Correct Siege Perilous Information Campaign

The UO team has asked the players of Siege Perilous for help in getting the uo.com pages on Siege up to date.  We are the experts on our shard and we know best how it works.

This information is intended as a replacement for the incorrect information on uo.com about Siege.

The basis of what you see here was compiled by Nizo/Zoot, Goo, and Glendor.

We need *your* help in getting it right.  Please tell us what needs to be added/changed/removed.  Please help us with the red and green stuff. We also need a good, comprehensive FAQ.

Post on the message board or email Glendor the info.

Ultima Online: Playguide: Siege Perilous

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YOUR CHARACTER

There is only one character slot available per account. Your character is created and exists on Siege's single facet, a facet that follows Felucca rules.

Siege Perilous uses the same system for skill gain and stats as on other UO shards.  A system called "rate-over-time" was in effect for the first 15 months of the shard's existence.

As a veteran shard, accounts with [young] status are not allowed to log into Siege Perilous.  You must either play on another shard for 40 hours and meet skill requirements (see full explanation here) or renounce your young player status. To remove [young] status from your account, you must make a character on another shard and say the phrase "I renounce my young player status".  (verified)

Ultima Online: Playguide: Siege Perilous

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The shopkeepers on Siege Perilous hoard their gold greedily and will not buy items from players. They are, however, more than happy to sell their wares … normally at three times the cost of other shards! Faction ownership of a town will also effect the economy of an "owned" town. The NPC pricing in an owned, faction city may result in prices that are slightly lower than normal Siege prices and some much, much higher.

Townspeople will also charge three times as much for training of skills, stabling animals, joining the NPC guilds, and for hiring them.

Player vendors will charge 3x as much for their services.

NPCs will not have any gold in their backpacks and therefore, you will not be able to steal from them or kill them to get their gold. (this paragraph can simply be left out -- no difference)

Townspeople requesting escort will not travel with someone who is already escorting another, you may only have one escort at a time. As with all NPCs, they will not have any items on their persons either and the only way they will part with their gold is if you actually bring them to their desired location. You must also wait 5 minutes between each escort. (escorts same as regular shards)

Considering these differences and the ones noted under “Your Character”, it would be very wise to befriend, rather than to attack, your local tradesmen. A skilled blacksmith, alchemist, tailor, or scribe can be a very powerful ally.

"Wandering healers" exist on Siege and they have red counterparts who bear the title Priest of Mondain. These Priests will resurrect both red and blue ghosts. They will not resurrect characters that are flagged grey, however. As normal, the criminal flag will have to wear off before resurrection can take place. 

Ultima Online: Playguide: Siege Perilous 

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Spellcasters adventuring in Siege Perilous should be wary of the changes to their trade. Most noticeably, the spell “recall” will not function.

You will not be able to mark runes in dungeons nor cast Gate while in a dungeon. 

Since you cannot recall on Siege, you cannot get to your boat from the key.  You cannot gate from your boat key to your boat. If you lose your boat, you will need to call a GM to get back on board. (Violent J & Destiny)

For those involved in faction or guild wars, it is vitally important to note that direct damage spells will work in towns.  (Goo - on all shards now)

Telekinesis will not work on trapped or locked chests. Players wishing to open chests must first use the "Remove Trap" skill or suffer damage from the traps on the chest.  (Goo)

There is no combat timer on Siege.  You will never see "Wouldst thou flee in the heat of combat?!" if you try to gate out during combat. (Vix)

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Adventurers of ill repute will quickly notice that Siege Perilous has no stat-loss of any kind for murders. However, the smart criminal will avoid all cities except Buccaneer’s Den, as all town guards will kill murders on sight! Criminals may travel the wilderness without worry of guards, as they will not patrol the wilderness areas. Any guards encountered in a wilderness area other than at the border of a guard zone (such as those manning the gate to the swamps west of Britain) will not attack unless they are attacked first. They are just as dangerous as normal town guards, however. (Goo)

