The World of Layonara
The Layonara Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: Aoric on May 02, 2008, 08:21:42 PM
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Hey all,
First, if this is in the wrong place, please let me know, and i'll repost elsewhere (if not moved).
So, Layonara seems like the place for me - I would very much like to begin playing, and have read through the steps necessary to get things in order. The rules and expectations of a PC seem pretty stringent (and can be quite intimidating to an outsider - though I know and appreciate why all the reqs and rules are in place), and I don't want to mess up. In reading through the req.'s, however, its clear that a character has to be pretty fleshed out prior to creating it - that can be a bit of a problem for someone like me, who hasn't ever played in the mod. I can't explore the place without a character, but i can't create a character without knowing what's going on in the mod's world...
soo... what do I do? I downloaded one of the player manuals, but I don't have the time (nor inclination) to read through its 350+ pages with a fine-tooth comb. My character concept is fairly simple - Dwarf fighter, or perhaps going the Paladin/champ of Vorax (sp?) - so.. perhaps someone could provide me with some quick and simple info on where Dwarves come from? Major cities? Relationships with other races? etc.... Or, if too much trouble, perhaps a link to a thread/quick geography lesson..
Thanks in advance, and, again, let me know if this is in the wrong place.
the (hopefully) soon to be created Aoric
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there is some maps on lore that you can look for, as to where you want your char to be from, after that its simply finding a bit of the history of that place. The deities if applicable and races.
LORE: Maps of Layonara (http://lore.layonara.com/MapsOfLayonara)
LORE: Deities of Layonara (http://lore.layonara.com/DeitiesOfLayonara)
LORE: Races of Layonara (http://lore.layonara.com/Races%20Of%20Layonara)
Also reading some of the submission can help you get a gest of what is looked for and maybe even give you some little ideas for your own character.
http://forums.layonara.com/character-approvals/
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Here I come to save the DAY!!!!
Well maybe not, but I am here to help :) Alright. the First thing you should do is go here: Lore.Layonara.com (http://forums.layonara.com/Lore.layonara.com) This is Layonara's wiki (basically) containing a great deal of info about the world, thats indexed and read to read. I'd look here more then the Handbook (for the moment) because that handbook is outdated on most of its info, though a lot of the info on things like Gods, Races, Cities, and History are still 100% (as far as I can tell).
Next! Click here! [lore]Dwarf[/lore] Might be elementary, but it has all the Layo Dwarf info you need.
After that! Go here :) A Map of the Starting Continent (http://lore.layonara.com/images/Mistone.jpg) Would be a good idea to look around here for some general Geography stuff. There are also other maps here (http://lore.layonara.com/MapsOfLayonara) that are of the other places in the world.
As for where your dwarf comes from, could be anywhere :) But the Ulgrid Fortress in the Brech Mountains is the Home of the Vorax Faith on Mistone and might be a great place to start :) The info about that place is in the handbook (or should be).
NEXT!! Ummm whats left... [LORE]VORAX[/LORE]! you will want to read about him here, and in the hand book :)
Hope this helps!
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Also note that the current Handbook is out of date on a lot of things. The next version is going to be released at some point in the future. Though I recently heard that might be very soon indeed.
So if you want to make sure the information is accurate, Lore and questions here are your best bets.
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The character approvers are very willing to help you get through those sticky things like picking a city, or whatever else. So my advice is just write up your backstory and such, submit it, and ask for some feedback.
Af far as your specific question, there are at least some dwarves in most major cities. If you want your character to come from heavily dwarven area, Breneuth, Lyn (or the Ulgrids for gold dwarves), are a couple places on Mistone, [Lore]Bloody Gate[/lore] on Allindor... Prantz (http://forums.layonara.com/histories-content/125542-kingdom-rael-dregar.html#post549432) is over run with deep dwarves, who aren't terribly fond of their surface cousins, so may want to stay away from there (unless you want to incorporate that lore into your story... oppressed by Rael, flees the city, or something like that). Hope that gives you some starting points.
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Man, you guys are awesome - thanks so much for the info. Looks like I have a very nice friday night ahead of me... :)
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Also, you could give the Single Player mod a try (see downloads under the New Player drop-down above). It will introduce you to numerous places and the general lore and feel of the world. It's pretty tough, though, so come in with your thinking cap on.
Otherwise, feel free to PM me with any questions you don't feel like posting. Though the folks here are pretty good about general posts, so that may be faster.
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Pm Me too :p or any of us. we are all here to help :)
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Dont PM me, im not here to help!
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Welcome!
A really cool starting location for a Voraxian Dwarf to come from would be the [lore]Bloody Gate[/lore] on [lore]Alindor[/lore].
Recently, the Warlord of The Bloody Gate, Varka Cleavson sacrificed his life for his King and the Dwarven Clans. This was a tale of epic proportions and would be known and impact every Voraxian warrior and Mistone and Alindor.
See End of an Era (http://forums.layonara.com/hall-heroes-heroines/165742-end-era.html#post840232).
Keep your eye out for fellow dwarven warrior, Jacrum Shieldbreaker.
Cheers,
Stragen
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For the sake of others who might be new and overwhelmed, it might be better to not send PMs. Then those others can benefit from questions asked here :)
Welcome to Layonara.
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Dont PM me, im not here to help!
I believe this was meant to be funny, correct?
