Anniversary Celebration!

DDO is turning one year old!

To celebrate, we're giving you phat loot and huge XP!

Players who play between March 2nd and March 4th will receive 50% more XP!

That's not all!

From February 28th until March 4th, players will enjoy +1 level of loot in all chests!

Enjoy the Celebration!

One of our reporters, The Traveler, recently had the opportunity to chat with Dan Bojanowski, the WoW TCG Product Manager regarding the WoW TCG.

Stratics: When Through The Dark Portal is released will we see the Heroes of Azeroth sets removed from store shelves?
DB – Heroes of Azeroth is a base set for the WOW TCG and has many staple cards with recognizable in-game spells and characters. We want this product to be available to new players that begin playing the WOW TCG anytime within the first year. Also, for certain types of tournaments, Heroes of Azeroth booster packs will be used in addition to Through the Dark Portal booster packs.
As such, we have printed what we feel is an appropriate amount of product to remain on retail shelves well beyond the release of Through the Dark Portal.

Stratics: At the sneak preview events for The Dark Portal on March 31st and April 1st will players be able to acquire starters and boosters?
DB– Yes, in limited quantities. Anyone that enters these Sneak Preview tournaments will be given some booster packs which they will use to construct their deck. There will be extra booster packs awarded to top finishers for these tournaments. Additionally, special prizes will be available which may include promo cards, deck tins, play mats and t-shirts (prizes still being finalized). If you can’t make it to a Sneak Preview tournament, be sure to look for Release Celebration tournaments on April 14-15 for more chances to win exclusive prizes.

Stratics: Will there be a sneak preview event for Molten Core raid deck as well?
DB – No, Sneak Previews in general are only done for booster/starter launches.

Stratics: For the Onyxia Raid deck, will you make ever make the hero cards smaller or just large ones? This also applies to the upcoming Molton Core Raid deck which will be released in 2007.
DB– Yes, we do plan on printing all three copies of the Onyxia hero card in normal card size. They will likely be available through the UDE Points Store. The same will probably be true for Molten Core Raid Deck.

Stratics: When Heroes of Azeroth hit store shelves it sold out pretty quick. Will there be more sets of Through The Dark Portal made available at release time than there were for Heroes of Azeroth?
DB – In short, yes. When we printed Heroes of Azeroth the first time, it was based on pre-orders and estimated demand. As you noted, it sold out very quickly. We were super excited about this, and immediately went back on press and got more Heroes of Azeroth on store shelves by early December. For Through the Dark Portal, we will print what we feel is an appropriate amount, based on pre-orders and our knowledge of the market. Now that retailers and distributors have seen the customer’s response to WOW TCG, the supply should become more in line with the demand.

Stratics: Are there plans to release pre-constructed decks for game play?
DB – Every starter decks come with a 33-card preconstructed deck. While this is not a big enough deck to take to a sanctioned tournament, it provides players with a basis for building a solid deck. In the Heroes of Azeroth starters, there were nine different pre-constructed decks (one for each of the classes). There will be nine NEW pre-constructed decks in the Through the Dark Portal starters.

Stratics: Are there plans to release clothing featuring artwork from the cards?
DB – We will not be doing a full line of clothing, but we will create t-shirts with card art that will be used as prizes through our Organized Play programs.

Stratics: Do you know of any new items that will be added for in-game rewards?
DB – Yes, lots. :)

Stratics: Any chance we will see codes made available as loot in World of Warcraft that can be exchanged for card products?
DB – Hmm… interesting. There are no plans for anything like this right now.

Stratics: What's your favorite card and why?
DB – Rise to the Challenge – While this is not the most competitive of cards, it is definitely very flavorful and fun. In the MMO, there is such satisfaction when you level up. I feel that this card does a fantastic job of bringing that feeling to the TCG. It takes a LONG time to pull it off, but when you do, the rewards are great!

 

This is also permanently located here, as well as on our left side menu under INTERVIEWS.  

Solas' Dev Dairy: Wilderness Quests

Prior to launching DDO we really focused on building great dungeons and I’m very happy with how the dungeons turned out. However, this left the wilderness areas of Xen’drik less well developed. A few months back, I set out to build a new, better kind of quest model for our outdoor areas.

What are wilderness areas?

