Untitled Document

RAHV NEWS SYSTEM!
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The Haelrahv News System will keep you up to date with the latest game changes
and important notices. To learn how to use this system, just type NEWS!
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Author: Trevor Rage - 02/13/03 6:51 a.m.

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STAT TRAINING CALCULATOR AVAILABLE.
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In addition to the excel stat training calculator at
http://download.haelrahv.com/, an in-game calculator is now available via the
STATCOST command. Enjoy!
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Author: Trevor Rage - 06/22/03 11:09 a.m.

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EXPERIENCE POOL UPDATE.
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The size of experience pools has been increased considerably. Additionally,
the roles intellect and mentality play have increased as well. However, even
those with very low intellect and mentality will notice a marked increase in
experience pool size.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/13/03 1:18 p.m.

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AGENT DARKNESS BONUS UPDATE.
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One bonus of the Agent profession is a reduced penalty due to darkness. Due to
an oversight, this bonus was not being applied, and this has been corrected.
Additionally, the actual level of reduction has been greatly increased.

Agents who do not have a light source or nightvision and are foraging,
skinning, or fighting in darkness conditions will now fare better in those
situations. In addition, penalties in combat due to blindness or partial
blindness are also greatly reduced for Agents.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/15/03 9:31 a.m.

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THE HELP BELL!
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A bright, shiny new brass bell was installed in the Life Cafe earlier today.
This bell can be rung by players in need of assistance. For other players who
wish to hear the bell's tolling, be sure to SET your NEWBIEHELP preference TO
ON. All players, by default will hear the bell being rung.
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Author: Jocelyn Vlorin - 03/01/03 9:16 p.m.

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NAME GENERATOR AVAILABLE.
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In addition to the suggested names available in the Character Manager, you may
now use the NAMEGEN command to see a list of random names for all non-Human
races. Note that you cannot use this command when you are in the Character
Manager. The usage for this command is NAMEGEN <race>, such as NAMEGEN EOLAI.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 03/03/03 1:49 p.m.

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BALANCE UPDATE.
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Agents, Mercenaries and Performers will now find it slightly easier to
maintain good combat balance or recover from bad balance. Enjoy.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/15/03 10:22 a.m.

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BALANCE UPDATE.
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Agents, Mercenaries and Performers will now find it slightly easier to
maintain good combat balance or recover from bad balance. Enjoy.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/15/03 10:22 a.m.

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ALCHEMY UPDATES.
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A problem that caused potion effects to last indefinitely should now be fixed.
Additionally, the normal duration of potions has been increased considerably
for most potions.

Spells, psionics and spellsongs may still last indefinitely in some cases and
these will be fixed in the near future.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/17/03 1:09 p.m.

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NEED HELP GETTING AROUND?
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Need help getting around? Check out these maps!
http://downloads.haelrahv.com/maps/
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Author: Trevor Rage - 06/23/03 4:11 p.m.

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COMMODITIES - HOW TO SQUEEZE OUT EXTRA CASH!
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What are commodities? They're valuable goods that are bought and sold commonly
for a variety of purposes such as plants for alchemy, gems and metals too for
crafts or alchemy as well. The value of a commodity lowers when the demand for
it is low. If a lot of that item has been sold recently, it's worth less.

So it's then obvious that you can make more money by selling things no one
else is selling much of. Go for the harder-to-find plants and so on. But you
can also make more money by combining (COMBINE verb) some items together
before they're sold (this is also true for bundling skins).

Want to make even MORE money? Prepare your finds, if they're alchemical items.
This takes some figuring out, but you can CUT, CHOP, boil, CRUSH, dry, melt
down, shave and otherwise alter some things until they're properly prepared
for the form needed for an alchemy solution. Selling a commodity in this way
will double its value. So how's this for raking in cash -- combine a lot of
something, then prepare it before you sell it!
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Author: Trevor Rage - 06/24/03 12:28 a.m.

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CHANGES TO STAT TRAINING / STAT POINTS.
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Changes have been made to the cost of training stats as follows:

* Stat costs based on racial mod are now:
-3 = 7 points
-2 = 8 points
-1 = 9 points
+0 = 10 points
+1 = 11 points
+2 = 12 points
+3 = 13 points

* Stat costs no longer increase as a stat is trained.

