¶ Getting Started
Server Information can be seen here.
Getting started has the templates for your character ticket and consent form.
This is a quick start guide to help you get up and running on Maelstrom. It is not meant as an all-inclusive rules document, only to provide a quick reference overview for new players who may not be familiar with the way the server operates. You will need to read through the actual rules, which can be found on the Rules page for more detailed information. When joining our server, you are required to join our Discord, where you your Discord nickname must match your name in-game. Don’t worry about reading everything before you begin. It is okay to get started and work your way through the supplemental rules.
The first thing you should know is that this is an RP PVP server - there is PvP here, although it has rules that accompany it. There is RP that is story driven as well as conflict driven. If you are uncomfortable with conflict or PvP, this is probably not the server for you. Words and actions in character have consequences in character. If you are insulting or condescending, expect an in-game response to those actions. If you cannot PvP, play accordingly.
The second thing to remember is that this is an RP server first and foremost. RP is and should be the driving force for character stories and interactions. Players should remember that role playing is a collaborative undertaking, and ideally you should be working with others to further all stories, not just your own. If you are consistently pushing your own story on others and never allowing them to further their own, then you are not collaboratively role playing.
We are not whitelisted, so anyone can join. Having said that, should someone join and they appear to be a bad fit for our server, they will be asked to find another server. Anyone who rage quits or has a problem with the server rules and lore may be placed on a hold list - this means you are not banned from the server, but you MUST speak with the admin team before you are allowed to continue to play to ensure that you are a good match for the server and the population. You can consider this a sort of soft whitelist - but we don't implement it until you have given us reason to. As the server owner, I am tasked with making sure the server population is one that meshes well with one another, understands the environment of our server and player expectations. There is no perfect fit for everyone, and Maelstrom may not be the right fit for you. It is important for players to find a server that will bring them enjoyment, and if our server is not that, then you will not be happy here, and unhappy players make me sad. If you find yourself on this soft whitelist, you can DM me or another admin to set up the talk.
Mods that are in use are tweaked and customized to match our player power level and lore. We do not use every feature of every mod. If you are using multichar for your alt, you can only have one home set, which means your alts will not have access to the home command.
Character tickets are now being used for every character in Discord. All rolls and tracking that we used to use in discord will now go into your character ticket - which must be created before you leave the starting area. This ticket will remain open for the life of your character. Bugs, land claims, and general issues will still use standard tickets, but all archetype, spell casting, perks, leveling, PvP, research, thefts, and things that are tied to your character will need to be posted in your character ticket.
Role Colors
Names in game have colors based on different things.
- Red - admin
- Purple - staff (non-admin)
- Aqua - donors
- Lavender for land ownership (given to the clan leader for every 2 parcels owned)
- Yellow - Traveler
- White- normal - you have not gotten your stuff done to begin play if you are still this color
Once you are ready to join the server and create a character, type !traveler in discord to get the Traveler tag. This will open up the discord channels you will need to see to play on the server.
ALL players must be in our discord. If you leave discord your character will be deleted and your build removed.
ALL players must create a consent form using the template in the Discord channel #consent-form. Once an admin approves of this they will react to the posting. You will also need to copy the link from your consent form post and paste it into your character ticket (see below). You do this by right clicking on your consent form post, copy the message link, and then ctrl v in your character ticket. If there is an X to your consent form OR your bio (bio is not required) you have an issue and need to speak to an admin.
ALL players must create a character sheet in the #contact-an-admin channel in Discord. Navigate to the channel and open the ticket marked “Character Sheet.” You must use the template there, we will pin your sheet, and as you progress you must edit your sheet to reflect any changes. This is replacing archetype and magic casting tickets. Everything you do for your character throughout the life of your character will be done in this sheet, including casting spells, making saving throws, thefts, using perks, crafting, it is all now done in this sheet. You will fill in your name, your race, age, class, your RP lives (the default for this is 4/4). If you are a mystic, you will list any RP spells you purchase using essence after you reach level 100. You will also list your perks from levels 100 and 200, and your archetype application and perks will go in this ticket as well.
