Backgrounds and guilds ====================== One of the first things you need to do is to pick your background. This defines what guilds you can join, what races will best suit you and generally what you will be good at. There are five backgrounds, each with some distinctive elements. Not all guilds are restricted to only one background, some of them are "multi-background". Starting with a certain background, or guild, may be easier than with others. Asking fellow players for advice may be beneficial, but can also be confusing. Views and opinions about different guilds are as varying as is the playerbase. To see more detailed information about a guild, use 'help <guild>', where <guild> is the guild's short name. Nomad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The nomad background is for warriors. Nomadic characters can choose to join guilds such as rangers and barbarians. In the nomad guilds you can train offensive and defensive abilities in physical combat. This background offers five major guilds, and one multi-background guild. - Crimson [The Crimson Brigade] members are famous for their defensive tactics and skill in leadership. Being members of a military organization, Crimsons are often most effective within a group, especially with other members of the guild present. - Barbarians concentrate on physical might and have earned a reputation of being effective fighters. They are are not as interested in defensive abilities compared to Crimsons. - Rangers could be considered to be something between Crimsons and Barbarians. They are effective fighters, but can also take care of themselves outside of combat - rangers know how to heal themselves and how to survive in nature. - Beastmasters [Herd of Beastmasters] have learned the skills of taming and controlling monsters of almost any kind. They can ride these beasts into combat, and use them to haul their things. Joining Beastmasters requires finishing training as Squire first. (See the list of multi-background guilds.) - Archers [Flight of Archers] use projectile weapons such as bows, crossbows and slingshots. They differ from most "tank" type guilds in that they can also do damage from the back rows of the party due to their use of ranged weaponry. - Kharims [Legions of the Blood God] are a multi-background guild, see Lords of Chaos in the Evil religious background for more information. Magical ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The magical background focuses on spell casting. While the other backgrounds also offer spells, the ones in magical background tend to focus on it on more holistic level. There are four major magical guilds in this background: - Mages [Brotherhood of Sorcery] are divided into a 10 level "base" guild and several type specific specialized sub-guilds (magical, fire, cold, poison, electricity, asphyxiation, acid), each taking 10 levels. They concentrate mainly in offensive magic, but also powerful protective spells. Mages are perhaps the most powerful pure casters in the realm, their diversity and power rarely surpassed. A full member of at least one type sub-guild can join the Inner Circle. - Channellers major in manipulating mana, the energy casters use to power their spells. They are able to drain this energy from items, their surroundings and even other beings. They can cast offensive spells for certain few damage types and offer some unique protective spells, although are generally not as powerful or diverse as Mages. Full members of Channellers can join the Inner Circle, if they have also taken full Mage "base" guild. - Psionicists harness the abilities of the mind. They can use their powers offensively, for example to stun their enemies, and for protection, but almost exclusively using the psionic damage type. They do have some limited ability to cause physical damage via telekinesis. Full members of Psionicists can join the Inner Circle, if they have also taken full Mage "base" guild. - Riftwalkers have mastered creation of dimensional rifts, breaching the barriers between different realities. Through these rifts they have discovered primal entities, with which they can form semi-symbiotic relationships, and are able to bend to their will. These entities can perform many functions, both defensive and offensive in nature, helping their masters in combat. There are four types of entities, one for each major element (air, water, fire and earth). While the summoned entities start as rather feeble things, with time and effort they can grow into powerful beings. The magical background also offers a mastery guild, "Inner Circle of Sorcery" to full members of Mages, Channellers and Psionicists. Inner Circle grants access mainly to greater defensive spells. Good religious ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The good religious background offers six main guilds and one supplementary guild that works more as an extension to others: - Tarmalens [Followers of Tarmalen] use various healing and curing spells to keep everyone alive in and outside of combat. They can cure wounds and ailments, but have almost no offensive capabilities. With their unparalleled healing spells in the whole realm, a Tarmalen is almost guaranteed to be a welcome addition to any adventuring party. - Druids [Humble Druids] are a blend of offensive, defensive and miscellanous magical powers with some healing capabilities, though they are not as good healers as Tarmalens. Druids are masters of nature-related spells and can use their power to harm and protect. They also share, through their nature-connection, a special common pool of mana, which they can use - but also should contribute into when possible. - Nuns [Sisters of Las] are a tightly-woven sisterhood seeking to perform good deeds in name of their god Las, and in the process erase evil and undead from the face of this world. To do that, they employ powerful spells of dispellation and holy force. A nun's life consists of daily work helping poor, prayer, turning undeads and