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Waah, we wanna be like the Conclave!

Just kidding. Actually, we don't get any faction equipment at all, so we dye our own gear. The means of doing so, unfortunately, only works on armor, not cloaks and helmets.

Can the dying machine be made to work for these items too, or can you just toss a few appropriate dye colors in a secret location for us to access? Particularly, the location that is already there, conveniently placed with the dying machine!

Thanks!

[may]

This may be working as intended, but an item that allows the character 3 charges of "summon earth elemental" does not work because it considers it just like a Summon Creature spell. Since my character is not a caster of any sort, he has 0 summoning points and "lost control", instantly removing any summoned earth elementals and making the item entirely ineffective for this purpose.

There do not appear to be any Beggar Children in the Docks! It would be appropriate and convenient if several were added.

I've had an extraordinary amount of time on my hands as of late and I've been spending it all the wrong ways. After discussing it with some folks in IRC, I downloaded Darkfall about 5 days ago to give it a shot out of a raging case of "oh, what the fuck."

If you want the short of it, here goes: Meh, this game had cool potential but fell flat virtually everywhere. My one positive gem? I didn't HATE HATE HATE harvesting shit. Weird, right? That should say something.

The long of it:

My MMO experience is somewhat limited. I played Everquest for a year or two, DAoC for a year or two, Planetside for a year (if that even counts) and I took a few months to skim into SWG back in its first year or two. Ever since these games (circa 2004) I haven't looked back to the MMO market. Plus, I had CoA and then EfU since 2005.

Anyways, Darkfall definitely piqued my interest when I started following it in early 2008 (2009?). Eventually, I got busy and just forgot about it. For those who don't know it, here are a few neat features:

-Skillgain based on use!
-You can PvP ANYWHERE! With FULL loot, all the time (banks for security)!
-The world is inhabited by waaay more players than NPCs. NPCs play a minor role.
-Your character can do ANYTHING he wants!
-Clans can claim territory and defend it!
-Skill based combat!

Sounds cool right? Except, as I said, everything fell flat.

-The skillgain is an obnoxious grind to the caps so you can optimize for PvP (the only thing to do, really...). And everyone can do literally everything-- so everyone who's played for 4-6 months is a melee-archer-mage (see below) because there is NO skill cap at all. Lame.
-You can BE PvP'd anywhere. At lowbie levels with jack shit, I was PK'd twice in 4 hours of playing. Why? For a meager amount of gold... and because the high end players that did it had shit else to do, apparently.
-The world usually felt extremely empty. You'd see 5-10 NPCs in a town that should have 30 people. You'd see about 5 PCs in the town over an hour on average. Also, there's very little incentive for teamwork in non PvP. You just get half of the shit you'd normally get... why bother?
-"Doing anything you want" consists of finding a mob spawn to camp for hours and hours, grinding up magic, archery, and melee... because you want to be on par with everyone else, who also does everything with no specialization. Why be a wizard? You're just at a disadvantage against the melee-archer-mage. Oh, yes, and if not combat, you can harvest shit (while reading a book IRL, in my case).
-Now, I never participated in these big battles. I tried to join a Clan, but it hasn't panned out yet. Regardless, as I understand it the positives for taking territory isn't all that positive, at least not for how much input is required.
-Skill based combat... it's alright. If you've ever played Mount and Blade, it won't impress you. If you haven't it might be more amusing. Melee is a spam fest, ranged and magic takes you to 1st person, and requires more finesse.

Anyways, that's my summary so far. There are positives, but it seems like they're just marred by various flaws that cripple the experience to me. If you don't mind dedicating several months to grinding so you can PvP like a pro, then you'll probably enjoy this game.

As for me, I'll stick with good ole EfU and my other recent side-games, Global Agenda (sooo much fun! Reminds me of Planetside...) and M&B:Warband - cRPG mod/Strategus.

[Story-driven Persistent World]

Howdy.

First, know, this is just a pipe dream idea. Even my wildest illusions of grandeur haven't tricked me into thinking this is anything better than an amusing creativity exercise. That being said, I've been working on this concept for quite some time now. NOTE: I'm not bringing this up here for people to argue if this is possible or not. I don't care, that's not the point. Arguing about what could make this idea even better, however, is very welcome indeed!

As we all know, there's nothing quite like EfU. It has been the foremost inspiration to this idea- a persistent world where stories are told, what happens is done (or sometimes undone!) and player actions have massive impacts on the ever-turning wheel of the plot.