Character Creation
There are many aspects of character creation that include races, classes and professions. Please read through the racial information before you create your character. There are feature requirements that accompany certain races and the easiest way to make sure you understand the requirements is to read that page. There are open races, application races, and restricted races – be sure you know what is and is not allowed. Currently you cannot begin play as a risen, wight, star elf, half-giant, winged folk, magie, psykin, or versakin without first applying and being approved for those races. If you create an application or restricted character without being approved by an admin (receiving a DM telling you that you are approved) you will have to change your race to a playable race. There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this, if a race is an application race or a restricted race you CANNOT play it until you have been approved by an admin. Undead (risen and wight) are not a playable race from the start. They require you to be level 200 and have lost all of your role play lives. You will need to apply for this race and you must have a detailed story that explains why you are now coming back as an undead. If you are approved for goblin or star elf, you must speak to an admin before picking your race in the starting area.
Open Race - Anyone can play these races at any time without prior application or approval.
Application Race - Anyone can apply for this race, but must still be approved prior to beginning play.
All flying races are application races.
Restricted Race - You cannot apply for a restricted race until and unless you have been on the server for a full season and were active during the season immediately prior to your application.
Dragonborn, Half-Giant, Risen, and Wight are restricted races.
Maelstrom uses custom lore that pulls from Howard and other official Conan sources as well as our own lore. There are also deities available for RP purposes, however, only the base game deities offer any kind of mechanical benefit. The racial kits for your race are not something you can trade or give to others. Once you have designed your character, the extra racial items can be used for thralls, but you cannot trade them to other players.
You must have an RP appropriate name for your character. You cannot use pop-culture reference names or names that do not fit the era. If you create a character with a name that is not RP appropriate it will be changed by an admin and you will be instructed to change it.
Player clans cannot use city, event or admin position names for their own clans.
After you pick your race from the journal, you will speak to a thespian to register your race and get your racial items. If you are using scales do not apply them to yourself directly, slot them into your fashionist slot. If you apply them directly and die, you will lose them. There are a few custom races that are available on Maelstrom that are not directly part of the Professions mod.
Character backstories cannot include ties to gods, supernatural powers or abilities that are not part of our lore, or history that is not part of our lore. Character backstories also cannot tie directly to well known concrete Conan characters because their lore is established. If you want to write something into your backstory and are unsure if it fits with our lore, please open a ticket in discord and discuss it with the team.
Everyone gets 3 RP lives. There are different ways to lose RP lives, most often it is a wounds table roll, event, or carrying over a character from one season to the next, if an RP life is assigned for that carry over. Normal “deaths” are actually defeats as opposed to death. Your RP lives should be listed in your character ticket and if you lose an RP life you must post in the graveyard channel in discord that you lost an RP life and list how many you have remaining. The 3 RP life limit does not include the 1 resurrection or reincarnation you can get from the Synod.
If you do not follow the rules for your class, race, archetype, or other aspect of game play, you will forfeit gaining any benefit from doing it after the fact and you may receive a strike or lose access to certain things. One example of this is if you must make a willsave and you have not filled out your character sheet. You will have to roll a d20 with no level bonus and no attribute bonus and take that flat roll as well as any negative should you fail the roll. If you are an outlaw and you fail to roll stealth and/or disguise, an admin may make a flat d20 roll for one or both of those rolls and that is what you are stuck with for your roll. It is on the player to understand their own character and to do what is required of them.
Starting Steps
New Characters:
- You have been exiled for whatever reason as a native of Hyboria. You made your way into the Exiled Lands and found that the PCSA maintained an open gate to their new location and opted to go through.
- You are from the world Kindraire and you found your way to the island (this is open to your reasonable backstory and we are quite flexible on it, but if you come from Kindraire you do not have any knowledge of Hyboria or the Exiled Lands).
