GUIDELINES AND UPDATES FOR ROLE POINT PURCHASES
Generally, all purchases of the following types come with a Role Point cost, and an IC money cost, the exception being when it comes free as part of a Veteran Character package. The minimum IC money cost is typically 5 talents, with the price increasing for more elaborate changes. The Role Point costs for these purchases have not changed - the same varrying prices based on account type apply. The individually listed RP prices below are the prices for a premium subscriber.

CUSTOM ITEM - 2000 RPs, 5t minimum (or free when part of a Veteran Character package)
The purpose of a Custom Item request is to modify an item to enhance a character's appearance, role play, and play style, not to be the primary way characters can effortlessly obtain rare or special items. This not only invites confusion as to what items can be requested, but it limits design space for future desirable items. Thus, the staff will no longer provide the subject item of a Custom Item request. The requester must already own the item they want customized. This type of request is basically an Item Alteration, Superior Weapon Upgrade, and a Custom Roleplay Prop all rolled into one request. Specifically:
- Provides all the benefits of an Item Alteration, see below.
- If the item is a weapon or shield, it's quality may be increased to a maximum of "superior".
- Allows for the addition of custom emotes and dynamic name/description changes.
- If the item is a piece of clothing or jewelry, allows editing of its coverage and/or transparency.
- Allows adding readable text to an item that normally can't be written upon, such as engravings or inscriptions.
Examples:
- a metal weapon that rings when drawn
- a faceplate that creaks when closed
- hidden (cosmetic) spikes that click into place when a weapon's handle is twisted
- a stola with a transparent mesh back that shows off your back tattoo
- a gladius with an engraved blade that when read displays, "Legio I Forever!"

Note: Free Custom Items that come as part of a Veteran Character package may no longer be exchanged for IC money. Instead, there is a new button in the Veteran Character lobby that will allow VCs to exchange unwanted Custom Items for 20 attribute points each. VCs created before this change, but who have not used one or more of their free Custom Items, may exchange their Custom Items for attribute potential via @request if desired.

CUSTOM ROLEPLAY PROP - 1000 RPs, 5t minimum
A Custom Roleplay Prop request is similar to the Custom Item, except that it cannot be used on weapons, armor, or shields. This limitation applies to metal masks and faceplated helmets as they are armor, but not to hooded cloaks which are only clothing. Likewise, the staff will no longer provide the subject item of a Custom Roleplay Prop request. The requester must already own the item they want customized. This type of request:
- Provides all the benefits of an Item Alteration, see below.
- Allows for the addition of custom emotes and dynamic name/description changes.
- If the item is a piece of clothing or jewelry, allows editing of its coverage and/or transparency.
- Allows adding readable text to an item that normally can't be written upon, such as engravings or inscriptions.
Examples:
- a bird-embroidered pillow that chirps when squeezed
- a reversible sagum that changes colors when turned inside out
- a skirt that has been shortened to not cover the shins
- a jar of makeup with a custom color and appearance when applied

ITEM ALTERATION - 250 RPs, 5t minimum
The Item Alteration request allows the requester to alter the name and description (a.k.a. the short/long description) of an item they own. The name and description must still contain the base noun for the item. For example, you can't change "a bronze-tipped spear" to "a bronze dagger with a long pole lashed to it", or "an iron nagoda" to "an iron cuirass", nor can you change the base material type. If desired, requesters may omit the material type from the item's name and replace it with a color for painted items e.g. changing "a retalq gladius" to "a sharpened crimson gladius with a scorpion-shaped grip", as long as the material and the fact that it's colorized appears in the item's (long) description. If the item can't normally be written upon, adding text such as engravings or inscriptions is a mechanical change that must be purchased with a Custom Item or Custom Roleplay Prop request.

GEAR ALTERATION PACKAGE - 1000 RPs, 25t minimum
The Gear Alteration Package provides the benefits of 5 Item Alterations (see above) for the Role Point price of only 4. The items to be altered can be of any type - weapons, armor, clothing, tools, etc. However, the alterations should share a similar theme. A Gear Alteration package may only be purchased once per calendar year.

CHARACTER MAKEOVER - 1000 RPs - Free IG cost. Minimum 5 talents if adding tattoos (or free when part of a Veteran Character package)
The Makeover is an excellent way for a character to express themselves, deepen their roleplay, and craft memorable moments with their friends and fellow players. If you take the following tips into account when writing your custom description, it will have a high chance of being approved and quickly implemented by the staff. The lines making up a character's description are ordered and displayed by the game's mechanics in a specific, purposeful fashion. For example:

You see a tall woman with a thin frame and long tapering legs. She has crystal-clear blue eyes and glossy pale red lips. Her waist-length blonde hair is twisted into a layered braid to the back of her head forming a pony tail that drapes over the front of her body. Lines of cool blue ink radiate out over her collarbones from a tattoo of a pure white dove gliding through a cloudless sky. A crescent of slightly raised pink dots arc below her left hip.