That being said, EfU has limitations. The foremost among these is the game, Neverwinter Nights itself, and therein lies why I began thinking about this (as I'm sure many of you have as well) issue.

Here are some of the many game titles that were an inspiration in one form or another:

EfU
Fallout Series
TES:Morrowind
Minecraft
Dwarf Fortress
Assassin's Creed
Planetside (Pre-Mech era)
CoD:WoW Nazi Zombies!
Global Agenda
Mount and Blade series (and mods)
BioShock


Anyways, that's enough of an introduction to let you know where I'm heading with this. So let's move on to the game!

----------+----------

The Game has the following characteristics, explained below:

-Story-driven Persistent World
-Massive Sandbox Elements
-Major Survival Elements, with a special emphasis on Horror
-Player skill-based combat (as opposed to character skill)
-Justice System
-Abstract but objective non-religious ethics, individualized and self-generated "personal code"
-Open, Free and consequential PvP; Progressive "Permadeath"
-Relatively small character growth with accomplishment/social growth reaping greater rewards
-Timeframe/Period Elapsement with Genetic Influence
-Various period means of travel; canoe in stoneage, helicopter in modern, jetpack in futuristic?
-Low Magic to No Magic, Voodoo/Witchcraft theme


Story-driven Persistent World

EfU'ers know what this means! The story will drive the world, and anything is theoretically possible with enough input on the part of the playerbase. A notable NPC character killed may have massive consequences, for better or for worse, on the story/world. Assassinate the mayor and the city may crumble to poverty and crime... or perhaps an even greater man will take his place and lead it to greatness. Although this will be explained more later on, not only will this have immediate effects, but the game traverses between significant time periods in the game world so what benefits the present period may have devastating consequences for future generations.

Massive Sandbox Elements

Virtually everything can be customized within reasonable templates, at anywhere, at any time. Yet that which goes up must come down; that what is built can be destroyed.

If you build a storage shed with a lock far hidden in the mountain to hide stolen goods, it will be there tomorrow... unless someone decides to burn it down. The same thing with cities, houses, lighthouses, ships, wagons, walls, even shrubbery. With enough player effort and teamwork, any number of wonderful things can be built.*

There will be some preventative measures that can be taken to prevent things from wanton destruction (more in the PvP section) and griefing (destruction for destruction's sake), of course, from hiring guards to OOC protections for OOC reasons. Admins will be particularly focused on this aspect of the game. If players think it up, it can be done (or undone).

*As time goes on and the industrial era and beyond comes around, the emphasis will move away from player crafting and towards player item design with machines/NPCs doing the work. Players will still have to find a way to acquire resources, however. In terms of weapons, think about it this way- swords are all relatively similar, while modern firearms are much more customizable.

Major Survival Elements, with a special emphasis on Horror

Building castles and creating neat stories is all well and good, but what's the point if the land is just bunnies and snowflakes?

The Game's world will be beset by an awful, utterly inhumane and horrible foe that (apparently) seeks nothing but the destruction of all things human. And unfortunately for the humans, these nasty creatures have enveloped most of the world. It's the players' job to take it back, and gain the resource rich land to further develop and fight back against the menacing legions of evil.

The Game takes place during several periods, during which characters are the "great men" of history who do noble or ignoble deeds to survive this threat and save humanity.

Every game era will end at a loosely preset time during which massive conflicts will occur, the outcome of which will shape the future eras. In the final era, the players will be able to reach a conclusion to this saga with outcomes varying widely based upon both history and, most importantly, outcomes of the final conflicts in the last days. The world of men could die in a flash of flame and blood, or it could survive this ancient threat and move towards peaceful days with a flourishing world... or something in between.

Player skill-based combat (as opposed to character skill)

Most of my inspiration for this is taken from Mount&Blade: Warband as well as all FPS shooters. I've seen it work and it's awesome!

Characters will certainly develop over time as they become stronger and/or faster but the biggest factor in combat will be player skill. With things like directional attacks, directional blocking, and player's choice weapon/combat strategy, combat will be about quick timing and decisions, not questions of who could grind the most mobs and get to the highest level. Arms and armor will be of widely differing importance in various periods, but skill will always matter.


Justice System

All actions will have consequences. Murder and thievery may be quick and easy ways to wealth, but they will never simply go unnoticed. Depending on when, where, and how often your character will be marked for his deeds- to his benefit or to his disadvantage! Some NPCs may not have anything to do with noble knights, and some may hold their noses high unless you are one. Whatever path you choose in life will change the story of the character.