Additionally:

As mentioned previously, there will be wandering healers willing to resurrect those that stray from the path of good.
The shrines will no longer forgive murderers of their crimes (as they did on Abyss) and therefore, one cannot remove their murder counts by visiting a shrine. (Goo)

Killing an innocent human NPC vendor will result in a long-term and a short-term murder count. (I added the word vendor in here; with that I think it is accurate)

You can not assign gold to a bounty when murdered.   You can assign gold to bounties on Siege, but bringing the head of the murderer to a guard will not cash in the bounty.  Also, the kills of murderers are not tracked on public bulletin boards.

The gate to the lawless town of Buccaneers’ Den will no longer be present.  However, the moongate system will take characters to Buccaneers’ Den.  (Carbon)

Although you must still be in the Thieves Guild to steal from players, you will not be removed from the guild for collecting a murder count, nor are there any there are no skill or time requirements to meet before joining. The NPCs will defend themselves against thieves and will attack any thief who steals from them outside of town. Also, one cannot steal an item randomly, you must actually “snoop” a pack and select a specific item. (Cheesehouse & Goo)

Murderers and Criminals will not be able to kick/ban others from their home, and the ban list will be cleared if a red, friend to the house, uses the door. (Freja)

The title “Murderer” has been done away with, murderers will now show their karma/fame title.

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In addition to the overall change in difficulty of skill increase, Siege Perilous also features changes to specific skills and items to create additional challenges.

Bards will find some monsters are provoked less easily since the skill “provocation” will now be difficulty-based on the intelligence of the creature. In addition to playing music, the use of provocation and peacekeeping, will wear your instrument down, requiring that you replace it from time to time. Highly intelligent monsters such as liches and dragons are unprovocable, even at GM skill level. (Pixie)

In addition to musical instruments, fishing poles, herding crooks, scissors, axes used for lumberjacking, and other bladed objects will also wear down with use.  Even 'newbie' item that a character is given upon creation, will wear down from use. (Glendor)

Fishermen will notice a decrease in the rate that they find SOS bottles and will not be able to fish up treasure maps at all. (Zima & Xeria)

Those seeking to gain treasure from chests are advised to have skill in “detect hidden” because all chests in dungeons, in the wilderness, and in towns will be trapped. Opening a chest without detecting the trap first could have deadly results.

Making leather armor will not require as much skill for Tailors as it does on other shards. ( Many confirmations)

Wearing leather armor and studded leather armor cause the same penalties to Stealth or Meditation as on regular shards. (Osiris & Violence)

Rogues will find it a bit easier to sneak up on their marks as the chance to be automatically revealed when near player-characters while stealthed has been reduced to one tile. (Osiris)

Failing while tinkering will use resources. Also, when a tinker fails at making a trap, he will always take damage. (verfied - Vix)

The following skills will not unhide you when they are used: Snooping, Detect Hidden, Item Identification, Anatomy, Arms Lore, Animal Lore, Evaluate Intellect, Forensics Evaluation, and Poisoning. (much concern over 'an item', removed)

The begging skill works on only works successfully on nobles and seekers of adventure NPCs. (Mocker)

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FAQ

History
Q: When did Siege start?
A: Siege Perilous started on July 16, 1999.  The original shard lasted about 2 weeks at which point it was wiped.  The RoT skill system was introduced to Siege and the shard reopened on July 30, 1999.

Q: What was hero/evil? How do these people make their spellbooks black or white?
A:  Siege used to have a system called hero/evil for PvP combat and roleplay.   It was quite complicated and fun. One of the skills for hero and evil players was the ability to color items black and white.  You will see all kinds of black and white items, not just spellbooks.  The hero/evil system was removed from Siege.

Q: What was RoT?
A:  RoT is an acronym for Rate over Time.  The RoT skill system prevented macroing and quick character building, but it did allow character to reach GM skill level in a reasonable time without endless repetition. 

