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General Discussion / Re: Should Quest Areas Be Opened

« on: October 30, 2019, 04:16:43 am »

The more I think about it, the more the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.


What a lot of folks don't think about is BALANCE. If Quest Areas are opened, even if it were just removing maximum levels, then the trajectory at which people can level goes up expotentially. That's bad. Why is that bad? Because right now, quite frankly, we have a pretty solid leveling curve that allows folks to NOT level to maximum overnight. People have to earn their levels, and that makes them feel accomplished.
Now, you can disregard that idea all you want, but I've played on servers where fast leveling is a thing. What happens? 9/10, people get bored once they reach maximum level because they feel as if there's now - at maximum level - nothing to do. Removing the level restrictions from quest areas will NOT fix that. It won't. Eventually, if you don't RP and get involved in server plots, you will be bored, no matter how many goodies there are for players.

For instance the giant wasp quest; it has MANY useful things in it that anyone could use, but with RP, DM quests, and typical gameplay you end up PASSING it before you can actually get the items you need in it. You really only get the exp of something in your range inside of it which is around 16-40 exp depending on the monsters level. its basictly a weaker DM event with a time frame on it. I've heard a few rumours that sometimes someone will willingly die when questing just so they can get EXP loss so they can keep trying to get items in the quest.

Sounds like an issue with that particular quest, NOT an issue with the quest system as a whole. It also sounds like you just reported an exploit. 

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General Discussion / Re: Should Quest Areas Be Opened

« on: October 27, 2019, 10:58:29 pm »

I will point out that, if there are separate, non-instanced versions of the quest areas with NO locks or limits, then people will farm these areas and that will completely defeat the purpose of the server's current design.

I like the server's current design. I like that I can only help certain NPCs so many times (before I out-level the quests). I like that I actually need to find other characters in-game to do things sometimes.

Other, Please Explain: If one is concerned about taking lower PCs to an area, then lock areas behind a minimum level, only. Meaning once you reach said level, you can enter freely - with ones that make sense. Like say the graveyards. You need to be level 5 (just giving an example) otherwise it says, "you're in need of more training before safely entering here" and then you can RP off of that.

I like this.

The XP system already lowers XP for characters whose level is higher than the CR of the monsters in an area. So, it's not like leveling is a huge concern if a level 14 takes a level 5 to the Graveyards. 

Edit: However, the problem I see with this also that folks will drag their friends along and folks won't actually be earning that quest XP; they'll just be along for the ride while the higher level kills all the spawns.

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Crafting Discussion / Re: Scribing, a skill for people who are masters at guessing.

« on: October 02, 2019, 03:48:51 pm »

I think scribing should be replacing the default NWN "Scribe Scroll" feat: https://nwn.fandom.com/wiki/Scribe_scroll . Unfortunately, it sounds like Scribing is currently worse than that feat.

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General Discussion / Re: What would you like to see on N:AoM?

« on: October 02, 2019, 03:23:32 pm »

Underdark and a functioning drow city. Vendors, dialogues, assigning stores to merchants WHICH ARE ALREADY THERE, and the building for trades with tge surface folk has no assigned area whatsoever. So much can be done, and it would take at most hour or two. Spent more time in nwn editor than actually playing.

We already have a Monster and Non-Monster split. Why split it even more? I would suggest putting a few Drow in Sullivan's Port instead.

A bounty system may be interesting. It would allow players to do something when there is a downtime or for veteran players to bring new players and/or character exploring. You could have bounties on plot monsters, like the mutated crabs, or special monsters that spawns in far to reach places and are more rewarding due to the higher danger getting them. You can either reward a specific amount, or a share per players in party to keep it fair. You could hunt monsters as well as wanted criminals.

Technically, a bounty system exists, but it's not as obvious as it could be.


One thing I would like to see is Crafting be better explained, whether that's in-game (via purchasable books for related professions: e.g.: Mining/Armorsmithing/Blacksmithing could be a book) OR on the forums somewhere. I'm not so much asking for full details, just something like "At 40% Blacksmithing, you can begin to craft Shadow Iron weapons" OR "At 30% Alchemy, you can craft (insert potion type here)". Something so folks know the basics of what they're getting into.

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General Discussion / Re: Death System Changes -- Please read and respond.

« on: October 02, 2019, 03:20:53 pm »

I actually would like to suggest another "Other" option. Have the death system take gold (50gp per level) and XP, but - and this is the important bit - do NOT let the death system reduce your XP below the minimum XP for your level. E.g.: If I'm level 7 and I die, I can't be reduced below 21,000XP (the minimum amount of XP required for level 7).

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Journals & Backgrounds / Meleghost Zorastryhl: Biography and Journal

« on: October 01, 2019, 01:27:31 am »

Meleghost Zorastryhl

Race, Gender: Tiefling, Male
Age: Late 20's
Height, Weight: 5'10"/1.78m, 170lb/77kg
Build: Resilient, Wiry
Deity: Mystryl, Jergal
Profession: Neophyte Arcanist
Birthplace: Quagmire, Netheril
Unique Features: Solid, green eyes (no irises); leathery skin; spiny ridge on back


Disposition
Trait
I live by my wits, adapting to the milieu and cultivating power.
Ideal
The ancient traditions and laws of Netheril and the Empire must be preserved and upheld.
Flaws
I never show charity, believing it to be "unselfish love".
I have a weakness for the beauty of the exotic races.

