Player Information

Essential Reading

Gnostica is a land in the grips of a Revolution. On one side you have the millennia-old Empire of Prefectia, and on the other a growing group of dissidents seeking what they call a Restoration of the ideals of the nation - Liberty, Justice, and Democracy. In many ways, the primary conflict can be thought of as more Law versus Chaos than Good versus Evil.

Gnostica will be different from most NWN worlds in that a specific scope of time in is mind, of two real life years. This will represent about 24 years of in-game time, along a rough timeline that has been plotted. In this timespan specific events are planned that players can have impact on which will influence the final outcome or 'end game' of the story. It is not to be thought of as open-ended persistent world, but rather as a story-based all-inclusive campaign, which contains many sub-plots and sub-campaigns. The server will not be password protected and it will be open to everybody 24-7.

Player improvisation and creativity are encouraged, and it is the goal that players have a real impact on the world at all stages. Gnostica is a low-magic world, and geared more towards the lower and mid PC levels than the highest levels (anything over 27). A system of 'cashing out' experience to rebuild a lower level character with in-game plot value or prestige will be in place for those who insist on power-leveling. Retired characters will become important NPCs in the game. This level cap is not a hard and fast rule, but rather more of a guideline. Most of the challenges will be geared towards low and mid PC level play, for the reason below.

It is intended that Gnostica be an sort of 'part-time' server, a place to go for an alternative that offers something a little different, but it should not require all of your NWN attention to have a great time. Towards this aim a Role-Playing Widget has been implemented, to help players find other players with similar interests on the fly. The PC level "cap" mentioned above is also there to serve part-time players, by helping to even out the playing field a bit. The Persistent Map pins will help you recall important places - remember to use them.

More player information is in the works.

Skills

A couple of things to note before making your character:

Search is more important than usual, with many secret doors, compartments, traps and items to be found using the C.R.A.P.'s player action widget.

Rangers will get more information than other pcs when examining tracks, using the C.R.A.P. Player Action Widget (PAW) to Search.

Elves and Dwarves have a bonus to detect secret objects - dwarves specifically for stonework. The way this works is you will get a notification to Search using the Player Action Widget (PAW), if you succeed on a secretly rolled Search roll.

The social Skills Bluff, Persuade, Intimidate, and Taunt will be used as part of the Personal Reputation system, and you will be presented dialog options to use these skills with many NPCs. These NPCs will remember your actions and either like you or dislike you based on what you say to them. All NPCs of this type will not allow you use these skills to affect them more than once, so choose what you say carefully.

The Personal Reputation NPCs will have three kinds of rumors relating to their Faction that they may tell, based on how much they like you: Common, High and Highest rumors. There will be Commoner, Imperial and Revolutionary Faction NPCs using this system. More info on the Factions will be available in the Settings Information page, soon.

Traits

There are 11 Player Traits all PCs will possess. A Trait score of zero will represent no particular influence of the Trait upon your character, and you will begin the game with 0 points in each of them. It is possible to achieve negative values in some Traits.

Traits for the most part should be thought of as fluid guidelines and open to interpretation and exploration. They are there to enhance and refine the alignment system. Traits could also be thought of as a map of where your character fits into Gnostica. The scale of Traits is fairly open, but think of a score of 10 as a very strong Trait, and a score of 20 as an unusually predominant, dedicated influence on your Character. A negative score would represent a similar scale, in the opposite direction of the meaning for the Trait. Traits that can have negative scores are noted in their description.

Gnosis This represents knowledge of the larger secrets of the game. When you discover lost artifacts and forgotten lore, have an important or key conversation, or even discover something new about your Character, you may receive Gnosis.

Nationalism This Trait signifies loyalty to the nation - namely, the Prefectian Empire. Some might call it jingoism - others perhaps patriotism. Negative scores in Nationalism signify hostility and animosity towards all forms of Nationalism.

Insurgency This is loyalty to the Revolution, and those who work to actively overthrow the Empire. Negative scores in Insurgency represent a hatred and antipathy for Insurgents, but does not necessarily imply Nationalism. An example of a non-Nationalistic hatred for Insurgents would be a merchant, whose business is disrupted by the Revolution. He may hate the Prefectian Empire, but he prefers the familiar evil to the unknown one.

Note that it is possible to gain significant values in both Nationalism and Insurgency, and work as a double-agent or spy, playing both sides as it were. High values in both Nationalism and Insurgency will usually not be attainable simultaneously. For example, it would be possible to have a Character with a Nationalism of 5, who serves on the Imperial Guard, but he also has friends in the Revolution, and sometimes aids them, and thus has an Insurgency of 3. On the other hand, a character with a Nationalism of 10 would probably not have an Insurgency greater than 4 or 5, and would likely have a zero, or even a negative score.

