Server Update Record Archives 3-51-04 to 2-12-06

[FunkySwerve]

These are archived server updates from the Update Boards. I removed the update information from updates before this year, since load times were getting too long again. Bear in mind that the older updates are oooold, and may contain outdated info. One from a year an a half ago states that work on the server would stop in 'one or two more updates' so that work on HG2 could begin, for instance.
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UPDATE 2-12
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-Added 'invisible' helms! You can now gain the benefits of the helm while displaing your character's face. Simply equip the helm you want to use, then unequip it. The benefits will remain until you no longer have the helm, or you equip a different helm. The helm is still vulnerable to loss on respawn.
-Added transfer account to bank, for gold transfers between characters.
-Fixed moving Area of Effect spells, includng Circle of Protection from Alignment, Dirge, Invisibility Sphere, Battletide, and Silence. Thanks to s0n0va for the fix!
-Fixed holy symbol alignment restrictions. They are no longer UMDable, as was intended.

UPDATE 2-06
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-Added an 'other server' player listing function to the PC Scrye.
-Fixed universal dye kit. It replaces the dyes sold in the alchemist.
-Bugfixes and lag reduction.

UPDATE 2-04
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-Added 16 more Epic Spells for Clerics and Druids! Details in books in the Item Shop.
-Fixed annoying stop action issue from last update.
-Put a check om unlimited ammo containers to prevent use if the character lacks the needed weapon feat.
-Debugged Ice Orc Cave convo.
-Other bugfixes. Thanks to s0n0va for a fix to the spell immunity bug!

UPDATE 1-28
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-Added the Wandering Wyrm Adventurer's Guild. Removed the mass seller from the armor shop since the Guild has one in each secure room. It also features an automatic item identifier.
-Added Guild Seekers and Guild Legends.
-Changed the % drop chance of random loot on commons (from 65 to 55), uncommons (from 25 to 30), and rares (from 10 to 15).
-Fixed the Transmute Barrier spell.
-Fixed the false positive on the 2da cheat checker.
-Added antiexploits.

UPDATE 1-23
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-Added new infinite ammo containers to random loot!
-Added a automatic hit point maximizer script. Whenever you logout, if you have gained one or more levels, the system automatically maximizes your hitpoint rolls. No more rerolling, just ding and play!
-Fixed the issue causing erroreous racial edit relog messages.
-Fixed the problem with people getting stranded in the pocket dimension when someone left or joined their party.
-Added a 2da cheat blocker script.
-Added Dustbone to the encounter status lister.
-Added a bunch of weapons in Rip's.
-The keen spell now affects bludgeoning and piercing weapons as well, if the caster has Greater Spell Focus Transmutation.

UPDATE 1-18
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-Made some adjustments to the desert areas, including an area addition, some new and changed loot, some changes to the monsters, and a few other tweaks.

UPDATE 1-12
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-Greater Magic Weapon enhancement now increases by a total of 1 for each focus in enchantment
-Removed the investment banker since he was causing crashes.
-Added portals to the other server in town.
-Added a ring of levitation somewhere in the module. You must be level 15 or below to get it. For a short time they will be available in town with no level restriction. Also added a hint about its location in the Militia.
-Added the Desert of Vashyk, another post-immortal area to frolic in!
-That desert is filled with quicksand-like ash and cinder that quickly pull most non-natives under the surface and suffocate them. A few races, however, are of a low-enough density-to-surface-area ratio to walk on these sands without assistance. They are: thri-keen, pixies, driders, and averials. Shifters are able to adjust their forms to avoid sinking, as well. All others should seek out some other means of staying above ground...

UPDATE 12-29
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-Subraces now function correctly in the trainer area.
-Changed terrifying range to create panic in creatures up to 2x the barbarian's level and penalties in creatures up to 3x the barbarian's level, instead of 1x and 2x respectively.
-Increased random loot drop chance on all containers by 10%, except in level 36-40 areas.

UPDATE 12-28
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-Players can now test builds using a leveler cut off from the rest of the server. Simply put "[TEST]" anywhere in the character's name (including the brackets, but not the quotation marks), and they will automatically be ported to the Hall of Training, which offers leveling, alignment change, and deletion once the testing is done. There are currently no monsters to fight, and no gear, it is purely for testing builds.
-Dead characters on the Voyage will now automatically be rezzed and sent on their way.
-Pecker the Present Penguin has now departed, but may reappear...

UPDATE 12-27
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-The arctic areas are here! Talk to the northern trader in the Docks! Levels 1-5, 6-10, 11-15.
-A penguin has been spotted in town, bearing a packful of presents. One present per player per reset, so make sure to talk to him with your highest level character!

UPDATE 12-25
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-Added random loot! 1275 new items to gear up with, including Commons, Uncommons, Rares, and Ultrarares! Most objects in the game now offer a chance to spawn a random piece of loot, of a level appropriate to the area they are found in, in addition to whatever normal loot they already had. None of the items have descriptions yet, only names, so feel free to post suggestions on the forums for descriptions of any random loot you take a liking to.
-Removed Fox Ridge Cave and Lair of Alokair, moved the Web there instead.
-Removed the Monk AC feat gain for level 11 shifters since it was not having the intended effect.

UPDATE 12-18
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-Changed Bracers of Greater Resilience to Gauntlets.
-Shifters now gain the Monk AC feat automatically on their 11th shifter level. This means they will get their WIS bonus added to their ac, like monks.
-Fixed Biobugs in Deafening Clang (no longer adds attack bonus to enhance bonus weapons), Greater Magic Weapon, Flame Weapon, Magic Vestment, and Blackstaff. Please let a DM know if you notice any irregularities in the functioning of these spells.
-Other bug and exploit fixes.

UPDATE 12-03
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-Added Guild Knowledge.
-Added an item counter to the PC Scrye, to help avoid Encumbria.
-Fixed typos on the Air Genasi subrace.
-Monk Empty Body ability now grants 1% extra conceal for every level over 20. (still need to change documentation)
-Fixed level display bug with PC Scrye.
-Exploit fixes.

UPDATE 11-27
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-Made some changes to shifter and druid abilities while shifted to allow them to benefit more from legendary levels. See the Class Info board in the docks for details.
-Fixed a bug that caused the server to crash when someone was sitting in the Immortal Throne when the Crown was broken.

UPDATE 11-26
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-Fixed a bug causing loss of 255 hp when gaining large amounts of hp from legendary levels.
-Sphinx now speaks once every three hours instead of once per reset.
-Upped damage from Crown breaking to 2000.
-Timestop is no longer halted by the presence of a PC in dragonform.
-PC Scrye now shows the correct total level including any legendary levels.
-The Leadfoot and Slag are no longer useable by characters with a total dexterity over 30.
-Fixed those annoying ai TMI errors (I hope).
-Altered the antiexploit that sometimes prevented simultaneous equipping of weapons and/or shield, in part because it sometimes allowed gear requiring tags to be equipped without those tags.
-Other bugfixes.

UPDATE 11-11
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-Legendary Levels are here! Your character may now advance as far as level 60! See the book in the item shop for details! PLEASE NOTE: ACCESS TO THE LEVELER WILL LIKELY BE IN HIGH DEMAND OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. YOU CANNOT PORT IN WHEN SOMEONE IS USING THE LEVELER. AS SOON AS THEY LOGOFF TO LET THE CHANGES TAKE EFFECT, YOU MAY ENTER THE LEVELER. WHEN THEY LOG BACK IN, THEY WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY PORTED OUT TO THE DOCKS IF YOU ARE STILL THERE. PLEASE EXERCISE COURTESY WHILE WAITING YOUR TURN TO USE THE LEVELER.
-Fixed bug preventing character deletion.
-Fixed Legendary Warlod Helm.
-Modified Drider subrace to account for it's large size. took one point away from con and made fire vuln 50%.

UPDATE 10-26
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-Updated Zhentarim Outpost with bosses and new loot.
-Shifted characters are no longer saved when they rest. This is to allow them to rest in shifted form.
-Added a conversation option to go from good to evil in town.
-Randomized the location of the Glasdir. It now respawns every three hours, and is monitored by the PC Scrye.
-Added a party loot roll option to the Emote Wand.
-Added a character tag checker option to the PC Scrye, so you'll know if you've killed Xulrae, Lolth, etc.
-Fixed Defensive Weave.
-Fixed bank vault doors.
-Fixed a few more faction issues.
-Made a few clarifications to the blackguard and assassin books in the Item Shop.
-Bugfixes.

