Timeline

[roguethree]

Realistically, 20th level characters are like one in a million. That's not our environment.

It may not be your environment, but there are many level 20 characters. I have two myself. Of course those two took me years to get there.
I agree that in real AD&D, level 20 is superman, even level 3-5 is past the norm. Normal people are level 0 basically.
I would ask that you don't post something that isn't in your p[ur]view anyway. You are not a DM, but a player so to say this isn't Sundren isn't your call, IMO.
The original question was about aging, stick to the topic please.

You didn't actually disagree with me, so I'm not sure what to say, though I will mention that it is a long-held principle among many of the staff that level 20 /= the pinnacle of adventuring prowess in Faerun, on Sundren. This is why you have NPCs like Alcazar, Sebastian, the Harbinger of Wrath, and so on who are so far beyond the power scale of level 20 PCs that they'd be ascending (or trying to ascend) to places in the pantheon were we going by the book.

Finally, when we're referencing the level of PCs and their accomplishments as a barometer by which to advance the age of PCs, this is very much sticking to the topic. I appreciate your cordial tone.

[Satoshi]

This is why you have NPCs like Alcazar, Sebastian, the Harbinger of Wrath, and so on who are so far beyond the power scale of level 20 PCs that they'd be ascending (or trying to ascend) to places in the pantheon were we going by the book.

You mean like Colibrus? That's just what Saulus does, r3. On topic: I've been roleplaying Eirimil as if time has been steadily progressing, and I've followed the immediate events in the FR timeline that impact his story - most namely, the attack on Evereska by the phaerimm. I've been using the wide wiggle room of 4-12 years.

Edit: Nyssis pointed out that in DR 1379, technically Eilistraee dies and all of the Drow that worship her are changed back into dark elves and allowed into Arvandor. While that is a big thing in Faerun, it may or may not line up with Sundren's timeline. That's a question I pose to the staff now.

[ThePaganKing]

I was not trying to be hostile, roguethree, it is merely that you submit many posts as if you run the server or that your word rings for the entire server.

If the server didn't want 20th level characters, then they would not have raised the cap from 15 to 20. If they didn't want EPIC, then they wouldn't have made a dungeon or series (I don't know because the thing has been off limits to most of us since it was made) so that characters like Dain can be EPIC.

As to the timeline, I like the idea of aging, but again, it should probably be the roleplay of the individual and not something that affects the entire server population.

[Urithrand]

I'm wearing my sad face now brought on by the fact that people get angry in such a simple thread topic

[Doubtful]

Personally I like the timeline to be elastic, allowing events to take place over longer periods than their in-game time, or having events that take place weeks apart IRL being considered close together IG.

That said, I would like to see the game time tick forward a little, putting past events on the server into the timeline section of the wiki, it'd be nice to see the accomplishments of the staff and players set down as server canon.


Also: PnP level 20 is vastly different to NWN level 20, I think GBX put it well when he said NWN 20 is more like PnP 8.

[[DM] Grinning Death]

I'm wearing my sad face now brought on by the fact that people get angry in such a simple thread topic

I put on my classy face.

ಠ_ರೃ

Mm, yes. Quite.

That being said, please keep things civil.

[Satoshi]

PnP level 20 is vastly different to NWN level 20, I think GBX put it well when he said NWN 20 is more like PnP 8.

Slightly off-topic, but that's due to the genre-shift going from pen and paper to CRPG. The transition from turn-based tabletop that focuses on a handful of encounters per session to a real-time action-strategy does not translate with much fidelity.

[Zoberraz]

Yeah. Reputation that often comes with high levels tends not to be as strong and matching to the levels accrued by the PC. That's mostly something tied to perception.

For example, I don't think people have much problems picturing Dain as a lv20ish paladin.

Grab Maia for contrast. Maia might break the level 10ish mark, but she's neither been active enough, influencial enough or her faction reputation taken into account enough to make it look like she's around the level 15-20 mark aside from the stuff she can confront and kill mechanically.

But! Some older faces might recall that the present Maia is a feyblooded-remake of a much older character that was previously on Sundren. In the last days of that PW iteration, she was in the levels 16-17 on top of being the faction leader for a long-running and relatively successful playermade elven faction (the "Council of Voices"). I was frequently online with her (heck, GBX once poked fun at me for having the most playertime on the server), she was often the face of her faction... and she got into more than her share of scrapes, hard times and heroic confrontations.

I'm pretty confident older faces like Satoshi would be able to relate with the latter Maia and nod along that she deserved being seen as a level 15+ character.

I don't mind the shift overmuch, since directing a faction was kind of a hassle and it meant butting heads with an unfortunate number of DMs motivated with 'giving hippy elves a hard times', the occasional playerdrama, and being targeted by DM-supported evil-inclined player as the resident Elven Boss Monster (heheh). Being more casual has its own kind of fun, though there are caveats such as what I'd call 'fading more into the background next to more active people'.

So, in the end... I'd just say that level portrayal is really matched by a kind of lateral advancement that shows off mostly as player activity, presence and contribution to events - and that sustained over time. The casual player isn't going to stand out as much as the more dedicated one, though often unless said character has done some pretty epic crap in the past (i.e.: Hano) this "I am high level" reputation feel will wane because of playerbase/DM turnover.

It's an interesting note on the effects of the passage of time and player activity, if nothing else. Also a good thing to keep in mind for people trying to grind up the levels - you can grow stronger, but your achievements up-to-date might not make you actually look the part.

[Satoshi]

Everything I said.

While this thread has drifted so far off topic that not even kittens will save it, this is an excellent post and a great observation on relative player status in the eyes of both other players and DMs. And old-Sundren Maia was -the- Elven Boss Monster.

[[DM] Grinning Death]

Well guys, I appreciate all of your input. I'll be shutting this thread down, as it's served its purpose (and then some).

[Saulus]

You mean like Colibrus? That's just what Saulus does, r3.

LvL 20s don't like epic foes? Surprising. Anyway don't know what this thread is about anymore.