Welcome to my Citizen's guide. I hope you find it useful. I have been a Citizen of Elanthia for several years (and endless hours) and I am always amazed at some of the things that new Citizens say and do. I decided to try to answer many of the common questions in a guide. It’s a selfish move actually -- by publishing the guide, maybe it will answer questions and keep them off the amu-net! It should help you progress efficiently through the first 10 levels. I hope you find it useful.

This guide is intended for use by all younger Citizens throughout Elanthia -- specifically levels 0 - 10.

The actual details of what happens to your character may be slightly different than listed here, since every character is different. This information is based on my own experiences, my own opinion, and information I’ve read in documents posted by others.

If you do not agree with my opinion, you are wrong! ; >

This information works for me. Other opinions vary. Use it as you will.

Gemstone III is a multi-player Role-playing game set in medieval times -- the days when King Arthur and Robinhood wandered the woods. It combines Dungeon and Dragons with computer adventure games to get the best of both! Since it is a role-playing game, part of the fun is to role-play your character.

What exactly is role-playing? In simple terms, role-playing is acting. You have created a character in a huge dramatic performance that goes on each and every day. Gemstone III is a stage and every time you enter the realms, you’re adding to the performance! Keep in mind that your "performance" on this stage is affecting everyone else’s, so perhaps some common courtesies should be followed.

First off, general discussion about anything not associated with Gemstone III (Out Of Character - OOC) is frowned upon. If you want to discuss football scores, politics, AOL problems, software, or whatever, go to a private area (such as a table, where no one else can inadvertently walk in) or WHISPER TO so no one else’s game is affected.

Secondly, the common practice in the game seems to be to openly discuss game mechanics. After all, they are there on the screen, so it should be ok, right? Wrong!

If you really are serious about role-playing, then stick to the things that YOUR CHARACTER would know. Here is a short list of reminders and suggestions.

• AS/DS. Your character has no idea what an AS or DS is. They only know if they hit the beast easily, sometimes, rarely, or not all. You have access to the numbers and you may understand them, but your Character has no idea! Try turning on Battle Brief to see what your character sees (SET command).

• Level. Since the level of a monster is based on it’s TD (which is a game mechanism), how would your CHARACTER have any idea what a level is. I rate monsters relative to other monsters -- "gnomes are easier than hobgoblins, but more difficult than kobolds." Another option might be to say "To hunt pookas, one would need about 30 trainings" since pookas are level 33 (granted some people can hunt them at a much younger age, but it gets the idea across that pookas are about level 30).

• Away From Keys (AFK). Does your character know what a key is? (Well, maybe a Bard does....) Taru takes a nap, or daydreams (I may WHISPER TO one of my friends and say AFK, but everyone else sees a sleeping or daydreaming Taru). Just a side note on napping…. How can anyone sleep on a bustling street corner or in the middle of town square with all of talking, singing, giggling? If you need to use the "sleep" macro (ctrl-R), then go someplace private -- like a table.
  
• Out of Character or Out of Computer (OOC). How would any character know anything about any of this? The phone? The door bell? To get a pepsi? Try WHISPER TO, or THINK TO.

For more information about role-playing, please see a Role-playing Guide.

Major topics are shown in the left column. The details of that topic are in the right column.

This guide will NOT include the mathematical formulas behind all the stuff that goes on in Elanthia. It is intended to provide general information for players. If you want to understand all the math, you’ll have to look elsewhere!

Gemstone is a text based game. Several shortcuts have been built into the game. I will show the shortcuts when possible. Generally, if something is in all caps, that is the key sequence to type.

The major sections of this guide are:

Before you enter Gemstone III, there are several items on various Gemstone-related websites that you should have. These items are published because they are very useful and helpful. Use them!

I recommend keeping at least 2 guides for your selected profession -- get 2 different opinions about how to train your character. The profession guides provide information about training recommendations and considerations. These guides (as is this one) are someone’s opinion -- don’t read them as hard set rules.

You will get injured and will need to get healed. Although the Empaths in town will help you, occasionally you will need to "field dress" your wounds. I recommend Herbs, Potions, Foraging, and Healing posted by Taru Sumithsu (me). It’s a handy one-page sheet with everything you need to know.

As you find treasure throughout the lands, you can exchange your gems for silvers at the Gem Shop. Download one of the Price Guides for Gems. You will need this list to calculate DEEDS later in life.

There are several other downloads with useful information -- weapons guides, armor guides, monster guides, etc. Download the ones that you think are useful. Opinions vary about a lot of things, so don’t take everything as "gospel".

Welcome to Gemstone! Now that you’ve done your homework, the first step is to create your character. In my opinion, the MOST critical part of generating your character is overlooked by nearly everyone. Defining WHO this character is — what motivates them, what makes them tick!

What is the character’s history? Are they an orphan? Were they sent from their village? Were they banished from their village? Are they honest? Dishonest? Greedy? Defining your character will have big impacts on your profession, your race, and your stat placement. If you put some thought into your character’s personality, it sure makes the game much for fun for you and everyone around you! Gemstone is a ROLE playing game, not a ROLL play