However, paths always run two ways. The fallen can be redeemed and the righteous can tumble into depravity. But remember- what you do in your life will not only effect you, but your future generations! Additionally, characters can receive bounties on their heads after atrocious crimes. If caught, this may even be subtracted from rollover values between generations as the sons pay for the sins of the father.

There will NOT be significant periods of time where characters are "in jail", should that be part of a punishment. Jail will be reflected by character statistic drains or other such penalties.

Abstract but objective non-religious ethics, individualized and self-generated "personal code"

Ethics will play a major role in deciding the story's outcome just as much as the results! Fighting a battle and dying a noble death may yield better outcomes for future generations than lying, cheating, and stealing your way to victory. Or perhaps that victory was key to changing the course of history... you decide, based upon your character!

Characters do not start out as a naked nobody, either. Each must select a series of personal attributes, adhering to which will provide greater character advancement. Say, your character is greedy- he will receive some benefit for this vice. If you give money to some poor starving peasant, however, the character will receive a small penalty. Do this several times, and you'll find your character's attributes change, losing old benefits/penalties and acquiring new ones! So you CAN do anything you want with your character, but there are always costs.

This prevents the "convenience" of totally true do-as-you-please nonsense, where "noble knight" characters burn down a poor lowbie character's house because it got in his way. Again, he can still do it, but it'll come at a cost. This makes the story flow much better when there's at least a degree of predictability to characters and keeps people from always taking the mechanically optimal choice (burning down the peasant's house so you can walk that way faster, for example).

Religion will certainly play a part in the world, and characters may worship or ignore them as they wish. The divine may even play a role in the game (or seemingly so) from time to time. That being said, religion itself will also have its own internal issues for players to hash out as part of the story! Will the different religions compete, or get along? Will they develop into vaguely unified ideologies or a monolithic and uniform faith? Will they turn down the darker sides of faith, or remain a powerful force of good? Or will religion die out altogether? That is up for the players to decide as time goes on!

Open, Free and consequential PvP; Progressive "Permadeath"

You can attack anybody, anywhere, anytime. That will probably be pretty stupid, but it can be done. Defeat an enemy and you can take his belongings, too.

That being said, to permanently kill someone, you must reach a "breaking point" with another character. This point is reached by any number of ways: irreconcilable ideological differences, time "at war" with opponent faction, past exchanges with character or his/her property/allies/etc.

As a period nears the end and in the final days, the permadeath rule will be lifted. A method of returning to enjoy the last major conflicts will be added: playing as a family member, or some such. They may even be able to exact revenge on their brother's/sister's/whatever's murderer while they themselves merely being able to be incapacitated.

Relatively small character growth with accomplishment/social growth reaping greater rewards

Character growth will not be like most MMOs. There will be virtually no incentive to grind up combat skills, and most crafting skills can be acquired rather quickly by being taught by another PC by apprenticing. Of course, that will come at their own costs depending on the demands of your Master! Characters will develop far more dramatically through interacting with others, building strong factions who work together towards goals large and small. Development will be significant in their ability to accomplish.

They say that donkeys can pull a 1 ton wagon. But two donkeys can pull not a 2 ton wagon, but a 10 ton wagon. The same principle applies to actions in game, to appropriate degrees.

Eventually, history will be written at the end of the game time. Whose names are heralded as the greatest, worst, or of highest significance is a matter of accomplishment. Remember- player skill is more important than character skill, and Lady Luck always has a hand in the affair!


Timeframe/Period Elapsement with Genetic Influence

As you've certainly read by now, there will be major time period shifts as the game goes on. However, each time period won't mean (necessarily) creating a whole new character, as you will be able to influence the traits of your former period's character, and therefore his progeny. If your great, great, great grandfather was a famous horseman, you'll probably be good with riding a motorcycle or another similarly synergistic activity. You'll have higher dexterity and thus your driving is more responsive, but maybe lower strength.

Another thing to think about... the world changes. Fortunes are won and lost, but most of this carries over from period to period. Although there won't be any major shift in wealth/affluence in the time between the periods, it may not be "good to be the king" forever...


Various period means of travel; canoe in stoneage, helicopter in modern, jetpack in futuristic?

