Progression

Character Progression

Progression Details

When characters are created within Atharen, players are provided experience points that can be allocated toward skills. These skills, in turn, dictate what a character is able to do and how good they are at doing it. To progress further after character creation, players will need to earn experience points (XP) and Lore from writing in threads, and then allocate those XP to the skill or skills in which they wish to progress.

For a character to progress within Atharen, the player performs activities for which they will be rewarded XP, Lore, and/or DF. The primary means by which players receive character progression awards will be writing, though there may be other avenues to attain awards. The requirements for and rewards of activities are enumerated below: Solo. A solo thread is a single post written by a single character totaling at least 1500 words. No other posts or player characters are added to this post, though interactions with NPCs is allowable. It is by definition self-contained. Upon completion, it is self-reviewed or submitted to the review queue as applicable. Solos are worth 5 XP and 6 Lore. Partial rewards for solos are not allowed; players must hit word count. Collaboration, or Collab. A collab consists of multiple posts between two or more characters. This can be a tightly plotted and choreographed plot or something more loose and improvisational. It can allow other characters to drop in (an open thread) or be pre-determined for specific characters (a closed thread). Unless otherwise noted in the thread title, it should be assumed that all threads in Atharen are closed. If you wish to join a thread, please DM the players involved. To receive full rewards, each player must write 1500 words across at least 5 posts, with no post being fewer than 250 words. Full rewards for each player are 8 XP and 10 lore. For a submitted post where one or more players fall short of the required post count or word count, the rewards are proportionately reduced. For every post after their 5th, players may add one additional Lore. Moderated Thread or Modded Thread: A modded thread consists of a thread or threads where one person is writing as an NPC or NPCs for the purposes of ushering a character or characters through an approved plot request. A moderated thread or threads may be run by a Player with Staff approval, or run by Staff. Plot requests are submitted in the Support Forum, and should use the Plot Request form in the stickied thread. As the player(s) in a modded thread are generally undergoing enhanced challenges, they receive 10 XP and 10 lore provided that they reach the same requirements enumerated above for a Collaboration thread (i.e. 1500ie 1500 words across at least 5 posts). As a reward for plot creation, NPC creation, creating an experience for other players, and a compensation for not being able to receive lore, the mod of a moderated thread receives 12 XP. If a moderated thread does not involve a significant challenge to a player or players, the players involved receive the normal amount for a collab, and the moderator receives 10 XP instead of 12. For the moderator, the XP may be allocated to any approved, active character. Mod Bomb: Atharen is a living and chaotic world. To reinforce that last point, a member of Staff in Atharen may, at their discretion, crash any thread, even a closed thread, and alter its course. If they do this, the staff member receives +2 XP that can be used for any active, approved character, and the player or players so affected receive up to +5 XP for handling the mod bomb. The member of staff decides how much XP the mod bomb is worth, and scales up the XP based on the challenge provided. Before tossing a mod bomb, members of staff must ensure the players in the thread are open to mod bombs, and they must ensure the bomb is appropriate for the characters’ levels and skill sets. Players retain the right to appeal mod bombs they feel are uncalled for or unfair in the Support Forum. Please see the article on mod bombs for more information. Major Event (Player): A Major Event is a bit like a Mod Bomb, with a few additional caveats, the first and most significant being that the culmination of the event be of significant impact to Atharen or a region with Atharen. A major event must be Staff run; players cannot be in charge of them. Not every thread provides the Major Event bonus; only the culmination of it. Major Events require Architect approval. Major Event (Staff):

Additionally, characters can be awarded XP, lore, and/or df for one-off events, such as a bonus for character sheet approval, a spiff for participating in a world event, or a gift for being present during events important to Atharen. These bonuses are awarded at Staff discretion.

1.3 Money:

The primary way characters accrue money is through threads. Once per season, players may write a wage thread. The requirements for a wage thread are: a solo thread or a collaborative thread that focuses on a character performing their job duties. It shares all requirements with a Solo thread, and afterward, may be submitted to the wage thread review queue for grading and receipt of seasonal wages.

Df may also be provided as a reward for threads, as and where it makes sense. Significant monetary reward of 100 df or more requires review; receipt of a lesser amount may be submitted to self-review. Larger one-time payments may be included as part of planned rewards in plot requests.

Skills:

2.1 Skill Categories:

Generally, all categories are foundational and build towards an overall familiarity to skills within their respective trees. There is no concrete reward for accruing experience points in a given skill family or tree beyond progressing a given skill. For example, a character with a rank of Master in Running and Swimming would have 200 points in Strength, but this does not in turn provide an overall strength multiplier, reduce base fatigue accrual, or produce any other mechanistic advantage. In other words, it is not inherently advantageous for a character to maximize skills within the same skill tree. Skill categories provide a sense of who the character is, how they prioritize their time, and what they think is important.

[make skill category descriptions in-line and a bulleted list]

2.2 Skill Tiers

All skills can be assigned a numerical value from 0 to 100, with 0 being knowing no more than an average person about the topic, to 100 being mastery of the skill. Note that the baseline level of knowledge for a given skill may vary: someone may have a skill of 0 in Writing and still be literate, for instance, as many people in Atharen can read and write to some extent, but someone with a skill of 0 in clockwork probably knows very little about that subject, as most people in Atharen have almost no exposure to or familiarity with industrial era machinery. Despite the example above, exceptions can always be found. Consider your character’s experience, background, and history when deciding what a baseline of 0 in a given skill may mean for them. By that same token, attaining a skill level of 100 in any given skill provides a character with the rank of Master in that skill, but it does not mean they know all there is to know about it. In Atharen, as in real life, true mastery of any skill is a lifelong endeavor. While a character cannot attain numerical values higher than 100 in any skill, they can accrue additional lore if the player wishes to do so. To improve a skill by one point, a player spends one XP. The numerical system is as follows: Tiers

• Novice: 0-24
• Apprentice: 25-49
• Journeyman: 50-74
• Expert: 75-99
• Master: 100