Earning Money

#Trading
Users will be allowed to trade the goods that they make, or earn in dungeons via the «Trading Post» and other various shops in the game. Money is managed by «GM's» through the users profile by adding and subtracting the amounts given through transactions. Only players who focus in providing services and merchandising may open shops as well as fix and set price rates. Those players also have the option of joining the «Merchant's Guild» which manages all shops in the game. Other players may open up trading offers at the «Trading Post» but otherwise may not open up shops in any way.

#Quests & Dungeons
Users will sometimes be able to earn money from quests pending that be the reward for said quest. When receiving the reward from another player please ensure that said player has the proper amount for payment. «GM»'s will not be monitoring every persons account. GM's only monitor and assist with payment transactions between players. Note: GM'S WILL NOT REIMBURSE YOU FOR UNPAID WORK. IF YOU COMPLETE THE QUEST WITHOUT PROPER RESEARCH THAT IS ON YOU AND NOT THE PERSON WHOSE QUEST YOU ACCEPTED.

In dungeon's monsters will sometimes drop money as loot based on a loot chance. This is discussed further in the quests and dungeons section.

Jobs and Specialization

#Jobs
Though there is no true job system in SAO users are allowed to pick up certain professions to earn money. This can be anything as simple as cooking to blacksmiths. To request a profession the user must possess the proper skill requirement as well as pass the profession's acceptance quest generally given by the professions NPC. Certain professions will not be unlocked under a certain floor is cleared.

-Overview:

• Users may have professions if they do not wish to battle constantly to earn money.
  
• Professions have skill level requirements and acceptance quests (given by Profession NPC's)
  
• All professions are unlocked via floor clearings
  
• Current Open Professions: None (List will be updated as floors are cleared)
  

#Specialization
Users can choose to specialize in a particular skill by «Mastering» it. The Skill must have a max level of 750 before it can be targeted as a specialized skill. Mastered Specialties are considered to be more powerful and give the user a bonus in the field. There can only be 3 specialties, and only 1 of these can be a battle skill.

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Quests

#Quests
Quests simply put are the only way of receiving missions in SAO RPG. Quests come in many different forms, from simple Standard Quests to omni-important Story Quests. Each quest grants the user some reward; whether it be information, or simple loot. Users are allowed to create their own quests and place them on the «Quest Board» located in the «Coded Message». Some quests are not accessible due to level however just because a quest is accessible for your level does not mean it is not dangerous. Take care when accepting higher level quests, especially when given by other players. Quest Topics should be noted the quest types tag and Title Color.

#Story Quests
Story Quests tell the story of SAO from the very beginning of logging into the game to the very end when the final boss is cleared on floor 100. All players follow the same general storyline though it does branch off at some points based on user choice. Because this is an MMORPG the story is told in chapters that are updated every time we patch the game (beyond updating floor levels). Story Quests will mainly give Level EXP and Cor though some will also grant items upon completion. Story Quests use the [Story] tag as well as the color Blue.

#Event Quests
These quests mainly pop up during certain times of the year, namely important holidays and floor clearings. They are generally timed and only available for the week of the event. As such completing the quest after the deadline does not grant you the event's prize. Some event quests may grant Rare and Super Rare Items, and Equipment. Some event Quests may also grant «Unique Skills», as well as Extra Skill Slots. Event Quests will use the [Event] Tag as well as the color Red.

#Limited Quests
These quests often randomly just pop up and are only available for a short time. These can appear based on whim and are generally given by «GM»'s. Limited Quests do have a time limit which is often set by the person who gives it. Limited Quests may grant Rare and Super Rare Items, and Equipment. Limited Quests use the [Limited] Tag as well as the color Orange.

#Hidden Quests
Hidden Quests are those that are generally given when an event is triggered by the user. This can range from talking to a certain NPC to Finding a Secret Room in a dungeon. Hidden Quests will always given Rare Items and Equipment. Users have a 2% chance upon speaking to an NPC to trigger a Hidden Quest. Hidden Quests use the [Secret ] tag as well as the color Grey.