"You see a tall woman with a thin frame and long tapering legs." - This is the character's "base" description. It provides general information about the character's gender, shape, and size and is visible regardless of what parts of the body are covered, even when wearing a faceplated helmet or hooded cloak. Keep that in mind when writing this part, and ask yourself, "Would an observer be able to tell this about my character if he was covered?"

"She has crystal-clear blue eyes and glossy pale red lips." - This is the character's face description. All portions of the character's description will be tied to a single, specific part of the body from this point forward, and will not be visible if that body part is covered. While human anatomy allows for a wide variety of colors and textures, if the color or texture you wish to use is too unnatural, it must be applied as makeup and cannot be a part of the makeover.

"Her waist-length blonde hair is twisted into a layered braid to the back of her head forming a pony tail that drapes over the front of her body." - This is the character's head description. For characters with very long hair, it is assumed they tuck it into a hat, helmet, or hood when worn. Hair may be any natural color, or dyed to whatever color or combination of colors the player wishes, and included in the makeover.

"Lines of cool blue ink radiate out over her collarbones from a tattoo of a pure white dove gliding through a cloudless sky." - This is the description of a tattoo located on the character's chest.

"A crescent of slightly raised pink dots arc below her left hip." - This is the description of a scar located on the character's left thigh.

- The base description should be short, no more than 15 words or 70 characters.
- In total, the entire description with everything uncovered should be kept to a maximum of 100 words or 500 characters.
- If your writing cannot be tied to a body part, rewrite it so that it can. If you have a feature that covers 2 or more parts, the implementing staff member will decide if it is able to be placed on a specific part or it needs to be completely rewritten.
- Make sure that what you write is true all the time. For example, "Her graceful posture exudes an aura of charm and confidence." Is this true when she has been swept and impaled or is bent over vomiting? How about, "Her full lips curl upward into a mischievous smile." Did she just use the "frown" command? This type of thing is better put in the character's speech and emotes, consistent with evolving circumstances, not in their makeover.
- No power emoting like, "She has mesmerizing eyes that glitter softly in the light." or "His intimidating gaze scans the area."
- Do not directly describe your character's genitals. Whatever you put in your emotes after the kids go to bed is your business, but keep your always-on makeover PG-13.
- Avoid preposterous similes and metaphors like, "His arms are thick like the trunks of ancient trees that have been rooted into the earth for a thousand years." or "Her eyes are deep pools that draw you into another world."
- Decorative items such as jewelry, piercings, hair ribbons etc. are not allowed to be part of a character's makeover. As a general rule, if what you're writing could reasonably be removed from you by another character while you're incapacitated, you can have that as an item, but not part of your makeover.
- If you want a special type of jewelry such as a naval or septum ring and can't find one IG, you can modify a jewelry item you own, such as a regular ring, with a Custom Item or Custom Roleplay Prop request and have it wearable on the face or waist instead.
- Makeup will no longer be allowed to be a part of a character's makeover. Several makeup items are available for purchase IG and if you can't find the exact color/appearance of makeup you want, you can modify a makeup item you own with a Custom Item or Custom Roleplay Prop request. Excellent examples may even be added to stores as permanent stock.

General Considerations:
- Ensure your word selection fits with TEC's time and mythos. Avoid angels, demons, dragons, etc.
- Avoid using words that imply the thing you're describing is emitting light, e.g. "glowing", unless it actually is.
- Keep the names (a.k.a. short descriptions) of items short. The limit is 60 characters for weapons, shields, and face covers like masks, faceplated helmets, and hooded cloaks. For other items, the limit is 100 characters.
- Requests with well-written descriptions usually get fulfilled faster than those cut and pasted from any AI-generated bot. While the use of AI for drafts and inspiration is totally allowed, the AI tends to add a heavy poetic spin on descriptions that don't fit with TEC's more realistic-leaning writing style. Again, please do not include emotion or forced feelings (a.k.a. power emoting) in your descriptions.

From: Senses
To: *news
When: 5:20 pm, Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Subject: New Property Types and Property Modifications
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NEW PROPERTY TYPES
A domus is intended to be a character's personal dwelling, not a store, or a bar, club
house, art gallery, etc. as is commonly requested. Requests to modify a domus so that it can
serve a purpose other than a private dwelling will be denied. However, players will now be
able to request 2 new personally-owned property types: the store, and the club house, which
between the two of them can serve in almost any capacity. Players request the location of
these special property types, but must be in/near a major settlement. The staff will work
with players to identify a location that is close to the desired location, with price and
map availability weighing in. NPC wages and property taxes are included in the building's
monthly expenses. Expect properties located in desirable areas to be much more expensive
than the minimum price. These property packages may only be requested by premium
subscribers.