- Every character who begins play enters through a one-way gate maintained by Aurixithir in the Vale on the Enigma Isles to the unnamed landmass the Travelers are currently on. They all agree that this is a one-way trip, without the ability to return.
Continuing Characters:
Within the Ruined Halls of the Flameglass, Fendoru led a charge to retrieve the Fragment of Divinity, believed to be necessary for the defeat of Xor’Tolis. As the brave adventurers worked their way deeper into the halls, a sudden and brutal attack from behind caused the group to rethink their plans. The ensuing combat took its toll on the tunnels and weakened the once stable structure. Fendoru sent the group back, continuing on alone to try to locate the Fragment. As the Travelers fought their way back to the surface, they are violently sucked into a vortex, spinning and tossing them around like rag dolls. Almost as suddenly as they were taken, the group is spit out, the hissing and whistling from the vortex still ringing in their ears.
As they clear their vision and are able to take a look around at their new surroundings, there is a strange sense of familiarity.
If you played last season, you were sucked into a vortex and spit out along with the other Travelers in a strangely familiar place.
Immediately After Character Creation
You will spawn in the docks. The popup notification in game has a lot of information for you. Before you leave the starting area you must do the following:
- Speak to Hammond, who will boost you to 100
- Select a race and class from the journals.
- Speak to Alphonse, who will instruct you to pick your class and race if you haven't.
- Post your consent form in Discord.
- Post your character ticket in Discord.
- Type “Shift+R” and fill out your sheet once you have picked your class and race, being sure to choose the perks for your selected race and class combination.
- Type /kit to receive your race kit.
- Design your charactrer.
- Talk to the man leaning on the door for your token.
- Use your token to leave by walking into the door and selecting the warp location.
- Follow the path to Aurindale if you want to peruse the vendors and select your 6 backgrounds.
- Live your best Traveler life.
The PCSA:
- The PCSA runs the neutral zone in the Lost Vale. They have renamed the area The Vale. They are now a coalition of different races and groups that have come together to govern their little piece of Kindraire, picking up where the Synod left off after the merger. The Vale is the location all characters arrived at prior to coming to the current landmass.
- Here on the unknown landmass, the PCSA operates out of Aurindale, the under construction Hub.
Clan Requirement
You must create or join a clan within one hour of joining the server. You cannot belong to two clans at the same time. If you join one clan, you are a member of that clan. When you form a clan, you must pick your second for your clan if you have more than one member. If you are planning on playing as a solo character, you can create a clan in your character's name, but you MUST have a clan. The admin team needs to be able to locate your build on the heat map, jump into your clan if necessary, and cannot assist you with anything related to thefts, lost items, or building issues if you do not have a clan.
Clans are limited to 15 members.
Pulling Bracelet
Do not pull bracelets inside of the city. Nobody wants to see piles of bodies as they stroll through town. Go outside of the city if you must pull your bracelet. Although we understand the occasional need to pull bracelet, if we find you are regularly death taxiing around you will get a warning and then a strike.
Feats versus Recipes - a feat generally teaches you multiple skills or recipes. These can be found on your feats page. Recipes DO NOT show up as a feat. They will show up once you open the station they are tied to. If you get a recipe from a thespian or an NPC do not expect it to show in your feats page, you must look at the station in which it is crafted to see it.
Kits
We have a couple of kits available to players. When you create your character, you can type /kit for a list of them. There is a level boost that is offered through Bailey that will boost you to, or close to, level 60. It is recommended, but optional. There is also a kit for emotes that has unlimited uses and a kit for the Emberlight water bucket you will need to generate ranch water in the horticulture bench. There is also a potion to reset knowledges, please use this instead of the yellow lotus potion. The feat reset potion can be accessed once per week. Equipment and general things you may be looking for are available for purchase in the hub area.
The Economy
The main currency for the server is currently Maelstrom currency. The nomad tables from Professions, use the standard Conan currency, and the Crowns from Thrall Wars are only usable as a turn in for Maelstrom currency (this is restricted by backgrounds).