Q: Isn't skill gain harder on Siege Perilous?
A: No, not any more.  The skill gain system on Siege is the same as regular shards.

Q: Where is Trammel & Illenshear on Siege
A:  The Siege Perilous shard does not have Trammel & Illenshear facets.

Siege Etiquette/Tradition
Q:  I see many red players, are they all PKs?
A:  Due to the lack of stat loss on Siege, many players choose to go red and forgo the benefits of being blue.  On Siege you will find characters judged on their behavior and personal reputation, not their hue. There are many blue character that act like jerks and many red character that will help you.

Q: Why do these people at the Yew Orc Fort keep attacking me? And what are they saying?
A: These 'people' are the Shadowclan Orcs, a group that roleplays as evil orcs.
They are all red (except some of their mules, or mak-rs), and demand a toll (tribute) for being on their land.  If you don't pay them, or if you walk into their fort, you will be attacked.  They are speaking the orcish language.  If you want to communicate with them, you will have to learn it

Q: Why do many people just laugh and kill me when I say I am a good PvPer on my normal shard? 
A:  Most of the players on Siege consider themselves good PvPers as well.  Many have come to Siege declaring their great skills only to find that they had much to learn.  It is best to let your reputation speak for itself.

Q: Why am I getting PKed 4 or 6 times a day?
A: As it says on the message that greets you every time you enter Siege, "It is very likely you will meet an untimely demise at the hands of another player...  often."  Players on Siege have to learn how to deal with PKs in some fashion.  Some take safety precautions, some fight back, some become PKs.  Players learn to adjust to the fact that they will get killed regularly, no matter the playstyle they choose.

Q: Why are there so few guild wars and order/chaos guilds?
A:  With no stat loss, many do not find the PvP systems of guild war and order/chaos to their liking.  Many guilds use the guild war feature as a tool for alliances. There are not many guilds that use guild war highlighting with their enemies.

Q: So if there are no guildwars, where do the battles take place?
A: With the removal of recall, limitation of gate to surface areas, and no statloss for murderers, controlling and maintaining territory becomes possible. Control or 'Ownership' of dungeons, forts, land, and other unique areas is not uncommon. Where will you stake your claim? (Carbon)

Q:  Are factions important on Siege?
A:  Factions also play a significant role on siege, much more so then on regular shards. As players can control the prices of wares in faction towns, some see it fit to line their pockets with silver at the expense of other players buying from NPCs.  Likewise, factions can lower the cost of wares in faction towns to gain the support of other non-faction characters.  This plays a major role in the siege economy, as their is a limited amount of non-faction towns to shop at. (Carbon)
 
Q:  Is PvP combat all there is on Siege Perilous?
A:  Definintely not.  Siege is home to roleplayers, craftsmen, merchants, house decorators, and story writers.  There are guilds of dwarves, orcs, elves, undead, pirates, indians, aristocracy, vampires, and even bandits.  Siege is what *you* make it.  With fewer rules, players are more free to do as they please.

Q:  I attacked a grey/red and got called a 'noto'?  What do they mean?
A:  Noto PKs or notoriety PKs are those that attack other characters simply because of their hue (grey or red).  This is considered poor form on Siege.  For example, it shows good sportsmanship to res, the fallen enemy after a battle is over.  A blue character resurrecting a red character will turn the blue player grey (criminal).  Attacking a grey player when in this state would be considered 'Noto PKing' and unsportsmanlike by many players on Siege.