#Standard Quests
These are your normal everyday quests. Completing these do not generally affect gameplay at all. Some standard quests may help you complete other quests however. Standard Quests will sometimes give Level EXP or Cor depending on the quest giver and the nature of the quest. Some standard quests are even classified as repeat quests. Repeat quests will often grant the user some common item and little to no EXP or Cor. Standard Quests use the [Quest] Tag as well as the color Green. Repeat Quests use the [Repeat] Tag as well as the color Cyan.

Dungeons

#Dungeons
Dungeons and Travel Areas are the only areas in the game were players can successfully gather level EXP and Cor without using quests. Dungeons are only located within the level tower and specially designated areas within cities. All dungeons contain monsters that are 5-10 levels higher than the surrounding travel area monsters. Dungeons also contain the boss room which is needed to clear the level. Dungeons can be mapped out with floor plans for each level of the dungeon. The Boss room can only be located near the top. Each Floor Dungeon has a different floor plan.

#Travel Areas
Travel Areas are the lands surrounding and leading to towns, they do not receive the safety bonus and spawn monsters within them. Each travel area has it's own set monster mobs as well as spawn rate. Users MUST travel through the travel areas to get to another city on the same floor. Transporters are for floor travels only. Different Travel areas have different layouts so it's good to get a map of the area as soon as possible.

#Trap Rooms
«Room Traps» are sometimes triggered by rooms within a dungeon that have treasure chests in them. Room Traps will always spawn a large mob of monsters but some will also have a more deadly trap placed on it as well called a «Crystal Nullification» trap. Other traps include «Skill Nullification», and «Unbreakable Gates».

• «Crystal Nullification» traps mean that no crystal based items will work in the room. This includes «Rejuvenation Crystals», «Corridor Crystals», and «Transport Crystals». This trap has a 1% chance of appearing.
  
  
• «Skill Nullification» traps mean that no skills are allowed to be used during the duration of the trap. This includes «Sword Skills». This trap has a 5% chance of appearing.
  
  
• The «Unbreakable Gates» trap is the most common of all traps. In fact it happens 100% of the time and consists of the door closing behind the current occupants preventing them from contacting anyone, including those located in the hallway. This trap is lifted upon clearing the room.

#Boss Rooms
Boss rooms are the final locations of a dungeon. Always placed at the top floor of the dungeon, the boss room can only be accessed once it's discovered. It's recommended that a party of at least four attempt to tackle the boss at any given level as the boss is always 15-20 levels above the surrounding travel area monster's level. Clearing the boss is necessary to unlock the next floor level. Once the boss has been defeated he will not reappear.

#Event and Travel Area Bosses
Occasionally events and even Travel Area's will have bosses within them. These special bosses often follow a singular theme but have increased power in proportion of the surrounding area. Event Bosses will never spawn in dungeons.

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Items

#Items
Items are a basic possession in every MMORPG, on SAO they can range from basic healing items to clothing and food. Item's come in many different categories; these are: Equipment, Clothing, Food, Materials, Consume, Quest, and Special. Each category of items has it's own purpose. Characters are only allowed to carry a certain number of items on their person at a time. This is managed through each person's «character box».

• Equipment - The first item category. All weapons, shields, and armor come to this tab. Though the equipment tab normally has 20 slots, equipment also takes up weight. Normal pouches can normally hold up to 30 Kg of weight. Users can find and purchase the upgrade from certain shops and dungeons.
  
  
• Clothing - The second item category. Clothing means exactly how it sounds, all clothing that doesn't provide defensive bonuses comes under this category. Like equipment, the clothing tab has a standard 20 slots for items. It also has a weight limit of 10 Kg.
  
  
• Food - The third item category. Food are edible items that can well, be eaten. Most food found in the wild are sometimes even ingredients in larger food recipes. Users may create their own recipes, or learn some of the ones in game. Preparing food will up the «Cooking» skill and increase the overall taste of your food.
  
  
• Materials - Materials are items given by NPC's and found in dungeons. They generally consist of items that are used to construct other items. Examples would be wood planks, metal ores, and wool. The materials tab has max of 40 slots and no weight limit. Material's are stacked by 10 before taking up another item slot.
  
  
• Consume - Consumables are items that can only be used once before they disappear. These include all forms of «Crystals» and some projectile throwing weapons. Consumables have a 20 slot pouch and can be stacked 99 times.
  
  
• Quest - Quest items are things that are needed to complete certain quests. These can range from certain loots to items found around the level. The quest pouch has a maximum for 30 slots.
  
