Rules

Magical Seals

SEALS 3.0

Seals 2.0 answered all our problems concerning the power of 1.0 seals. They were very balanced. However, they were also boring as well as weak. Our Woldians want a useful creative "gift" as their reward for playing in a Tap game or winning the lottery. Useful and creative. The 1.0 Seals were creative, but too powerful. 3.0 seals will endeavor to combine both our need for balance of power within the game as well as being creative and fun to use. The latter is the more important, for without fun, why play the game?

Basic Parameters:

--Seals may not be given, traded, bought or sold. They may be used, however, upon another being.

--Seals will only affect an individual, not a group.

--No character may have more than 6 slots of seals. Level 1 seals take up one slot. Level 2 seals take up 2 slots. Level 3 seals take up 3 slots.

--If a character earns more seals than he has slots, he must choose which seals to keep so as to remain within the slot requirement. Seals are not / removed from their slots until the spell is actually expended. So a character cannot cast a Hobgoblin Seal and add more seals to his collection until the Hobgoblin Seal has been expended.

--Only one seal may be used in any combat.

Seal Levels:

There will be three levels of seals.

1st level or Goblin Seals.

Awards for lottery and birthdays and hey aren't you cute. They mimic low level potions. They resemble 0-1st level spells and may be used creatively. They either serve a "rare" purpose, or no purpose at all.

Rare purpose: [only works vs. an unusual situation, short term, single effect.]

Goblin Seal of Wild Healing: Heals the damage of one attack from a fey creature.

[No purpose: [creative use only, no game terms involved other than duration]

Goblin Seal of Purpleness: Turns the recipient purple for 5 min.

The object of these seals would be to FIND a way to use them creatively and usefully in roleplay and that would/could earn extra exp.

These seals do not really change in power for a higher level character. Creative is creative. A character does not need a more powerful seal here to be more effective at higher levels. It is all about creativity.

These seals are made by goblins so they are called such. Goblin seal of this and that. Using the name goblin is less confusing than saying that the seal is a 1st level seal since the term "level" is used for so many things in the game.

2nd level or Hobgoblin seals.

Awards that offer practical help. They are straightforward and non-creative. They are used for a larger reward. They still tend to be specific rather than general. They can be prepared early and remain active until used.

Seal of MM: adds 1d6 to a Magic Missile spell. Seal of Healing: adds 1d6 when casting your next cure spell. Seal of Listening: adds +2 to your next listen check.

These seals can be adjusted for higher level. They are automatically written for levels 1-7. If the character is levels 8-14, double the effect. If the character is levels 15-21, triple the effect. (So a Seal of MM would be 1d6x3 for a 20th level character.)

3rd level or Gnomish seals.

These rarely given seals are game shakers. They are magics that, when used by a creative and smart player, CAN unbalance a combat. As Anthony said, "Woldian DMs need these seals around. It keeps you on your toes. I KNOW. Gifts I have given have come back to bite me in the butt HARD."

These Gnomish seals when used correctly make the DM have to say, "I, your lovable DM, worked for 3 weeks on this combat and you ended it in 30 seconds!" However, the Gnomish Seal was used creatively and SMARTLY. The owner came up with the perfect use for it and waited for the perfect time. Then she used it and WHAM the DM cant do anything but say you win. These things should not be obvious. They should simply hold potential. Anthony continues, "One of the reasons Jerry and I love to work together is we absolutely LOVE the fact that the other one can turn our whole plan upside down and backwards and use it against us in about 30 seconds. It makes us better thinkers and better DM's."

There should not be many of these seals out there and they should be earned and individually selected by the DM, The DM of the Taps, and CDM Jerry. Any ADMs or new DMs to a game should be instantly aware of the presence of one or more of these seals and which character possesses it.

Note that these are not uber seals that can turn the tide of a combat in any situation. They must be used in a smart and creative way to take advantage of the magic they provide.

Also, because of the power and source of Gnomish Seals, there is an inherent chance of failure when each is used. Here's how that works. When player receives a Gnomish Seal, the permanent DM of the character that receives the reward also receives from the giving DM, an alternate result that will occur if the percentage roll is missed.

Note that Gnomish seals are still somewhat specific rather than general.

They can let a character use abilities and skills that are not normally his to use. They can simulate a spell or give a metamagic feat. They can acquire one ability of an enemy.

Examples:

--Cross Class Gnomish Seal -- +10 to any cross-class skill that has no skill points placed within it. 20% seal failure. Failure means that the characters suffers -10 to the class skill he has used the most during the last month.