UPDATE 10-21
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-Put in 12 new arctic areas for alpha playtest.
-Fixed some more problems with monsters attacking each other.
-Removed respawn from MoaD, Lolth, the Immortal, and Dachy, since the timers are Biobugged and people were camping them.
-Fixed infinite attack exploit.
-Liches no longer drown.
-Another bugfix attempt on freedom of movement.
-Blackguards, Paladins, and CoTs now gain the Greater Smite ability at level 20. See the Book in the Item Shop for Details.
-Strength-based Assassins may now gain the Devastating Critical feat, and dexterity-based Assassins can 'hone' their weapons. See the Class Info Board in the Docks.
-Assassins are now able to put damaging poison on their blades starting at level 11. See book in Item Shop for details.
-Assassin's Improved Invisibility now scales up to 65% conceal.
-Paladin secret added.
-Paladin secret hint and subraces hint added to Borian's conversation options.
-Blackguard, Cleric, and Paladin: Divine Might duration now doubles at level 21.
-Blackguard, Cleric, and Paladin: Divine Shield duration now doubles at level 21. A divine damage shield is also added to the effect at level 21, inflicting damage equal to the character's CHA bonus + 1d6 on anyone swinging at the character in melee combat.
-At Blackguard level 20 and up, the effect of their Bull's Strength spell is increased exactly as it is for sorcerors and wizards.
-At Blackguard level 11 and up, Blackguards are able to imbue their weapons with Death's Kiss. See book in Item Shop for details.
-At Blackguard level 11 and up, Blackguards are able to Bestow Curse. See book in Item Shop for details.
-CoT's Divine Wrath duration now doubles at level 21, and damage reduction scales up to 30/+10. See book in Item Shop for details.
-Harper Scouts can now make Death Ward potions at character level 20, Shadow Shield potions at level 30, and Greater Restoration potions at level 40. See book in Item Shop for details.
-Dwarven Defenders can now use Defensive Weave at DD level 11 and up. See book in Item Shop for details.
-Shifter and Druid shape abilities upgraded. See book in Item Shop for details.
-8 new subraces added! You can now play a Kurai, Shadow Elf, Drey, Daywalker, Drider, Half-Satyr, Nymphkin, or Nereidkin.

UPDATE 10-13
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-Added persistant transfer chests to the bank. Updated the signs explaining their use.
-Added a quest respawn status checker option to the PC Scrye.
-Set some previously nonrespawning encounters to respawn, to compensate for the decreased need to reset the server. MoaD now respawns every 3 hours. Lolth, the Immortal, and Dachy respawn every 4 hours.
-Fixed Aquatic Elves, they no longer drown.
-Fixed some strangeness caused by the lag reduction fix. Please let a dm know if you see monsters fighting each other.
-Fixed the arcane seal in the Gnoll Quarters.
-Removed spells from ensnared balor and reduced its duration to 2 minutes.
-The Ring of the Planar Traveler is now usable ONLY in other planes or magically shielded areas (exploit fix).
-Red Dragon Disciples can no longer delevel. This is to prevent an exploit caused by a Bioware bug.
-Fixed an exploit invloving waiting to log out for subrace mods until after leveling.
-Other exploit fixes.
-Other bugfixes.

UPDATE 10-08
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-Major Lag reduction. I want to thank hiryuu from Fragism for suggesting the method, as it will result in a major reduction in combat-caused lag with NO loss of AI.
-Fixed a problem with the persistant storage system that was causing occasional loss of player vaults. The system should be 100% secure now.
-Bugfixes.

UPDATE 10-06
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-Upgraded Dachy's toughness, downgraded his hp.
-Upgraded dragon breath weapons on Dachy, Moad, Deadpool, Prissy, and Wastal.
-If you logout and login while dead as an immortal, you now will NOT get up, and may respawn if not rezzed (antiexploit).
-Shifters and shifted druids now can use their powers to give their forms the ability to breath water (meaning you will not drown while shifted). Water breathing magic is still needed when not shifted.
-Bugfixes from the last update, along with assorted typo corrections.

UPDATE 10-03
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-The Ssithraks are here! Nine new areas to give your nightmares mightmares. Look underwater...
-Added 10 new subraces, including 4 secret subraces, and updated the docks sign. Subraces include: Thri-Kreen, Lizardfolk, Troll, Badlander Halfling, Minotaur, Illithid, Hobbit, Spider Gnome, Tinker Gnome, and Rakshasa.
-Added 8 New Epic spells, one for each school. Details in a book in the item shop.
-Added a set of books able to grant Epic Spell Focus in a school. You can only use one of the 8, ever.
-Added a use for Appraise. It's only at VERY high levels, but the difference is substantial, and the money will soon have a purpose - a very expensive purpose!
-Redid secret subrace names to eliminate cumbersome and unsightly codes, renamed halfling subraces so they would fit subrace field.
-Redid subrace movements speeds to make them stackable with haste, monk speed, etc.
-Added slow movement speed to Half-Ogres to offset their large size weapon use.
-Deep Halfling - added +1 CON and SR 5 + 1/lvl.
-Tallfellow Halfling; added +1 STR and movement speed fast.
-Added new epic summons for rangers, in lieu of placing creatures in each area for them to empathize. You will need to be a 20th level or higher ranger, and get an item by praying at the great tree in the druid circle. The item summons creatures of increased power at levels 25, 30, and 35.
-Poison Use restricted to Blackguards and Assassins.
-Changed Death Arrow DC to (AA level + 15).
-Fixed Rothe Tusk Horn again - and tested it.
-Entry to Farm now only takes one piece of corn even if they are stacked.
-Fixed unique items script to check equipped items as well.
-Added a minor artifact to the game.
-Fixed a non-trivial error with the character deletion script that could in rare circumstances cause deletion of the wrong character.
-Made alterations to the following spells: creeping doom (downgraded after 'cloud' effect fixed), meteor storm (to 10d6 per lvl for 25+, no longer pc only), premonition, etherial visage, energy buffer (no longer PC only). See spell books in item shop for details.
-Lag reduction.
-Other tweaks and bugfixes.


UPDATE 9-14
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-Fixed moving area-of-effect spells so that they now correctly travel with the creator. Spells affected: Magic Circle Against Alignment, Invisibility Sphere, Silence, Dirge, and Battletide.
-Fixed persistant area-of-effect spells so that they do damage every round. This is Part 1 of a 2 part fix, since the spells need to be rebalanced, and a few potential bugs addressed. Changes to the spells will not be listed in the item store books until Part 2 of the fix. Spells affected include: Acid Fog, Blade Barrier, Cloud of Bewilderment, Cloudkill, Creeping Doom, Evard's Black Tentacles, Glyph of Warding, Grease, Incindiary Cloud, Spike Growth, Stinking Cloud, Stonehold, Storm of Vengeance, Vine Mine (Hamper Movement), Wall of Fire, Web.
-Shortened name of Half-Dryad to "Half-Elf - Dryadkin" so it would fit subrace field.
-Made a pedestal to automatically give out custom pets to their owners, on the hill in the nothwest part of the Docks.
-Fixed a few bugs caused by stripping heartbeats from the mod (undead generators, mat'lis'sk lazers, etc).
-Fixed Rothe Tusk Horn.
-Other bugfixes.

UPDATE 9-02
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-Another round of lag reduction.
-Fixed a bug with Half-Dragon (Red) wings not appearing.
-Removed skill penalties from halfling subraces to avoid another bug.
-Other bugfixes.

UPDATE 8-30
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-Changed early login count to 1 minute instead of 90 seconds.
-Added items to streamline guild contests.
-Added Guild Justice.
-Bugfixes.