Piety If the character has a Deity (required for a Cleric, Paladin and Druid classes), then Piety represents how much faith she has in her religion. Piety is not exclusive to the Cleric, Paladin and Druid classes; a Character of any class may have Piety. A negative score in Piety could represent a hatred for theism, priests and religion in general.

Courage Not the same thing as the Halfling Immunity to Magical Fear Feat, Courage can be thought of as a character's inner resolve to face danger to achieve her aims, whatever they might be. Negative scores in Courage are possible, and represent extreme cowardice and timidity.

Fame This Trait tracks how well-known your Character is; a negative value implies infamy more than fame, but the idea is similar. Additionally, other players can target you with the Role-Playing Widget and see your Fame.

Influence This Trait is a general rating indicating how much Influence the character has on the world, in terms of NPC friends and allies, guilds, organizations. It might also be considered for access to wealth or rare items or information.

Insanity
Traumatic, demonic, or divinely supernatural experiences will sometimes cause Insanity points to accrue. Note that this Trait is a 'negative effect' on the Character when it has a positive score. Insanity has an opposite, sanity, with the meaning of representing someone with a very firm grasp on reality Most people have a few points in Insanity, and exceptionally sane people are very rare in Gnostica (or any world for that matter :).

Depravity A trait generally associated with Evil, but not exclusively so. A Good character may have a sick, twisted side that he must constantly fight to keep at bay. Depravity can mean many things. Use your imagination. Perhaps that noble Paladin takes a bit too much delight in watching his foes suffer in pain. A negative score in Depravity might represent a Character particularly offended by Depravity in all its many forms and manifestations, or possibly even a Character so pure she can calm and relieve the depraved of their Depravity.

Incarnation When your character dies, in most cases she will gain a point in Incarnation when she returns from the Death plane (i.e. Respawns). There is no limit to the number of Incarnation points you can have, but there may be some reward for keeping this Trait as low as you can.

Fate Different from all the others, Fate is something of a meta-Trait. It does not so much represent anything about your character. It is actually more about your role as a player. Fate points will be a reward for good role-playing that encourages everyone to have fun, for helping newbies and reporting bugs, generally just contributing to the well-being of the server. You can 'spend' Fate points by negotiation with DMs when you want to influence the story, or want some background for your character that is out of the ordinary or unusual. You may sometimes spend Fate points to cheat Death of your own or a comrade's life. Fate points are like 'story-telling' points, they give you some ability to have some say in events and background, but only with DM consent. (A DM must be there to subtract the Fate points and weigh your request..)

Since the Fate Trait can sometimes have a profound effect on the game, some examples are provided for clarification.

• 1-2 points - LUCKY BREAK - Despite being bashed beyond recognition, your wounds heal and your assailants wander away. Just before you are felled by a gang of bandits on the road, a wandering platoon of guards arrive and rescue you from death.
• 1-2 points - LUCKY FAVOR - Your rich relatives might just loan you the money to buy that wand of fireballs you want so badly, or you happen to be a friend of the jailer who's responsibility it is to keep you locked up...
• 2-3 points - ASTOUNDING REPRIEVE - Somehow the man you jumped and robbed earlier that turned out to be the Captain of the Guard's nephew, doesn't recognize you at all in Court - it must have been because you hit him on the head so hard...
• 3-4 points - ASTOUNDING FORTUNE -As you fall to your death off the cliff face, a griffin swoops by and rescues you.

Fate points, with DM approval might also be spent on resources and contacts. 1-2 points might represent a contact in the Raving Ravens gang or the local guard, while 5 points spent might mean a Senator's son used to be a drinking buddy of yours. A large amount of Fate points spent (10+) might even convince a DM that you really are that son or daughter of a Demigod that you always knew in your heart was true... or you really are the long-lost brother of some other character... or ... the possibilities are endless.

With one exception, you cannot spend Fate points without speaking to a DM, and there may be times when what you want isn't possible for the story,and your request may be declined or modified (or postponed) However, don't be afraid to ask, and let your imagination soar - this is a fantasy role-playing game after all.

The one exception to spending Fate points relates to Death (see Death and Dying). Basically, if you have died too many times and are elegible for Final Death, you may spend a Fate point to bypass this. Don't worry, Gnostica is not a permadeath server, but Death does have some sting - read the Death rules.

 The Role-Playing Widget (RPW)

Role-Playing / DM Preferences

The Role-Playing Widget is primarily there to help players and DMs with similar interests find each other. It is a meta-game tool. Use it on yourself to set your Role-Playing and DM preference. The idea is you will set one of the following choices on your character with the Role-Playing Widget (RPW), and then other players and DMs can read your preferences with their RPW.

