Current Roleplay Status, and Vampires 101

edited December 2020 in Newbies
Hey folks!

So, it’s been a good few years since I last touched a MUD, and even then it wasn’t for very long, (life fell apart for a while, you know how it is) so I’m basically back to being a raw newcomer, who has some fairly...Vague ideas about how things work. I’m looking to get back into things, as I’d like a sense of community, but my main jam is roleplay. It’s my bread and butter, and the be-all and end-all of why I play these kinds of games, basically! To that end, I have a few questions, because I like to have a solid grasp of concepts before I dive in.

1) From what I remember, Aetolia was always lauded as the most roleplay intensive of the various IRE MUDs. Is that still accurate? A general overview of which orgs or groups are more active in that regard, or are generally inclined to be more in-depth in terms of their roleplay would be wonderful.

2) Also, I’m interested in vampires, but they seem to have undergone quite a lot of changes since the last time I looked. It looks like it’s more classic, get turned by a Sire and that’s pretty much locked in - Like a vampire parent, sort of deal. Could someone give me a simplified rundown of the general process of becoming a vampire, and what is expected of one thereafter?

3) Are the Gods particularly active these days? How about admin roleplay in general? Divine RP is a huge, huge draw for me, so active Orders with a Divine that pops in at least once in a while would be great! Tanixalthas seems particularly cool, but I have no idea if She's active, or how she views the undead/vampires. Answered in discord, much appreciated to all that were so helpful!

Also, is there an Aetolian discord, or do people usually just stick to communicating in-game? Got it, thank you!

Any general tidbits that folk think would be useful are, of course, very welcome!

Comments

  • HavenHaven World Burner Flight School
    There are a number of player discords but you can find the official Aetolian Discord here: https://discord.gg/D83sxsUCjB

    It's pretty active and generally useful for fast OOC information. Aetolia is still a strong roleplaying mud and in my opinion the best of the IRE games. There has been a gradual shift away from guilds over the years to focus more heavily on the game's various city themes but , and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, you'll find the Carnifex and the Dominion to be the largest of the shadow guilds currently.

    As for becoming a vampire, it's pretty straight forward: You start as a proto-vampire (nightstalker) either by selecting the class from the game introduction or by approaching the NPC Aaranu to get started on the ritual. This version of vampire is somewhat limited in what you can learn at first while you get acquainted but eventually you can find someone to sire you so that you become a full-fledged vampire.

    You have a lot of freedom as a player to decide what direction you want to take your character. I'd say the only real expectation of you as a vampire would be in respecting the game's lore about undeath and how it affects the body. Beyond that, however, it'll largely be up to you to decide the role you want to play and how the game world and its organizations affect your character.
    ¤ Si vis pacem, para bellum. ¤
    Someone powerful says, "We're going to have to delete you."
    havenbanner2
    Sevarius
  • Thank you, @Haven !

    I think I may start as a Nightstalker, then! That solves the problem I was mulling over about how to work out getting a solid bond with a Sire over time, as opposed to speeding it up to get access to the class.

    Duly noted! Are vampires separate from guilds and the like? Are you expected, for instance, to join a guild even as a Nightstalker? I read a bit about vampire Houses and Bloodlines, but I'm not sure how they interact with cities and guilds, if at all.
  • SaritaSarita Empress of Bahir'an The Pillars of the Earth
    edited December 2020
    Vampires have their own guild, which is the Dominion and the majority also join Bloodloch, which is the Dominion's city. You aren't required to join either of those. There are plenty of vampires in other guilds or in Spinesreach, but that requires multiclassing and generally has different kinds of RP.

    If you already know you're interested in the vampire skillset as opposed to just the subrace, you will probably want to join the Dominion. As far as becoming a vampire there is concerned, you do need a sire, but there is an NPC available if you don't want to deal with the RP behind forming the bond with another player. It's possible to switch from the NPC to a player afterwards, or even from one player to another.

