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Messages - miasma_hemlock
1
« on: May 27, 2008, 12:01:43 AM »
This seems really simple to me if you think about it. You're talking about player character adventurers, who are a tiny, tiny fraction of the population of Layonara and who are usually much more worldly. This is most often something that happens between friends, so the teacher isn't some random elf plucked out of Voltrex, but is someone who knows and cares about the student (and, who presumably lives in a human/mixed society).
If you were talking about thousands of elven Berlitz schools across Layonara that would be one thing, but isn't this all about interactions between a few PC adventurers? I'd agree it's wrong if it happens overnight and between two characters who don't really know each other, but that's rarely the case, right?
2
« on: May 10, 2008, 03:51:41 PM »
"How about this for a proposition:
If you were to join a world with great RP and a plethora of DM'ed events that had a death system that involved a random chance that you would perm on each death after the first ten after third level, you'd (likely as not) accept it.
You wouldn't be demanding to see the values of whatever tally system they used to keep track of things."
Honestly? I think there'd be just as much complaining as there is with a transparent system, if not more so. Especially if the people who programmed and run the system are also DMs and also players. You would have a lot of accusations of cheating when the DMs and administrators players live to be epic, and being "out to get me" whenever a non-Dm player died young or in a way that they think they should have survived (or due to a DM spawn or event that was beyond their abilities.)
I'm not for a second saying any Layonara team members would do that, by the way, I'm saying what is human nature with things like this. We all think we're more mature than we really are, and when you get a few mildly disgruntled or upset people together (which many folks would tend to be if a treasured character died) the conspiracy theories fly. It would be different if Layo was made and run by an anonymous game company but when the people who are in charge are also DMs and also players you really need for all of your rules and systems to be out in the open.
I don't know what the answer is of course. I always thought the soul strand system should kick in at a higher level, even waiting until the character was "epic" to give people a fighting chance before they started losing strands. Or even making it a straight once you're epic you have ten deaths and that's it, take the randomness out of it. But then I think all three soul strands I lost were before level 10 and due to other people dragging assassin vines around by Krandor.
3
« on: May 06, 2008, 09:51:14 PM »
Druids can also wear studded leather armor, which has metal. And jewelry of course. And they can wield scimitars, and daggers... Metal isn't druid kryptonite, they just have restrictions about its use.
It seems like some people have the idea that any contact with metal is taboo for druids. It's not... But they can't use metal armor that has been heavily forged and processed, and no metal weapons unless they've been consecrated in a certain way.
It's a little like how most many day Green types will only wear organic, sweatshop-free clothes and if they eat meat or wear leather it has to have been a free range animal. Kind of.
4
« on: May 05, 2008, 05:39:17 PM »
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.
5
« on: March 19, 2008, 06:03:16 PM »
Also.. Having an enemy doesn't mean you have to KILL them. It might mean you should try to convert them away from being a heathen, or if you're say a cleric of a crafting or trading god you might try to destroy them and their church financially, or it might just mean that you consider everything they touch to be unclean and has to be washed or destroyed. Or you can just ridicule them for being so misguided. There's a lot you can do with an enemy that doesn't involve smiting and arguing, which can be really tedious...
(And "unfriendly" isn't "enemy", this always drove me crazy when people went too far with that...)
All that said, I do think the relations system is really too complex for a world with so few players, it made a lot more sense when Layo was crawling with people and it might work again in the next version. But that can be said about the economy too.
6
« on: March 19, 2008, 03:51:06 PM »
Can I add something?
While the intentions are clearly in the right place it can be really daunting to get tells from strangers when you first join. Sometimes it's best to not come on too strong with new people. I now that when I'm in a new place I like to fade into the background a bit and watch how things work until I get comfortable enough to make friends. Friendly welcoming tells are nice but there is such a thing as being, well, too friendly.
Maybe make your introductions and offers to help in character, if possible (as in go to the starting cities and seek them out, and have your character offer to help theirs.) I remember I had both situations when I first joined oh so long ago and I was pretty freaked out by getting a "Hi there! Are you new?" tell five minutes into logging on for the first time (I really just wasn't ready to talk to anyone yet), but I was extremely gracious when another character stopped what they were doing to show my character around-- all in the game.
7
« on: February 07, 2008, 06:30:38 AM »
That's really odd considering I haven't played in a week and a half.. Uh thanks but just trash the stuff... I probably won't be playing this character any more anyway, it's just too hard to start a new character now (I think I encountered a grand total of two people in the two weeks or so I played her...)
Thanks again
EDIT for anyone who might take offense, I didn't mean this to sound super negative, but there just doesn't seem to be much for a new character to do or many opportunities to find groups, and the general mood seems to be of winding down, like the last couple of weeks before graduation or something. I do have extremely fond memories of playing last year & the year before but I guess "you can't go home again."
