Question about AC and Ride

I've got a Pally with Divine shield. Should be a +12 dodge bonus to AC. (Dodge AC stacks we I should be good until I hit the +20 cap.) I've also got the ride skill and mounted combat feat. That should be good for another +4 for a total of +16 to AC. But they're not stacking. If I'm mounted I get the +4. If I'm on foot and I use Divine shield I get the +12. But if I'm mounted and use divine shield I only see +8 on my sheet, and in the battle spam window. I've got +5 dodge on my boot and zero tumble. If I understand how things are supposed to work this should all stack up to +20. Anyone got any ideas?

BadLands Dating.

Here's your daily does of RPG related humor. I found this on Craigslist. Enjoy!
(Or maybe you want to reply)
Ogre Mage seeks Druid.

Alignment shift

Every once in a while, I see a toon running around the Badlands that would require an alignment shift. In the past, this has been a beta member testing something out. I've never seen a regular PC with a build that requires an alignment shift. I even inquired about alignment shifts to a DM when I started playing on the BL well over a year ago. I specifically remembered the DM telling me it was not possible to shift your alignment on the server.
Last night, I noticed 'Bad to the Bone' (Paladin 15, Sorcerer 9, Blackguard 1) logged on. Obviously, that build requires a shift from good to evil. Unlike traditional table D&D, in NwN a paladin who becomes evil does not lose all their paladin abilities. For example, divine grace stacks with dark blessing.
Curious, I asked Bad to the Bone (twice) how he accomplished his alignment shift. Both times, he ignored me.
Is Bad to the Bone a DM or beta member, and hence is privileged with alignment shifts? OR am I missing something?

Tips & Tricks No. 12 The Hyperlink

How to add or insert a link into a forum, blog, or web page can be one of the unsolved mysteries of the universe. First of all, a Hyperlink is written in a code that to most resembles Hieroglyphics. Then, each place has there own version of this secret code. Some use BB-code while others use pure HTML Code. Some don't allow links at all. And if you're expecting any Help, forget it, if you're not born knowing these thing you simply don't need to know and probably never will. Learning Latin could be easier.

This Blog uses pure HTML Code. So that actually makes it easier because you can now get free help from hundreds of places. An Internet Search for "html code" will go far. If you're starting a new post you do get some help on things, but, if you're adding a comment to a topic, you get no help at all and are lead to believe that links and stuff can't be done. Most of what can be done in a new post can also be done in a comment.

You could read this Help Article that The Blog has published.
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=41379&topic=12507
Or you can continue to read this page.

You should start by going to the web page you want to link to and copying the URL so you can paste it here. That in itself is all you need to do. That is exactly what what I did for the above help link. Easy, simple, direct.

However, if you want a cleaner looking link, it gets more involved.
To create a link to: http://badlandsrpg.game-host.org/
that looks like: Qwildurn's DND Server
the code is: <a href="http://badlandsrpg.game-host.org/">Qwildurn's DND Server</a>

Let me break it down.
Every HTML code has an opening <b>and</b> closing statement, as in the <b>bold</b> statement.

A Hyper-Link is just a complex statement. It starts with an opening Anchor <a> and ends with the closing Anchor </a>

Now we need to give it more information. An Anchor can have more than just a Hyper-Link, but we will keep it simple (LMAO). As part of the opening statement, we will tell it we want a Hyperlink to a web page. HREF (Hyper Reference).

<a href= followed by the web page we want to link to in quotes "http://www.msn.com/" and a > to complete the opening statement.

Now, lets add in an easy to understand HUMAN style name such as MicroSoft and close it with </a>

If we did it correctly, our code should look like:
<a href="http://www.msn.com/">MicroSoft</a>
and our previewed/posted comment/post should look like:
MicroSoft
and clicking on it should take us there.