Q: A PK shouted "NAME VIOLATOR!" right before he killed me. I don't understand this. My character's name is MERLIN. That's a good name, right?
A: Some of the denizens of Siege Perilous have taken it upon themselves to enforce a sort of code of character naming. Characters who derive their names directly from fantasy fiction (Rand al Thor, Merlin, Raistlin), whose names are in all caps or alternating caps (KILLER, LeEtDoOd), or who have names derived from modern-day pop culture (Eminem, Wolverine, Rinoa) are generally assumed to be less than mature, and are subsequently shown little or no mercy. There are even blue characters who will execute a "name violator" on sight. It's a not-so-subtle hint to choose a more mature or original name for your character. (Goo)

Q: If I have only one character, how am I supposed to both supply myself as a PvPer and engage in PvP combat? I don't have enough skill slots available!
A: The solution many players have come up with is to run two or more accounts. Another, less costly solution is to make friends or join a guild with a craftsperson. This is especially important if you are planning on playing a murderous mage, as you will have no way to purchase reagents if you are red. If you intend to be red, remember that making friends with blue players is a good thing. (Goo)

Travel
Q:  No recall?  How do you get around?
A:  The Gate spell is quite popular to travel and the moongate system also is heavily used.  But in many cases, you may simply have to run to your destination.

Q:  Can reds use moongates?
A:  Yes they can, but it is dangerous.  Moongates have a small guard zone around them that proves deadly to red characters if a guard is present or a player calls 'Guards'.  (Mordran)

Crafting
Q: Is crafting different on Siege?
A: The skills are the same, but it costs more to build a craft character on Siege. Since you can't sell your wares to NPC's, so you have to find players, who want to buy.  Before you hit GM, it won't be easy to sell your stuff.  Also prices are different, the three times reagent prices effect the prices of potions and scrolls on Siege.  Also as craftsman, you will find, that many reds will search you out and make large orders and you will have to take some risk of getting killed if you want to make good money. In other words, be prepared in your home and try to control your fear when you see a red character at your shop, they can be good customers. (Freja)

Q: If I can't sell to NPCs, how do I get started making money?
A: Many players will pay handsomely for leather, wood, ingots, or other raw materials. Delucia is a good place to trade such items. (Goo)

Q: My newbie scissors broke.  How can that happen?
A: Everything on Siege wears out, even newbie and blessed items.

Timing
Q: When is the server restarted?
A:  The server restarts daily at 5AM Eastern/2AM Pacific

Q: When is burst hour begin?
A: The burst hour resets at 12AM Eastern/9PM Pacific

Combat
Q: Is there precasting here?  Is the Pre UO:R system here?
A: No. Siege has the same basic PvP ruleset as other shards.

Q: What is that dark wisp that attacked me?  I've never seen them before.
A: On Siege there are 'evil' wisps, dark in color, that are aggressive to all players. They are much stronger than regular wisps, and kill many new players to Siege. (Mocker)

Special Places

Wrong Arena 
Due South of the Wrong Dungeon is the Wrong Arena.  This Arena was created by the Seers as a play for tournaments and events.  It is unique to Siege and no special rules about it.  Players can use it as they please.

Safe Haven 
Safe Haven is a neutral town and will do its best to uphold a policy of protecting anyone who is attacked or stolen from while in our town. This includes, reds who are visiting peacefully and are attacked in the process. We want this to be a "no-kill" zone. Safe haven is home to numerous vendors and a good place to shop.  Safe Haven is located at the crossroads between Vesper and Britain, just east of the Compassion Desert

Wispwood
The Shire of Wispwood is a player run shire on the Siege Perilous shard. It is a haven from the PK/Anti wars of Siege and allows different playstyles to co-exist in a mature and honorable environment. Red or Blue is not an issue, and citizens are allowed to play as they wish as long as they respect the laws of the shire. Anyone seeking adventure, player versus player combat, roleplaying, or just general socialization is welcome to stop by and see what we are about, or just to grab some ale at the tavern.  The Shire of Wispwood is located directly southeast of Yew's Empath Abbey.

Yew Orc Fort/Orc Keep 
The Shadowclan Orcs live in the Orc Fort that is South of Yew and Northwest of Britain.  They roleplay orcs and speak in their own language and have their own customs and traditions.  They expect tribute (payment) for travel across their lands.  They have little interest in gold, so food, cloth, and gems are goods currencies with the orcs.  The orcs do not hesitate to engage in combat with anyone, so be forewarned.