(by Neiska) Hello Everyone, Neiska here!

Due to all the (same) questions i answer for people, and from what i overhear, i have decided to post this "Beginners Guide" to Haven. This is for the questions i get asked a lot, on a continual basis. This will cover the things you may need to know to have a good time in haven.

Q: Where to i get money Neiska?

A: There are many ways to get money. From Grinding to RP to DM events to Jobs. I'll go over each of these one at a time.

1) Grinding. Many people think grinding is the easiest way to get money. When its actually one of the slowest. You go to the goblin caves, or better yet (these days) Chauntea's Hold and kill/loot and level. The Chaunteas hold actually has better gold value than the goblin caves, and better experience too due to the level of the monsters. I dont think this is actually known yet server wide yet, because everyone is still squatting in the caves.

Anyway most of the loot you should sell to Harl, the dwarf. He pays at most 120 gold per item though, no matter what it is or how much. So, yes it is slow. But a steady source of income. Haven has a very strict economy and the reasons for it are posted elsewhere on the forums, i wont go into it here. Namely yes you can make money by grinding. But it is very slow and tedious work.

2) Roleplay. Roleplay Roleplay Roleplay! This is actually a better way to obtain gold than grinding, if you do it correctly. Namely find a spot in the community and get paid for it! Examples of these are: Guards, Barkeepers, Dancers, Entertainers, the Message Parlor, Magical Crafting Assistance, Selling your items, and other things. We even had a fortune teller at one point. If you have an idea for a job/occupation, by all means bring it up and maybe it will get approved! But dont expect it to be a freebie or handout, even the captain of the guard gets paid only 1200 a week. Just use your imaginations and well see what we can do. But with enough jobs and services, you can actually make more money faster than grinding. And you will be better known on the server too!

3) DM events. This is by far the best way to get money and items. I regularly throw contests, duels, riddles, games, treasure hunts, all sorts of things that have prizes free for the taking. Sometimes all you have to do is show up! Here are a few events i recommend for those new to haven~

1) Gem Hunts. Think of it as an easter egg hunt, but with gems instead. I hide gems all over an area, and people come and find them. You keep what you find, and can do as you wish with them. By far the most gems are pretty common, like rubies, obsidian, greenstone and those kinds. But every so often i put a few high value gems in too. With these you can get enchantments done on your weapons or armor, or sell to the guy in the "Eldath's Grotto". The highest price is 1000 gold per gem, but thats much better than 120 gold for something.

2) Bag Grab event. Think of it as a mystery doorprize event. I make a large selection of bags and place random items inside. They can hold anything from body parts, to magic items, to weapons, to armor, some items on the server that arent for sale, there is NO other way to get them than from a bag grab! And yes if you get something you cant use, by all means you can trade them with people. A few enterprising people have started collections and have started their own mini-markets. If youre lucky, you can win something you didnt even know was out there!

3) Monster rallies. There are many different kinds of monster rallies, but basically thats where you fight in the arena for gold or special prizes. You get 100 gold per monster or "round" you complete. No resting in-between rounds, once you start you go until you fall. The monsters get harder and harder and more difficult. Most of the different monsters you can fight, this is the only way to fight them in haven. From red dragons, to pit fiends and balors, to greater elementals, all sorts of things are available. Everyone who enters gets 100 gold per monster, and mabye a special prize. you win the special prize in a few different ways~

a) by doing something different from everyone else for a change to fight. Like, say a drunken boxing monk, or a fighter that uses daggers for a change. or a mage that uses uncommon spells. just anything different from the normal. it may not be a better way to fight monsters, but you may impress everyone with your wits! i have yet to see ANYONE use traps! (hint hint rogues and rangers, use that slow trap and shoot them to death!)

cool.gif by fighting and killing something above your level. ive had a 13 mage kill a level 19 dragon, and that was impressive. a level 3 monk killed a level 8 undead and that was also impressive. and no i dont mean spamming something cheap (knockdowns) or something like that. But by your wits and physical abilities, outsmart and outfight the monster. it isnt always going toe-to-toe. you have a whole arena to fight in!

c) if the crowd and i believe you have earned one. this is sort of a catch all. once in duels we had a level 13 mage win! to everyones surprise. so yes he got a prize.