UPDATE 8-27
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-Stuck persistant chests now fix themselves when all characters leave the area. Updated vault signs with pertinent information.
-Updated server rule markers, new rule on character names added.
-Module should now restart automatically after a crash, even with no DM present. DM reset wands should now function again as well.
-Removed and altered a few items from the Temple of Lathander store.
-Abyss increased in difficulty.
-Most bosses made immune to implosion, and spell area reduced back to regular size, due to changes made to it by 1.66.
-Made changes and additions to the loot of ALL the eternal dragons. New gear on every dragon (except Dachy), as well as changed gear. Some of the gear was added with the intent of giving non-dexer builds some much-needed pre-abyss ac help.
-Finished debugging over 400 scripts to streamline and eliminate seemingly random script failures.
-Redid the server script cache. Between this and the debugging there should be a significant reduction in lag.
-Fixed secret Waith subrace so that ALL races may use as per the sign.

UPDATE 8-25
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-Old ints restored! Ints gained since the server switch were unavoidably lost. Contact DM Ubernoober to get them replaced.
-Updated banking system for compatibility with new server. Crafted/dyed items stored now lose all custom changes.
-Secret subraces now tracked by playername. See subrace board. Contact DM Ubernoober to get tagged with any you have already found.
-You must have killed the Immortal to enter the Maze, Lolth to enter the Abyss, and Xulrae to enter the house district and its buildings. Now only the Wardstone unlocks the back gate to Mana.
-Installed a booter to stop logins within 90 seconds of server startup Early logins now tracked, with possible consequences for frequent early loggers.
-New area & secrets added.
-Fixed an exploit with Human Sacrifices. Only new, Annointed Human Sacrifices work now.
-Made Harper Secret one per character.
-Updated subrace board to remove typos, added previously ommitted subrace Grimlock to sign.

UPDATE 8-11
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-Moved back to our professional host!
-Fixed loot drop on Dachy. He now drops either 4 or 5 items plus blood and matrix.
-Added 36 subraces! Included are 13 secret subraces, the codes to which you must find ingame.
-More lag reduction.
-NOTE: Our database system is offline until the host integrates our db with his main server's. Things like immortal status, lolth kill status, and so on will be temporarily disabled, and the bank will be closed temporarily as well. We apologize for the inconvience, please enjoy the new subraces in the meantime.

UPDATE 8-05
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-We are almost ready to move to our new, permanent host. The ip will be: nwn1.dungeonserver.com:5143
-Removed most drow security orbs and put in place other less intrusive measures to discourage despawn exploits.
-Fixed Farm areas spawns and experience, back to where they were.
-Fixed subraces not getting their special abilities reapplied after death (I hope).
-Fixed a few faction problems causing NPCs to attack PCs inappropriately.
-Fixed gold loss on death to be the same whether you choose to respawn or are forced, 15% of your total gold, capped at 10M gold.
-More lag Reduction.
-Other bugfixes and tweaking.

UPDATE 7-27
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-Debugged Solis Altar.
-Debugged Tomb of Shadows Door.
-Debugged Deadpool Entrance.
-Debugged Crown Sanctum.
-Debugged Mat'lis'sk Door.
-Added the new and improved Autocaster! Works for all caster classes, all buff spells! Persists across resets! Grab it in the Item Shop!
-Upgraded to CEP 1.52!


UPDATE 7-25
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-Added new website, www.ph1zb4n.f2s.com, and forums. Old forums will still be used for most purposes, but new forums are able to host downloads. Portait Pack coming soon!
-Modified 25 more spells. A list of the spells and changes is available on the web forums, and they are
also included in the books of spell changes in the item shop.
-Put a Mass Seller in the Armor Shop. When it is closed, items in it are converted to gold and the gold is
automatically shared between all members of the person's party. It uses the same sell rate as the store.
-Removed AC bonuses from the abilities listed on the subrace board, since 1.66 stops them from working.
-Major lag reduction. Removed 147 heartbeat scripts and made a few other changes to streamline the mod.
-Removed immunities to mind, death, and sneak attack from a host of monsters, and adjusted the saving throw
of every custom monster in the module. Most are now disarmable as well.

UPDATE 7-12
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-Fixed Character deletion poison.
-Fixed Subraces losing immunities etc. on death.
-Changed subrace names to prevent difficulties with old characters with subrace names matching the old system's names.
-Restored Characters from yesterday's backup - last night's progress was lost, except for items stored in the bank vault. We apologize for the inconvenience, but there were too many problems caused by errors in the subrace system.

UPDATE 7-11
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-Added subraces. See the subraces sign in the Docks.
-Added character self deletion. Talk to the Rowan Guardian.
-Added 7 new areas for post-immortal characters.
-Palemaster is a brand new class. Check out the class info sign in the docks and the book in the item shop.
-Upgraded Mummy Dust summon. Like the other summons, you must find a gem first
-Clerics and Paladins can now get the Mass Ressurection ability. See the class info sign in the docks.
-Bards can now get an improved lich lyrics item. See the class info sign in the docks.
-Upgraded the following spells: horrid wilting, energy drain, evervation drains, ghoul touch, negative energy ray, ray of enfeeblement. See the books in the item shop for details.
-Updated Hall of Kings.
-Updated Guild Combat Area.
-Many other bug and exploit fixes.

UPDATE 6-23
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-We now offer player housing, with personal storage vault! Contact DM Sentinel. Prices start at 100M.
-Characters are also now saved onrest.
-Added new database system! This will make the server faster, and will let us do cool stuff like subraces! You will need to transfer data like immortal status for each of your characters. You do this by having each of your characters use the data transfer device in the Docks.
-You will also have to transfer your gold and items from the old bank teller and vault to the new bank teller and vaults. You will have a month to make the changeover before the old database is deleted for good. No characters will be deleted, but infomation like immortal status and vaulted items will be lost unless you taKe the steps described above. All the new vaults access the same item vault for your character.
-Fixed custom trap makers.
-Added wisdom rings and non-monk robes to shops.
-Added Guild Badlanders.


UPDATE 6-09
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-Added a new guild combat area!

UPDATE 6-08
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-Added 14 new trapkits, including the new 'devastating' category of trap.
-Added a thieves' guild, where some of those traps are available for purchase, if you are able to find it.
-More betatesting.

UPDATE 6-01
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-Changed Find Traps spell to set traps as detected if over the disarm dc of 30.
-Added Guild Combat Pedestals to the Guilds.
-Changed Wall of Fire to cast the regular version below level 20, and to destroy the old stone wall when casting a new, allowing it to be 'moved' (for levels above 20).
-Added a powerful new secret for Harper Scouts. You must have at least 5 levels of Harper Scout and 35 levels total to find it.
-Raised the cost of learning secrets to 100M.
-Betatesting new trap kits for thieves, including a new 'devastating' category of trap.

[FunkySwerve]

UPDATE 5-29
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-Nerfed elemental summons at lower levels a bit
-Reduced etherial visage conceal by 10%
-Enhanced monk wholeness of body ability
-Fixed unequipping of certain items on log in
-Changed the wall of fire spell to the hopefully much more useful 'wall of stone', details available in the spellbooks in the item shop.
-Fixed barbarian shapestrong rage by splitting it into two different abilities, details on class info sign in the docks. If you already have this ability, ask a dm for a new item you'll need.
-Betatesting new guild warfare item.

UPDATE 5-22
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-Fixed barbarian shapestrong rage. See class info sign in docks.
-Added a special item for paladins with at least 20 paladin levels and 30 total levels.
-Imbue arrow now does 1d6 per level of Arcane Archer, minimum 10d6.
-Hail of Arrows and Seeker Arrow now do extra damage at higher levels. See book in item shop for details.
-Scaled Death Arrow dc up to 40. See book in item shop for details.
-Added a new area.

UPDATE 5-19
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-Fixed bardsong damage bonus bug.
-Added Guild Ahala.
-Messageboards now give the option to display local messages. Each Guild now has a messageboard.
-Bank vault duping fixed. Don't put items on the floor in the bank!
-More lag reduction. Custom items should now fire more promptly, as well.
-Other bugfixes and spelling corrections.

UPDATE 5-14
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-A bunch of bug fixes.
-Another major round of lag reduction.
-Next few updates will cover needed changes to prepare for the upgrade to version 1.66 when Bioware releases it, as well as more lag reduction.
-Coming soon: yet another new dragon, more new areas, and more upgrades to class abilities. Later in the summer will come areas designed for immortal characters.