* Players now receive additional stat points at 1000 experience drained
instead of 1200.

* Players now receive 30 stat points upon level up instead of 25.

* Human now receive 30 bonus stat points when they roll up in the character
manager instead of 20.

All players have had their stats reset to what they were when their character
was created and their stat points have been set properly so that you can
retrain your stats as you see fit.

This change has no effect with on reallocation, which will still take place as
planned, in the near future.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/18/03 10:36 a.m.

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SKILL BONUSES!
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The Queen would like to make it known that she has been working with the store
owners, guild leaders, and other community leaders to make your life easier in
and around Llanfair. With great pride, she would like to announce that certain
areas will grant a skill bonus to certain activities. This bonus will show up
in your normal SKILLS listing, so check around and see if a room near you
makes it easier to do something!
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Author: Beau Etoile - 06/26/03 9:01 p.m.

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COMMUNICATOR UPDATE.
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Wizard Front End users: You may now set what game mode you play in to take
advantage of some of their special features. Communicator messages will now be
sent to the communicator or thoughts window if you select the appropriate
mode. Use SET WIZARDMODE TO <mode>, where mode is DR, GS, HX, or MO.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 06/25/03 4:07 p.m.

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SOLEIL SANCTUARY WELCOMES STUDENTS!
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Students of the magical and occult arts are hereby invited to tour Soleil
Sanctuary, a facility most welcoming to practicioners of the arcane arts. It
is with regret that the Sanctuary Librarian announces that the library is not
yet fully stocked.

The following spells are available: Armor Aura, Elemental Shield, Psi Shield,
Crimson Seam, Azure Seam, Golden Seam, Siphon Vigor, Blood Siphon, Amplify
Stars, Invisibility, Diffuse, Sacrifice, Rejuvenate, Icy Aura, Flame Wave,
Lightning Bolt, Green Haze, Shrink, Grow.

The following psi powers are available: Telepathy, Spontaneous Combustion,
Spirit Slash, Psychic Hammer, Piercing Stare, Rime Cloud, Nightvision,
Precognition, Alluring Aura, Attuned Eyesight, Trance, Unlock, Mental Link,
Psychic Sight.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/13/03 5:33 p.m.

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RAFFLE TIME!
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The next raffle will be held Saturday, July 12 for some great armor! Tickets
may be purchased at Cloud Court.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 07/08/03 4:41 a.m.

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AFK SCRIPTING POLICY!
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I suppose it's time we outline exactly how instances of AFK scripting are
handled. For those who are unaware, AFK scripting is definitely against our
policies. If you plan to run a script, you must be able to respond to the game
environment.

It is our standard practice that we will give you roughly three minutes or
more to respond. However, staff do not use a stopwatch to time this, and your
time could vary to a point, and I don't want anyone to have a false sense of
security that it's okay to afk script if it's for 2 minutes or something. We
will endeavour to adhere to the three minute+ standard as much as possible,
but a bust is a bust.

Staff members will message you, at first in an in character fashion, seeking
your response. We may also use other checks, some downright sneaky to be
frank. However, we will always make a very clear request for your attention
and response before you are offiicially busted. You will know we want you to
respond and how.

Wizard users should receive red colored messages when a staff member is doing
a script-check. It's possible you may see the red messages once in a while
when it's not during a check, but traditionally receiving these will tell you
it's a scripting check and you should respond in some fashion. Should your
game client NOT display the messages in red, this is not a permitted reason to
avoid a response.

We will spam your screen with requests to respond when you are on the verge of
being busted for scripting. This is your last chance to respond. This is to
assure that you have had a reasonable chance to see the message through any
game message scrolling.

If you are busted for AFK scripting, the penalty will vary according to the
situation and prior infractions. At minimum you will always lose all of your
pooled experience. You may also lose: cash, credits, regular experience, or
items. In extreme cases you could be locked out and your IP banned. Please do
not script, we take it very seriously, and we check for scripters often.

You can be virtually guaranteed that if you attempt to build a powerful
character by scripting, you will end up losing more experience, cash and items
than you gained by running your script. Already, I have docked someone
thousands of experience points, ALL of their cash/credits, and roughly 150
foraged items. So please save us both this sort of experience and make
yourself available to respond to the game at any time while you are gaining
experience, items, cash, etc.

