Character xp/levels question

[pejsaboy]

On the idea of crafting that has come up since my last post in this thread, I actually have just [barely] started into the crafting
I haven't collected any copper for arrowheads yet, but I've got everything else ready to work on a small batch of arrows.

[Force_of_Will_]

Once you head down the Craft path and make some gold off your items your gonna be hooked.
You are also gonna want to Craft everything you own,Trust me.

[merlin34baseball]

I met some of my best in games friends because I needed material...  Who can mine for me... Someone points me to the Stonecutters...  Who needs rings... get pointed to others... who can do this or that?  who needs this or that?  Who wants to go to Haven to mine gems?  Crafting takes time but in the end I think it leads to more role play than sitting on a bench waiting for someone to come along and leed a journey (which alot of the time is for CNR anyway). Plus when I'm on and don't feel like dealing with others I can always craft...

And Like someone said above it's nice to have you and you friends useing and wearing stuff you made.  I have a bow made by a player who has passed on, and I wouldn't sell it for the world because me made it with his own hands special for Tyrian.

[Desicardo]

One thing that can't be overstated either is that Layo is a party based world.  Armolas is now Level 12 ranger and still has trouble fighting 2 ogre berserks without the help of a summons.  But, put him in a party as archer support and he is quite deadly.  Combine that with the massive XP from being in an able party and you will get your levels quicker.  I was in a party on Dregar and came away with close to 100,000 xp in one night and all we were doing was mining silver and going after several other resources that people in the party needed.  Point being, party up.. alone you may not be very effective at tackling the high xp targets, but in a party, things get much easier.

[Deacon]

I hold the record for lowest level character for longest time played.  Even without the 6 month break I took from Layonara, Caldiir was level 8 for almost 6 months.  He was the first character I created here, and that was way back in 2004.  He's now level 9, but he has a lot of fun RP'ing in and around the towns.  Especially when he's stirring up trouble.

[darkstorme]

Well, to be fair, Deacon, those of us who play Drow, Tiefers, or any other special subrace with an EL penalty get an advantage when it comes to slow levelling. *grins*  It means that Kell will likely never realize his ambition to become a shadowdancer.. but I'm rather ambivalent on that point.  He's level 7 now... if I play him hard, he might be level 8 in a couple of weeks - then we'll see who holds the record.

[ttdavet]

I love the roleplay thats why I keep playing Layo.  I can level in the NWN solo adventures.  I just don't like when my characters get snubbed for an adventure because some high level folks realize that my designation compared to them is "easy" or "moderate".  It makes no sense from a role playing point of view and at times I wish for more levels so that I too could be included.  NOT all epic level characters do this, they just play a character, and they make it great.  I understand that I will get killed, and that I will probably drain a group of resources before gettting axed, but hey the Hobbits got to travel with Gandalf didn't they?  To the snobby power levelers I say you are missing some great chances for lots of fun role playing. To the many epic characters who don't seem to even look for the level indicators thank you.

[pejsaboy]

These are all good responses everyone, thanks. In fact, the previous disappointment I had been feeling is long gone by now. I also had a good trip into the Haven mines last night because Tyrian needed some stuff
Now, if I can just make it into the goblin caves without bumping into a rude dwarf that was there first.... *laughs* good times.

[Gunther]

This may be getting off point here, but Gunther will adventure with just about anybody.  I've adventured with Gruwlz above in Saudiria and the surrounding area.  Sometimes though I have a pretty good idea of what we're getting into, and I feel somewhat badly about including a 7th or 8th level person on a trip through northern Dregar.  I think there are just some places where some characters shouldn't go and where higher level characters should take some responsibility and deny them the opportunity to get themselves, and possibly others, killed.

As for the argument that you cant tell by just looking at someone what level they are, I agree to a point.  However, I've been in the army, I've fenced, I've done my civilian job for about five years or so.  I could tell pretty much right away in any of those circumstances when someone was 'green', so to speak.  I think the same holds true for adventuring.  I think an experienced character would be able to tell in a very short amount of time, what the given level of someone is (albeit roughly and perhaps inexactly and maybe not always with absolute certainty).  I further think, if that experienced adventurer is of a good alignment, that they would consider very carefully taking someone where they shouldnt be.

I dont intend this as an insult to anyone who wants to see Dregar or other places besides Mistone.  I hope it isnt taken that way.  Gunthers been booted from quests when the level requirement was upped and I sympathize.  It seems recently though that I've had to escort a lot of people back to Pranzis or Lorindar after they find themselves alone in Saudiria or other places.  After the fourth or fifth time, it does start to get stale.  In that same vein, in regard to quests, there is a lag consideration.  When it comes down to picking 15 or so people to go on an epic quest, people are going to pick those that they know or have heard favorably of.  Its just more practical.  There are characters out there that will give up their spots to people who are relative 'newbies' though also, so they can go on these quests.  My hat is off to those who do that.  That kind of self sacrifice is what makes Layonara great, on the part of the DMs and players.  Enough rambling about that though.

Anyway, I did the craft thing for quite awhile and had a great time doing it.  I'm proud to say that Gunther is wearing the armor that he made for himself out of the ore that he smelted.  Gunther also has a nice ore mining and smelting business on the side now and has several customers.  Gunther is over a year old and is 17th level.  My levelling seems to go through sporadic growth spurts, but I wont lie, its nice to be at least somewhat valued.  I think Gunther is valued on quests anyway.  Maybe its just for comic relief though.

As a giant playing character, my advice to you is to cultivate patience.  A lot of it.  Most of the people I started playing with are 20th level now.  Those that survived anyway.  Find something that you enjoy doing in the game besides mindlessly bashing things (though that can be fun) and go with that as far as it'll take you.

[Nook]

As everyone else has said, here, XP isn't everything.  While I do agree, it's nice to get to a high level as quick as possible, Layo is that, but different.  
I quit playing AD&D out of books because none of my friends could get together at the same time to play (yeah, we did it out of books...from first edition to thrid).  Well, when we played, we played in character.  Then we would do whatever we could to get way up in levels because we never knew when we were going to get together again.
Now, me and some of my old friends, and now alot of my new friends, play on Layo.  We come and go whenever we have time.  It's no longer a "Ok, let's play a week from Sat.", "No, I have this to do, how about next Thur?", "Sorry, can't then, how about...."  You get the idea.
It's now, no longer about getting the XP as fast as possible, now it's about having fun with friends.  Besides, it would be awful mundane if everyone got to a high level too quickly.  After so long, every time you went to fight, it would have to be some kind of epic hero thing 'cause everyone would be at level 40...fun for the first few times, but it'd get boaring really quick.

Wander around, make friends. Talk, craft, have fun.  Don't fight a dragon alone.  And STAY OUT OF TROUBLE (I can vouch for that last one.)

Remember, Layo isn't hack-n-slash...we're a whole different world.