Hello my old old friends! Where has the time gone.... I suppose it's been a decade... or more. I am now going on 31 years old, have a 3rd child on the way, and still playing games - but I never forgot my old home here on the internet. Oh, and I joined back up with the Air Force... so I'm about halfway to retirement now too.

Anyway, I thought I just stumbled on this old favorite on a dusty old CD sitting in a box from my move, and couldn't resist logging on and sending a message out. I just reinstalled NWN and am about to play through the campaigns for the first time... I know I know, I spent probably over a year of game time on the server and never made it past chapter 1 in the actual game... ah well, better late then never.

Besides all that, anyone here that wants to keep in touch or catch up, hit me up on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/#!/Bralius (Rick Sanderson)

If  you're not already friends with me, you'll have to send me a message first, just put "LOTN" in the message cuz otherwise you'll get your request denied (unless I recognize you, of course). Also, I am on battle.net a lot playing Starcraft 2, so a real ID request would require my bralius_366@yahoo.com e-mail.

Sooooo, is the server still around by chance? Oh, I suppose I could just stop typing right now and go check... in fact, I'm going to go look for the IP right now and see if I can log on. I'm going to freak out if my characters are still there! Thank you all for invading my memories again, and I hope someone here remembers me (fondly would be preferred )

Can something be added in game, maybe in the quest journal, that explains the UMD system?

I've seen a couple ressurection scrolls go poof from my rogue before realizing how the system works.

Also, if anything could be done to prevent that from happening to people, when it's just going to be an automatic failure anyway... that'd be nice.

Siegfried received his brothers sword from his mentor, "Your task is simple. Go to the Neverwinter Wood, find comrades in arms and practice your swordplay. When you feel you have mastered the sword, return to me for more guidance. There are many in the land that have mastered the art, you should have little trouble finding the training you need among them."

"You have great plans, I know. And forgive me for asking, but why is it you chose me?" Siegfried asked.

It was unusual for Siegfried to doubt himself, but he did require some confidence if he was to lead later. He had a greater purpose than he would even realize. It is unfortunate that he'll have to ultimately struggle with what deceptions were being used, but sometimes unusual tactics must be employed.

"You will lead a selective group of pupils of mine, to combat the injustice of the land. Your brother was my first choice, but since he has left this plane - I have discovered many of the traits that led me to make the decision still lie within you. You were simply too young, when I had started training your brother." He explained.

Siegfried accepted the answer, bowing to his mentor. "I appreciate all you have done, and will complete my task as swiftly as I can."

"You will encounter some who may not approve of your ways, so you must be discreet for now. Focus on your task, do not reveal too much - but make allies and friends. It is important that you find others that will keep you safe while you are training. Never allow yourself to become arrogant, it is a swift path to failure. You will have further tasks that will involve what friends you make along your journey, I will reveal later what it will involve." he spoke with a serious tone, never breaking eye contact.

Siegfried nodded in understanding, absorbing the instructions, and pulled a fist to his chest, bowing his head to his mentor once more before he was excused. After Siegfried left, the man turned and walked to a bookshelf. He chanted a spell, and walked straight through the bookcase into a small hidden room. A dark altar was all that was present inside. The mentor dropped to his knees and spoke...

"My lord... your newest champion will be ready soon. Your might shall be remembered once again."

Well... I noticed on my ranger Lomendel the other day that for some strange reason I picked Favored Enemy: Giant, instead of Favored Enemy: Orc like it was supposed to be.

Is there currently a way to fix mistakes from char creation without remaking? If not, I can just pick up the feat next time I can pick a favored enemy... no big deal, just checking here for an easy fix that won't take so long since I take forever to level my characters.

To all you moms on LOTN, happy mothers day.

I guess lack of attention or bad memory took over and I just was told Roid is gone. So is there a Bard Hall somewhere else now? I'd like to get a few Harps of Life and no NPCs in Neverwinter seem to give directions anywhere. (plus, nobody is logged on)

This post is based on a previous post by theMannequin that was locked. I'll do my best to remain constructive, while at the same time hopefully giving some good information for anyone who wants to read and possibly take something away from this.

First - I'd like to mention that over the years, I've conversed with Mannequin on and off, sometimes serious conversations regarding RP while others just light conversation while sitting on a near empty server with nobody else around. Almost every single time he's voiced his opinion to me, it's been something I've agreed with. I think we have similar viewpoints on the issues, so I understand the depth behind the topic that was created previously and the frustrations he expressed. The next bit is my blunt opinion on the RP style shared by players that Mannequin was likely trying to get through to.

