Weekend Update | 3.46 | 11.16.14

[Head Moderator]

November 16, 2014
Update 3.46


Greetings, OH Members:

I've made a major revamp to Animal Companions / Familiars so if you have a companion, or plan on getting one, be sure to see our new rules. Hopefully this makes them a far more viable aid for your characters. This patch has all the information but it's also written below in abbreviated format.

I also changed the way Patents of Nobility works so that you can actually fight alongside your bodyguard, which might make them a bit more useful as well!

Please always remember our OOC Rule "DM Has Final Say". This has to do with just about anything, including allowing people onto their quests (DM's must have a good reason, they can't just ban folks from public quests because they don't like the char, the char / player must have caused issue / drama / made it difficult for the DM in the past), allowing pets to join combat, even putting a limit on how many attend the quests. We have quite a big group now and every DM knows what they can handle. So please respect our DM's and their time, both in preparation, during, and after. If a DM tells you "We have a full quest tonight, if would be better if you didn't bring your companion," then please abide without fuss.

This also goes for calls that need to be made on rules and skills and such. You can question the DM ONCE - but when the DM makes the call, it's over. Whether they are right or wrong, do not spend precious time arguing over the rules. Once the DM has made final call, you move on. We can all deal with straightening out issues on rules later.

NOTE: Please be sure to ALWAYS send an email to Andy, the Treasury Mod (psionicwanderer), if you transfer items from one character to another - even between your own characters. It doesn't have to be fancy and you don't need a log on it, just telling him exactly WHAT is being transferred, from WHO, to WHOM. He keeps up with all of this, so that in case something comes up he knows the person that any item is supposed to belong to.

ALSO NOTE: Especially new players, when you rank up a gemstone rank, you send your updates to Tim, our Class Mod, (scaleschange) and he will then check it over thoroughly to make sure everything is up to par, and then send it to you and to me. You don't need to send it to me, I'll get it after he's ok'd it. This goes for animal companion updates as well.

I'm so thankful for all the players, all the DM's and the Moderators. We work together to make a great game, and really while we can never get away from all the drama we have had less drama than any other game I've ever been in, or led in the past so thank you all for that. This is about Fun, and Respect, and while I'm nowhere near perfect and screw up probably every damn day on something I do work really hard to try and make this a fun and exciting game for you all to enjoy.


CRAFTING POINTS

Don't forget, if you have crafting skills it's time for you to ask for your 10 crafting points from (psionicwanderer) . If you have skills or items that give you more points, you need to claim that on your email. Also note Entrepeneur can be rolled if you have it!


WEEKLY CHALLENGE: WISH LISTS

Your [HASH]challenge this week is something I've asked for in the past, but I feel it is time to do this again since needs and wants may have changed. What I want is a wish list of items you want for your character. You can do this on every character and put NO MORE THAN FIVE items you'd like for the character (or empty loot slots you'd like to fill). You can pick from anything we have available such as weapons, magic items, instruments, armor, potions, runes, the loot list, gemstones... anything you'd like to get as loot on a quest. This is not a promise but it would help me out to know what is wanted/needed for characters.

For instance, someone might send me:

Orichalcum Greatsword
Collar for my Animal Companion
500gp Gemstone
Item to give extra hit points
Winged Vest

Make sure the subject reads, "Weekly Challenge" and send to me at (tesarikone). I'll be generous this week and give each character an item off the Minor Magical Loot List if you send me at least 3 items you want for the character. Remember, though, no more than 5 items. If you send me a list with more than 5 items for any character they will NOT get anything!! Them's the rules!


FALL NEW CHARACTER BONUS & RECRUITMENT INCENTIVE

This is our incentive to new characters! New characters will start at Crystal Adept with 30XP and 2d32 dice. They will also be given 5,000gp to outfit their character, as well as one roll on the low-level magical loot list.

Recruiters, if you recruit a new player (not just someone's new character), then you will receive 15XP & 5000gp per player that actually fills out an application correctly and is accepted! You may put this xp & gp on any character you wish.


CALENDAR

Be sure to check our Calendar for listings of activities each week. IF YOU ADD A DATE, connect it to a board called "Event Calendar" and you can link all your posts there, so if you are hosting a mission or quest, or other activity please use the calendar to let us know what's going on.

Please sign up for activities right on the boards, so the DM knows you will be there! Click the links below to sign up for each event.


WEEKLY QUESTS & ROLEPLAY NIGHTS

• Sunday, November 16 @ 9pm (est) -- Mission - Leader: Pam / tesarikone
(Emerald or lower, please - TENTATIVE)

• Monday, November 17 @ 11pm (est) -- Quest Night - Leader: Mark / swordofatrophy
(Sapphire or lower, please. Continuation from last Monday.)

• Tuesday, November 18 @ 10:45pm (est) -- Quest Night - Leader: Pam / tesarikone
(Heroic Quest, Part 2 of The Orchard. I am going to try and start a little early so I can get to bed on time.)

• Friday, November 21 @ 9pm (est) -- Quest Night - Leader: Pam / tesarikone
(Scarred Lands Quest! Heroic to Legendary, based on who shows up.)


WORD OF THE WEEK

Don't forget the Word of the Week! It's easy 2XP you can earn once a week on every character just within your normal roleplay! Check the message board. Learn it. Use it. Send it in.