Old Tale Same ending

During the week a lot of old faces returned to see the Badlands land they left changed.
Last night one of those faces was heater5. Poor old razius appears still baffled at the animosity he receives in some quarters.
Thats right ...poor.
For more background read this link on the blog.
--march 27 Fun with Raz archive story ----

It seems from my second hand tale that razius cant even level without some jerk trying to kill him. Imagine that ....... You try to level and someone gets their kicks murdering you repeatedly.
After a "heated" exchange with Crazy gnome , Razius challenged him on his uber toon in the Underdark.
After a typically boring duel that occurs between palemaster melee builds and infinite heal kits Razius Jilkerk gets down to near dead. And even in a fair fight he runs off to the sanctuary , cheating Sill Nefzen of an honest victory.
Apparently heater5 thinks we should all just forgive and forget.
The quote of the shout contest I had replied to me was poor Raz has tried three separate online gaming communities only to find " all of them are full of retards".
Not 3 servers , 3 entire gaming worlds . Imagine that ...... being that misguided and sad .
Hence the title and the poor Raz. Someone end his suffering ........................

Forum is Down?

The link to the BadLands RPG Forum seems to be down. But, I found that it is actually still accessable.
http://www.phpbbplanet.com/badlandsrpg/index.php?mforum=badlandsrpg

Qwildurn

The Sylmar Fire

If you've seen the big fire in Los Angeles that is raging out of control, it is about 30 miles from where I live. I am not in any danger (I hope), but, the electricity service might me disrupted. That means the server might go off-line as a result of the Sylmar fire.

I am currently at my brothers house (aura), Saturday at 11:00 PST. The fire is about 3 miles away and the smoke is so thick we can barely see the stop sign at the end of the block. We keep looking at each other wondering when the Fire Department will knock on the door and tell us to leave.
At which point, him, his family and pets would be at my house. Qwildurn

Backstabber

It's time to spotlight another boss drop. Today we're looking at the nifty little +5 dagger named "Backstabber" used by the Royal Assassin. Though weak by boss-drop standards, it still has a healthy 1d10 cold and a slight chance of stun on hit (if the target rolls a "1"). Ultimately, you'd probably be better off upgrading a normal dagger in the Stone Conjoint. Still, this boss drop seems appropriate, given the fact that the Royal Assassin is the most used and abused of all the bosses--- and he's easily accessible, whereas other bosses require at least a long walk thru spawn-laden territory.

New Blood Welcomed

More often than I like, I get asked by new players the same question, "How do I post a new topic in The Blog?"

Unfortunately, new topics are limited to those on the short list of contributors.
Anybody can, however, add a comment to an existing topic. Feel free to add to this topic without regards to "staying on topic".
Or, we sort of have a real Forum http://www.badlandsrpg.tk/
The forum was started by a player named Leg, who recently stepped down as the Admin there leaving me holding the bag.

I don't want to impose on The Blog, which is a wonderful place to chit-chat, brag and snivel. Simon Hawk is the Admin here at The Blog and I'm just a Contributor. Simon can also be the Head Admin at The Forum if he wants to be.

Tricks & Tips: No. 43 The Desktop Shortcut

You can skip all the movies and Gamespy crap if you want to.
This will work on any server, but you need to know that servers IP Address and port. An IP Address is a 12 digit number very similar to an 11 digit phone number: 532.016.832.120 An Internet Port is a colon followed by a number. :5121

1. Make a shortcut of nwmain.exe on you desktop.


2. Open the Properties menu and make sure you're in the Shortcut Tab.


3. In the Target Box it should look similar to this: C:\NeverwinterNights\NWN\nwmain.exe


4. Add this: +connect
   followed by the servers IP Address.
   It should look something like:
   C:\NeverwinterNights\NWN\nwmain.exe +connect 532.016.832.120

It's hard enough just finding out what the IP is to a server. But, most use a Dynamic IP (my server does) and that means the IP Address will change sometimes. And, you will need one shortcut for every server that you think is really cool. When the IP changes the shortcut stops working and you won't know why.

BadLands RPG can be done differently. We host our own Web Page and you can use our web name instead of a IP number. When our IP changes, the Name Lookup will automatically reflect those changes and the shortcut will still function.

If you did a default or recommended install, your command should look exactly like this:

C:\NeverwinterNights\NWN\nwmain.exe +connect qwildurn.game-host.org:5123

The :5123 is the port to the server (not a magic port stone) and is needed for the 1.69 server we host.
:5123 is the port to BadLands RPG 1.69

Please note: I did not use HTTP or WWW in his shortcut.
You might want to change the name of the shortcut to match the server, BadLands RPG 1.69

An Old Idea Re-Visited

First, thank you to all the people putting work into making new subraces/areas/bosses/drops, they're really cool and add a great deal of variety to the server. I've been having a great time making new builds or old builds with new subraces and then using those builds to explore the new content that has been added. Your work is greatly appreciated and has breathed new life into the Badlands.

