Character Development > Character Submissions

Character Submission - Long Version - Updated to March 18th 2016

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Rowana:
Please see https://wiki.layonara.com/wiki/Character_Submission_Questionnaire for more information.

Rowana:
Name
All names of character submissions must be the original creation of the submitting applicant. They can not be copyrighted names from a game, book, television show, movie or any other medium not covered in this list, nor can they be names belonging to existing characters in Layonara. We check these to the best of our abilities and will require a name change even after approval if a name is of copyrighted.

Race
There are numerous races on Layonara. Not all are available as player races but there are many options in game at this time.

Only the sub races Wemic, Brownie, Ghostwise Halfling, Sea Elf, Dark Elf and Goblin will require additional justification for choosing this race in the biographies. When you chose one of these races, please take into account that the review may take an extended period of time and may be subject to special availablity. Exotic races are only opened a few times a year.

Due to lore reasons, Tiefling and Aasimar will no longer be an option for new character submissions. For the same reason, no half races (Half elf, Half orc, Half giant, Half ogre) can be born after the year 1421. You can find the current year at the top of the page underneath the logo.

The following races must start out with an alignment of CN, TN, NE, or LE: Dark Elf, Half Orc, Half Giant, Half Ogre, Orc, Goblin, and Deep Dwarf. There is one exception to this; a cleric character that follows Az'atta (regardless of race) may start out with a good alignment. (see further down for more information on alignments in general.) Please see the racial pages for further information.

Please note: First time players can play the following races: Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Human and Gnome.

Age
When selecting the age of your character please keep in mind that many age at different rates and some races naturally mature slower as a result. As well, each race has a minimum starting age since we do not allow child player characters. See this page for more information. Please note that humans must start at the age of 18 despite their listed age of maturity of 15.

Classes
The mechanical classes of Layonara have several wide interpretations and some have very specific needs. Most standard character classes do not require anything in the way of justifying the choice of class over some other in the character submission. As such, a detailed justification for a particular class is an optional thing, and we will not overly scrutinize them, excepting for very obvious glaring issues (I.E. a submission where a sorcerer studies his magic rather then innately acquires it or a level one fighter is taking on whole mobs of orcs on his own, etc). Basic lore elements are required. An example is for bard, a lore heavy class, would need to acknowledge on some level the discovery or some similar element of their talent.

Clerics and paladins however, must give their stated commitments in their biographies and we would still like them to make clear in their biographies their respect for their deity's dogma and/or organization.

Druids also have their own submission requirements, and we would like to have any druid players read the druid information page.

Additionally, applications asking for dual classes are not expected to include more then what a single class of the same would require, though lore elements are still requested. Resubmissions to add a second or third class after initial approval (excepting druid, paladin, cleric or monk) need only be a resubmitted biography with a few additional lines explaining the IC reasoning. Resubmission to add druid, paladin, cleric or monk (especially if the starting class was monk or druid to begin with and a character is returning to this class) hold the same requirements and stipulations as above with potential extra requirements (such as CDQ, CDT or other need).

If you have a character with multiple classes, you must have 5 levels minimum in each class before level 20 (e.g. You cannot have a level 3 rogue, level 17 fighter, you need at least 5 rogue)

Monk, Paladin and Druid classes have restricted multi-classing.

Please note: First time players are allowed the following classes: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Rogue, Ranger, Sorcerer and Wizard.

Alignment
Most alignments are unrestricted and will not require special support with in the biography to be approved so long as there are no glaring conflicts.(For example, a Neutral Good rogue who mugs and robs travelers indiscriminately to make a living.)

