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Mar 9, 2024 11:11 am

[ +- ] History of Elder Tales

>>>In 2002 an independent game company released the game Elder Tales into the Asian markets to capitalize on the rise of the new MMO craze. Strong sales and a dedicated fan base kept the brand going strong and slowly expanding the game through regular, at the time, paid DLC expansions.
>>>By 2010, the game had become large enough, and profitable enough, to attract attention across the Pacific. Atharva Inc., a venture capitalist firm based in L.A., optioned the game and brought it over to North America. The game was totally overhauled and rebranded as 'Elder Tales II'. Atharva, in a money-saving measure, rolled several of their failed previous digital projects into the game, including the 'Half Gaia Project' and an innovative real-time audio translator.
>>>Hitting the market at a time when the online space was saturated with a number of popular MMO products, Elder Tales II garnered a respectable market share prompting Avartha Inc. to expand the property by opening servers on every continent with unique localization and server-specific content. Promising expansive new DLC content every two years, Elder Tales II grew and held a fairly substantial international fan base.
>>>Ten years on and Elder Tales II held in the market despite the slow and steady decrease in the number of people playing, and spending money in, the MMO space. The schedule of content release every two years had slipped to every four years though the amount of new content continued to be substantial. The rise of the COVID Pandemic in 2019 and the subsequent quarantine was a desperately needed shot in the arm for Elder Tales II as much as it was for every other form of online entertainment. A new generation of players discovered the rich history and mechanical complexity of such a storied game. With a new, and this time FREE, expansion on the horizon the game garnered a bit of Internet buzz that hyped up the worldwide simulcast release of the new expansion. 'Pioneers of the Noosphere', as it was titled and subsequently misinterpreted as 'Novasphere Pioneers', quickly racked up 20 million pre-download requests for its May 3rd release. To prevent leaks through data mining, the expansion remained locked behind Avartha Inc. firewalls until final release. As live streamed on the Internet prior to launch, some 20 million individual connections were queued at the 13 worldwide server locations awaiting the live expansion launch. Expectations were high for an immediate crash of the more populated servers from so many simultaneous log-ins. Despite all the speculation buzzing around the Internet, not even the wildest of them could've predicted the Apocalypse...

[ +- ] The Apocalypse

[ +- ] Zones

>>>The worldmap of Theldesia, the Elder Tales setting, is broken up into Zones. These Zones can be as small as a single room or as expansive as an entire building, swath of countryside or even a Dungeon or Raid Instance. Zones are often nested inside each other, with layers like an onion, changing permissions and restrictions within each separate Zone.
>>>Transitioning between Zones is seamless and often unnoticeable without consulting the User Interface although sudden shifts in lighting and temperature are indicators of having transitioned into a different Zone. However, some Zones -particularly City Zones- announce a transition into them with an extensive 'pop up' that lists the name of the Zone and any allowed or prohibited actions.

>>>•City Zones are the most common type of Zones that characters interact with. With permissions often set to be areas of relative safety, City Zones allow characters to congregate without the burden of being attacked by monsters or dealing with most forms of griefing. Nested inside most City Zones are functional areas that are Zones into themselves; the Guild Buildings, Bank and Cathedral are familiar to most players. Inns provide 'instanced' rooms, for a price, that are private Zones controlled by the 'renter'. Similarly, the Guild Building provides 'instanced' Guild Halls for registered Guilds who pay for the service. These Guild Halls are controlled by the Guild's Guildmaster or designated guild member.
• Wilderness Zones exist outside City, Dungeon or Raid Zones and cover the traversable terrain of Theldesia. Wilderness Zones near cities and larger population centers generally host lower level animals and monsters while areas farther from populated areas are inhabited by higher level monsters/threats and also host access points for dungeons, ruins, raids and other events.
• Dungeon Zones are a colloquial term for Zones that are rife with monsters, traps and other challenges and rewards for Adventurers. Not always underground, as the term suggests, Dungeon Zones can be ruins, forests, buildings or other areas that are usually tightly bounded. These Zones are not as easy to get into, or out of, as most other areas and this is as much a function to keep the monsters inside as it is to keep Adventurers out.
>>>One of the unique features of Dungeon Zones is that once you transition into the Zone you may not be able to leave the same way you came in. Frequently, the exit from a Dungeon Zone is far away from the entrance. This forces Adventurers to traverse the Zone to exit it, braving its challenges along the way or waking up in the Cathedral of overcome. Additionally, some Dungeon Zones prohibit the use of the Call of Home Ability but these are usually high level Dungeons meant for experienced players.