I'll be back for a fresh start whenever the next version comes out. Now I forget who or why I was ranting, but anyway.. Thanks for, uh, saving the three stink bug bellies or whatever that were on that ox:)
8
« on: February 02, 2008, 08:41:22 PM »
I don't know anything about duelists, but it seems like 5 rogue would be a better choice if you were still going to be an arcane archer.
Sneak attacks with a long bow, tumble, evasion and all that... Plus skills, lot of skills...
9
« on: January 31, 2008, 07:51:55 PM »
I think the normal response to seeing a bashed and bloody near-corpse staggering towards you is to run, or at get to a safe distance and then try to get help or figure out what to do. I've seen some horrible things in the city here, like people shot or hit by cars, and the crowd response always seem to be to either get away, or to form a wide circle and gawk.
Of course healers and experienced adventurers would be trained to go against instinct and rush in to help, but that's from training...
I don't know what the point of saying that was now that I wrote it, except that maybe if your character sees a bloody stranger staggering your way, and you aren't a heroic lawful good healer, maybe screaming and running would be just as appropriate as response as bandaging them up. After all whatever did that to them might still be around...
10
« on: January 28, 2008, 09:44:30 PM »
Or...
How about putting away the dice? If someone seems to be "up to something" then let it play out. Since stealing and killing characters isn't allowed here it's not like you're in danger. If it doesn't affect your character directly (and being in a party together isn't "directly", I mean your own character's storyline) I say you should let them do what they need to do, and maybe let your character be fooled a bit. If you feel you must call them on it remember it could always lead to a bigger and better confrontation later on..
Seriously. Just let the darn scene or storyline happen. If someone's acting deceptive then try to trip them up in conversation, or have your character grow slowly more and more suspicious, or do about a hundred other things that are a lot more interesting than listen and perform checks. It's so much more rewarding if it's handled creatively.
11
« on: January 28, 2008, 05:53:32 PM »
Send an email to Atari. The same thing happened to me, I re-bought the game on Amazon and it had bad serial numbers. Actually it was the same number printed three times, like yours I think... Which was weird..
So I sent an email Atari and they had me scan the booklet (the bad serial numbers) and emailed me back with good ones right away. The whole thing took maybe twenty minutes.
12
« on: January 17, 2008, 01:48:32 AM »
Hi, I was thinking of coming back, this may be a good way to do it so yes one more.
13
« on: February 21, 2007, 01:46:39 PM »
@miasma. It would appear that the post you have linked (twice) upset you deeply. If you want to play a druid, roll one up. If you don't, don't. The person who made the post no longer plays here, but if you are being "tormented" by anyone, get a GM. You now have 3 options: 1) roll another druid, take what may come. 2)roll another class, take what may come. 3)find another server that suits you. Option 3 isn't a leading favorite, but for the sake of clarity, there it is. This is a game. It's primary function is to divert your attention from reality in a pleasing way. if someone is being a jerk, and hiding behind RP to do it, consider the source.
That being said, druids are annoying to non-druids. (Tree-huggers) Paladins are annoying to non-paladins. (Lawful-good). It can be a source of both amusment and frustration, depending. (May edit for formatting when I get to the office)
Uh, I did not post it twice, I edited it because I did not want to name that person specifically; he was certainly a problem but not the only one at the time. And the post itself did not bother me, but the fact that the contents were were typical of what was being said to me on a near-daily basis over and over (and worse). And I did try to get some GM help but there is a limit to how much I want to go crying to the teacher when there's a bully on the playground. But I don't want this to be about me getting harassed and what to do in that situation, I just use my story as an example that druids are a favorite target by some people who may not even have a good reason why (as if all the hatred that was supposed to go to drows is reserved for druids instead.)
14
« on: February 21, 2007, 05:25:34 AM »
I know some druids might go overboard. But I've seen plenty of players from all classes who've gone overboard one way or another, from clerics to rogues, how come they don't get the same amount of hatred druids do? I've seen so much druid bashing in this place (and been at the wrong end of it) that I just can't bring myself to play much anymore, and when I do I tend to stick to people I know because invariably when I meet new people there's gonna be one who has to prove what a badass he is by provoking the druid.
I'm not saying there aren't druids who don't bait people. In particular I think it's wrong for higher level druids to start a fight with a new character who's on Johan's cloak quest or who accidently auto attacks a bird by the goblins. But on the other side the druid bashing is way too much, too. It gets very old, and repititious, and from what I've seen when you don't give them the reaction they want (because I'm not the type who will yell at someone for say killing an animal in self defense) there are a lot of people who will just find another way to try to get to you. In the end this is supposed to be fun, and having the same arguments over and over about killing animals is not fun. Being expected to fly into a rage (which I don't, but I am put in positions where it is expected and I've even been told in tells "you're supposed to be mad for this") is not fun. Which is a shame, because I do like playing a druid for a lot of reasons, if nothing more than it is fun to play with animals.