    As far as Houses are concerned, there are still a few that exist as clans, but they were essentially phased out and don't get admin support anymore. Some players still use them for various parts of their RP, but new players can get along just fine without trying to join one.


    Quick edit to add: It's possible to mechanically be a full vampire without a sire. Having one is just a requirement for that in the Dominion.
    Sevarius
  • edited December 2020
    Sarita said:

    Vampires have their own guild, which is the Dominion and the majority also join Bloodloch, which is the Dominion's city. You aren't required to join either of those. There are plenty of vampires in other guilds or in Spinesreach, but that requires multiclassing and generally has different kinds of RP.

    If you already know you're interested in the vampire skillset as opposed to just the subrace, you will probably want to join the Dominion. As far as becoming a vampire there is concerned, you do need a sire, but there is an NPC available if you don't want to deal with the RP behind forming the bond with another player. It's possible to switch from the NPC to a player afterwards, or even from one player to another.

    As far as Houses are concerned, there are still a few that exist as clans, but they were essentially phased out and don't get admin support anymore. Some players still use them for various parts of their RP, but new players can get along just fine without trying to join one.

    Ah, that's helpful, thank you! I'm actually not sure about the skillset - I wasn't sure if you could be just the subrace while being another class, so that's something to consider. How does having the skillset differ from just being the subrace? I admit I'm largely interested in it for the roleplay flavour, as I'm no good with skills or PvP stuff in IRE games.

    Sciomancer seems like it might be a nice class, flavour wise. Is it difficult to use?
  • TetchtaTetchta The Innocent
    edited December 2020
    Sevarius said:

    Ah, that's helpful, thank you! I'm actually not sure about the skillset - I wasn't sure if you could be just the subrace while being another class, so that's something to consider. How does having the skillset differ from just being the subrace? I admit I'm largely interested in it for the roleplay flavour, as I'm no good with skills or PvP stuff in IRE games.

    Presently, the subrace and the class are linked, insofar as you cannot be a Praenomen (at least fully classed) without being a vampire, and you can't be a vampire without having the praenomen class--HOWEVER, Aetolia has multiclassing now, and if you switch to another class (you get one essentially for free with some caveats listed in HELP MULTICLASSING), you keep your vampire subrace. As far as penalties go, you only experience sun damage effects if you're below 98(???? I think?) blood, and since you very rarely run out of blood while out of Praenomen, you'll be free to RP however you like.

    If you're interested in the specifics of Praenomen Bashing, I wrote a guide recently that's pretty comprehensive.

    Sevarius
  • Tetchta said:

    Presently, the subrace and the class are linked, insofar as you cannot be a Praenomen (at least fully classed) without being a vampire, and you can't be a vampire without having the praenomen class--HOWEVER, Aetolia has multiclassing now, and if you switch to another class (you get one essentially for free with some caveats listed in HELP MULTICLASSING), you keep your vampire subrace. As far as penalties go, you only experience sun damage effects if you're below 98(???? I think?) blood, and since you very rarely run out of blood while out of Praenomen, you'll be free to RP however you like.

    If you're interested in the specifics of Praenomen Bashing, I wrote a guide recently that's pretty comprehensive.

    Ah, I see! Thank you for the answer. How would you say the general tone and vibe of the Praenomen/Dominion roleplay is? (I'm assuming you're in the guild due to the guide you wrote, but I could well be very wrong! If so, do ignore me.)

    I'm weighing Praenomen and Sciomancer, I think. I'm atrocious with combat, so if either of them are beginner friendly, that will be a big draw, but the main decider is roleplay. The help files are fairly sparse, I've noticed, and it's hard to tell which of them are active, or how prevalent roleplay is for either.
  • TetchtaTetchta The Innocent
    edited December 2020
    Sevarius said:

    Ah, I see! Thank you for the answer. How would you say the general tone and vibe of the Praenomen/Dominion roleplay is? (I'm assuming you're in the guild due to the guide you wrote, but I could well be very wrong! If so, do ignore me.)

