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Laundry List of Newbie Questions
Posted: 29 Dec 2003 04:06 AM |
Hello all. First post on the Vives boards and I figured I'd make it a doozy.
I have done my best to read as many posts/messages as possible as well as the player's handbook; but, since my copy of SoU has been delayed in the mail for weeks I've found LOTS of spare time to shop for a PW (this must be the 10th PW I've seriously investigated with another 10 where I made a quick decision that it wasn't for me). That said, they are all starting to blend together so I apologize in advance if I ask a question that might seem to have an obvious answer.
My questions
1. Players handbook (PH) says no subraces. Does this mean no additional races at all (Drow for example) or just no really odd races?
2. PrCs: the PH led me to believe that all SoU feats/PrCs were supported. Will the same be true for HotU?
3. Metagaming: I want to do my best to RP here, and the class I want to multi to is the RDD. Problem with that is I'm not terribly interested in the prerequisite classes you need to become an RDD. Would it be considered bad form to only take enough bard or sorc to qualify as an RDD?
4. Powergaming: no desire to just go out and level-up ad-nauseum; however, I do plan to get my wife involved on this server. Due to the time I plan to invest on the PW I choose, most likely my level progression will outstrip hers. Is there anything prohibitive keeping us from adventuring together even if such a level discrepancy occurs?
5. Evil characters. I still haven't decided on this for cetain yet, but for a change of pace I thought I might indulge an evil character. Can evil characters still join DM-run quests and maintain their evil standing? I don't want to have to metagame just to remain evil (like kill town guards and such). I also don't think evil needs to be the same as asinine. Perhaps that CoT I was considering could turn into a BG...
6. You guys want prior permission for a Paladin, does the same hold true for a blackguard?
7. Any DMs ever on at odd times. I'm in Korea for the next 7 months so I'm 14 hours ahead of the east coast of the US.
8. Unique items: any of these guys running around, perhaps as rewards for DM-run quests?
9. Congrats for not bribing players to vote for your mod. I saw another PW offering free exp to give the mod all 10s. Lame.
Wow that was a lot of questions. I'm sure as soon as I hit post I'll come up with another 6-9. For those who made it through the entire post thank-you much, and I can't wait til my SoU shows up so I can see you in-game.
Mike |
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Re: Laundry List of Newbie Questions
Posted: 29 Dec 2003 04:59 AM |
Ok let me try to answer your questions, I just woke up, so don't mind the spelling.
1. Problem with subraces, including drow, most people tend to only use them for the 'cool' factor and insist on having the benefits which belong to such a race. Problem is for any sub-race, odd race, vives must offer a background since the world has her own history. So drow here are not simply the drow you know from another mod or the NWN series. Because of the importance of the backgrounds to support Rp we want to have some control over sub-races and reserve it to special cases, as it should be.
2. Vives will support the PrC's, at least one of them however has IC implications, the RDD. Since it makes you turn into a dragon and you are of dragon lineage. Not very common. We believe such an awkward race requires a specific background to determine how their surroundings will react to them. The staff still has to discuss what the IC consequences precisely will be. As they will review the other classes as well.
3. What we'd like best is people to Rp based on a previously written concept. So as they do not plan out to get a certain class and wing their personality as they go on. As your char starts he is level 1, which is not to say he is an IC nobody. If you start with a well written concept and translate all NWN choices into Rp as best as possible, I don't think anyone will have a problem with you getting to RDD that way. As long as it makes sense Rp-wise (lame sense excluded like: he woke up and wanted to be a monk! So I got a monk level! Oh and the day later he wanted to be a ranger again!  ). Just remember the Rp appeals to your imagination, just that you pick a specific class not always means you are a person with the job that your class suggests. We had really interesting chars running around whom you could not place in one of the NWN classes. They picked the class which best fitted their concept, purely playing from their concept.
4. You can party up with anyone you want. As long as you are in a party. The power levelling only happens if you are not in a party and you hit monsters to near death for her to finish. Only consequence of a high lvl partying with a lower level is possibly a lower amount of xp per monster kill for the lower level, since the higher level most likely has been to more places and gets less xp for combat due to his higher level and him having possibly killed that type of monster a few times already.
