Discord
Changelog
I’ve spent many sleepless nights wrestling with how to position some changes to the PW that I feel are necessary. These changes fundamentally transform certain aspects the Thay PW as I seek to alter some perceptions about it. As a result they may upset some of our community members in the process. For that I do sincerely apologize, however I strongly feel this is the necessary and correct course of action for the PW I have poured 7 years of my time and energy into.
----------------------------
First, some background about the Thay PW and my vision for it.
I have perhaps not been clear about it so I want to state this up front: I have never envisioned Thay being a server that has many high-level PCs. As I think almost everyone knows, I draw heavily on source lore from the 2nd and 3rd edition rules and source material when I created the PW and as I update it. In that lore, it is rare for high-level individuals to be encountered. As a result it has always been my intention that the server be more of a mid-level PC world rather than one with many high-level PCs. I wanted it to be one in which people are not as worried about reaching the next level as they are about becoming notorious, interacting with others, and simply enjoying their PC’s journey regardless of whatever their character level might be. One where they can be as happy and satisfied at level 5 or level 10 as they are at level 20.
Prior to our setting reboot last year, there were few who reached the upper high-level echelons, and after years of running the PW that way, I thought the systems in place were sufficient to keep it that way. Unfortunately, it appears that is not the case since we have had an explosion of PCs reaching high-levels in record time and numbers. This has left me scrambling to figure out what systems were failing to limit these numbers, or were being used to get rewards higher than intended, correct them, and then searching for a way to return to a more mid-level PC level trend on the server.
This is not to say that I don’t want any high-level PCs on the PW, but I strongly feel the number we have now is disproportionate to what I envisioned the Thay server should have when I set out to create it. In the Forgotten Realms lore the PW is based on, high-level characters are pretty darn rare, and I believe that perception of them has been greatly eroded here in Thay since we have so many PCs that are high-level and more quickly closing in on those levels - which is why these changes are occurring now.
----------------------------
1. To begin the list of changes as I strive to improve (from my perception) the PW, the biggest and most important change is that XP is going to be stored persistently and the true amount a PC has will not be reflected on the character sheet. See the updated Experience System thread for full details about it.
However, I want to stress at this time there have been NO CHANGES to the rate or amount of the XP rewards you received in the past. They are still the same for quests, killing monsters, receiving role play XP, and any other way you gained it before, and therefore level advancement is the same until you get to higher levels, which leads into the next change -
2. Notoriety above even that to achieve the top ranks in a faction is now needed to reach the highest character levels on the server. But as you achieve levels 12+, notoriety is tied to leveling-up, and when acquired from anything other than DM or PC awards it begins to get smaller, with a very significant reduction for PCs at highest levels. The good news, however, is that notoriety from both DM and player awarded XP for PCs at any level has just been significantly increased.
3. Characters may now turn off XP gain at any time if they wish to stay at a level they are comfortable with. So if you want out of the rat race to level 20, or want your legionnaire PC to sit at level 5 accumulating notoriety until he’s a tribune - that is now very possible. If you turn it off and you lose XP either through enchanting, returning from the Fugue, etc, this system will automatically allow you to re-accumulate up to the amount of XP you had when it was turned off.
4. To encourage more retirement of higher-level PCs that have perhaps reached most or all of their goals, if a new PC created from a retired PC starts at level 5+, they’ll also now get notoriety enough to finish with the initial questgiver almost immediately.
5. Finally, the level cap on the server is being temporarily reduced to 15 for a short time to reset the number of high-level PCs, and then it will go back up to level 20, and those PCs that were affected by it can begin working to eventually regain their previous level (and beyond - if not already a level 20). ICly this is due to a magical enervation curse that is sweeping over Thay affecting high-level characters. There will be several more events in addition to any already held, related to this.
If you have a PC who is lowered to level 15, the amount of XP they currently have will still be saved in the new XP system. So that means you have a lot you can do as far as working at the enchantment forges (which have also just had their prices reduced), or you can preserve it and focus on RPing with others as the best way to get notoriety required to eventually get back to the level you were at.
----------------------------
While I strongly believe these new system revisions will better maintain the feel of a RP-centric, mid-level PW I’ve always wanted Thay to be, I also recognize that these drastic changes are occurring because the systems proved inadequate to limit the population of high-level PCs I wished to see on the server. I am profoundly sorry for allowing them to remain uncorrected for so long, and I sincerely apologize to the long-term players and staff members most affected by them.
I realize and accept that the implementation of these system corrections now may cause a person to decide that the good things about the PW no longer outweigh the bad. If that turns out to be you and you decide it’s time to part ways for now, or for good, I wish you well. I only ask you do so without public complaints, an ‘I’m leaving’ thread, or trying to persuade others to leave with you. If someone disregards these requests, that person will be given a temporary break from the PW and these forums to allow them time to cool down.
