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Changelog
Hello everyone! It is nearly, and finally, time for the setting reboot.
To begin with, the last few months have been a unique time for the Thay PW as we have prepared for something that has never done before here - a complete server wipe and reboot of the setting. Because of this unique period many of our newer players have experienced, I wish to provide some clarity and help ensure expectations are properly set for all players as we reset the gameworld to begin following ‘official lore’ once again.
So you think you know Thay? Think again!
When Thay first came into being 5 years ago, we only had the city of Bezantur created and its city gates were locked. That meant all adventuring needed to be done within the city. As a result, there has been an overabundance of adventure areas within Bezantur. Furthermore, many players became too reliant on Bezantur and rarely (if ever) explored some of the more distant and newer locations we have added to the now-large world of Thay. To balance out areas and provide some big changes and ‘freshness’ to the rebooted Thay, some areas have been moved, others completely redesigned, and (as always) new ones added. Almost every town/city/point of interest location will now have a minimum of two adventure areas within or near it. And finally, you will notice a big and immediate change as soon as your new PC’s opening event has finished...
After the Setting Reboot: Many locations in the new manifestation of Thay are different from the current incarnation, however you may recognize some of them as locations which were previously found elsewhere - like Bezantur especially. This new setup is just how this version of Thay is - think of it as a parallel universe/dimension to the version of Thay that ended. Remember that none of your new PCs after the reboot would have been to the old/current 'version' of Thay. In addition, the quest system has been completely overhauled to ensure that PCs are sent to adventure locations with treasure drops specifically targeted for their level. In addition, there have been BIG changes to special questgivers and most have had the items they ask for and rewards they provide have changed. Furthermore, the treasure tables have been completely rebuilt from the ground up to provide somewhat different choices of treasure for your PCs. And finally, encounters throughout all adventure areas have been reviewed and, in some cases, significantly changed.
Tharchions, Zulkirs, and Leaders of Thay
Many of you have had multiple encounters with zulkirs and tharchions over the course of the last ~4 months, and even a few brushes with a god. Furthermore, several characters have become tharchions, faction leaders, and even a zulkir in the last few months as well. These characters were developed over many real-time years and even then did not achieve the top spot until the end was drawing near. In addition, there have even been several 'public' gatherings of zulkirs to which even low-level PCs have been allowed to attend!
After the Setting Reboot: Encountering a zulkir or even a tharchion, much less becoming one, in the rebooted setting is going to be a rare to ultra-rare event. Prior to this last campaign there was less than a dozen events each real-time year over the course of Thay's existence that featured the appearance of a zulkir or tharchion, and only two events -ever- prior to this campaign that involved actually meeting a god. Something close to this frequency of zulkir/tharchion/leadership appearances will begin occurring again. Instead, expect encounters with their minions or henchmen. Especially for low-level or low-notoriety PCs.
Experience and Rewards Granted from DM Events
This campaign that ran over the last several months has been the culmination of storytelling, module design, and other DM-led campaigns that have occurred over the course of 5 real-time years. Because it has been the final chapter revealing HUGE plot secrets, and because I have wanted to give all players involved with it appropriate rewards for still playing knowing that their characters are going to go away, I have been EXTREMELY generous in XP, gold, and item rewards during these events. For example - in the campaign event where the leader of the Vengeful was finally revealed, players involved received around 3000 XP. But keep in mind, that event was the ‘great secret revealed’ because many, many, many other secrets and events had happened throughout the course of Thay’s half decade life!!!
After the Setting Reboot: Event rewards will occur at more appropriate pre-campaign levels after the reboot. Depending on the length of the DM event, and many other factors (including PC participation), expect rewards to be somewhere around a quarter to half of what you have received from me (Thayan) during the Deserved Damnation campaign. All of us DMs here have guidelines we try follow when granting rewards to provide consistency across our events. Expect me to start following them much more closely. ;)
Special Requests and Who to Contact
I have specifically asked people to contact me with special reboot requests or questions/concerns/comments. I did this because I knew many of them would require special design work which I would need to complete. As we move forward, I am turning over special requests back to KTA. So should you wish something ‘special’ for a PC, contact him.
