This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.
Pages: [1] 2
1
Layonara Server / Happy/Merry/Joyous/Blessed (insert year-end observance of choice here)! -- Bonus event« on: December 19, 2016, 11:56:41 pm »
Hello all!It's time again for a bonus event. Extra XP, GP and Fortune for your enjoyment.This will most likely last about three (3) weeks, so enjoy it while it lasts!
The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
2
Rumour Has It / Undead Hunting« on: January 17, 2013, 09:23:15 am »
A doddering druid of Dregar has come to Mistone to recruit help in purging as many havens of the undead as can be found. He offers his skills in protection and healing to all those who come to assist.
First locations will be krandor Crypts and morakens Tomb. These locations aimed at Levels 8 - 15. Starting at 8pm GMT and finishing at 10pm GMT at StormCrest Crossroads. ( To match up with other player event starting at that time ) // If there is enough interest, we will continue this every week to hit every undead location in Mistone.. then Dregar... then Belinara. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
3
Layonara Server / Bonus XP Week....ish« on: December 17, 2012, 11:34:38 pm »
Do I have your attention? *grins*
It's time again for one of our famous bonus XP events. Here's the details:
Bear in mind it is the holidays, and GM availability will be subject to other obligations first, but I've gotten assurances from at least some of our GMs for scheduled and impromptu events and the like. Rewards for RP are rated higher than combat, so remember to make time for it. There have been several new characters lately from new and old players alike, so hopefully there will be some good opportunities for all. Old faces are always good as well, of course. Make something happen! The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
4
Ask A Gamemaster / Tournament for a house?« on: February 13, 2011, 10:42:47 am »
After the realization that I really haven't played Bjornigar for many RL years, I am preparing to delete the old codger in order to make room for some new blood. What to do with his house has been a touchy subject for me. While Willy does live there, my roommate never actually plays Willy, and Willy never paid Bjorn any rent, so why should he get a house for free? To me it would be muling to hand a house over to the guy on the couch, and especially wasteful if that guy on the couch is never actually played anymore, in essence just another one of those "Zombie houses" out there that gather dust and bear the name of some guy nobody's ever heard of or seen logged in for the past 3-4 years.
I then considered simply vacating the house upon my deletion and putting it up for sale on the open market. But then somebody with a whole lot of gold who really didn't need a house would buy it up, decorate it and never use it. Somebody who already has multiple houses gathering dust. Somebody whose only claim to it was that he had lots of cash on hand and was lucky (or well informed) enough to know exactly when and where it was going up for sale and buy it right there and then. Or I could auction it up and the guy with 15,000,000 gp in his account and 5 houses to his name would wind up winning it. I find just about every open-market option equally detestable. SO it dawned on me to MAKE the new owner earn the house, and hold a player event tournament in the arena! The most under-utilized, awesome thing we have on the server. But single competition would be much the same result as the above options, the guy with 40 levels and 90,000,000gp in gear would win, and add to his 5 houses. So I'm thinking... mixed team competitions. What I propose is a tournament for Bjorns house in which teams of 3 must sign up. These teams of 3 could be any class combination, except that they must be limited to levels 5-20. Anybody less than level 5 shouldn't get a free house, anybody over level 20 should have enough money/resources/connections/oldfriendsoraltcharacterswhoneverplayanymorethatlettheirzombiehousesgatherdust to go buy their own. Or at the very least characters over 20th level should have enough gold already to rent one of the many vacant rooms in the Open Arms Inn right across the street. What would be the feasibility of running this? First of all, would a prize as valuable as a house be allowed to be won in such a matter? Since it was my own house, I immediately disqualify ANY of my own characters from the competition. Also I would like to disqualify anybody who already owns one as well from being able to win it. I want to see active players who would actually use it have an opportunity to earn it on as open a court as possible. And most importantly, I want to see some spectacular arena competition with team tactics. This is why I want teams of 3, levels 5-20. This is so that mages don't have unfair advantage nor do fighters; there are enough combinations for infinite ways to win. We could set the tournament months in advance, so people could actively recruit and train their teams in preparation, scope out about the competition, try to figure out their tactics in advance, etc. Hopefully this would also give a goal for more people to actively hunt on the server, training in a most rocky balboa fashion. Also to breathe life into forgotten characters of those of us who play epics. "Level 21+ is disqualified you say? well let's see, there's this guy I made long ago..." When the top team is victorious, they will be given 5 minutes in game to decide which character will bear the title of the house. This can be done through negotiation of subletting, or combat AT ANY TIME during these 5 minutes. This is to ensure added drama to the event, where you must pick your team from those you trust, or agree in advance to go last man standing route. If at any time during the 5 minutes a vote is unanimous that one shall hold the title, then he does and is declared Number 1 Contender. If they fight, then the last man standing is the Number One Contender. The Number One Contender then must face the winner of the Losers Battle Royale! This will be when we fill the ring with all the entrants to all previous bouts in the tournament, and let them go at it at the count of 3 for the last man standing. Should all die at once due to massive area effect, then whoever is luckiest to be the last one fallen in the server battle-text will have one. This person who shall wins the Losers Battle Royale then faces the Number One Contender. So then the final match would be, one-on-one. What are your thoughts on this format? The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
5
Layonara Server / Please Welcome To The Team ...« on: February 15, 2010, 07:13:42 pm »
The Layonara Team is pleased to welcome three new Gamemasters and four new Lore editors onto the Team!