  
• Special - Special Items are items that earned through Events, Quests and sometimes found in dungeons. These items cannot be resold and generally enhance the playing experience. An example of this is a «Holomap». The Special Pouch can hold up to 30 slots.

#Equipment
Equipment, or Equips for short are items that enhance the character in some way. This can range from increasing the damage done, to increasing the characters base HP. Each equip has a weight that should be noted when putting or placing into the pouch, as both are affected by the weight. Equipment like armor can affect the look of the character however some equipment may clash with clothing, in which the user will have to choose which one to place in that slot. There are two types of equipment: Weapons, and Armor.

• Weapons - Weapons are as they sound, weapons. All weapons are broken down into tiers and then further into various categories in which they belong. Weapons can only be used by characters who have certain weapon classes (i.e.: One Handed Sword Users can't use spears, two handed swords, axes etc.). Weapon stats work differently by adding on their damage to the damage the user does when they strike their target. Weapons will dull overtime, and diligent maintenance is recommended to keep a weapon from breaking. Staff will notify you when your weapon has reached below a certain durability point. Weapons can be maintained by visiting a blacksmith, this must be done IN CHARACTER. Weapons also have a strength requirement; as most weapons are unbelievably heavy users without a proper strength stat will not be able to wield them. Weapons also have a level requirement meaning users under a certain level will not be able to use that weapon. Weapons can be used as decor for homes.
  
  
• Armor - Armor is exactly as it sounds, armor. Armor can be made out of various materials and can be shaped many ways. Most people are familiar with the common metal chest plate that is seen on knights this is similar to the armor used here. Armor is used to blunt or reduce damage. Please note that armor cannot completely block an attack, this is especially so for sword skills. As such please take caution as armor will not prevent death. Armor will eventually dent, puncture, and break. As such please take care to maintain your armor by bringing it to blacksmiths. This must be done IN CHARACTER. Armor will partially deflect weapons of a lower tier than it, but will still be bypassed when sword skills are used.

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Interaction

#Getting to Know People
There's a lot of ways to know someone on SAO. Whether they be the barely known acquaintance, or the ever loyal partner by your side. Character Interaction at its best is the core of the sites game play. Users can interact in various ways though the simplest is meeting another person for the first time and saying 'Hello!' All character interaction is managed through the role play, though the list of friends, enemies, targets, rivals, guild and party members, and other relative things can be managed through the character box.

• Friends
  The second level of a positive relationship is friends. Users may trade contacts with other characters who can in turn register them as a friend. Friends earn a 5% bonus in Level EXP when battling monsters together.
  
• Parties
  Party Members don't necessarily have to be friends however they do have to meet In Character before the party can be formed. Parties can have up to 6 people in them and are generally recommended when tackling high level travel zones and dungeons. All party members must accept the party invite in character and have a «GM» confirm the party before any party bonuses are earned. When in parties, loot is equally distributed via Dice Roll. EXP is also split and shared between party members. Skill EXP is not affected by Parties.
  
• Guilds
  Guilds are organizations formed by groups of players towards a common goal. Most guilds are focused on clearing the game however some may form for other reasons similar to the «Merchant's Guild» which regulates all trade prices in the game. Guilds are organized by their Guild Master and can have as many branch guilds as they like. Guilds grant a 15% bonus to Level EXP when destroying monsters, they do not share level EXP however.
  
• Marriage
  Marriage is the final step in a positive relationship and considered the most sacred of actions in SAO. Users may request to be married after completing the 'Sealing the Vows' standard quest to receive a marriage license. Characters may only be married to 1 other person at a time. If a character decides to divorce another, they may not request to be married for another month IC. Married Couples share inventory and bank slots. Married couples also receive a 20% Level EXP Bonus.
  
• Foe
  The First Level of a negative relationship. Foes are people who have done a character wrong, but have not gone so far as to make a complete enemy out of them. Foes do not receive any bonuses. Both users must accept foe status in game before it can be confirmed.
  
• Rivals
  The second tier of a negative relationship. Rivals can also be considered a positive relationship between two friends. Rivals tend to be very competitive and are always comparing stats. Rivals receive a 10% damage increase when partying together.
  