UPDATE 5-11
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-Added the ring of water breathing, and 5 new areas only accessible with it. You must be level 10 or below to find it.
-The Ascension Militia has finally finished construction. Captain Borian is offering quests and information.
-Shadowdancers rejoice! Shadow Evade has been heavily modified, and SDs can now get an epic summon. See the class info sign in the docks and the book in the item shop.
-Ranger secret put in.
-Stores now give 33% more money for items sold to them.
-Epic summons can no longer be dispelled.
-2 new guilds added. One of them is non-PvP, and doesn't display guild status in pc scrye.
-Other bug fixes and lag reduction.



UPDATE 4-26
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-Barbarians can now become shapestrong! See the Class and Equipment Information sign in the Docks for details.

UPDATE 4-25
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-More lag reduction.
-Adjustments made to drow for game balance - be careful!
-Fixed item banking limit, set at 50 (as it was supposed to be).
-Fixed pendant of revival.
-Minor bugfixes.

UPDATE 4-17
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-Fixed drow weapons dissappearing on relog/crash.
-Altered drow to reduce lag. They are being now being re-playtested for difficulty.
-New areas added!
-Cost of forming a guild reduced to 200M gold.
-DMs can now grant the ability to use Lolth gear to those who formerly had it. If you have killed Lolth and are unable to use Lolth gear, ask a DM to fix it for you.


UPDATE 4-5
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-Adjusted monster ais to reduce lag. Please let the dms know if any monsters are behaving any differently!

UPDATE 4-3
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-The drow have completed installation of their new security system. Tread with caution!
-Lolth no longer manifests in the Temple of Lolth, choosing instead to send a minion (with different loot!).
-The Strange Tower Dungeon 2. Abandoned farm, and Abandoned Temple were modified in an effort to reduce lag. Some encounters were removed to prevent lag spikes caused by mass spawning. Two new areas were added, spreading out the encounters in the farm and the temple. Enjoy!
-Other fixes.


UPDATE 4-1
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-The drow are experimenting with a new security system in the Temple of Lolth, and the encounter in Temple of Lolth was changed (as was the loot).
-Lolth's loot now requires that you have slain Lolth in order to use it. If you HAVE slain Lolth already, you will have to again to be able to use the gear. Sorry for the inconvenience.
-Guild Wraithguard added.
-Other bug fixes and exploit prevention.
-Coming next update: more lag reduction, secrets, and finally new areas!

UPDATE 3-31
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-Guild System now fully operational
-Guild Casycal added
-Guild Wraithgaurd under construction
-Minor bug fixes

UPDATE 3-26
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-created a rules system for guilds, in books in the Item Shop
-updated server rules to clarify them
-put in a demo guild for viewing
-fixed firebrand and ball lightning
-darkfire, flame weapon, greater magic weapon, and magic vestment now can't be cast on players more than 6 levels below the caster's level, and disappear when the items are transferred; still works normally on summons
-flame weapon and darkfire uncapped to 1 pt damage/lvl +1d6, up to 20 +1d6 at lvl 40

UPDATE 3-18
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-Lag reduction
-Drow weapons should no londer dust on client entry if equipped

UPDATE 3-15
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-Enhanced bard song and curse song, details in a book in the item shop.
-Made a bunch of creatures, mostly bosses, immune to petrification.
-Fixed the persistent banking system, set max items stored to 50 to prevent accidental overflows.
-Added bard secret, requires 25 levels of bard and 35 levels overall to find.
-Modified Summon 9, 8, and 7 spells, detals in spell books in the item shop.
-Another major lag reduction effort - began setting npcs to despawn.
-Made the epic dragon summons available to all classes able to get the epic dragon knight feat.
-Added the new epic blackguard summons. Details on class info sign in the docks.
-Added new epic summons for druids. Details on sign in the docks.
-Fixed stacking of freedom of movement spell caused by druids and shifters shifting forms.
-Other fixes.

UPDATE 3-12
===========
-Betatesting 18 new summons.
-Added 3 secrets: sorceror, wizard, and general. The sorceror and wizard secrets require 25 levels of the class, and all three require level 35 to find.
-Save pens set to 3 uses per day. You may get the new one by discarding your old one and reentering town.
-Harm potion added to items shop.
-Death gems no longer appear on immortals.
-Freedom of movement movement increase no longer stacks with itself incorrectly.
-Fixed issues with ressurection not working occasionally.
-Fixed issue where GS wuld not allow recast, saying timer was not up.
-Fixed mariliths so they no longer crash the server when striking someone with an elemental shield.
-Fixed problems with 2 wizards in the same party summoning epic dragons.
-Hell and Encumbria made not portable.
-Removed helm of the stranger, kumakawa, and golden amulet from game.
-Signet rings placeable fixed so It will remove old rigs and give new.
-Put in trash barrels in docks and town.
-Nerfed nest guards.
-Fixed a number of exploits.
-Lag reduction measures.

UPDATE 3-02
===========
-Finished the first round of changes to all remaining spells. There are now six books in the item shop, one for each main caster class.
-Limited the number of items that may be carried per character to 150 instead of 200, in an attempt to reduce lag.
-Switched save pens and Rowan Tree saves to export only the user's character instead of all characters, to circumvent problems experienced by shifters.
-Removed respawn in the Hall of the Hell Forge. Running through this area tends to crash the server, so if you are caught doing so, you may be killed/deleveled/sent to hell without warning.
-Other fixes.

UPDATE 2-27
===========
-Upgraded cleric spells! Details in a new book in the item shop.
-Removed Rune of the Ancients so that only clerics can cast heal on undead.
-Changed a few sorc/wiz spells, details in book in item shop.
-Debugged Temple of Lolth door.
-Fixed faction issues with spider statues.
-Made Temple of Lolth and Arcane Academy portable.

UPDATE 2-24
===========
-Big 3 dragon difficulty upgraded.
-Trojen and Smoothhands shields nerfed a bit.
-Timer put back on Greater Sanctuary with a 2 1/2 minute block.
-Corrected some problems from previous update.

UPDATE 2-23
===========
-Changed a host of Sorceror and Wizard spells - detailed in the Item Shop book.
-Added loot to MOAD!
-Modified Drider Caves extensively - recommended levels 32-37.
-Pocket Dimension Ring put ingame.
-Modified Epic Dragon Summon now ingame - you must be level 35, have the feat, and find the item for it to work.
-Changed the endless quivers one last time. For the Arcane Archer-only quivers, anyone with one level of AA or more and a high-enough level character may now use them. Older quiver descriptions will not reflect this change, but they will work this way.
-Timer removed from Greater Sanctuary.
-Cursed items now function correctly.
-Other fixes.


UPDATE 2-19
===========
-204 weapons added to finely crafted imports to fill gaps in damage types for each type of weapon. As always, the best weapons still need to be found, not bought.
-Modified Premonition, Hellball, and Greater Ruin. Details of changes made to spells are now to be found in a book in the Item Shop.
-Teleportation items now function again in the drow.
-Modified Abandoned Temple 2 to increase the challenge.
-Nerfed Drow a bit more with respect to casters, and removed the crits from the Khur reapers. Ouch!
-The Aspect of Lolth and the Immortal now have loot again! Let the Abyss runs commence!
-Began beta testing of new Epic Summons.
-Other fixes.

UPDATE 2-14
===========
-Shifters now absorb items differently while shifted, giving them a much needed bump! Check the new 'Class and Equipment Alterations' Board in the Docks for details.
-The new quivers now function only for arcane archers, and the arrows they create are nondroppable and nontransferable. New quivers found will reflect this in their descriptions; ask a DM if you want to exchange your old quiver for a new - they only differ in their description.
-Reduced the size of the script cache in an effort to improve performance.
-Removed more onheartbeat scripts to reduce lag.
-Other minor fixes.

UPDATE 2-11
===========
-Completed the first round of nerfing on all monsters in the module. Problem areas remain,
but will be dealt with soon. All areas should now be survivable to an appropriately
equipped party of the correct level for the area.
-'Death' gems now disappear on autorespawn. This should clear up the problems with logging
in dead when you logged out alive.
-Tripled the number of cached scripts, to the maximum recommended limit. Most scripts added
were monster ai scripts: this should help reduced lag overall, especially that caused by
the drow and abyss. The cache may be reduced in size to increase performance, pending
playtesting.
-Added 6 quivers of endless arrows, 5 of which may only be used by arcane archers of the
appropriate level.
-Removed light gems from the module as they were causing characters who used them to
invalidate in some circumstances.
-Removed a number of heartbeat scripts to decrease lag.
-Other fixes.

