500mb restriction)


I recorded and edited the whole scene. I cut the silences and replaced the audio after the fight with the Peerage atmosphere. It gives the illusion that I'm lagging instead of a video montage, (or else too many fade-in\fade-out, like 30) but you don't notice it too much if you're focused on this story's main characters. PCs saying one line after the other with nearly no pause makes the scene quite cinematic, in my opinion.
You may also oddly see someone mentioning a spotted elf around. Nobody really paid attention to this (You don't kill the cameraman) but I cut that moment, since it's a two minutes that doesn't add to the event.


Being an event without DM supervision and having the approval of both participants involved in the duel, I was told it would be fine for me to post this. Please just delete and let me know if it isn't the case.