5. The whole Evil VS Good is always tough. Vives hopes to implement some cities which you can classify as 'evil'. So in these places there will be now real laws, more the MIGHT IS RIGHT kinda idea, opposed to a city like Midor where laws are important. With more background like more cities, there is more potential for quests specifically for evil chars. DM's try to keep things as 'even' as possible. Especially when it comes to long quests. But we also wish to provide small quests, which lack a heavy impact on thing such as one's alignment. In the end the players themselves have to make sure they act in a given situation as their char would, based on their concept (which is the problem between good vs evil, it tends to get out of hand if players do not consider the other party involved and the mutual enjoyment privilige ).
6. I can't tell you for certain about the Blackguard. But it might be wisest to send a notice with the ideas you have for a Blackguard. It would be cool to give them something of a background as well, like the paladins are fixed in Midor. That's why you need the approval, so the staff can make sure what the IG complications/consequences for your Rp will be when picking a specific class like paladin.
7. Well it depends during what time of day you will play. I can only say the staff tries to keep on as many DM's as possible to eventually have it so at least one is connected every hour of the day. Which isn't that easy to achieve.
8. The whole goal behind quests first and foremost is to offer more Rp and give characters something to deal with, to develop. So items are not a default reward. Otherwise you might get players who are browsing for quests just for the items and start neglecting the Rp, rush things onward and kill the general imagination required. That seems to be a problem sometimes: players NOT realizing their concept matters before their actual NWN class, abilities and rolls. The Rp is what makes this world breathing, not the D&D rules, they are part of the tools that have helped create the world. If people reduce it to a reproduction of D&D rules the mod is only an extension of the NWN SP, which is not the goal. Quick example, two kids playing hide and seek, instead of leaving it to your spot versus hide check, you can look beyond that and try to Rp it out. The hiding kid giving hints with sounds as the other starts looking. Because of your large overview you can see a large partion of the area you are in, including the person you are looking for. Which doesnt mean your char sees that person, even if your spot is high enough, you still have to catch the person in your line of sight, running to the person and do so like that is a bit 'odd', since ICly you had no way of knowing that was the way to go. Especially if there are two buildings between you, without a triggered noise, you can't properly react. And that is why Rp is so important .
9. Thanks, it is annoying that people vote without leaving comments. That way the voting is less constructive. If it's clear what they like/do not like you can work with it to your advantage.
One thing, you mention SoU, but the server will convert to HoTU very soon. So then you need HoTU to play vives.
If you have any other questions, just post.
Cheers,
Ruldain |
Why can't I PM myself?
Don't iron out the Irony. |
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Re: Laundry List of Newbie Questions
Posted: 29 Dec 2003 08:48 AM |
5. The whole Evil VS Good is always tough. Vives hopes to implement some cities which you can classify as 'evil'. So in these places there will be now real laws, more the MIGHT IS RIGHT kinda idea, opposed to a city like Midor where laws are important. With more background like more cities, there is more potential for quests specifically for evil chars. DM's try to keep things as 'even' as possible. Especially when it comes to long quests. But we also wish to provide small quests, which lack a heavy impact on thing such as one's alignment. In the end the players themselves have to make sure they act in a given situation as their char would, based on their concept (which is the problem between good vs evil, it tends to get out of hand if players do not consider the other party involved and the mutual enjoyment privilige ).
About what you said about evil cities...
Not all evil cities have to be 'might is right'. Some cities can be evil and be more lawful than Midor. Evil doesn't always mean unlawful. Maybe an idea for a new evil city could be something that looked a lot like Midor except instead of Midor guards walking around, <City Name> Sentries wearing dark black plate will be walking around. Of course, thats if you want to make a Dark City like that. You could always make the evil city where if you arent strong, you wont last long. Prostitutes everywhere, gang-fights, shadowy people around every corner. (Kinda like Port Royale's description, but adhering more to it than Port Royale did) For instance, Luskan in the Original NWN's campaign. There were two high-captains battling it out, there were shadowy figures walking around (some hostile too). Overall, it was a dirty city. Those are two kinds of cities I could see in Vives.
Just my two cents on that subject. ;-) |
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