Beginner's Guide to Planeswalking
Welcome to Sigil: Planar Legends! This server is set in the Planescape setting as it was in 2E (Pre-Faction War). If you're new, check the below sections for useful information, and remember to join the discord ( https://discord.gg/NFFX2XU3uu ) if you have any additional questions. Shoot us a message and we'll try to help!
Before entering the server proper, it is strongly recommended to use the shop in the character setup area to buy consumables and starting gear. Of the starting items, Lesser rings of Fate, which give you regeneration, are some of the strongest recommendations we can give you. It's once again highly suggested to buy at least one of the Lesser Rings of Fate.
The Lore
While Planescape is an incredibly lore-rich setting, it is not required that you go through all the 2E books to understand it. Sigil is the City at the Center of the Multiverse, with portals that go almost everywhere. It is commonplace for 'Clueless', denizens of Prime Materials like Alber Toril (Forgotten Realms) and Krynn (Dragonlance) to end up there with no knowledge of where they are or what surrounds them. Making a Clueless of a setting you're more comfortable with for a first character is entirely acceptable, as you will be able to learn about both the server and the setting in character and out of character in tandem. It's just a matter of finding that first planeswalker who will get you up to speed.
Remember to check Rules before you make your character! Some settings, like Ravenloft and Athas (Dark Sun), are by nature inaccessible. Characters cannot be from those settings!
Sigil's Layout
It can be overwhelming stepping into the server for the first time. This section is here to help give you some starting direction.
After stepping out of the character setup area, you will be dropped into Sigil's Market Ward - commonly known as the "Fulcrum" area due to the structure in the middle. This map is one of the main RP hubs of the server, and while you're getting started, everything you need to play is within one area transition.
At the end of the alleyway you start on, you will see the Planeswalking Guild Recruiter - he'll be covered in more detail below, but it's suggested you talk to him and get a quest from him right away.
Airon's Inn near the center of the area will allow you to rest if you pay for a room to recover spell slots and heal - additionally, resting in a proper inn will give a bonus of +1 to all saves and +1 to regen until the character dies or rests again.
The northern transition out of the square will lead to the Great Bazaar, where you will be able to buy most supplies you'll need to operate within the planes. From potions and healing kits, to better starter equipment than what you can buy at character creation.
On the South-Western side of the Square, you will see a transition to Newt Street, and another to Sigil's Sewers. Both of these are beginner dungeons, with the sewers being the easier of the two, and will be your source of gold and XP in your character's early progression.
The Bronze Bezant, a shop opposite of Airon's inn will allow you to sell any items you have found while dungeon delving with the exception of gems - Rek the Kenku, found in the Great Bazaar, will buy gems.
The Fulcrum at the center of the area is where PCs will usually gather for general RP and to gather groups for expeditions out into the planes.
The Eastern and Western transitions will lead to the other Wards (Districts) of Sigil. Sigil is a city that exists within the inside of a ring. If you were to look up, you could see a district of the city in the opposite end of the ring. This also means, that if you go in one direction for long enough, you will eventually end up where you started. Feel free to explore the other Wards (Districts) that Sigil has to offer. All of them, with the exception of the Hive, are safe.
Portals and You
In Sigil, any arch can house a portal. Portals in Sigil are gateways to other places, sometimes other planes of existence altogether, that remain invisible until activated.
From a gameplay perspective, there are three kinds of portals, and all three of them can be either two-way or one-way.
- Key-Activated: These portals won't even reveal themselves unless you cross the arch they inhabit while holding the suitable Portal key. Portal Keys can be anything - from a thought, or a smell, to a piece of junk. An example of a Key-Activated Portal, are the portals between Wards. In the Market Ward's western end, there is an arch that leads to the Lady's Ward that houses one of these. These can be activated by a Planar Transit Keystone that can be purchased from the Planar Transit Overseer standing next to it. Many other key-activated portals exist, and planeswalkers will often carry all sorts of junk on them because any such miscellaneous item might turn out to be a key. Explore to find them, or ask a veteran in-game!
- Clickable Placeables: Some placeables, when clicked, will reveal that they actually house a portal. A key is sometimes not required to use these, as it is accepted in-universe that the key is something insubstantial, or the act of interacting with the placeable itself.
- Doorways: Since any arch can house a portal, it shouldn't be surprising that any door transition you take might not lead you where you expect. Should you cross a door in the city, and end up in a cave, or a completely different ward, don't be confused. You have just stepped through a portal!
Beware of arches! Most locations in the outer and inner planes aren't suitable for mortal life!
Character Progression
Leveling up in SPL can be achieved by killing monsters, roleplaying, exploring, and doing quests. There are, therefore, 4 different types of XP.
