Character Creation and Beyond

Welcome to The Dragon's Neck Persistently Evolving World! We like to keep thing consistent here on TDN and part of that consistency is built upon a committment from all members of the staff and the playerbase to uphold some core concepts around Forgotten Realms, Roleplay and NWN. Below is an outline to how Characters should be created for TDN and some specifics around your future experience.

Key Links

 * "The Longest Year" (Major Setting Event)
 * Good and Evil in Faerun (Alignments)
 * Domains
 * Deities
 * Races
 * Skill Changes
 * Character Backstory Requirements

Guidelines
The Dragon's Neck has provided a comprehensive list of guidelines of what a typical character should follow prior to entering into the world of TDN. These guidelines are expected to be followed by all players who choose to play on this server as we as a DM Team want to ensure that all individuals involved with us experience a quality PW.

Starting Level & Progression
All characters will start on the server at level 2. Please be aware that the emphasis on this server is STORY. You should not expect to powergame through the server/experience. While in the end max level will be 18, our server will be gating off the level and increasing it over time as the story unfolds. In the majority of cases, max level (level 18) may not be achieved until after 12 months of playtime. The world will offer a variety of forms of "progression" for everyone to enjoy and we encourage every player to engage in those progression systems.

Names
All names for your characters should fit a Fantasy Setting and be completely original (i.e. Don't improvise the name of a real-world word that wouldn't make sense in Forgotten Realms and use it as a name. ("Seattle", "Dude", "Lebron James", etc). Nothing that relates to any other piece of fantasy work (Drizzt, Vader, etc.) and nothing that can be construed as inappropriate for a fantasy setting (N00b, Hacker, etc). Please ensure that you do not attach any titles to your names as well (Lord, Scout, etc.)

Your Character name should be the legitimate name of the character, not a nickname.

Please note: PC names will not be modified even upon request. What you set is what you stay with.

Race
You are allowed to play any of the standard races that NWN provides. If you are any race that is non-human, you can choose from the following list of Sub-Races: Application-Only Races: You can see a detailed list of our races and their changes here.
 * Humans
 * Dwarves: Gold Dwarf, Shield Dwarf and Wild Dwarf
 * Elves: Wild Elf, Wood Elf, Sun Elf and Moon Elf
 * Gnomes: Rock Gnome
 * Half-Orc: Mountain Half-Orc NOTE: Half-Orcs recieve the "Blooded" feat for free.
 * Half-Elf: (Same as the Elves list) NOTE: Half-Elves receive the "Thug" feat (+2 Diplomacy/+2 Initiative) and Elven Weapon Proficiency for free.
 * Halfling: Lightfoot Halfling and Strongheart Halfling
 * Drow
 * Half-Drow
 * Aasimar
 * Tiefling

Background
Please do not develop any characters that have a STRONG background. When we say "strong", we are referencing the concept of making a character that has an extensive history as your class. (ie: A fighter having served as a commander on a battlefield for five years, or a Rogue that recently abandoned his time in the Shadow Thieves). The reason for this is defeats the purpose of your character from the gate. We want your characters to be fresh and original. Being a "Level 2 Fighter with extensive battlefield knowledge" is hardly realistic.

Alignment:
For more more detail please refer to Alignments. All alignments are currently available to be used. Please ensure your character does not OOCly and that no OOC PvP occurs at any time. As a DM Team we will not tolerate harassment in the form of PvP.

Keep in mind that playing an Evil Aligned Character is especially dangerous. Openly evil characters may be hunted, and their actions may earn them notoriety in towns on the server.

Stats (Ability Scores):
It is expected that all players Roleplay their PC in accordance to what stats their character has. Below are some foundational characteristics that an individual might have with a particular Ability Score. Player Characters may only have ONE single-digit stat (before racial modifiers come into play) to be eligible for play on TDN. This means that certain races may be allowed to have two single digit stats based on negative modifiers associated with that race.

Note :
 * PCs without negative racial modifiers may only have 1 single digit stat (8 or 9).
 * PCs with negative racial modifiers may have up to 2 single digit stats IF one of those stats is the one with the negative racial modifier (8 or 9).
 * No PC may have a stat below 8 for any reason. Those that currently do will require remakes.

