Epic Characters

Renown, The Path to Epic

On Sigil: Planar Legends, the path to unlocking Epic Progession is almost entirely automated. All characters gain small amounts of Renown automatically for various roleplay milestones and characters that have joined a Faction or Sect will gain additional Renown by engaging in roleplay related to their Faction/Sect. A player can check their character's renown once per real-life day using the /renown command. Dungen Masters will also give small Renown grants from time to time for exceptional roleplay. Once a character reaches 3,000 Renown they can opt into Epic and Renown gain is almost entirely based on Dungeon Master grants from that point on.

• You need a Faction or Sect badge to gain passive Renown and your first character must be at least level 15 to join a Faction or Sect.

Level 20, Opting In, LA, and Experience Points

Once a character reaches level 20, they stop gaining any experience points and will lose any gained past 190,000 upon relog. This persists until the character has 3,000 Renown - at which point the player can contact a DM and opt into Epic Progression. Once opting in Epic Progression a character will resume getting experience points but at a reduced rate and killing monsters no longer contributes experience points. Experience can be gained by roleplaying for RP XP, doing a writ a day, completing various once-a-month special challenges, and from Dungeon Master grants. If a character has a Level Adjustment penalty they will also have a 'LA payout pool' which will 'eat' a portion of gained RP XP until it is paid off; using the /lapool command after the character has gotten at least one experience point will show the current pool amount.

• Opting into Epic Progression is a significant decision and is worth thinking about for at least a brief time. If you decide to opt into Epic for a character contact a Dungeon Master for the progression token. A character cannot 'opt out' of Epic once it is opted into.

Epic Roleplay Expectations

Epic Characters are those who have risen to a status that makes them widely known in various circles; they would be recognized by others in a crowd. This does not mean the character is famous; simply they have enough fame, respect, or infamy that others would know who they are. As part of that, your character is expected to behave accordingly. The roleplaying that your character engages in should push exciting narratives, actively pursue goals that foster role-play opportunities for other characters, and engage in activities that include lasting and impacting plotlines. Epic Characters are not expected to walk into a room and 'take control' of a situation, but they are expected to do more than simply hang about as a 'face in the crowd' and not engage in plotlines. It's completely fine for an Epic Character to grind or engage in casual roleplaying during downtime, but ideally, an Epic Character should not always be engaged in those activities and should be looking for ways to push and expand their own goals and narratives in the server campaign. Characters that push their goals in a coherent and cogent manner that garners the notice and approval of DMs are far more likely to gain larger quantities of Epic XP for their efforts.

• Epic Characters are expected to 'make waves' from time to time in what they do and how they act. They should do notable things that others will remember and react to, making both allies and enemies among other player characters and NPCs alike. For an Epic Character to undertake high stakes, Epic Quests (explained below) they will be required to have made themselves well-known enough to have both enemies and allies beforehand.

Balance and Respect

In their quest for influence and significance, players of Epic Characters should understand the importance of balance and respect toward others in the community. Characters surpassing level 20 are held to a higher standard, with expectations to occasionally yield opportunities to newcomers despite their own possible gains. While we do not expect Epic Characters to bow out of events, plots, or quests, we do ask that they respect the enjoyment of other, newer characters and players. When adventuring with lower-level parties, it's often better for Epic Characters to play support roles or provide advice rather than running ahead and just clearing all the content. This strongly applies in DM events.

Epic Consequences

(It is very important to read and understand this section)

Beginning the Epic Journey means accepting 'epic consequences'. Actions and decisions taken by an Epic Character inherently carry more weight and risk than those of a reasonably unknown, pre-epic character. Characters who are pre-Epic will find that they are allowed to make poor choices or even fail plotlines and rarely face extreme outcomes or that they can find ways to solve problems that should likely be unsolvable. Epic Characters are not given the same leeway; upon opting into Epic the character is now always held to their decisions; they can have much more serious and impacting outcomes - both beneficial and harmful. Poor and unwise choices may result in serious risk and outcomes for the character; anything from jail time within Sigil, to permanent ability score decreases, to even forced retirement via death or some other plot means. This is a constant, ongoing process: it does not only apply during some events and then cease to apply at other times. This also means the character can work towards making important and impacting changes to the story and history of the server itself in ways that most others cannot and they can begin undertaking various high-stakes quests for exceptional rewards. This isn't meant to discourage players from having Epic Characters, it's meant to encourage well-planned and creative roleplaying that shows why the character is Epic and shows the greater stakes for those who are known in Sigil and the Outlands.

