Levequests

Come and pick up a levequest or two. The locals will thank you, but if that's not enough there's ale and/or gil in it for you as well. For further information, talk to levemete As'kari or his scrivener Vivira Vira.

Check out the Guidebook for OOC info on the levequests. For a full list of the current levequests, check out Discord.

ON THE QUEST BOARD

LEVES OF BUSCARRON'S DRUTHERS
It's customary for levemetes to make sure newcomers don't get themselves killed while taking on their quests by handpicking one for them. While Sven likes to think people can make up their own minds, guild rules state all newcomers will have to go through an initiation mission. Report to Sven for more information.
Type: DMd mini-event. Please poke Sven to receive this quest and open up the leves of the Druthers.
Conditions: None. Sven or another DM must be available. Feel free to poke a levemete on Discord.
Rewards: Unknown
Location: Buscarron's Druthers
Information: Sven will DM this for you on Sven or Moya'to
Player number: 2 - 8

The above is an example leve. Join us on Discord to see the active leves.

Staff & regulars

Roleplay characters that you might find at Buscarron's.
Currently under construction

As'kari Tia

Status: regular player character
IC Position: Levemete

As'kari has taken up the mantle of levemete since the previous one left the Druthers for personal reasons.

• Carrd profile

Yvain

Status: regular player character
IC Position: Unsung Copper Ring & leader of the Farstrider Company.

The leading man of the Farstrider Company can often be found doing missions, either from the leveboard or via his own contacts.

• Carrd profile

Katyusha

Status: regular player character
IC Position: Unsung Copper Ring

A Seer from a clan of traditional Keepers that is trying to do her part to make the Shroud a safer place.

• No Profile

Cardinal

Status: regular player character
IC Position: Unsung Copper Ring

A woman of few words, but lots of action.

• Carrd profile

Kara

Status: regular player character
IC Position: Unsung Copper Ring

A healer from the Farstriders with a talent for baking and getting in trouble.

• Refsheet

Moya'to Inyanga

Status: visiting player character
IC Position: Wanderer, no official affiliation with the guild.

Moya'to is a traditional Keeper Wanderer that would rather not have much to do with the city at all, but feels it is his duty to make sure that the troubles that plague the people of Gridania don't become troubles that will plague the clans of the Shroud. He only takes on levequests that he feels cause no harm to his people.

• Carrd profile

Non-player characters

Buscarron

Status: NPC
IC Position: Alehouse proprietor

This midlander once served as a sentry, keeping watch over the paths of his forest home. He opened the tavern named after him when he was released from duty.

He welcomed everyone who follows Druthers etiquette. That is: sit down, forget your worries, and savor your ale.

• Gamer Escape

Hooks & story

Joining & OOC info

Hello and thank you for taking the time to look over the information of this RP initiative. We're always looking for more people to RP with, so here is some OOC info that might be handy to know if you'd like to join in.

Our Goals

We want to work together to create an RP hub that can serve as a base for a variety of different characters. We're always looking for people that love making events and initiate RP, and people that simply like to RP outside of the housing districts.

Everyone is welcome to join in, but we do ask you to be respectful towards each other even if you're not part of the initiative. For more information on when meetups are happening, or to join in with the creation of them, please join us on Discord. Other than that, feel free to check if there's RP happening at Buscarron's anytime, or create some of your own.

Activity

TIME ZONE: Our focus is on Central Europe, 6 hours ahead of ET/EDT. People from other time zones are more than welcome to join us, but please do keep in mind that all our events will take place during hours that are friendly for the EU.
ACTIVITY: We hope to find a number of people that are enthusiastic about RP and Event initiation so we can be active throughout the week. Until then we aim to have a scheduled meetup every other week (alternating between social and active gatherings), and a DMd event every month, on top of quest hooks that people can take up whenever they have time.
MEDIUM: All group RP is done in-game but we have a channel on our Discord where people can share short tidbits about what their characters get up to at Buscarron's. This way you can add to the feel of the place even when you're too busy to be in the game.

Code of conduct

Our rules are simple, don't be a jerk, don't be a creep, and respect the lore and each others preferences and RP styles. Please do not come here for just ERP and hookups, there are enough places that cater to that already.

With all that said, Buscarron's Druthers is a public place, and it is not up to us to try and tell people how to conduct themselves if they're not part of this initiative. Please adopt a 'live and let live' attitude towards those with different styles of RP both in an outside of this group. As long as people aren't disruptive, they have just as much right to be there as anyone else.

The following rules are the ones we maintain on our Discord, and we hope that people keep them in mind during RP as well.