Please join us in congratulating and welcoming our three new Gamemasters: Aerimor, thedagda and Lance Stargazer. We have every confidence they will succeed in their new positions and we will see some great quests from these individuals once they are finished their mentoring period! We are very excited to be inviting them on board. Please also join us in welcoming and congratulating our new Lore Editors: Cinnabar, cbnicholson, Asmodean and Spike. We look forward to working with all four of you, and we are thankful for your help in making the LORE site as accessible and up-to-date as possible. Thank you to all who applied. The Team was gratified by the enthusiasm from the community, and we feel fortunate to be a part of a community with so many membres who are eager to give back in any way they can. Sincerely, ~Carillon The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
6
Layonara Server / Version 3.21.6 is online« on: January 27, 2010, 05:52:52 pm »
[SIZE=24]Version 3.21.6 is online![/SIZE]
This is another small one, consisting mostly of quick fixes.
There are no downloads required for this update. Enjoy! The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
7
General Discussion / Common Courtesy« on: September 24, 2009, 08:13:08 am »
A few thoughts after having read this thread
http://forums.layonara.com/leringard-arms-inn-tavern/245722-white-lily-proudly-presents-night-duels.html#post1425582 While there is nothing wrong is asking question in order to better understand any event, then do please bear in mind what is ooc and what is ic. In this case the post was made IC in a IC forum, but out of the 25 posts so far only 2 of them are ic, and frankly most of them are completely unrelated to the event and deals with rules regarding magic dead areas, which should have been taken up in either http://forums.layonara.com/layonara-server-rules/ or http://forums.layonara.com/ask-gamemaster/ Do please remember that there is a player who has taken time to make this, give him/her the same courtesy you would give a dm setting time aside to run a quest, or such events are sure to die out. And really, dont post links to different player events in the same thread, IMO that is extremely rude and belittles the effort the player put into the event. And read the event over before starting to ask questions a competition among fighters and those who think they can stand a fight in range of a melee weapon. Everyone is welcome for this even, may it be to attend as a fighter and prove ones skill with a weapon, or just to watch the combatants fight.[/i] In this case I cant see how the player could have been more clear to his/hers intent, as already being said not every event is for every character, if the event dont fit you make one that does. All the more fun for us all, but please dont take it out on the person who actually bothered to try and make something fun The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
8
General Discussion / Just another player.« on: August 26, 2009, 11:22:23 am »
Wasn't going to make a public post about this because I didn't think it was really that necessary, but I guess I should make people aware that I have stepped down from the GM team and will no longer be running any quests etc.
I will still be here as a player, as much as I can spare the time for, but sadly it's best I step down as I can't dedicate the time I used to be able to writing/running quests, it has been a lot of fun and a big thanks to the team for letting me a part of it. Makashi. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
9
General Discussion / Friday Night Lights with your host, Steel the Dread Blade.« on: August 14, 2009, 03:02:21 pm »
[SIZE=24]High adventure, low adventure, who cares? As long as it's us adventurers showing some monsters what we're made of (which is mostly fluff).[/SIZE]
/// This is really an extension of Abiorn's old adventure thread, except that I'll be around earlier. I'll be in around 8pm EDT (5pm PDT, 12am GMT). Starts in Leringard, and from there we could head north to Khalziras or the Deep, or we could head east to the broken halls, or we could sail to Dregar or Belinara. I have been meaning to go back to a certain dungeon on Belinara near a cave full of orcs.... The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
10
General Discussion / For My 31st Birthday« on: August 02, 2009, 01:45:27 pm »
I'm going to cut the cord for helping develop the NWN server further.
