¶ Spellward
Is this your first time on Spellward? Unsure how to start playing, with your eyes overwhelmed by all the pixels? Do not worry: this guide will help you become familiar with the project's many mechanics and features.
Spellward is a unique Space Station 14 server by the developers of Imperial Space, set in a fantasy world. While playing, you will immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a distant medieval age filled with magic, monsters, an endless struggle for power, and an impending end of the world in which demons of darkness exterminate all life. To begin, you should read the server rules , which have been adapted to its present realities.
¶ Before the Time Loop Begins
As soon as you connect to the server, you will notice changes to character creation: new role options, attribute selection, and an enormous list of traits.
¶ Attributes
To the right of the appearance editor, you can find a new mechanic added to Spellward: "Attributes." It lets you configure your character's capabilities, from how long they can run to whether they can speak coherently at all.
The currently available attributes are shown in the image:
You initially have 3 free points to invest in any attribute. To gain more points, you must lower one of your attributes.
Each attribute is described below:
- Intelligence — affects item-crafting speed and mana capacity. With high Intelligence, you will also be able to get the gist of speech in languages unknown to you.
- Vitality — useful for anyone who wants to remain on the battlefield longer. Even if you lose a great deal of blood, you may still remain alive. Even if you fall, you will not lose consciousness immediately and may have time to find a healer. Increasing it also reduces the need for sleep and food.
- Agility — determines how quickly you fight, how nimble you are in certain respects, and how fast you can move.
- Strength — affects damage dealt both by weapons in your hands and by your bare fists.
- Endurance — allows you to run longer, go without food and water for longer, and keep running even while carrying the heaviest load.
Lowering an attribute to its minimum is not recommended, because doing so has more serious consequences. For example, with low Intelligence, communicating will be very difficult.
¶ Roles
Let us examine the changes to the list of available roles. Although Free People and starting faction roles will initially be available to you, an ordinary Traveler or Adventurer is recommended for your first game.
To learn more about the features of a particular role, click its name below.
¶ 1. Legion
- Legion Alchemist — search for ingredients, create potions, and experiment for the good of the Legion.
- Legion Gatekeeper — stand at the gates and decide who may pass and who may not.
- Legion Prisoner — an outcast from society, but everyone has a chance to reform... or escape.
- Legate — leads the Legion, issues orders, and commands the army of the eagle.
- Legionary — the most ordinary soldier of the Legion.
- Legion Mage — wields magic and can either heal comrades or fight the Legion's enemies.
- Optio — a junior officer of the Legion.
- Recruit — a new soldier learning the basics of combat and the Legion Laws.
- Tribune — the Legate's deputy, who assists with every matter of the utmost importance.
¶ 2. Rebels
- Rebel Alchemist — search for ingredients, create potions, and help the rebellion achieve its goal.
- Rebel Gatekeeper — standing at the gates may not be a true warrior's purpose, but a warrior is patient and can therefore take a turn guarding them.
- Militiaman — an ordinary Rebel soldier.
- Jarl — leads the rebellion against the Legion on this peninsula.
- Rebel Mage — wields magic and can either heal comrades or fight the rebellion's enemies.
- Varangian — a junior Rebel officer.
- Felag — a recruit learning the basics of combat and the Rebels' hierarchy.
- Foring — the Jarl's right hand, who can replace the leader when necessary.
¶ 3. College of Mages
- Archmage of the College — leads the College and watches over the containment Barrier.
- College Mage — serves the College and follows the Archmage's instructions.
- College Novice — a mage recently accepted into the College who studies spellcraft under senior mages.
¶ 4. Mercenaries
- Mercenary Leader — tries to lead the mercenaries.
- Mercenary — can save or kill for money.
¶ 5. Trade Caravan
- Merchant of the Southern / Northern Lands — a trader who has come to the peninsula to earn revents.
¶ 6. Free People
- Bard — the foremost performer in the Legion's lands, entertaining and cheering every passing traveler.
- Beggar — a perpetually smelly person with no property.
- Priest — protects villagers from the forces of darkness, dispels curses, and guides the souls of the deceased on their final journey.
- Innkeeper — manages a tavern and earns a living by selling alcohol and snacks.
- Traveler — the most ordinary person, beholden to no one, who wanders across the peninsula.
- Wandering Mage — the same as a Traveler, but with a little knowledge of magic.
¶ 7. Miners
- Miner — spends most of their time underground, eats dirt instead of food, and sees the light less often than their own reflection.
- Senior Miner — the one who will lead the brave miners into the depths of the earth.
¶ 8. Cult of Truth
- Cultist — your only goal is to destroy the Barrier. Seek out and recruit new members of the cult. And remember: the Barrier is a lie.
- Cult Preacher — lead the cult, make cursed contracts, and preach the truth.
¶ 9. Village
- Villager — an ordinary person who works on a farm and may occasionally have a drink.
- Village Militia — the village's safety is in your hands.
- Village Elder — responsible for the village's work and trade with the outside world.
¶ Equipment
A new "Equipment" button has appeared beside role selection. It lets you choose your character's gear before the round begins. This may include ordinary cosmetic clothing or extremely useful items, namely: "Medicine," "Extra Money," "Melee Weapons," "Larger Backpack," and "Maps and Parchments." Each section provides only a few points for selecting items, so try to distribute them as efficiently as possible.
Every role has different equipment. Mages, for example, can choose only gloves.
Most equipment options will be unavailable when you first connect. Play on Spellward more often to unlock every item over time!
