Hot Harvest Nights
This was a multi-month game update release event which spanned 10/4/2002 - 12/31/2002.
Official Description
Exciting New Releases Announced Every Week!
October means NEW RELEASES! Be sure to check Hot Harvest Nights Releases for updates on the amazing new things already available!
Summer is slowly fading away and Old Man Winter seems almost too close for comfort, but the GMs of DragonRealms want to turn up the heat this Fall! They've been hard at work cooking up some great surprises for you all and now it's time to unveil them! The evenings may be getting chilly in some places, but here in Elanthia they're HOT! Welcome to HOT HARVEST NIGHTS!
- Ranger Keeping on Track New!
- Character Manager Updates New!
- More Fun Roleplaying Verbs New!
- Arena System
- Kaith Kirm, the Elanthian Olympics!
- Dozens of Profession Improvements
- Massive Expansion in Riverhaven
- Dozens of Enhanced Verbs
Releases
| 10/4/02 | Updated Verbs for Rangers! |
| As of now the verbs Gaze, Dance, Shriek and Pace have been updated to be a bit more ranger friendly. |
| 10/4/02 | Apprentice Replaces Librarian in Ranger Library |
| Recently Kalika got a little funny about having a librarian around and decided to put one of her apprentices in there to keep things straight.
(A new NPC is now available in the Ranger Guild Library.) |
| 10/5/02 | Opening of Ratha Brach of MAMAS Company |
| A couple of dwarves have been seen about the town of Ratha grumbling about their assignment of opening a new branch of the MAMAS Company on a godsfersaken island without a decent mine to its name.
However, they've done their duty, and the new branch is open to interested parties near the pier on the first tier. |
| 10/6/02 | Criminal Organization Routed |
| After a long search, the guard has succeeded in routing out a den of thieves who were using the warehouse of the Suanealaena family. These villains had the nerve to claim they were operating as a guild in the city. The guards were unable to capture the leaders of the gang, however investigations are continuing. When we found the Chief Warden at his new, spacious home in a prosperous quarter of the town, he declared himself satisfied that the Suanealaena family had been victims of the gang who were using their warehouse. A new manager has been installed to keep a closer eye on the property, lest these rogues attempt to reform their group therein.
When asked for comment, representatives in a neighboring Province credited the success of the crusade to an unnamed informant, who provided authorities with details of the criminal element's workings. They also noted that some of the information they were given appeared to be false, as raids elsewhere found only abandoned remnants of what might once have been a hideout. The informant's whereabouts remain unknown at this time, but authorities are seeking the informant for further questioning. |
| 10/9/02 | Enchanced Verb for Rakash |
| In anticipation of the next fullness of Katamba, and to enhance your appreciation of its arrival, the TAIL verb has been enchanced for the Rakash of Elanthia. |
| 10/9/02 | Crossing Ranger Guild Update |
| The crossing guild has gone through a minor change. Kalika will no longer allow non-rangers through the doors. |
| 10/10/02 | New Shop! |
| A sagging wagon has stopped along the Northern Trade Route. Rumor has it that Ithinnu offers clothing and footwear for the discerning male. |
| 10/12/02 | Enhanced Verb for Rakash |
| Bring your Rakash to live with new extended usage of the EAR verb. |
| 10/12/02 | New Weapons in Crossing Paladin Guild |
| The Jousting Arena in the Crossing Paladin Guild now has a rack with blunted lances for your jousting leisure. |
| 10/12/02 | Two Rissan Barbarians Walking in the Woods |
| You hear two fellows crashing through the brush nearby.
"Vern, you got anymore coppers? I wanna go pitch more coins off the footbridge into the Carillon brook." The other voice responds, "I'd rather go find some paladin an' ask if all those stone lion statues mean anything. 'Sides, you ain't gettin' another copper out of me! I don't care how many coins you pitch, Delmer, no woman's gonna grant those wishes!" |
| 10/13/02 | New Ranger Beseeches! |
| Beseech the Sun to Dry: BESEECH DRY
Due to a slight oversight by Kalika, this Beseech had not previously been taught. This more basic Beseech has been made available to Rangers 10th circle or higher, and should help those Rangers who are always wet. Beseech Transfer: BESEECH TRANSFER To keep all the "little ponies" of the Ranger guild happy, Kalika has also made available a Beseech to all Rangers 90th circle and higher. This should help them get into town and sell their skins. |
| 10/16/02 | Riverhaven Improvements |
| In a news release today, the Mayor of Riverhaven detailed some of his accomplishments over the past few months to improve the quality of life for local residents. As proof that his "tough on Crime" stance has had an effect on the local economy, he pointed to today's opening of the bar and restaurant in the Pierless Inn, and the opening of Elamir's Bakery on Blackmoon Road. "When the people of the town feel safe in their homes," the Mayor declared, "they'll feel safe to invest in the growth of our town."
In other news, Bantheld's Ironworks announced that they have received a special shipment of plate armor and shields available for residents. Bantheld himself was not willing to talk with our reporter, but one of his apprentices noted that "the Boss figured wit' dat Paladin chippie in town, people was gonna be wanting plate armor. He's in seventh heaven cause he beat Seli to the idea." Seli the Armorer was unavailable for comment, but the Mayor greeted this announcement as yet another sign of economic growth for the town. |
| 10/17/02 | Mammoth Damage |
| The lastest gossip being bandied about in Deeper's -- besides Delmer's love life (or lack of it) and whether Diwitt is responsible for the noticeable decrease in the cat population -- concerns a young Elven trader who was contracted to bring building supplies to M'Riss. With economy in mind, she packed everything upon the pet mammoth she's had since childhood and almost delivered the supplies without incident. It wouldn't be gossip-worthy if there were no incidents.