--Acquire Super Gnomish Seal -- Acquire supernatural ability of melee enemy for 1d3 round. 30% spell failure. Failure means that your enemy acquires one of your abilities for 1d3 rounds.

--Double the Range Gnomish Seal -- Doubles the range of any weapon or spell up to the limit of the character's sight. 15% spell failure. Spell failure gives this ability to your opponent.

These seals are only for special awards. The following are examples of situations when Gnomish seals can be given:

1. Character is voted the MVP of hit tap game. 2. Character wins a tournament that has over 10 contestants. 3. Player participates in and survives 5 tap games.

Shopping in the Catacombs

Catacombs Policy (October 2005)

1. Only core items (from the PHB and DMG) or Wold original items (found in the Oshirr House part of the site) are allowed for purchase or exchange.

a. Items may not be bought from the Epic book, the Psionics book, other Wizards of the Coast books, other third party books, magazines, other Web sites, and so on.

b. Woldian seals, oriental weapons, and technology-inappropriate items from the DMG may not be bought or sold. Other items may also be placed on this no-trade list by the Campaign DM.

2. Pricing for standard items are listed as the Market Price in said book.

3. For all standard items in the DMG, the exchange rate is as follows:

a. Items sold in the Catacombs will receive 90% of their total value listed in the DMG.

b. Any change due to the customer will be given in either gold or gems, whichever the customer prefers.

4. Specialty order items should include the words RED TICKET in the Post Name field.

a. All specialty order items are pending DM approval. Specialty order items consist of the following options:

i) Scrolls not listed in the DMG (example: Scroll of Erase) ii) Potions not listed in the DMG EXCEPT for spells with a range of "personal" and target of "you" (example: Potion of Ventriloquism is okay, Potion of True Strike is not) iii) Wands not listed in the DMG (example: Wand of Water Breathing) iv) Staves not listed in the DMG (example: Staff of Acid that lets you cast Acid Splash and Acid Arrow) v) Weapons and Armor created with the DMG tables (examples: +1 whip of spell storing, +5 animated mithril buckler) vi) Non-core rods and rings are NOT allowed vii) Non-core wonderous items are NOT allowed EXCEPT for versions of core items that differ in body slot but do not break the rule for affinity. Such items cost 10% extra. (example: +4 Gauntlets of Strength are okay, +4 Goggles of Strength are not) viii) The policy on combo items (ones that combine the powers of two or more lessers items) is currently under review.

b. Restrictions

i. All specialty order items must be original (ie. it can't be an item that is found in another book.. ii. If a completely unique item is desired (ie, it does not fit a category above) the customer will be referred to the Black Genie Center to research the item. iii. The very first time that a particular specialty item or BGC-approved item is purchased, there is usually a 10 percent surcharge for lab and library use (see 5c below).

5. PCs Making Items

a. The PC's DM approves the manufacture of the item(s) and confirms that the PC has the required feats, spells, and skills (Or a friend who does and is willing to help)

b. Base cost is half market price

c. For items that require it (first time purchases of red ticket items and BGC-approved original spells and items), lab and research fees are 10% of full market price -- but may be waived if the PC's DM says the PC has access to a lab/library.

d. Time and xp costs must be logged as spent by the PC's DM.

i) Time and experience points used are exactly as detailed in the PHB and DMG for core items and specialty (Red Ticket) items. ii) For Wold-unique items from the Oshirr House, time spent is per the PHB and DMG, but xp costs are waived.

6. Identification of items in the Catacombs will be performed by a 1st level mage. The cost of identification is 10gp plus a pearl of at least 100gp value per item.

7. Purchase of Items from the Oshirr House

a. If a character researches a specialty item in the BGC and then purchases it for themself (for example, Renik’s Shades of Smooth Talking) before another character buys a copy, then the originator of said item is entitled to 10% of the profits from further purchases by any Woldian character. (So, if Renik purchases his glasses, and then Ashira comes in and buys a pair, Renik will be credited 10 percent of the market price) (Renik himself gets a 10% discount after the first time he buys his own item.)

b. The Catacombs Staffer who handles the transaction for the Oshirr House item will send a voucher for the 10% commission via email. The notice will be sent to the originator, the originating PC’s game DM and CC’d to the Catacombs Manager and the CDM.

c. A researcher gains this 10% commission regardless of whether the researcher has the item creation feat needed to make the item themself.