It is perfectly fine to run scripts if you are able to respond to any messages
we send. It is also perfectly fine to sit in game and drain your experience
pool while not actually at your keyboard, as long as you are not gaining new
experience in your pool and only draining the pool.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 06/29/03 9:36 a.m.

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OOC!
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While we do encourage players to give us feedback and to discuss the game as
well, doing so while logged in and outside of the OOC Area (Yes, it IS
accessible still!) is considered to be Out of Character. We as a staff are not
going to be nazis about forcing everyone to role play every second they are
logged in, but some players DO wish to do just that, and encountering OOC
comments while doing so ruins the environment for them.

If you wish to have OOC discussions, please do them away from such public
venues as common gathering spots, the comm channels, general telepathic
thoughts, etc. The OOC area is still open, and we encourage you to use it for
such discussions, as that is why it was created. Look around for the
entrances, there are a few scattered here and there.

Who knows...while you are in there a counselor may decide to pop in to chat if
they have some time to do just that!
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Author: Draxx Rodnujan - 06/29/03 12:25 p.m.

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ENCUMBRANCE UPDATES.
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Various updates have been made which will in general make encumbrance less
severe. New calculations were added and a bug that resulted in vitality being
virtually ignored was corrected.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/18/03 2:29 p.m.

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FIND YOUR FRIENDS (OR ENEMIES?) EASIER.
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The FIND verb has been added, which allows you to see if a certain person is
online or not more easily than picking through WHO FULL. Just type FIND
< name>. Partial names work fine, and if only one name is specified, both first
and last names will be checked for potential matches.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/19/03 9:53 a.m.

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RUMMAGE UPDATES.
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RUMMAGE FOR AMMO will now show the number of rounds for each ammo item.

RUMMAGE FOR ALCHEMY will now show the quantity of components and potions and
whether they are fully prepared for use.

The roundtime for rummaging has been reduced for those with sufficient
perception.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/19/03 10:45 a.m.

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DISPOSE OF UNWANTED ITEMS MORE EASILY.
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You may now use the DISCARD command to dispose of items you don't need. Be
forewarned, once you dispose of something, it's gone for good!
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/21/03 7:25 a.m.

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SURVEY GETS EVEN BETTER!
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You can now use SURVEY to determine what items can be foraged at your
location. Your ability to determine this is based on your Ecology and
perception. It is possible to stumble upon items when foraging that you didn't
find when you surveyed, in some cases.

You may also SURVEY to detect what resources can be mined in appropriate
locations. This is also based on Ecology and perception.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 07/08/03 3:32 a.m.

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HAELRAHV MEDICAL JOURNAL!
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Issue 1
~~~~~~~

Due to recent advancements in medical technology and skin regeneration
techniques, Medics may now notice that regenerators are not damaged as easily
as before. Also, rouge regenerators no longer perform as safely as before.
Please use caution when utilizing this device without the proper training.

In addition, a recent mandate by Haelrahv government has outlawed the use of
regenerators by non-medical personnel. Those discovered to be practicing
medicine without the proper licenses will now be prosecuted to the fullest
extent of the law.

~~~~~~~

The usage of dermagel has been changed to allow for updated and improved
medical advancements. Any unusual side effects associated with its usage
should be brought up to the proper authorities.

Thank you for your assistance in this.

Editor in Chief and Chief Surgeon,
Jocelyn Vlorin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Issue 2
~~~~~~~

Recent reports of the dangers of overuse of dermagel has caused Medical
personnel to reduce the potency of use for the unskilled. Please be assured
that even though results of its use may not be as noticeable as it was before,
the product does still heal.

~~~~~~~

Medics may notice slight changes in the way their MASSAGE affects their
patients. The change should be slight, but should be assured that the
beneficial effects are still noteworthy.