[ +- ] the Half-Gaia Project

[ +- ] The Eight Good Races

[ +- ] User Interface

>>>The basic interface of Elder Tales, when it was a game, was a standard point & click contextual menu system in a player's monitor screen. After The Apocalypse, the "UI" appears to the user as a holographic display that overlays their surroundings. This far, only the User is privvy to seeing the UI and the only way anyone else might know someone was using their UI is the telltale gestures made to use it. The UI now functions as a sort of interactive "touchscreen" hologram.

>>>The layout is the same for everyone, presumably, and begins in the center with a large icon for their Class surrounded by four nodes (upper and lower, left and right) that each open the most commonly used menus:
• Upper Left is the Communications Menu that houses a User's Friend List and the TeleChat functions can be accesses from here.
• Lower Left is the Skills & Abilities List that stores every Action, Skill or Ability available to a character. It can be used to queue up a string of Actions or to check on the availability of those Actions but it is considered quite a bit slower than just using the Skill, Ability or Action through trained natural reaction. 'Grayed out' menu selections are blocked from use in some manner (usually by restrictions placed in the Zones.)
• Upper Right hosts the Player's Personal Inventory drop-down. From there, a player may check the stats, status, durability and other information about an item directly worn & equipped by the Player. This covers the Inventory locations corresponding to: Head, Torso, Legs Right Arm/Hand, Left Arm/Hand, & Accessory.
• Lower Right is where a Player may check and sort the Inventory contained within their Magic Bag. Much like the Personal Inventory menu, it allows someone to check on the quantity, quality and information about any Inventory Item they carry in their Magic Bags. A specific item may be retrieved from a Magic Bag by either selecting it from this menu or mentally calling for it when putting their hand into their bag and pulling the item out.
>>>Further informational windows ring what once would've been the 'edge' of the monitor but now hang in mid-air at the edge of a player's vision.
• Logout This button hangs at the upper left corner of vision. Tantalizing, and ever-reminding of home, this button is solidly grayed out and unresponsive.
• Personal Status

>>>A collapsible menu, the Status Box gives you the minimum details about yourself when shut (Name, Class, Level, HP/MP as graphical bars) but when expanded give much more detailed information including exact numbers for HP/MP, current Zone location, current Server, any lingering Status Effects, Height, Weight, Race, SubClass, etc. A one-stop shop for everything you'd need to know about yourself.
>>>In Combat, you may access your Party Members' Status Boxes and arrange them in your visual field to keep tabs on their condition and HP/MP levels. Incidentally, this box also displays a scintillating 'up'
Arrow when you've Levelled Up. Touching the Arrow opens up the Levelling Menu.
• SubClass Located at the edge of middle right side, this drop-down menu contains the Skills, Actions and Abilities of a character's chosen SubClass(es). Known Recipes can also be accesses from this menu in case you wanted to check the materials/tools/conditions necessary for crafting. Recipes lacking the requisite materials, tools or conditions are grayed out, making selection easy at a glance for items currently available to craft.

