AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic

Page 1 of 1

[ 26 posts ]

Print view

Previous topic | Next topic

Mobile_Svensk

Posted: Tue, Oct 09 2012, 18:06 PM

Player

Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Location: Awarded most Confused Git of 2014!

???

What's actand, Why is it here, where do all the outsiders come from and what the hell are they doing to eachother for what purpose?

_________________
Amia Minecraft Server Ip: vps1602.directvps.nl
NWN Damage Calculator: http://www.afterlifeguild.org/Thott/dnd/
NWN Build Calculator: http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Other.Detail&id=856

TormakSaber

Posted: Tue, Oct 09 2012, 19:21 PM

Player

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Location: Somewhere

There was no lore, iirc. Or rather, it was very vague under the pretense that angels and demons are too important to be blabbing to mortals over what they're doing.

_________________
Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds
Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham

AngelicReaper

Posted: Tue, Oct 09 2012, 19:52 PM

Player

Joined: 09 Nov 2008
Location: I dont even know anymore...

Very_Svensk wrote:

???

What's actand, Why is it here, where do all the outsiders come from and what the hell are they doing to eachother for what purpose?

soo..... fallowing Svensk.... why is it even there?

_________________

Braller Thunderbeard: The Dwarven mini-Jesus with a porn star name. Blasphemous.
Dante: "He is likely to heal you as he is likely to smite you."

Dark Immolation

Posted: Tue, Oct 09 2012, 21:46 PM

Developer

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

For the same reasons there are Malarites in the Forest o Despair. It's where they happened to end up when people where designing places to adventure in. It probably started off as one of those things the server had because it was "cool" and that was enough back then. I'm almost certain something like it wouldn't get put into the module today, or if it was, it wouldn't get just stuck onto the side of the island with little more than a flavor text.

But for an actual lore reason, IIRC from when Zammi stayed with them for a while, they're fighting over something physically in Actland. They may or may not be completely sure what it is, but they know having it fall into the opposing side's hands would be a very destructive thing for their own interests. I don't have any problem telling this, because I know there's a loading screen "hint" that pretty much says as much.

Very_Svensk wrote:

???

What's actand, Why is it here, where do all the outsiders come from and what the hell are they doing to eachother for what purpose?

You'd be better off attempting to search IC and giving the chance for DM's to actually develop a decent narrative for the place rather than inquiring a comprehensive story outright. In other words, an IC quest to find out would be better for everyone rather than dissolving all chances at a neat story by spelling it out on the spot.

_________________

You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.

bobofwestoregonusa

Posted: Tue, Oct 09 2012, 23:17 PM

Player

Joined: 09 Jun 2012
Location: Eastern Washington

Dark Immolation wrote:

_________________

Gerald Edmund
Discord: Metal Viking Guy #5433

DC taxation is theft!

TormakSaber

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 1:46 AM

Player

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Location: Somewhere

Quote:

soo..... fallowing Svensk.... why is it even there?

People wanted a place in which good vs evil fought, specifically, evil players wanted a place to fight good aligned things witohut resorting to PvP or razing cities.

_________________
Davion Telemos - Monk of the Four Winds
Korthan Isharnos - Dragon Shaman of Thunder Spirit Zamasham

Yossarin

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 2:29 AM

Player

Joined: 23 Jan 2006

Not going to develop a story narrative for a place I don't even think should be there.

Dark Immolation

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 4:55 AM

Developer

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Yossarin wrote:

Not going to develop a story narrative for a place I don't even think should be there.

I mean, you could always devise a story that would lead to the conclusion (and thereby the removal) of the Bastion from the module, letting the player support and actions determine which (if any) side wins. * nudgenudgehinthintsmite*

_________________

You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.

666WaysToHell

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 7:59 AM

Player

Joined: 22 Nov 2010
Location: Western Australia

"So one day, the Celestial beings got bored and went home. Because the devils had no one to war with afterward they to did the same.. then the bastion exploded in an epic hellball for dramatic effect.

The end."

amirite?