Going back a little more to the sandbox theme, the world will be a big, big place! You'll need a way to get around if you want to see it all (and beat back the evil, ravaging hordes... but you've still got to get there first). Each period will have their own technology that the players can take control of. Emphasis will go from land, to water, and then to the skies. You'll need ways to move NPCs and goods, too- always things to keep in mind.


Low Magic to No Magic, Voodoo/Witchcraft theme

At first, I wasn't sure if magic would play any part in the game at all. It will not play a significant or major role, and magic alone will be used solely as an enhancement tool to make things (and the story!) more interesting. Magic will never be permanent (no magic weapons or armor), and in later periods it may be totally gone (depending on the players, of course).

The magic that will exist will be extremely shamanistic- voodoo and witchcraft themed, all of which has been taken from the "enemy". This will, of course, raise questions of ethics! By and large, using magic will be a means of doing some odd or evil thing for fleeting power- greater strength, speed, sense enhancement, or even the power to scare off living creatures with unnatural, magical fear.

As always, choices have consequences. Use magic at your own risk!

Alright, alright! What periods are we talking about here, anyways?

Good question! There are many awesome times and places, but here are the six I have chosen. Feel free to suggested more, or tweaking.

Stone Age - Not so much a period, this is the starting era. It will have the least effect on the ultimate outcome of the story, but it certainly effects it! This period exists for characters to experiment with the world, learn its wonders, and begin telling their story in a very basic way. It's also an era meant to be a little goofier than the grim times. The enemy is there, but aren't much of a bother since resources are many and populations are smaller.

Game Notes: Emphasis on running away! Fighting in masses! Basic stone and wood are virtually your own useful materials.

Late Medieval - This is the era when shit gets real. The enemy has been around for several decades in suddenly, significantly greater force. Worst of all, over the past ten years the iron mines and uncleared forests have been overrun. The players must start fighting back, and amongst each other, to acquire the resources to prepare for the final days and survive the bloodshed to come.

Game Notes: Emphasis on brute strength combat and cavalry. Iron begins to play a defining role, but stone and wood remain important.

Renaissance - After the results of the Late Medieval period, the Renaissance has occurred out of either necessity from past failures or by the enlightenments of an era that is flourishing... either way, the enemy is already encroaching far into the frontier lands and may soon take over the heartlands if the players don't rekindle old alliances and fight for their future.

Game Notes: Emphasis on infantry, quicker combat, stone structures; cannons and first firearms introduced. Art and style are important! Ornate objects (buildings, items) add extra wealth to next generation, and are significantly greater accomplishments.

1880's - Technology travels ever onward, and firearms have had a major impact in the everlasting wars. Unfortunately, the enemy has been busy at work themselves and created their own foul styles of rifles and pistols. The cities are safe, but the frontier is a wild, wild place.

Game Notes: Cover begins taking significance. War has lost much of its "art", but the decisions of commanders mean even more in terms of life and death. Guns are virtually the only weapons on the battlefield, of all sizes, on foot or on horse. Metal and wood play the dominant role in material, but saltpeter and other rare resources are in even greater demand for gunpowder.

Modern - The modern era has come, and life is easier. Yet the threat of annihilation has become very, very real. Much of what was gained has been lost, and it's time for humanity's best to stand up to the challenge and fight back once more.

Game Notes: Set in modern times. Battles are quicker and deadlier, but there are wonderful new tools available to the cunning soldier. Guns are getting better everyday. Vehicles enter for the first time, and play an important role. Bear in mind, this "modern" period will not look too much like our own time, given the highly militaristic nature of human life by necessity for survival.

Futuristic - The end of days have come. Humankind, once a group of several hundred thousand individuals between different states, has become a homogenized political group... but only on the surface. Beneath it lies ancient hatreds and mistrusts, competing factions in a world that's up in flames.

Game notes: Roughly Star Wars kind of technology. No resource is in as high a demand as Quavidium, a rare and exotic resource in virtually all electronics and nanotechnologies. Unfortunately, there's only a handful of places to get it, and they're all in the heart of enemy territory. Daring, lightning-fast raids will need to be mounted against the eternal foe in order to acquire this precious material. Cloning technology means that no death is permanent!


Last Section: THE ENEMY

You tell me! What would be the coolest kind of enemy? Where do you draw your inspirations? Aliens, from the movies? Undead from DnD? Mutants from comic books?

The only thing I am certain of is that I want the enemy to develop over time just like humanity. Keep this in mind.