When I talk about wilderness areas, I mean places like Tangleroot Gorge, Three Barrel cove, and the Menechtarun Desert. These outdoor areas usually lead to some dungeons – the way that Tangleroot leads to Splinterskull, for example. Wilderness areas don’t really have a true quest – just “encounters” which give a bit of XP. Unfortunately, they tend to be underplayed, because the XP and treasure for encounters are (in technical game design terms) crappy.

How could wilderness areas be cooler?

Ideally, DDO’s wilderness areas add exploration and variety in the game. Different settings are good – dungeons seem more creepy and ominous when contrasted with the natural light and vibrant colors of a wilderness setting. If done right, wilderness areas really make the world seem more vast and real. If done wrong, wilderness areas are nothing more than annoying travel time.

So, the task at hand was to make these outdoor areas more interesting for our players. Adventuring in the wilderness should stand on its own as a cool activity. This required something completely different than the old “encounters” model.

Three kinds of new wilderness quests

To solve this problem I created 3 kinds of new quests:

• slayer quests
  
• explorer quests
  
• rare encounter quests

All three quest types are bestowed to you automatically as soon as you enter a wilderness area.

Slayer Quests

Slayer quests are simple. They count how many monsters in the area you’ve killed. Your first goal might be to kill 10 monsters. Once you kill 10, you get some XP right then and there (no need to talk to an NPC), and get a new goal – kill 25. The higher you go, the more lucrative the XP and you will never lose your progress. You can kill 23 of 25 monsters one night, then log in a week later, kill 2 more, and get your XP for finishing all 25 kills.

Slayer quests have many goals to kill higher and higher numbers of monsters. It is technically possible to eventually solve a slayer quest – but you’d have to kill a lot of monsters to get there. We set the monster kill numbers really high so that players who like this free-form hunting activity will always have a new goal ahead of them.

Slayer quests can be a fun activity for smaller groups. They’re also great if you just want to login for a few minutes of play, without having to commit to finishing a long dungeon.

Smaller areas will generally have one slayer quest which counts all monsters. Larger, high-level areas might have several slayer quests – each monster will only count towards one.

Explorer Quests

The objectives of an explorer quest are twofold: to discover the lore of the area, and to find all of the dungeon entrances. Explorer Quests are solved by wandering the wilderness and finding their locations. When you find an important point of interest, you’ll see some DM narration and will be rewarded XP. Discovering all of the explorer objectives in a particular landscape will give you a final, big XP payoff.

Rare Encounter Quests

The objectives of a rare encounter quest are hidden at first. Scattered around the wilderness area, certain unique NPCs or powerful monsters have a chance of spawning. Solving the objective usually involves combat, but not always. Similar to explorer quests, you get XP on the spot when you complete each rare encounter, and a big XP payoff when you complete the whole quest.

Where are the wilderness areas?

In Module 4, you will see the new slayer, explorer, and rare encounter quests in:

• Cerulean Hills: a new outdoor newbie area in the Harbor, replacing Postern Gate Wilds.
  
• Gianthold: A new high-level sprawling mountainous region.

From then on we’ll be creating other new wilderness areas, while also going back and retrofitting some older ones (such as Tangleroot Gorge, Three Barrel Cove, and the Menechtarun Desert) to use the new wilderness quests.

Wilderness quest summary

• auto-bestowed when you enter the area
  
• don’t involve any NPCs
  
• reward XP automatically when you complete the objective.
  
• good for short play times
  
• good for small groups
  
• summarized on your objective panel
  
• details available in your quest journal
  
• non-repeatable: you can only do them once (slayer quests go up to really high numbers, so there is lots of XP available.)
  
• persistent: your progress is always saved when you reenter the area.
  
• level limits: there are some broad level limits your party must be within to advance on a wilderness quest.

In closing, we're all very excited about this new system. We love the new freedom it gives both us as the designers, and you as the players and we can't wait to see this system in the game.

Here is the list of new spells we are currently working on for players levels 13 and 14 for Module 4: Reaver's Bane

Control Undead
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: 1 min/level

Control is granted over the enemy undead, forcing it to fight for you. Controlled undead get an additional saving throw every 2 minutes. A successful Will save negates this effect.


Delayed Blast Fireball
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Foe, Positional
School: Evocation
Duration: Instantaneous

Creates a ball of fire that detonates on impact, causing an explosion of flame that does 1d6 per caster level (max 20d6) damage to targets around it. A successful Reflex save reduces the damage by half.