I was reading through the old posts (the post archive addition is GREAT btw, THANK YOU to whoever set that up) and came across one about our Mega Spawn problem. In the replies I came across this:

Qwildurn said... ...Cup of the Underdark thingy...

Making a "snow pipe" type quest to the castle will work. For now, if your level 41 you can bind there.

I would love to see a "Snow Pipe" item for the Mad Clerics Tower added, and wanted to keep this idea from fading from peoples memories with all of the hard work that they've been doing with the new content.

That's all. Thanks again, the new stuff is great.

Pulling a "Simon"

Pulling a "Simon":
Phrase: the act of participating in online role-playing video games while extremely inebriated, resulting in erratic, self-deprecating, and potentially suicidal behavior.

Saturday night, I pulled a "Simon". After several beers, followed by a couple strong whiskey and cokes, I logged into the BL to see what was going on. Response time was definitely slowed down (i.e., I should have quit after three failed password attempts), which makes PvP much more interesting. Seeing Grimmy and Shady lurking around the Newport Barracks trying to claim it, I port there with Elric. Not being too familiar with the Barracks, I didn't realize I'd be locked in a room, with Shadowblades only a few feet away. Unable to get to Shady, Elric grows bored (being drunk with a Chaotic evil legendary character usually means trouble), but after several minutes of waiting while Shadowblades plays several rounds of "musical characters" my buffs were low. Unable to rest in the Barracks with enemies nearby, I thought I'd port out, rest/buff, then port back in. But what's this? There's an open portal in the room I'm in. Hmmm... portals are cool, they send you to neat places where you can rest (at least, that's my drunk rationale at the time). So, I step into the portal. The red mist is an instant give away--- the portal sent me to the Maze... in an area where I was trapped and couldn't even suicide! Since there was no DM on at the time, Elric lets out a drunken wail that reverberates throughout the maze. Then he gets the munchies and raids the cheetos and gardettos after logging off.

I'm evil and brave... or not..

After a couple of weeks of constant pvp action going on, I've noticed some disturbing behaviours lately. The "I am evil, Let's fight. Oh wait, hold on, without backup, I ain't going there. No way!" thing.
We all know dano has stumbled on a very nice build and he did it fine.But what have seen lately is the lack of pvp ethics. Is there such a thing?

Well, there should be, especially to a LAWFUL evil monk, such as Shady.Elric challenges him to a duel and he accepts but since he knows he can't kill him easily and threatened by the neutral characters watching the fight, he goes and asks other guild members for help.. on a 1 vs 1 fight..Which resulted in a ud massacre.. even with free lancers jumping in.

Apparently, the only one really following the pvp code is lycan, fighting 1 x 1, not rez killing and not, NOT jumping on others.That's conan, the guy with no caps lock or shit buttom on his keyboard, the warlord of "free blads".

Last time I was on a ud battle royal with these guys (lycan, blade, dano, darina the bald and conan), I witnessed the same jumping in during a fight by conan..
I was fighting blade 1 x 1 while shady was bashing lycan. Conan was fighting another guy, but when he sees he's losing and I'm badly wounded, he changes target and finishes me off.Then Cage appeared and killed the halfling monk, blade and the bluish jumper.. lol?

Pyro is more and more involved in pvp stuff. Too bad he's an indigo fairy.Well, well, more targets, I suppose?Did I tell you he was fighting a mage called my mishu. That mage is an exotic one, I can tell you that. She dual weilds rapiers.And after dispelling Pyros's monk/wm/fig buffs and casting darkness in the area, she was bashing him good. He even had to heal kit spam to avoid getting meleed to death.. by a mage!! rofl!!

Royal (Oyster) Rumble

As you may be aware, the Arcane Brotherhood and Death Dealers have joined forces to become "The Brotherhood". Despite the name, female PCs are welcome to join (we just didn't think "The Sisterhood" sounded as good).