• Again: Epic Characters are expected to play and act in a way that understands they are always 'at-risk'. Sigil does not do 'gotcha!' type plotlines or aim to see characters taken down solely to topple them and the Dungeon Masters will attempt to make things clear is there is a serious risk at play, but by becoming Epic there always comes a risk of serious outcomes, good and bad, during play.

Epic Quests: High-Stakes, Character Background, and Other Quests

Once a character has opted into Epic, they can begin the process of Epic Questing with a Dungeon Master. Epic Questing is the true time for your character to forge a path of their own and raise to a true level of fame or infamy. Epic Quests are, by default, High-Stakes quests: they can be failed; they can have unwanted or unexpected outcomes, and they are dangerous - but at the same time, they can allow a character to have amazing outcomes. Epic Quests are tailor-made for your character and their background, allowing them to possibly leave a monumental impact on the multiverse and affect the lore and history of SPL. They are the chance for your character to truly pursue their goals - to finish their backstory and make their mark on history. All Epic Quests can only be handled by Questmasters and Dungeon Masters; Storytellers do not run Epic, High-Stakes Quests. For a character to begin the process of undertaking one of these exceptional quests, they must have made their intent known to at least a group of allies regularly, they must have valid and compelling reasoning, and they must have some form of goal or desire that requires them to undertake such risky circumstances -- conclusions of well-designed and often pushed/discussed character backstories are frequently a good starting point for quests such as these. Most of these quests take a significant period and require ongoing communication between the player and the Dungeon Master running it, and play out across multiple event chains before concluding. A character can undertake more than one Epic Quest, but it becomes increasingly difficult and dangerous for the character due to the level of attention they begin to draw from truly powerful and terrifying entities.

• As explained above, these quests take a large amount of time to finish for a single character; there is nearly always an ongoing backlog of them. Do not expect to begin one as soon as a character opts into Epics. It is highly advised to not create a 'time-sensitive situation' or you may end up trapping your character into a poor situation before it can be worked on by a Dungeon Master. All Epic Quests are High-Stakes by nature and epic consequences and rewards apply more to them than normal play or events/questing.

Level Progression and Information

The journey from level 20 to 30 is a straight path, with progression paced only by the rate of experience gained. The presence of an Epic Character in a party can intensify endgame dungeons, spawning more powerful mobs and increasing boss challenges.

Staying Level 20 and not going Epic

Epic Progression is an entirely optional system - and for some characters, it does not fit into their personal growth or story to proceed to epic levels as soon as it's possible. Epic is a serious turning point for a character, and by far the largest part is that they will be held far more accountable for the choices they make, and they'll be far more likely to be part of key decisions that affect the story and livelihood of themselves, NPCs and sometimes other characters. Mechanically, nearly all content on Sigil: Planar Legends is designed to be possible for a group of level 20's; gear affects the 'power level' of a character more than build or levels. Also, leveling in epics is very slow by design; the amount of time to go from level 20 to 21 is longer than it takes to get to level 20 and earn 3,000 renown and it progressively slows down more from there. Delaying progressing into Epics for some time until you feel your character can truly handle the expectations and requirements is a completely valid action and there are cases in which a character would have likely benefitted from waiting until they had the emotional and plot growth before being thrust into the serious situations.

Factotum in a Faction

While not directly tied to levels, progression, or even Renown, a character will generally have Epic Progression unlocked or at least be at 3,000 Renown before promoting to Factotum. Much like pre-Epics, those of Namer rank in Factions are given much more leeway and much less oversight in what they do or how they behave and will generally be able to exist within a Faction or Sect so long as they do not do anything directly against the core beliefs on the regular. However, once a character is promoted to Factotum rank, they will quickly find they are viewed as a 'face' in the Faction; an example for others to live by, and they have much stricter expectations placed upon them. Things they were able to get away with will no longer be tolerated and they are expected to follow the core values of the Faction at all times. Outside of roleplaying, there is no need or requirement for your character to be promoted; it's worth keeping in mind if the expectations and responsibilities are worth the added authority and role within the Faction.

• Promotions in a Faction are not automatically granted; characters must earn them through exceptional Faction-based roleplay and a character can be demoted or even expelled from a Faction for failing to adhere to the core beliefs of the Faction.