Unfortunately, her pet mammoth, Curly, was unnerved by the sheep that graze the Town Common of Wishing Well Grove. Curly, obviously a high-strung animal whose owner should have know better than to place under so much stress, also objected to a panther familiar and a poppy-seed roll. Eventually the strain of the trip and new surroundings became too much: Curly bolted and found her way into the bog, where she proceeded to squish caracals, several Lun'Shele hunters, some adventurers and even a tree or two. But, as even the worst happenstance will frequently produce an unexpected benefit, one of the trees fell at just the right angle to allow people to scramble down to the Altanen river. Rissans are actively exploring the delights of this section of the island whose natural beauty was previously inaccessible. |
| 10/17/02 | More News From Riverhaven |
| Seeing the success enjoyed by the bars at the Noble Inn and the Pierless, two new taverns have opened in the town of Riverhaven. Dunkard's Tavern, located at the intersection of Ring Road West and Silvermoon Road, offers red wine and small beer, but looks to become a favorite with local students at the Academy due to its proximity and the dart board.
Catering more to the town's working class, the Dead Bird's Paradise opened near the local docks in the southwest side of town. When asked how he liked the town's new watering holes, local resident, Jackwater, said, "M..Marlene? Is that you?" In other news, the manager of Lokthal's Bakery complained to the mayor about the new businesses, claiming the late hours and ready availability of alchohol will only increase licentious behaviour and vice. The Mayor was unavailable for comment. Seli, of Seli's Armory, agreed with the baker, crying, "Something must be done! And no, this has nothing to do with Bantheld's recent shipment of plate armor -- I've my own ideas how to deal with THAT." |
| 10/18/02 | Premium Fifth Year Token Auction |
| The Auctioneer Cesiro has been paid handsomely to offer you this chance at some unique items made just for you, and he will open his stylish puce tent located in the Seacaves very shortly before the bidding is to begin.
No money required, just show up in the sea caves and enter the Puce tent! (Assuming you've passed the 5th year premium mark, of course) What is a token auction? It's a completely free raffle-type auction in which you throw your token in to be randomly chosen from the 'hat'. If you win, hurrah. If you don't, you get your 'token' back to be tossed in for whatever remaining items interest you. |
| 10/25/02 | Character Manager Upgrade |
| New characters will find a wider range of options in the character manager when selecting their features. There's a few extra skin colors for most of the races, and premium players will be able to select their age (within a range of ages which are "very young" to "young" for their race) and birth dates (yes, rolling up twins just became easier). In Platinum, players will have a wider range of ages to choose from, however they don't get to pick a specific age. |
| 10/25/02 | New RP Verbs |
| For your roleplaying adventures, there are three new verbs for everyone to enjoy. These are BECKON, YELP and NIBBLE. |
| 10/25/02 | Voices in my head? |
| Rumors run rampant of an agitated shopkeeper complaining to the guard about voices heard out of nowhere. Whispers tell of adventurers being possessed of odd spirits, shouting taunts and insults, with no memory of the words crossing their lips. Some say that the phenomenon is even spreading to the field, to creatures that suddenly speak in odd phrases and tongues while their expressions remain a study of bewilderment. What could be the source of the madness?
Some blame Bards. Some blame those who walk in the Shadow. Some say it's a sign of times to come. What do you think? Perhaps you should seek one and find out. |
| 10/29/02 | Empathic Shift! |
| Empaths now have to power to channel life magic in to appearance altering fun! Empaths Can change hair styles, eye colors, facial features and more! Yes, may also be able to change others' gender! Read all of the exciting details on the Empathic Shift Release page! |
| 10/27/02 | Fuel For Bookworms' Fires |
| Two new volumes have been delivered to the Academy Library in Riverhaven for the enjoyment of Prydaen (and everyone!). |
| 10/31/02 | We Can't Stop Here. This is Bat Country! |
| Any Warrior Mages with a bat familiar will notice a significant change when they summon their familiar. GM Rottcloar has added bats to the list of familiars with greatly enhanced appearances! |
| 10/31/02 | Two New Spells! |
| Alamhif's Gift, Paladin Spell
"There are those that would squander their god's favor, and those that simply know no better. As protectors and leaders, the path of the Paladin is to lead by shining example, by living true and just, by giving unselfishly to save and honor others. Alamhif's Gift is a magical tool that will allow the caster to give of himself his god's favor to one in need. The transfer of favor to another is a slow process, but more mana will speed this up considerably. You may find also find it easier to cast this spell if any Clerics are in your group." Aura Sight, Moon Mage Spell "Aura Sight improves your mystical senses, improving your tie to the Plane of Probability and your ability to sense mana. This has the indirect benefit of helping both your magic and your enchanting. Unfortunately, this spell has a price, and will hinder your normal perception as long Aura Sight is in effect." -- Note that this is a significant departure from the previous plans for this spell. |
| 10/31/02 | Four Re-released Spells! |
| Curse of Zachriedek, Cleric Spell
Uncurse now functions on targets who have been cursed by Curse of Zachriedek.. Ripple, Moon Mage Spell Rewritten for the new Magic System. Shadewatch Mirror, Moon Mage Spell An important change to Shadewatch Mirror is that it no longer ignores distances. You'll need more mana for further distances. You will obviously not be able to take the Shadewatch Mirror quest until the spell Distant Gaze is rereleased. The quest has been turned completely off for now, but more info on that will be forthcoming when it's ready. Also, since this is a quest spell, ONLY Moon Mages of 40th circle or higher will be able to cast it during the preview. Unleash, Moon Mage Spell Rewritten for the new Magic System. |
| 10/31/02 | One Adjusted Spell! |
| Nissa's Binding, Empath Spell
This spell is now a Stamina versus Stamina contested spell, if the target is standing. If the target is not standing up, there continues to be no skill check since this would be contrary to the purpose of helping patients. |
| 10/31/02 | New and Updated Roleplaying Verbs |
| The new verbs FAINT, WHEEZE and PROCRASTINATE all give you new and fun ways to interact with yoiur friends. Try them in game!