Role Playing Preference Options:

• Social / Dramatic Role-Play
• Action/Adventure, with light Role-Play
• Exploring/Crafting, with light Role-Play
• Cybering / Adult oriented Role-Play
• Currently Busy / Occupied
• No Preference

DM Preference Options:

• Looking for a short DM adventure / interaction
• Looking to join a DM campaign
• Need DM help with something
• Already part of a DM campaign
• Currently Busy / Occupied
• No Preference

The meaning of each setting should be fairly self-evident. While the emphasis of Gnostica is Role-Playing, with DM interaction in mind, it is recognized that there are all kinds of players who enjoy different facets of the game, and that a player's preference may change with mood and time. The RPW is there to make it easier to find other players and DMs who want to play as you do, when you do, with a minimum of fuss.

Trait Viewing

Additionally, the RPW can be used to view all of your Traits (see above), or another player's Fame Trait, which you can use as a guideline for role-play, if you wish.

Character Details

Use the RPW on yourself to view and edit your Character Details, which can be anything you like that is observable about your Character, such as an emotional state or attiitude - or even OOC information, such as a DC rating for a Disguise your character is wearing. Details are entered by selecting the View/Change my Details option in the RPW, typing your message, and saying the words "I'm Done" when finished.

Just like your Role-Play preference, other players can read your Character Details, and you can read theirs in turn. Character Details are there to expand on and enhance the Character Description that you see when you Examine a Character. And just as with that feature, some players may chose not to use it at all, and that is an option. Players are encouraged to make creative use of the Charater Details to enchance role-play.

Religion Options

The RPW can also be used to view your Deity, and your character's Favor with that Deity. The easiest way to get Favor with your Deity is to donate gold and items to the the Faith, but DMs and certain conversations may also award Favor with your Deity.

You will find the Role-Playing Widget, along with the Player Action Widget, and any additional language widgets you have in your Tombs and Widgets container in your character's Inventory.

The Player Action Widget (PAW)

(Note: The PAW is a part of the C.R.A.P. system - if you are familiar with it already, you may skip this section)

While the Role-Playing Widget is there to help you play your character, the PAW is there to help your character do things in game. You use it Listen at doors, actively Search areas for traps, secret doors and secret objects. You can use it to Jump some chasms and areas, and you can use it to Spike certain doors shut, or remove those spikes.

Searching

Searching with the PAW is Active Searching. It will take a few moments, and cannot be performed during combat. Your Active Search will cover an area of about 25 feet, and if you are successful you can find secret doors, traps and items. It differs from the Detect mode built into NWN in that some things can only be found by Active Searching. The built-in NWN Detect Mode functions as usual.

Jumping

Jumping is only allowed where in-game 'jumping triggers' exist. You will know you can jump if you use the PAW on an area and you get an option to Jump in the dialog. Jumping can be tricky, and you may need to try it several times to get it just right. It is a good idea to get as close as you can the edge you are jumping from, and target the ground just in front of you. Make sure you are facing in the direction you wish to jump. Note that Halflings, Dwarves and Gnomes cannot jump as far as the taller races. Also note that you can be too encumbered to jump, even if you are not suffering an Encumberance penalty while moving.

Climbing

As with Jumping, Climbing is initiated in certain places by using the PAW. If you have fallen into a pit trap, you can be sure that you can use your grappling hook and rope to climb out (you did get a grappling hook, didn't you?). Hoisting your grappling hook can be tricky, too, so here are a few tips: You can usually climb up from the pit exactly where you fell, and end up on the side of the pit that you fell in. If you walk forward to the other side of the pit bottom, there usually is a good place to latch your hook and climb up on the far side of the pit. You may need to move around and try several locations to get your grappling hook to catch, so it is best to start with those two locations. To hoist your hook, use the grappling hook and rope item. If you have rope and grappling hook as separate items, you will need to use the hook on the rope first.

Another way to Climb down something is to use your Spike Hammer (see below) and iron Spikes to drive a spike into the ground and affix your Rope to it. This is usually done on pits, but may be available in other areas, such as cliffs The grappling hook will also work on certain cliffs - usually there will be a boulder placeable or some indication that climbing is possible. A helpful tip for climbing down cliffs: if you are using the grappling hook and rope to climb a cliff, after you have completed the hooking, click on the anchored hook object, instead of trying to click on the rope (which will often times be unreachable by your Character).

Also note that you can be too encumbered to climb, even if you are not suffering an Encumberance penalty while moving.

Spiking Doors

To spike doors you will need a Spike Hammer (note that the Spike Hammer is found in the Weapons tab of Merchants, while the Spikes are Miscellaneous) and some iron Spikes, which can be purchased at many merchants. Please do not spike main thoroughfare doors - they should be set to be unspikeable - and report any that can be spiked.

Listening

You can target a Door with the PAW and chose to listen at it. If you succeed at a Listen check and there is something to be heard you will get a message.

Away from Keyboard (AFK)

An AFK option can be activated with the PAW, to signal to other Players and DMs that you are indulging in unnecessary things like going to bathroom, talking to real people or getting something to drink. :)

Continue on to Player Information - Core Systems (Resting, Death, etc)

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