[Gossamer]

The Zinn'Sunn Training Guide Index Introduction What Can I Train? How much, how many, how often? Experience Point Awards - What are they? Moderation - Whats this self moderation, peer moderation, xGM moderation business? Thread Length and Duration Procedure For Getting Started Noting The Location of a Training Thread Noting When A Training Thread Is A Training Thread Signing Off On threads The Nomenclature Pathways And Limitations In Conclusion Introduction Training is a very serious business in Zinn'Sunn as it is throughout Aelyria. There are certain steps PCs need to follow to go about getting training. Some training requires moderation, some only permission to get started, and others you can just dive in and only need a moderator for 'sign off' approval and awards of XP once the training is done. This guide will help you figure out what my requirements are for Zinn'Sunn, and how we do things in this city. If you have any questions at all please feel free to PM me. What can I train? The truth is that you can train almost anything you want too. This means if you can think up a skill and can realistically write about, and get my permission to do so, your off and running. Most people train in a weapon and then either pick a form of arcana or some sort of tradeskill and launch into their PC's careers. There is a list of trade skills with well-fleshed out formats for training in the Compendium under the Trade Skill section. The same holds true for weapons and arms. All you need to do is click on the Lore button at the top of this page, then click on the relative forum (Arms, Weapons, Trade Skills) and look around to see whats available. Common things such as swords, hunting, disguise, jewelcrafting, glassblowing, horseback riding are located in these areas and are laid out according to what one would learn at what level. This acts as a format guide for everyone's training. However, if you can't find a guide for what your PC wants to do... (Underwater Basic Weaving, Sheep farming, etc) if you can look up enough on the web and at the local library about it, your sure welcome to train in it. Its also helpful to write up a skill for it to put into the Compendium once you learn enough about your topic. It helps for other PCs coming down the line later. There are only a couple of rules on Aelyria about training. First and foremost, you can only have two training threads going on at one time. In terms of activity threads where your practicing a skill, working on a project, or simply having a good old fashioned bar fight… the number of threads you can have going at any one time is unlimited. These are threads that GMs and AGMs will award no more than 1 xp point at a time for. In terms of training threads, there are limits on what you can do simultaneously. Here's the restrictions: Only two training/level up threads ongoing at once. You must complete one level of training before you begin a higher level or use that level. You can only have one training/level up thread going of level 4 or 5 at one time. If you are a hedge wizard (a person who specializes in two spheres), you can have two arcana threads going at once as long as they are in different spheres. Experience Points Awards - What are they? Zinn'Sunn is focused primarily on the roleplay. We emphasis storytelling far more than we emphasis experience points (xp) being awarded. However, as a policy we do award experience points (xp) because they are important for your characters progression in various skills. You can, conceivably, get experience points (xp) for everything your char does that’s not social. If your brawling in a bar, you might get brawling xp, while if your flirting with the barmaid for 30 posts, your probably not going to receive xp for that (though I’ve seen it happen… flirting is as much a skill as rhetoric). With every training thread that you run, you will receive 2 experience points at its completion. With every adventure thread a char will usually receive 1 xp. However, in adventure threads, it’s not uncommon to receive numerous single xp points in multiple things. For example, a char might use his sword (1 xp in longsword ) and have a religious experience ( 1 xp in religious lore of –insert religion here-) all in the same adventure during numerous posts. Below is a breakdown of both Skill XP and Arcana XP. Types of XP awards: Experience: 1 Point for skill use in a thread (requires GM approval) Level up threads : 2 points (requires GM approval) Job Thread: 1 or 2 Points per season (requires GM approval) Intensive Experience: 2 Point (requires GM approval) Experience points are cumulative. You start with ZERO points, train in basic for 2 xp, then use it in a thread for another 1 xp. That gives you a total of 3 xp, which gives you enough experience to start a level up thread to Intermediate/Apprentice. Once you have completed your Intermediate training thread (2 xp), your total would be 5 xp. You need, at that point, another 5 xp to start your next level-up or training thread… ie.. Advanced/Adept. The only exceptions to this rule are Intensive Experience threads. These threads are situations which involve