Chaotic Neutral remains a special alignment, and the submitting player must have had an active character in the world for four (4) months prior to the submission of the Chaotic Neutral character. There is no minimum level requirement for this active character. You do need to submit, in your own words, an acknowledgment stating your acceptance of the rules of the server and giving a statement acknowledging that Chaotic Neutral is not carte blanch act randomly, expecting to be free of penalty. In the game and in our community, actions have consequences, and if you are not willing to accept the consequences, do not make those actions. **Please see note on update to CN policies*

Evil too is special and with the heavier requirements. Lawful Evil and Neutral Evil require an active character for at least nine (9) months. There is no minimum level requirement for this active character. As with Chaotic Neutral, on the character submission the player is required to state in their own words that they accept the rules of the server. As well they must state that they accept that the alignment of Evil may put them at odds with the majority of the player community as well as the NPCs they interact with, and that they accept the consequences to their actions.

Chaotic Evil is not available to player characters on Layonara, and if a character's alignment shifts to Chaotic Evil territory the character becomes property of the GM team and is no longer playable.

The actual approval of these alignments lays ultimately with the GM team, based upon appropriate roleplay of previous alignments. The team holds this to protect the community as a whole and not to target any particular members of it. Realize that by choosing these alignments the review time is longer than for standard characters, as input from the GM team will be sought.

Please note: First time players are allowed only the following alignments: CG, NG, LG, LN and TN.

Deity
Deities are an active, if indirectly so, power upon Layonara. When a character passes from the world the deity may choose to call their souls to their domain. Some classes require a deity choice but most do not. Do not choose a deity to enter in the deity field unless your character is truly devout as it will bring consequences (both good and bad) to your character. If you do select a deity for your character please use common sense where dogma and your character's worship is concerned and if there is an extreme case, such as a dwarf worshiping Lucinda, make certain the details are touched on in the biography.

A final note on deities: The GM team will enforce the accurate portrayal of a character who is devout. If they are caught doing something their deity disapproves of, there may be consequences. These include, but are not limited to, helping the enemy of your deity, doing something strictly against the dogma of your deity, and furthering the goals of an unfriendly or enemy deity.

General Biography details and lore
The primary focus of biographies is RP and lore. Despite the above leniencies, lore will still be strictly adhered to and possible conflicts with lore will receive the most scrutiny. In the case of reapplications for alignment shifts, secondary classes, etc, an RP justification will be requested as always, but a few lines should suffice (as long as they are explanatory). When applying using your own format, please link all pertinent information along with your request.

Character backgrounds can comprise pretty much of whatever you wish but should cover the following:

A bit on where your character came from.
A bit on their family and its fate.
Some finer points on why your character thinks and acts like it does.
All characters must be from Layonara. There are no off-world biographies permitted.
A bit on why they have stepped out on their current path with an acknowledgment of loss of family ties in situations where nobility or well-to-do peoples are involved. This can come in a variety of flavors.
Be creative, as we are open to lots of things.

We do not accept characters that:

* have direct ties to gods, dragons or royalty of any kingdom.
* have direct contact between themselves and a deity (this includes visions or dreams provided by a deity, a deity walking the lands and visiting the player or their ancestors, physical markings by a deity or an agent, or gifts provided by a deity, or anything of this nature).
* have apparent powers beyond that of a level one (1) character. This can be rather tricky with characters who are intended to have a level split but try to keep in mind power level when addressing level splits.
Some of the GM Team will be keeping a stock character applications that will be in a pool to use by players who do not wish to write their own. Some adaptations may be necessary if chosen for submission depending upon current standards for the applications at that time. A small amount of customization will be asked of the player (mostly to adapt the character to the current events of the world).

Rowana:
Languages
Available Ears: Elven, Halfling, Dwarven, Dark Elf, Gnomish, Thieves' Cant, Wemic, Animal, Brownie, Underwater, Sign Language, Orc, Goblin, Draconic and Florane (T'oleflor). Everything except Draconic and Florane are available on initial submission with some additional support in the biography.

Races receive their specific ear on creation. Dark elves receive both the elf and Dark Elf ear. Sea Elves get the elf and underwater ear. Druids and rangers start with the animal ear, while rogues start with the ability to use thieves' cant. Certain clerics may also begin with the animal ear depending on domain. Half elves will be able to understand the elven language but the biography and intelligence must support the ability to speak it. These default ears do not count against your bonus languages.