battling evil. Nuns also perform "patron saint restores", which are small missions usually to destroy a number of evil creatures or specific monster(s). Advancing in the guild also requires nuns to perform special tasks that can consist of various different activities. - Templars [Templars of Faerwon], similarly to Nuns, seek to rid the world of evil. They are a religious order serving the god Faerwon, but unlike nuns, they lean somewhat more towards raw physical force than holy magicks. Templars do cast some spells, however, including the unique and powerful protective spell called "Shield of Faith". - Monks [Warrior Brotherhood] are martial artist warriors. True to their form, they fight without weapons and seek to perfect their body and mind via harmony and meditation. Monks are able to join different sects that offer variation to their fighting styles. - Liberators [Order of Ghost Liberator Paladins] are somewhat an oddity among their peers. They are not a religious organization in the same sense that several other guilds in this background are. Liberators are more of a collective who dedicate themselves to freeing (aka liberating) spirits, both from evil and their earthly shackles. As such, certain other factions consider them a somewhat suspicious bunch; especially the Nuns who view Liberators more as "necropaladins" than a force of good. Others, often on the darker side of the alignment spectrum, dislike the Liberators for their tendency to liberate spirits instead of allowing the souls to be used for whatever dark purposes those factions seek them for. There also exists the supplementary guild of Animists, which can be joined by full members of Liberators, Templars and Monks. Animists hold the belief that everything in this world has a soul - not only the living beings, but also the inanimate objects and constructs. Animists harness the power of these souls, including their own, to combat evil. It should be noted that each of the guilds (Liberators, etc.) that can join Animists gain somewhat different benefits from it. Evil religious ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Evil religious background has three known major guilds, though two of them are divided into several sub-guilds. - Lords of Chaos are a diverse bunch with several sub-guilds. While all of them ultimately serve Evil in more or less direct ways, and seek to bring Chaos to the world, each of the sub-guilds accomplish this in their own specific manner. In order to join any of the LoC sub-guilds, one must first join Disciples of Chaos, which already grant a number of strange and terrible powers to the initiates of the cult. It should be noted that you can only join ONE of the sub-guilds, due to fierce competitive adversity between the sects. * Nergals [Bearers of True Rot] use their power to enslave and control parasitic thralls, minions, to do their bidding and inflict diseases. They can often been seen with a number of minions following them, seemingly becoming one-person armies. * Tzarakks [Slaves of the Beastmaster] are a cult that follows the deity Tzarakk. They can be viewed as evil, chaotic counterpart of the Nomadic Beastmasters. While not as diverse in the beast department, they control and ride chaotic steeds of their own into combat. * Kharims [Legions of the Blood God] serve their dark god, and may be viewed as corrupt versions of Barbarians and Crimsons. While Kharims do practice some magic, they do not cast spells in combat. In battle, they often prefer to use swords and shields due to their situational warfare tactics. A Kharim appreciates discipline, but considers maintaining one's honour secondary; or even worthless compared to obtaining victory in a battle. A fourth Chaos sub-guild has been rumoured to exist, but their secretive nature has led many seeking their forbidden knowledge to meet an untimely death, with poison most dire as the cause of their demise ... - Triad of Darkness (or Triadists) are a religious order dedicated to study of the dark arts and death. They are divided into three sub- guilds, which can only be progressed through in order: * Triad of Darkness (Triad) members are the "initiates", novices of this cult. They gain some offensive spell casting abilities and few utility spells, but maxing out this sub-guild is only the beginning on the path to power. * Monastic School of Draen-Dalar (Curate) is the second step on this ladder. Members concentrate on worship of Draen-Dalar and study of Triadism. They gain more utility abilities and better offensive capabilities. * Polytheistic Seminary (Seminary) is the highest rung of the ladder, where Triadists become full priests of their religion. Seminaries concentrate on the study of Death, the afterlife and worship of Burglefloogah and other deities who grant them powerful abilities. - Reavers [The Cult of Reavers] are a fanatical religion-based group of warriors focused on destruction. They serve their lord, Azzarakk the Devourer by acting as the balancing force to the creation that goes on every day. Through destruction of creatures and objects, the Reavers please their lord and are granted greater power in return. Reavers accomplish these goals through more traditional methods using crushing axes or polearms, but also through the use of powerfully destructive magics. While they concentrate on destruction and offensive powers, they also offer some regenerative abilities. There are rumours about a fourth guild, a guild of assassins, but not much is known about those. Even less is known about a fifth guild, and it might be only a legend. Civilized ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The civilized background hosts a variety of guilds, some geared towards non- combative activities, but also ones that mirror guilds from the other backgrounds. - Merchants [Master Merchants], along with the closely related guild of Alchemists, differ somewhat from many of the other guilds. Pure merchants do not engage much in combat and have basically no