Special prizes are handpicked by me, and it will be something specifically for your class that will be of use to you. Think of it as a gift from the crown for your performance, but PLEASE dont ask for something specific or spit in my face from it. That has happened in the past and it didnt end well.

But i would like to make this point known, that these are NOT handouts or freebies. Having FUN is most important! But i can understand that its a bit difficult to start out in haven with only 100 gold. But there are many ways to get money!

4) Jobs. There are many jobs available, and not all are being thought about. What about an armor crafter in haven that specifically deals with animal skins and natural materials? I would gladly support such a person, giving them access to natural materials they would need. Salamander skins, dragon hides, umber hulk skins and such, for a price of course. Yes you CAN craft your OWN dragonarmor! and its MUCH cheaper to do so! If telron would approve it i would support such a person.

But think outside the box on this one. What about a "lost and found" person? or a "event assistant" (neiska/i would SO pay for assistance for this one!) What about a cleansweeper/groundskeeper? Someone whose JOB it is to go around and clean up peoples messes! (unwanted loots, dropped things, etc) It would reduce lag for everyone, and you would be getting paid for it! (making it better for everybody!)

how about a "Sex educations" teacher? silly perhaps, but in haven with so many ic shy people, maybe they have questions? im sure the crown would support such a person, since its a public service.

Mabye someone could fill the "Royal Matchmaker" of haven? Basically people tell you when they are single and looking for a mate, and you keep track of whose single out there and try to get people together. That one has been empty for awhile.... And its already supported by the crown!

Just use your brains and try to come up with a service people need. Telron and we dms will agree if its a real job haven needs, and decide on a fee or commission for it, and presto! You have youre own unique job!

I think that covers money VERY well. There are other ways, such as auctioning yourself for a tempoary time as a servant, but i wont go into those now.

Q: Where do i get items Neiska? Who can craft them for me?

A: Glad you asked. Items are mainly sold by NPCs. Ana sells the weapons. Harl sells the armor. The elvenforge sells the shiny things, but they are high end items. There are stores in kortuga too. But all the items are overpriced on purporse, due to havens "paradise feel" and other reasons explained elsewhere on the forums. (in hawaii a coke can cost 8 dollars.. i know. i paid it >.< )

So the most common way to get your things are by crafting from other players. Who can craft? Just about anybody who takes the feats and classes for it! Ask around, and see who can. Need armor made? ask a warrior. Enchantments? The mage guild would be happy to provide it. And most people dont ask for a tip or fee, only that you provide the needed materials. They will tell you what you need for what you want, or you can go here:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pB9...AvuOtJYVw&pli=1

this is a basic list of what you can and cant craft, with many many options. whats needed, the feats and spells required to get it. Hope it helps.

Q: Where can i get custom clothing like yours Neiska?

A: Well, there was a person who did it. I wont say her name here because i respect her privacy. Originally she was more than happy to do it, but it was supposed to be only for avatar/looks, NOT for special or "uber" equipment. Some things WONT be allowed onto the server, reguardless if you have the money icly to buy it or not. We need to perserve the game balance.

But i am sorry to say that this person got so overwhelmed by requests, that she didnt have time to play herself. And she got some very strange orders for things people should have more sence than to even ask for. These were supposed to be Cosmetic only, not to have a +5 dagger of demon/elemental/slaying that gives haste and makes you fly and summons you cookies. Thats just silly. (except mabye the cookies part tongue.gif )

So until i hear otherwise, there will be no custom items made for people. The person is too overwhelmed by people asking and asking and sometimes demanding for their orders, she just doesnt want to do it anymore, and its ruining the game for her. Sorry everyone, but a few people ruined it for everybody. Thats just how it is. One person shouldnt spend 8 hours of their day off making everyones clothes when they want to play the game too!