RULE #1: RESPECT EACH OTHER & THE SERVER
Always be respectful of one another and the goal of this server, which is create RP together. Do not fall into the trap of naming & shaming, it will not be tolerated in any way. If someone isn't comfortable with an RP scene, let them leave it without hassle. If you have a quarrel with another person on the server and you can't work it out together, you may bring it to an Admin, but do note that we do NOT take sides in personal arguments.

RULE #2 RESPECT THE LORE
While we believe anyone should be able to RP what they like, there is a time and a place. Please be respectful to the lore preferences of other players and do not force 'out there' concepts on others without their consent. If you are in doubt, feel free to discuss it on Discord.

On the flip side of that, this is a public hub and lore bending WILL happen. Do not harass people for being less strict, simply disengage from the RP. If you feel like you can't get away, feel free to poke an Admin, but we will only step in if we feel the lore is disregarded or an unconventional concept is being pushed too hard.

RULE #3 MATURITY
We expect a certain level of maturity on this Discord, and part of that is knowing what is and isn't appropriate in public channels. While darker themed events and RP interactions are allowed and encouraged, overly explicit or sexually focused events are not.

This Discord is also NOT for sharing media containing nudity, sexual acts, or excessive amounts of violence. Do not create events that are about hooking up for ERP, or roleplay sex workers. Some of the players visiting the hub might be minors, always keep that in mind and act accordingly in public channels and don't stand around for hours in private whispering chat either, that defeats the point of having a public hub.

If in doubt, or someone expresses discomfort with the level of maturity in the RP, take it to private channels.

RULE #4 GOALS AND ACTIVITY
The goal of this server is to encourage people to initiate RP, from events to casual chatter, and to make the hub a welcoming place for everyone in the EU time zones and beyond. While we won't do activity checks, we DO appreciate (pro) active people that understand that making events happen isn't always about personal gain, but for the community at large. Be kind to our Event and RP Initiators, bring feedback to the Admins, and don't be shy about trying to initiate some RP yourself ^^

RULE #5 HAVE FUN!
Fun is mandatory, please comply ;)

EVENT ETIQUETTE

We want to encourage people to make their own events, either as hosts, initiators, or DMs. For that reason we have set up some guidelines around attending events, so we have a baseline on the kind of behaviour we find most helpful. These count mostly for scripted events that make use of DMs, and not so much for freeform gatherings like the bi-weekly gathering at the Alehouse.

BE ON TIME
Please be on time when attending an event, and if you’ve signed up, please show up. Life happens, we know that, but try and let the DM/Host know if you can’t make it or are running late.

STYLE/THEME/LORE
While we adopt a live-and-let-live attitude to differences in styles and preferred themes, we ask that people keep the more outlandish aspects of their characters to a minimum during DMd events unless it has been cleared with the DM. If you are in doubt, always feel free to ask.

NO EXTRAS
Do not bring extra characters with you unless you have cleared this with the DM beforehand. Handling a certain number of players can be hectic enough as it is without the number doubling due to things like pets/extra companions played by one person. The same thing counts for bringing in other player friends from outside the Discord - please clear it with the DM so they don’t get overburdened.

NO IS A VALID ANSWER
Respect a DMs decision if they refuse to play around a certain character or theme. They are entitled to their preferences just like anyone else. Unless otherwise stated, all characters must be IC adults to join any jobs.

BE MINDFUL OF WARNINGS
Some DMs might post warnings for their events, like if there is a high risk of injury or if there’s certain themes that may not work well for everyone (like horror/violence). Keep these warnings in mind. If an event crosses into something that you find unpleasant or uncomfortable, please walk away from it. Take feedback to an admin/the DM after the event has ended when needed.

Galleries

Some screenshots related to the Buscarron's Druthers

Missions

Meetups

Random

Event ideas

We are currently looking for people to take up the following ideas. Please let us know if you're willing to start one of these events, or have an idea of your own.

TIME ZONE: Our focus is on Central Europe, 6 hours ahead of ET/EDT. People from other time zones are more than welcome to join us, but please do keep in mind that all our event will take place during hours that are friendly for the EU
ACTIVE: We hope to find a number of people that are enthusiastic about RP and Event initiation so we can be active throughout the week. Until we do we aim to have a tavern night every other week, and a DMd event every month, on top of RP quest that people can take up whenever they have time.
MEDIUM: All group RP is done in-game but we have a channel on our Discord where people can share short tidbits about what their characters get up to at Buscarron's. This way you can add to the feel of the place even when you're too busy to be in the game.

Levequest Guidebook

We offer a variety of RP quest prompts that can be taken up with or without someone acting as a DM. The goal of these prompts is to give people a reason to go out for some active RP so we don't end up sitting and drinking at the alehouse all the time. Normally that kinda RP is dependent on willing DMs and their events, but we hope to break that dependency to some extent.

The prompts are usually based on in-game content, like FATEs, hunts, treasure maps, levequests, dungeons, and more. That way, we actually get to use the game and what it has to offer instead of ignoring it as is often the case in RP.