significant risk to a character or shows creative development of the character as well as skill usage. The number of XP per level is as the chart below shows. XP Needed Per Level Level To Be Achieved Experience Points Needed 1 2 2 5 3 12 4 22 5 37 There are no limits on xp points a char can obtain over the course of their time at Aelyria. There is however a limit on how much they can train and at what times. Mainly those limits (besides the fact you can only have two going at once, which we already mentioned) involve the time that it takes to complete a thread. Moderation - Whats this self moderation, peer moderation, xGM moderation business? Moderators are just another way to say 'storyteller'. A storyteller is the person that guides the thread, helping the others involved tell the story. There are several types of moderation. GMs or Game Masters can run the tale. In that case, anything they want to do to the PCs involved is fair game as long as its justified. Peer moderators are those folks that volunteer to tell someone else's story (Be it a training thread or anything else). Peers need special GM permission to do this, especially if they are giving out rewards (all rewards need to be GM approved) or using dangerous NPCs that they need permission to. Self-moderators are those folks that just write for themselves. Self Moderators love to tell stories.. and much like the Peer moderators, they need to ask GM permission to self-moderate something and to give any rewards out. It's highly frowned upon to give oneself a reward as a self-moderator. However, there are hard and fast rules on what ranks and levels you can self moderate or peer moderate for. The upper ranks get tricky, lengthy and difficult and thus are normally reserved for GM moderation only. Moderating Threads Stage 1 – Stage 3 : self-mod, peer-mod or xGM can Moderate Stage 4 - Stage 5: GM Only Most cities have a 'Moderation Exchange Center' to get people together who want to either find a moderator for their threads or want to moderate someone elses. Zinn'Sunn is no exception. The Zinn'Sunn Moderator Exchange Thread Length & Duration This process varies a great deal. As a rule of thumb, we like to see 10-15 posts (depending on size… if they are short quick posts, your threads must be a great deal longer) for basic threads. Intermediate threads are longer (usually double), and even higher threads even longer. There is no hard fast rule to length. We simply want to see quality quality quality. Also, when your talking about Fluid Time (FT), each training session needs to keep FT in mind, and one must realize that they seriously need to not post an upper level training thread so that it takes place all in one day. The higher in stages or ranks one goes, the more fluid time it takes to finish that rank. Length Of Actual FT Passage For Training - When am I done and can use these new skills? Arms Time Arcana Time Trade Time Basic One Cycle Initiate One Cycle Apprentice One Cycle Professional One Month Apprentice One Month Journeyman One Month Elite Two Months Adept Three Months Master Two Months Master Three Months Master Six Months Sage Three Months Grandmaster Six Months Archmage Twelve Months Authority Six Months In terms of training, you must fully complete your training skill in order to be able to use the skills taught within that thread. Meaning, you can swing your sword in a bandit attack if your still working on your basic longsword, but the moderator will not consider you having basic longsword until your basic long sword thread is complete and given a xGM stamp of approval. In the case of Arcana, you must completely learn the spell in thread and complete the training thread before you are allowed to use spells learned in training threads. If you use the spell, and have not completed the training level the spell was part of, you run the risk of having serious back-fires/death/maiming/GMs yelling at you. If your training thread is abandoned and never completed, YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SPELL. All Fluid time must be lined up appropriately, meaning you cannot use the spell at an earlier date than you learned it in fluid time. Procedure For Getting Started First, decide what you want to learn. Then check to see if it has a writeup in the compendium (lore button). If it does, you are good to go. If not, do some research and get your T's crossed and I's doted. Once thats done, find a peer moderator or decide to self moderate if you can't get myself to moderate the thread for you... aka if I'm too busy. Next, send me a PM letting me know your starting, and who's moderating. I will let you know its okay to get going on it, and then you can begin. Once you finish posting the thread, PM me back, I will look it over, and award your XP. There is no time length to posting. You can post all in one day (so long as it covers the right amount of FT for its level) or take an entire year. The game is played at your own pace. Feel free to pick that pace and decide for yourself whats right. Noting The Location of A Training Thread Please note, within your thread at the top near the timestamp or within the