That covers the 3 most often questions that i get on a daily basis. I hope everyone who reads this has a few awnsered questions. I will post more popular questions here for everyones benefit!

XOXO Neiska

Hello once again everyone,

Its Neiska, everybodies favorite Devil girl here, with some new and updated helpful hints and tips for you newcomers to Haven. I hope that some of you take this not as a "Die Hard What to do" list, but just some tidbits and useful information that you may be wondering, as often as i get asked them while in DM mode.

Q: Neiska, how do i get wings/tails/changes to my Avtar? A: There is a section in the forums to ask for that sort of stuff. And here is a link to it: http://z6.invisionfree.com/Haven_Forums/in...hp?showforum=39

Just start a new topic, and give us your request!

The scripting/building DMs occasionally go through them and make changes. No "die hard" set time on them, but i would imagine that if you spice up your story, make it interesting with a great IC reason, then it would happen sooner! What you get is what you put into it, just like everything else. Examples~

(A well written request) Account:BobtheBarbarian Character Name:Sna-fou, the drunken master half dragon boxing from the mountains. Discription: Hello DMs, Recently i submitted a character background which was approved for "Snafou" the old half dragon sensi drunken master monk. As is typical with half dragons, some of them get wings. So could i have the "Dragonic/Fiendish" wings added please, also with a tail? It would be greatly appreciated. And i hope youre all getting a chuckle out of seeing Ole Sna-Fou "Wax on, Wax off" all those whipper snappers! Thanks!

(A poorly written request) (no account name posted) Hi. I play Turgnosh. Please gimmie wings. Thanks. (no specified IC reason why or what wings given, and lack of description and depth to the character)

As you can see, if you make the Builders smile, spark their imagination with something whitty, original, or something that everyone can agree with ICly and OOCly, then the chances are much greater that you will get your avtar request. And on a side note, it is also required to request for permisson if you have a really weird color for your race, like an orange orc, a purple human, a pure yellow tiefling and so on. You may laugh, but ive seen it before. Hairstyles not so much, but skin colors are. Also this applys to any "haking" you do to your character. Makeing them taller, wider, shorter, insanely large, or anything like that, it all requires approval on the forums.

Q: What all races/classes/backgrounds has to get approved here in haven? A: Thats a pretty Broad question. But i will try and cover the basics. Here are the outright "No-no's" that will 99.9% get rejected, all the time, everytime, no matter how original or thought out your story may be. 1.Vampire characters. (or hybrids, halfbreeds, or parts thereof) 2. Werewolves. (or hybrids, halfbreeds, or parts thereof) 3.Insane Characters. (an "iffy" issue. people that are sexually deviant are probially ok, but the criminaly insane or split personalities are No-no's) 4. Immortal characters. (or claims to be a god, demi god, hybrid of a god, a great grandson twice removed of a god, or anything aside from worshiping gods) 5. Characters with outright ages or backgrounds tend to get rejected. (ergo i am 100,000 years old, or i was there during the time of troubbles when that god died that time) 6. Intelligent speaking animals. (perhaps you could RP a friends familiar, but that would probially take us knowing you are a dedicated and trustworthy rper first before we would allow that) 7. Nonstandard humanoid races. (kobolds, goblins, ogres, half ogres, half golems, pixies, etc etc) 8. Beings from another plane. (this one requires dm permission, aside from gensi's being from their elemental plane, and tieflings i believe)

Now, i myself my two main characters are a Baatezu and a Sea Elf. Both pretty exotic characters, but i got permission to play them. If you want to play something different from the normal, thats fine. But please submit your characters background. Even if you think its not needed for something "just a little different". Its much better to just ask when in doubt, than to say "To hell with it" and play whatever you want, and upset people. What will probially happen is that your character may get deleted, making you start all over from scratch, and no one likes that. So, to save everyone time, trouble, and headaches later on, please submit your plausible backgrounds if its something aside from the normal. We arent as strict as you may think on races and histories, but we do appreciate a heads up about it.