Please keep in mind that RP in the overworld, especially RP based on in-game content, means there will be regular people leveling in those areas. Please be respectful, and don't get iffy if someone shows up to just do their thing.

Questions? Feel free to poke Sven on Discord.

TAKING UP A QUEST

In-character these quests are accepted from As'kari or Vivira, but they may have posted it on the board just outside of the alehouse, so they can be taken up at anytime unless otherwise specified. All quests must be done with a minimum of two people. Simply grab someone from your friend's list, or post in LFRP on Discord.

While DMs aren't needed for these quests, FFXIV RP is always richer for it. Don't be shy about taking initiative, even if you're not that experienced at DMing.

TYPES OF QUESTS

Each content type has it's up and downsides. Please take these into consideration when taking part in this RP.

FATE: Quests based on the local FATEs in the area usually involve combat. The level sync makes it so that the battles are at least a little challenging, especially in RP gear, so there's no need for emote-based combat.
Because they pop up at random, it can take awhile for the right one to show up. This has the benefit of giving people plenty of time to RP. Once the right FATE is up, there's an unfortunate time-limit. Because of this, it's advised to move to the location of the FATE and RP there until it activates.

HUNT: Hunt quests target a specific (type) of enemy, either rare spawns or not, and set you up to bring it down.
How you go about finding your target IC is up to you, and you can RP all the way through. Once you're there, you can choose to use a roll-based combat system, or simply kill the target with your in-game skills even if there's probably little challenge involved in that.

LEVEQUEST: Some levequests lend themselves really well to story-driven, PvE-based RP, and offer a wide variety of tasks - from finding things on the ground, to hunting specific enemies, to escorting someone to a safe location, and more.
They do have a timelimit however, so they lend themselves less well to slower RP and DM-flavouring, but they can still be a fun way to get small groups to RP out in the Shroud. Note that you can always restart the leve if you ran out of time.

DUNGEONS: Dungeons can make for an interesting story, especially if you write your own take on what is actually happening. They can also benefit from partial DM aid, or can be done purely mechanically. There is little challenge to it if you don’t sync down, but the setting and possibility to tell your own story make up for that. Their biggest downside is their time limit.

TREASURE MAPS: Treasure maps can give people a fun reason to be out in the world. The lower level ones are relatively cheap to get, though there's only a limited amount in the Shroud and are random. Whoever has the map could make up a riddle and have people try and find where it is. IC it could be anything from a literal treasure hunt to a hunt for the specific enemies that spawn.

REWARDS

So you've done a quest, now what? Aside from some hopefully fun RP, we want to celebrate your character's adventuring spirit with in-character reputation and gil rewards. Some quests may also net you an achievement or two.

Please take a screenshot, then share it and a short IC report in the Buscarron Happenings channel on Discord. Please use the following template and never post more than one screenshot.

@levemete
<character names> have taken up the <quest name> and successfully finished it.

<Add whatever IC report your character may make here.>

Levequest Guidebook

Buscarron

Status: NPC
IC Position: Alehouse proprietor

This midlander once served as a sentry, keeping watch over the paths of his forest home. He opened the tavern named after him when he was released from duty.

He welcomed everyone who follows Druthers etiquette. That is: sit down, forget your worries, and savor your ale.

• Gamer Escape

Combat system

This is the combat system Sven/Moya'to often uses in their DM events unless otherwise specified. Others may use a different method, and specific scenes may call for alterations on this method, so always keep an eye on your DMs instructions in-game.

The basics

This system uses the /dice system as an indication for damage done and taken, without hard numbers linked to the dice rolls.

Each turn has two rounds, an Action Round (where your character can take an action like attack, heal, run away, buff, etc.) and a Defense Round (where player characters try and avoid or block incoming attacks).

It is explained in detail below, but for those that are of the tl;dr variety it's basically: the DM tells you if it's an Action or Defense round.
Action round: emote what your character tries to do, then /dice.
Defense round: roll using /dice, then emote based on your roll. Low rolls mean your character probably took a hit, high rolls mean they dodged or blocked.

Step 1: setup

The DM sets up a scene, describing the NPCs and environment. After that, they tell the party if they will start with an Action or Defense Round.

Step 2: Action Round

During an Action Round (AR), everyone emotes what their character intents to do, then rolls with /dice. The result of this roll is your Action Score (AS) and is used by the DM to determine how successful the Action was.

More often than not, people will attempt to attack the enemy NPCs by, for example, swinging their sword at them, or casting a devastating spell. Others may attempt to heal their party members, or casts buffs.

In short: emote first, then use /dice.
Everyone emotes at the same time, we have no turn order.