Updates for the S'Kra Mur race include great new messaging for the verbs TAIL and RASPBERRY. |
| 10/31/02 | Trader Ledgers Upgraded |
| The biggest change you will notice is that you can now:
OPEN LEDGER TURN LEDGER TO BEGINNING TURN LEDGER TO CONTENTS TURN LEDGER TO CHAPTER <#> TURN LEDGER TO PAGE <#> For easier ledger navigation and organization. STUDY LEDGER Study information about your dealings with various trading outposts. READ LEDGER See either the cover page, main table of contents, chapter table of contents or the text of the specific page. TURN LEDGER See different options available for interacting with your ledger. |
| 10/31/02 | New Stock Available in Island Magic Shop |
| Some of the stock in Kalazashi's House of Majik (on the island of Ratha) as been changed! Enjoy. |
| 11/5/02 | Kaith Kirm Winners Posted! |
| The inter-provincial Kaith Kirm games have come to a close. Find out who came out on top, and who took the long walk home (or long swim home, for those Qi'Reshalia contestants) on the official Kaith Kirm Winners page! |
| 11/5/02 | Ranger Releases Warrant New Page! |
| Team Ranger is coming up with so many great releases, we need a new page just to show them all to you! |
| 11/7/02 | North Road Caravansary Rennovated! |
| The Dwarven Trader Hamarmik and his partner, Tom Noblefoot, would like to announce the completion of their renovations of the North Roads Caravansary, catering to Traders! Find a retreat from the Trade Roads, explore the shops, finance for furs, chat with numerous locals and more in this fabulous new expansion!
Note/Hint for local homeowners especially: You should talk to the locals. It's quite possible owning a home there has a perk or two... |
| 11/7/02 | A New Shop on Aesry Surlaenis'a! |
| The merchants of Aesry Surlaenis'a are pleased to welcome a newcomer to their midst. Field of Shields, carrying find shields of all kinds and descriptions, is now open for business. Stop in and browse! |
| 11/7/02 | Three New Verbs! |
| The DEMEANOR and BEFRIEND verbs will be taking the place of several AVOID settings. Basically most "physical contact" avoids are now covered by the DEMEANOR verb. The BEFRIEND verb lets you specify individuals whom you regard more warmly or coldly than your default DEMEANOR. Most of the changed verbs which have had emotes added for DEMEANOR and BEFRIEND will now give you syntax when you type the verb alone or <verb name> HELP in game.
The CLUTCH verb allows you to clutch body parts, clutch other players or clutch creatures or items. |
| 11/7/02 | Reshalia Revealed! |
| Those familiar with the island of Reshalia (home to the city of Ratha) may notice that the roadblock once preventing exploration of much of the island has been destroyed. Those who explore what lies beyond may even find some old friends. Take warning! The island species tend to be slightly tougher than their mainland cousins were. (Yes, that's right....the silver leucros are baaaaack!) |
| 11/8/02 | Aesry Surlaenis'a Offices Moved |
| Residents and visitors to Aesry Surlaenis'a may notice that some governmental functions are no longer in their temporary quarters, but have moved into the Tribunal building one step to the west. In addition to the more spacious area for the Citizenship and Housing offices, and the Council Chamber for the ruling Council's deliberations, there is also a new Shipping Office upstairs, which will permit citizens to sign up to be notified when a ship reaches the harbor. |
| 11/9/02 | Muspar'i Open for Citizenship! |
| Individuals who so desire may now become citizens of Muspar'i. A new civic office has opened in the city's Shorka's Square that can handle the requests. New citizens should look for some special benefits in the coming weeks, and beyond. |
| 11/9/02 | Muspar'i Warrior Mage Guild Reopens! |
| At long last, the Warrior Mage Guild at Muspar'i has re-opened its doors. Warrior mages from across the land will find a number of new and interesting things to occupy their interests. |
| 11/9/02 | Aesry Surlaenis'a Celebrates Opening of MAMAS Branch! |
| The Merchant Adventurers' Mapping, Assay, and Survey Company is pleased to announce the opening of the Aesry Surlaenis'a branch of the MAMAS Company, located down the path by the repair forge building. |
| 11/9/02 | The Spells Just Keep On Coming! |
| Rising Mists
This spell underwent a rewrite and should now work more effectively. Note that a low level Zephyr can co-exist with the fog (the winds aren't strong enough to dissipate it), as can Tailwind (since that is gentle and too focused to dissipate enough of the fog to make a difference). "The Rising Mists spell creates a dense fog that will hinder ranged combat while making it easier to hide. It takes a few seconds to thicken, but when it does it will also snuff out a number of fire-based spells. The water droplets freeze quickly, too, making spells like Frostbite more potent." Earth Sense Like Rising Mists, this spell underwent something of a rewrite and should now be functioning with much more fair skill checks for both hider and caster. Focus has been moved away from relying on extreme Primary Magic checks and instead is now based heavily on Perception, modified by PM and extra mana. The "earth pocket" function has been removed since it never actually did anything anyway. "The Earth Sense spell links the caster to the earth below, useful for revealing what may lie hidden from normal sight. Rocks and mud are not as clear as water, so the information provided may be misinterpreted. The skilled mage will find Earth Sense a boon however." Steelstar Though you won't notice it during the global preview, the spell prerequisites have changed -- while it will also be available on scrolls as before, you will be able to learn it from Guildleaders if you have learned Moonblade. Also, multiple lodged Steelstars will now all explode with a single cast of Dazzle. "The Steelstar spell is similar to Moonblade, but creates a small, sharp star-shaped throwing weapon. It makes for some interesting combinations with the Dazzle spell, should you manage to lodge one in a target creature." Distant Gaze and Shift Moonbeam Distant Gaze may yet undergo significant changes before you're able to permanently learn it, but since it's hard to play with Shift Moonbeam without it, you're getting access to it. "The Distant Gaze spell allows you to watch the goings-on where you have a moonbeam focused. Though it is not the most powerful scrying tool available to Moon Mages, it works well for guard duty, where a mage can be aware of people or creatures approaching an area -- such as outside a home or on the entry path to a dangerous hunting area." "The Shift Moonbeam spell allows you to move a focused moonbeam from a distance. You must internalize mana streams to use this spell, so cast it then just gesture in the direction your want your moonbeam to move. If you don't have Distant Gaze cast on your moonbeam, though, you may be moving it blindly." Thoughtcast "Thoughtcast allows the caster to contact a person he is linked with via Seer's Sense with a single ESP message. If that person has a Seer's Sense link with others, the message may cascade to them as well." |
| 11/9/02 | New Thief Reputation System Released |
| The individual levels of "punishment" have not been released at this time, but they will be released next week. This means that while you are out making a thiefly nuisance of yourself, you may already be collecting your "bad" reputation. So be prepared for the consequences when they are released.