Destruction
Level: Clr 7
Components: V, S, F
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: Instantaneous

Raw destructive power is channeled to utterly annihilate an enemy, killing them instantly or causing 10d6 damage with a successful Fortitude save.


Finger of Death
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: Instantaneous

Slays one living enemy. Those that succeed a Fortitude saving throw instead are dealt 3d6 damage.


Greater Teleport
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, M
Target: Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Teleports you and all nearby allies to one of a variety of locations.


Hold Person, Mass
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Foe
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 round/level

Casts Hold Person on multiple targets.


Invisibility, Mass
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Illusion
Duration: 1 min/level

Casts Invisibility on multiple targets, causing them to vanish from sight, even darkvision. Attacking a target will remove the effect.


Power Word: Blind
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V
Target: Foe
School: Enchantment
Duration: see text

A single word of power is uttered, causing your target to become blinded. Creatures with 100 current HP or less are permanently blinded, creatures with 101 to 200 current HP are blinded for 1d4+1 minutes, creatures with 201 to 400 current HP are blinded for 1d4+1 rounds. Creatures with more than 400 current HP are unaffected by this spell.


Restoration, Greater
Level: Clr7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Cures all temporary ability damage, restores all negative levels suffered from energy drain, and eliminates fatigue, exhaustion, confusion, and insanity suffered by the ally.


Restoration, Mass
Level: Clr 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Casts Restoration on multiple targets, curing all temporary ability damage, restoring a single negative level suffered from energy drain, and eliminating fatigue or exhaustion suffered by allies.


Resurrection
Level: Clr 7
Components: V, S, M, DF
Target: Friend
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Resurrects the target with half hitpoints.


Spell Resistance, Mass
Level: Clr 7
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Abjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

Casts Spell Resistance on multiple targets, warding allies with a Spell Resistance of 12 plus 1 per caster level.


Summon Monster VII
Level: Clr 7, Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 7 minutes

Summons an efreeti to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Monster spell for 7 minutes.


Symbol of Stunning
Level: Clr 7, Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Positional
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 round/level after triggered

You scribe a potent rune of power in the air. When the symbol is activated by a target approaching, all nearby targets are stunned for 6d6 seconds or until the Symbol expires. A successful Will save negates this effect.


Symbol of Weakness
Level: Clr 7, Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S, M
Target: Positional
School: Necromancy
Duration: 1 round/level after triggered

You scribe a potent rune of power in the air. When the symbol is activated by a target approaching, all nearby targets take 3d6 points of Strength damage. A successful Fortitude save negates this effect.


Waves of Exhaustion
Level: Wiz/Sor 7
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: Permanent

Waves of negative energy cause all living creatures to become exhausted. Exhausted creatures take a -6 penalty to strength and dexterity.


New for Bards

Cure Light Wounds, Mass
Level: Brd 5, Clr 5
Components: V, S
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Grants Cure Light Wounds on multiple targets.


Dispel Magic, Greater
Level: Brd 5, Clr 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Abjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Removes ongoing spells that have been cast on a target. You must make a caster level check of 1d20 + your caster level (maximum +20) versus 11 + the spell's caster level to remove an effect.


Heroism, Greater
Level: Brd 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, S
Target: Friend, Self
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 min/level

Imbues a single ally with great bravery and morale in battle, gaining a +4 morale bonus on attacks, saves, and skill checks. The target also receives temporary hit points equal to the caster level and immunity to fear.


Mind Fog
Level: Brd 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Target: Positional
School: Enchantment
Duration: 2d6 rounds

Produces a bank of thin mist that weakens the mental resistance of those caught in it, giving a -10 penalty to Will saves. A successful Will save negates this effect.


Shadow Walk
Level: Brd 5, Wiz/Sor 6
Components: V, S
Target: Self
School: Illusion
Duration: 1 min/level

Transports you to the edge of the Material Plane where it borders the Plane of Shadow. While this spell is active, you move much faster than normal and your outline appears faint and you are harder to hit. Attacking another creature or otherwise interacting with objects shunts you back to the Material Plane.


Suggestion, Mass
Level: Brd 5, Sor/Wiz 6
Components: V, M
Target: Foe
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 round/level

Casts Suggestion on multiple enemies.