Final Notes

This is almost 10 pages long in Microsoft Word, 2917 words. I wrote it in about an hour.

Ideally, there would be several servers in different periods of the game, progressing at their own speeds towards radically different conclusions. Furthermore, each would be tweaked to be different from one another to see how that affects the outcome (think Vaults in Fallout!). Players and game admins would work together at the conclusion of each period to write a comprehensive story. Each server would host about 4000 players, one character each. It would be recommended that each player take a home server and focus on its story before creating alts.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/212754/community-advanced-dungeons-and-dragons

Great show, but a particularly special episode to this community. Enjoy.

Arcane Eye is a really awesome spell, but it's very frustrating that it cannot see in the dark unless the caster has low light or darkvision. This makes the spell equally useful for all races.

[or]

Pure rogues tend to have a tough time on EfU. They're decent at a great many things, but being only decent can often lead to great danger.

Perhaps a solution to this dilemma could be adding in perks that are only effective for pure rogue PCs and would be disabled should any other character class be taken. Here are some examples I've thought of.

Bear in mind, these may seem rather powerful boosts, but this is taking the place of a perk that makes other classes more powerful too and only works for a pure rogues. These should not be compared to other perks.

While discussing balance is important, I'd prefer that conversation first bring up pro/cons about this method of adding more power to the pure rogue class.

Espionage Expert
+4 Hide/MS, +2 Listen, +2 Spot and -1 AB

You're a finely tuned spy, but your concentration on digging for clues (or keeping others from doing so) has made you a less capable fighter when things turn sour.

Thug Life
+1 AB +4 HP

You're life has been rough, but you've managed to kick right back. Having to fight for your next meal has made you better at, well, fighting.

Treasure Hunter
+2 Search, +2 Spot, +2 Lore, +1 UMD

You've searched high and low for Faerun's greatest treasures. You're out to strike it rich, and you're certain that the motherload is just under the next rock, under the next X mark, or deep in the bowels of that ancient ruin. Your familiarity with the ancient artifacts has also made you more adept at using them.

Diplomatic Nature, Pathological Liar, or Intimidating Presence
+5 Persuade, -4 Intimidate or +5 Bluff -2 Pers. & -2 Intim. or +5 Intimidate -4 Pers.

You've got a special knack for getting your way in a deal and you work that to your advantage. Unfortunately, you're a one-trick pony.

EFUSL seems to be messed up. It will not load, although the server is up and everything else seems fine.

Warning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Lost connection to MySQL server at 'reading initial communication packet', system error: 110 in /home/efudms/escapefromunderdark.com/efusl/poc.php on line 25
Error connecting

Mmmmmh. Philosophy is wonderful, isn't it?

Let's end the year with a little thoughtful consideration of a recent point of disagreement. Mind you, there is no wrong answer, and this has been a question asked as far back as Plato (and the old thinker could have taken it from someone else himself).

"Perception is reality."

The immediate point to be made and considered is that if people can misperceive something, then their reality is skewed. A sensible response. That's a criticism of the term "perception", however, and the weakness of the human mind. It assumes a uniform reality that is perfect and under ideal conditions impossible to misperceive.

Unfortunately, I don't believe that is the case that any ideal world exists at all. I believe this because it is surprisingly easy to misperceive the world; we do so every day. One can merely glance into the world of politics and see that, how smart and rational people can look at the same situations (poverty, crime, war, economic instability) and come up with totally different solutions, both with facts to back them up.

But I think I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's step away from the phrase itself and take it into the very important question, raised by Plato himself.

What is more real, the chair, or the idea of chair?

The chair, essentially, constitutes reality. It exists, and is available to be perceived by anyone who sees it or wants to rest their legs and sit down. Without the existence of this object, of what purpose would the idea of it be? It would be a meaningless thought (the sort of which occupy my brain most of the time).

The idea of chair is perception. Because we can perceive the chair and comprehend what it is, the reality has meaning. Without the idea of chair, or chair-ness, the reality of the chair could not exist. It is only because it exists within our minds that we can see, understand, use, or even talk about this idea of chair.

As a side note, when I say chair, I think of a simple wooden chair with a spindly back. Other people may think of a fancy recliner, or a throne, or a stool. A peculiar point, worth its own discussion.

Back to the main question. What is more real, the chair, or the idea of chair?