The System

witchdoctor

Jun 6, 2024 8:43 am

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SubClasses

[ +- ] Overview of SubClasses

>>>Subclasses are an optional component of an Elder Tales II character. Brought in initially as a means to introduce Crafting mechanics to players, Subclasses have expanded beyond that.
>>>Categorized into Production, Roleplay, Prestige and Service Subclasses, they offer ways and means to expand the usefulness of a character beyond their chosen Class. Most Subclasses are relatively easy to acquire, such as buying an instruction book from an NPC with the appropriate skills, but some are rare quest rewards that require an extensive investment of time and treasure for the chance to acquire. Some SubClasses possess further refinements to their abilities, called Specialties, that open up additional opportunities for crafting or services. These Specialties are often offered as the result of SubClass specific Quest lines that occur once the character completes certain SubClass milestones or occasionally as just random events.
>>>Production and Service Subclasses are by far the most commonly encountered type of subclass. Often in demand, Production subclasses allow a player to craft items for their own use or to sell in the markets or repair items for their own use or as a service to others. Service subclasses are similar although the product in question is the expertise and skill of the character instead of an item. The higher the character's level, the more access a character has to craftable items or services to render through careful selection of Subclass Abilities.
>>>Roleplay Subclasses are often mid-level quest rewards or event prizes. They often do not convey any benefits other than bragging rights or entry into some of the more roleplay oriented guilds. The Temple Knights, for instance, do not allow anyone into their guild without the Noble & Knight subclasses.
>>>The Prestige subclasses are exceedingly difficult to come by, often being doled out to select members of particularly difficult Raids or server Events. In the past, they carried significant game benefits but balance issues surrounding their rarity has curtailed their availability in recent years.
>>>When choosing a Subclass, the character is granted the basic skills of the Subclass and the basic kit associated with it. Further Subclass skills may be chosen upon a character attaining the next Odd-numbered Level above Level 10, though the single choice is shared among the Racial and General Ability categories.

>>> SubClasses are often a 'back-burner' choice for characters who are not entirely focused on production or service. It is not uncommon for a character to start picking up Subclasses until around Level 40 or so and in a lot of cases that is primarily for the utility if being able to repair your own equipment. Some players enjoy the unique complexity of creating and crafting items and pick up a Subclass immediately after finishing the tutorial and diligently increase their Subclass skills in order to eventually gain access to crafting and repairing the Artefact and Phantasmal-class items.

[ +- ] Production SubClasses

>>> Primarily concerned with making items that can be used in the game, Production SubClasses are ubiquitous. That does not imply that the other types of SubClasses do not produce items, because many do, but that is just not the focus of those particular SubClasses.
>>> Game-wise, most Production Subclasses function in similar ways to each other although with obviously different focuses. As a character takes on a SubClass, they obtain a starting set of three (3) skills that form the basic functions of the SubClass. Each SubClass has additional skills that may be chosen upon achieving an Odd-Numbered Character Level that will further the scope and abilities of the character along the chosen SubClass.

Beginning SubClass Skills:	Description
Craft Item:	Using [Recipe] Items, this Skill allows a character to craft an item using the requisite materials.
Refine Materials:	Given appropriate [Material] Items, the character may refine them into a form useable for [Crafting].
Repair Item:	Given an [Item] appropriate to the SubClass, a character may attempt to restore Durability to the Item or return it to a useable form if the Item's Durability is zero (0).

Recipes:
>>>All Items have a set of ingredients that make up their physical structure. The type and combination of these required ingredients is commonly called a recipe . In order for an Item to be crafted, all of the items must be present in the proscribed quantities.
>>>Recipes for common items can often be found or purchased from the appropriate craftsperson NPCs as either Originals (which are added to the character's Recipe Ledger or as limited use, consumable Items that vanish after a proscribed number of uses. Rare or Unique Recipes can be found as Loot Drops from certain high-level monsters or dungeon rewards and are almost always the limited use variety though very rarely Originals may drop.
>>> Recipe Ledgers are the list of Recipes that a character has permanent access to. There is limited space in a character's Recipe Ledger. The number of Recipe Ledger slots available to a character is initially equal to the die size of a character's [INS] Attribute but is increased by selecting the Recipe Ledger SubClass Skill. This Skill may be chosen upon attaining an Odd-Numbered Character Level and may be chosen any number of times. Each time the Recipe Ledger Skill is chosen, the character gains 10 slots in which to permanently store a Recipe.

