Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some frequently asked questions that, while hard to categorize elsewhere, are still important to players. This list of questions will be expanded as time goes on and we think of more good tidbits of information we'd like to keep handy for players.

Please note that the topics of PvP/CvC, permadeath, server/forum rules, banning players, and IC slavery are extensive enough that they will be getting their own posts.

If you have questions or comments, please use the General Discussion section.



   Sands of Calimshan is set in Calimshan and the capital city of Calimport. The year is 1374. The conversion rate of time is equal to 1:1.

We picked this setting due to the opportunity for intrigue and plotting within the city, as well as exploration outside of the city. Good and Evil is not so obvious here, and the line between ally and enemy will not always be clear.

Also, it just sounded fun.

   We are adhering to lore as it is written up until the year 1374. At the point in which our server goes live and the story begins, whatever happens will happen because of player initiative and character decisions. Nothing that is set to happen after 1374 must happen "because the lore said so".  So to summarize - the past is not custom, but the future is what you make of it.

   The short answer is "all of them from 3.5e or before". To be more specific, we are drawing our inspiration and information about Calimshan and its locations primarily from the books Calimport ((c) 1998) and Empires of the Shining Sands ((c) 1998). We consider any 3.5 sourcebook to be a good source of information, and earlier versions are perfect for filling in gaps that 3.5e didn't address (and thus, still totally valid).

Please make sure that your RP and character's background does not include any 4e material.

   We are a full RP server and we do everything we can to adhere to sourcebook lore. You are expected to remain in character at all times in the game world. Please keep your OOC chat to tells, or if you must use it in the /say channel, keep it as minimal as possible so its not disruptive.

When you roll a character here, we expect you to have at least a baseline understanding of the setting and of the Forgotten Realms in general. If you don't know, we encourage you to do a little reading (though be wary, most wikis have 4e material in them). If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask on the forums.

It is the DM's duty to help guide players away from lore-breaking activities and RP. If they see such happening, a DM will step in to correct it by giving you some pointers. We're not going to tell you how or what to RP, but it is within our purview to make sure everyone is on the same page. We are forgiving to begin with, but repeatedly throwing lore out the window does have consequences.

   By most people's definitions, this is likely a high-magic server. We have put a lot of effort into creating a loot table/system that gives characters without their own source of magic a bit of a boost so they can at least keep up with those who do cast magic. Thus, you will run into a fair amount of enchanted/magical equipment.

Calimport, and natives to Calimshan, hold magic in high regard and are undisturbed by its abundant use. They support its study and use in every day life - and for more deadly and nefarious purposes as well.

   One of the projects on our plate is to expand crafting beyond that which is given to us from vanilla NWN2. However, this system is not currently in place. We recommend that at this point your character not invest in any crafting feats or skills unless it is for the sake of RP or for other PrC requirements.


   Yes, but with some limitations. After much discussion on this topic we've decided that the fairest way to handle this is to allow players to re-roll versions of their favorite characters from other servers here at Sands of Calimport. You may retain those defining characteristics like their name, description, personality, background, and so forth.

However, any ranks in organizations, and achievements that make no sense in Sands of Calimport are not to be brought here. Those past accomplishments effectively "don't count" here. If your character was a high ranking member of a city guard, or a leader of a secretive organization, or an owner of some business enterprise on some other server, please realize that you are either going to have to cut out that part of the character entirely, or tone it down and write it off as something from their past. We recommend that if you want to bring up those past affiliations in RP that you tone it down to just being another rank and file member.

Also, please note that bragging about how many demons, devils, and dragons you've slaughtered on other servers should be (and will be) met with IC disbelief from other characters (and maybe a thwap on the head from a DM). We're not going to get into the habit of spawning hordes of what should be overpowered major creatures for you to test your build on and feel superior with. That wouldn't make much sense.