So, with a fresh new posting style, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I've had a brilliant time with a great number of you, even the ones I've gotten really into it with. I always thought I'd make a farewell post with the list of everything I built here, because it would feel like some sort of reminder to everyone. It's a bit silly though, as for years and years I've tried to legitimize my efforts to this community, and overly so. I think it stems back to my embarrassing beginnings here... but I'm no pyschologist heh. I enjoyed building most everything I built, and I'm very proud of how V3 turned out. That's enough for me this time. I will always support the MMO team's efforts, and I look forward to the new game. There are a lot of reasons for leaving, and I'd explain them... but the folks I'd really want to understand probably already get it. So best of luck, I'll still be around now and then, in game and on the forums, and Dorg, I'll try not to troll your posts on balance too much. And with one last challenge... the toolset is easy to learn. It just takes time if you're going to make something come out right. Time learning all of the placeables and tile options so you know the brushes and colors to use. But it's not technically hard. I challenge one of you, anyone, to step it up and legitimize all of your scrutinizing comments on the way the server should or could be. Make 10 areas to a new theme, send them to Dorg. Someone, anyone, impress Layonara with something new for others to enjoy. Even if you know it's ending someday, soon or not so soon, who knows... build it because you care for the server today. Take up the torch, as I know there are some people who have wanted to prove me wrong on some things - and there's no bigger crux to it then this. Everything else is just forum posts. Take care all. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
11
General Discussion / Joining the rank and file :)« on: June 25, 2009, 09:28:00 am »
Hi everybody!
This is the post to inform I am stepping down as GM. I'm not disappearing from Layo, in fact I hope, RL and remaining DTs permitting, to step up my involvement with Ark as an active and roleplay-enhancing World Leader. About two years ago I applied for a GM position in order to enhance people's Layo experience, primarily in the AEST timeslot given poor old Dezza was shouldering a lot of that burden on his lonesome. The main goal of my quests has always been to get players to really think long and hard about their characters. To put roleplay flesh on their mechanics bones. To make players really think about what their characters would do in a given situation, a given moral dilemma. To put them in a place, not always comfortable, not always where they want to be and then see what they would do and where they go. Often my quests have a simple enough premise but I tried to have them involve something that had folks exploring the depths of their character's psyche. As I write this, I remember one of my quests, early on, that had people magicked into behaving in a manner the polar opposite to their 'normal' sex, class and alignment. This stands out in my memory as a very 'typical me' quest. Hopefully fun. A touch of madness. A strange situation. Minimal set-up A quest that (hopefully) by getting you to do something the opposite of what was normal, made you think more deeply about what was normal. By playing Lawful Evil for an evening, it made you think about what it really meant to be Chaotic Good the other 364 nights of the year. Anyways, hopefully after two years there are some players who have a better picture of their characters as a result of my quests. As to why I am resigning, no deep and dark discontent or disparaging remarks against any individual or the GM team as a whole to be found here! Of course there are decisions made which, as an individual, one might not 100% agree. Directions taken that might not have been the direction I would have taken were it my sandbox. Little niggles here and there etc yada yada but I can tell you there are no light decisions ever made by the GM team. No personal grudges. No favourites. No bias. Just a bunch of people that really do strive to provide the best server to be found. Anyways, see you in game! The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
12
General Discussion / Oven in Hlint Down for Maintenance« on: June 18, 2009, 11:48:48 am »
*Yastin makes an announcement to the present crowd. Afterwards, he posts a notice board at the entrance to the inn.*
*clears his throat* "Folks, let me have your attention for just a moment. One of the ovens in the kitchen is down for maintenance. I've put in a small oven in its place. Its not as fancy nor as capable as the bigger oven, but it will still cook your meats and fish. Nothing too fancy though. The other one, after a bit of cleaning, it working just fine. Thanks for your attention." *goes back to tending the inn* //Before a bug report is made, I'll explain a bit. I was doing some player (no one was hurt during this filming) interaction and getting used to the tools once again...and...ummm...well...I destroyed the oven. But never fear! Yastin replaced it! Sorta.O.o The other oven is like a house oven. It will all go back to normal after a server reset. Maybe. Hopefully. *crosses his fingers* The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
13
General Discussion / Having Fun?« on: May 16, 2009, 09:51:24 pm »
I hope everyone is having fun exploring and adventuring together with friends this weekend. One of the things I hope to see from this weekend is that players (you) find new friends to adventure with in Layonara, or that some players return to regain the enjoyment of the world. I challenge each of you to go find new players or encourage players to return and enjoy the world. Layonara is built for you, the player/gamer--something we never forget.