This server has always had a wealth of RPers that truly do RP -at- you, rather than with you. It's something I had a very hard time accepting and still do. I don't know if they all know who they are, and couldn't think of an example off the top of me head, nor would it be productive to mention it publicly to embarass or provoke anyone anyway. The issue is that most people create their character with a lot of pride in it as players... this pride corresponds into personality traits in the characters making them:

A) Fearless/Invincible
B) Having only "comfortable" weaknesses
C) Not effected by outside influences

There are other negative effects of this of course, but I think those 3 are the major ones that effect others and make the game less fun for all parties involved - I know it makes it less fun for me. Let me explain each in a little more detail for clarification:

Fearless/Invincible

This usually has to do with avoiding the idea of permanent death and/or embarrassment. People will rush head first into obviously fatal situations because there is the small chance they will come out on top and appear heroic/brave/impressive, and will not have to worry about death because there's a respawn button and they have the freedom to make up any story they want. Rogues will stand up to mages and barbarians because they know they have insane AC/saves/etc, ignoring the fact that the barbarian may be an intimidating giant or the mage may have a balor standing behind him/her. Knowledge of mechanics normally prompts this "god-mode", but it also partly has to do with avoiding embarrassing situations that can result in running into a "bully."

CorruptingVoid (I think that was the login) broke me of this habit by one simple action: Her character threw my halfling upside down into a trash barrell. This simple action coupled with her attempts at being an intimidating fighter type was enough for me to realize the quality attached to allowing your character to be embarrassed, and detaching your own dignity from your characters.

Having "Comfortable" Weaknesses

This one is interesting, because a lot more people have this habit. The most common example - someone's parents are killed. Cliche, right? How many people do you know currently playing have family that they must regularly visit? I'm talking about NPCs that may be older or vulnerable to the harsh world such as elderly parents or children. Not PCs that are going to be strong and able to defend themselves...

Family is a large weakness for anyone that has enemies, so most don't want to claim as having any family that could be placed in that situation. So instead, they have the personality weaknesses attached to having their parents murdered... when you think about it though, this isn't a hard one to play out, because EVERYONE's parents were murdered. So it's the norm, and you can simply emulate other people's reactions to this, when not many ACTUALLY know how the character's state of mind really would be. There are so many different examples that could be stated to support this, but I think this one already states my point.

This one I broke myself by analyzing the weaknesses of each of my characters, compared to other people's characters, and determining how much it truly effects the character. Social weaknesses are the most difficult for me, but can be the most rewarding in adding a bit of fun for those that could run laps around my character in conversation. It gives an ego boost to bard players for sure

Not Effected By Outside Influence

My absolute #1 most hated flaw in an RP playstyle. A LOT of people were doing this when I was playing regularly last, which actually drove me away. People were making characters and setting a "path" for their character development. Rather than setting a goal and going with the punches, they had specific events that had to happen in the life of their character, and NOTHING would set them off this path. If anything did (which usually required DM intervention) then they would leave for a while, or just up and quit the server entirely.

Some people's paladins can never fall, no matter what. Some people's evil necromancers could never turn to good. There are others who could NEVER be persuaded to worship another deity. This is a problem that will frustrate anyone that truly wants to RP with someone. This is the prime example of someone that RP's -at- someone rather than with them. You are the star of your own show and everyone else is just part of the show... so hand them the script and enjoy your stardom, right?

I don't know what to say about breaking this habit. There's just a point when you realize how much the game is for everyone else as well as yourself. It may be against someone's personality to worry about anyone elses fun.

I think it's just wrong to play like that though... nuff said.


_________

So, this is my version of "what does it take for people to RP??"

Idenfitying your own weaknesses and improving on them, that's all it takes. These are the 3 weaknesses that ruin the game for me.

The intention of mentioning weaknesses that drive me away is to make others aware of what I believe to be an accurate description of nonconstructive RPing. If just one person realizes their doing something to drive players away and -try- to improve, then it was worth typing this whole thing out.

If someone has beef with my playstyle, I'm not one who is insulted easily, so just say it. PM or public, I honestly don't care. I appreciate criticism... an easy way to identify my own weaknesses is to have someone point out the ones I don't see in myself. So be as harsh as you like, should you feel the need.

Thanks to anyone that's read this far... and I apologize if it was a waste of your time.

Had an idea...

From what I remember, the DC for poison on "applied poison" bought from shops was always ridiculously low. After reading a post by Sakes about DCs, I think maybe modifying other DCs (if possible) on the server might be appropriate to put yet another thing to better use.

My idea was to have poison DCs and durations increase by +1 DC/+1 round per 2 levels of Blackguard or Assassin.

Don't know if it's possible, or a good idea... just throwing it out there.