[ +- ] List of Production SubClasses

SubClass	Description
Apothecary	Responsible for crafting the numerous potions, elixirs, ointments, drops & other select consumable Items.
*Alchemist	A Speciality attainable through the Apothecary SubClass, an Alchemist is responsible for crafting useful powders, crystals & other items.
*Perfumer	A Specialty attainable through the Apothecary SubClass, a Perfumer is responsible for crafting select consumable Items related to appearance and social uses.
Artificer	Responsible for the creation & maintenance of tools and mechanical devices, an Artificer combines skills found across a variety of other SubClasses into a cohesive whole.
*Glassblower	A Specialty of the Artificer SubClass, a Glassblower is tasked with the creation of delicate glass and crystal objects and containers. High level liquids, such as Inks, Potions, Powders and the like, require equally refined vessels (usually Magic Class or above) to avoid quick spoilage or loss of doses/ effectiveness.
*Jeweler	A Specialty of the Artificer SubClass, a Jeweler is responsible for the creation and maintenance of wearable Accessory Items created from Gems and/or precious metals.
*Magical Artificer	A Specialty of the Artificer SubClass that is responsible for the creation of magical tools and items of Magic Class or above.
*Mechanic	A Specialty of the Artificer SubClass responsible for large scale mechanical items and objects.
Blacksmith	Responsible for the creation of useable metals from ores, working metals into useable tools, objects & Items, as well as repair of heavy armors and weapons.
*Armorer	A Specialty of the Blacksmith SubClass that is responsible for the creation and maintenance of medium and heavy Armor Items of Magic Class or above.
*Sword Maker	A Specialty of the Blacksmith SubClass responsible for the creation and maintenance of Sword Weapon Items of Magic Class or above.
*WeaponSmith	A Specialty of the Blacksmith SubClass responsible for the creation and maintenance of non-Sword Weapon Items of Magic Class and above.
Chef	Responsible for the creation of consumable Food Items. Higher level Items require rare and difficult ingredients, and are more difficult to make, but have greater effects on alleviating Fatigue and last longer.
*Brewer	A Specialty of the Chef SubClass responsible for making consumable drink Items. While the Speciality is commonly used to make alcoholic drink Items, it may make any drinkable Food Item. Drink Items made with rare or difficult to source ingredients are usually more potent than their more common varieties.
*Confectioner	A Specialty of the Chef SubClass responsible for creating Food Items generally considered 'desserts'.
Tailor	Responsible for the crafting and repair of non-metallic Armor and other wearable Items; gloves, cloaks, hats tunics, robes and the like.
*Leather worker	A Specialty of the Tailor SubClass that deals specifically with leather items; armor, boots and such. Leather Workers have the ability to refine useable leather materials from exotic animal & monster sources at higher levels.
*Modisté	A Specialty of the Tailor SubClass that deals with fine haberdashery, aka fancy clothing items. Despite the title, a Modisté handles item creation for both male & female models equally well. The Modisté Speciality deals mainly in rare materials and the Items they create are often Magic Class or better Items and are therefore quite pricey social status items.
Woodworker	Responsible for items and equipment made primarily from wood. They host a bewildering range of Recipes for items as diverse as decorative sculptures to furniture items to eating utensils. Woodworkers and Blacksmiths are tied for the overall number and variety of Recipe items that exist in-game.
*Carpenter	A Specialty of the Woodworker SubClass that handles construction and repair of large-scale items, including raising or renovating Zone Structures. They are also capable of refining exotic and rare wooden materials for use in making or repairing High Level items.
*Instrument Maker	A Specialty of the Woodworker SubClass that is responsible for the creation and repair of musical instruments. A bit of a niche skill but one indispensable for the Bard Class. Despite being under the Woodworker SubClass, an Instrument Maker is fully capable of creating or servicing metal instruments.