• Enemies
  Enemies are the final level of a negative relationship. Enemies are people who have a bad history with one another within the game and tend to get in disputes often. Enemies are more prone to violent or deadly encounters when meeting up. Enemies receive a 10% reduction in damage and experience when partying with each other.
  

Battle Sequence

#Text Based Roleplaying
Before we discuss how battles and sole role play are done, it might be prudent that we explain what role playing is for those people who are doing this for the first time.

Text Based Role Playing dates back to the MUD's and MU's of the 70's and 80's created by the early pioneers of Text Based Online Role Playing. Eventually it was surpassed by its Successor, the MMORPG. There are different styles of Roleplaying: MUD/MU, Play-by-Post and PBEM, and Real Time Human Moderated. SAO currently uses a mix of Play by Post and Real Time Human Moderated role playing in its game.

• Play by Post
  Original Article: Link
  
  Play-by-post role-playing games or PBP rpgs refer to another type of text-based gaming. Rather than following gameplay in real-time, such as in MUDs, players post messages on such media as bulletin boards, online forums, Chatrooms (such as like AOL and Yahoo chat) and mailing lists to which their fellow players will post role-played responses without a real limit or timeframe. Of late such blogging tools and sites as LiveJournal have been utilized for this purpose. This includes such games as play-by-email (or PBEM) rpgs.
  
  The origins of this style of role-playing are unknown, but it most likely originated in some form during the mid to late 1980s when BBS systems began gaining in popularity. Usually it is played through 'Script' and 'Story' format, both styles are interchangeable and work well but it depends on which the player prefers, or which the human administrator insists upon. Script format is a simple stating of what each character is saying, post by post, with little to no mention of said characters' actions, whereas Story format requires that the character's actions be mentioned, including the surroundings and a general description of what is going on.
  
  
• Real Time Moderated
  Some games rely entirely upon human moderators to dictate events, and physical print books for rules sets. Such games may use code dice-rollers, to generate random results, and may include databases for the purposes of maintaining character records. Interaction between characters is controlled by communication between individual players (with each other) and with moderators (who portray non-player characters). Communication software and database options vary, from the DigiChat front-end / character database back-end pairing pioneered by Conrad Hubbard at White Wolf Publishing, to the numerous AOL and Yahoo chats with hosted character databases. Free-form games may even do away with database integration or dice-rollers entirely and rely upon individual players to keep their own records, with online community reputation dictating how other players react.

#Role Play Guidelines

1. Conventions of Roleplaying
   The conventions of roleplaying involve working with your fellow RPers on the RP while remembering you are in direct control of only your character, and that your character's knowledge of a situation is different from your own as the character's owner. The following three types of offenses are flagrant instances of flaunting these conventions, but can easily be avioded with OOC conversation between RPers.
   
   
   
   • God Modding
     Godmodding is cheating the system of RP so that your character comes out either without a scratch or with absolute advantage in any situation. This is typically done without conversing with the RP's owner, and ignores their authority to control the situation of their RP. Examples: Unapproved one-shot kills, 'effortless' combat with NPCs, acting with total invulnerability to the actions of NPCs or other Player Characters.
     
     
   • Bunnying
     Bunnying is taking control of characters when you do not have the authority to do so, and acting contrary to what their real owners would have them do. Unless you have direct permission from the owner of the character, you cannot control them. This is especially true in combat, where you cannot decide if your attacks hit.
     
     
   • Metagaming
     Metagaming involves using applying Out-of-Character knowledge of a situation to your character's benefit. This is not always intended, but does not change the fact that the advantage is noticeabe and generally unfitting with what the character would have done based on in-character knowledge and reactions. If you keep the distinction between what you know and what your character knows, this is easy to avoid.
     
   
   
2. Standards of Posting
   Like all role playing sites, we at SAO have our own standards of posting. Though we are not as strict as most we do ask that you follow these to ensure that everyone truly enjoys the role play experience.
   
   
   
   • Posting Size
     Though we do not have a set post requirement we do ask that users make at least one complete paragraph when role playing as to give their partners something to reply to. Paragraphs consist of four well phrased sentences.
     
