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Not the forums. But it's on the Wiki, much like mostly every other bit of information.

https://wiki.cormyrdalelands.com/en/mechanics/Race/CharacterApplication

[Badger:]

So, I brought this up briefly in the Discord for update requests, but I wanted to lay out some specific suggestions for new "skins" to use for animal companions, depending on what's chosen. No mechanical changes, but keeping in line with what they actually are or similar things that would make sense for their size and skillsets. I know, presently, we have some very limited options for use with Wolf and Bear, but through a lot of content updates, even recently, there are not only more options for those two, but plenty that can work with other animal companions as well, to vary it up.

Here I'll lay out some specific ones from the toolset, in terms of ideas. Some might not work as well, while others obviously are even just different skins of the same animal.

Badger:

- Animal: Squirrel - Brown
- Baba: Lizard 1
- Baba: Lizard 2
- CCC: Cat, lynx
- PQ: Cat: Lynx
- PQ: Ostrich (lulz, dunno where to put this one)
- Skunk
- NWN2: Badger, Common
- NWN2: Wolverine, Common

Wolf:

- Animal: Dog - Shepherd
- Animal: Wolf - Grey (think this is already there)
- Animal: Wolf - Winter
- CCC: Wolf
- CCC: Wolf, grey
- CCC: Wolf, red
- CCC: Wolf, winter
- PQ: Dog: Wolf 1
- PQ: Dog: Wolf, Winter
- PQ: Fox (think we have this)
- NWN2: Wolf, Common

Brown Bear:

- Animal: Bear - Black
- Animal: Bear - Brown
- CCC: Bear, black
- CCC: Bear, brown
- CCC: Bear, kodiak
- CCC: Bear, panda
- CCC: Bear, polar
- CCC: Gorilla, Silverback
- PQ: Gorilla: Black
- PQ: Gorilla: Brown
- NWN2: Bear, Brown

Boar:

- Animal: Boar - Wild
- CCC: Boar 02
- CCC: Boar 03
- CCC: Boar 05
- CCC: Deep Rothe
- NWN2: Boar, Common

Hawk:

- Avian: Eagle, Imperial
- Avian: Eagle, reddish
- Avian: Owl, brown
- Avian: Owl, white
- Avian: Vulture
- Bat: Fruit
- Eagle
- Parrot
- Raven
- Seagull, flying

Panther:

- Animal: Cat - Cougar
- Animal: Cat - Crag
- Animal: Cat - Jaguar
- Animal: Cat - Lion
- Animal: Cat - Lioness
- Animal: Cat - Panther
- Animal: Cat - Snow Leopard
- Cat, Cougar
- Cat, Crag Cat
- Cat, Jaguar
- Cat, Leopard
- CCC: Cat, cheetah
- CCC: Cat, crag
- CCC: Cat, jaguar
- CCC: Cat, leopard
- CCC: Cat, lion female
- CCC: Cat, lion male
- CCC: Cat, lion male white
- CCC: Cat, tiger white
- PQ: Alligator (might work for Dire Wolf)
- PQ: Cat: Tiger
- PQ: Crocodile (same as Alligator)

Giant Spider:

- Baba: Spider 1
- Baba: Spider 2
- Baba: Spider 3
- Spider_Redback

Dire Wolf:

- CCC: Fenhound
- CCC: Wolf, dire
- Dinosour: Raptor TigerGreen (probably not, but hey)
- PQ: Dog: Wolf, Dire

Dire Rat:

- Animal: Monkey
- CCC: Ape, Mandril, Male
- NWN2: Weasel

[Hallbjorn: Kristofer Hivju]

Bringing up the two new ones!

Hallbjorn: Kristofer Hivju




Brynjar: Devin Chandler Long

Wanted to post in here sooner, but really wanted to say that I hate to see you go. Even though we've had fewer interactions IC, of late, it's always been a whole lot of fun to RP with you and Melody. My first true plotline after coming to this server (not counting the brief time over a decade ago) was KKS and it was truly memorable. That first DM short sword is still held very dearly, and even continuing its own tale across a different character after Aedan's retirement. And that's not to mention HWC, being probably the best plot I've had on NWN EVER.

I also remember that initial part of Aedan's personal plot, even if it never truly saw its end, with Melody and Cele aiding him in his quest of revenge and otherwise. But overall, there's probably too much to really name here, that I look back on. Not gonna be the same without you both around the server, anymore!

Just bumping this up again as it's been quite a while without any real comments or anything around it. Been a long time issue with Lycanthrope being severely underpowered for an ECL+2 and really does need the changes.

But especially more of the restoration of power to animal form that was stripped a few years ago, without proper reason. Also even just options for the shapes themselves, based on what type you are.

Presently working on an exotic app for a new Ranger of my own, since I no longer have Aedan. But I always like this sort of thing and would definitely be interested! I've definitely missed more of the ranger RP and all that. Haha!

Bottles, wands, scroll parchment are actually easy to get in batches of 100. Scrolls at higher levels (7+) require special ink that isn't as common.

There is even station to craft magic items but I hven't yet figured out where to get recipe to be able to use it (I found enchanting table hidden away).

That table is a relic of a system that's been disabled for a few years now. Old item crafting system was very flawed and has been since disabled, as of a few years ago now. The enchanting tables still exist, but do nothing at all at present.

It's still uncertain when/if we'll be getting a new item crafting system, as well.