[ +- ] List of Service SubClasses

SubClass	Description
Accountant	Responsible for a lot of general administrative duties, the Accountant SubClass handles number crunching and preparing Report Documents involving numbers, expenses and the like. Very helpful for inventory tallies, for instance.
Animal Trainer	Responsible for the taming and training of mundane animals & livestock for farm or duty uses. By applying Animal Trainer Skills and a bit of time, almost any mundane animals may be rendered useful for service.
Arcanist	Responsible for Magical Research and preparing analysis of Magical Projects. Their skills are often helpful at speeding along a Magical Project and possibly reducing the components necessary for Project completion.
*Astrologer	A Speciality of Arcanist, Astrologers are responsible for preparing star charts and probability forecasts for an individual, date or event. While couched in vague detail, such forecasts can often be handy for a hiding pitfalls or unforseen circumstances.
Architect	Responsible for the large scale planning and implementation of Structure or Zone renovation, an Architect of appropriate level is required in order to make any changes to a Structure or Zone. Such Projects care often lengthy and quite expensive.
Butler/Maid	Responsible for household and personal maintenance of a 'Master'. The skills involved in the Butler/Maid SubClass are many & varied, often with multiple levels of complexity depending on the focus of the character.
*Elder Maid/Valet	A Specialty of the Butler/Maid SubClass, Elder Maid/Valet focuses their skills on the appearance of other characters. Elder Maids/Valets are capable of minor appearance changes in other characters as well as repair and maintenance of non-armor wearable Items.
Civil Servant	Responsible for many minor governmental functions, Civil Servant is a popular SubClass for People of the Land in larger cities.
*Courtesan	A Specialty of the Civil Servant SubClass, Courtesans primarily deal with governmental matters in Aristocratically controlled areas.
Coachman	Responsible for the smooth operation and repair of carts, carriages and wagons. This does involve some measures of animal care given that most conveyances are animal powered.
*Teamster	A Specialty of the Coachman SubClass, Teamster is primarily focused on the loading and unloading of bulk goods and the operation of the vehicles that carry those goods. Their purview also includes ships.
Courier	Responsible for the speedy and secure delivery of post, parcels and packages.
Doctor	A largely ceremonial title given the omni-presence of healing magic, a Doctor may nonetheless treat Negative Status Effects and assist the regeneration of HP without the expenditure of MP.
Explorer	Responsible for making treks into uncharted Zones, Explorers are well equipped to make surveys of unknown Zones and return to tell the tales.
*Cartographer	A Specialty of the Explorer SubClass, Cartographers are a popular choice of SubClass for their ability to make physical maps. Once a novelty item, after The Apocalypse, these maps are necessary for any travel outside the cities.
*Collector	A Specialty of the Explorer SubClass, the Collector is adept at finding rare or unique items. The odds of a rare loot drop increase when a Collector is in the Party.
*Miner	A Specialty of the Explorer SubClass, Miners are capable of seeking out and finding rare crystals, minerals and other materials commonly found underground.
Farmer	Responsible for the fertility of crop plots, animal husbandry and the preparation of items and materials generated in a farm.
Fisherman	Responsible for the use and maintenance of boats and the production of Aquatic tagged food items whether by hook & line or by net.
Hunter	Responsible for the production of Nature tagged food items, Hunters have many skills involved in navigating the wilderness and the production of ingredient items from animal carcasses.
*Scout	A Specialty of the Hunter SubClass, Scout has enhanced [Study ] Action abilities as well as a limited selection of Cartography skills.
*Tracker	A Specialty of the Hunter SubClass, Tracker has superior Hide skills as well as enhanced sensory skills that highlight items and characters they are looking for.
Negotiator
Performer
"Dancer
*Florist
*Musician
*Novelist
*Painter
Scribe
Vendor
*Merchant

