Gifts
What are Gifts?
The Gift system is a replacement for the old sub-race mechanics. Rather than have each individual race come with its own character template of particular special abilities of statistic alterations, the gift system allows for a much greater level of character customisation.
Upon character creation after one has entered the world of Arelith, you will be presented with a list of optional 'Gifts' to select. Each chosen will effect your new character in a subtle fashion. However, many gifts will cause a modification to your ECL 'Effective Character Level' The more Gifts you have and the more powerful they are, the higher your ECL will be, altering the amount of XP you acquire and thus the amount of time your character takes to level up.
It is also recommended that you have a reason behind each of your choices. Players are discouraged from taking things for purely mechanical or power gaming reasons.
How many Gifts can I have?
You may have between zero (0) to three (3) gifts. The maximum is based on your RPBonus, 0 to 10 gets 1 gift, 20 gets two gifts, and so on.
Can I change my Gifts?
Once chosen, gifts may never be lost nor may further gifts be taken later in a characters life. Be very certain before finalising your choices!
Gifts
| Gift | Effect | ECL |
|---|---|---|
| Gift of Might | STR +2 | +1 |
| Gift of Grace | DEX +2 | +1 |
| Gift of Endurance | CON +2 | +0.5 |
| Gift of Learning | INT +2 | +1 |
| Gift of Insight | WIS +2 | +1 |
| Gift of Confidence | CHA +2 | +1 |
| Gift of Wealth | +1,000 gold on start, and each in-game month the character is active | +0.5 |
| Gift of Tongues | Learn languages faster | +1 |
| Gift of Hardiness | 5/- fire, cold, electric, acid | +1 |
| Gift of Darkness | Darkness 1/day | +0.5 |
| Gift of Hiding | Invisibility 1/day | +0.5 |
| Gift of Light | Light 1/day | 0 |
| Gift of the Gab | Bluff +5 | +0.5 |
| Gift of the Hunter | Spot +5 | +0.5 |
| Gift of the Sneak | Hide +3, Move silently +3 | +1 |
| Gift of Fortune | All saves +1 | +1 |
| Gift of Stardom | Perform +5 | +0.5 |
| Gift of Craftsmanship | Crafting Points +10 | +1 |
| Gift of Humility | All abilities -2 | -2 |
| Gift of the (Un)Holy | Allows non-cleric to consecrate and desecrate altars | +0.5 |
| Gift of Unique Favor | Allows character to ignore deity race restrictions | +0.5 |
| Gift of Greenfingers | Allows non-nature character to tend plants | +0.5 |
| Gift of Subrace | Grants the bonuses of your chosen subrace at the ECL of that subrace | Varies |
ECL
ECL, or effective character level, is a mechanic that modifies the amount of experience that a character receives for killing NPCs. A character with ECL +1 is treated as having a level 1 higher than normal for the purposes of calculating XP received. This serves to balance out the benefits that a character receives for choosing gifts by causing them to level more slowly.
ECL does not influence the maximum level achievable on Arelith. All characters can reach level 30. ECL now can reduce the experience gain from RPBonus.