Chief Surgeon and Editor in Chief,
Jocelyn Vlorin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Issue 3
~~~~~~~

Dermagel has been reported to cause severe pain and blindness. All medical and
non-medical personnel are STRONGLY encouraged not to apply the gel to anywhere
around the eye region.

Haelrahvian medical management will not be held liable for any disreguard to
this notice.

Chief Surgeon and Editor in Chief,
Jocelyn Vlorin
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Author: Jocelyn Vlorin - 07/28/03 3:44 p.m.

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SEND AND RECEIVE MAIL AT THE NEW POST OFFICE!
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It is now possible to send letters and packages to your friends at the
Llanfair post office on Kukonjokon Blvd! To become a recipient, you must go
and REGISTER.

Standard stationary and pens are available in the post office lobby, and
custom stationary can be ordered in the post office shop. To send multiple
items, you will need to purchase a box. The three box sizes can hold ten,
twenty or fifty pounds.
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Author: Arden Sutherland - 07/09/03 8:34 p.m.

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CYBERWARE REPAIR NOW LIVE!
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The ability to repair your own and other people's cyberware is now LIVE!

Shavcire Wei has set up shop in his repair room, offering a wide selection of
parts and kits necessary for the repair of cyberware. Use APPRAISE to
determine what repairs are necessary to restore a part to pristine condition,
buy the part, then REPAIR <cyberware> with <kit/part>. All kits have anywhere
from 1-20 uses, and the electronics repair toolkit is unlimited!

Unfortunately, Shavcire has also raised his fee for repairs. Keep your
equipment well-maintained or you may find yourself unable to repair your
equipment and end up paying a high market cost.

More to come on the message boards soon...
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Author: Zoz Bryant - 07/13/03 7:32 p.m.

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APPRAISE CHANGES!
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A couple of changes have been made recently with APPRAISE...

As noted in NEWS 26, you can now appraise cyberware to determine its integrity
and check for necessary repairs.

Also, all items can now be appraised to determine its monetary value, the
accuracy of which WIDELY depends on skill.
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Author: Zoz Bryant - 07/13/03 7:43 p.m.

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CHANGES TO UPGRADE!
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Effective immediately, technicians will not be able to install upgrades until
they have gained the proper training to be making delicate changes to
cyberware.

A technician must have completed his 4th level of training before gaining this
valuable ability.

This change is not final and may change in the future. Whether the cap will be
raised or lowered will be determined by what is best for keeping the system
balanced.
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Author: Zoz Bryant - 07/15/03 11:54 p.m.

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LET THE LIGHTS OF LLANFAIR SHINE!
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Isn't it about time those big city lights actually did some good? Urban areas
will now be lit up at night, so that nightvision is not required. If you're in
a civilized area but it's still dark, it's probably just not quite civilized
enough.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/21/03 3:15 p.m.

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ROLE-PLAYING AWARDS?
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Awards for good role-play will now be distributed by the game staff at our
discretion during events and other appropriate cases. Note, we do not award
role-playing awards for RP during an assist or similar case. Should you
receive an award, it will appear on your EXPERIENCE sheet and may be activated
using the RPA verb. For information on the options for this command, type RPA.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 07/26/03 4:29 a.m.

[Script]>news 32

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DETAILING AND INSCRIBING ARE NOW LIVE!
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Detailing allows you to add a LOOK to your whittled item and inscribe allows
you to add a READ by using the command DETAIL / INSCRIBE ITEM WITH < one word
at a time>. Please be aware that the difficulty has been adjusted for the test
phase, and it will be much more difficult once the test phase has ended. Eoko
has all the necessary tools available in his woodshop.
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Author: Morrigan Blackfury - 07/27/03 8:21 p.m.

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ADVERTISING SPACE NOW OPEN!
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There are now various Boards scattered around town where you can post papers
from the stationary shop. You just PUT it on the board and it will last at
least 3 days unless you GET it sooner. You may only have one thing on each
board.
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Author: Hunter Ja'Kaal - 08/02/03 5:51 a.m.

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NEW GOPLAY VERSION (1.08)
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A new version of GoPlay! is now available - version 1.08. This corrects
problems that caused character lists to load very slowly.

http://downloads.haelrahv.com/SetupGoPlay108.zip
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/05/03 2:51 a.m.

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CHANGES TO EXPERIENCE RECOVERY FOR GAME CRASHES.
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A new system for handling crashes has been put in which will allow us to track