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Of course, when did sarcasm go out of style? :D
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First of all Im no where near the best person to talk to aboout anything you need to now , but the one good thing about Layo in general is the people who play here .
Everyone is new here at some point AND there are so many people willing to answer any questions you have .
Just ask away and i bet as you can allready see loads will come to you Aid just like a dam TORATINITE *grins* Cant stand them but some one has to be them *laughs*
Anyways Welcom and have fun
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I have another question, and figured i'd just plop it in here. I know that paladins cannot freely mutliclass with other general core classes... can, however, a character choose the paladin life later on? I'm thinking of a dwarf fighter who, in my general outline, will gravitate towards serving vorax by becoming a paladin after a few levels (i know the rules say min. 3 levels in a row, so i'm figuring around leveling 4 or 5 he'll take first paladin lvl., and then straight paladin after that) - his background dictates that he will start off as a fighter, and rather then feeling the call to vorax immediately, he will slowly do so... perhaps shooting for, ultimately, a champ of vorax.
Is this kind of thing kosher?
Thanks in advance,
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Grennas always looking for trouble if your wanting it. :D
Most dwarfs will be willing to go out of their way to help one of their fellow kin. Or at least get you drunk and into a brawl. ;)
Oh wait...the brawl part is grenna...O.o
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There are others who have followed that path, and a well-RP'd slow journey to paladinhood makes for a great character in my opinion :).
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I don't know if anyone else pointed this out but I think the best thing you could do is read other people's character submissions (especially some similar to yours.) You get can a much better idea of what works and doesn't that way. and if you find one you like it can be a good template for writing you're own. Don't steal outright of course but there's nothing wrong with being influenced. LORE and the handbook are great for reference, but I think you'll learn a lot more from reading what your fellow players have been writing.
Also I would also recommend not getting too crazy with details and back story. Cover all the necessary bases but if you aren't familiar with how the world works you'll be glad later on to have some freedom to invent details about your past and personality. You can keep a journal as you play to expand the story once you get more used to the world. Write what you feel strongly about of course but it doesn't have to be more than two paragraphs.
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Here is the issue with what you propose.
One must have at least 5 levels in any chosen class before level 20, and since fighter and paladin cannot be freely multiclassed that means you would have to start fighter and take 5 levels of figher ....BUT in order to make the change to paladin it would in all likelyhood require a Character Development Quest to move onto that path. The rules for CDQs state that unless it its for the taking of a Prestige class then you must be level 10 before applying for a CDQ.
This means 10 levels of figher, then switch to Paladin where he could take 5 levels of Paladin and then decide to have another CDQ to multiclass into Champion and take 5 Champion levels before level 20 or he could stay Paladin and take the Champion levels after level 20 and multiclass them with the Paladin.
This example is similar to the one in this post : http://forums.layonara.com/character-submissions/114377-guidelines-characters-submissions-prestige-classes-other-information.html which I highly suggest you read
There's a restriction with multi-classing of druids, monks and paladins. A character may change from/to any of the above, but once you leave the path of the above, you are never allowed to return to it. Any change from one of these classes should involve a Character Development Quest. The rules for character development quests are found here:Character Development Quest Rules (http://nwn.layonara.com/Character%20Development%20Quests)and a brief synopsis further down in this document.
For example: You cannot submit a 5/15 Paladin/Fighter as CDQ rules state no CDQs before level 10, but you can submit a 10/10 Paladin/Fighter. You begin as a paladin; at level 10 you MUST have a CDQ (Character Development Quest) run to become a fighter. From that point on you are never allowed to return to being a paladin unless the character submissions team approves it, which will only do under extreme circumstances that must include another Character Development Quest to return to your previous path. You could also begin as a fighter, but you would still need to have a CDQ run at level 10 to move into Paladin, as that would not be granted at creation. There is always the possibility of failure with a CDQ.
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Ok, I see - While I knew that you couldn't CDQ before 10th, I didn't know that you needed to CDQ into paladin (thought it was for prestige classes). So its just easier to start off as paladin and run with that... doh... didn't really see that as him.. hmm...
anyway, thanks a bunch.
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Who wants to take the easy route? :p
Besides, CDQ's can be fun... assuming the poor GM isn't so swamped that you can actually get it scheduled.
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Also, I would advise "planning" your future character development. You can give him a backstory of first being a fighter and then becoming a paladin... that doesn't mean he has to take levels in fighter, he can simply have been one in a a narrative sense. Alternatively, you could start him as a fighter and just see what the game and RP throw at him... Maybe he'll be led in that direction, and maybe he won't.
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Also, I would advise "planning" your future character development. You can give him a backstory of first being a fighter and then becoming a paladin... that doesn't mean he has to take levels in fighter, he can simply have been one in a a narrative sense. Alternatively, you could start him as a fighter and just see what the game and RP throw at him... Maybe he'll be led in that direction, and maybe he won't.
This is what i think i'll do - I see him as a fighter first, and will see where his rp takes him. hopefully to paladin-hood, as it were...
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Realized I hadn't done it since earlier, so I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their input/assistence. My character is submitted now, waiting on either feedback and/or approval - the bio is pretty short and not too in-depth, but hopefully that won't be a strike against me. Looking forward to joining in and exploring this crazy world you guys call Layonara!
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It's always better to indulge in detail, then not add any, I say :) But the Approvers have all the say, so they will let you know if you need more info. Look forward to seeing you In Game soon.
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The more detail, the more likely the character will be approved.