In closing, I am...warily leaving this thread open if you want to post a question or ask for clarification. If you hate these changes, are infuriated by them, or otherwise have a negative opinion and you need to vent, send Sundraoi and me a PM with as much cursing as you’d like. Posts here or elsewhere spawning from this which lean toward the negative side of things will be removed.
----------------------------
First, some background about the Thay PW and my vision for it.
I have perhaps not been clear about it so I want to state this up front: I have never envisioned Thay being a server that has many high-level PCs. As I think almost everyone knows, I draw heavily on source lore from the 2nd and 3rd edition rules and source material when I created the PW and as I update it. In that lore, it is rare for high-level individuals to be encountered. As a result it has always been my intention that the server be more of a mid-level PC world rather than one with many high-level PCs. I wanted it to be one in which people are not as worried about reaching the next level as they are about becoming notorious, interacting with others, and simply enjoying their PC’s journey regardless of whatever their character level might be. One where they can be as happy and satisfied at level 5 or level 10 as they are at level 20.
Prior to our setting reboot last year, there were few who reached the upper high-level echelons, and after years of running the PW that way, I thought the systems in place were sufficient to keep it that way. Unfortunately, it appears that is not the case since we have had an explosion of PCs reaching high-levels in record time and numbers. This has left me scrambling to figure out what systems were failing to limit these numbers, or were being used to get rewards higher than intended, correct them, and then searching for a way to return to a more mid-level PC level trend on the server.
This is not to say that I don’t want any high-level PCs on the PW, but I strongly feel the number we have now is disproportionate to what I envisioned the Thay server should have when I set out to create it. In the Forgotten Realms lore the PW is based on, high-level characters are pretty darn rare, and I believe that perception of them has been greatly eroded here in Thay since we have so many PCs that are high-level and more quickly closing in on those levels - which is why these changes are occurring now.
----------------------------
1. To begin the list of changes as I strive to improve (from my perception) the PW, the biggest and most important change is that XP is going to be stored persistently and the true amount a PC has will not be reflected on the character sheet. See the updated Experience System thread for full details about it.
However, I want to stress at this time there have been NO CHANGES to the rate or amount of the XP rewards you received in the past. They are still the same for quests, killing monsters, receiving role play XP, and any other way you gained it before, and therefore level advancement is the same until you get to higher levels, which leads into the next change -
2. Notoriety above even that to achieve the top ranks in a faction is now needed to reach the highest character levels on the server. But as you achieve levels 12+, notoriety is tied to leveling-up, and when acquired from anything other than DM or PC awards it begins to get smaller, with a very significant reduction for PCs at highest levels. The good news, however, is that notoriety from both DM and player awarded XP for PCs at any level has just been significantly increased.
3. Characters may now turn off XP gain at any time if they wish to stay at a level they are comfortable with. So if you want out of the rat race to level 20, or want your legionnaire PC to sit at level 5 accumulating notoriety until he’s a tribune - that is now very possible. If you turn it off and you lose XP either through enchanting, returning from the Fugue, etc, this system will automatically allow you to re-accumulate up to the amount of XP you had when it was turned off.
4. To encourage more retirement of higher-level PCs that have perhaps reached most or all of their goals, if a new PC created from a retired PC starts at level 5+, they’ll also now get notoriety enough to finish with the initial questgiver almost immediately.
5. Finally, the level cap on the server is being temporarily reduced to 15 for a short time to reset the number of high-level PCs, and then it will go back up to level 20, and those PCs that were affected by it can begin working to eventually regain their previous level (and beyond - if not already a level 20). ICly this is due to a magical enervation curse that is sweeping over Thay affecting high-level characters. There will be several more events in addition to any already held, related to this.
If you have a PC who is lowered to level 15, the amount of XP they currently have will still be saved in the new XP system. So that means you have a lot you can do as far as working at the enchantment forges (which have also just had their prices reduced), or you can preserve it and focus on RPing with others as the best way to get notoriety required to eventually get back to the level you were at.
----------------------------
While I strongly believe these new system revisions will better maintain the feel of a RP-centric, mid-level PW I’ve always wanted Thay to be, I also recognize that these drastic changes are occurring because the systems proved inadequate to limit the population of high-level PCs I wished to see on the server. I am profoundly sorry for allowing them to remain uncorrected for so long, and I sincerely apologize to the long-term players and staff members most affected by them.
I realize and accept that the implementation of these system corrections now may cause a person to decide that the good things about the PW no longer outweigh the bad. If that turns out to be you and you decide it’s time to part ways for now, or for good, I wish you well. I only ask you do so without public complaints, an ‘I’m leaving’ thread, or trying to persuade others to leave with you. If someone disregards these requests, that person will be given a temporary break from the PW and these forums to allow them time to cool down.
In closing, I am...warily leaving this thread open if you want to post a question or ask for clarification. If you hate these changes, are infuriated by them, or otherwise have a negative opinion and you need to vent, send Sundraoi and me a PM with as much cursing as you’d like. Posts here or elsewhere spawning from this which lean toward the negative side of things will be removed.