_________________
Aoth Nathandem - Wizard of house Tholaunt and chosen of Ma'at.

Mobile_Svensk

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 12:00 PM

Player

Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Location: Awarded most Confused Git of 2014!

Okaaaaay...

So what then? Is actand going to be a blop on the map with no explanation?

Bloody remove it then.

Dark Immolation

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 19:07 PM

Developer

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Very_Svensk wrote:

Okaaaaay...

So what then? Is actand going to be a blop on the map with no explanation?

Bloody remove it then.

Svensk, if you're going to remove a place from the module because it doesn't currently have a full explanation, lets go ahead and remove half of Caraigh, a good chunk of Underdark B, and one or two places in Forstakkr while you're at it.

The DM's have said it doesn't really have one right now, but you've already got a tentative one from me and the loading screen info. It's an old place that was put into the module ultimately as a way for the server to have an ongoing Good vs Evil dynamic. The story was an afterthought that never really happened, but could if DM's see fit to have a crack at it. Give it time and keep your pants on. Demanding that they either produce a story right now or scrap the area is silly.

_________________

You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.

Yossarin

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 20:25 PM

Player

Joined: 23 Jan 2006

To be fair, it does have an oblique tie-in with the established lore of another area, but that was kind of a slap of paint after the fact. The reason I will not come up with a story for this is thay no matter how you approach it, it will be contrived and offend my sensibilities as an artist, and also because I simply feel that a battle between angels and demons in a scripted area that happens over and over and over again with no change hurts the server's image as a place for serious and reasonable rp.

corypx

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 21:13 PM

Player

Joined: 14 Oct 2006

Yossarin wrote:

I simply feel that a battle between angels and demons in a scripted area that happens over and over and over again with no change hurts the server's image as a place for serious and reasonable rp.

if you want I can pull a Jamie Madrox and kick them all out, thousands of skeletors > angels and demons.

its not as if Amia has never gotten rid of zones befor, if staff is feeling that Actand is devaluing anglels/demons and RP I say scrap it.

I know mindflayers kind of lost the "oh shit" factor because we kill so many of them, same with beholders, they are still some of the stronger monsters on Amia but if you run into one say for a plot and are trying to strike fear into someone it wont have the same effect as say some type of monster you have never seen and killed 10000 times befor.

_________________
================-<Cory ShadowFlame>-================
Risenlord-Shifter(OMG a Non-Dragon Shifter that can hold his own in PvE)

Glim

Posted: Wed, Oct 10 2012, 23:37 PM

Player

Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: British Columbia

corypx wrote:

I know mindflayers kind of lost the "oh shit" factor because we kill so many of them, same with beholders, they are still some of the stronger monsters on Amia but if you run into one say for a plot and are trying to strike fear into someone it wont have the same effect as say some type of monster you have never seen and killed 10000 times befor.

Just wait until I custom script them.

:twisted:

Dark Immolation

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 2:02 AM

Developer

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

Yossarin wrote:

I felt the same way when we had the Manor right outside Kholingen. City full of clergy can't take care of the Dawn of the Dead happening in their own backyard. I understand it was there for lowbie level good aligned classes and whatnot. But we see how that got resolved, right? It will continue to give a weird image to the server until someone steps in and makes a satisfactory story that concludes it.

You or any other DM can still be as much as an artist as you want, if you're willing to accept working on a rather shallow canvas. And having a PC that is keenly interested in the area, I'm sure there are plenty of others that would be willing to take a turn at shifting the balance once and for all as well!

_________________

You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.

Silkelock

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 13:01 PM

Player

Joined: 17 Jun 2011
Location: Sweden

Dark Immolation wrote:

You or any other DM can still be as much as an artist as you want, if you're willing to accept working on a rather shallow canvas. And having a PC that is keenly interested in the area, I'm sure there are plenty of others that would be willing to take a turn at shifting the balance once and for all as well!

Cool!

_________________

Life should be prolonged only when it serves the greater cause of the death of the world.