Meleghost Zorastryhl seems self-absorbed, ruthless. The arcanist is a man who will do what it takes to advance civilization, Netheril, and magic. He believes that doing so will benefit himself and everyone else, in that order. In pursuit of this, he is willing to do whatever it takes - as long as it does not violate the laws of the Empire!
All other considerations are put aside. From a personal relationship perspective, Meleghost is interested in what benefits himself, but he is pragmatic enough for quid pro quo. "Virtues" such as hope and charity have no place in the uncompromising march of Netheril, and love is merely lust by another name.


Aspect
Most mistake Meleghost Zorastryhl for a human, but the solid orbs of his green eyes and leathery skin are the hints of his fiendish heritage. A shock of mid-length, dark brown hair frames human ears. His cheekbones are "abrasively" sharp, framing a face of leathery skin. A well-trimmed goatee gives the tiefling an air of severity. Hidden beneath his clothes, he has a spiny ridge of bone on his back.
Meleghost outfits himself in the robes of a Variator Arcanist. Unlike most mages, he wields a short, broad, jagged blade (similar to a falchion) with magical properties. The general effect shows a rakish man.


Introduction to Hadrian
The mage lopes into the Sailor's Coin and plops down on a barstool. His clothes are in need of a wash, as is the man himself. There was an unsettling air about him. He ordered spirits. Strangely, this mage carried a large sword and seemed familiar with its heft.

"Name's Meleghost Zorastryhl, wizard looking to join Archmage Valstiir's Arcanist Guild. Want to know why?" He asks Seamus.

"You ever been to Quagmire? Rain, moss, and mildew - all the place is! Except for... well, the Temple of Targus. See, you ever try to be a mage in a city with crazed Targosians running around?! It's bloody ridiculous. Yes, they're part of Quagmire's army, and mostly - I said mostly - disciplined. But there's no way for a mage to really study there, not like in Ioulaum, or so I hear."


The tiefling sighs. "But when I heard of Archmage Valstiir's enclave, I knew I'd found a better place than Quagmire. Strange to hear, I know; but it's better for me! Here I can join the Arcanist Guild, bring civilization to the savages, and maybe even research things of great note. I see grand things happening!"


No doubt Meleghost seemed very arrogant to most of the bar, but the man didn't seem to care.

"A room, please."


It wasn't until the man turned towards the rooms upstairs that his eyes betrayed his Lower Planar heritage. Meleghost Zorastryhl was a tiefling!

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General Discussion / Re: pvp discussion

« on: September 21, 2018, 05:54:10 pm »

A few points...

No pvp without a dm. Period.

I do not think the server is mature enough to handle this.

I disagree. You know how this gets handled on servers with successful PvP rules?
1) Openly insulting and/or provoking someone is an open invitation to PvP. (Why? Because people often try to hide behind PvP rules as a way to avoid maintaining IC civility and then prevent retaliation.)
2) DMs and Players start saying, "NO fussing when you lose, absolutely none." (No one whines. Whiners get reprimanded by DMs.)
3) The loser of any PvP encounter is ruled to have their memory wiped of anything hostile during the last 24 hours. (In other words, you remember that really cool and useful (for a quest, for example), but your character can't remember the PvP encounter.)

PvP guidelines need to be in place. Being able to engage in bad behavior (IC or OOC) is not something rules should allow.

In my humble opinion monsters should be KoS (and be able to KoS others) with no DM oversight needed.

Yes. Monster race players are aware of what they signed up for, frankly.

Players should never have a say in perma or not, unless they are making that decision for their own character.

I agree. No player should be able to perma-kill any character but their own.

Some take it to the point that they just piss off allot of people and then they get hunted down and results in perma one way or another.

So? Let them get hunted down. Grab a DM, and let them organize things such that a perma can be handed out, if appropriate. If you piss everyone off and only cause damage and chaos and generally be an asshat IC, the consequence might just be that they eventually kill your character.

but in my anecdotal experience the people who wish to remain outside of PvP often use this excuse to be openly IC insulting, provocative and degrading to other party while using their desire to stay clear of PvP as a screen to avoid consequence.

I've also seen this on other servers. Fact is, if you were IC insulting, provocative, and/or degrading in real life, it causes issues. (Fight starts [hopefully not], the thrower of insults get reported to HR, etc., etc., etc.) In a setting like Netheril, openly insulting someone is asking for a consequence... such as a duel. 
And from a mechanical perspective, maybe, just maybe, that loss of xp if you lose the duel will teach you to be more careful who you pick IC fights with. 

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General Discussion / Re: Introduce yourself!

« on: August 22, 2018, 07:30:49 pm »

Howdy, I'm Sam. I've been playing NWN1 & 2 for years, mostly on PWs.

I currently play Iamos-xihr, a tiefling wizard.