exactly how much experience was lost and this system will be used for any
future crashes. In addition to a return of lost experience, a bonus of 10% of
that experience will be granted as well, as a consolation for the
inconvenience and downtime.

However, given the complexities involved in wealth, it is not possible for us
to track and replace wealth fairly. Therefore, no replacement of credits or
cash will be done. The same is true of items in general. We apologize in
advance for any items or money you may lose in the future.

Although this is a test game and not the live game as you should expect when
fully released, we have been and will continue to work on ways to reduce such
crashes as much as is possible.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/06/03 12:58 a.m.

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STAFF APPLICATIONS UPDATE!
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If you've sent in an application to join the Haelrahv staff, please be advised
that we are not yet hiring except rare exceptions (artists, etc.) and probably
will not until we have finished a transition to working heavily on the 'live'
game. If you have not received a reply, this is not because your application
is denied, but because we are not yet reviewing them.

Additionally, any who sent in applications for events, alterations, or player
assistance/testing positions should be aware that we have no plans to hire for
these positions until probably next year at soonest. If you have applied for
one of those positions but have interest in other positions such as area
development, programming or history/documentation, we encourage you to
re-apply for one of those positions.

Also, when submitting an application, if you have interest in multiple areas,
feel free to mention this in your notes to us. However, we request that you be
specific about your interests rather than, "I want to do anything!"
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/07/03 11:21 p.m.

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SKILL / ADVANCEMENT CHANGE PROPOSAL - PLEASE READ!
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A proposal for a greatly modified advancement system for skill & stat training
has been proposed for the live game (not this test instance). This system is
very different and we'd like to get your opinions soon. In the near future a
poll will be available on the HR message boards. For now, you can read about
it and ask questions you may have. Below are three related threads on the
subject:

http://www.haelrahv.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=1037

http://www.haelrahv.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=1042

http://www.haelrahv.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=1038
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/08/03 11:09 p.m.

[Script]>news 38

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MAKING A PROFIT MADE EASIER.
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Bureaucrats of level five and above are now able to sell commodities in large
quantities more easily and those who deal with Bureaucrats may do so more
safely.

The BROKER verb allows sellers to interact with clients to make the process
easy. The client need only hold an item to sell or a container full of
commodities in their right hand and BROKER WITH <seller name>. Both seller and
client are informed of the total units sold and the amount of money received
for them. No items ever need change hands and the money is paid immediately to
the client.

Note: No sort of tip is provided to Bureaucrats offering this service. Clients
who wish to tip must do so manually. Bureaucrats do receive a small amount of
experience to their pool for offering this service.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/10/03 7:13 a.m.

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NOW ALL YOU NEED ARE MARSHMALLOWS.
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Lost in the dark? Just want to do something for fun? Want to improve your
spirits? Build a camp fire! Just forage up some wood (the larger pieces work
best, but even twigs will do in sufficient number) and BUILD FIRE. Light it up
with a lighter or match and enjoy.

Camp fires not only provide a source of light, they also improve your
professional skills considerably. All trained professional skills receive a
10% bonus above normal.
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Author: Trevor Rage - 08/10/03 6:04 p.m.

----------------------------------------
NEW EXPERIENCE DRAIN RATES ARE IN.
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The new drain rates for experience are in. With this change, players of level
15 or below will be able to level faster. The new drain rates are as follows:
(see chart below)

With this change, a conversion was run to make it retroactive. All characters'
experience was adjusted to what you would have had if these drain rates had
been in play from day one. Most characters will gain a few levels as a result.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/11/03 7:45 p.m.

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REALLOCATION COMING SOON.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We're going to allow a limited number of reallocations very soon! This means
you'll be able to rebuild your character from scratch, without losing your
experience.

This instance of Haelrahv is a 'test' game and we would like to allow you the
opportunity to redo some of your choices, so that you feel you've gotten the
most benefit from the test. On that note, in the near future, a reallocation
will be allowed.

Players will be able to go through the character manager again in its
entirety, changing everything from name, gender, race, profession, appearance,
weapon skills and so on. You will retain all of your experience, be granted
new stat and skill training points and be able to retrain all of your stats
and skills over again.

