Elf Shop Items That Matter

[Steve]

So not true in YOUR experience. It is true in MY experience. I have participated in long term RP plots. I have gifted hundred's of 1,000's of gold for various guild RP / plots, and I have spent a lot of time on forum RP and in game RP advancing and assisting in other players and DM's plots. I have not ever been given such a reward. Was my investment less than your own?

I am not saying this to complain or anything, I'm simply stating that just because YOU got a special gift doesn't mean others get the same. Would it mean more to me if I did earn such a reward? Of course! However, I imagine I am not the only one who has had RP that either wasn't recognized or for whatever reason wasn't rewarded.

I know other players that were given opportunities to select a custom DM gift, but it hasn't happened to me. I'm ok with that and not going to start a riot, but I'm not going to feel bad about getting my gear by other methods either.

What can I say, Chad, but that I'm truly, truly sorry your RP efforts have not been rewarded. That isn't what BGTSCC is about...because as I've experienced it over the many, many years, is that it is a place where Players' actions ARE rewarded.

You are constantly making an effort, even with your own RL responsibilities and your limited time, to make the game—from both an RP standpoint and a QC/mechanical standpoint—better, for everyone. That is admirable, besides the fact that your RP should have lead you to receiving rewards for the IC investment.

That said, in over 6 years of gaming on BGTSCC, I've received 3 Epic Items as reward. Sure, some have received more, some less.

But let's get back to the main point here: the Reward(s). If "everybody wins," are rewards any longer actually rewards? I think not. What rewards used to be—something special—become basic, requisite, and easy.

Why RP like a mad bandit when, one can simply grind like a mad bandit with little to zero RP and then attain Epic Rewards in the form of Gear? So, does the current paradigm then, not somehow show, in direct terms, that it is the easier path and the more "rewarding" path to be a grinder, over an RPer?

I challenge you to find where the masthead actually sets BGTSCC up as a medium RP Server, thus self-defining itself through a limitation (though you and I personally may say this as some sort of fact, it is actually incorrect).

What BGTSCC does state, in lights, is:

– This is a Role-play Server set in the Forgotten Realms campaign world. Please respect the setting and stay in-character (IC).

Which brings me to your next point:

I still haven't heard what exactly is so OOC about hell? It is an IC plane within the FR Setting. There are or have been portals there in FR novels and video games so it is canon that such can exist. Adventurers end up in the hells through various means in books, video games and setting material, so why is it OOC?

Traveling to the Hells, with ZERO CHANCE of dying, permanently, is the very definition of OOC behavior—the Player knows their Character has no real risk, and, does it because they want cool stuff for their PC.

Show me once, where there was some form of DM stated Rumor of even Fact, that the Portal to the Hells appeared upon the Sword Coast, and that intrepid Adventurers are lured there in order to test their might, and reap whatever reward may come from making a deal with a devil.

For example:

Each of the nine Hells had its own physical laws or properties of matter, but all were inhospitable or deadly to outsiders.

Yet, one's Toon can go there, without real worry.

BGTSCC is not Planescape, right? If Toons are at their leisure traveling to the Hellz to make deals with an NPC merchant that is selling unlimited Epic Gear...do you not have any feeling that this cheapens the experience?

Because, what exists here is a setup where all I have to do, as a Player, is kill 5,345 Xvarts and 1,330 Hill Giants and 2,334 skeletons in the FotD, then, I have enough Coin—literally wagons full—from which I can jaunt into the Hellz at my leisure, get stuff, then come back and...wait.

[Hawke]

I really did not want to do this, but here it is.

The OP is discussing items to be obtained from a location.

It has nothing to with any in character, out of character or perceived fun for others.

This thread has spun completely out of control for whatever the reasons the replies made, is unacceptable.

Keep it on track with the original post or the thread will have to be closed.

[7threalm]

on a postive note on the elf/hell store, i no longer see players in dm events running up and grabing every piece of loot, or "checking the body for items" bs rp that took 20 minutes of a player begging a dm for loot , then one item is drop and everyone fighting oocly/iccly about the "phat lootz"

now its like cool thanks for the dm story , loot meh but if you want to dm though it will go to the gold fund

also some of clueless dm's have a baseline for the loot they hand out

Im sure the dm's past and present have noticed the shift to

And for my Tally, I have received 0 epic loot from an event

In the past if you werent in a "dm core group with an ongoing story" you chance to geting epic loot was nil and 0, unless it was dm that didn't understand the loot baseline

but with loot now alright, I hope the dm's put out more failure is possible type events

and if your rp'ing for loot, this just leads to cases of dm favortism/buddy systemisms, and all sort of isms that I am glad they are gone

But let's get back to the main point here: the Reward(s). If "everybody wins," are rewards any longer actually rewards? I think not. What rewards used to be—something special—become basic, requisite, and easy.

I think your missing the reward, it is a story/rp being told one way or another// loot shouldn't be that important as long as it manage well enough and not super drastic changes, I've loot through the elf list there is nothing there that hasn't existed in one way or another except the orc hate , but hopefully one day the orcs can have some elf hate

the thing that i find funny about these threads is no one bats an eye when wiz/clerics/bards/paladins get a ton of new spells for free

Show me once, where there was some form of DM stated Rumor of even Fact, that the Portal to the Hells appeared upon the Sword Coast, and that intrepid Adventurers are lured there in order to test their might, and reap whatever reward may come from making a deal with a devil.

1290 DR
Ithtaerus Casalia creates the first portal to Avernus in Dragonspear Castle,[10] binds Halatathlaer, tricks Daeros Dragonspear into entering the portal (and effectively killing himself), and lures other dragons to the castle with vision of a free dragon hoard. Three hopeful dragons arrive and battle each other, slaying Halatathlaer and demolishing most of the fortress. The surviving dragon, Sharndrel, is incensed by the deception and slays Ithtaerus.[8][11] The ruins are soon claimed by bandits and humanoids.[1][12]
1305 DR
Hobgoblins seize Dragonspear Castle and raid the Trade Way and surrounding lands.[13][14]
1315 DR
Armed expeditions from Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate finally sweep through Dragonspear Castle. Unable to destroy the portal they establish the Hold of Battle Lions, a fortified temple of Tempus.

1354 DRDevils take Dragonspear Castle, arriving through new portals

perhaps it just the beginning

one portal is known who to say its not scouting force, with denizens seeking to make devils deals and expanding their influence

perhaps the items will be location beacons for the devils who knows no one even knows where these weapons or made or what purpose

if i was a dm i would be playing an angle about it


Building A Portal

Base Cost: The builder must spend 50,000 gp on raw materials to create a single, continuously active one-way portal covering an area up to 10 feet in radius (about 300 square feet). The market value of a portal is twice its cost in raw materials. Crafting a portal requires one day for each 1,000 gp in its market price, and 1/25 of the market price in XV (one hundred days and 4,000 XP for the base portal). The builder can create a second portal at the destination point, making a two-way portal, for half price (25,000 gp, fifty days, 2,000 XP).

Larger portals add 100% to the base cost for each extra 300 square feet of area or fraction of 300 square feet. Large and Huge creatures can pass through a standard portal, but Gargantuan and Colossal creatures generally need double- or triple-sized portals.

I do know a certain merchant thats makes 20-50 bags per transactions

so 75k per portal 3 mill = 30 portals doubt an devil invasion would use only 30 portals

just some food for thought