Just feeling my way around here...

[nine9]

Hello, just getting started on ALFA for the first time. Logged in today and promptly was welcomed by a player who graciously answered a number of questions for me, thanks for the warm welcome and time answering my questions, this is much appreciated.

I have played a number of online NWN2 servers. Back in the day I played only single player RPGs and for me Baldurs Gate was the best game I have ever played in my life. I am a avid fantasy and sci-fi fan. Have read Lord of the Rings probably well over 30 times (stopped counting after 30 ). I have played D&D pnp and as a DM, but that was rather long ago. I did do some NWN module design and scripting for single player and then made the jump to NWN2, that was when I started playing online and have enjoyed it ever since.

For me I like adventure side of things mixed with a good blend of RP. Enjoy hearing about the histories of various characters in game.

My first attempt will be to play an "eastern based" PC. I rather like the Ninja Warrior type but found that ALFA does not have the Ninja class, so I adapted a monk / fighter type build. I am working on some history for Dāku Purezensu, any thoughts and suggestions welcome. So far it is basically going to be Dāku, the easterner, leaving home to seek fame and fortune... taking a ship to Baldur's Gate, hearing that the big City is quite famous and a place for opportunity.

I did have troubles logging into the BG server for some reason it keeps saying that it might be behind a firewall, I can log into the other servers so far, Moonshae and Silvery Marsh.

Thanks and hope to see you all in-game..

[Brokenbone]

Welcome and have fun.

Since you mentioned a potential monk multiclass, wanted to draw attention that the setting in which we're playing has some special guidelines on monk orders and paladin orders that restricts certain combinations.

Simple example, someone might want to have a monk who does excellent frequent buffs to themselves from a short list, and since they're unarmored all the time anyhow, monk/sorc is a viable combo. Only problem is there's only on canon order of sorc/monks in the Forgotten Realms setting, the Dark Moon sect who worship a mucho evil goddess, Shar. Grumbar guys multi with Fighter (Disciples of the Changeless Face), Sun Soul under any of Lathander, Sune or Selune, you can multi freely with any one other class, fighter included, long as monk is the highest level. Tiamat Serpent Guards can multi with fighter too. Hin fist I guess too, but I doubt considering a halfling easterner.

It's funny, the Eastern part of ALFAdom, unrepresented, places like Kara-Tur and Wa'an and Tabot and stuff, I'm hazy on how exactly they do their gods and religious orders and whatnot, bunch of celestial bureaucracy ancestor worship vibe.

Again though, have fun, welcome!

[Riotnrrd]

Hello and welcome to the project! Look forward to seeing you in game soon. As I play on TSM and DM on MS... if you're on BG chances it won't happen soon

[Zelknolf]

It's funny, the Eastern part of ALFAdom, unrepresented, places like Kara-Tur and Wa'an and Tabot and stuff, I'm hazy on how exactly they do their gods and religious orders and whatnot, bunch of celestial bureaucracy ancestor worship vibe.

For an actual ninja, we'd be looking at Wa'an (being a heavily-bureaucratic isolationist country marked by an increasingly-gentrified warrior caste, with culture blatantly stolen from Edo period Japan) and Kozakura (being a rougher country full of violence and upheval, with culture blatantly stolen from Sengoku period Japan), though monk orders mentioned don't exist there (you instead get eightfold paths and largely-animist spirit worship-- see also: blatantly-stolen culture), which means restricted multiclassing, per Forgotten Realms canon.

Though likely of note that ninja, as they're presented in Forgotten Realms canon, aren't monks. They're either a specialized ninja class (which we don't offer) or some combination of rogue and a fighting class, aiming for the assassin PrC (which comes with benefits like learning how to use poison and getting sneak attacks).

[nine9]

Though likely of note that ninja, as they're presented in Forgotten Realms canon, aren't monks. They're either a specialized ninja class (which we don't offer) or some combination of rogue and a fighting class, aiming for the assassin PrC (which comes with benefits like learning how to use poison and getting sneak attacks).

Thanks for the further information, I will have to re-start my PC then, since you don't allow Monk to act as a pseudo-class to Ninja. Will have to go Fighter / Rogue / Assassin as suggested.

[nine9]

Does practiced spell castor work with Assasin on ALFA?

[nine9]

How do you get your PC deleted? I wish to start a new one with the same name.

[jmecha]

Monk is fine for a Ninja like character concept....Ki Powers, hand to hand combat, stealth skills as class skills, training montages. Monk may not be what everyone immediately thinks of when they think Ninja, but no one is saying you can not use the base class of Monk as part of your Ninja Character concept.