RaveN

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 13:32 PM

Administrative Developer

Joined: 08 Jun 2010

Quote:

I don't see it like that at all, personally. That, at least made sense. There is no rule that just because there's a holy city nearby that everything around it has to be all clean and perfect. In fact, I think it's lame that people expect Kohlingen to be all high and mighty and have no problems.

However, what bothers me about Actand is that there is an outsider war going on in what appears to be the material plane. I'm not actually sure where/what it is. I believe is it the Manual of Planes explicitly states that outsiders don't go on material realm on their own except to be gate guardians, lest with that same logic, the demons would've already conquered it in it's entirety, and here we have this stupid place with this random war. Why don't the demons just take that boat they offer and murder everyone on Amia?

I'm not sure how that's even remotely the same as having a fleshed out story about a manor having a curse next to Kohlingen (not actually in it). By the logic of that, it's safe to say you could remove every zone after someone completes the quest to get their head. When you tell the dawnguards you have the minotaur leaders head, by the time you got there, the trigger to spawn a new one is almost reset. Some things are better persistent. In this case, Actand's persistence isn't what makes no sense. It's just the concept as a whole along with the fact that it never ha(s,d) a story.

_________________
a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

Naivatkal

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 14:44 PM

Player

Joined: 26 May 2010

The manor actually was in Kohlingen, just not the city proper. The farmlands to the west are still part of them. But I think DI was referring to the fact that the manor was just chilling there for years before the clergy finally took care of it. Logically you wouldn't think something like that would last a year next to a city full of divine-backed do-gooders. At the same time, though, separate issue haha.

I would add my voice to at least fleshing Actand out in the hopes of getting rid of it. I've been there twice with two separate characters, though I didn't actually go through the maps, and it's never sat well with me. It just seems off haha.

_________________
Whomst've'll'd'mn't I play:
Salema Nefahri :: A penny for your thots
Zrae'a'stra'fryn :: That which nightmares are made of
Khasir :: From the East a storm is coming

RaveN

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 15:01 PM

Administrative Developer

Joined: 08 Jun 2010

Quote:

Seperate issue indeed, but you'd think that the Cordor sewers wouldn't have zombies either, etc, etc. I don't think it's a bad thing, personally. I think it adds a good feeling for new PC's, or new players on the server, and for the most part, most players seem to ignore the plot anyways.

One could rationalize that every single time you complete a quest in which you wiped out all of the proponents, that it should be unavailable for the next person because ICly they wouldn't exist. (In this case, you mentioned the clergy finally taking care of it), but I personally feel that some things should just be allowed to slide/be eternal in the cosmos, as long as it has a well documented back story and is potentially the source of a fun adventure for the people who are supposed to be in that area.

But, back on point, Unless you go against the Manual of Planes, it really should be rare, if ever to see outsiders roaming on the material plane, unless they are infact the gate guardians. One can only imagine what hordes of demons would do to the helpless people of faeraun. And given that scenario, I think the only way to fix it would be to change Actand into being another plane, perhaps one in conflict, or maybe even one not in conflict, but have a war going on there anyways. Any of the places on the styx, for example the grey wastes, or even one of the celestial realms.

But then you run into the problem of us being on a plane with demigods and immortals. And that's a problem too. So perhaps Actand would be better of getting converted into something else. Removing it without reprise is kind of lackluster, as it's one of the few level 30 areas in the module as it is; so while it doesn't make sense, for playing the game and game alone, it's not horrible. Perhaps change them into elite Bugbears that conquered a city or something.

_________________
a.k.a. Audrey Zinata

Dark Immolation

Posted: Thu, Oct 11 2012, 22:40 PM

Developer

Joined: 20 Apr 2008
Location: The downeaster "Alexa"

The idea of "elite bugbears" standing up to post-epic PC's disturbs me more than anything currently in the module.

And I think my point about Kholingen and the manor is very clear and different from any other plot thing where you could "conceivably have wiped out all enemies."

The best thing I think we can do at this time is to allow the DM's to think about what, if any, direction to take with Actand. What little of the lore we have is already out there; anything else suggestion-wise is better off going in Improving Amia or something.