- Combat XP: Subdivided into two types - solo and party XP. This is the only form of XP that is capped on a daily basis. Kill enough hostiles, and you will eventually hit the cap and any kill on a mob that would grant experience will only grant 1 XP from that point onwards.
- Exploration XP: By simply traveling through the areas in the server, you may sometimes stumble on one-time XP rewards for visiting a new location for the first time, or on randomly placed 'exploration nodes' that will grant you an XP boost.
- Roleplaying XP: By roleplaying around other people, you will be able to earn ticks of roleplay XP.
- Quest XP: Awarded by completing quests at early levels, and through the Planeswalker's Guild.
Early Questing
Outside of the entrance to most beginner dungeons, there will be a marked NPC on your map. This NPC will tell you about what you should expect in those dungeons, and offer gold and XP for trophy items dropped by powerful enemies within the dungeon.
At the very start of your character's career, this would be Inquisitor Garrat outside of Newt Street and Sigil's Sewers.
At level 12, you will be outside of the level range to receive XP from turning in these boss trophies, but you will also be at a point where most of the server is open for you to explore.
The Planeswalker's Guild
In the Market Ward, there is a Planeswalker's Guild representative. He will give you a daily quest for you to complete.
While in the early game these will only provide a bonus XP reward that doesn't count toward the daily cap, as you get closer to Level 20, you will start receiving quests that reward substantial gold rewards and writ marks, which can be used to trade for exceedingly rare and useful items.
Most quests early on will be to kill 30 of a creature type. If you don't know where to find that creature type, reach out to a player in-character, or ask around on the discord if you need help and we'll help you IC.
Later on, it is common to see players on the discord using the #looking-for-bashers in character channel to organize parties for some of the harder quests.
You can check a list of what quests you have been given by the Planeswalker's Guild through the crafting menu by right-clicking your character, and navigating to the option under "Special abilities".
Renown
Once a character has joined a faction or a sect, they will receive a badge for their membership and begin to gain Renown. Renown is accumulated through roleplay based around factions, taking part in some events, and impacting the multiverse through their actions.
Renown is a measure of how experienced and famed a character has become during their stay in Sigil. Renown extends beyond just the planewalker community, as it depicts how Sigil and the rest of the multiverse view a character. Once a person's Renown has reached 3,000, they may request a token from a DM that will allow them to opt into the process of leveling into epic levels.
Once a character reaches level 20, they will be unable to gain experience until they have reached 3,000 renown. Renown can be viewed once per day using the /renown chat command.
It is highly suggested that a character become involved in a faction or sect within the first couple of weeks of being made. There is no hard requirement to join a faction and most content is designed with a level range of 18 to 21 in mind, but factions and Renown frequently make up a lot of the ongoing RP on the server - factions are the driving source of most of Sigil's politics and have a large impact on the setting as a whole, and answer only to one another and the Lady of Pain.
It is recommended to a new player to check with Wilfred the Bookwyrm in the Market Ward for an in-module overview of the different factions and to read the Factions and Sects pages for a more thorough overview.
Hardcore Mode
- New. Not recommended for beginners to the server or to NWN.
Hardcore Mode can be selected upon character creation at the Gatekeeper before leaving the new player area. Once on, it cannot be toggled off. In hardcore mode the daily XP cap is removed and XP income from killing monsters (the majority of XP) is doubled. The max player level is capped at 24, and there is no soft lock or XP slowdown at 20. There is still a LA pool that must be worked off. When a character is brought to below 0 HP, they will be unable to respawn and a 2 minute timer will start. The player must be brought back to life and must remain above 0 HP during those two minutes or the PC will be retired automatically. Any death will trigger this system. Places traditionally safer to die in (such as Ysgard or the Spire) are not safe for Hardcore Characters.
Applicant races are not valid for Hardcore Mode.
You have been warned.
Other Useful Tidbits
Be sure to use the /help chat command in-game for a list of all commands that are available in the module. SPL has a lot of commands from changing the way your character's animations are portrayed to helpful HUD additions like /spelltimers to let you know exactly how long your buffs will be up for.
Languages
Languages: The /language command will let you know what languages are available in the module, as well as how many you can learn. The number of languages you can learn is directly tied to your intelligence modifier. You will always know Common (Planar Trade) and can learn 1 additional language per intelligence modifier.
If you see a player speaking gibberish, either they're using planar cant (Sigil Cant and Additional Cant) and nothing can help you, or they may be speaking an unknown language. If you don't know that language, you won't even know what language they are speaking, but the Comprehend Languages spell will let you understand them.
Appearance
Character Customisation: While there are tailoring models in the character creation menu and the OOC room, you can access a much more advanced system for changing your character's armor, cloak and helmet appearance through the Crafting Menu.
Per-Part coloring is implemented on the server and is usable through this menu only.
You are also able to save an item's appearance (Armor, Helmet, Cloak) to be easily cycled back to through here.