Last night, the guild leader, Osiris Ellow, began building his army. After infusing the recruits with "the red", the foot-soldiers dispersed and began capturing territories and fortresses. After a few hours, The Brotherhood laid claim to nearly all outposts... with the exception of the Maze, Docks, and Battlefields.
When I log on this morning, I see a shout that Wrath Shadowblade was destroyed by the Cockatrice. Soon, Fadra De'Twent (Brotherhood champion) is battling it out with the Super Chicken. After a storm of IGMs, she slices the bird into juicy buffalo wings.
Fadra and new Brotherhood recruit Friam proceed to the Hall of Mirrors, where they are jumped by Wrath. Wrath was quickly destroyed, and the territory was claimed.
My toon (Elric) joined up with Fadra and Friam to go tangle with Ryuji, but he's gone. So we head to the Docks. Meanwhile, dano1122 logs in Shady, since it's his only build that's worth a damn and he knows he can beat a mage with it. He wants a piece of Fadra. Not going to stand by and watch a fellow guild member get bashed, Friam and I wait with Fadra. After several minutes of waiting and waiting (meanwhile, all buffs are wearing off), Shady comes to the Oyster. Without mestil's or EW, Fadra is easy pickings. Elric is another story though. Shady goes through numerous Restores before he runs like hell... claiming that 3 on 1 is unfair.
Elric calls for a straight one-on-one with Shady in the UD. I make it abundantly clear to all bystanders to not interfere- and all agree (Bambi, Fadra, Friam and son of thor all just want to watch). After he kills time while waiting for "backup", Shady finally comes out of the Sanctuary. The throwdown ensues between Elric and Shady. Everyone watches with great interest. All of a sudden Pyro and Jakle show up and start fighting on Shady's side (so now it's 3 on 1). Not willing to stand for a unfair fight, Bambi, Friam and Fadra all jump in. Major lag ensued! It was a fun fight watching pyro get bashed and/or run (relogging with several different toons). The fight raged for a loooooong time. The mages all had to go re-rest several times, while Elric and Shady continued to duke it out in between bashing enemy mages. (side note: battles between PM builds and monks with epic dodge last FOREVER, lol) Eventually, one of Bambi's spells goes errant and takes down Elric. I laugh, and go get a cup of coffee and take a leak. I come back and Shady STILL hasn't killed me. Finally, Shady bashes the helpless Elric into oblivion. Nice job Shady!
After the carnage, Pyro, Jakle and Shady all claim that we weren't fighting "fair", and that's why they all jumped in. Funny thing was, it was obvious to anyone that there was a duel with interested(non-interfering) bystanders looking on. In fact, Bambi is not associated with a guild, but wanted to see a fair fight, hence she jumped in. Oh well, this is what we've all come to expect from Shadowblades. It's not the first time, and I doubt it'll be the last.
On the bright side, it looks like we started a good ol'fashioned guild war! So dust off those legendary toons and join a guild to get in on the carnage!
post-script: Jakle did send Elric a tell after the battle claiming that he only attacked me because Shady offered him entrance into a guild if he sided with him. After which, he said Shady turned on him!
not sure if that's true, since Jakle has done some strange things in the past, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if Shady did what Jakle said.
Fun, fun, fun!

The Missing Woodsman

Nobody really knows for sure who the woodsman was that Bruce ate, but he sure had a Great Axe.

Jim's article about Bruce and the Dark Ritual made realize that it (the Axe) just wasn't up to the UBERNESS (is that even a word?) that the Realm has progressed into. The next module update will reflect a nicer Axe worthy of the efforts.

The story behind the Anchiant Caverns is that the Trogs are searching for something. Probably something evil and powerful. They found a small chamber and sealed off to protect themselves from the monsters in it.

Being a good Bard with lots of lore, I read the sign warning us to stay out. Like the greedy fools my party members were, they went in anyway and got bombarded by IGMs. About this time the floor collapsed from under our feet and we fell so far into the ground we couldn't see up. I was glad to be alive and not hurt to badly in all that.

We wandered around for quite some time without a clue as how to get out, or if there was even an exit. The monsters weren't so bad at first. A slime thing was hard to kill and wiped our attributes down to nothing. Was glad we had a Cleric in the party to restore our attributes.