There was a point in time a few months ago when every time I would go to the game I would get tormented by a certain group of people, and I don't think I was singled out necessarily, and I'm not going into the details or naming other names but it got to where I just couldn't play any longer because it was just the same thing every time I logged on, that this small group of people were trying to prove how evil they were or whatever by trying to provoke the druid. Over and over and over again. It got to the point that I was just so frustrated I deleted the account in anger and said I wasn't going to come here any more.
I totally regret doing that now, because I do miss the friends I have here and wish I had Falon to play again, but that's how mad I got. I know raising a little conflict is part of role playing but when it's the same thing over and over it completely spoils any fun.
I don't know what the answer is in the end; i'm sure there are druids who could tone it down a little, but maybe some others could think twice about baiting them too. For my part it is my favorite class and I try NOT to be " tree-hugging, granola-eating, generally holier-than-thou, and a royal pain", but instead playing more of a patient and tolerant druid. Not that it helps all that much, but..
15
« on: January 10, 2007, 07:32:54 PM »
Well.. I haven't seen anything like that, but that is kind of stupid, I admit...
But in a general sense I would hope experienced players have patience regarding excessive rolls because it's one of those things you can only learn by doing and watching (a lot).
16
« on: January 10, 2007, 07:11:01 PM »
Um, Lynnjuniper, can I point out that dice rolls are not an intuitive thing? There is no handbook for when and how they are supposed to be done and the only way to learn is by doing, and even then it's not really obvious if you're doing it right.. Add to that the general sense of confusion inherent to a quest (which is natural considering the amount of people who go on them) and the fear players have of missing a line of chat where a DM tells everyone to roll or something like that and it's just natural that if one person rolls their dice others will think they should to... If for no other reason than for the fear of being told twice or seen as "slow"..
Really, if you think about the nature of how groups work, can you blame the fourth person in your example for rolling their dice? After all they see three others do it, so it's resonable to think the whole party is supposed to. And sometimes that turns out to be the case anyway and if you don't roll the dm will have to ask you to, so unless you really have a good feel for how things work it can be very confusing.
And by the way, I've been playing since August and I still don't really get when or how rolls are supposed to be done and really only use them if directly told to by a dm or occasionally if another player asks and I understand why... And I know that irritates people just as much since I'm always the one who has to be told to roll, which means you probably would not object to me since I don't roll the dice just because others are, but you WOULD probably object to the fact that the DM often has to ask me to roll when others seem to understand it's a situation where dice are to be rolled without being asked.
17
« on: January 05, 2007, 06:49:28 PM »
Well I don't know anything about the D&D rules and don't really care... This isn't really D&D anyway, it's its own world and I'd rather go by the Layo handbook of what they want the druids to be (filling in the gaps with the real legend which is extremely rich) than by D&D rules..
18
« on: January 05, 2007, 06:30:12 PM »
Jewelry absolutely should NOT interfere with Druidic abilities. Really if you look at the the true "Druids" that they're based on (the Celts) they created some of the finest body ornaments in the ancient world and the patterns etc. they created are still very popular today. They also believed (and this is why, completely to the opposite of what you are saying, Druids should actually be expert jewelcrafters and enchanters) that the patterns they created themselves were conduits and had magical properties.
Remember metal is an element of nature, I can understand the restrictions on weapons and armor because it's wrought or forged or whatever else which would make it the "plastic" of Layo. It's also obviously done for balance too, of course, which let's all be honest is the real reason (I mean I don't see why if it all comes down to explaining it logically that a druid could not wear a special handcrafted suit of chainmail made in a manner that's allowed like the scimitar... I don't argue that they SHOULD though because the restrictions are fair enough and anyway chainmail isn't THAT much better than leather)
But to say all metal should be taboo because it interferes with natural abilities would be wrong, first because like I say metal is a natural element that should be able to be used in jewerly if it is worked appropriately, second because the people the class is modelled after were master jewelcrafters, and third because (if you choose to ignore all that) it would be completely unfair to say they are the one class that could not benefit from amulets and rings. And last but not least I should add they do have to wear a holy symbol necklace and there is a set of rings of natural splendor (made of metals and gems) that is for the druid class alone.
I think a lot of us have the idea druids are like modern day new age vegan hippies (which I won't deny I have have of been at certain points in my own life!) when the true Celtic Druids were much, much more than that...
19
« on: December 26, 2006, 04:22:54 PM »
Well maybe a nice monk will lend me his gloves some day... I doubt it will work but worth a try.
Thanks for the help
20
« on: December 25, 2006, 07:03:05 PM »
Thanks I did see those before, my question is more about how it works with customized layonara stuff since the enchantments don't always seem to carry over from crafted weapons (and they do seem to from some other weapons). I saw that the page before and it doesn't say weapons merge at all but I think they actually do.
Druid stuff (at least shape changing wise) can be quirky so I am really wondering if someone has actually had direct experience with all this in the game, not just with what the rules say..
(not that I don't appreciate the reply of course.. and Merry Christmas to you too!)
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