Black Genie Centre

Genie Rules

Researching in the Black Genie Center -- October 2005

The Black Genie Center is a public out-of-character board where you can develop original Woldian material for use by your character and, later, by other characters throughout the Wold.

Start by discussing your projects on the board with other players. Even if you are not developing something yourself, stop by the board to comment on other player's ideas. You may develop literally anything. Prestige Classes, Spells, Skills, Feats, Magic Items, etc.

However, you can only research projects that your character will personally create and use as soon as reasonably possible. If you want to research a magic item but you do not have the necessary feats (and maybe spells), then you can still do the research here, and then, if successful, purchase the item in the Catacombs for full market price.

You may not research projects that have been published or copyrighted by others. That means that in the Wold you may use only the Core 3.5 D&D Rules and original Woldian material. The supplemental books, Dragon magazine articles, items found on non-Wold Web sites, and so on are not allowed.

You may post as often as you want on the BGC board. As you work on your project, consider advice from others, including Development ACDM Cayzle, but ultimately the choice of what to include and not to include in your project is up to you.

Whe you are ready, prepare your proposal for submission and post it on the BGC board. Your proposal should include answers to the following questions:

1) What do you want to do? 2) Why is it necessary? 3) What will it change, or create? 4) Why is it Woldian? Why does it fit in with the Wold? 5) How has your character invested in the proposal? What role-play efforts has he or she made in game? What sacrifices will be made, or resources spent? 6) What is the actual project, written in rule form for posting on site?

When things are developed and ready for approval, send your proposal to Cayzle (cayzle@yahoo.com). He submits it to the Powers That Be, and it may be accepted, denied, or revised. If accepted, you may have to go through several drafts until it is up to the quality necessary to achieve Woldian approval.

Once you've been approved, you will be able to develop the approved proposal in the game.

-- If it is a feat, skill, or prestige class, you can add it to your PC sheet as soon as you qualify -- with an open feat slot, new ranks, a new level, etc. You may also be allowed to reshuffle your skills and feats so that you can take the new option right away.

-- If it is a spell, you can now research it, per the rules in the DMG. First, you have to have access to a well-stocked library. Second, research costs 1,000 gp per week of study, and one week per level of the spell. Third, at the end of that time, make a Spellcraft check of DC 10 + the level of the new spell. If you succeed, great. If you fail the roll, start over. Keep spending one week per spell level and 1,000 gp per week until you succeed with the check.

-- If it is a magic item, you can create the item in the Catacombs, or have the Catacombs create it for you (see above). Normal costs for doing so apply.

After your character is actually using the new material, a write-up for it will be added to the Oshirr House section of the Wold site, and others can use it. The name of the item will give credit to the creating character. If it is something sold through the Catacombs, the standard royalty will be paid to the creating character -- even if the creating character does not have the feats needed to make the item personally.

Note that all new creations are on probation as they are playtested in the Wold. It is possible that the item will be adjusted if necessary, even after final approval.

Genie Philosophy

BLACK GENIE CENTER PHILOSOPHY

It is not easy to get proposals accepted in the Black Genie Center. There are several high hurdles that must be passed. Proposals must be Necessary, Balanced, and Woldian.

In a regular face to face game, with a single DM and five to eight players, if one in eight players is creative and wants to make a few new spells or magic items, no harm is done. But in a game with 12 to 15 DMs and 100-plus players, one in eight creative players means ten or more people generating new content. And the Wold is a long-term game, so over time, more and more new things appear. Moreover, we rotate DMs regularly, and it is hard for a DM to take over a new game and get up to speed on eight new PCs -- it would be even harder if many characters sported lots of novel, unique, non-core items, spells, feats, weapons, and prestige classes.

In short, in a game like the Wold, a high level of new-stuff-generation makes all games harder to run. And after a while, with enough new things, the game grows to resemble D&D less and less. We add new players all the time. It is hard enough for a newbie to figure out the Wold -- how much harder it would be when everyone is using new spells, scrolls, races, classes, feats, and skills!

So the solution is to keep the level of new content generation down. The way we do that is simple. Not only do proposed new things have to be balanced for play, but they have to be necessary and they have to be Woldian. For example, yes, you could create the mattock as a weapon for humans to use. But would it be necessary? Would it enhance the flavor and atmosphere of the Wold?

By imposing all three tests -- Necessary, Balanced, and Woldian -- we keep new stuff to a minimum. Moreover, and most importantly, we make sure that the new things that ARE allowed in fact enhance the Wold experience for everybody!