_________________

You think Magic is your ally... but you merely adopted the Art. He was born in it. Molded by it.
Sometimes, an angel is simply a devil with better intentions.

Gravemaskin

Posted: Mon, Oct 22 2012, 7:18 AM

Player

Joined: 29 Jul 2007
Location: Norway: Home of the Trolls

Switch out the Celestia huggers with some good chosen few or unwilling few from Baator?

_________________
Adair - Druid and part time treant cosplayer

Khylaria

Posted: Wed, Nov 07 2012, 20:33 PM

Player

Joined: 16 May 2007
Location: East Coast, US

Yossarin wrote:

To be fair, it does have an oblique tie-in with the established lore of another area, but that was kind of a slap of paint after the fact.

This. And I've taken up the job of handling things going on in this "other area", as well as fleshing out the lore that connects the two. I had to dig a bit into behind-the-scenes stuff to find the tie-in, and add a bit of my own to it, but the general basis for it was already there.

I can tell you that Actand, in its entirety, is actually part of the island of Amia itself, though. And there is a very valid reason for the war going on there. A vague explanation of it was already provided in this thread.

LetumLux

Posted: Thu, Nov 08 2012, 8:34 AM

Player

Joined: 31 May 2007
Location: Amia IKEA

Needled247 wrote:

I just assume that it's not that big of a problem. Cities usually have other issues to take care of, and rather than divert higher powered assets (PCs) who theoretically have bigger, better things they are doing that are ultimately far more important, the fledgling adventurers can deal with the zombies. The city isn't really in danger of being overrun by them (and if it is, then the big guns can step in) and in the meantime young warriors cut their teeth on these minor undead, and funnel their gold into the city for supplies to keep on fighting.

I figure this is the case in most situations of problems that never get dealt with, too. Yes, those Beastmen are right outside Winya's gates, but the occasional adventuring party strolling through on a murdering spree keeps it in check to where Winya doesn't have to bother putting forth a concerted effort to wipe them out once and for all. It isn't worth their time or resources, and like Cordor, they probably get some kind of revenue from hunting parties buying gear. If nothing else, they don't have to spend more or risk the lives of city guards.

Adventurers are way more useful for the city than Cordor is willing to admit. :wink:

Claimh Solais

Posted: Wed, Jan 16 2013, 12:45 PM

Player

Joined: 01 Apr 2011

Glim wrote:

Just wait until I custom script them.

:twisted:

Where is your god now?

_________________
Inactive as of November 28, 2013

Alkor

Posted: Fri, Jan 18 2013, 6:19 AM

Player

Joined: 25 Feb 2010
Location: Somewhere on a tiny speck of a planet, in a tiny speck of a universe.

From the point of view of cool hunting areas, Actand was/is top-high-end. That was the place you probably would like to have a party regardless of what build, powerbuilt or not, strolled up. It was the challenge, right there on par, or above the Abyss. (personally I say above)

It's the place 'crazy' people go to hunt. -and some gamers like just that, crazy hard stuff to smite/or attempt to.

..reminds me of that golem boss of '...what just happened?....wow...'

Moments like:
"We -need- a bigger party."
--

..so if it's gona go poof-like..

Bring on the crazy hard dungeon to replace it. (casualties? -Expected.)

p.s. -and more traps to guard goodies, ones you -need- rogues for.

"You wana go to -that- dungeon? ...oh, yes, you're going to need a rogue who knows his way around an epic trap."

p.s. #2, the traps in the Abyss need higher dc checks to disarm. (It's an epic area, 1 point and some gear should not suffice, thank yeww)
*pulls out an umbrella for all the farmer-rage*

_________________
When good wins the day, and evil is destroyed, then the movie is over ...and you do something else.

Let's make it, not over.

Glim

Posted: Fri, Jan 18 2013, 7:33 AM

Player

Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: British Columbia

Alkor wrote:

Bring on the crazy hard dungeon to replace it. (casualties? -Expected.)

Give the Phane a try.

Page 1 of 1

[ 26 posts ]

Actand

Who is online