Perhaps you could look at the invention of the very first chair to find an answer. Much like we may look at future technology, the first people must have looked at the chair and cursed the maker for wasting good firewood. It had no meaning to them, beyond that it was a strange wooden thing. But in the inventor's mind, it was something entirely different-- a tool for relaxing while keeping his fanny out of the mud. Eventually, the inventor must have explained the purpose to all his fellows, changing their perception and their realities. They no longer had to put their fannies in the mud. Hurrah!

So, what is more real? Chair, or the idea of chair?

Let's hear thoughts, questions, and opinions! There isn't a wrong answer, so go ahead and throw out what you think.

For further reading, check out Plato's Cave Allegory. Really fantastic stuff. I think it even comes in a youtube.com video these days.

Happy New Year!

Addendum: Just looked it up, the "idea" of something and its significance is called Plato's Theory of Forms. I had forgotten it's name.

I am not sure if this is even supposed to be functional yet, but when I cast the new spell "Alarm" on the "inkwell arcana" item, it provided me with a price. When I cast the spell on a blank scroll, it did not function and gave the typical error message.

[This character was created on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 08:45:11 PM.Since creation, this character has logged on and off 256 times.The character has spent 16 days, 12 hours, 54 minutes, and 50 seconds online.]

What an incredible story this has been. Thank you to all of the dozens, if not hundreds, of awesome characters that I've had the pleasure of interacting with on this long journey from a simple necromancer to an evil ideologue to a power-hungry yet desperate and dying old man.

I created a Raymon with the hope of making an evil character who was active and visible with fellow evil folks but without putting them at immediate risk (although I constantly pestered my fellow evil folks to come out of the closet, so to speak!), and with the Vaunted Disciples my core group achieved this awesome task. I never expected to expand this idea so profoundly with the curious test that became the Black Parish. Although I would not call it a full success, it was definitely fun and went much further than I ever thought it would. My last group, House Coolidge, I hope that I put you guys on an interesting path to conclude in a way you see fitting. To all three, again, I thank you all individually for uniquely changing Raymon into a deeper and more interesting character through our ample roleplayed relationships.

To the DMs that ran the various evil rituals for me, I thank you deeply. Those little experiences really helped to bring the different cabals of evil folks together. And thanks too for the innumerable other awesome interactions that led Raymon to morph his goals and opinions on the wide range of subjects (flayer halflings and H'bala in particular-- you know who you are).

My only regret for Raymon is that I didn't have more time as a player to devote towards propelling the countless awesome plots and schemes that seemed to hover around.

I did not get enough screenshots to truly tell the tale, but below is a sampling of the good (er, evil) times rolling on.

This character was created on Friday, February 12th, 2010 at 08:45:11 PM.
Since creation, this character has logged on and off 256 times.
The character has spent 16 days, 12 hours, 54 minutes, and 50 seconds online.

Notes on pictures are above the image.

Lookin' Fly


Raymon giving Victor Gamen animation lessons. He did this for innumerable PCs.


Here are two pictures from the great battle in the sewers between the Vaunted Disciples + loyal animates against the goblin hordes. It was just a regular Goblins 2 quest, but we used 8+ animates. It took about 20 minutes just to plan out how to have enough spells for the living and unliving troops. This led to enormous and terrifying spawns, but we had one HELL of a time in the fighting.

----

Lol, silly paladins. I think Raymon ended up collecting somewhere around 4 to 6 paladin and goodly characters' bodies in his career. All were put to good use.


Two pics of the ritual to "save" Ashara Ssambra and desecrate the staff that was turning her towards good.

----

Here is the quest to get revenge on the druids for murdering his partner, Caliphar Hanzou Akamatsu.


A shot from a terrifying but awesome DM quest that we literally walked right into. We ended up battling everything you see here, surrounded, with zero preparation. Classic clusterfuck. We actually won.


Undeadification? Success?


Whoa, lichdom? Did he finally do it and save his wretched soul from death? (Sadly, this was just an illusion.)


Raymon was dying. I had planned this event several times, but things kept me from making it happen. Finally, I decided that it was time to go. Raymon died of old age amongst the best of company and in the sweetest of ironies.



There is no way for me to possibly remember everyone that made this character so much fun, so please forgive if I miss you. Special thanks to Ebok, BoneScreech, RwG, Capricious Fate, diz-e, diz-e's everpresent fanboi club (y'all know who you are), Nightshadow, OWN, the Haters Club in the Conclave (also, you know who you are), whoever played Yekal and Orgeribbit, Bateson, Bearic, Decimate_The_Weak, and so many more.