A final factor is character investment. A high character investment means: (1) The proposal is created by a specific character. (2) The proposal really fits a character concept particularly well. (3) The proposal follows in-game effort (quest for components, research, roleplay, etc). (4) The proposal comes to the PC at a cost -- gold for spell research, feat slot used for an item creation feat, skill ranks devoted to the proposal, etc. A proposal that is directly tied to your Woldian character is more likely to be approved.

NON-CORE RULES ARE NOT ALLOWED

We stick to the Core books because we know some folks prefer not to buy every book out there. So if we let players use stuff from non-core books, we could get in a situation such that a DM has to make a ruling on something but doesn’t have the sourcebook for it.

We used to allow non-core rules if the player retyped the entire rule in his or her PC sheet. I remember Kim McCoy had about 20 pages of psionics stuff typed into his sheet! But there are copyright issues in going that route -- especially if we ever get around to putting all PC sheets up online at some point. Since we are getting more ambitious and are eyeing publication of some of our Woldian content someday, we decided to put a lid on that kettle of fish by sticking exclusively to core content plus Wold-only content.

It is also worth mentioning that the atmosphere and style of the Wold is important. For example, we do not allow oriental weapons in the Wold, and monks tend to be more wrestler oriented than martial artists. We also do not allow psionics. You cannot shapechange or polymorph into any dragon shape. These house rules, set down by the Gericko, are intended to preserve a certain flavor.

NEW PROPOSALS HAVE TO BE WOLDIAN

The Gericko gave a great explanation of why we want all proposals to be Woldian. He said:

“For me the issue is more of a quality issue. I see no need to just add ‘stuff’ to simply add it. If it doesn't enrich the world we play in, why waste time on it? We want to draw the line for quality as high as we can. That's why we spent so much time on the gods and their PrCs. We wanted the quality to be there. Plus if we were going to spend our valuable time on these things, then these things should be something that makes our world distinctive. Something that adds to the flavor of the world. In my opinion Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk have no flavor or very little. They are very generic. I hate generic. For that reason I've always liked the non-generic stuff better: Dark Sun, Ravenloft, Al Qadim. No area, spell, PrC nothing gets approved unless it helps us be ‘non-generic.’ When you say ‘The Wold,’ it should conjure up a specific set of images and flavors.”

So the question of "Is it Woldian?" boils down to: Does it make our world distinctive and add to the flavor of what we have already done?

How can you make a proposal Woldian? I think there are two ways. The first and best way is to come up with a niche or hole in the Wold and think of a way to fill it. Create a proposal specifically because you see that the Wold needs a particular something and your character wants to explore it. The second way is to have a good non-Woldian idea, and then find a way to make it fit the Wold. This can work too -- in fact, I suspect that most proposals have a bit of both in them.

Read through the Wold geography section -- make a prestige class that is tied to a local fact or legend. Maybe there is a secret society of rangers in Izen devoted to hunting orcs and goblins. Maybe they have a special Orc-Hunter PrC. Or in the Cinnamon Valley, some people are blessed with special magical Talents. Maybe a new PrC called the Talented would work there. Or maybe a few new feats for Talented people only!

Take a look at the Oshirr House section of the site -- tying a new PrC to a new Woldian organization is a great idea! A prestige class designed exclusively for Mailed Fist members would be way cool!

If you are interested in creating something that is not for your character, then there are options for that outside the Black Genie Center. There are secret development boards used to create new game settings, places, and organizations in the Wold. If you are interested in contributing to Wold development beyond your own character, please talk to Cayzle or Jerry.

My point is, look aroud the Wold, and build off of the work of others. Not only is it rewarding to build on others' foundations, but your ideas are much more likely to fit into the Wold.

ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THOSE WHO THINK ALL THIS IS RESTRICTIVE

These are hard policies when you have a nifty idea for a feat or spell that is not particularly Woldian, or when or you see a great item in a non-core d20 book, but you get shot down by the BGC rules. All I can say to creative people who feel stymied is, well, I'm really sorry about that, but please keep trying. The Wold needs creative people, and we want to encourage that -- but we also have to set a few limits. With some work, your creativity can be put to good use!

GRANDFATHERED STUFF

It is true that some things in the Oshirr House do not meet the current requirements -- because they were added to the Wold before the current guidelines were put in place. For example, Renik’s Shades of Bluffing, and the Euphoria spell. But these things have been grandfathered in, and so they remain.