We really do have a fantastic GM team that dedicates a whole heck of a lot of time (for 7!! years now folks) to the community. Not to mention all of the "lowly" programmers and module builders that dedicate their time to grow the world and community *ducks for cover behind the content team....then realizes his mistake...* I really do enjoy dogging on them the very few times I get the chance!! Hope all are having a good time. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
14
General Discussion / Lance Stargazer out of the game« on: May 14, 2009, 05:52:34 am »
Hi there Layo.
Just to point out that I'll be out of the game for god knows how much. Someone broke into my house yesterday and well I am without a PC and a current copy of the game at this moment, I don't know how much will take to grab another one, So thank you for all to this far, hopefuly I be able to return soon. Keep the good game, and thanks for all. JC The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
15
Layonara Server / 2x XP and 1.5x GP Weekend« on: May 12, 2009, 11:18:29 am »
Layonara will be running a 2x XP and 1.5x GP weekend from May 15th - May 17th. These are always great times to join up with friends and to explore the world, while also being well rewarded.
The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
16
Layonara Server / Updated World Policies -- Effective 23-April-2009« on: April 23, 2009, 09:38:06 pm »
[SIZE=13]Layonara is a world built for entertainment and community. Years of diligent volunteer effort on the part of the Layonara team has generated extensive and engaging environments, compelling and unique game dynamics, a vibrant and supportive community, and a universe overfull with history.[/SIZE][SIZE=13]
[/SIZE][SIZE=13] To maintain Layonara's entertainment factor and sense of community we strive to: [/SIZE]
We urge everyone to read the updated policies in this thread. Should you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask them in our "Ask a Gamemaster" forum.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13] - The Layonara GM Team ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: The policies below represent that which has been updated. It is our goal to merge these into LORE so that there is consistent information both on the forums and in LORE. This process will take a few weeks likely, so please bear with us through a brief period of inconsistency. These policies will also be cross-posted in the applicable section of the forums for convenience. The policies given below are best segregated into three main categories: [/SIZE]
And now, without further ceremony... [SIZE=24]Behavioral policies:[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] Area level restrictions – Effective immediately, we are lifting all area level requirements. This means that there will no longer be any level-based stipulations regarding where a character may travel. After much internal review, the GM Team feels that most, if not all, places in the game world effectively enforce their own sort of level restrictions, both in difficulty and degree of reward, and it is not beneficial to the Community or the GM Team to police or enforce such limits artificially. The following is a guideline for what each area is designed for danger wise, so that players may knowingly choose their destinations.[LIST=1]
Party level spread – Effective immediately, we are rescinding all previous statements regarding the level split between the highest- and lowest- level character within a party or grouping. The GM Team feels this particular rule has been misunderstood, misinterpreted and misapplied at all levels of the Community including by members of our own GM Team. As a result, it has been damaging to roleplay, it has caused animosity between the Community and the GM Team and has made people feel like criminals just because they associate with a character more than 10 levels different. Special note on the lifting of area and party level restrictions – While we are effectively removing all restrictions regarding character levels, we are hoping to encourage better grouping, better roleplay, a greater sense of adventure and an environment where roleplay is not unduly bounded by out-of-character issues such as level and arbitrary lines on a map. Having said that, the GM Team maintains a single request that can be summed up briefly as:[INDENT]“Don't drag, and don't kite.” [/INDENT]It is possible for a low-level character in a group of higher-level characters to contribute in some form, whether by flinging spells, tossing potions, firing arrows or any number of other contributing things, even if they're not terribly effective. The important part is that they attempt to contribute. Similarly, a high-level character can escort a group of lower-level characters without doing all the work for them. So, in this spirit, we ask for the Community to respect this and to keep these things in mind when going out and about. We're not going to break up a party on Dregar that contains a 5th level character just for that fact alone, nor will we go on hunts when we see a wide party level spread. However, if we see little or no roleplay among the party, if we see non-contributing lower-level characters or we see a high-level character being the primary application of force among a group of otherwise lower-level characters, we may request a modification to the party's behavior. If the behavior persists, we reserve the right to disband the party. We want everyone to have fun, to adventure and explore, and we no longer feel it appropriate to keep these restrictions in place. We ask only that the Community enjoy this expanded freedom and request that it be used responsibly. Muling – Another often misunderstood rule is that of muling. Our official definition of muling, effective immediately, is: “Muling is when you