The Manchakans play a big role in events from time to time. I think that they should have a place of their own that others can visit to make their presence more known.

Just looking at it, relatively speaking, I've never seen Leviathan Company do anything at all. Yet we've even had Manchakan PCs. I'm not saying that these guys should become a DM faction (not, not saying it either) mind you, just that I would like to have an in-game representation of their presence and actions.

[How we get to Ymph:]

Howdy folks. It's about that time again to roll up a new PC for me, but I want to start out with a group concept. It's been quite some time since I've done this, but these sorts of things are always much more exciting from the get-go since a lot of the RP grunt work has already been handled. I'm aiming at gathering two to four more players for this.

I like to involve everyone in the details and final choices, suited to our unique, brainstormed ideas. Here is the basic concept, with specific and spoilerific details excluded.

How we get to Ymph:

The PCs are members of a noble court from (Calimshan or Kara Tur most likely) who have been sent for by their Lord/Pasha/Shogun (not an actual character), who had been on business near the Shining Sea. While being pursued by an unidentified vessel, the boat crashes near Ymph and the PCs are washed onto shore.

Group Goals:

The group will set itself up within the Docks as a stark contrast to other competing factions-- it won't be particularly anarchistic and will be, by all appearances, a group with an honest record. It will certainly vie for control in the Docks and beyond. The biggest difference of all will be the lavishness in which its members live. Getting absurdly wealthy and, most importantly, showing it off will be a primary goal.

I want to focus on bringing an interesting ethnic flavor with this group, hence the choices of Kara Tur or Calimshan.

The group will not be bent towards religiosity. This might make it open to conversion, however.

Potential Character Concepts:

I plan on playing as one of the lord's advisors, a sorcerer, very loosely modeled around Jafar from Aladdin*. If not a sorcerer, then the captain of his guard, a more melee oriented class.

Other concepts include (combining is cool, btw):

-Children of the lord, real or bastard
-A member of the ship's crew- Captain, First Mate, Deck Boy, etc.
-Squire character
-A member of the lord's paramilitary
-Trader/Explorer
-Huntsman
-House Chaplain
-Scholar (Alchemist/Herbalist)

*Bonus awesome points if you come up with a concept using another Aladdin character as a template!

**Bonus awesome DM points if a DM creates a magic carpet NPC.


There isn't a whole lot of specific plot info up, but talk to me in IRC and I'll explain it in greater detail!

Concept will get rolling as early as one week from today but no later than two.

Channel: #Foreign

This idea just came out of the blue from reading this post.

What if ritual magic was scripted? I imagine it would be highly similar to alchemy/herbalism, but more RP involved instead of just testing things. The difference is that these sorts of "rituals" would cause temporary changes in the game world, not create items which give some sort of advantage.

Examples:

-Creates an NPC/PC with which the character can interact, such as demon summoning (not controlled by the PC, merely speaks and leaves)
-Brings the ghost of a PC back briefly from death so it can answer questions
-Creates an invis dispelling ward that only works once and lasts for a RL hour
-Creates minor portal magic.

Other thoughts:
Knowledge of these special rituals would be exclusively DM rewarded. They would require teams of PCs to near-simultaneously complete actions or speak key phrases.

I would be very wary of these things creating any major mechanical advantages. Just wanted to kick this idea can down the alley, see what people thought.

There has been a lot of neat new stuff added recently. In hopes that the creative awesomeness that is being produced these days will continue, I want to bring up an dusty topic. I know it's nothing new, but I'm sure it would have a positive impact on PCs getting involved in both PC and DM factions.

Banner resource acquisition has always been an interesting curiosity, but it never produced results. Because there were never any obvious benefits to using the system, it's fallen to the wayside. I'd like to see the system refurbished with enticements for player factions to seek these out.

There are three "nodes" that I'm aware of, each for a different resource. I suggest that the system not be too specific, but instead use a general "resource points" system. Farmlands rake in +1 per hour held, lumber mill +2, iron mines +4 per hour. Having to balance "well, we've got lots of wood, now we need food" would be unnecessarily tedious.

Next issue. What sort of perks should be awarded? Personally, I'd favor a system that allowed the leader a choice in the development of these perks instead of making them linear. Each perk could be bought at the guild registry office, which tracks your guild's resource count.

- Gold. I know in the past, DMs have been pretty solidly against giving gold rewards. But how about a small wage for any member of your faction? One gold per hour for the farms, two for the lumber mill, eight for the iron mines, for example.