    I'm not in the Dominion, I just like vampire roleplay and my character is a vampire hahaha. Some of the Dom players could do a better job I think at describing the Dominion than I could, as I think anything I'd say would be (perhaps fairly) perceived as biased.

    Calling: @Callidora @Rebra @Sarita @Corvo

    Sevarius
  • RijettaRijetta Nowhere Important
    Sevarius said:

    Sciomancer seems like it might be a nice class, flavour wise. Is it difficult to use?

    sciomancer is an amazing class which benefits from a very recent redesign. it is somewhat difficult to use at a high level in 1v1 dueling. it is not at all difficult to understand or use for pve, rp, or group combat. i can recommend sciomancer with all my heart.
    A low, sultry voice resounds within the depths of your mind, "I look forward to seeing your descent."
    Sevarius
  • Rijetta said:



    sciomancer is an amazing class which benefits from a very recent redesign. it is somewhat difficult to use at a high level in 1v1 dueling. it is not at all difficult to understand or use for pve, rp, or group combat. i can recommend sciomancer with all my heart.

    Oh, that's very promising to hear! What's the general rp atmosphere/activity like currently?
  • RijettaRijetta Nowhere Important
    for sciomancer specifically? i can't say for the guild, but i know some of the folks in it and they're mad cool so i assume the guild is, too. the city containing the guild is really great. moreover you have at least 3 or 4 people REALLY knowledgeable with all aspects of sciomancer in the city right now, myself included, so very easy to find help.

    i know that the sciomancers are unique among magic classes in that they use the most dangerous element - raw shadow - exclusively, and have a mighty force of will in order to control it. they're willing to do what it takes to accomplish their goals. they're mad cool.
    A low, sultry voice resounds within the depths of your mind, "I look forward to seeing your descent."
    Sevarius
  • Rijetta said:

    for sciomancer specifically? i can't say for the guild, but i know some of the folks in it and they're mad cool so i assume the guild is, too. the city containing the guild is really great. moreover you have at least 3 or 4 people REALLY knowledgeable with all aspects of sciomancer in the city right now, myself included, so very easy to find help.

    i know that the sciomancers are unique among magic classes in that they use the most dangerous element - raw shadow - exclusively, and have a mighty force of will in order to control it. they're willing to do what it takes to accomplish their goals. they're mad cool.

    That does sound very cool! I'm currently leaning towards them, I think. Would you mind sharing some names of the folks that I might ask about the guild, in terms of roleplay? If you know of any, of course!
  • RijettaRijetta Nowhere Important
    yeah absolutely. @Tekias @Raynia @Mazzion but i don't know how much they use the forums. i will say, making a sciomancer doesn't at all preclude you from partaking in vampire rp with your character. if anything, sciomancer suits vampire quite well due to lore reasons, AND they get an ability that makes everything around them constantly dark, so no sun damage. pretty rad.
    A low, sultry voice resounds within the depths of your mind, "I look forward to seeing your descent."
    TetchtaSevarius
  • The whole idea of Sciomancers is that they tap into the Shadow Plane (named Czjetija) directly as the source of their powers, which makes them powerful beyond all measure, but they run the risk of being corrupted by shadow (and therefore becoming 'Shadowbound') if they don't control it properly. The Guild, by extension, guides fledgling Sciomancers in refining their control over shadow, culminating into a ceremony which tests this. Have a look at HELP SCIOMANCERRP! You'll find it pretty enlightening!
    SevariusTetchta
  • edited December 2020
    Thank you all very much! You've been very helpful, and given me a lot to mull over, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to make my character sometime today. I'm thinking I'll make him a Sciomancer and get to grips with that, and I can explore the vampire possibilities over time, in-character. I really appreciate you all taking the time to answer me! I hope to see you all in-game soon! Watch this space!
    RijettaHavenEleneTetchtaCallidora
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