Basics of the Thief Reputation System
Friendly faces are going to be updated to reflect reputation, and as they are specific to each Province, expect to see two new friendly faces in the near future in Provinces currently lacking. Where and who they are will be subject to discovery, of course. |
| 11/12/02 | The Beta Test for the New Forums is here! |
| Try them out at: http://www.play.net/forums |
| 11/12/02 | Encumbrance Adjustment |
| We've made some adjustments to a few of the encumbrance and balance calculations. To make a long story short, the end result is that you should notice it is now much easier to STAND from a prone position. |
| 11/15/02 | Moon Mage Promotions |
| Lady Gylwyn has taken over the tent atop the Pierless Inn of Riverhaven, which is now open for Moon Mages to use. She is only able to promote up through 10th circle, however. |
| 11/16/02 | New Players May Now Choose Starting Town |
| In a statement to local newspapers, the Mayor of Riverhaven proudly attributed the record number of immigrants to his year-long program of innovations in the town, combined with his tough stance on crime.
The Lorethew Society participated in the news conference, thanking the Mayor for his gift of an estate in the northwest corner of the city, not far from the Gate of Nobles. Renamed "Aldamus House" to honor the memory of the founder of the society, the house will serve to welcome new adventurers and provide a helping hand. In other words, new players will find they have more options on where they arrive in the lands. Estate holders (Premium customers) will be given the choice of arriving in either the Crossing or in Riverhaven, while non-estate holders will find themselves arriving in one of the two cities at random. |
| 11/16/02 |
Muspar'i Sandpit Infested! |
| The locals around Muspar'i are warning visitors to stay away from a sandpit off to the side of a road in the desert. Why? Because it's full of leeches! Two new bloodsuckers can be found in this pit, black sand leeches and red sand leeches. The red leeches are slightly easier than the things found in the Marsh, while the black leeches are more difficult. So beware.
Thanks go to GMs Loriene and Towint for this release. |
| 11/21/02 | Healing System Reworked and Improved! |
| See all of the awesome details here! |
| 11/21/02 | Disarm Reworked, Expaned and Improved! |
| Find all of the great new features and improvements in this article! |
| 11/30/02 | More Spell News! |
| Paeldryth's Wrath (Warrior Mage Spell)
"The Paeldryth's Wrath spell channels the unseen currents of air and wind into a ferocious blast of force to overwhelm opponents. It does some impact damage, but its main purpose is to stagger your enemy back away from you or others. This spell is not targeted, but relies heavily on your skill at targeting. Some mages believe that the spirit of Paeldryth watches those who use his spell and will aid those in dire straits. Others disagree, vehemently arguing that inconsistencies in the spell's pattern cause an occasional aberation in the cast. In any case, and in rare circumstances, the spell has a bizarre area effect, but it would be unwise to ever rely on this intriguing quirk of Paeldryth's Wrath." This spell underwent a complete rewrite and is now a hybrid Spell vs. Agility/Targetted Magic spell. You should notice that the damage is considerably less than other 1st tier (low level) spells, but its main goal is to knock opponents back and possibly prone. Variation is the spice of life and all that. Branch Break (Ranger Spell) "The Branch Break spell is an extension of the flow of Nature. In time, even the mightiest of oaks falls, and the tallest of mountains crumbles. Much as Compost hurries decay in an area, Branch Break weakens trees and overhanging rocks, causing them to fall on your foes. Be warned that it is much easier to use this spell on trees, as rocks remain sturdier against the inevitable march of Nature's passing. Using this in caverns and the like may also result in the rocks falling upon you if you lack skill!" Significant changes have occurred to this spell. Most importantly, the spell simply did far, far too much for its tier and intended level:
Telekinetic Storm (Moon Mage Spell) "The Telekinetic Storm spell hurls any lightweight loose objects in the area at random targets. Be warned that the caster is not excluded from being struck by flying items!" This spell has been completely rewritten and should not be such a "messaging scroll-fest" now. It will now randomly choose targets in the room, with a chance of hitting both players and critters (though it will tend towards critters). Please use this spell carefully and remember that Moon Mages are not designed to be masters of area effect damage! During the process of updating TKS, several bugs were found and squished in Telekinetic Throw. Included would be the acceleration bug with slivers (where such small items were "slowed by water" or "moved slowly" towards a target). |
| 12/1/02 | Help for Rangers |
| You can now type SCOUT HELP to get a list of the proper syntax for the various things you can do with scouting. Also, you can now type BESEECH MINE to get a list of the beseeches that you currently know how to do. |
| 12/1/02 | Changes to Glyph of Ease for Paladins |
| Glyph of Ease has two additional functions. In addition to the original usage (making corpses easier to drag), there is now a bonus to dragging over climbable areas. In addition, a new usage of Glyph of Ease has been added. If the Glyph is traced upon a living person, a portion of their fatigue (if any is lost) will be restored. This can be self-traced or traced upon someone else. Once someone has benefited from this, they must wait a little while before they can benefit from it again. Both of these features grow with the Paladin's circle and charisma. |
| 12/2/02 | Help for Rangers |
| The new title selections for Traders are now live in all instances of the game. Check out the Trader Topic in the Forums for more details. |
| 12/5/02 | Changes to SNEAK and SEARCH |
| Portions of the SNEAK and SEARCH verbs now usenew mechanics and experience award formulae. The changes involve experience awards, success formulae, and an addidtion change to the SNEAK verb that allows people who see you sneak away will know which direction you are going.