Additionally, you will be allowed to reallocate up to three times total. We
advise you use these opportunities sparingly, rather than splurge options and
burn them all at once.

One new restriction will be added, however. The pulse weapons skill will no
longer be triple trainable except by Mercenaries, Technicians, and Troopers.

Further information will be made available as soon as it is available.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/11/03 8:19 p.m.

--------------------------------------------
PERFUMES!
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Perfumes have been fixed and should now work properly.

Any errors, typos or problems with this system should be reported via the BUG
command.

Thanks!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Jocelyn Vlorin - 08/12/03 1:07 p.m.

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SKINNING UPDATES.
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The following updates to skinning are now live:

- Values of skins are generally now higher (there may be some exceptions).

- Skins are lighter in most cases.

- The difficulty to skin has been adjusted (in most cases downward).

- Skin roundtime has been reduced significantly.

- Darkness penalties have been added to difficulty to skin.

Overall, it should be considered much more worthwhile to skin what you kill.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/12/03 2:28 p.m.

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EXPERIENCE POOL UPDATE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The size of experience pools has been increased considerably. Additionally,
the roles intellect and mentality play have increased as well. However, even
those with very low intellect and mentality will notice a marked increase in
experience pool size.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/13/03 1:18 p.m.

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SOLEIL SANCTUARY WELCOMES STUDENTS!
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Students of the magical and occult arts are hereby invited to tour Soleil
Sanctuary, a facility most welcoming to practicioners of the arcane arts. It
is with regret that the Sanctuary Librarian announces that the library is not
yet fully stocked.

The following spells are available: Armor Aura, Elemental Shield, Psi Shield,
Crimson Seam, Azure Seam, Golden Seam, Siphon Vigor, Blood Siphon, Amplify
Stars, Invisibility, Diffuse, Sacrifice, Rejuvenate, Icy Aura, Flame Wave,
Lightning Bolt, Green Haze, Shrink, Grow.

The following psi powers are available: Telepathy, Spontaneous Combustion,
Spirit Slash, Psychic Hammer, Piercing Stare, Rime Cloud, Nightvision,
Precognition, Alluring Aura, Attuned Eyesight, Trance, Unlock, Mental Link,
Psychic Sight.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/13/03 5:33 p.m.

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AGENT DARKNESS BONUS UPDATE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One bonus of the Agent profession is a reduced penalty due to darkness. Due to
an oversight, this bonus was not being applied, and this has been corrected.
Additionally, the actual level of reduction has been greatly increased.

Agents who do not have a light source or nightvision and are foraging,
skinning, or fighting in darkness conditions will now fare better in those
situations. In addition, penalties in combat due to blindness or partial
blindness are also greatly reduced for Agents.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/15/03 9:31 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CHANGES TO STAT TRAINING / STAT POINTS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Changes have been made to the cost of training stats as follows:

* Stat costs based on racial mod are now:
-3 = 7 points
-2 = 8 points
-1 = 9 points
+0 = 10 points
+1 = 11 points
+2 = 12 points
+3 = 13 points

* Stat costs no longer increase as a stat is trained.

* Players now receive additional stat points at 1000 experience drained
instead of 1200.

* Players now receive 30 stat points upon level up instead of 25.

* Human now receive 30 bonus stat points when they roll up in the character
manager instead of 20.

All players have had their stats reset to what they were when their character
was created and their stat points have been set properly so that you can
retrain your stats as you see fit.

This change has no effect with on reallocation, which will still take place as
planned, in the near future.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/18/03 10:36 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENCUMBRANCE UPDATES.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Various updates have been made which will in general make encumbrance less
severe. New calculations were added and a bug that resulted in vitality being
virtually ignored was corrected.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/18/03 2:29 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FIND YOUR FRIENDS (OR ENEMIES?) EASIER.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FIND verb has been added, which allows you to see if a certain person is
online or not more easily than picking through WHO FULL. Just type FIND
< name>. Partial names work fine, and if only one name is specified, both first
and last names will be checked for potential matches.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/19/03 9:53 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUMMAGE UPDATES.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RUMMAGE FOR AMMO will now show the number of rounds for each ammo item.

RUMMAGE FOR ALCHEMY will now show the quantity of components and potions and
whether they are fully prepared for use.

The roundtime for rummaging has been reduced for those with sufficient
perception.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/19/03 10:45 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISPOSE OF UNWANTED ITEMS MORE EASILY.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You may now use the DISCARD command to dispose of items you don't need. Be