UPDATE 2-06
===========
-Updated more monsters. The bone hoard, the drow sewers, manataklos docks & house district, the 4 lower drow houses, and the arcane academy areas were all nerfed. This leaves the drow temple, house mat'lis'sk, the abyss, and the big three dragons still in need of nerfing.
-Other minor fixes.

UPDATE 2-03
===========
-Updated more monsters. The only areas with monsters still in need of nerfing are: the drow, the abyss, the bone hoard, hall of kings, deadpool, and prissy.
-Removed more onheartbeat scripts to reduce lag.
-Cemetary has a new look!
-Bloodpool's treasure drop capped at level 32.
-Fixed the Temple of Tyr store and a few other overlooked items.
-Other bug fixes.

UPDATE 1-30
===========
-Updated (nerfed) monsters in the following areas:
The Dead Wood, Abandoned Farm, Abandoned Farm House, Abandoned Farm House Cellar, Ancient's Lair, Covey of Blood, Crop Storage House, East Road, Temple Store Room, The Blood Moor, Tunnels of Underdark, The Web Level 1, The Web Level 2, Abandoned Temple, Abandoned Temple Level 1, Abandoned Temple Level 2
The experience values of all these monsters remain the same, though they are now easier to kill.
-Reduced xp values in formian mines, raised them in the east road.
-Removed Mordenkainen's Ring and Terror (helm), they were accidentally left in after the purge.
-Other debugging and lag fixes.

UPDATE 1-28
===========
-All dye colors added to the alchemist shop, for those tired of fooling with the Universal Dye Kit.
-Last remaining new item drops fixed so they respawn correctly.
-Monsters updated in Strange Tower areas and elsewhere.
-New anti-exploit measures put in place.

UPDATE 1-26
===========
-More lag reduction measures. A variety of unnecessary onheartbeat scripts were removed, as was the module onunacquireitem script. This will have NO impact on you unless you had a 'Start Werewolf Form' item given to you by a DM - it won't work correctly anymore.
-More lag reduction to come - we are redoing the list of cached scripts, which should help with monster-generated lag significantly
-Drow Tunnels areas, War Camp, and Drider Caves now despawn correctly
-Stones of Rebirth now remove the 'death' item from inventory

UPDATE 1-22
===========
Major Lag Reduction Effort
-Module OnHeartbeat script removed. This had little effect, but if you are raised by a DM, you must remove the 'death' item from you inventory.
-Other minor fixes

UPDATE 1-21
===========
-CEP issues resolved - this means more crafting options, correct character faces, and new monsters!
-clothing merchant is now no buy
-Other minor fixes

UPDATE 1-21
===========
-Added two sets of ring(s) of greater [element] resistance, and another set of regular and greater swordsman, archer, and brawler belts to different areas. Almost every area has a new drop now.
-Fixed the hero stone quest so that the wizard takes the belly.
-Allowed all casters of classes able to use 5th lvl spells or higher to use sequencer robes. This means sorcerors, wizards, bards, druids, and clerics can use them now.
-Other minor fixes

UPDATE 1-20
===========
-removed restricted items from random treasure drops
-added bone wands to the item merchant
-item merchant is now no-buy
-made elfspun cloak no-drop; if you have one, you are now the proud owner of a grandfathered item, though it may be relocated OR removed from the game altogether at a later date
-other minor fixes

UPDATE 1-14
============
The drow, in response to recent and increasingly intrusive raids by groups of adventurers seeking the fabled Crown, have devised a massive magical barrier preventing all teleportation into and out of the drow city.
The drow have also been sending out raiding parties, straining the resources of Ascension to the breaking point. The shops of Ascension have been drained nearly dry of inventory, most of it having been scattered into the surrounding areas by now-deceased adventurers with too much gold and too little caution.
Whispered rumors speak of a way to pierce this mighty barrier, but it would require an ancient and potent magic indeed to overcome the legendary magicks of the drow.
-last (hopefully) server vault purge
-major changes to the module, see website for details

UPDATE 12-23
============
- Minotaur Maze now accessible
- Xultrae's door is now debugged
- Replaced the shield barrier and shield of seveltarn, and removed the rust whip
- Altered some monsters so they would not be impossible to kill without the shield barrier
- Fixed an assortment of other minor bugs and exploits

UPDATE 12-15
============
- CotC no longer drop Kukri's of the THX: bye bye exploiters.
- Plains of War is no open again: despawn issue fixed, lag should really clear up.
- Took Rez Rods out of the Merchant Emporium, removed Rez scrolls and Purification pots from Rip's Brewery.
- Added some changes in the "Spider Room" of the Strange Tower to deture mass spawning of the room. Now, lets just say, there is something there to back up the spiders.
- The 3 Blood Covey bosses XP has been increased.

UPDATE 11-03
============
- Fixed a variety of bugs.
- Took level cap off Bloodpool.
- Added some random dropped loot to more popular areas.
- Made alot of creatures tougher.
- Fixed Mana Pedistals.
- The drow look better!