SNEAK and SEARCH formulae previously awarded fixed amounts of experience for successfully sneaking past someone, or spotting them. With the changes, the better your chances of succeeding, the less the award. However, for successfully beating the odds, you earn more experience. In either case, even contests should award significantly more now than in the past. Also, there is now a timer-like approach to limiting the amount of experience for a given skill that a single person or creature may teach. It is more effective to learn from different people and creatures than to try to learn from the same ones repeatedly. In regards to the success formulae, the mechanics have changed to allow for greater consistency in perception/stealth checks for different systems. Some situations may favor one side or the other: for instance, actively SEARCHING a room may yield a better chance of spotting someone than merely noticing them SNEAK into the room. The change to have creatures use the new SEARCH verb, or move with the new SNEAK mechanics, will occur in the near future. |
| 12/5/02 | Muspar'i for Bards |
| Bardic Recall has been released to various spots in the city of Muspar'i. As Bardly folks know, the city's been lacking that since its implementation. Now, you should be able to find a number of spots containing special information as you wander throughout the city. |
| 12/5/02 | Changes to APPRAISE |
| Changes are now live in all instances of the game, except for The Fallen. The main change is that now you will have a chance to APPRAISE items/critters/people from hiding. If a player spots you appraising something, they will be able to point you out of hiding and critters will sometimes point you out if they see you. These changes are consistent with how loading a bow or crossbow while hidden works, so you can expect to learn a bit of hiding if you successfully remain unseen by a critter/player while appraising. This addition is consistent with the new changes made to sneaking and searching with regards to relative skills of the hider and the perceiver and how they affect the amount of experience awarded.
The other change is relatively minor and will affect only Thieves with enough skill in a certain skill, whowill be able to get some additional information when appraising some items. Vague? Of course it is, they're thieves. |
| 12/5/02 | Armor Hindrance and Stealth |
| New changes will allow the system to work much more predictably when handling mixed armors, especially when there are significant disparities in skill. Also, as you might expect, attempting to be stealthy in metal armors such as chain and plate will be very difficult. The guild-based differentiation in ability to reduce armor hindrance is not applied to the stealth hindrance calculations. This change will affect nearly all of the stealth-related systems (HIDE, SNIPE, POACH, etc.), not just the SNEAK and SEARCH verbs that were recently released. |
| 12/5/02 | Experience Adjustments While Climbing |
| The experience gain calculation for climbing obstacles has been rewritten. First, it now uses yourbase ranks versuss difficulty of the obstcle to calculate the amount of the reward (and the maximum award possivble). So, while bonuses will no longer negatively affect your learning, you can no longer artificially making things harder for yourself (thus gaining more experience) by holding items or other means.
The second major change is that the timers have been cut back quite a bit. Therefore, if there is a climb in the area which teaches you, you can climb it more often to gain experience. Overall, the change should make the climbing skill easier to learn for most people. |
| 12/5/02 | HAIL Your Friends! |
| As many players have suggested, thought about, or spoken about, you wished to have a way to HAIL each other in game.
Kaldar now have a verb available to them in order to HAIL their own racial group. Others races can use the verb, just not as well. |
| 12/7/02 | Four New Spells |
| REMEMBER -- the global preview will be turned off on Saturday, December 14th.
Vertigo - Warrior Mage Spell "The Vertigo spell is an entertaining use of elemental magic. The caster causes the air pressure around a victim's head to change and fluctuate, making the target feel weak in the stomach and unsettled. Research has also revealed this spell can have a useful but less pronounced effect on all foes engaged at close range with the caster, provided a single target is not selected. Vertigo has no effect on undead or creatures that do not breathe air." Vertigo has undergone a complete rewrite, but is functionally similar to the old version: it remains a Spell versus Stamina contested spell. Messaging given has changed considerably. Prerequisites have changed to knowing the Swirling Winds spell and being of 10th circle. Minimum mana to prepare the spell has dropped to 5. Swarm - Ranger spell "The Swarm spell is aptly named, for it summons an angry horde of stinging hornets to distract and attack the target. Since the poison from these insects can be virulent, there is thankfully no chance that they will attack anyone aside from their target. Sphere of Protection has been known to completely stop the portion of the Swarm spell that summons the insects." This spell has undergone a complete rewrite.