[ +- ] List of Roleplay SubClasses

SubClass	Description
Acrobat	Often obtained at the end of Quest Lines involving Circuses or travelling Troupes, the Acrobat SubClass offers a handful of Skill options analogous to some Swashbuckler Class Abilities as well as a bonus to the Athletics Skill.
Border Patrol	Handed out as a random event at the end of Quest Lines stemming from guard and escort duties, Border Patrol is largely a ceremonial title but does grant access to some skills associated with the Tracker SubClass and it's Scout Specialty.
Connoisseur	While similar in focus to the Collector Speciality of the Explorer SubClass, Connoisseur seems to be merely a refinement of it. Connoisseur bestows no additional Skills or bonuses but it does convey a fair amount of prestige, increasing their standing with others in their chosen fields of interest.
Detective	One if the more Skill driven of the Roleplay SubClasses, Detective blends Skills from Hunter, Scout and Tracker SubClasses for use in City Zones. As useful as those Skills are they are limited where they may be used. This, and how difficult the Detective Quests tend to be, make the Detective an unpopular choice of SubClass.
Diva	Commonly associated with the Performer SubClass and its Specialties, Diva (the term used for both female and male characters with this SubClass) is primarily an honorific and conveys few additional Skills. It, however, does convey an uplift in social status amongst People of the Land.
*Idol	A Specialty of the Idol SubClass, Idol is the result of a lengthy Quest Line requiring travel to lots of different Inns & Taverns. It has a unique interaction with the Bard Skill *Troubadour* .
Duelist	The result of a rare and random Quest Line, the Duelist SubClass allows for specialization in certain (and often random) Weapon Types. It is quite rare to see a character with the the primary SubClass of Duelist due to the amount of RNG needed to fall in favor of the character for it to be actually useful.
Gambler	Card Sharks, Dice Goblins and Lovers of Chance, the Gambler SubClass attracts those for whom Lady Luck often smiles. This SubClass entered the Elder Tales world alongside the Huckster Class to supplement its aesthetic. It does convey a peculiar SubClass ability that shifts the odds in their favor for games of chance and Gamblers are therefore studiously avoided by anyone without the SubClass when actual money changes hands at the gaming tables.
General	Largely a ceremonial title, 'General' is an honorific bestowed at the end of a long Quest Line involving the assault or defense of a province at war.
Knight	The result of a Quest Line series involving pledging service to the Noble or Noble House that initiated the Quest Line, the Knight SubClass is mainly a title that carries no lands and no actual power but does require periodic service to the pledged Noble or House. It *does* however entitle the character to carry the epithet 'Sir' or 'Dame' in front of their character name.
Mercenary	A popular SubClass amongst the more martial-minded Adventurers, the Mercenary SubClass comes with a built-in network of Quest opportunities. Military might is always in demand and the Quest payouts are handsome, even if the Quest Objectives are often quite difficult.
Necromancer	One of the more sought after SubClasses since it's debut, Necromancer offers a few quality Skills and Abilities for those who like the more macabre aspects of the aesthetic. It is quite popular amongst the Magic User Classes and is occasionally sought after by the other Classes for the aesthetic alone.
Noble	Another mainly honorific SubClass, Noble is a title received after a long Quest Line launched by another Noble or Noble House. Whereas Knight is bestowed for military Quest Lines, Noble is bestowed at the end of a Quest Line involving non-military objectives.
Puppet Maker	An almost forgotten SubClass, the opportunity to acquire it comes at random from using the Woodworking SubClass or the Sculptor SubClass Specialty. It allows one to put on shows with marionettes, replicating the Troubadour Bard Skill. Summoners who seek out this SubClass curiously gain a better affinity for commanding Golems and Constructs.
Swordmaster	Paralleling the Duelist SubClass, Swordmaster refines one's abilities with [Sword ] tagged Weapons Items. Considered superior to the the Duelist SubClass mainly due it not being dependent on the RNG selection of weapons type, SwordMaster is a difficult SubClass to obtain. A character must find a Swordmaster, challenge them to a duel and win.

[ +- ] List of Prestige SubClasses

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Index > Game Forums > Mound City Chronicles

SubClass	Description
Avenger
Berserker
Commander
CurseBlade
Beast Tamer
*DemonBeast Tamer
*Dragon Tamer
Dragon Warrior
Gladiator
*Champion
*Hero
Hitman
Rogue
Rune Knight
Sigilmancer
*Rune Maker
Slayer
*Dragonslayer
*Giant Killer
*Revenant
Vampinella
War Priest

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