After the Setting Reboot: We are now back to ‘standard’ guidelines for special PC requests - the list of reboot request options available for current players is no longer valid. It is at KTA’s discretion to grant any type of special request. However, please do not ask him for things like bonus gold or a house deed or special item since these were only one-time setting reboot perks! Any special request needs to have an in-character reason behind it and proven player roleplay/abilities demonstrated.
Level Cap
The level cap had been temporarily increased to level 25.
After the Setting Reboot: The level cap will return to level 20, but it is our intention to eventually raise it to level 25 once we have more creatures created at levels which will provide challenges to those epic-level PCs. If anyone is interested in assisting with epic-level creature creation, send me a PM. A review of epic-level feats will be conducted in the future when the level cap is set to be permanently raised and some may be modified or removed - such as Devastating Critical.
New Voluntarily-Enforced Server Guideline Regarding Number of PCs per Player
There is a new guideline regarding the number of active PCs a player can have which I want to call out now. This has been added to your in-game player guide and here in the Welcome to Thay thread. This comes in part due to observations and suggestions in the past, as well as to keep people from getting too crazy with the number of new PCs they start after the setting reboot. There will not be a scripted restriction to the number of PCs a player can have at this time, but if this rule ends up being blatantly ignored or we start seeing problems with multiple active PCs of one player causing issues, more drastic (involuntarily enforced) steps may be taken.
Each player should have no more than 1 account name and no more 3 active PCs at one time. Actively playing just 1 PC is best, playing 2 PCs is OK, and playing 3 PCs should be the maximum limit. These voluntarily enforced restrictions are to help ensure that separate personalities and IC knowledge for each character is easier to remember and maintain for the player. If concerns are raised or behavior is observed that multiple PCs of one player are 'bleeding' IC knowledge into each other, or a player is metagaming with them (intentional or not), he or she will be asked to delete excess PCs.
Finally, this is not to say you can never have more than 3 PCs in your servervault, but trying to actively play more than 3 is strongly discouraged. If you create a 4th and after playing it a bit you feel you like it a lot, then we ask you delete one of your previous 3 PCs. And if you can't bear to part with any of them, then make that decision quickly and either delete or stop playing your 4th PC.
In-Game Time
After the setting reboot, the clock is going to be set to Hammer (January) 1, 1356 DR. In-game time flows as one quarter of real-time. This means that Murbant and Thasselen are not technically Thayan cities at this point in time and, in approximately 3 months when the in-game clock reaches 1357 DR, the start of Salamander War will occur as Thay attempts to take the Wizard’s Reach which includes those two towns. This several month period will give everyone a chance to develop their characters, acquire allies and enemies, and provide a bit of time to catch our breath before we plunge into the turbulent times of the Salamander War, Time of Troubles, and Tuigan Horde invasion which occur across the years 1357-1360 DR.
When will the Setting Reboot Occur?
Now that I covered all the very important topics I wanted people to go through prior to the setting reboot, here is perhaps the most sought-after information regarding the setting reboot:
The setting reboot will occur on January 26 at 12:00 PM CST.
Prior to the Setting Reboot: The server will go down approximately 15 minutes beforehand and the player servervaults and almost all databases will be removed. The only thing that will remain are player name and CD Key associations in the Security database which means you must continue to use your case-sensitive login that you first logged into Thay with and the CD Key(s) you have associated with it will still remain. In addition, for the people using commonly shared CD Keys, you will need to get a new unique key, per this post, in order to login.
EDIT BY THAYAN 1/25/13: The server has just been password protected and will remain so for staff members to login and test the new hak and module changes. The password will be removed at 12:00 PM CST tomorrow, 1/26/13 at our official reboot time. At that point you will be able to login, create your new characters, and join in the opening day events.