have items (in the bank, in your inventory, in your house, etc. that you have earned or fairly traded for), and then you give those items to a newly created character of your own for free. This also applies to having a character you control gather CNR or other items for another character you control. It is fine to RP a 'sales person' or whatever you may want to call it but from this point forward please do not let that 'other person' be another character under your control." To put more plainly, it is muling to give items, gold or any other assets from one character under your direct control to another, whether you have multiple Bioware accounts or not. You, as a player, are the common factor between them, and giving one character an advantage that another has earned is not something we tolerate. If you must transfer goods between two characters under your control, then do so through a third-party and conduct the exchange like a business transaction, meaning exchange goods or coins in trade. This applies as much to unassociated characters as it does to characters who are directly related (i.e. parent/child relationships). We believe all characters deserve to accumulate equipment and wealth in line with their own accomplishments, and it is unfair to the rest of our Community if some take it upon themselves to give benefits to one of their characters by the work of another. We ask everyone to respect this philosophy for the good of everyone in the Community. Looping and Camping – Looping is defined as going through the same few areas in a short period of time in order to keep continually harvesting CNR, reaping XP and loot from killing the creatures there, etc., and then repeating this sort of thing over and over in a given span of time. Camping is defined as staying effectively in one place, typically one single area, usually for the purpose of waiting for CNR to respawn so your character can harvest another full load, and then waiting again for the next respawn cycle over and over again. Another form of camping is to enter an area, kill the creatures and/or harvest the CNR available, then log out for a time, log back on and repeat the process. We ask the community to limit any looping behavior through a small number of areas to 60 minutes. We ask the community to limit any camping behavior in a single area to 30 minutes. In the case of logging in, harvesting and logging out, we ask that you simply do not do this more than 3 times in a row. The GM Team understands that not everyone has a lot of play time. Sometimes there is only a small amount of time to log in, take care of a few things and then log back out, and we do not wish for people with limited time to feel like criminals. However, we also believe that players should exercise some degree of self-restraint when doing such things. While we will not be actively policing for camping and looping behavior, if we observe such in excess of the stated guidelines, we reserve the right to intervene and inform the party that they have pushed the boundaries of what we would like to see. Unless taken to the extreme, the GM Team will not be applying in-character or out-of-character punishments to any groups caught looping or camping in excess, however we may remove the group from the situation if our requests are not respected. In Summary At no point will there be in-character consequences to the breaking any of these rules; no effects, no spawning of creatures, no going to jail or being tersely corrected by NPCs. There will only be out-of-character actions, which can range from simple warnings to banning, the latter being the most severe of course and only at the extreme abuse of the rules. Please do not associate in-character consequences to out-of-character actions as they are completely separate. iIn-character choices will generate in-character consequences and likewise for out-of-character choices. [SIZE=24]Character Submission and Approvals Policies:[/SIZE][/B][/COLOR] First and most important to the community: by submitting a character, whether or not it is approved, you agree to adhere to all the rules of this server both in game and out. If you have not, by this point, read the rules of the server, it is recommended that you do so now (please follow this link). 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. 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. 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 here. 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 LORE pages for further information. 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. 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). 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Optional questionnaires will be posted for use for both original submissions and reapplications to simplify the process for the player. Character backgrounds can comprise pretty much of whatever you wish but should cover the following:
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. Restarts/Rebuilds/Relevels – The definition of a restart, for the purposes of this server, is: starting one's character completely over from scratch without any benefit of the previous incarnation's inventory, coin or experience. That is to say you start over from level one with nothing. In addition we will require you to post for a deletion of the old incarnation and create the new version with a slightly different name. Add an extra space, perhaps change one or two of the letters or some other minor change. If the change is not made the database will think it is the same character and will not allow for static quests to be completed, among other issues. It is further recommended that any variation of name be noted in your original character submission thread. Sometimes it happens that we find ourselves not liking how our character has turned out, mechanically