The Dracolich wasn't so tough and some sort of a giant two head skeleton got smashed into dust.

Then we stumbled on a magic door that ported us all in separate directions. That's when it got hard. A little tiny rat found me and I tried to step on it. In just a couple of bites i was near dead and ran like all hell. Luckily, Gonads the Dev Master found me and Deved this scurvy rat in one hit.

Callico Bend found a campfire to sit beside and warm up. While she was napping, (lazy is what we call her), the campfire attacked her! LMAO Being a Red Dragon Disciple, the fire couldn't hurt her and she held it at bay until the fire department showed up to save the day.

Still in search of an exit, we stumbled upon a huge Brass Dragon named Bruce. Bruce didn't waste any time attacking us and spit out a Hell-Ball that knocked us all on our butts. Can't say for sure, but I think he knocked himself down too. The battle raged on... and on... Our Mage wasn't much help, Dragons being what they are, most Mage spells bounced right off. While Callico absorbed most of the blows, Gonads kept pounding away. Merculees our Cleric kept us all healed and even walked away once and rested to get more heals. Dark Shadow, the Mage of the group claims that a few of her spells softened up Bruce for us, but I think that's just a story.

Bruce finally fell with a thud that shook all the lands. Callico Bend sliced off his balls and wears them around her neck like a trophy. Now we call her "Brass Balls Bruce". Gonads slit open the belly of the beast and found a powerful Axe. Dark Shadow jumped through a portal without concern for the rest of the party and the portal closed before we could get it together.

Dark Shadow claimed a new Outpost and we were stuck looking for an exit. Fortunately we had already killed most every thing and wandered around until we found an Anchiant Throne. Gonads being the dim-witted sort, sat in it as if he was the new King of BadLands and was then able to leave. We were smart enough to follow him out.

Bruce (no, not Springsteen) the Dragon

Bruce is an ancient Brass Dragon who resides in the Anchiant Caverns. (Do not venture there unless you have an uber toon in a party of uber toons... and a lot of time on your hands because the Caverns are HUGE).

Should you find Bruce and manage to defeat this Great Wyrm, you will be rewarded with Dark Ritual- a powerful Greataxe.















Though lacking in elemental damage (only fire 5), the +7 enhancement bonus is highly attactive. One could also use scroll/spells to buff this item up even more! This would make a great Christmas present for your Ogrillon meat shield, er, I mean melee focused party companion.

Bruce, being the badass dragon that he is, also possesses a pair of massive "balls" which he drops. I tried rubbing them like the description recommends, but all I got was hairy palms. Then I started to go blind... what gives?!

UBER Barbarian

Being to UBER can have it's problems. There is a +12 cap on stuff added to gear. Once you hit that +12 cap, buffs from spells stop working. The Barbarian relies on her Rage to boost Strength and Constitution. But with +12 gear, the Rage has no effect making the Barbarian, useless, to be blunt.
On BadLands RPG, a Barbarian can get beyond this +12 cap. This is done by taking the +12 Str and Con off you gear and putting it on your person. Now, Rage will function normally and the Barbarian is a worthy foe or companion.

In the above pictures, you see my Pigsnout. On the Left, freshly rested. On the Right, she is fully buffed and Greater Raged.

You can see the sever messages about being level 40 and ready to take level 41, as well as Two Weapon Shield adding 1 AC. Getting beyond level 40 and up to level 60, is possible on BadLands RPG. You can also get up to +3 AC while useing two weapons or a two-handed weapon. These are separate discussions.

To become an UBER Barbarian, you need to be level 21 and have 10 Barbarian levels. Currently, you need +4 Str and +4 Con and +5 AC on three items that you're wearing. In the Stone Conjoint, is a big Half-Orc that will work with you. He takes all 12 Str and Con off of your gear and puts it on your person. Then you can Rage and get you bonus that your entitled.

A Barbarian (UBER or not) can also get UBER Rage (or did I call it Legendary Rage?) If you have 35 levels of Barbarian and all three Epic Rage Feats, then you get +12 Rage, and the use of using you standard Rage for UBER Rage. The Terrifying Rage gets bumped up a bit so it's possible to fear some monsters that are your level.