Q: How come i/people/everyone else is bald? whats going on? A: Simple awnser. There are currently two "whatbrick" programs for hair styles that people use. The issue is that the two dont "see" each other. So if person A has one, and person B has the other, then to each other they appear bald. The only way to fix this, would be to either "normalize" everyones hair-hak's, or make everyone get rid of them all together. But i dont see either of these happening, because people want their avatars perfect. Cant say i really blame them, except when it causes problems or bugs like "invisible characters" that no one else without the hak sees. If a person that i cant "see" has an issue in the game, i cant help them. i cant even target them to give them rp exp, items, rewards, or even see them on the screen. And often enough it will cause visual bugs. (super-imposing their "haked" avatar onto others for example) So if you have an issue like this, please report it and we will figure out what to do next.

Q: Whats going on? where do i go? how do i get there? (and other general questions) A: Simply put, haven is a paradise. Think of it as adventureing in Hawaii. There are often things going on, but if you are lost, or need assistance, by all means ask someone. 99.9% of us are all fun loving and friendly people, and will give you some help if youre having problems or issues. Just take a moment,open the player chat, and ask around. I am sure that you will get help from your fellow players for directions/explanations.

Q: Whats comming out with the next patch? When is epic levels/items/feats/etc being added? A: Honestly, i dont have much more of a clue as to what will be added than any of you do. Sometimes i may ask the building/scripting DMs but nothing is 100% for sure until it is announced. So, please be patient, as more content is being added. Every patch is always worth the wait!

Q: Can i make monsters/clothing/quest's? A: We do take submissions from people. You can send them to me or telron here on the forums, and we will look at them. But if your submission isnt a serious attempt at something, dont be suprised if it is rejected. And dont ask us when or if it will be added. If it is, we will tell you. But if its a level 1 monster with 2 hitpoints that gives 99999 exp, or a +10 holy avenger of gut stomping diety slaying power, please be real and expect us to shake our heads. Stuff like that, aint gonna happen. We will shake our heads, and press Delete. When in doubt, follow the Pen and Paper books. You cant go wrong with that.

Q: I am a servant, so how do i get auctioned/find a master? A: It depends on your faction. If you are a Haven servant, then we hold servant auctions once a week, every tuesday. Also, you can be bought directly from the crown by a friend or someone you like to RP with, for 1000 gold per level of the servant. Or you may remain property of the crown indefinitely. Now, if you are a Kortugan servant, it works differently. You will need to talk to someone OOCly, and get their CONESNT to become your/their Kortugan slave, and they will "Catch" you. After they "catch" you, the both of you will need to go to the slavemasters in kortuga for a few reasons. ICly, this is to get their "cut" and approval. OOCly, its for us dms to talk to both of the players and make sure all is OK. Because the laws in Kortuga arent nearly as scrict in Haven, so we need to take steps to make sure no one get hurt. And as a sidenote, ALL servant transactions, Haven or Kortugan, in any way shape or form, HAVE to be approved by telron. I can ask him for you and get you an answer. Usually its pretty fast. This is because their may be come issues that you are unaware of, or their may be IC considerations to consider before awarding your servant. Now, what will happen is if you ask me, and i get the "OK" from Telron, i will tell you that it is fine, and we will get the servant collared as soon as it is convenient. Sometimes it may take a bit, even with approval. So please bear with is. It takes time to make sure every minute detail is where it should be. And, on a side note~ You can become a "temporary" Servant, be being a free person, and auctioning yourself off. Terms are set by the one selling themselves, and time is typically a day or two, sometimes a week. Sometimes a Month. Exact terms of the contract must be stated, as well as any icly/oocly limits you may have. And when you auction yourself as a temporary slave, you get the money, not the NPCs (such is the case with servants getting sold versus free people.

Thats really all the more recent Questions at this time. I will add and update this as things change and evolve, or more "often asked" questions pop up.

See you all in haven!

XOXO Neiska