Ring of Spears - Warrior Mage spell "Ring of Spears is primarily a defensive spell, but with enough magical acumen and careful timing it can also be cast to devastating effect. When you so evoke the power of Earth, a ring of sharp spikes, resembling spears wrought of rock, rises from the ground around you, fending off surrounding foes and injuring those not lithe enough to escape. A skillful mage can also employ this spell to aid his or her allies." This spell has undergone a complete rewrite. Minimum mana to prepare the spell has been lowered to 12 (from 15). Prerequisites are still the Fist of Stone spell, the Tremor spell and being of 20th circle. The recoil effect is still in place -- be cautious about casting this spell too rapidly as this could be disastrous. The spell can now be used on critters as well as other players. When cast on someone/something else, the target becomes the center point for the spears -- which means that the caster can endanger or kill him/herself if they happen to be engaged to the target. Like Branch Break, the custom mechanics in this spell have been gutted and replaced with standardized core magic system stuff. Ring of Spears is now a Spell versus Agility spell. Magical shields can help (appropriate skill is necessary of course). Due to the complexity of the optional cast variations (self/area cast, or cast "other"), the spell is considered a full area effect spell for purposes of Barbarian magic resistance no matter how it is used. This was unavoidable due to technical limitations and won't be changing -- it's nice enough of a spell that it shouldn't be too hard to live with. To get the damaging effect of the spear, you will NEED to use extra mana. Low mana casts only push things back away from you. This was done to give you extra options in using Ring of Spears. Chill Spirit - Cleric spell This spell is a first-tier spell in the Spirit Manipulation book and has no prerequisites. Chill Spirit is the first in a line of upcoming spells designed for Clerical spiritual combat. This means that its current version should NOT be considered finalized, even after the preview is complete. This stipulation is necessary because the spiritual combat system is going to need constant tweaking - not to mention several more spells - before we can consider its structure solid enough to call balanced and finalized. As a result of this potential flux in the spell's power, Chill Spirit may remain on individual preview until the mechanics are solidified, even after the global preview ends. |
| 12/7/02 | DISARM Dangerously! |
| A new, optional maneuver has been added to DISARM. Characters who have achieved a certain level skill, will find they can now DISARM <type of box> BLIND. Professionals are able to utilize this maneuver at an earlier skill level. The maneuver is more difficult and riskier than QUICK, but shares that maneuver's speed. |
| 12/8/02 | Scroll Spells Rarity Rating System |
| Some changes have just been made live to the way scrolls are distributed. Previously, when the treasure system decided that you'd find a scroll on a critter, it would select one randomly from a selection of specific scroll spells. This meant that if both Energy Manacles and Vigil were in the system, neither would be less common than the other -- you'd have roughly equal chances of getting either. Clearly, this means that we could not release further Sorceries or add Necromancies to the scroll distribution because it would make them far more common than what they should be.
This change addresses that issue. Your chances of finding a scroll of any kind have not changed; these are the same as always. What has changed is that rarity of particular scrolls now matters in which one you are more likely to find. For those who like this sort of trivia, the list of rarities is: Common, Uncommon, Rare and Ultrarare. No Sorceries or Necromancies will be in the "Common" listing anymore -- spells such as Energy Manacles and Mana Disruption will become less common. Obviously, as we finish some of the unreleased scroll-only spells such as Smite Horde or Heavy Moonblade, those will be added to the scroll system. Only spells that we specifically add to this new scroll system can be found. This is the current list of POSSIBLE scrolls you can find, in alphabetical order, NOT rarity: Air Bubble Compost Energy Manacles Ethereal Shield Glythtide's Gift Huldah's Pall [New Unknown Sorcery] Mana Disruption Seal of Deflection Shadow Web Steelstar Vigil We will, of course, be monitoring this to make sure the number of scrolls being released is where we want it to be and to make sure certain spells are not becoming too common. As we complete further scroll-only spells, the possible spells will be more balanced in regard to their Guild/Arcane representation. |
| 12/11/02 | Vitality Healing Spell Adjusted |
| Since Vitality Healing was among the first of spells we released for Magic version 2.1, there were a number of inconsistencies in the spell. First, the mana cap was far too high, and so has been reduced significantly. Difficulty was also adjusted down to the level for a first tier spell. The formula was also revised.
In short, you should see an improvement in Vitality Healing. |
| 12/11/02 | DISARM May Teach More Perception Skill |
| The potential disarming experience for higher "level" boxes has been increased. Additionally, the experience equation that calculates the amount of perception experience awarded has been adjusted upwards to help ease the gap that changes in stalking may have made to learning perception.
This is a more significant adjustment than prior tweaks, consequently we will be keeping a close eye on the awards to ensure they do not exceed our expectations. Those of you who disarm higher "level" boxes should notice a perceptible difference. It remains, however, to your advantage to disarm boxes "at level" for your skill. |
| 12/12/02 | Moon Mage Spells |
| Distant Gaze - Moon Mage Spell
"The Distant Gaze spell allows you to watch the goings-on where you have a moonbeam focused. Though it is not the most powerful scrying tool available to Moon Mages, it works well for guard duty, where a mage can be aware of people or creatures approaching an area -- such as outside a home or on the entry path to a dangerous hunting area." "In addition to this, Distant Gaze's magical clairvoyance has the interesting side effect of providing a boost to power perception skill. While not as formidable as spells like Aura Sight, this benefit will last as long as the caster is watching his moonbeam." Since Distant Gaze has now lost its unfavorable status in the list of Moon Mage spells, the requirements for the Shadewatch Mirror quest (Quest, 40th+ circle, Distant Gaze, open spell slot) will remain unchanged. Riftal Summons - Moon Mage Spell The Riftal Summons spell is now a Spell versus Agility contest. The spell still functions exactly the same otherwise. The difference now is that your "victim" has a chance to dodge out of the way of the rift as it opens. The should have no real impact on what should be the three main uses of Riftal Summons:
What this change does address is comparatively low level Moon Mages jerking GameMaster Non-Player Characters and 99th circle characters around. Now, you'll need to have the stats and mana input to be able to do that. All other aspects of the spell remain the same. Riftal Summons will remain in "preview mode" for one week after the Global Preview is turned off. |
| 12/12/02 | Swimming Adjustments |
| There are a few new changes to swimming. The experience reward is now based on difficulty of the swim versus your base ranks. It sets proper difficulty caps on the learning. It rewards a diminishing return percentage of experience for failed swims. In most cases, it awards more experience per attempt than it has previously (even on fails).
The round time formula has been rewritten. The roundtime for making the swim is now based on the difficulty of the swim versus your modified ranks (instead of being a fixed function of the area). This change provides a much needed benefit for having high swimming skills. Some will see an increase in their swimming roundtimes (offset for the most part by increased experience), while those with high swimming will see both reduced roundtimes and increased experience (since their bonuses won't be hurting them) which rewards them for their ranks. Armor hindrances will impact swimming success. The more hindering the armor, the more difficult it will be to swim in. That hindrance can be lessened by gaining appropriate armor skill. All guilds will use the same set of minimum hindrances based on armor type. Paladins greater than 30th level do not have a penalty for mismatched armor types. |
| 12/13/02 | Gondola Climbing Area Fixed |
| The "Backdoor" to the Undergondola area has been modified so that the difficulty of the climb is in line with what it was originally intended to be. |
| 12/14/02 | Cantrips Made Temporarily Easier to Learn |
| Books have been placed in two locations for easier relearning of Moon Mage cantrips. Those locations are: just inside the door of the Crossing Guild, and in the Reception Room just off the entrance of the Taisgath Guild (through the arch).