HALLOWED
1: holy, consecrated
2: sacred, revered


UPDATES, PATCHES, CLARIFICATIONS

1. RETRAINING STILL IN PROCESS
I'm still in development with an idea for retraining that will allow someone to change their class/profession in the event they build a character, like the character but do not like the direction they've chosen. So keep an eye out for that, I promise it's coming.

2. SHOOTING INTO COMBAT TWEAK
The skill "Combat Marksman" is for people who use ranged weaponry, so that you do not chance and hit an ally while shooting into melee. This is only necessary if one of your allies is engaged in combat with the target you are attacking. If you do not have Combat Marksman and you attack a creature engaged with an ally, then the DM will roll to see which one you actually hit. There is an option....you may instead take a -5 to your Strike Roll, and you lose the chance that you might hit an ally; though you may lose the chance of hitting the enemy as well.

3. MARIA BUYS MAGIC LOOT
Maria buys really cool magical loot off the loot list that you are given in quests for full worth. Just email Pam about it. She does NOT buy mundane items such as armors and weapons you get for pick up loot or otherwise. Sell those to
Andy (psionicwanderer) at the Emporium. I reserve the right to say yes or no to anything that is offered to Maria to buy for the Vault. It's not just a free pass to get full price for everything you've ever picked up! Most everything in our vault was either purchased, or donated - mostly donated!! We have generous people here!

4. BARD INSTRUMENTS
I'm just going to clarify this right here, that we do have instruments that you can get 5 points of enchantments added to them. I will be going through the loot list this week to make sure everything is up to par, but if something is labeled [Magic Item] then it is NOT an Instrument and you CANNOT get more enchants added to it. If it is listed as an [Instrument] then YES you may further enchant it.

5. PATENTS OF NOBILITY REWORKED
If you have Patents of Nobility you should go to the A-Z and read the new changes. There is a tweak to their dice, but the main change is that you may now bring your bodyguard to quests with you and fight alongside them. Before, it was one or the other but now they can come and fight at your side if you so desire. Remember though, same with Animal Companions, if a DM has a full house of PC's the DM has every right to ask you not to bring your bodyguard.

6. ANIMAL COMPANION / FAMILIAR REWORKED
All the skills that give you an animal companion or familiar all refer to the "Animal Companion" skill for how to set up your companion/pet. You will now build your companion up as an NPC with their own dossier which can just be a section of your own dossier or on their own page if you wish. Your companion's dice is based on YOUR rank, so check the skill for what rank your character should be, then start building their dossier. They get the same amount of skills and trait points as a normal character would get at any given rank. They also get a class (Companion Class) and Professions (Combatant, Defender, Sneaky, Supportive, Magical, Tracking, Hunting, Mount and Combat Mount). They do NOT get race so just skip that part.

Animal Companions get free commands based on their professions, as well as their INT = 1 commands. Commands are going to be absolutely necessary for you to use your pets in missions from now on. So if you try to have your companion track a bad guy, wearing armor, or attacking a monstrous creature you NEED THE COMMAND and I will be asking if you have it in order to use the companion. So pick your commands wisely. See our Companion Guide for commands and what they do, as well as what loot slots a companion can have.

Wanna see how an animal companion's dossier should look? Check out Ashsprout, Miakodah's sapling treant.

The skills have been gone through several times and every skill that can be taken by a companion has been marked (CC). Be sure to check for prerequisites. There are also lots of new skills for companions only that were added, such as these (these are but a few):

Awesome Blow
Cumbrous Endurance
Cumbrous Willpower
Dark Companion
Light Companion
Endure Blow
Thick-Skinned
Rend

7. REMOVED SKILLS
If you have any of these skills, please remove them from your lists and choose new skills to replace them for free. With the new rules for companions they are completely unnecessary and overkill.

Companion Development
Improved Companion
Nature's Avatar (Druids)

8. TWEAKED SKILLS
These skills have been changed so if you have them, look up their new descriptions:

Companion Boon
Animal Companion
Patents of Nobility

9. NEW SKILLS
And these are new skills for YOU, the pet owner:

Bonded
Double Team
Protective Talons
Protective Paws
Extra Companion

SEE THIS PATCH FOR INFO ON ALL THESE CHANGES!!!



to treat as an object of great interest or importance
Read more at www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/05/07/#HQZFKLtMtVisPbID.99to treat as an object of great interest or importance
Read more at www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/05/07/#HQZFKLtMtVisPbID.99to treat as an object of great interest or importance
Read more at www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/05/07/#HQZFKLtMtVisPbID.99to treat as an object of great interest or importance
Read more at www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/05/07/#HQZFKLtMtVisPbID.99: a small dainty usually ornamental piece of delicate workmanship : jewel
Read more at www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day/2014/05/16/#pSEtz05ztC3LvZAw.99



Logan Hawk




BEEP! BEEP!
Did you read this far down? Good for you! Here's a special bonus this week for all you crafters. For ONE WEEK ONLY I will let you swap crafting points around to your various characters. So this is the chance if you have a character that has a hoard of CP but never uses it to shift it to one that does use it! You have until this Saturday at midnight (EST) to do any shifting. Send all shift requests to Andy (psionicwanderer) with the subject reading, "CP Shift Special Request". If you don't label it correctly, then Andy has every right to ignore your email!











Last Week's Answer: "It's More Than Just Dice"

This Week's Extra Credit: Answer a question for 2XP. Remember, one per player. Tell me where you want the 2XP when you reply! This question can always be found somewhere on our OH message board.

On our Fauna page, tell me what creature could be found infesting old treasure hoards, especially eating the swords and other metal weapons?