To begin with, the last few months have been a unique time for the Thay PW as we have prepared for something that has never done before here - a complete server wipe and reboot of the setting. Because of this unique period many of our newer players have experienced, I wish to provide some clarity and help ensure expectations are properly set for all players as we reset the gameworld to begin following ‘official lore’ once again.
So you think you know Thay? Think again!
When Thay first came into being 5 years ago, we only had the city of Bezantur created and its city gates were locked. That meant all adventuring needed to be done within the city. As a result, there has been an overabundance of adventure areas within Bezantur. Furthermore, many players became too reliant on Bezantur and rarely (if ever) explored some of the more distant and newer locations we have added to the now-large world of Thay. To balance out areas and provide some big changes and ‘freshness’ to the rebooted Thay, some areas have been moved, others completely redesigned, and (as always) new ones added. Almost every town/city/point of interest location will now have a minimum of two adventure areas within or near it. And finally, you will notice a big and immediate change as soon as your new PC’s opening event has finished...
After the Setting Reboot: Many locations in the new manifestation of Thay are different from the current incarnation, however you may recognize some of them as locations which were previously found elsewhere - like Bezantur especially. This new setup is just how this version of Thay is - think of it as a parallel universe/dimension to the version of Thay that ended. Remember that none of your new PCs after the reboot would have been to the old/current 'version' of Thay. In addition, the quest system has been completely overhauled to ensure that PCs are sent to adventure locations with treasure drops specifically targeted for their level. In addition, there have been BIG changes to special questgivers and most have had the items they ask for and rewards they provide have changed. Furthermore, the treasure tables have been completely rebuilt from the ground up to provide somewhat different choices of treasure for your PCs. And finally, encounters throughout all adventure areas have been reviewed and, in some cases, significantly changed.
Tharchions, Zulkirs, and Leaders of Thay
Many of you have had multiple encounters with zulkirs and tharchions over the course of the last ~4 months, and even a few brushes with a god. Furthermore, several characters have become tharchions, faction leaders, and even a zulkir in the last few months as well. These characters were developed over many real-time years and even then did not achieve the top spot until the end was drawing near. In addition, there have even been several 'public' gatherings of zulkirs to which even low-level PCs have been allowed to attend!
After the Setting Reboot: Encountering a zulkir or even a tharchion, much less becoming one, in the rebooted setting is going to be a rare to ultra-rare event. Prior to this last campaign there was less than a dozen events each real-time year over the course of Thay's existence that featured the appearance of a zulkir or tharchion, and only two events -ever- prior to this campaign that involved actually meeting a god. Something close to this frequency of zulkir/tharchion/leadership appearances will begin occurring again. Instead, expect encounters with their minions or henchmen. Especially for low-level or low-notoriety PCs.
Experience and Rewards Granted from DM Events
This campaign that ran over the last several months has been the culmination of storytelling, module design, and other DM-led campaigns that have occurred over the course of 5 real-time years. Because it has been the final chapter revealing HUGE plot secrets, and because I have wanted to give all players involved with it appropriate rewards for still playing knowing that their characters are going to go away, I have been EXTREMELY generous in XP, gold, and item rewards during these events. For example - in the campaign event where the leader of the Vengeful was finally revealed, players involved received around 3000 XP. But keep in mind, that event was the ‘great secret revealed’ because many, many, many other secrets and events had happened throughout the course of Thay’s half decade life!!!
After the Setting Reboot: Event rewards will occur at more appropriate pre-campaign levels after the reboot. Depending on the length of the DM event, and many other factors (including PC participation), expect rewards to be somewhere around a quarter to half of what you have received from me (Thayan) during the Deserved Damnation campaign. All of us DMs here have guidelines we try follow when granting rewards to provide consistency across our events. Expect me to start following them much more closely. ;)
Special Requests and Who to Contact
I have specifically asked people to contact me with special reboot requests or questions/concerns/comments. I did this because I knew many of them would require special design work which I would need to complete. As we move forward, I am turning over special requests back to KTA. So should you wish something ‘special’ for a PC, contact him.