The books will be available for one week, and after that point it's back to traipsing all over creation to regain them in the normal fashion. To reiterate usage (for those who are unfamiliar), when you open one and READ it, you'll see the table of contents and can then TURN the book to flip to the first/next cantrip. If you go past the last available cantrip in a book, just close and reopen it. You can STUDY the book in order to learn the cantrip listed on the current page. You will still be under the constraints of needing the correct spells learned or knowledge of enchanting (in certain cases), but you will not need to worry about scholarship requirements for these particular books.. |
| 12/14/02 | Global Magic Preview Ends |
| The Magic Preview has now been turned off as of 1 PM EST, 12/14/2002.
We hope everyone enjoyed this extremely lengthy, but necessary, spell preview. |
| 12/15/02 | Hit the Ice! |
| Ice skating is available both on the Crossing Town Pond and in Aesry from now until the spring melts turns the snow to slush and renders the ice too thin to skate upon! |
| 12/18/02 | Ledgers Go Fully Live |
| The changes to ledgers and commodity crates that was released a couple weeks ago in the Platinum instance of the game are now live in all instances.
Ledgers will now provide a "bill of lading" for all commodity crates, giving the number of units, type, origin and unit cost for each commodity crate on the caravan. The commodity crates can be PUSHed to bring them to the front of the caravan so they will be selected first for unloading. If there are any bugs noticed with these changes, please post to the Bugs folder on the Trader boards. |
| 12/21/02 | DISARM May Teach More Perception Skill |
| The potential disarming experience for higher "level" boxes has been increased. Additionally, the experience equation that calculates the amount of perception experience awarded has been adjusted upwards to help ease the gap that changes in stalking may have made to learning perception.
This is a more significant adjustment than prior tweaks, consequently we will be keeping a close eye on the awards to ensure they do not exceed our expectations. Those of you who disarm higher "level" boxes should notice a perceptible difference. It remains, however, to your advantage to disarm boxes "at level" for your skill. |
| 12/21/02 | TOGBALL!! |
| Boss Ortug is proud to announce the grand opening of the Tiger Clan Togball Field!
There are a couple of mechanics to allow spectators to watch the game. The rules of the game itself are up to the Gor'Togs playing it. The official Togball can be either a) an object or b) a person of any race other than Gor'Tog. Only one official Togball can be in play at once. To register the object in his/her right hand as the official Togball, a Gor'Tog should JOIN FIELD. Similarly, to volunteer to *be* the official Togball, a non-Gor'Tog person should JOIN FIELD. In either case, this must be done from one of the five sideline rooms from which the field of play is visible. After JOIN FIELD happens, the ball must go onto the field of play within 1 minute, or the guards will decide to wait for another ball. If the ball leaves the field of play it will cease to be the official ball. Anyone who is in one of those same five middle rooms along the sideline will be able to watch the action, wherever the Togball goes within the field of play. If you are already in a spectator room when the ball enters play, you will automatically see everything that happens around the ball. If you enter the area after the ball has entered the field of play, you will still see what happens as soon as it moves, but if you'd like to watch immediately, WATCH MATCH will allow you to do so. There is no command to stop watching; as soon as you leave the spectator area, that will happen automatically. The field of play is intended to be 'Tog-only, with the exception of the ball, if applicable. Currently there is a bug that allows anyone to enter the field, but the field will revert to Gor'Tog-only soon. Everyone, regardless of race, will always be able to access the sideline/spectator area. |
| 12/23/02 | Magic v2.1 Updates from GM Rigby |
| 1) There are some tweaks GM Veyl has suggested for critter magic which need to bein place before the next critter starts casting spells. As for which critters that will be, it will most likely be the seordmaor followed by the Adan'f mages.
2) Since GM Veyl's updates to SEARCH and hiding, we can now get the proper hiding checks put in for preparing spells while hidden or invisible. 3) Enchantes v2.1 is definitely shifting towards an "end of January" release... I underestimated the amount of work I'd be involved in at the end of the preview, and we still have a ton of new enchantes to write. Plus I intend to take some time to do some "fun" projects and relax before I drive myself nuts with a major v2.1 expansion. 4) We've not forgotten about Resurrection, but we're also not going to release any teaser info on that right now. GM Skralthaen still has ...stuff... to do. Oh, wait, I guess saying that IS a teaser. ;) 5) New spells and rereleased spells will take a lower priority than the four things above, not counting a few Arcane spells we already have ready (and have just been holding back on). 6) Trivia: As of this writing, there have been 416 scroll spells released into the game through the treasure system since the changeover to the new scroll system -- one of which is a new mystery Arcane spell. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes the word to get out on what it is, and what it does. |
| 12/23/02 | Ranger Guild Area Reworking |
| The changes that have been alluded to for the Ranger Guild in Crossing have just gone live. What does this mean for you? Well, the following actions will no longer be tolerated within the Crossing Guild area and adjoining rooms:
1. Offensive spell casting on other players 2. Challenges The Ranger guild now has a lockout table. Anyone who is caught performing these actions will be removed from the Guild area and their name will be placed in this table. Once you are placed in the lockout table you will be unable to enter the Guild Area in Crossing. The first infraction will result in a two hour lockout. If you have another one after you are allowed back in, the lockout time will increase up to 6 months or indefinitely. While locked out, Kalika, Ievia, Tolle and Tomma will no longer respond to your requests for promotion or simple questions. Additionally, Kalika will also give you the cold shoulder if you are wanted for murder within Zoluren. There is another way to get placed in the lockout table... Two Rangers (Circle 25 or higher) can go talk to the Journeyman and make a request to have a player removed and added to the lockout table. The two Rangers cannot be in the lockout tables themselves. Additionally, they can only kick out non-Rangers, they cannot kick out a fellow ranger. We will be monitoring this situation, and we do keep track of who is making requests for player removal. Do not misuse this ability or you will find yourself in the lockout table yourself for your actions. Do not assist for a GameHost or GameMaster to come help you if you abuse these mechanics. We do not want anyone testing out this new feature for the pure joy of it. Abuse of this will result in a warning also. |
| 12/24/02 | Repair Shops Smarten Up |
| Repair shops will now take into account acid is being on an item when it is given over for repairs. It will cost more and take a bit longer for the repairs to be done. |
| 12/28/02 | Damaris Gets Involved |
| Damaris has grown rather cranky, as would-be graverobbers continue to sully the name of "Thief" with such common practices as taking items and then fleeing to a safe area, or hiding for long periods of time until the trail had cooled down. He has made it his business to see that these cowardly acts are punished, so as to once again bring some honor and fair play to the game of theft. Those who have directly disobeyed him have found themselves to be swiftly struck down, their spirit sundered by his wrath.