threads’ title, the location of your thread. For example: (Title of thread ) [The Wolfmoon Tavern] Looking For A New Song This title notes the scene is the crown and inn tavern (its also nice to cut and paste in a quote the description of the location if you aren’t using the main location’s thread) Indicates what’s going on in the thread (probably violence in this case) Or alternatively… (Title of thread) Looking For A New Song Then in the first posting of the thread you put the TS at the top. Then directly beneath that put [Location: Crown And Inn Tavern] Noting When A Training Thread Is A Training Thread Please note when a thread is a training thread by putting a box code on the right hand side of the thread at the very top listing what level and what skill or arcana is being attempted. Here's the code for it. [box=right] [b]Training[/b]: Level Skillname [/box] And here's your example beginning post with training thread notation listed at the top right. TS: Sometime in Optia, Summer, Era II, XIV (pf) It was a dark and stormy night, well suited for learning the ways of the forest and survival out in the elements... Signing Off On Threads Once your done with your training, send me a PM and I will look over your thread and approve it. Approval consists of a post at the end of your thread that looks something like this. I always use blue because I think it looks nifty. Apprentice Survival Approved! +2 XP Great Job! The Nomenclature There are three types of training: Arcana, Trade Skills and Weapons. Each rank or level in each of the three types has a different 'title'. Some of these titles overlap. Hence, its good to know about this chart for clearing up confusion. Rank Titles Level Arms Arcana Trade 1 Basic Initiate Apprentice 2 Professional Apprentice Journeyman 3 Elite Adept Master 4 Master Master Sage 5 Grandmaster Archmage Authority What do these levels mean? Its simple really. They are justifications of what a PC knows and what those skills can do for that PC and those he or she cares to use them on. Listed are practical explanations of each level: * Level 0: You know nothing, but can pick up the tools of the trade, be it weapon, needle or hammer, and try things without guidance. May or may not succeed in doing anything useful, depending on transferable concepts from other skills. * Level 1: Preparatory learning, the acquisition of essential and useful techniques and knowledge. A newly trained but inexperienced soldier, a student at the end of his university education. * Level 2: Competent, useful & money making. Workmanlike. The tavern/restaurant chef, the average soldier who has field experience, the coachman, the average arms master (who might have ancillary skills such as education, compared to the soldier.) A cocktail waitress, a teacher, a groom, a valet. An experienced apprentice or an average master blacksmith. * Level 3: An outstanding man in his field, a cut above the rest. The veteran and talented soldier, the successful and rich con-man, the horse trainer who might be called a horse whisperer, the Olympic athlete. * Level 4: Masterful and once in a lifetime, cutting edge of progress in the field, does everything seemingly effortlessly. What you see in the movies! * Level 5: Legendary, craft changing attitudes and innovations. The embodiment of that particular skill. Your basket weaving powers are unmatched, they make people pay you a fortune to own a piece, and people wear your special weaves as armor! Pathways and Limitations And finally, in order to cut down on those uber godly PCs with too many skills and players with too much time on their hands... Aelyria has rules in regards to how much training a single PC can have. Those rules are simple. A PC must pick a pathway and stick to it. Those You can follow one of the following skill pathways. Yes, one. Not all, not a combination of your own making. You can follow just ONE of the following below: (5/4),3/3/2(infinite); in this skill path, a very hard working person might maintain several career skills, and be at the peak of their game regarding their main skill, which will constantly oscillate between level 4 and level 5. This is known as a focused path, and is the basic template of maximum achievable levels. 4/4/3/3/2 (infinite); in this skill path, the character has spread his skills more evenly, and is not aiming so constantly high with his first skill. This is known as a broad path. (3/3), 3/3/3/2 (infinite); in this skill path, the character is very similar to the focused path, in that he has chosen to focus on arcana, but attends to two schools of arcana (hedgemagery), the combined might of which is the equivalent to a level 5 skill. This is known as the path of hedgemagery and is *only* applicable to arcana. In Conclusion I hope this helps everyone see how Zinn'Sunn is run within the contexts of the game rules. If you have further questions, don't hesitate to PM me or review the players handbook. Within the players handbook is a section called The Skills Primer. It's located here. I've used a lot of the charts from that writeup to add to this one to try and eliminate some of the confusion. Hopefully I've helped.