Languages may also be learned in game from other players. They cannot be learned from familiars or NPCs, and after creation, your character journal must reflect the learning of the language to have it approved. Approval after initial creation involves submitting a request and a link to your character journal as well as the support testimony of your tutors. In any situation, except for automatic languages and where specified to be outside of the norm, all applicants wanting additional languages need to make certain they have the appropriate intelligence to support the request. The maximum number of additional languages to be requested on submission is two (2).

The maximum number of non-racial/non-class languages that a character can learn is equal to the character's base Intelligence (INT) modifier. For example, an elven Druid would automatically receive the elven and animal “ears” when the character first signs into the world. With an INT score of 12 (+1 modifier), the character may learn one additional language, if desired. This language may be granted on the initial approval or learned over time in-game.

Rowana:
Prestige Class (PrC) resubmissions
PrC submissions are changing as follows:


* Weaponmaster, Duelist, Undead Hunter and Battlerager can be approved on initial submission, providing the application supports the extra class..
* Bear Warrior, Skald, Arcane Archer, Spellsword and Sacred Fist require an updated biography submission and either a well kept CDT for a minimum of two (2) weeks (explaining the how and the why) or a CDQ..
* Shifter and Shadow Dancer require an updated biography and at least one CDQ..
* Agent of the Realm, Knight, Dwarven Defender, Champions, Palemaster and Assassin are a multi step process that require an updated biography, a well tended development thread and either a WLDQ or one or more CDQs, depending on the character..
* Red Dragon Disciple remains WLDQ only.
Please make sure you carefully read the class information on your desired PrC so that you may quicken the approval process. For more information see the requirements page here and click through to appropriate PrC as needed.

Rowana:
Policy on Applications for Additional Class and/or PrC past level 20

Characters approved for an additional class beyond what was established prior to level twenty-one (21) must take five (5) levels or more consecutively upon initiating levels in the new class. This rule reflects what should be inherent of all applications for a new class. By pursuing a new class, the player is pursuing a new avenue for character growth. This growth should be reflected by an investment in the new class beyond a simple label. Taking one level in a new class and then going back to the initial class(es) shows a limited drive to pursue the path for which you were approved. Once five (5) consecutive levels in the new class have been taken, you are free to level as you find appropriate, provided there are no multi-classing restrictions for the new class. New classes added after level thirty (30) are very difficult to obtain and will require substantial RP support.

Notes on Resubmissions
Any resubmissions for a change of character REQUIRES roleplay justification. By 'roleplay justification' we mean that during the line of a character's life events some significant occurrences cause a character to shift it's path in some way. An example: A human thief CN, born of the ruthless streets becomes well acquainted with a LN fighter. Over many in game years of traveling with the fighter and becoming good friends, the thief develops a shift in perspective and/or morals. If the player feels it's appropriate the player will apply for an alignment shift towards TN.

We require some sort of documentation of these roleplay aspects. They may come in the form of: Well maintained CDT/PCDT*, GM testimony, CDQ or a mix and match of two or more options. When using GM testimony as an option alone we ask for the testimony of three different GMs in the capacity as GM not as player. There may be a need for more then one posting for each depending on the request. We consider these requests on a case by case basis and in some, there may be new precedent. Because we likely cannot reasonably predict each and every possibility we leave this as a general statement to explain the process. If more detailed information is desired, please post in the Ask A Gamemaster forum or go ahead and post in the Submissions forum and the CA staff will guide the player through whatever is necessary for the character in question.

Resubmissions include but are not limited to: Alignment shifts, PrC application, second or third general class additions and deity related shifts. We will not approve any resubmission that is made for purely mechanical benefit, including Graceful Pleas.

*Well maintained CDTs/PCDTs are considered to be entries that span no less then two (2) real life weeks and are consistently updated every few days. We will not mandate a minimum post number or spacing at this time. Some resubmissions may require more development then this and will be judged on a case by case basis. If a player is curious about their particular situation, please post in the Ask A Gamemaster forum with the specifics so we may be able to guide you appropriately.

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