After the Setting Reboot: We are now back to ‘standard’ guidelines for special PC requests - the list of reboot request options available for current players is no longer valid. It is at KTA’s discretion to grant any type of special request. However, please do not ask him for things like bonus gold or a house deed or special item since these were only one-time setting reboot perks! Any special request needs to have an in-character reason behind it and proven player roleplay/abilities demonstrated.
Level Cap
The level cap had been temporarily increased to level 25.
After the Setting Reboot: The level cap will return to level 20, but it is our intention to eventually raise it to level 25 once we have more creatures created at levels which will provide challenges to those epic-level PCs. If anyone is interested in assisting with epic-level creature creation, send me a PM. A review of epic-level feats will be conducted in the future when the level cap is set to be permanently raised and some may be modified or removed - such as Devastating Critical.
New Voluntarily-Enforced Server Guideline Regarding Number of PCs per Player
There is a new guideline regarding the number of active PCs a player can have which I want to call out now. This has been added to your in-game player guide and here in the Welcome to Thay thread. This comes in part due to observations and suggestions in the past, as well as to keep people from getting too crazy with the number of new PCs they start after the setting reboot. There will not be a scripted restriction to the number of PCs a player can have at this time, but if this rule ends up being blatantly ignored or we start seeing problems with multiple active PCs of one player causing issues, more drastic (involuntarily enforced) steps may be taken.
Each player should have no more than 1 account name and no more 3 active PCs at one time. Actively playing just 1 PC is best, playing 2 PCs is OK, and playing 3 PCs should be the maximum limit. These voluntarily enforced restrictions are to help ensure that separate personalities and IC knowledge for each character is easier to remember and maintain for the player. If concerns are raised or behavior is observed that multiple PCs of one player are 'bleeding' IC knowledge into each other, or a player is metagaming with them (intentional or not), he or she will be asked to delete excess PCs.
Finally, this is not to say you can never have more than 3 PCs in your servervault, but trying to actively play more than 3 is strongly discouraged. If you create a 4th and after playing it a bit you feel you like it a lot, then we ask you delete one of your previous 3 PCs. And if you can't bear to part with any of them, then make that decision quickly and either delete or stop playing your 4th PC.
In-Game Time
After the setting reboot, the clock is going to be set to Hammer (January) 1, 1356 DR. In-game time flows as one quarter of real-time. This means that Murbant and Thasselen are not technically Thayan cities at this point in time and, in approximately 3 months when the in-game clock reaches 1357 DR, the start of Salamander War will occur as Thay attempts to take the Wizard’s Reach which includes those two towns. This several month period will give everyone a chance to develop their characters, acquire allies and enemies, and provide a bit of time to catch our breath before we plunge into the turbulent times of the Salamander War, Time of Troubles, and Tuigan Horde invasion which occur across the years 1357-1360 DR.
When will the Setting Reboot Occur?
Now that I covered all the very important topics I wanted people to go through prior to the setting reboot, here is perhaps the most sought-after information regarding the setting reboot:
The setting reboot will occur on January 26 at 12:00 PM CST.
Prior to the Setting Reboot: The server will go down approximately 15 minutes beforehand and the player servervaults and almost all databases will be removed. The only thing that will remain are player name and CD Key associations in the Security database which means you must continue to use your case-sensitive login that you first logged into Thay with and the CD Key(s) you have associated with it will still remain. In addition, for the people using commonly shared CD Keys, you will need to get a new unique key, per this post, in order to login.
EDIT BY THAYAN 1/25/13: The server has just been password protected and will remain so for staff members to login and test the new hak and module changes. The password will be removed at 12:00 PM CST tomorrow, 1/26/13 at our official reboot time. At that point you will be able to login, create your new characters, and join in the opening day events.