¶ Antagonists
New antagonist roles have been added to Spellward, as shown in the image below.
- Myrmex Queen — you are the queen who rules a vast hive tasked with conquering the entire island.
- Myrmex — help the Queen defend and develop the hive and continue its bloodline.
¶ Character Traits
Character traits have also been completely reworked for the server's setting. Let us examine each section.
In every trait category,
except Body, you have only one point and can therefore select only one trait.
¶ 1. Faith in a God
- Kreza — Goddess of trade and freedom. Worshiped by merchants and those who value independence.
- Valtor — God of war and violence. Patron of warriors.
- Soma — Goddess of mercy and healing. Often worshiped by priests and healers.
- Magnus — God of knowledge and magic. Worshiped by mages and those who value wisdom.
- Morbius — God of death and decay. Faith in him is forbidden in the Legion's lands.
- Nexar — God of revelry, merriment, and an idle way of life.
- Pyrx — God of fire and strength. Worshiped by blacksmiths and those who value strength.
- Zaigo — Goddess of deception and guile. Worshiped by thieves and those who value cunning.
- Terra — Goddess of earth and fertility. Worshiped by farmers and those who value nature.
¶ 2. Body
- Insomnia — reduces the character's need for sleep by 30%.
- Nearsightedness — worsens the character's vision, though they can still see.
- Believer — allows the character to use the Bible and Necronomicon.
- Water Guzzler — reduces the need for water by 25%.
- Enduring — increases stamina by 20%.
- Sharp-Eyed — slightly increases the character's field of view.
- Gourmet — reduces the need for food by 25%.
- Pickpocket — makes stealing items from other people much faster.
- Narcolepsy — causes the character to fall asleep at the worst possible moment.
- Muteness — the character can no longer speak.
- Poor Fighter — reduces the chance to parry by 50%.
- Blindness — the character can no longer see.
- Drowsiness — increases the need for sleep by 40%.
- Stoic — the character will no longer scream when taking damage.
- Increased Mana Reserve — increases mana capacity by 10%.
- Accelerated Mana Regeneration — mana regenerates 10% faster.
- Hygienic — halves the need to wash the body.
¶ 3. Quirks
Additional traits that require no points.
- Lightweight — the character becomes intoxicated more quickly from any kind of alcohol.
- Bounty — grants more starting capital, but you may appear on the mercenaries' wanted board.
- Snoring — the character snores loudly while asleep.
¶ 4. Crafts
- Lockpicker — after a failed attempt to pick a door lock, shows how much harder or softer you need to press the pins to open it successfully.
- Potion Brewer — allows you to identify every property of a potion.
- Appraiser — when pressing SHIFT + LMB on an item, allows you to estimate its sale value.
- Craftsperson — increases item-crafting speed at workbenches fourfold.
- Sharpener — using a whetstone restores twice as much weapon durability without increasing the rate at which the weapon breaks.
- Farmer — food they prepare is more filling and temporarily increases endurance.
- Miner — while holding a pickaxe in both hands, breaks any ore deposit in one strike.
¶ 5.Speech Traits
¶ 5.Restrictions
- Unrevivable — selecting this trait prevents the character from being revived with a magical stone.
¶ Inside the Time Loop
Spellward's gameplay differs radically from that of other servers: there are no standard KZ, SRP, or OPRS, nor abbreviations such as SI, LKP, or DAM. Instead of a single station, there are numerous regions full of interesting content. Your character can serve different settlements, mine ore for later smelting into pieces of armor or melee weapons, gather magical herbs, and then brew potions. In short, an enormous range of role-playing and enjoyable gameplay is open to you.
Instead of the usual shifts, characters live through an endless time loop that repeatedly ends with the destruction of the containment Barrier and the annihilation of the world by the forces of darkness.
Try to respect the server's setting when characters speak in-game. No one will appreciate shouts such as "unrob" or other fashionable words used in rounds on other servers. Replacing every insult with an archaic equivalent is also recommended.
Good to know: one in-game hour equals one real minute. Thus, an entire day lasts 24 minutes.
You should also remember that it begins to grow dark at 2:00, while dawn begins at 9:00.
If you need to leave the game before the round ends while playing an important role, do not worry. After ten minutes, your character will become a skeleton and free the role in the selection menu for other players.
¶ New Interface
In the upper-right corner, you can see new textures for existing character-status elements, as well as several entirely new ones.
The interface is covered in greater detail in the mechanics guide.
Element
Description
Health
How close the character is to death.
Stamina
The character's remaining energy before they collapse to the ground. It recovers on its own over time.
Cleanliness
The stench coming from the character. To lower this indicator, the character must bathe in water.
Mana
The mana reserve used to activate spells. It recovers on its own over time.
Sleepiness
The desire to get a good night's sleep.
Bleeding
The severity of the character's open bleeding.
Hunger
Whether the character wants to eat.
Thirst
Whether the character wants to drink.
¶ Inventory
The inventory palette is now brighter and more golden. New slots for keys and amulets have been added.
Amulets function as additional magical armor; the type of protection depends entirely on the amulet's variant.
All clothing except keys, blindfolds, glasses, and belt items takes time to put on or remove.
¶ Conclusion
Once you have learned the basics of the game, an entire world of possibilities opens up: bring order and obedience while playing for the Legion; overthrow authority and sow chaos as the Rebels; or defend the world from an invasion of darkness in the College of Mages. If none of that appeals to you, simply gather a large team of adventurers and set out to explore the ruins of the ancient world.