UPDATE 10-17
============
- Temple of Lolth is finally showing movement inside! Think you can take on Lolth and her followers?
- Deadpool "Big Daddy" is awake at long last, You can find him near the drow sewers.
- Secret now requires level 25 of the specific class and level 35 total to enter .
- Fixed a variety of bugs/exploits.
- Tuned up solo xp a little, Grouping is still better!
- Moved more items out into the world!
~~~NEWS!~~~
Welcome new DMs!
*Groo -- Field Tester, Mapper, Item Generator.
*ThirdEye -- Field Tester, Mapper, Player Management
* Mantis -- Scripter


UPDATE 10-11
============
- Server Purged! Be an Optimist, and think it as a new beginning!
- Items from shops are being moved and spread into the world! Keep a Watchful eye!
- Added percent chances of dropping items to creatures and bosses to help balance the econemy.

UPDATE 10-10
============
- Seeking and destroying lag! The following areas have been destroyed with a Nuke: Chapel storage, Priests quarters, all of Deep Rift, All the Kashmir Desert, Temple of Cyric (no longer had a use).
- Summoners!! Items are out there that can increase your summoning powers! Hint: Was created by those with most powerful Arcane arts.
- Tweaked a few scripts, things should Definatly run smoother!

UPDATE 10-2
===========
- Drow finally finished, no more walking around completely blind either.
- One or two more updates left and we will leave it as is while we create HG2! Post your comments/Ideas at www.highergroundbb.blogsite.org!

UPDATE 9-23
===========
- Web Is getting sticky! The spiders are getting wiser and arent keen on travelors!
- Added Event Areas and event only items; Watch out for those hints that something might be up!
- Revamped the Drow, check them out!
- Look out for some other new changes!


UPDATE 9-14
============
News!
Guilds will soon be added to our ever growing world. They will give out quests based on your class.

Updates:
- Revamped Web
- Added Temple of Cyric
- Temples are now restricted to alignment.
- Fixed immortal bug.
- Server will no longer auto restart due to some bugs.
- Talk with the wizard on the north road. beetle belly quest now gives 50gp per belly
UPDATE 9-12
============

- Moved entrance to Web to the Forgotten Forest. The entrance in the crypt was only for testing but for some reason never got moved.
- Doubled XP Given by Dragons.
- Arcane Academy completed.
UPDATE 8-25
===========

Fixes:
- Removed the lava (wtf) and the start point debacle. Apologies again to all. Should never update at 3:00 AM

Updates:
- Changed the xp script. B4 it would give xp and then take it away based on certain conditions. The xpscript will now only give xp if: you are alive, you are not waiting to level, you are within 6 lvls of party members. Thx to everone for their input in this.
- The dragon loot caps are now in effect.
- Removed original Fist of God from the item shop and replaced it with a more balanced version (I hope). Slightly modified Blood Sport as well. Upon log in, your Fist of God will be removed and replaced with the newer version.

Spells:
- Spellcasters rejoice! The time has come to swing the balance of power back into the middle. We will be adjusting spells to make them more useful and more deadly for epic lvl casters. However, it works both ways. The spells that epic casters you against YOU will be as powerful too. The current damage modifying proposal is this:

For every 4 lvls above 20 caster has in their casting class, the damage that they do with ALL spells will increase by 20%.

lvl 24 = +20%
lvl 28 = +40%
lvl 32 = +60%
lvl 36 = +80%
lvl 40 = +100%

This means that a lvl 40 pure caster will do 100% as much damage as a lvl 20, or 2x. We think that this is good stuff. Only problem is you all getting wasted by it as well. The pinnacle of this concern is Isaac's Greater Missle Storm. A maximized, lvl 40 caster will do 24 dmg each missle. Yowza!

So here is what we have done. The script to modify Isaac's and Isaac's alone (though it SHOULD work for Firebrands but doesn't) is in place in this update. I repeat, it is ONLY for pure casters over lvl 20. Please test this out and see if it too much to handle. We will then expand the script to ALL damaging spells. Casters to take note of are the casters in Manatakloss, especially the house wizards. We really would like this to work and use it for all spells, but if it is too much then we will have to think of something else. Please post your experiences with the new spell script on the forum.


UPDATE 8-23
===========

Updates:
- Manatakloss has been upgraded to challenge epic characters. The main area is now in two districts with revamped slums and houses. The Temple of Lolth and the Drow Arcane Tower are in the build queue. Until then, we ask characters of lvl 36+ to test their mettle on the new and improved drow city. Remember that drow are highly magic resistant, are hard to hit and hit hard in return. Plan accordingly.
The entrance to the city will be changed in a future update, but is currently still located at the end of the Caverns of the Underdark. The entrance to the caverns is locked for players lacking in levels. This is for your own protection!! You will see the signs. The Jade Teeth still work as well, though the hermit is not feeling so good anymore. The city is officially open for beta-testing and all are asked to run through it.
Please post comments and/or suggestions about the city on the website. It is intended for players lvl 36+ and all comments should be written in this context. Thx and have fun >

- The Eternal Dragons have been revised and upgraded. Loot spawned by them is now appropriate to the level intended to fight them. Cessy is still a wuss. Asimathas (Big Red) is intended for a party of lvl 25+. Grehnaxas and Lithiuschas (Lucy) are intended for lvl 27+. These are also open for beta-testing. Again, post comment and suggestions on the website with the intended levels as a context.

- The server will now auto-restart every 4 hours or so. Just like old times You will be given ample warning of an impending restart.

- The emote wand has been upgraded. In addition to new emotes it will give you the option of changing your weapon's visual effects as well. You will not have the choice to add a Sonic visual due to lag issues.

- Pick-pocketing an item will now tag the item not only as stolen but also with the owner's name. If either you or your party memebers can kill the pick-pocket, the item will automatically be given back to you (assuming he hasn't sold it yet).

- Pick-pocket bashing is defined as pick-pocketing players of fewer levels than you. PP bashing is now logged and posted to all DMs.

- Some items have been removed from the game:
Vengear
Ring of Spell Storing (Lesser, Greater, Regular, Decaf)
Ring of the Summoner

This has been done due to balancing issues. On log-in one or more of these items will be removed from your inventory and you will be compensated with the full gold piece value of the item. If you still find some in your inventory, go ahead and equip them. They will then be removed as well and you will be compensated in full. Save yourself the inventory space and equip them. You will get more gold by doing this and you will find that the items are quite unusable regardless. We apologize for any inconvenience.

- The priest in town now comes with a de-leveling option. Choosing this option will reduce to you to one hit point below your current level. All of your items will be removed prior to de-leveling automatically, to avoid invalidating your character. RDDs be warned!!! The charisma bug is not dead. It is possible that de-leveling while having 10 levels in RDD may still invalidate your character due to the system's method of enhancing your charisma.

- The Deck of Hazards will now remove your inventory items before applying the effect of the Fool card. The Donjon card will now send you to jail.

- The Abandoned Farm is now open again for testing. Farm on!!

- The Immortal gear will now automatically be unequipped if you are not Immortal. This should have been occuring up until this point but has not. Again, apologies.

- Rogues must pass a UMD check to use scrolls.

UPDATE 7/26
===========

Updates:
- Trespasser's Tavern is now under new management!! Rip has bought the establishment and will slowly turn it into a den of pure iniquity, I'm sure. Come by and grab a drink soon, before there's a cover charge!
- The drinks now pack a bigger punch. Drinking will now cause actual inebriation. Don't get mad when you pass out. You'll have to wait to wake up. At least we didn't script hangovers.

Additions:
- Formians have begun digging again in the abandoned mine under the Giants Liar. What they seek is unclear, and they do not embrace strangers.
- This area was created by our own ForsakenRites, and is a perfect addition to our world. If you have any comments about the area, you still have to go through me first though.
~ Recommended levels: 14 - 20

[FunkySwerve]

UPDATE JULY 21 2004
===================

Updates:
In addtion to banking, the system now includes persistent item storage through a bank vault chest. It can store up to 30 items for players (but not gold or other stackables, use the banker to store gold coins). Players must purchase "storage rights" from a banker for 1000 gold before they can use the storage container.
NOTE: the storage script is written so that it only stores your item when you are a short distance away from the vault. That saves the server CPU usage and database space. This means that you CAN'T place an item in the vault and then log out real quick. Be sure to leave the bank first. That way your item will for sure be saved.
In addition to the item storage, an Investment Broker has been added to this update. He will only allow players to invest in one thing at a time, and players must wait 1 day before they can assess their investment (find out the results, good or bad). Players may also cancel their investment for a 10% fee of their investment cost (to cover the bank's time and applicable fees.)
Added support for chat message-style bank commands!
- "deposit X gold", where X is a positive value
- "withdraw X gold", where X is a positive value
- "deposit all", deposits all gold
- "withdraw all", withdraws all gold
- "balance", displays a balance of the player's account
You may either buy bank notes or deposit directly to the server. We thank you for banking with First PoA Bank and hope to see you again. Here is your free toaster. ~Member FDIC

- Re-refixed the arcane seal to MOAD. Made MOAD harder...jic >
- DECREASED the buyback rate of the Import dealers and Merchant dealers. We are trying to "encourage" players to sell their items in either the Weapons snop or the Armor shop. This will reduce server lag.

Additions:
- Thx to player input (you know who you are) we have added a new dye creating device. Thx to Aesica for the Universal Dye Kit. Each of the 2 major items dealers and the alchemist now sell a Universal Dye Kit. You manually set the colors of the dye in the kit using a conversation interface. Also supports the "hidden" colors not used by Bioware's default dye kits.
- Added scimitars, quarter staves, great axes and rings to the import shop.

We ask.....
Because of the great NWN community, we can offer you these great scripts at no cost to your DMs' already frail sanity. But the creators are human, just as we. Please be sure to post any problems with the dyes or the banking system to our website so that we in turn can let them know. And if you want to thank them as much as I have, I'm sure they'd like that too

Universal Dye Kit - www.angelfire.com/goth/chantel/nwn
Kittrell's Persistent Banking - [e-mail]


UPDATE JULY 20 2004
====================

Updates:
- Most of this update is internal. Removed 90% of all module OnHeartbeat events. Cached more often used scripts as well. Implemented better caster and dragon AI. What does all this mean? In short, you should see an increase in server performance, noticeably during combat.
- The Abyss has been brought up to speed a little more. This is in no way the final version of the Abyss. However, most higher level characters hardly considered it much of a challenge. Certainly due to the previous lag! Challenge now awaits you in the Abyss. Bring a party. Bring lots of rez rods. Bring tons of heal pots. Get ready for a long and difficult trek the next time you enter the Abyss.
- Minor tweaks to the previously added areas:
Shadow Elves no longer Shadowjump infinitely. Apologies for that.
Malar Panther no longer has True Seeing. For all you sneaks.
Increased Shadow Pontiff toughness. We'll see anyway.
- Arcane seal to MOAD fixed.
- Changed pvp settings of all shops, bank, etc. to NoPVP.
- A smattering of new items in the shop.


UPDATE JULY 13 2004
====================

Updates:
-Officially added the Druid Grove. Head to northwest corner of town and you will find its entrance. The Dead Wood entrance still exists as well.
- All animals in the Druid Grove can now be charmed.
- All reported typos are corrected up to today.
- Removed cyrstal beetle drops.
- Removed the core script that makes monsters drop crappy loot on death. It is by no means universal. Please post on the website which monsters you find that are still dropping spam loot (30gp, copper necklace, etc.)
- Corrected all typos up to today.
- ONCE AGAIN...repaired the transition from the Road to Town
- Removed the script that wiped out your gold if you die with more than a million gold. I hope no one is pissed about that.....

Additions:
- Cursed Items: The addition of cursed items has crept into the lands. Once equipped, you will only be able to have them removed with a Remove Curse. On the plus side, all you need to do is have anyone (yourself included) cast Remove Curse on you!!
- Pendant of Revival: The Pendant of Revival is a blessed from Shang-Ti. It carries a set number of charges and can cure wounds per charge. However, if sufficient charges remain on the Pendant, if you fal below 0 hit points, but not into death (-10), the Pendant will automatically use charges to bring you back from death's door. Due to the powerful nature of th Pendant, only one may be carried at a time.

New Areas:
-What you need to know:
The tower ruins on the East Road was once an outpost for the defenders of Ascension. Without warning, an evil seeped into the depths of tower and quickly turned the noble guards into voracious undead. The only one to escape was Captain Vaughn. He locked the tower to keep in the madness within, but had already been affected by its presence. In a catatonic state, he wandered into the Dead Wood, never to be seen again.
The Shadow Elves have long claimed the Dead Wood as their home. The Druids of the Dead Wood have allowed their existence to continue since they were a xenophobic race who only wanted to be left alone. Recently, however, the Shadow Elves have become agressive and threaten the already unbalanced Dead Wood.

Where they are:
To the west of the East Road, through the Dead Wood.

Recommended Levels:
- The Dead Wood: 18 -24
- The Blood Moor: 20 - 24
- Lair of Bloodpool: 25+
- Covey of the Three: 22 - 25
-The Shadow Elves: 20 - 24
-The Shadow Elves Village: 22 - 26
- Shadow Elf Bosses: 24 - 28
- The Tomb of Shadows: 25 - 29
- The Morgue of Darkness: 27 - 32

These are only guidlelines. Many players will find adventuring below the recommended levels challenging, others may find that they cannot venture there until much higher level. They are intended for party play. You will find soloing VERY difficult. Not all monsters can be tanked, nor can they all be felled with spells. Work as a team and figure out their weaknesses. Most of all, have fun!!

UPDATE JUNE 21 2004
====================
- Added entire Underdark adventure for low level characters, behind Kobold, Orcs and Beetles.
- A strange sorcerer is cavorting with the orcs in the Shadow Forest.
- The road to Mount P'Reeth has begun to open up. The footlhills grant access to Castle Gaobin. Beware the vampyr. Tread alone only if you feel lucky or foolish. Casters a plus!
- The Dream World can be yours now. Can you figure out how to access its secrets?
- Added a new item called the Stone of Rebirth. Will instantly rez you if you have it in your inventory. One shot deal.
- Adjusted the look of a couple of areas to give it a better feel and to add better spawns.
- Added a few rarely used items to the imort shop. Nothing fancy.

UPDATE JUNE 10 2004
====================

- Updated the Fox Trail, Fox Ridge, etc. areas. Also made the Crossroads more aesthetically pleasing. The Seer speaks the truth...you just cant do anything about it now.
-The Prismatic Dragon is now ready for everyone to take a crack. Doc Love is the proud father of this unholy terror. Good luck and good hunting.
- Added an AutoCast.....thing....to the import shop. Will allow a sorc or wiz to save which buff they want to cast after resting. It doesn't STORE the spells themselves, but stores you selection of spells, so that you can cast all of your buffs in just a couple of clicks. Further versions will include more buff options for bard, druids and clerics.
- The drow are massing against Ascension. The call to heroes goes out now. Find them, and eradicate their ever increasing army.


UPDATE JUNE 7 2004
===================

- WARNING: The bandit raids have gotten worse! A new flavor of brigands have moved into the territory and are ready to wreck havoc on any unsuspecting traveler. Talk to the East Road guard for details.
(The East Road and beyond is being developed for character levels 16 and up.) Consider your warned.
-The Gnoll Fort is to the north of town, ready for you low to mid-levels to storm it's gates.
- In general, if you become stuck and are unsure what to do next, be sure to read everything. Pay attention. Clues are all around you.
- Extended the bonuses for most common items. Added a few new weapons, armor, and misc as well.
- Increased the item limit for Encumbria from 130 to 200.
- Decreased the amount of time it takes for a Gem of Teleportation to take effect.
- Added a town greeter to help get people new to the server off on the right track.
- Added guards to help provide information as to increasing changes to the area.
- Keep up the great input. Most of you who have posted suggestions will notice those changes.


UPDATE JUNE 3 2004
===================

We're taking it to a new level. The new things you see are the beginnings of quests. Converse with NPCs after each update to see what new quests have opened up. For starters:
-Added 2 of 9 temples. Each temple will be geared toward each of the 9 alignments and will offer special items and quests to those alignments. More to come.
- The town of ascension has established an outpost named Bywater on the northern isles. The trade routes are too dangerous right now. Check back later for more news.
- Kobolds have invaded the graveyard and are stealing the corpses of fallen citizens. No one is certain what drives them. SURELY someone will investigate.
- You will notice new faces in town. They will ALL be quest sources in the immediate and near futures. CLues will be clear and concise (and humorous). Check back in time...and keep your +5 thinking caps on as well.
- The goblins and the hobgoblins have joined forces. To what end we don't know, but they surely seek the crown (doesnt' everyone?).
- Thanks for all the great item input. We are doing our best to answer everyone. Please don't feel left out if your request doesn't "seem" to be in the shops. We had to use em as loot to ya know.
- There are lot's more additions not listed here as well. Keep your eyes open for easter eggs and WATCH YOUR BACKS.

UPDATE MAY 20 2004
===================

- Immortals can now buy rainbow stones.
- The urns in Crypts 3 are now reachable.
- That damn loot bag in the Dread Caverns is now reachable. Hidden, but reachable.
- Teleport stones are now available in the item shop (for a modest fee)
- Immortals will no longer autorespawn.

UPDATE MAY 18 2003
===================
- NOTICE: THE PARTY MEMBER LEVEL RANGE HAS BEEN INCREASED TO 6 !! You may now party with other characters that are up to 6 levels apart from you.
- FIXED IMMORTALITY QUEST. All party members currently in the Abyss at the time of the crown's destruction will now receive immortality. I hope...
- Updated PCScrying device. Will correctly display classes and area names.
- Updated Queen's Palace. The final door to the vault requires a key.
- Updated Crown Sanctum. You still need a thief to get the crown, but not to get to it.
- Added more bastard swords (and others) to the import shop.
- Fixed the xp for Draconians
- MOAD must now be accessed using a key that has been hidden elsewhere.

UPDATE MAY 13 2004
===================
- Accidently lost Update for May 12 in this update when the new Bulletin Boards were being imported. Will repl;ace them in the next update so you know what was added. Sorry!

- Mostly cosmetic changes in this update. As you look around town you will notice a few changes here and there.

- Replaced the signs on shops with new signs that properly represent them in a visual manner.

- Started refurnishing some of the rooms in the silver-moon Inn. Added 2 bathrooms to the 3rd level. more work coming there soon.

- Fixed a few bugs in the nomad camp. The entrance to Omar's tent should now work, and the shadows should be cast right.

- A few extra furnishings in the Bank nothing special.



UPDATE MAY 10 2004
===================

- CEP DAY !!! CEP is now been activated, and you will notice alot of the addition in the days to come. Read on for some additions already taking place...