Graverobbing mechanics have been changed. Under the old mechanics, when a "hot" item (for reference: an item from a grave, or an item that was in hands and dropped at the moment of death) was picked up by someone other than the person who had it when they died, the person who picked it up could not log out of the game for 15 minutes - if they did, the item would be teleported back to the owner's grave site. Under the new mechanics, this period of time has been changed from 15 minutes to a minimum of one hour, with the random capacity to last longer so that there is no certain time. By default, this extends the time you have to SEARCH a graverobber and get your item back to the same length of time. The reasoning behind this - if you plan to be graverobbing, you need to make sure that you're going to have time to play for at least the next hour. The owner of the item deserves the right to try and get their item back, including a fair amount of time to attempt to do so. Also, graverobbed items will now cause spirit drain if any of the following conditions are true for a lengthy period of time: The graverobber is hidden or invisible. The graverobber is in a safehaven room where attacks are not permitted. The graverobber is in a room where locates are prohibited, or familiars are barred from entering. Note that all of the above activities are permissible - they're just not permissible for long periods of consecutive time after you've taken an item from a grave. This mechanic is designed to force graverobbers out 'on the lam' where such a person would logically be. This mechanic, coupled with the janitor fixes made early this year, are in response to everyone's desires to see the odds evened out on the graverobbing front. Graverobbing will always be a part of the game - we do not discourage it - but we are taking steps to make sure that the victim gets a fair shot at getting their items back, as departing has become (and will continue to be, even after Resurrection is back) a commonplace event in Dragonrealms. As a footnote.. when this feature was originally released, it was not properly checking consent. This has been fixed, and if you have been given consent by the player whose grave the items were taken from, the above spirit draining and item teleportation changes will not affect you. |
| 12/30/02 | A Note from the Boards |
| "As of this evening, the conditions of Tired but Alert, Sleepy, Very Sleepy, Feeling Like a Zombie, Feeling Like the Wakeful Dead no longer exist. Both the messaging and the automated penlites associated with the various states have been removed.
PS. You may notice some small pulse variations due to the removal of that code from the calculations. That is not a bug and is to be expected. PSS. It is also possible to see a change in the timing of the impact of the mindstates of fluid, murky, frozen, etc (yes, those are staying around). That is not a bug either. PSSS. While we have decided to remove the messaging and automated penalty associated with long-term experience gain, we will still find scripters (rest assured). Also, increases in scripting activity (and the subsequent GM time spent on it) will show that such automated measures were indeed necessary and will see their swift re-insertion." This message was originally posted in Abilities, Skills and Magic, Game Master and Official Announcements. To discuss this announcement on the message boards, CLICK HERE. |
| 12/30/02 | Race Charts |
| There's been a lot of inconsistency and lack of clarity regarding the plain facts of the races. There is information that you, as players, need to know about the basic biological qualities of the races you playin order to roleplay them. There is also information that GameMasters need to keep facts in order so that development continues without issue.
A lots of GameMasters over the years have written books, developed characters, and worked on systems that have contributed to the facts we've settled on. However, as is often the case when there are many different people working on many different things, not everything is yet consistent. In some cases, a fact in one place directly contradicts a fact in another. Developing this chart was a months-long process, and there were a lot of things we had to take into consideration. This is the set of guidelines we'll be using from now on in development for the races. In some cases, this is the set of guidelines we'll be using in order to fix things that don't yet conform to the standards, including the web site. This is the set of guidelines you, as players, can use to more confidently roleplay your races. Yes, some Non-Player Characters don't conform to these and never will, but quite a few of them are special in their own right and disregard the need to conform to any rules as trivial as basic biology. |
| 12/31/02 | Life Breathed Into News Stands |
| The "salesmen" that distribute the Hentaraen Newspaper are imps, as the messaging indicates when you buy one, but up until now the news stands were not set up in such a way as to make that clear.
There was no imp that you could see to even know who took your money until you actually tried to GET a scroll and, if you didn't have the coins, he'd wave a sign at you and slap your hand. If you did have the coins, he'd hand you the paper. So...thanks to GameMaster Olarra's work at solving this problem, the news stands across the realms will be updated shortly so that they come complete with their own "paperboy" sitting on top of them. You'll know that a particular news stand has been updated when it changes from "a news stand with a parchment scroll on it" to "a news stand with a grinning imp on it". MY part of the project, and one I enjoyed all too much, is the "atmospheric" messaging that you'll notice once in a while that gives these imps their...own little personality. If you hang out long enough around one of the news stands, you'll see what I mean. - Solomon |