speaking, for a wide variety of reasons. Level five (5) and below seems to be the most common areas where this occurs. To that end, all level five and below characters will be granted one (1) free restart when requested in the Character Submissions forums. Between the levels six (6) and ten (10) the Character Approvals team will still consider the merits and problems with a restart at that point and grant or deny based on the result on their findings. After level ten (10), or if a denial after level six (6), a character may use one of their Graceful Pleas for a restart. Once a Graceful Plea is used, it cannot be rescinded and anything needing changed (re-name, re-description, etc) after this restart will count in their normal capacities as if it was the original character. This means whatever Graceful Pleas and freebies previously used will count against the restarted character. The character restart does not refresh the count. Please go slow and pay attention to the details as when recreating the character. A restart does not clear the loss of Soul Strands (see: Soul Strands and the Layonara Death System) and they must be reapplied for once the new character is made. Please post for this action in the Grievance Forum. A rebuild is when a character is allowed to restart and then gain all of their experience, items and equipment. This is only granted for an extensive reason, such as a CDQ or quest that results in the deity change of a cleric or something of that magnitude, or when the development team makes mechanical changes to classes that require such action. They are extremely rare and require the support of at least one GM in the capacity of GM not player witness. A relevel is when one level is removed and given again. This is only granted for reasons such as accidental clicks, misunderstood feats or spells and the like. This falls under the jurisdiction of grievances requests and must be dealt in that forum with the guidelines stated in that policy. Prestige Class (PrC) resubmissions – PrC submissions are changing as follows:
Organizations and Ranks – With all of the above stated there are two very important points to keep in mind. Firstly, just because a player is a Toranite Undead Hunter, it does not automatically mean they are in the order of the Shining Hand. If a character desires to be part of an organization likely a Character Development Quest (or CDQ) or other GM acknowledgment is necessary. Either submit this with the matching class/PrC request or submit for a CDQ to attempt to join the desired organization. Some organizations have very specific procedures and requirements to join (such as the well established Knights of the Wyrm) and can be handled as a group function or as a personal CDQ. Secondly, most level one characters start out as the lowest level above 'student' in any organization they might be a part of. For instance, most starting clerics will begin in their acolyte phase (where applicable). This does not afford them any special treatment beyond being a priest of their faith. If a player wishes to advance in rank within their church, or any other organization it is squarely on the shoulders of the player to initiate CDQs to attain this goal. At present there are certainly some complications, lore availability wise, with knowing what to ask for, but any GM has access to the information and the player need only ask to find out what steps are needed or what general possibilities are available to them. It should be noted that character level is not related to rank in a church. Character Development Quest Rules –[LIST=1]
One last note: While you wait for your character to be reviewed, perhaps you might look around the forums at some of the in-character threads and more at our Layonara Online Reference Encyclopedia (also called LORE, but should not be confused with 'lore'. Tricky aren't we?) Looking forward to seeing you in game! [SIZE=24][SIZE=13]Please note that as of this date, all previous policies for this forum are no longer valid. The relevant threads will be removed shortly to avoid confusion.[/SIZE] Dispute, Grievance and Requests for Reimbursement Policies:[/SIZE] Graceful Pleas – For some months the team has pondered various options for dealing with the inequalities that the current grievance system suffers. Along with several other polices, this particular aspect was given much thought. The issues and potential for abuse are too numerous for an open return system, yet the current restrictive system created a sense of unfairness and inequity within the community. What follows is a compromise added to the system to grant leniency without making the system as a whole too cumbersome to support. Effective immediately, all players have the right to three (3) “Graceful Pleas” for each character. These Graceful Pleas can be used for a “no fault” return or reimbursement. Graceful Pleas can be used for things such as (but not limited to):
For players wishing to restore a permed character, please read the section below titled: Special note regarding the loss of a character's final Soul Strand. In the event that a player commits a bannable offense, all Graceful Pleas for all characters are subject to forfeit. A Graceful Plea may not be used to reverse a banning decision. Soul Strand and XP Loss– Effective immediately, there are only three scenarios for Soul Strand and XP reimbursement:[LIST=1]
[/INDENT]Special note regarding the loss of a character's final Soul Strand – When a character loses his or her final Soul Strand, the player will be given a one-time choice to request a reconsideration of this final death, given that the above criteria have not already been enacted for the event in question. There does not need to be any special reason, justification or evidence at all for this request. The only requirement is that it comes after the loss of a character's final Soul Strand and the player still has at least one (1) Graceful Plea left for this character. The player will be given a choice between one of the following:[LIST=1]