- Added a few encounters to some of the maps in the desert area if anyone would like to try them out. Just look for the secret entrance at the Cross roads next to the south gate.. Just press your TAB key to see it.

- The Entrance to the desert is NOT a permanent one. I was just placed there for the time being, so folks can visit there and beta test it..

- The Nomad Camp is now starting to take shape, and you will find one Merchant there who is just now getting buisness rolling in that area. Stop by and visit Omar's Tent. Just take the Desert's Secret Entrance.

- Changed the Town Watch's Uniform. Their new Uniform is CEP, and gives you a nice example of the new things that are available.

- Addesd new CEP items to both the Weapon Shop and the Armor shop in town. check them out.

- Added new CEP clothing to the clothing shop in town. Some stuff if female specific, For all the lady characters that have been asking for something classy to wear.

- Other minor changes and additions made around town and some areas.. mostly in detailing.


UPDATE MAY 09 2004
===================

-CEP Goes active tommorow! Make sure you have your copy up and running by tommorow. IF you are still having problems trying to download it PLEASE leave us a message at [e-mail] And we will help try and get it to you. Check the website and bulletin board!

- Major scripting updates in this one, and a few goodies for players.

- Added 3 new gambling games to the Tavern, Zowie, In Between, and Slots. These games were originally developed back in 1st Edition AD&D and can be found in Appendix F of the Dungeon Master's guide. They give a very nice jackpot if you win. Go check them out. But please be warned! Gambling is addictive!

- New Message Bulletin Boards down in the dock area.. Now you can leave messages for other people right in the game. If you like to send out a message to other players or leave a message for a friend feel free to give it a try.

-Also added a Dungeon Master's Bulletin Board. DMs can leave a message or two for players and other DMs right in the module.

- Added Mass Heal scrolls to the Item Shop in town. People been asking for this one.. Sorry I forgot in the last update.

-MAJOR new character addition. Players can now become Werewolves! Through the magic of scripting there is now the possibility some players may achieve the concept of lycanthrropy. It IS working and in the module, but not actively avaliable to achieve in the module yet.. But if you are interested in becoming a werewolf just shout at the DMs until further notice.. Hopefully the quest for Lycanthropy will be in ASAP!

-Added a minor item you may find at the old lady's item shop in the emporium... It's called a "Campfire Kit", and will allow you to start your own campfires... It is still being developed but it works great so far.. It will be improved in the next update to allow you to accomplish tasks with the campfire. It's part of a survival kit you will need in places like the desert and in the mountains (under development).

-Moved the Sarcophaguses in the Hall of Kings.. people couildnt reach them where they were.


UPDATE MAY 03, 2004
===================

- Major update with a few new areas. New area called the Kashmir Desert, and Level 5a of the crypt.

- Kashmir Desert is a HUGE place, which you may get lost in. All the maps to it have finally been linked. There are not encounters or other objects available there yet, but if you find the secret entrance to thay area (somewhere east of Ascension), feel free to explore it.

-Level 5b of the crypt is open if you want to look around down there, but please note it is NOT finished! There is till tons of work to do to it, and what monsters are down there need adjusting.

-Some detail work done to some of the maps east of town. Changed encounters on the East road to add more continuity to those areas.



UPDATE APRIL 22, 2004
======================
---Creature Tweaks: minor fixes in some of the newer epic areas
---CEP: Higher Ground will be converting to the CEP on May 10, so if you haven't downloaded it yet, do so. THIS, I COMMAND!!
---KDX: If you haven't gotten KDX yet, you need to get it. Got it?


UPDATE APRIL 3, 2004
======================
---Item Relocations: after the massive amounts of tweaking done with creatures in the game, some of the more powerful items have been removed from stores and placed in some of the more powerful creatures' inventories. This was done to prevent everything from being a cakewalk for players, as to promote visiting other areas and not being stuck with playing in the same areas all the time
---More Playtesting: it looks like a few drow have inched their way closer to Ascension, unwittingly placing themselves between you guys and a cult of dragon guardians. Oddly enough, nobody has ever heard of or seen anything about this dragon until now...
---DOWNLOAD THE CEP

UPDATE APRIL 2, 2004
======================
---Redundant Reminder: download the CEP and the KDX Voice Utility; check out our website for more information. Remember, we encourage feedback from players, so register on our bulletin board to put in your two cents and communicate with DMs and other players
---Creature Tweaks: nothing major, still working out some kinks
---Item Tweaks: several items in Finely Crafted Imports had to be modified; no changes were made to existing items players may have, but the shop now sells the modified versions
---Redundant Redundant Reminder: DOWNLOAD THE CEP!!!

UPDATE APRIL 1, 2004
======================
---Just a friendly reminder, download the CEP and KDX Voice Utility (more information available at website listed above); also, if you haven't joined the bulletin board, go to the second website listed above and do so.
---Drow Updates: hours of work was put into modifying everything thats drow; casters no longer have persistent lag spells (ex: Storm of Vengeance), and casters spell lists also tweaked (mmm... surprises); also, all weaponmasters, house wizards, matrons, and the drow queen were modified - some ACs lowered, other miscellaneous tweaks that may make them more challenging yet still able to be hit; also XP gained from them raised across the board; additionally, the redundant Queen Matron has been removed and replaced with someone new
---Cave Trolls: minor tweaks, XP raised as well
---True Seeing: many creatures have had true seeing REMOVED; bugs, goblins, and cave trolls most common... finally rogues become more useful
---New Epic Area: still going through tweaks; keep the following two words in mind: group tactics
---New Items: check out Finely Crafted Imports and the Clothing Store


UPDATE MARCH 30 2004
======================

-Several minor fixes and major update to new areas being tested. Mainly DM Love's newest area, which is still undergoing play-testing.. another run to check it out will be performed tonite.

-Added 2 New bank notes, The Sapphire Bank Note and the Imperial Bank Note. Sapphire will now be the 1 Million Gold bank note and the Diamond will now be the 5 million bank note. The Imperial Bank Note is worth 25 Million. Of course those currently holding gold notes will obviously get a free 4 million due to note changes but It's the only way without making a fix more complicated.

-Tweaked the Boss encounter down in the Web to make it a little harder. Some well built characters were getting an upper hand on the queen, but now the queen will have an advantage.

-Removed the Spike contraptions from the Palace Vault. They were cause MAJOR MAJOR lag down there while fighting the Drow Queen. They will be replaced with something more appropriate and less laggy.

-Level 5 of the crypt should be open by Saturday at the latest providing the scripting goes right.


UPDATE MARCH 24 2004
======================

-Big News. Today the Community Expansion Pack for NWN has been released. As of right now Higher-Ground is *NOT* planning on implementing it into this Module for a long while. So you WILL NOT need it to play this module.. We're simply doing our part to help get the word out to NWN fans.

-NEW Epic area now open for Play testing. We're going to go ahead and let any player who wants, to test out the new area, which is called "The Web". Right now you can access it through a secret door on level 2 of the crypt. It's in beta development so let use know if you hit any bugs.

-A few monsters here and there were tweaked, but nothing really noticable. just doing alot of touch-up work and refining of exsisting creatures.


UPDATE MARCH 21 2004
======================

-Many internal fixes this update, and mod additions in progress.

-MAJOR fix regarding the "Sudden Death" bug. It seems people were dying while just trying to rest in certain areas.. Turns out this was an old anti-exploit routine in the module's "OnRest" script. It's been fixed so it will no longer kill anyone, and instead Heal them.

-Changed the Greeting message for folks to see while coming in.

-Tweaked a few monsters to make them easier to hit, but also made them able to hit Epic characters more often. ReNamed the Carcarian Zombies to "Ancient Zombies", and deleted some of their skills which seemed to be worthless for such a monster.

-Three new areas are currently being constructed for Epic Characters, One of them is currently undergoing play testiong, another should be finished and ready for testing in the next few days. and the third is being mapped and linked.. no time frame on it though but hopefully this week.


UPDATE MARCH 17 2004
=====================

-No major updates today other than a special treat for all our players.

-Be sure Contact the DM for a special Saint Patricks Day suprise from
Eddie... You'll see him walking around the Dock areas..


UPDATE MARCH 15 2004
=====================

-Minor fixes with major projects underway.

-Changed the Bank's looks in town. The previous bank building was a bit too tall for the overall theme of the town.

-Added new items to the Import shop. Alot of axes for those folks who have been asking. And some katanas.

-Tweaked the "Carcarian Zombies" a bit.. for some reason they were unresponsive after a short while in combat. probably due to some monk abilities given to it.. further testing will be needed so please report any results to the DMs

-Just a quick note. there are *2* level 5's to the Crypt.. You have probably wondered about entering one of the level 5's and not being able to open the door.. it's currently under construction and will be open this week. And it is VERY Epic! You will definately need a party of high levels for it.

-Another new area should opening anytime now. Final testing is being done as you read this.

-Tweaked down the encounters in the Palace vault.. 6 clerics was WAY too many for 1 encounter so they were all replaced with melee creatures that offer an equally challenging fight.