Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get levels?
There aren't any levels. You play the game as if you were living a life, and you get rewards -- or penalties -- based on the decisions you make. These consequences don't come in the form of points or exp or levels -- they come in the form of social esteem, wealth, physical power, and other intangibles. Please don't slaughter our alley cats to get exp; chances are you'll kill some slum-dweller's pet and get hunted down by a posse!

How do I get skills?
Like in RL, you can learn skills from other people ingame, or else from your employer. Pick your skills carefully when you make your character: what you pick might not be what you end up doing for a living, and depending on your PC's stats, you may not be able to become super-good at what you picked. Your stats matter here! See here for lists of suggested employment and (soon) what stat orders would work best for those fields.

How do I get better stats?
Your stats are what they are. They can't be raised. On the plus side, they can't be lowered either, except temporarily by getting really really injured. If you get blinded, or decide an injury has caused your PC to lose a limb, your stats may be adjusted. We work off a point system; normal humans have 92 points among all their stats, and races like Bloodgifted Flameholdans may have up to 110. If we manually lower one stat, we'll raise another so you don't "lose" anything. But we don't do that often. You won't ever see the actual numbers of any of your stats, of course, only a range (as most RPI muds handle it). But rest assured that you'll have the same "pool" everybody else of your race has. Roleplay points can be used to get more stats, starting at 2 RPP for 1 stat point. Ask admins about it if you're interested. There is a cap on how many RPP you can spend in this manner but that is the only way to raise a stat. Please do not ask admins to manually adjust your stats once you enter game. We don't do that. The only time a staffer will touch your stats is via RPP or special request due to injury. We will always tell you when this has been done.

How do I get money?
Like in the real world, you get money by either selling something or working for somebody. Scialla is no different. It is not recommended that you make a concept that cannot do one or the other of these. Easy ways to make money include begging, scrounging items to sell to various shops in town, herb gathering/farming, and the outdoorsy sorts of professions. Nobody said you'd make a mint doing these, but they are options. Ambition will get you far, however. Everybody starts at the bottom of their respective job chains, but you can rise as high as you can reach to grab. Be someone admins can count on, and we'll make sure you rise as high as you can go. See here for more ideas.

Can I be a Flameholdan/Bilashan/Lirwhinite/other?
Not at this time. The only races open to play right now are Sciallan and mixed-breeds. If you decide to be a mixed-breed, you don't get any physical stat bonuses or skilljumps as a result; it's a cultural thing only. In game terms, you are raised by your Sciallan parent and consider yourself more or less Sciallan. You may not choose a Bilashan as your "other half" parent. Also be aware that there aren't any Oriental races, nor black-skinned African-looking people, though tanned people are certainly all right. By the same token, there are very few "unearthly pale" people. Those who have extreme natural coloration or lack thereof will usually be nobility. Apps that involve either extreme in a non-noble will be declined.

Do I have to bow to knights and Templars?
There are very few knights in this game, and as far as you know, no Inquisition either. There are Nobles, however. You'll know them by their wearing of weapons and extremely fine clothes, since Valrona allows only Swordsmen and Nobles to wear weapons. Nobles also wear signet rings or pins, and are allowed to wear things forbidden to non-Nobles, such as cloth-of-gold (see here for sumptuary laws). Priests get called "Father" or "Mother", acolytes get called "Acolyte", and Nobles get called "Sir" or "Dame" (or whatever their title is). You are expected to be polite; a Noble who doesn't like your attitude has the right to throw you in jail for breech of rank. Important: Unless a Noble looks at you or you need to interact with one, there's no need to bow or scrape anyway. Nobles know that in civilized society, there's no real way to enforce rank in a crowded public area. Be polite, but don't bow unless you make eye contact.

How do I join the military/Watch/whatever?
First get yourself a lot of money and join the Brotherhood of Swords. Then get a contract from the desired org. THEN you get to swing your sword around. Otherwise you can try to get a job outside the city, but those are rare (especially as the game is in its beginning stage.

How do I join the Preservationists?
The Cult of the Lady Sherreen is not currently open for PCs. As with Nobles, it isn't likely that you'll encounter many of them. Available roles are listed on the website once the forum software is installed, and also at chargen. Please don't app for or ask to join any of the proscribed religions; if you want to pursue it ingame, you're welcome to try!

Can I build/code/run errands for you?
At present we are not hiring, but thank you for thinking of us. If you might be interested in something like that in the future, let someone on staff know, and when we're ready, we'll definitely think of you in turn!

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