For the purposes of this contingency, if items are to be sacrificed as part of returning a permed character to life, an item will qualify to be counted if it is:
The exchanges made with either of these options are permanent, and cannot be re-gained through use of a Graceful Plea. The option of this choice will only be available once over the lifetime of any given character. If a character who takes one of these options loses his/her final Soul Strand again, this option will not be available. While it is possible that the XP loss could drop a World Leader (WL) character below the minimum level for WL eligibility, exercising this option will not result in the loss of WL status already gained. If the character's WLDQ is in-progress, the GM Team will evaluate whether or not to continue the WLDQ or wait until the character has regained sufficient XP to qualify. However, the approval to attempt a WLDQ will not be rescinded as a result of exercising this option. The concept behind this idea is to give players that “one last chance” while preserving the concepts of permanency and the gravity of death. If a Graceful Plea is used to restore a character that has permed before the advent of this policy, the character will only have two (2) Graceful Pleas remaining. In addition, we will impose some RP restrictions upon such a case:
Wills – Over the last couple of years, the prevalence of character wills, distributable upon the final death of a character, have become more popular and unfortunately more complex, intricate and difficult to adjudicate. There have been several in relatively recent history that have become very time-consuming for the Team to decide upon and handle. As a result, we have decided it is necessary to set some realistic limits on what can be included and distributed by a character's will. [LIST=1]
Item reimbursement – Unless caused by a GM error or a bug (as defined above under the Soul Strand policy), all item reimbursements will fall under the policy regarding Graceful Pleas. As previously stated, a Graceful Plea may not be used to get back an item sacrificed to return a permanently dead character to life. Experience Point (XP) reimbursement – Unless caused by a GM error, a bug, disconnection/crash or unexpected jump (as defined above under the Soul Strand policy), all XP reimbursements will fall under the policy regarding Graceful Pleas. As previously stated, a Graceful Plea may not be used to get back any XP sacrificed to return a permanently dead character to life. Gold (GP) reimbursement – Unless caused by a GM error or a bug (as defined above under the Soul Strand policy), all GP reimbursements will fall under the policy regarding Graceful Pleas. Bannings – [SIZE=13]GMs and World Leaders are able to temporarily ban a player in-game, pending a full review by the GM Team. Such bannings will not be dispensed lightly, and the burden of proof will fall heavily upon the individual doing the banning. As part of the process, a temporarily banned player may state his/her case here. However, we will require that all arguments, both supporting and refuting the banning, come supplied with ample evidence, in the form of chat logs, screen shots (if available) and witness testimony. Decisions on the reversals of bannings will be made based on presented evidence, testimony and information gathered by the GM Team from in-game observation and server logs. If a banning becomes permanent, the player will be banned from the forums as well, and the only recourse is by contacting Leanthar directly. Historically, very few permanent bannings have been reversed. To help assuage any fears that may come from this new capability, if a GM or World Leader temporarily bans a player for a reason that is reversed and if it happens in a blatant or abusive way, then that GM or World Leader will be reprimanded and perhaps lose their status as a GM or World Leader. Every temporary banning will be logged, and the GM or World Leader who bans someone bears an urgent responsibility to provide the evidence and justification behind the banning action to the GM team shortly after the banning takes place. Banning is something that we take very seriously here, and as such it requires a lot of responsibility and proof. As such, bannings, temporary or otherwise, will not be dispensed lightly.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Graceful Pleas may not be used to dispute or overturn a banning. [/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Character Rebuild/Relevel –[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Rebuilds and Restarts fall under the jurisdiction of character approvals and must be submitted in that forum for consideration with accordance to the listed policy.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Relevel requests due to an honest misclick will only be granted within 48 hours of the level being taken AND if less than 10% of the XP needed for the next level has been earned. [/SIZE] [SIZE=13]If you find yourself outside of the normal limits for such a request, you may still make the same request with a Graceful Plea by providing the same justification and reasoning.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Character edits –[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]This is not so much a new policy but a codification of precedent so that it is clear to the community. Character edits cover a rather broad set of tasks, including:[/SIZE]