Maelstrom has an active economy system that gives players something to continue to work towards even after reaching their max level. There is information about trickle economy, land owner income and merchants available in the economy tab. There are multiple ways to earn money, including quests, events, and selling items in the player marketplace. You will begin play with a small amount of money, but you can also run some starting quests in the hub, and you gain a daily stipend, which is collectible in the hub as well.
Clans may purchase a market merchant from an admin for 5 gold and set it up in the marketplace. You can get to the merchant area by using the caravan master. You can also access in game message boards at the marketplace.
Initial Settlement
Maelstrom uses a custom parcel based style settlement mechanic. Parcel claims and requirements are on the territories page.
Restricted or Banned Items
- Queen Julia’s Lovetap and truncheons are not allowed for PvP.
- Clans are restricted to having 5 tick items active at once. You can have more placed, just make sure you only have 5 turned on at once.
Item Lost to Bugs
If you use the Pippi or another mod's resize option, there is the chance that it will resize when the server restarts, or you may lose stability and lose it or anything in it. If you do this, we cannot replace those items that are not included in the event log as being lost.
We are unable to reimburse for items lost due to bugs without screenshots of the event log to prove the items were lost, and in some instances, those items will also not be reimbursed. The use of a private chest, a person chest, or a secure locked chest is not recommended, as they are known to be buggy and lose stability, which can result in players losing all items inside and, for that particular item, we cannot see the items that were inside when it is lost. If you choose to use these chests and lose items we will be unable to reimburse you for those items.
You should not take pets or followers to the volcano or any other dangerous area for ANY reason. This includes flying over it if you have the ability to fly. They often die even if you are not near lava. Any pet or follower lost in the volcano will not be reimbursed.
If you lose followers or pets to PvP, PvE, or boss fights, they will not be reimbursed. You risk losing them when you take them anywhere with you, so be mindful of that risk and be prepared to lose them if you take them to fight with you.
It is very common for players to hit the space bar by accident and drop the first item in their inventory slot. Please be mindful of items dropped and lost this way. We will not replace items lost like that unless it is a racial item.
There are many things that you, as a player, can equip as an attachable item. Many of those items will not work with thralls, and if they do, you may be unable to remove it. DO NOT use attachables on your thralls unless you are okay never seeing that item again. Attachables placed on thralls will not be replaced by admins.
There is a known bug that causes shrines to disappear after being upgraded, because this is a known bug, please contact an admin if it happens and we will replace your shrine.
Additional rules for the above topics can be found below:
Building rules can be seen here.
Character rules can be seen here.
Professions information can be seen here.
Income information can be viewed here.
Land Purchase information can be seen here.
PvP information can be seen here.
Raiding information can be seen here.
Warfare information can be seen here.
ADMIN TEAM AND STAFF
Our current admin team includes admins Keket, Bain, Chuda Ruri, Dan, Keyce, Tsopai, Slug, Unlucky Money, Alvrok, Valk, Jace, Kelt, Doombull, and Nim. Ras and Ramen are part of our staff. Matt, Riit, and Narumi are part of our testing team. The admin team all have different functions and duties. Any assistance you require can be obtained by visiting our contact an admin channel and opening a ticket. Issues that are quick fixes, such as an errant foundation placement can be handled by players whispering an admin in game. For other issues, admins should not be contacted directly by players unless the admin has instructed the player to do so. This makes sure we have an accurate record of the issue, and all admins are aware of what is happening on the server.
Special thanks to our modders - Chuda, Equinox, Sibercat, Bain, and Tiktaliik for their amazing work, and love to Josh for the Pippi assists and Sibercat for supplying us with so many of the things we need to make our server unique and interesting! Additional shout-outs to our wonderful artists, Kelt, Slug, Tuka, and Tiktaliik for their contributions to what makes us special.
HAVE FUN!