Strength:

 * 6-7: Very Thin, Very Weak, Fragile
 * 8-9: Untrained, Weak, Thin
 * 10-11: Average Human Strength
 * 12-13: Naturally Strong, Trained
 * 14-15: Exceptionally Strong, Well Trained
 * 16-17: Powerful, Extremely Strong

Dexterity:

 * 8-9: Clumsy, Ungraceful, Slow
 * 10-11: Average Flexibility, Average Grace
 * 12-13: Flexible, Coordinated movement
 * 14-15: Graceful, Quick, Nimble
 * 16-17: Agile, Swift

Constitution:

 * 6-7: Feeble, Very Fragile, Very Unhealthy, Sickly
 * 8-9: Frail, Unhealthy
 * 10-11: Untrained, Average Sturdiness
 * 12-13: Healthy, Above Average Stamina
 * 14-15: Sturdy, Withstanding
 * 16-17: Strong Conditioning, Extremely Sturdy

Intelligence:

 * 6-7: Savage, Very Basic Intelligence, Cannot Understand Basic Language
 * 8-9: Stupid, Illiterate, Forgetful
 * 10-11: Average Intellect
 * 12-13: Quick Thinker, Smart
 * 14-15: Cunning, Intelligent, Sophisticated,
 * 16-17: Brilliant, Very Smart

Wisdom:

 * 8-9: Rash, Irresponsible, Unaware
 * 10-11: Occasionally Foolish, Prone to being Rash, Poor Perception of Situation
 * 12-13: Alert, Aware, Sensible
 * 14-15: Serene, Very Aware
 * 16-17: Highly Aware, Intuitive

Charisma:

 * 6-7: Ugly, Very Suspicious, Unapproachable
 * 8-9: Reserved, Rude, Suspicious
 * 10-11: Self-assured, Average looks
 * 12-13: Above average looks, Popular
 * 14-15: Confident, Attractive
 * 16-17: Very Attractive, Confident

Description:
Although optional, we heavily advise the use of a Description for your character. You will want to include any special features that someone looking at your PC would notice such as a gimpy leg, or a scar crossing his right eye. Do not worry about including a detailed background/history of your character as that is not something that another individual can SEE. The idea is to give an accurate portrayal of your character's Appearance to another player, and allows us to move away from the standard NWN appearances using a description on our characters.

Appearance:
All appearances should be selected according to your race. Please ensure that you follow the Forgotten Realms guidelines when it comes to racial qualities in terms of height, weight, hair/skin color, etc.

Selecting your Familiar:
Players who are able to select a familiar must select one close to their alignment. A Neutral Good Wizard wouldn't select a Chaotic Evil familiar. You are allowed to select a familiar that is one selection away from their current alignment. For example, a Chaotic Evil wizard could select a Chaotic Neutral familiar.

Prestige Classes:
Applications are required for PRCs. Certain prerequisites must be met before taking the class. Those you will uncover as you progress. Only one PRC per Character is permitted.

Multi-Classing
Similar to PRC's Multi-Classing needs an appropriate reason to do so. Simply "wanting to know some magic" does not cut it. Although we don't require applications for multi-classing, we do expect players to follow our expectation regarding a reason. Keep in mind, a "Class" is the calling for your adventurer in that moment in his or hers life. Callings are not quickly thrown away or ignored, so we recommend that players commit time and energy to ensuring they represent the class and their character's "flavor" for that class appropriately.

The following multi-class combinations are restricted

 * Monk/Druid
 * Blackguard/Sorcerer
 * Paladin/Sorcerer
 * Shifter/Monk

Resting:
Resting indoors does not require using a bedroll but your character will require food, this is the best way to gain a fully recovery. Resting outdoors requires a bedroll & food, but comes with penalties due to your character being subject to being outdoors during his/her rest. In specific areas, the resting delay is reduced (places like an Inn room, for example.)

Evil Alignment:
All alignments are allowed on The Dragon's Neck, pending an Application process.

That being said, all players are expected to play the alignment properly. (For a full explanation on the alignments, please visit our forums.)

* Please keep in mind that you are playing an EVIL alignment. It is highly frowned upon to play the act of, "I'll just be Neutral till I'm high level and SUDDENLY start playing Evil." Should Dungeon Masters observe you not being evil on a frequent basis, your alignment will in fact change towards Neutral. Evil is an alignment that requires regular acts of villainy, hence the reasoning behind there being so few amazing villains.

PvP:
* Random PvP is disallowed. All instances of players engaging in PvP should have RP reasoning behind it, failing to have reasoning will result in consequences to be administered by the administration that range from Level Loss, to suspension, to banning. That being said, players are not required to speak OOCly with the target. The team feels that if a fight to the death is necessary, then both parties should have ample understanding of the implications before getting into the altercation in the first place.

( For clarification on PvP and Alignment, please read: Good & Evil in Faerun )