Power Groups (PGs) are the Althanas version of clans. PGs come from all walks of life be it adventuring parties, trade guilds, religious groups and cults, secret societies, mercenary armies, and just about any other organization one can imagine. Anyone can create a PG, though earning respect and favors for your PG may require more than one person.
Registering a Power Group
Anyone may register a PG at Althanas. To register, post a thread in the PG Registration subforum in the PG forum and include the following information: a link to a recruiting thread in the PG forum, your PG’s history, goals, purpose, ambitions, leadership, and any sub-rules for its members. A moderator will approve or deny the PG as appropriate.
Reputation Points
PGs range from localized groups to sprawling organizations that cover Althanas and all shapes and sizes in between. And while a PG might be well respected heroes in one part of the world, they may be completely unknown elsewhere. To represent this, PGs are awarded Reputation Points (Rep) in recognition of their deeds. A PG has a separate Rep score for each region of Althanas (Alerar, Corone, Raiaera, Salvar, and the Outlands) representing how well known and respected, feared, of favored they are by the citizens and rulers of that region. A PG with a higher Rep can expect to be recognized and afforded privileges that others do not necessarily receive, while a PG with a lower Rep score is beneath notice and is treated the same as any random person off the streets.
Rep Rewards
Rep is measured for each region on the following scale and achieving a higher Rep ranks brings higher rewards within that region. A PGs Rep starts equivalent to the number of members the PG begins with.
0 – 20: Your PG receives only the most basic level of recognition from the citizens of this region. There are no perks at this level.
21 – 40: Your PG’s name has been passed around, though many folk still regard them as nothing more than a passing fad. Members of your PG receive +15% exp for PG related threads within this region.
41 – 60: Your PG is established, well known, and respected or feared by most of the region’s citizenry. Members of your PG receive +25% exp for all threads completed within this region. All regional threads that members of your PG complete grant you an additional 20% gp. In addition, all members of the PG earn a 10% discount when purchasing items at the Bazaar.
60+: Your PG is so influential within the region that when you speak, kings and queens listen. Your PG is almost universally regarded with great praise or horrific loathing within the region. Members of your PG receive an additional 35% exp for all threads completed within the region. All regional threads that members of your PG complete grant you an additional 35% gp. In addition, all members of the PG earn a 20% discount when purchasing items at the Bazaar.
Regional Headquarters
Regional Headquarters (HQs) are not necessarily a physical location within the region, though a PG may certainly have an established base of operations. Rather, the HQs are a representation of a single PGs total dominance over the region. As such, each region only has one HQ and it can only be controlled by a single PG. HQs can only be vied for by PGs with a Rep score within 20 points of the current HQ owner. Control of an HQ can only be obtained through a PG war. If a PG ever drops below 40 Rep, they instantly lose their HQ.
Regional Headquarters Benefits
'Select Members' of a PG, as determined by the PGs leader, earn special bonuses above what is normally granted for their Rep level. Each PG leader may assign 5 Select Members to receive these bonuses, with an additional Select Member slot being made available for every 5 Rep that a PG has above 60. Losing Rep means that Select Member slots may be lost, in which case they are taken away at the PG leader’s discretion. Select Members receive a 50% exp bonus to any thread they complete. All threads that Select Members complete grant an additional 50% gp. Select Members also receive a 30% discount at the Bazaar.
In addition, each region’s HQ offers a unique bonus to Select Members:
Alerar – An additional 10% off any firearms purchased in the Bazaar. Purchased firearms are automatically masterwork quality.
Corone – Healing support from the Ai’Bron monks during PG wars. (Up to One PG members must be defeated twice to be knocked out of a PG war)
Raiaera – An additional 20% off any mythril Bazaar item. Purchased mythril items are automatically masterwork quality.
Salvar – Full support from the Church of the Ethereal Sway. (Natural Decay only occurs every other week.)
Outlands – An additional 20% off any Bazaar item enchantment.
Earning Rep
Rep can be earned and lost in a variety of ways:
Membership – Each new member of a PG earns 1 Rep for their PG.
Battling – Members of different PGs engage in a standard battle thread. In addition to normal exp/gp rewards, the winner’s PG gains Rep and the loser’s PG loses Rep equal to the difference in scores. In the event of a tie, neither PG gains or loses any Rep.
Questing - Members can write a PG related quest thread. If the thread scores a 50 or higher, 1 point of Rep is awarded for every 5 posts, or portion thereof. If the thread scores a 70 or higher, 1,5 points of Rep are awarded for every 5 posts, or portion thereof, rounded down. If the thread scores a 90 or higher, 2 points of Rep are awarded for every 5 posts, or portion thereof. Alternately, if the quest was written to hinder an opposing PG then the awarded Rep can be taken from that PG rather than added to the member’s PG.
Bribery – Using economic capabilities to help your PG or hinder another. 1 point of Rep can be purchased/removed from a PG for 1,000 gp.
Natural Decay – Rep decays naturally as a region’s citizens need to continually be impressed/oppressed to maintain their opinion of your PG. A PG loses 1 Rep every week, regardless of activity.
Destroying/Disbanding a PG – Once a PG reaches 0 Rep in all regions it is considered destroyed / disbanded and is removed as a PG. In addition, a notice with majority votes from active members can disband a group prematurely.
PG Wars
PG wars are large scale battles that are waged between two or more PGs and are run like group tournaments, with each PG constituting a team. The winning PG will receive a magic item to be distributed by the PG’s leader, a 50% exp boost on all PG war threads, and 10 Rep. The losing PG will receive a -50% penalty to exp on the PG war threads and will lose 10 Rep. A PG can be engaged in more than one war at a time.
Starting a PG War
To start a PG War, the leaders of both PGs (or their designated representatives) must post a thread in the PG forum declaring war upon the other along with the war’s parameters (1v1, 2v2, Gisela, etc.). Both PGs must agree to the war by having all members (or hired mercenaries) who desire to take part in the PG war post their intention to participate in the thread. Once both PG leaders have posted the initial war declaration, the thread will remain open for three days in preparation for the war. During that time, the PG leaders will choose which types of battles they want included in the war, with each side choosing half of the battles (note: a 2v2 counts as two, a 1v1 as one, and a 3v3 as three, etc). Afterwards, a moderator will close the thread and post the battles."
Like with most battles, the first poster will choose the setting for the battle. Battles will last 14 days and will be graded using the standard Althanas rubric. Each battle’s winner will move on to the next round until one clan is victorious either by defeating all members of the opposing PG or by attrition (having more than four players remaining than their opponent).
HQ Wars
HQ wars are highly specialized PG wars, intended to sway the hearts and minds of an entire region. As such HQ wars have their own special rules. If no PG is the current owner of an HQ, then the war is conducted as a normal PG war. If a PG owns an HQ, they must accept a war declaration from another PG vying for their HQ.
The PG that owns the HQ will always have the advantage over the attackers. The defending PG cannot lose by attrition, gets to decide what the war’s parameters are, and gets to describe the setting for the war’s battles. It is important to note that all battles in an HQ war must use the same setting, so it is tactically sound that the defenders choose an advantageous location. Aside from these differences, an HQ war is conducted in the same manner as a normal PG war.
At the HQ war’s conclusion, the winning PG immediately assumes all benefits of owning the region’s HQ, which are applied to the results of the HQ war threads. The losing PG immediately goes down to 40 Rep and does not gain any Rep from the HQ war threads.
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