[SIZE=13]Name changes – Changes to a character's name requires the character file to be edited as well as about a dozen database updates, and only a small handful of staff are able to perform such changes. As such, we will permit only one (1) “free” name change for a character without a strong RP reason (i.e. marriage, quest outcome, etc.). This allows one to fix an oversight or error during character creation or to reflect the course of RP. Outside of these guidelines, a name change is still possible by using a Graceful Plea.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Description changes – Changes to a character's in-game description requires the character file to be edited, and only a small handful of staff are able to perform such changes. As such, we will permit only one (1) “free” description change for a character without a strong RP reason (i.e. marriage, quest outcome, etc.). This allows one to fix an oversight or error during character creation or to reflect the course of RP. Outside of these guidelines, a description change is still possible by using a Graceful Plea.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Appearance changes – Changes to a character's in-game appearance, such as a change in tattoo, skin or hair coloring or a change in head model can be affected in-game by any GM. As long as these requests remain reasonable and are not requested on a whim, we are content to allow players to request these changes from any available GM directly. Please note that wings and tails as permanent character appearance traits will not be approved or given unless as a result of a WLDQ.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Portrait changes – Changes to a character's in-game portrait can be handled easily in-game by any GM. Please request all such portrait changes directly from any available GM. When requesting a portrait change, please have the name of the portrait file handy. We cannot set portraits with a description (i.e. “The one with the blonde girl in plate armor”). Unless you have the portrait's file name, we cannot set your portrait.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Housing and furniture transfers –[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]This is not so much a new policy but a codification of precedent so that it is clear to the community. Characters may transfer houses and/or furniture to another character provided both parties are in agreement with the terms of transfer and can state as much as part of the request. However, a character cannot transfer a house or its contents to another character under the control of the same player. This would be muling. [/SIZE] [SIZE=13]In the case of absentee home owners the new policy stands as this: Absentee house and furniture transfer requests will only be granted if the owner has not logged into the game or forums for six (6) months and cannot be contacted/doesn't answer by most viable means. The requesting party must have some sort of legitimate claim to the property such as marriage or co-investment. Rental contracts are not considered legitimate proof.[/SIZE] [SIZE=13]Properties of banned players are considered immediately forfeit and only in cases of marriage will the properties be passed on to another player. [/SIZE] [SIZE=13]----------------------------------------------------------------------------[/SIZE] For convenience, I'm including the link to an "Ask a Gamemaster" thread here for asking questions and discussing these new policies. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
17
Layonara Server / Important: House Cleanup« on: April 19, 2009, 07:31:05 pm »
The following houses are slated to be put back on the market in two weeks unless any players use these homes for valid reasons and would like to purchase the home themselves. There may be a few that I've mistaken as being vacant, so please pipe up if you use these houses and we'll try to clear up ownership on a case by case basis.
I will not accept absent players asking to not sell the house if they do not play here any more on the possibility that they might come back. These homes need to be used by current players. I will not accept convenient teleports in vacant homes as a reason to keep them in the current owner's possession. 102 105 107 109 124 125 134 135 140 141 142 145 150 170 171 - Still in use 172 173 189 201 204 206 207 210 215 216 224 228 231 242 251 - To be returned to market once Script Wrecked gets possessions 260 - Transfer ownership to Wren 263 I will return the homes to the market on a sporadic random basis over the course of a week after the two weeks are up. The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
18
Layonara Server / Layonara 3.21.2 Patch Release« on: April 17, 2009, 08:41:49 pm »
There's still quite a few people who hurt the other community members by carrying so many items. This is even more critical when you yourself crash mid combat with a party, because when you log back in, your party members in combat are suddenly going to spike in lag. I find it interesting that the problem is joked about in some circles and we've increasingly attempt to improve it, but the simplest way is to just ask players to not carry so much. Do you really need seven dragon scales? Do you really need a box of aloe on your player? A bag of something is no improvement just in case you thought it helped. There are plenty of storage options. I'm starting to consider per item surcharges on portals to help promote leaner inventories, any other suggestions are quite welcome. Cheers! The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
19
Layonara Server / Layonara 3.21.1 Patch Release« on: April 13, 2009, 07:10:10 pm »
Just a short one:
The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
20
Layonara Server / Layonara 3.21.0 Release notes:« on: April 10, 2009, 09:49:01 pm »
[SIZE=18]Version 3.21.0 is online![/SIZE]
Persistent Storage is once again ENABLED It's back, it's faster and it's better than ever! Check out the new features:
The following users thanked this post: XDutchesX
Pages: [1] 2
|