- Open up a shop only accessible to the faction leader after gathering a certain amount of resources. Have decent items that can be named after the faction. "Bastion of Light Brotherhood Pendant" which casts Light 3/day, or "Blacksteel Pin Assassin's Hair Ribbon" with Aid 1/day. This could even have echelons, with better equipment becoming available as more resources are gathered.

- Improved Headquarters. Gain access to a permanent weak purple crystal that only heals, no restoration. Get a faction pet, like a dog, cat, or parrot. Hang pictures. Put up a statue, which the banner leader can name and alter description of via dialogue. Add a "potted plant" that gives you 5 objects for alchemy/herbalism per reset. Add a butler NPC that serves food/drink. Maybe create a description message for when you enter a faction HQ denoting how wealthy the place appears to be, and this can be a changeable aspect.


Hope these ideas help! One thing I haven't sorted out my opinion about is how to apply this to DM faction PCs. Maybe DM faction PCs can have the choice to "banner" under that faction or choose a PC faction join. But I dunno.

[size=+3]The Apotheosis Gospel[/size]

The Story of Velsharoon's Ascension from Mortality to Divinity
[size=-2]The second book of the Vaunted Trinity, Ymphian version.[/size]


By Bishop Raymon Coolidge
Man of Sembia
Scholar of Ymph

================+================

To the Glory of Velsharoon, the Vaunted Lord.

================+================

Chapter One: Young Days of Velsharoon
Chapter Two: The Mortality Tale
Chapter Three: The Apotheosis, Dance of the Gods
Chapter Four: The Post-Apotheosis Assumptions
-Author's Notes

Haven't been able to connect to IRC all day. Something going on with XChat or Darkmyst? Keeps saying "Cycling Darkmyst server" or something.

Gents,

As you probably haven't realized, I'm going through withdrawal from my sweet home here at EfU. Two days until the test that defines rest of my life. Yay.

I've stumbled upon something to tide me over in the meantime, though-- "World Wars 2.0", a free text-based military strategy game played on iPod, iPhone, maybe even iPad. It's not annoying and requires you to click this or that to get "bonus points" or anything like old Kings of Chaos, it's merely time-based.

It's a fun game, but there's a huge perk-- having another player in your "alliance" (done through an anonymous code system) allows you to use their best six units (at no cost to them) as well as your own every time  you get into a fight with another player. Having an alliance of just you and one other makes you effectively two times as strong as without one. A third, three times stronger than going it alone. And so it goes.

Anyways, if you have an iPod or iPhone, I encourage you to check it out. If you like it, let's make an EfU alliance by swapping codes! With a high level ally like myself, you can skyrocket ahead as well.

P.S. I endorse Germany! Their perk is awesome and they're a top contender even though 80% of the players pick America or Britain. Why not join the big teams you ask? More people to FIGHT!

I am ever so pleased to hear of the shake up. After playing an opponent of the Pallid Mask who likewise was involved somewhat in their being made obsolete (EfU Rule #254: the Conclave always wins) I had felt that this was a unique time to make this phasing out happen. I'm glad to see that it did, and people are having fun with it (ps, I'll be back IG in about a week! yeeeea)

Although it is a loss of a certainly unique faction that in many ways stepped up into the place that the Ordered Mind played in Sanctuary, the Numinous Order of the Three has and likely/hopefully always shall play an amazing role in the server, especially because it is by no means the goody-goody group it strives to be.

My excitement aside, I hope that everyone lacking a PC right now gives some strong consideration to joining up with this balls to the wall hella awesome faction.

Need some ideas for what kind of character to play? Pick up a book on religious history (Catholic history is probably best, considering the past fluctuations in their tenacity to keeping with their own scripture and longevity compared to other major religions/denominations). Real world personalities like Crusader, Inquisitor, Papal Servant, Mamluke (Torm is a big name across Toril, iirc), Jihadist (done tastefully and respectfully, of course), Hymn writer, Tithe-taker, Street Preacher, Circuit Rider (faction to faction preaching?), College Campus Bible-basher (Conclave-relations!), Humanitarian/Evangelical Missionary (Natives and Docks), Legalistic Pharisee, Roman-era Israelite Zealot (fight the power! down with the Count in the name of Tyr!), maybe even a naturalist/environmentalist Rasta--er, never mind... but the list goes on!

So yea, go out and rock.