Dor Maeglin is a drow-themed, action-oriented persistent world set in the Underdark where great war-events are held and the eternal balance of good versus evil is in constant shift. It can be considered a medium magic world with light roleplay and heavy action. There are numerous, creative DM events to support the roleplay. Balance and fun is put ahead of Hardcore Ruleset or Dungeons & Dragons rules.
The server requires both Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark, as well as hak paks that can be downloaded either manually or automatically with the server's .NET launcher. The world is geared towards experienced and mature players who desire challenge and think strategically.
The city of Dor is both grand and awe-inspiring. There is a great diversity of creatures, equipment, and environments.
Dor Maeglin has been featured twice in "BioWare Wednesday" and combines the best elements of persistent worlds with DM-run events and campaigns. Another version is being developed for Neverwinter Nights 2. Also a drow-themed world, it will promise even more than before with many exciting new changes. There is a development team working tirelessly to produce the very best of custom content within a world of complete immersion.
Features[]
Unique items are abundant in Dor. Items from the original campaign are not to be found among Dorians. Instead, there is an intricate system of equipment designed for brackets of character levels. For example, dusk items are available to those of level 6 and up. Telerin may be used by level 9 and up and melkorian for 12 and up. More are available even beyond melkorian, but some cannot be granted as mere drops from monsters but must earned through continuous adventuring.
Soul gems drop randomly from monsters and come in various sizes. These may only be obtained by parties of adventures, and they can be turned in for points at the Gem Keeper’s office. Once a character has accumulated enough points, a ticket is granted to claim some of the more powerful items in Dor Maeglin. The more gem points earned, the more powerful the available prizes.
Party-based adventuring is the most rewarding experience in Dor. While no one will stop someone from adventuring alone, the world of Dor is designed to be experienced with other adventurers. Instead of the party size penalty offsetting the greater power of parties, Dor has an experience system that grants more experience for parties of size 2-7, provided character levels are within 5. (A party consisting of only epic characters can have a level range of 8 and still get this bonus.) Gold is granted and divided amongst all party members automatically with each kill, and looted items are shown to the entire party. In addition, items drop more frequently for larger parties. Unique to Dor is the "find a party" option in the game tool. Clicking this option will list all adventurers who can party with the player's character to gain group experience. Also, everyone listed will receive an overhead message informing them of who is looking for a group.
Death is not taken lightly in Dor, and respawning has its consequences for all except the lowest-level characters. (The server administrators believe no one should be penalized for starting their adventures and learning a new world.) Newer adventurers will have an easier time, but the higher level a character is, the more Death will rear its evil head.
- Level 1-4
- Characters may respawn at their point of death with full health for no penalty.
- Level 5-10
- Characters can respawn, but they will lose 90% of their gold, and 90% of their experience since earning their current level. In addition, these characters can be raised by "lesser raise dead" scrolls.
- Level 11-20
- As for levels 5-10, but "lesser raise dead" scrolls are no longer an option.
- Level 21-40
- As for levels 11-20, but characters must have 500gp per level in order to respawn.
Normal raise dead and resurrection scrolls can, as usual, revive a character of any level.
Traveling the lands of Dor has been made easier with points of recall and a central hub within the city. From the city itself, there is a portal that can instantly transport characters to their group’s leader. This will work is most areas that parties adventure but some are restricted. Each area of Dor is comprised of several maps. Within each area is a healer. The healers offer services such as buying, selling, identification, and healing. They may also transport a character back to Dor…sometimes for a fee. Each player starts with an Orb of Recall. These orbs, once magically attuned to a specific healer, will allow that player to recall a character back to that area's healer. All healers can attune an orb for a small fee. However, each attunement will only work in its specified area. For example, an Orb attuned to the Midlands will not allow recalling from anywhere but the maps associated with the Midlands areas.
Good and evil are always in constant struggle. But in Dor, the struggle takes on a whole new meaning. There is a Divine Balance in the world that affects Dor in a very powerful way but the unique twist is that only players themselves can affect that Divine Balance. Each time a character levels in Dor, it is announced to the world and depending on their given alignment, can shift the Divine Balance towards Good, Evil, or Neutrality. For example, when a level 13 good aligned adventurer advances to level 14, they will shift the Divine Balance towards good by 28 points. Certain things in the world are affected by what state the Divine Balance is in:
- Certain vendor NPCs found throughout the land will only sell their wares when the Divine Balance is in their favor. Be sure that their wares are above and beyond that which is commonly found in the city and towns.
- All area healers can transport adventurers back to the city of Dor Maeglin. However, if there is a charge of 500gp per level for characters whose alignment does not match that of the Divine Balance.
Spells, skills, and feats in Dor have been adjusted in terms of balance and gameplay. Some spells have had their caps increased while others have had their stats adjusted. Some even scale all the way up to level 40. Here is a short summary of a few things different in Dor. (In the following, "level" refers to caster level.)
- Meteor swarm scales with level, from a minimum of 20d6 up to 30d6.
- Improved invisibility gives 35% concealment.
- Power word, kill and stun affect double the hit points.
- Stoneskin, greater stoneskin, and premonition's reduction power goes up every 4 levels past 20. Example: at level 40 it is X/+10
- Isaac's greater missile storm has a maximum of level/4 missiles on one target and counts as 1 spell on mantles. Only targets enemies seen. 2d6/missile.
- Greater sanctuary has a duration of 5 rounds, extendable to 10.
- Greater magic weapon gives a +1 bonus per 5 levels, capped at level 25. The duration is 2 rounds per level with a minimum of 20 rounds.
- Dragon knight and mummy dust have bonuses to constitution, AC, and AB depending on caster level.
- Arrow of death has a DC of 30
- Devastating critical is disabled; when chosen, the leveling will be undone and players given another chance to level up.
- Epic shadowlord and the fiend from summon shadow have an extra 10 hit dice.
- Pickpocket is disabled.
Various subraces are available in Dor and each with their own strengths and weaknesses. A complete list can be found at the web site.
A new deity system grants more powerful summons to casters who choose to follow them and have the proper alignment. These summons scale in power with caster level. Druids and rangers get the benefits of the cleric's animal domain. Dor uses a server vault to store all characters and character deletion can be done at Quacks office. (See map pin)
Guilds are available in Dor and after some time players may even be asked to join one. There is a guild tool in game for players to use along with private guild halls.
Leveling in Dor is at a pace decided by each player. A dedicated player who can join a group for most of their play time can expect to reach level 20 in about 1 week. Solo adventurers will advance significantly slower.
Rules[]
The rules of Dor are not complex. Simply do not exploit, cheat, or abuse any game mechanics. Consequences may include banning. Shouting is prohibited in Dor except for select situations. General questions can be directed via tells or to players in the general area. People are very helpful in Dor and will do their best to make you feel welcome. A situation where shouting is allowed is:
- To look for a party if the group tool is insufficient.
- To ask for a resurrection. (Most people will go out of their way to help a fallen player due to the death penalty on Dor, so players should be aware of their character's location all times in case of an untimely death.)
- To role play in a DM event
Again please do not spam the shout channel. There is no need to shout more than once every few minutes even for a res. Player killing is very rare in Dor and if it does happen it is usually by accident in one of the many full PvP areas. Making enemies by mindlessly PKing fellow adventurers will not get one very far. A simple rule to follow is to treat others how you would like to be treated and have fun.