     
   • Social RP
     Social RP occurs when there is little at stake, or at least little that can be accomplished through physical means. General meet and greets, hanging out, socially engaging one another, arguments, trading. All of these things are activities and engagements that don't require stats and thus the mechanics of the site arn't brought directly into play. You still need to keep in mind your characters abilities, however, and RP them at an acceptable level. For instance, if your character isn't particularly agile, you're not going to be RPing free running, regardless of it not being in a combat setting. Should a situation come up in the thread in which combat is required or stats need to be directly refereanced, things switch into combat mode.
     
     
   • Combat RP
     In combat mode, things are slightly different. Time frames shift, every second becomes important. While in a RP thread your entire post might be you walking all the way across town, in battle the entire duration of your post is usually handled over the course of a few seconds. As a rule of thumb, unless there's some good in character reason otherwise, each post should cover a time frame of about 6 seconds or so. In battle mode, you need to keep a careful eye on your statistics, track your avalible chakra, ect. The mechanics become 100% important in these situations and must be regarded as closely as the RP actions themselves.
     
     During combat all participants should make one offensive move and one defensive move in correlation with the previous actions. We ask that you do not attempt to string more than 1 attack sequence that does not have to deal with skills in one post as then time frames begin to get distorted.
     
     Turns for combat handled as such:
     
     Person A acts -> Person B reacts (etc)->First Round of role play ends->GM checks to make sure all actions are accounted for and does proper stat adjustments->Round 2 of role play begins.
     
     During combat «GM»'s have absolute authority. Users are urged to not question their judgement unless absolutely necessary and may request a second GM to help with the moderation. «SA»'s do not have the power to overrule any GM rulings, regardless of the situation. If you feel that a topic is being handled improperly you are urged to contact another GM immediately, DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE TOPIC. If the topic ends and winnings are awarded the ruling cannot and will not be changed.
     
     
   • Grammar and Spelling
     Though not mandatory we do ask that all users use proper grammar and spelling at all times when role playing. This is to make sure that everyone properly understands the posts.
     
   
   

#Flow of Role play
Earlier we discussed the flow of role play so we'd like to touch on it again to clarify any questions and or misconceptions. All topics will have a «GM» that oversee's it. The GM is responsible for editing the topic and placing their name at the end of the topic, and example would be [Event]When Santa's Sleigh Fell From the Sky «GM-03». The GM responsible will watch over the topic from beginning to end and award the proper Level and Skill EXP as well as any victory loot. While in town should a social topic turn into a duel, the GM will interrupt the flow of Role play to ask both fighters if they agree to the duel. Should both users accept the GM will begin the first round of Role Play. Upon finish the duel if the topic is not finished the GM will conclude the battle encounter and exit the flow of role play and allow the players to continue posting as they were.

When in «Traveling Zones» and «Dungeons» the GM will actively be participating the topic by periodically rolling the game dice to see if a monster will spawn. Should a monster spawn battle sequence will begin. Upon completing the battle, should the players win the GM will award proper level experience as well as allow the players to each roll for the loot. The player with the highest die will win the loot for that monster and role play will continue. Should a monster not spawn role play will continue as if it were never hindered.

If you feel your GM is not actively monitoring your topic you may request another one after a 48 hour period.

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Skills

#Skills
Skills are general techniques that the character uses to enhance their play style. Skills come in two different forms. Combat Skills, and Social Skills. Combat skills generally revolve around the type of weaponry a character uses, as well as any in battle skills they might use. An example would be: «One Handed Sword». Social skills are skills that would be used in every day life. Profession skills fall under the social tree. An example of a social skill would be: «Cooking».

For more Information on skills as well as a list of Skills, please click [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

#Sword Skills
«Sword Skills» are programmed movements assisted by the system after a player performs the initial movement in «Sword Art Online». These skills fall into four properties: Thrust, Slash, Pierce and Blunt. Sword Skills are classified by the battle skill required to preform them, and the property they have. An example would be: «One Handed Sword Pierce: Armor Rending». Sword Skills work differently from other battle techniques in most MMO's. Since sword skills are sometimes made from multiple chains or even succeeding Sword Skills, when using combo or chaining sword skills users must land the first strike of the combo or chain to receive the auto target bonus for the succeeding strikes. Meaning if the first strike hits the resulting strikes will also hit. Sword Skills do not take up 'energy' but the longer the combo chain and the higher the damage/rank the longer the cool down between usage is.

For a list of current sword skills please click [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].

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