forewarned, once you dispose of something, it's gone for good!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/21/03 7:25 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LET THE LIGHTS OF LLANFAIR SHINE!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Isn't it about time those big city lights actually did some good? Urban areas
will now be lit up at night, so that nightvision is not required. If you're in
a civilized area but it's still dark, it's probably just not quite civilized
enough.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/21/03 3:15 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TRANCE PSI POWER UPDATE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Trance psionic power will now increase the maximum focus power of the one
upon whom it is focused, allowing them to have a large pool of focus available
until the power wears off. The actual increase will scale according to the
psionic ability and mentality of the invoker.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/22/03 9:20 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STEALTH SYSTEMS RELEASED!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Players are now able to STALK others and SNEAK between rooms.
With the release of these two systems, several verbs have been changed in
regards to hidden players.

* Players are not able to stalk NPCs at the time. This will be changed in the
future.

* Players are no longer able to stay hidden while ACTIVELY moving between
rooms/doors normally.
--- This does not affect invisible players or hidden group members.

* If a player has only hidden group members, that player will not appear to be
leading a group while moving between rooms.
--- Some rooms prevent players from hiding in them, and hidden group members
will be prevented from following into these rooms.

Should any bugs or other problems arise, please use the BUG command in-game or
post in the Bug Reports section of the message boards.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Solphan Terris - 08/22/03 1:54 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEWS UPDATE / FIX!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Due to an error, you may have missed out on reading some news articles. This
error has been fixed, and to ensure that you have a chance to read all
articles, we have made all news unread for all players. We apologize for the
inconvenience as many articles you HAVE read will probably now show new. If
you don't care about any articles you may have missed, you can use NEWS IGNORE
to mark them all read.

You may also use NEWS LIST and pick out specific articles you don't remember
having read before.

As a reminder, there are only two ways to mark a news article as "read". One
is to use NEWS NEXT which advances to the next article chronologically and
marks it read. The other method is NEWS IGNORE which simply marks every
article as read immediately.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/22/03 5:22 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MAKING A PROFIT MADE EASIER.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureaucrats of level five and above are now able to sell commodities in large
quantities more easily and those who deal with Bureaucrats may do so more
safely.

The BROKER verb allows sellers to interact with clients to make the process
easy. The client need only hold an item to sell or a container full of
commodities in their right hand and BROKER WITH <seller name>. Both seller and
client are informed of the total units sold and the amount of money received
for them. No items ever need change hands and the money is paid immediately to
the client.

Note: No sort of tip is provided to Bureaucrats offering this service. Clients
who wish to tip must do so manually. Bureaucrats do receive a small amount of
experience to their pool for offering this service.

UPDATE: The BROKER verb is now back online!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/24/03 5:01 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medics of 10th level and higher (who also have sufficient Medicine and
Electronics skill) can now REVIVE fallen comrades. A cardiostimulator is
required, and additional medical training will greatly enhance the chance of a
successful revival.

Players revived by a medic suffer no experience loss and receive half of their
normal death penalty.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/24/03 8:20 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMM UPDATES!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There have been a few brush-ups made to the COMM system.

A couple of reminders first... if you type TRANS TO, and the next two words do
NOT specify a player currently online, your message will NOT be sent! This is
due to our latest edition of Knarfwall 4.1.5 software to protect your privacy!

Also, if you do not specify a channel (TO, a channel #, or a channel name)
after TRANS, it will default to the last channel you transmitted to. This only
applies to actual channels and special channels, not private messages.

And now, the changes!

There are now SPECIAL channels that you may transmit on! These are used like
any other channel and can only be received by individuals with access to these
channels. Currently, the only special channels we have are Profession-specific
ones, which you may acquire by ASKing your Profession leader about COMMs after
the 5th level.

Use your profession channel once you have it by typing TRANS PROF(ESSION)
< msg> or TRANS <PROFESSION NAME IN FULL> <msg>.

In the future, special groups or citizens of cities will obtain additional
channels on the comms.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Zoz Bryant - 08/25/03 1:21 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MULTICONNECTION OPTION NOW AVAILABLE.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: This announcement only applies to those who need to connection more than