Feat: Blindsight 60

There are many unique things in and about BadLands RPG. Some you may find in other Realms and some you may not. Blindsight 60 is available to a few select Sub-Races. For now, Deep Orc and Orkling have the natural hunting instincts that give them Blindsight 60.

Blindsight 60 feet is similar to True Seeing. Better probably. Nothing can escape your senses within a 60 foot radius. Darkness and Blinded have little to no effect. Blindsight is the combined input from all your senses. Not just sight as with True Seeing or Spot Skill. Unlike True Seeing which is a spell and can wear off or be dis-spelled, Blindsight is permanent.
Think of a worthy predator seeking it's prey, like a Shark or a Mountain Lion, they have naturally high senses. Now, think of a Bat flying at night in total darkness, never hitting things we can't see. Finding tiny insects to eat that we could not see even in the best conditions.
Now, combine all those together. You can be deafened, but it still have other sensory inputs. Bind and deaf? Not a problem. Did you bathe today? I thought not. You stink!

And yes, everything has it's weaknesses, even a Deep Orc with Blindsight 60.

Le Whip

The Famed Le Whip has been found and returned! The next module update will reflect this change. In some sort of not-so-funny mix-up, Le Whip had been replaced by (gag me with a spoon) Ritualistic Whip.

I feel the need to point out that this is much more desirable of an item and worthy of the effort to get it. Even if you don't want to use it, it sells for a wad of gold. A "wad" is more than you can count, if you were wondering.

This was Sheelo's drop, but was given to Bebilith some time ago. It's hard to say which boss is harder to kill. A lot of that depends on you build, party and level.

Good hunting and good luck!

What is the Spirit of Dungeons and Dragons?

Leg enD said... Q said : I run a "Dungeons and Dragons" server. This is not a "Whatever" server.

I have said that many times before.
I can also be quoted as having said, "It's BadLands, not BadPlayers and not SoftLands."

This Topic is not to bust on anybody, but to ask a simple question:
What is "The Spirit of Dungeons and Dragons"?

Dungeons and Dragons started in the 70's as a board game with a setting of five players. One DM and four Characters. Everything changes with time and so has Dungeons and Dragons.

Now that Dungeons and Dragons has opened up to Multi-Player On-Line Gaming, how has this effected Dungeons and Dragons?

• Question One: What was that Spirit like before computerized gaming?
• Question Two: Has computerized gaming changed this Spirit and if so, Why?
• Question Three: What is the modern Spirit of Dungeons and Dragons
• Question Four: Why is this Spirit important?

Qwildurn - The know-it-all teacher that can't learn anything new because I already know it all.

Krenshar Clothing

Sweet clothes, Dry clean only.

The Widow Maker

Archons Wrath

Rapier of the High

These are the updated stats for the Rapier of the High.

Silencer

Here's a sweet staff with all kinds of added goodies for you. If you think you're man enough to take down the Queen of the Underdark, then this can be yours.

Ritualist Whip

If you're into whips-n-chains, then this beauty is for you.
You can claim this prize by defeating the evil spider named "Bebilith".

Nephtys Ellow, the Gnome

Friday night and a drunken Simon.. He logs in with Jim and we go trogging for a while. Jim logs off and Simon stays. He stays in ud sanctuary for a long time. Telling me that he had just made a drink, I get curious. Simon is always Simon, plus alcohol = major laughs for everyone.

We needed an extra ethercap gland but Simon couldn't focus much. After a few laps in deserted caverns, we went back to Cold Cliffs, but a shades with a robotic voice had killed the ethercap before us. So Nephthys, the gnome wanted revenge..

After getting her ass kicked by the robotic shades and Kitiara, the mage, we resumed our xp'ing on North Face. It got interesting because darian and dano logged in, so we had a pretty "role playing" experience over shout.

Til Nephthy's big mouth made a indigo fairy pretty pissed off...

Of course, it resulted in a dead hafling.. errr.. sry, gnome..

Not long after that, we were able to see/hear an interesting shout. For you who never met mickes or Ledak, here's a sample of what you have missed:

The gnome still wanted revenge but apparently couldn't even concentrate to send a tell to the correct person..

I was half asleep here, so I just laugh at that..

We had some interesting pvp stuff between Simon and dano but I didn't take any screen caps, sry about that!