The point of all this is that your character is a clean slate upon arriving to Calimport. If you want power, respect, or bragging rights, your character must work for them through RP. Nothing is handed out freely, and IC actions beget IC consequences.


   Ultimately this is a choice that is going to be left up to each staff member. We are firmly against staff members creating dummy accounts for the sole purposes of griefing in-game or trolling/harassing/unfairly swinging opinion on the forums. Anyone who does that will be dealt with appropriately (which may include having their staff position revoked). When staff wish to post on the forums, we strongly wish that staff just stick to their one account. If they feel it necessary, they can just note in their post that the viewpoint expressed or things posted come from their point of view as a player, not a staff member.

We do understand that sometimes, staff just want to jump in and play the game, without being hassled by players for DM/Admin related needs (we do play this game too, you know, so please try and respect that). To that effect, we're okay with staff having one login name DM side, and a different login player-side, as long as other staff know about it so we know who is who. Many of us think its kind of a futile thing to do, as in the end most people figure out which players are staff members. It tends to be one of the worst kept secrets ever, but if staff really want that separation, they are allowed.


   Warlocks, Red Wizards, Dragon Disciples, Heartwarder, Stormlord, and Forest Masters will be application-only. Yuan-Ti will also be application-only. This list may be subject to change.

The fate of the Favored Soul class is currently undecided.

(There will be a link to the application information page here, when it is up.)


   Yes, elves really are in danger of being enslaved, and this danger is supported by everything we have read in sourcebooks about Calimshan. They are coveted for their race's skill in magic, and to the native Calishite it is better to own a magically-inclined elf before his enemy does. This is the setting we will be enforcing, and we will not be surprised by or opposed to slaver characters existing on the server - nor will we be surprised by or opposed to anti-slavery "freedom fighters" of any race.

If you do not want to participate in slavery-related RP, and do not want your character at risk for capture, we suggest creating something other than an elf or half-elf. The fact that you just don't feel like having your elf captured and enslaved is not going to be a good reason to avoid IC events and consequences.

We are leaving how Elven slavery gets RP'd up to the characters involved as it is your business, not ours - just so long as it does not become a source of intentional griefing, OOC harassment, complete disregard for lore, or anything else filed under "the player is being a stupid dick."


   Other races aren't subject to the same kind of threat of enslavement as elves and half-elves are.

The kind of reaction a half-orc, orc, tiefling, or any other race gets is entirely dependent upon the attitude, upbringing, and past of the other character. A naive young person from a farming village who sees her first orc or tiefling is going to be a whole lot more afraid of it than someone who has been seeing them for years while traveling or living in another city, but both are likely to be less hostile or prone to avoiding the orc compared to an elf, for example.

The only race that natives to Calimport consider "normal" are humans. Everything else is an oddity.


    We have decided that the best course of action for our server is to focus all of our efforts on events and intrigue taking place within the city and its surrounding areas. Too often the creation of an Underdark or drow community alongside surfacers polarizes both players and staff, splitting them into "UDers" and "Non-UDers", especially based on the fact that drow are basically everyone's enemy, all the time. This always leads to one group or another feeling left out or neglected at some point or another. By not allowing players to roll drow, half drow, and other UD-only races, we are eliminating that kind of pointless split.

Additionally, we felt like the common portrayal of drow on other servers was getting away from their true nature in the Forgotten Realms setting. Drizzt is not a good representation of drow. Drow are the enemy at all times, and variations to such are so exceedingly rare that it is best left to small group PnP games - not a PW like this. So, we are bringing drow back to their position as hostile "others". Your character may encounter them on their travels, as drow played a vital role in the history of Calimshan, but you will not be running into one sitting in your favorite bar.


    Send a private message to one of the Admins and let us know what your skills are and how you'd like to help.


   Report it to an admin right away. If at all possible and applicable, include screenshots (ones that are big enough to read any text you may be capturing). We take these allegations seriously. Being a staff member doesn't give a person free reign to do whatever they want.