once at a time per internet connection. Those who only need one connection at
a time are not affected.

To help those who share a connection (family, roommates, spouse, etc.), we are
offering a multiconnection option.

It is our hope that applying a small fee will deter players from using this
option in an abusive way, allowing those who have a legitimate need for
multiple connections to have an option.

The fee for multi connections is $5 per connection beyond 1, per month. No
recurring system will be set up at this time, so you will need to either pay a
fee monthly for so long as you need it, or pay ahead of time for months you
plan to use. If you would like this service, please use one of the following
options:

Option 1: Use the PayPal donation link on the main haelrahv.com site, and
donate $5 per month per connection needed beyond your first (so if two people
need to play at the same time, $5/mo, for three, $10/mo. etc.)

Option 2: Postal mail a check or money order (cash is accepted but not
recommended!) to the following address:

RPGN
P.O. Box 6614
Jacksonville, FL. 32236-6614

Regardless of which option you use, you MUST provide the following information
with your payment!

1. Your real name.
2. Your email address.
3. ALL of the accounts which should be permitted to use a connection.

Fine Print: No refunds! We apologize for the inconvenience, but fees paid for
time not used will not be refunded. If you elect to pay more than one month at
a time, please consider this beforehand.

If you have questions, feel free to post in the replies to announcements
topic, or email me at hr-trevor@haelrahv.com.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/27/03 8:18 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE TO ALCHEMY ITEMS!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For now, crucibles, drying pouches, mortars, and pressing tools will all hold
an unlimited amount of alchemy components. This is expected to eventually
change to something more reasonable.

Drying pouches may now be worn on a belt.

COMBINE and SEPARATE have been adjusted so that combined and separated items
will properly account for weight per unit. Previously this was not done,
resulting in very light stacks of components. Those stacks will now be much
heavier as they grow in size.

Update: Alchemy components (as well as clay and misc. stones) are now lighter.
This does not affect pre-existing stacks or items. Pre-existing stacks can be
made lighter by adding more to them or separating from them, however.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/27/03 3:48 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PLAYER SITE HOSTING.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm going to start providing web space to players who wish to have a game
site. This is free webspace with no ads, but there are a couple of
restrictiions:

- You must run a reasonably helpful site with original content (not just a
copy of the same stuff on the haelrahv.com page!) and maintain it.

- You must use your webspace responsibly. No storing large irrelevant files
like your mp3 collection.

These sites will be on the newly registered haelrahv.net domain, and those who
have sites will have haelrahv.net email they can use with any pop3 email
client like outlook, etc.

If you'd like to take advantage of this, please contact me at
hr-trevor@haelrahv.net (note: .net, not .com).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/30/03 12:05 a.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMBAT UPDATE: PARRY.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Parry users will now find the defense to be more effective. While not all
attacks can be parried, parry is generally a superior defense to others and is
more successful on the whole than either evasion or shield.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/30/03 12:37 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMBAT TRAINING INFORMATION - STAT TRAINING!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below are some general stat training notes for combat, that may prove useful.
The exact stat weights are not noted, but the order in which they are listed
IS the from most to least useful.

Defense:
Projectiles (archery, marksmanship, pulse, thrown, some magic/psi):
Evasion: Agility, Perception
Parry: Cannot be used.
Shield: Coordination, Strength, Perception
Non-Projectiles:
Evasion: Agility, Coordination, Perception
Parry: Coordination, Agility, Perception
Shield: Strength, Coordination, Perception
Magic/Psi:
One of the above are usually used. In some cases such as blood siphon, a pure
magic resist check applies, which is based on intellect, or for mental powers
a mental resist check may be applied, based on mentality.

Attack:
Melee attacks (attack, bash, thrust, slash, etc.)
Bladed, Blunt, Polearm, Unarmed: Coordination, Strength, Perception
Exotic: Coordination, Perception, Strength
Fired attacks:
All: Coordination, Perception, Mentality
Magic:
All: Intellect
Psionics:
All: Mentality

General stat training:
Balance: Agility
Aimed Attacks (targetting specific body area): Coordination, Perception.
Stamina: Vitality
Health/Stamina Regen & Damage Regeneration: Vitality
Encumbrance: Strength, Vitality
Second Weapon RT For Paired Weapons: Coordination
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/30/03 1:07 p.m.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMBAT RELEASE: SHIELD BASH ATTACK!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shield users may now use the SHIELDBASH command to bash at their opponent with
a shield. When successful, this attack has a high chance to stun or knock down
an opponent. This attack cannot be parried, only dodged or blocked with a
shield. Troopers have above average ability to use this attack and will have
slightly better results.

A minimum of 45 shield use skill is required to use this attack.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author: Trevor Rage - 08/30/03 1:13 p.m.