Below is the Action Score indicator table. Though we talk about damage in this table, that word can easily be replaced with healing or buffing.

A critical failure on an attack round will always completely miss, and may leave your character open to an extra attack. A critical success will always hit for high damage/healing/buffing.
The DM will ultimately decide on and let you know the results in the Results step.
Doing high damage/healing/buffing will increase your Limit Break Score. For more information, see 'Limit Break' below. The DM will keep track of this score for you.

Step 3: Results

The DM reacts with a post based on everyone's Action Scores after everyone is done with their emote.

They then describe the actions of the NPCs. If they attack the party, a Defense Round starts.

Step 4: Defense Round

During a Defense Round (DR), you roll first using /dice, then emote based on your Defense Score (DS). A lower DS increases the likelihood of your character taking heavy damage, but we generally leave the details of that up to you.

Not everyone is always at risk of taking damage during a Defense Round, but everyone still always rolls. This is to determine possible shielding options.

In short: use /dice first, then emote based on the result.
Everyone rolls and emotes at the same time. Please put your Defense Score in brackets at the end of your emote for your DM.

Below is the Defense Score indicator table that you can use as an aid for your emote.

Low Defense: someone who is low on their defense has most likely not blocked or dodged the incoming damage at all. They will probably need to bandage themselves after the fight, or get some magical or alchemical healing during or after.
Average Defense: nothing fancy happened in the defense department. They probably didn't get hit at all, or if they did, it's nothing life threatening. We leave the details up to you.
High Defense: your character managed to dodge or block an attack entirely.


Critical Failure: critically failing to defend yourself means your character took a very serious hit and will most definitely need healing. If they don't get it, the DM may give you a penalty on other rolls until they do.
Critical Success: your character managed to dodge or block so effectively, that they take a buff on their next Action Score. The DM will tell you how high the buff is. It also increases your LB score without increasing your Injury Counter.

Injury Counter: the DM will keep track of your character's Injury Counter and may apply penalties on your rolls if the counter gets to a certain number. Receiving healing lowers the counter.
On the flipside, the counter increases your Limit Break score. Taking and doing high damage will eventually make your character reach their limit, after which they can take a special action. See 'Limit Break' below for more details.

But wait, there's more...

Some characters can heal their friends, closing up wounds and lowering their Disability Counters. In some cases, like when your Counter has reached a certain limit, your may have to rely on these healers to keep your character in fighting shape.

Others may focus on buffing the party, or debuffing the NPCs. The results of which are at the DMs discretion. If you have a character that is heavily focused on buffing, it might be a good idea to discuss their abilities with the DM before an event.

A character may also attempt to shield another character if they threaten to fail a Defense Round roll. This can only be done if it makes sense in the scene (someone can't block for someone else from 10 meters away, for example). If the Shielder has a High Defense Score (700+), they can shield others with no risk to themselves. Someone with an Average Score will risk taking more damage themselves, though.

LIMIT BREAKS

Everything your character does in combat nets them Limit Break points (LBP). When they reach a certain amount, their Limit Break (LB) becomes available.

As a general rule, taking and doing high damage will increase your LBP faster.

The DM will keep track of your points, and will let you know in /tell when your Limit Break is up. What your LB does depends on the type of roll your character has taken up in the scene. A healer may heal the entire party for a large amount, a tank may defend against incoming damage, a DPS may do massive damage, etc.

Once it is available you may choose to use it during the next round, or any round after. Do note that as long as you already have a LB up, you can't gain more points for another one.

Use the LB by emoting its intended effect during an Action or Defense Round with ((LB used)) after the emote to let your DM know.

Character sheet

The more a DM knows about your character, the more they can adjust scenes to let their strengths (and weaknesses) shine. Please consider making a character sheet where you write up some of your character's main abilities, spells (if they have them) and their combat style and focus.

Also give some thought to their Limit Break - what happens to them when they reach a breaking point?

Alehouse meetup: Every EVEN week, we have a meetup. In 2021, our first meetup of the month will be at varying locations in the word. The last meetup of the month will be at the Alehouse at Buscarron's Druthers.
These meetings alternate between a social and an active gathering.
Social gatherings: These focus on characters getting to know one another while they enjoy what the Alehouse has to offer. The levemete and his assistant buy everyone their first drink in exchange for their name (if they don't know it already).
Active gatherings: These start with the same premise, but will have an unpredictable aspect to them in the form of in-character prompts/events. Someone might want to take on a leve, for example, or maybe something out of the ordinary happens that draws attention from the visitors. You're free to ignore these, of course, and do your own thing.
Start time: 21:00 CET (20:00 UK/ 3 PM ET)
Location: Buscarron's Druthers Alehouse on Balmung
Note: active gatherings might move away from the Druthers, so please be on time if you want to come along. Please join us on Discord for more information.