   Report it to an admin or DM right away. If at all possible and applicable, include screenshots (ones that are big enough to read text).


   We suggest you first try and talk it out with the other player. You can generally get pretty far if you just send a tell and OOCly ask what happened and why. Just keep it civil. If the person can't provide you with an understandable reasoning for it, or starts harassing you for asking, please report it to an admin or DM, and include any applicable screenshots.

Please note that staff will never enforce or demand your character be permanently killed due to just losing PvP/CvC combat. If you were PvP'd without a RP reason, after you report it, you can just respawn and carry on.

Also note, that if you're the one PvPing people without an RP reason to do so, you really don't have a leg to stand on if you complain later that your kill is limping around town again. This is an RP server, not an action server.


   If you feel up to it, you can offer some friendly advice to the player in a tell, giving them pointers and such. It may just be a new player, unfamiliar with the setting. If you aren't comfortable with that, just let an admin or DM know, and we'll guide them back onto the correct path.


   No. Players are not expected to adhere to / follow "roll play" with each other. You can if you wish and all those involve consent. The only time any rolls will be asked for and followed are during DM events, at the DM's discretion. Please don't take up time arguing with the DM as to why they should have asked for a roll of X skill rather than a roll of Y. They're busy trying to tell a story for multiple people's entertainment, and have better things to do than argue with you.


   The faction's page should have a contact listed - either an admin or DM leader (or a player if it is a player-lead faction). Send them a PM with whatever information is requested and they will get to you as soon as possible.

Please note that if you request to join a faction, you're not guaranteed to get in. Some factions are incredibly picky about who they allow into their ranks, and your character may be tested, followed, or observed for a time. Failure is possible, and it is up to the DM's discretion what happens if your character fails those tests. Nothing is based on being "high enough level", but how they act and react in RP situations.

If a faction is player-lead, we leave it up to the members to decide ICly.

   Awesome! If you would like to start a faction of your own, gather up at least three other interested characters and contact a DM with information about what the group is, what they aim to do, who is currently involved, and what kind of support you'd like from a DM. If you would like an event, it is far easier on our DMs if you have some kind of plan in mind, rather than just asking for events for the sake of events.

Please note that your faction needs to fit in with the setting, not be lore-breaking, or otherwise something we'd file under "stupid idea" - a determination that is entirely up to the staff's discretion. There is also no guarantee that you'll get DM support just by having enough people and an idea. That is highly dependent on how busy our DMs are and what else we have planned.

Please try and keep in mind the other existing groups on the server when you contemplate starting your own. You may get far more out of joining an existing one, rather than creating a new but highly similar group. If this is an issue, staff may help you come up with ways to integrate your group in with the existing one in ways that will be interesting for everyone involved.


   Yes! We are working on a plan that allows for player and faction housing/halls, so stay tuned.

From time to time, the staff may decide to add in halls or other such areas that are geared toward certain factions or particular character types, as interest grows. These additions should not be seen as a faction "getting a free zone", as that is not the intent. The intent is to either expand the server to allow areas that all/most characters can enjoy (even if one faction gravitates to it more than others), or to provide support for a faction the staff have determined will always be around, regardless of which characters are in it at any given time.


   Yes, you do earn XP from roleplaying, and DMs may hand out some experience at the conclusion of an event.

We are going to be using Kaedrin's content - whether it is his latest public release or the most up to date version from Kaedrin himself has yet to be seen.

We are tossing around some ideas about some more custom classes we could add, but they've currently taken a secondary position behind a few other development tasks we have going on. It is definitely something we are interested in though.


   Yes! Sands of Calimshan is not meant to be a static environment, but an evolving story and world. It is your character's actions (or inaction) that drives the stories.

DMs are here to assist with moving the story along and throwing new challenges at you - but they are not here to lead you along by the nose. We appreciate (and reward) players who take initiative to accomplish things in game.