So, talked about this plenty in the Discord first, but wanted to also put down a more proper proposition on ways to improve Lycanthropes to bring them more properly in line with other ECL+2 races. At present, they are woefully underpowered and admittedly one of the worst among them, to where even some ECL+1 races are more impressive.

As an overview, my idea involves giving existing Lycanthrope types a fear or two that makes sense for what they are, as well as one or two additional stat increases on top of the base +2 WIS, also with relevance to the type itself. As a baseline, I'm looking at one of the more common ECL+2 templates, Dhampyr, for a reference point on level of power. Such being as follows:

Three +2 stat increases: STR, DEX, CHA
Five +2 Skill increases: Bluff, Hide, Listen, Spot, Move Silently
+1 Regen
5/+1 DR
Three feats: Improved Initiative, Resist Energy: Cold, Resist Energy: Electrical
+2 AC

For further comparison, this is the general Lycanthrope stuff, at present:

Type Change: Shapechanger
One +2 stat increase: WIS
One +4 skill increase: Animal Empathy
One +2 save increase: Will
10/+1 DR
+2 AC

And also the various forms, which will vary based on type, but all have:
Further +2 AC
+1 AB
10/+6 DR
Some temp HP that varies
Stat buffs that become useless due to +12 cap

So while the Hybrid and Animal forms themselves can be better, it's only in those forms that they get the benefits. Something that likewise is often situational, as they can't really be used around everyone from an RP point of view, without consequences. Though, I do also know that more recent lycanthrope types, like Wereraven and Werecrocodile, do have a feat or two extra over the others, so they may not need as much of a buff. But my proposition is as follows:

WIS +2 (unchanged)
One or two stats +2, depending on Lycanthrope type
One or two feats, depending on Lycanthrope type
(Also re-add the benefits of Hybrid form back to Animal form, as they were previously removed despite both being the same in PnP)
Add proper Animal language with the similar RP caveat as Tibbit, to only be used with their type.

Everything else (unchanged)

To bring forward some potential examples of more specifics, I'll toss out a few of the more well-known types with the benefits given:

Werewolf additions: +2 DEX and/or +2 CON (or STR), Feat: Dodge, Feat: Improved Initiative
Werebear additions: +2 STR and/or +2 CON, Feat: Toughness, Feat: Power Attack
Werecat additions: +2 DEX and/or +2 STR (or CON), Feat: Improved Initiative, Feat: Weapon Finesse

Of course, these aren't all the types out there, or even all that we have available, nor am I best with balance, but these are just more examples of what I mean in terms of this proposition. Alternatively, in place of a feat or similar, they could gain specific skill increases as well. But I do feel that with these sorts of changes, it should be a lot easier than some ideas, as the forms themselves wouldn't need changing up, but also still bring the power level of the Lycanthropes up to the standards of other races we have in ECL+2.

Thing with that, much like any other content creation, is that we'd need someone to go through the effort of doing so. It's not the most difficult overall, but more tedious and time consuming. Especially since it would require more than just conversion, but proper fitting to the other model type, which is also all the primary races rather than just gender swap.

[Eirik Hjartoreldr: Sam Heughan]

Reviving to bring this back up, for the fun of it! Overhauling my picks for my characters, too.

Eirik Hjartoreldr: Sam Heughan


Ulrik Dawnfall: Ben Barnes


Evral: Manny Jacinto


Alaric: Jason Momoa

I still do think this is a great idea, whether it even can be toggled or not. Especially in a case for what some servers do with colour-coding emotes. I know servers like Amia, for instance, that would let you set your method of emoting. Be it asterisks or reversal with quotes. Then through that, it would give a light blue colour to the emote portions while leaving the spoken text normal. Always loved that system. But the same had a different colour (I think it was like... orange?) for when it detected (( or //. Tried and true method to better be able to differentiate things at a glance. It's true that certain colours draw attention to themselves, but that's also kind of the point of it.

If it was to be done, what color?

Light Blue, Cyan, Turqoise? Just to name a few ideas. Interestingly, along this same line, I remember a few servers that also did something where you could choose your method of emoting, and it would detect that, making EMOTES a different colour from what was spoken. In fact, I actually feel like that could be an even greater idea than colour changing the OOC talk. Or just both!

I'd love this, personally. Seen it done on a couple other servers, as well.

[all]

I had posted this up in the forum update requests area, but thought I should more properly put this up in here as well.

I think I may have posted about this some time in the past, before my hiatus, but can't fully remember. With that said, I wanted to mention that the Lycanthrope animal forms don't get any of the same stuff as the hybrid form does, even though they're meant to, in PnP. Through both the specific lycanthrope type charts for monsters, as well as the section on Lycanthropes As Characters, it shows that both hybrid and animal forms are meant to get the same benefits as each other.

So this post is meant as a suggestion to potentially add those benefits back in for the animal forms. I know prior to their change a couple years back, it worked just fine like this, but after some of the changes, animal form lost all of its actual benefits, per PnP.

Here are a couple shots of the information in question:

Not been the most active as of late, as folks can likely tell. Been a lot that I've been dealing with regarding RL and mental health, to mention simply. But due to all that, still wanted to mention more properly that I'm stepping down from the team for now, until I can likely get things a bit more stable with life and health. I should still be around the server, sporadically, but DMing is a bit too much for me to focus on at the present time.

If folks feel they might need something from me, as well, don't be afraid to ask. I've had a lot of fun running things for people, and hope to potentially do more of it at some point in the future.

Thanks, everyone!