offensive or defensive abilities. Instead of slaying monsters, merchants concentrate on feats of lucrative commercial transactions and tasks related to those. They mine for materials, repair items, craft things, and seek to fleece their customers if they can. - Alchemists are similar to the Merchants. They are certainly no tanks, but do have access to some minor offensive abilities to aid them in their tasks, which often require acquiring organs from dead creatures. Typical alchemist's career consists of research into magical potions, pills, salves, and other useful concoctions. Full members of Channellers guild (magical background) may join Alchemists. - Knights [Legion of Knights], as one would expect, are champions of valor. While they do not necessarily serve any god, they value honor above all. They strive to keep their conduct impeccable, honing their skill and seeking to educate themselves in all proper matters. Knights have have a strict Code which they abide by, and should they stray from that code, the penalties can be harsh. They are skilled fighters, respected throughout the realm. In addition to Civilized background, the Knights can also be joined by full members of Liberators and Templars. - Runemages [Faculte of Runemagi] represent the disciplined and study- oriented section of the magic users. Unlike other magic users, runemages view magic via lens of scientific approach. They gain their power through meticulous research of runestones instead of study of the arcane or granted by gods. - Sabres [Order of the Shadow Sabres] are fighters with style; imagine D'Artagnan and the three musketeers. They may not be as powerful fighters as Knights or other counterparts in the Nomadic background, but at least they do their fighting with a touch of class. This guild might be worth trying even for a newcomer. - Folklorists [School of Folklorists] are a group of adventurous scholars who study the world around them, mostly the creatures and folklore surrounding those creatures. Through their studies they gain various interesting defensive and some offensive techniques, though the focus is on collection of knowledge. Folklorists offer useful supplementary abilities to other civilized guilds, both fighter and caster types. - Bards [The Bards' Guild], often called taletellers, song weavers, troubadours or traveling minstrels. These singers of legends bring happiness and sometimes even sorrow to the realms with their songs and deeds. Bards are capable songspellcasters and have certain unique abilities. However, being neither fighters, nor offensive casters, pure bards offer little for a solo adventurer. The nature of a Bard fits best for being part of an adventuring party, or supplementing some other guild. - Civfighters [The guild of Civilized Fighters] are one of the civilized counterparts of the nomadic guilds. Whereas nomads, especially members of the Crimson Brigade, are deeply dedicated to master their fighting skills, civfighters settle for less. They are able to fight decently without life- long practise and devotion, and as such, this guild makes a feasible choice for less-experienced adventurers. In addition to the traditional fighting techniques, civfighters are taught the dirty yet useful tricks members of other guilds might not steep down to use. Civfighters are able to master the handling of short and long blades as well as polearms. NOTE: This guild is considered unmaintained and is not recommended. - Civilized mages [Fellowship of Wizardry] aka civmages are geared towards adventuring and spellcasting, but they are not as efficient at spells as their pure counterpart in the Magical background. NOTE: This guild is considered unmaintained and is not recommended. Multi-background ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are a number of guilds that can be joined from several backgrounds. Some of these guilds serve mainly utilitary purposes and are not meant to be your primary guild. - Squires provide the basis for most guilds that involve mounts, and are a pre-requisite for joining them. A squire learns the basics of riding in and out of combat and many other useful skills. However, being a squire is simply the beginning, further training is needed to master these skills. Squires may be joined from Civilized and Nomad backgrounds, but also by full members of Liberators and Templars. - Cavaliers [Division of Cavaliers] are masters of mounted warfare. In many ways similar to Beastmasters, Cavaliers are not limited to Nomadic background, but also differ in certain aspects. Cavaliers do are not well-equipped in taming their own mounts, but can offer some benefits on top of other guilds such as Archers. Joining Cavaliers requires finishing training as Squire first. - Explorers [Band of Explorers] guild offers a small number of minor helpful skills to all backgrounds. You also get a handy grave-digging shovel. - Navigators [Association of Mystical Navigators] provide the most extensive selection of spells and skills related to moving long distances via means of teleportation and dimensional magicks. They can be joined from all other backgrounds except Nomad. - Treenavs [Navigators of the Tree] specialize on maintaining a network of magical trees, which provide transport between those trees for any paying customer. - Sailors [Union of Sailors] are travelers of the Seas. Membership of this guild is required for anyone wishing to own a ship. They also offer some bonuses based on the earned "sailor reputation". There are three factions to sailors; navy, merchant navy and pirates, each with somewhat different goals and benefits. - Inf [Sentinels of Infizinity] are aimed toward players of highest level who seek to extend themselves beyond the regular hundred level limit characters have. This extraordinary power comes at mind-boggling experience cost. However, lower level players can also join for certain specific purposes .. SEE ALSO help open guilds

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