Summon Monster V
Level: Brd 5, Clr 5, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 5 min

Summons an earth elemental to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Monster spell for 5 minutes.


New for Paladins

Break Enchantment
Level: Brd 4, Clr 5, Pal 4, Sor/Wiz 5
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Abjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Affected allies in an area are freed from harmful enchantments, transmutations, and curses. You must make a caster level check of 1d20 + your caster level (maximum +15) versus 11 + the spell's caster level to remove an effect.


Cure Serious Wounds
Level: Brd 4, Clr 5, Pal 4, Rgr 4
Components: V, S
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Positive energy is channeled to heal serious wounds of your target or damage undead for 3d8 hit points +1 per caster level (max +15).


Deathward
Level: Clr 4, Pal 4
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Necromancy
Duration: 1 min/level

Grants an ally an immunity to death spells and effects, energy drain, and negative energy effects.


Neutralize Poison
Level: Brd 4, Clr 4, Pal 4, Rgr 3
Components: V, S, M/DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

Detoxifies any sort of venom in an ally, causing him to suffer no additional effects from the poison. Additionally, it immunizes the ally from any poison he is exposed to during the duration of the spell.


Restoration
Level: Clr 4, Pal 4
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Cures all temporary ability damage, restores a single negative level suffered from energy drain, and eliminates fatigue or exhaustion suffered by the ally.


New for Rangers

Cure Serious Wounds
Level: Brd 4, Clr 5, Pal 4, Rgr 4
Components: V, S
Target: Friend, Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: Instantaneous

Positive energy is channeled to heal serious wounds of your target or damage undead for 3d8 hit points +1 per caster level (max +15).


Freedom of Movement
Level: Rgr 4, Brd 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S, M, DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Abjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

This spell enables an ally to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that normally impedes movement, such as paralysis, entanglement, or solid fog.


Longstrider, Mass
Level: Rgr 4
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Transmutation
Duration: 1 min/level

Casts Longstrider on multiple targets, increasing base run speed of allies by +15%.


Summon Nature’s Ally IV
Level: Rgr 4
Components: V, S F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 4 minutes

Summons a razor cat to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Nature's Ally spell for 4 minutes.

A Tour of EverQuest: The Buried Sea

Do you ever feel like your game needs a little more content? You know, that feeling you get when you are up against your 10th NPC that is named "Mr. Johnson" and aren't really sure why you are killing him again. Fear no more fellow gamers, for your solution is here: EverQuest the Buried Sea!

You are one of the many players of EverQuest, and are about to embark on a new adventure. This game has had many expansions, with each one providing new content and new stories for adventures. The Buried Sea is another phenomenal experience for players to love.

EverQuest has always been chock FULL of content, and they continue their tradition with their newest expansion The Buried Sea. Follow with Stratics on an Exclusive Tour of this amazing expansion.

The Age of Sail is upon us... a time of exploring new worlds across the vast waters of the open seas. In this time, pirates have begun to set sail on those high seas to claim it as their own, taming the wild spirit held within the murky depths of the oceans, being unwelcome in the civilized and land-lubber worlds of the French, Spanish, and British. And sea travelers be wary, for the pirates are not concerned with who is aboard your ship... only what can be had for the taking!

Imagine the Caribbean in the early 1700s, when man was intent upon staking their claim upon all things the eye could see... including other men. And many men felt they should be the ones doing the conquering! A time when pirates and countries both desired to rule the open seas of the world, trying to make their mark on the lands and conquer all in their paths.

You can make a stand, whether it be as a soldier in the Royal Navy, a privateer, a merchant, or a pirate - the choice is yours to make. But ! be certain of your career, for you may very well catch the ire of others who most assuredly oppose you!

Pirates of the Burning Sea is brought to you by Flying Labs Software, creators of Rails Across America and Delta Green are bringing to us in June 2007 Pirates of the Burning Sea, a game, to quote the devs, "With pirates".

With that being said, we welcome you to Pirates of the Burning Sea Stratics. To celebrate the opening of the portal, we give you SIX Exclusive Screenshots brought to use by Aether at FlyingLabs.

A port of call	Storms at sea
A port at night	Meeting at night
Storms at sea	A wrecked ship on the beach

We look forward to meeting you both in our community here, and on the high seas! Aargh, matey!