Store Package - 10000 RPs, 750t minimum, base expenses 1500d/month
The Store package includes an NPC proprietor, 2 rooms - typically the public store front
room and a back work/storage/office room, 1 Permanent Light Fixture, and 4 fastened
furniture items including a shop counter and display case. The requester can alter the
rooms', exits', and items' appearances, as well as the NPCs appearance and clothing to fit
their theme for the establishment. The proprietor will sell the store's stock, which is made
up of items brought by the store's owner, for prices set by the owner. Player-owned stores
will not be able to purchase or repair items. Profits made by the store will not be shown in
the "holdings" command page, and instead will be paid directly to the owner.

Club House Package - 15000 RPs, 1250t minimum, base expenses 1750d/month
The Club House package includes an NPC door guard, 4 rooms - typically an entryway, a main
gathering room, and two smaller side rooms, 2 Permanent Light Fixtures, and 8 fastened
furniture items. The requester can alter the rooms', exits', and items' appearances, as well
as the NPCs appearance and clothing to fit their theme for the establishment. The door guard
can optionally restrict access to an entrance/exit of the owner's choice by adding/removing
allowed players to or from a list, similar to how the guards at the MVG and SOE org
buildings work. The owner can choose to have any portion of the building open to the public.
Included in the package is a free Custom Item to add mechanics to one of the building's
rooms, for example, turning one of the rooms into a sleeping barracks or fighting pit.

Note: A row of chairs, bar stools, cots, etc. counts as only 1 item.

Additional NPC - 5000 RPs, 5t minimum
An additional proprietor or door guard NPC that can be added to an existing Store or Club
House building.

PROPERTY MODIFICATIONS
All property modifications are obtained via @request and have a minimum IC cost of 5
talents each. Larger, fancier modifications will have higher prices. These prices are the
same for domii and other property types. Property modifications may only be requested by
premium subscribers.

Permanent Light Fixture - 500 RPs
This option allows the placement of a permanently fastened, everlasting lantern or torch.
The requester can alter the item's appearance and placement style. See Item Alteration
below.
Examples:
Basic Lantern - "Hanging from the ceiling is brightly glowing bronze lantern."
Fancy Lantern - "A brightly glowing polished silver lantern with rectangular glass panes
hangs from the ceiling by a thin chain."

Quick Keying Door - 1000 RPs
This modifies an existing lockable door to provide a convenience bonus - as long as the
player has the key to the door, or has a lockpick and is allowed to work on the door, the
player may walk through the door and it will automatically unlock/open/close/lock with no
roundtime. This enhancement may not be applied to the outer (first) door/gate of a property.

Room Alteration - 500 RPs
A room alteration changes the name and description of a room as seen with the "look"
command. This only includes things in the room that are described and not otherwise able to
be interacted with because they are not items. You may change the order that fastened items
appear in the room's description, but not the fastened items' descriptions themselves.
Example:
- Change "You are in a simple triclinium. The floor and walls are made from planks of dark
wood under thick square beams supporting the roof." to "You are in a spacious room. The high
ceiling is held by gently arching timbers spaced regularly along the bright blue painted
walls. Polished gold-veined white marble floor slabs are expertly fitted underfoot."

Additional Room - 1500 RPs plus room size: 10x10 500 RPs, 20x20 1500 RPs, 40x40 3500 RPs.
+1000 RPs for special mechanics.
Adds an additional room. Restricted by map space availability. Appearance of the room can
be altered and exits/locks are included. Discounted price for any special mechanics added,
see Custom Item below.

Item Alteration - 250 RPs
Use an Item Alteration to change the appearance/description of an item or exit.
Examples:
- Change "Against the eastern wall is a stone bench." to "Against the northern wall is a
polished marble bench carved with flying doves."
- Change "You see a thick oak door to the east." to "You see a tall crimson double door with
bronze hinges and large faceted glass knobs to the east."

Custom Item - 2000 RPs
Use a Custom Item to change a domus room, exit, or item's mechanics, or edit which items
are permanently fastened in a room.
Examples:
- Change a room into a bedroom, allowing characters who sleep there to regain fatigue while
logged off.
- Make a "secret" door or other special type of exit.
- Add a compluvium or window that allows characters to see the sky, and the room to be
illuminated by the sun during the day.
- Add periodic echoes in a room e.g. "The pleasant aroma of fresh water and lilies fills the
area."
- Unfasten a room's bed and cabinet so that you can replace them with other items.
- Note: You may request to unfasten Permanent Light Fixtures, but only to move it to another
room within the property or discard it.