I should warn though that ALFA Monks must be lawful and should they lose lawful status can not progress as monks again until they are Lawful again, and ALFA has some other rules regarding Monks and Multi classing.

[jmecha]

As for deleting a PC....all ALFA characters are saved to the ALFA Vault and only some tech people, HDMs and such have access to it. You do not need to wait for your old character to be deleted before making a new character and playing. Just know that you are not allowed to log in with your old character once you start a new character, and that you can never reuse a name. Reusing the same name upsets the Vault and crazy things happen, so if you really really like the name, stick with the Monk build or change the name by a letter or such.

[nine9]

Looking over the Monk class rules I don't see this working. It shows you being aligned specifically to an order, whereas my PC leaves the farm to adventure at a young age, having taken little or no training and I plan to play, train him, towards the legendary fighting style from his lands, aka Ninja Warrior. Albeit if his adventure and RP lead down other paths that is fine too.

I find the monk canon too restrictive. I want to basically to start as an explorer then move towards other things.. It's going to take me a bit to work things out..

Thanks for the excellent feedback.

[jmecha]

I suggest Rogue as a start then, Sneak Attack is pretty damn Ninja.

[puny]

Hi and welcome!
hope you find home with your ninja:esque concept aswell as within our community

if you would have any questions dont hestitate so send a xservertell/tell to ask them if you would se me online!

[Zelknolf]

Does practiced spell castor work with Assasin on ALFA?

It does not currently. ALFA's assassins get spells in the shape of a handful of feats which provide them with spell-like abilities, rather than actual spellbooks. This is a candidate for change in the distant future, but it's not a terribly high-priority change right now.

However-- generally speaking, if we make some fundamental change to the way a class is put together (like, say, assassins suddenly becoming spontaneous spellcasters with spells known lists and a real caster level), you can ask a DM to rebuild those levels to accomodate the new structures in which you have to work. They're not always approved, but "Hey, I have a spellbook now, and would like to take spell-related feats" tends to be one of the stronger cases.

In either case, the spell payload covers the ki powers you tend to see associated with a proper ninja class, when they exist (which tend to be more focused on delivering sneaky death and less on any devotion to concepts of personal perfection).

[t-ice]

Welcome nine!

Looks like no-one gave you the usual warning yet: Your first character is very likely to die at ALFA, so taking a look around with a more generic PC might be a good idea before picking up your favorite concept. Having a string of nigh identical characters, especially if played at any extended time, or if they die, is quite frowned upon in the name of RP. Doubly so for ICly exotic characters. If a person dies, he's dead, and can't be started over from 0 xp. And a string of local farmboy-turned-fighters with different names might still be believable, but a string of similar-background adventurers from halfway across the world... It's just a matter of keeping a courtesy for your fellow players' RP in providing them a IC consistent narrative about your PC(s).
So starting as a monk for a couple sessions, and then changing the name a bit and starting over as a fighter should be more or less fine. Other PCs can't see your char sheet and can pretend it's the same person. Also note that if the only difference between two PC names is a space at the end our systems don't work correctly, afaik.

As for ninja, well yeah it's not a class option. And monk does have other restrictions, as it's supposed to be a Forgotten Realms monk. Perhaps a rogue/ranger might work to represent the idea of a ninja - lightly armored sneaky warrior and hunter of people(fav enemy human), using small, concealable weapons, adept at many kinds of sneakiness, bluff and subterfuge, and having great spot and listen skills. Too bad the ranger's rapid shot doesn't apply to shuriken, afaik. Note that the Assassin is also evil alignments -only.

Welcome again to the RP craziness and have fun!

[Brokenbone]

I wonder if an Invisible Blade PrC would be a nice goal for someone feeling ninja-ish...

Sake of argument, ranger as the "base" to work on things like the Feint feat (needs Combat Expertise first), Two Weapon Fighting (I think the ranger "choice" here counts as the real feat, I might be wrong), and it's not hard to pick something like Weapon Focus Kukri or Dagger. At least as a Ranger, you can also be investing in sneaky skills. Maybe throw in some Rogue too, for more skill investment and good old Sneak Attack.

Invisible Blades seem kind of impressive, though I've not seen one in play yet. I guess low level ones might rely on some light armor, but if having several IB levels, and the INT to pull it off, they can have some non-shabby armor class.

I suppose even throwing wizardly levels into the mix for a whole list of "utility" type tricks couldn't hurt. Rogue or ranger + little bit of wizard = invisible blade who can throw on Mage Armor, Shield, the odd True Strike for an important hit... *shrugs*

Anyhow, I'm sure there's lots of ways to create a unique character far away from the numbers end, again, welcome and have fun.