Please join us on Monday, February 12, 2007, for a House of Commons with the developers of Lord of the Rings Online at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern in the #StraticsHoC channel on Stratics IRC.

You can connect to one of our IRC servers through the use of your favorite IRC client or you can visit our new Downloads section to choose a suitable client. Connect to irc.stratics.com port 6668 or whichever server is closest to you:

• stratics.frws.com port 6668, USA - Colorado
• irc.glowfish.de port 6668, EU - Germany
• stratics.afraidyet.net 6668, USA - Atlanta

You may also connect through our handy Java link which may be found right here. You must have Java installed to use this which can be downloaded from the Java homepage.

We will be discussing general topics with the developers, and general chat will be in our IRC channel #middle-earth before, during, and after the House of Commons.

We hope to see you there!

In Development: Module 4 spells levels 1-12

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the list of new spells we are currently working on for players levels 1 through 12 for Module 4: Reaver's Bane.

Aid, Mass
Level: Clr 3
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 min/level

This spell functions like Aid, except that it affects multiple targets and each target gains temporary hit points equal to 8 + 1 per caster level (max 8+15).


Contagion
Level: Clr 4, Wiz/Sor 4
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: Instantaneous

Infects a living enemy with the chosen disease, which strikes immediately and deals damage to one or more attributes. A successful Fortitude save negates the damage.


Enervation
Level: Wiz/Sor 4
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: Instantaneous

A black ray of crackling negative energy suppresses the life force of any living creature it strikes, granting an enemy 1d4 negative levels. If the target has as many negative levels as its Hit Die, it dies. Each negative level gives a creature -1 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and effective level. Negative levels stack.


Fire Trap
Level: Wiz/Sor 4
Components: V, S, M
Target: Positional
School: Evocation
Duration: 1 min or until triggered

Creates a trap that wards an area. When an enemy triggers the spell by entering the area, a fiery explosion does 1d4 fire damage +1 per caster level (max 20). A successful Reflex save reduces the damage by half.


Freedom of Movement
Level: Rgr 4, Brd 4, Clr 4
Components: V, S, M, DF
Target: Friend, Self
School: Abjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

This spell enables an ally to move and attack normally for the duration of the spell, even under the influence of magic that normally impedes movement, such as paralysis, petrification, entanglement, or solid fog.


Ghoul Touch
Level: Wiz/Sor 2
Components: V, S, M
Target: Foe
School: Necromancy
Duration: 1d6+2 rounds

This spell imbues your touch with negative energy, allowing you to paralyze a single living humanoid. The subject then exudes a carrion stench that causes nearby living creatures to become sickened. Creatures that are immune to poison are unaffected by the stench. A successful Fortitude save negates both effects.


Hold Animal
Level: Rgr 2
Components: V, S
Target: Foe
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 round/level

An animal becomes paralyzed and freezes in place. It is aware, but can take no actions for a maximum of 6 seconds per caster level. The enemy may attempt to make a new Will save every 3 seconds.


Magic Circle Against Evil
Level: Clr 3, Wiz/Sor 3, Pal 3
Components: V, S, M/DF
Target: Self
School: Abjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

Casts Protection From Evil on multiple targets, granting a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus to saves versus attacks from evil creatures. Targets are also warded from magical mental control and compulsions.


Recitation
Level: Clr 4
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Self
School: Conjuration
Duration: 1 round/level

Gives special favor to allies, giving a +2 luck bonus to attack rolls, Armor Class, and saves.


Shadow Walk
Level: Brd 5, Wiz/Sor 6
Components: V, S
Target: Self
School: Illusion
Duration: 1 min/level

Transports you to the edge of the Material Plane where it borders the Plane of Shadow. While this spell is active, you move much faster than normal and your outline appears faint and you are harder to hit. Attacking another creature or otherwise interacting with objects shunts you back to the Material Plane.


Shield of Faith, Mass
Level: Clr 4
Components: V, S, M
Target: Friend, Self
School: Abjuration
Duration: 1 min/level

Casts Shield of Faith on multiple targets, creating a shimmering, magical field around allies that averts attacks, giving a +2 deflection bonus to AC. This bonus is increased by 1 for every 6 caster levels.


Snare
Level: Rgr 2
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Positional
School: Transmutation
Duration: 1 min until triggered

Creates a snare that, when triggered, entangles a single enemy. An entangled creature may attempt to make a Strength save each round to escape. Incorporeal creatures and oozes cannot be caught in the snare.


Spike Growth
Level: Rgr 2
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Positional
School: Transmutation
Duration: 1 min/level

Creates hard and pointed vegetation injures the feet and legs of enemies that pass over it, slowing movement and causing 1d4 piercing damage per round. A successful Reflex save negates the slow.


Summon Nature’s Ally I
Level: Rgr 1
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 1 min

Summons a wolf to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Nature's Ally spell for 1 minute.


Summon Nature’s Ally II
Level: Rgr 2
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 2 min

Summons a hyena to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Nature's Ally spell for 2 minutes.


Summon Nature’s Ally III
Level: Rgr 3
Components: V, S, F/DF
Target: Positional
School: Conjuration
Duration: 3 min

Summons a lioness to fight for you for a brief time. Casting this spell locks out casting any other Summon Nature's Ally spell for 3 minutes.


Symbol of Pain
Level: Clr 5, Wiz/Sor 5
Components: V, S, M
Target: Positional
School: Enchantment
Duration: 1 round/level after triggered

You scribe a potent rune of power in the air. When the symbol is activated by a target approaching, all nearby targets suffer wracking pain that imposes a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. A successful Fortitude save negates this effect.


Tenser’s Transformation
Level: Wiz/Sor 6
Components: V, S, M
Target: Self
School: Transmutation
Duration: 1 round/level

Causes the caster to become a virtual fighting machine - stronger, tougher, faster, and more skilled in combat. Your mind-set changes so that you relish combat and you can't cast spells. You gain a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, a +4 natural armor bonus to AC, a +5 competence bonus on Fortitude saves, and proficiency with all simple and martial weapons. Your base attack bonus equals your character level (which may give you multiple attacks).


Wild Instincts
Level: Rgr 3
Components: V, S, DF
Target: Self
School: Divination
Duration: 1 min/level

You sharpen your instincts and your awareness of immediate surroundings, giving a +10 Insight bonus on Listen and Spot checks.

Our Ask the WoW Developers Q&A has started back up again. You can submit your question here (one question per person please).

All questions need to be in by February 15^th, we will take the top ten questions and forward them onto Blizzard. Make sure you check back on February 25^th to see if your question was answered by Blizzard!

We are hoping to make this a monthly event so make sure you keep checking back!

Thank you!

Stratics Second Life is pleased to announce our fantastic exclusive competition to five lucky Stratics users, to win a free copy of "Second Life - A documentary", a 50 minute program filmed entirely within the online environment Second Life, explaining what it is all about, and featuring interviews with a number of players.

Second Life is a fully immersive, player created, 3D environment with over 3 million registered users. It is a realization of The Metaverse, as described in the novel "Snowcrash".

If you are not familiar with the documentary, please read our interview with the creators, Robo Studios, here

Enter our competition here.

Please drop by the Stratics Second Life forums here, or download and create your free Second Life account.

Good luck!

WAR Stratics Coverage of the EA Mythic Press Event

WARStratics has released their coverage of the EA Mythic Press Event, January '07!

My first view of the game this time around is amazing. Plumes of black smoke rise in the distance. Obviously something over there needs my attention! On my way to investigate there are farmers running around. Ducking, weaving, crying over lost farmsteads and general confusion abound. I've been in game all of 10 seconds. This is gonna be AWESOME! We'll get into more of the good stuff later. For now, the rest of the overview!

The review includes a look at the newly released races of Chaos, and the Human Empire.

The screenshots released at this event can be found in the WAR Stratics gallery.

Scions of Fate is entering into their next Closed Beta stage, and you have a chance to secure your very own beta key! That's right... you can participate in the closed beta stages. MGame and Stratics have teamed up to offer you the chance to request a beta key for the third and final phase!

MGame recently brought us Legend of Ares and Hero. Now they bring Scions of Fate to join in their fantastic lineup of titles.

If you don't know of Scions of Fate, you're definitely missing out:

In China, Taiwan, and Thailand, Scions of Fate has received many ovations and has now become a community that has members all throughout the countries. While bringing the joy of martial arts and garnering more fame in Asia has been a goal of Scions of Fate since the beginning, it is now time for the whole world to experience the world of Scions of Fate.

So join the millions of others who are enjoying the fun and entertaining world of Scions of Fate. Request your key today!