Getting Started

Welcome! An ARPG is an Art (or Story) Based Role Playing Game. Basically, you adopt characters and level them up or gain rewards by drawing or writing about them.  ARPGs come in many different forms and variations, but here are a few basics that are fairly common:

Genos: A geno or genotype is a description of a Rukaan and serves as your proof of ownership (proof that you own that Rukaan and have permission to design it). Genos can be gained by breeding, buying from other members, or for free through the adoption center. See How To Get A Rukaan.

Design or Import: An import sheet shows the Rukaan's design and holds all their official information. Once you have a geno, you can design it according to the design guide and then submit it to design approval.  If you need help making a design, you can get help through the adoption center design help request thread or you can post a journal to the group's advertisement gallery folder asking for help. Once the design is approved, an admin will upload the import to the official account and your Rukaan is ready to use!

Ranking: Many ARPGs have a ranking or leveling system. These grant your character additional attributes or abilities as well as reward items as they climb the ladder. In Rukaan, you ascend by a combination of collecting Rune Marks and completing rank-specified goals. 

Breeding: Breeding allows two Rukaan to have a baby that will inherit their features. In many ARPGs breeding may need to be unlocked with a ritual or meeting other requirements. In this group, breeding is unlocked by reaching the first rank of Thrall, which requires getting 15 rune marks and at least one activity entry for that Rukaan. Rukaan have a limited number of breeding slots and rates of breeding success, and can earn more slots and a better chance at successful breedings by rising in the ranking system.

Breeding Permissions or Slots: In order to breed Rukaan, you need permission! You will need a breeding slot or permission to both the sire and the dam that you wish to breed together. This must be posted by the Rukaan's owner, even if you own the Rukaan yourself. This allows us to track how many slots have been used for each Rukaan. Rukaan have a limit total number of breeding slots based on their rank.

Activities: These are things you can do with your character that are always open and will drop items that you can use. Some people will sell Rukaan for ARs, or Activity Rolls. Drawing two Rukaan in an exploration piece would be two activity rolls, as they each would get rolled for items.

Companions: Companions are little animal friends that travel with your Rukaan and grant them various bonuses. They do not have to be pictured for their bonus to be used, but they may have to meet certain requirements. These are listed in the item art for each companion. They are found in activities and in the market, and can be applied to your Rukaan through the Grand Treasury.

Kroner: The in-game currency for Fields of Valhalla. Kroner can be earned in-game primarily by selling items you have collected through activities. The kroner value of sellable items can be found in the item encyclopedia and on the item art for that item. Kroner can be used to buy items at the Merilian Market, from the Traveling Trader (when he is open), and from the annual group kroner sale. It is not a major part of gameplay, but can be useful if you have acquired more activity drop items than you have a use for.  Many activity drop items can be used in crafting or rune magic, so you may want to check the item's item art for a list of recipes they are used in before selling them for kroner.

To do most of these things, you will need a form. Including the form ensures that we have the information we need to correctly process your request! Find the relevant forms at the bottom of each page.

Think you got the basics? Read on to the "familiar" section for more info specific to the Rukaan group.

Welcome! We'll assume you know the basics, but there are plenty of things that vary from game to game so things may not be exactly what you expect if you're coming from a different game.

Genos or Proof of Ownership: Rukaan genos can be gained by breeding, buying from other members, or for free through the adoption center. See How To Get A Rukaan.

Design or Import: Once you have a geno, you can design it according to the design guide and then submit it to design approval.  If you need help making a design, you can get help through the adoption center design help request thread or you can post a journal to the group's advertisement gallery folder asking for help. 

Ranking: These grant your character additional attributes or abilities as well as reward items as they climb the ladder. In Rukaan, you ascend the ranking or leveling system by a combination of collecting Rune Marks and completing rank-specified goals. 

Breeding: In this group, breeding is unlocked by reaching the first rank of Thrall, which requires getting 15 rune marks and at least one activity entry for that Rukaan. Rukaan have a limited number of breeding slots and rates of breeding success, and can earn more slots and a better chance at successful breedings by rising in the ranking system.

Activities: Activities in Rukaan include the following:

• Exploration: The first tier explorations are open to everyone. Up to four Rukaan per entry can explore an area for item drops which are specific to each area. Higher exploration tiers must be unlocked, and will drop more valuable loot.

• Quests: Quests can only be completed by a single Rukaan at a time and must be completed by the Rukaan's owner. However, you have more control over what the reward for a quest is, and they tend to be more valuable than the rewards for explorations.

• Monthly Shows: These are competitions like horse shows, where a tame Rukaan competes with their handler against other rider Rukaan pairs. These events are judged monthly, and placements are based on effort and bonuses. The prizes are quite worthwhile, but the competition can be stiff!

• Monthly Feats: These are competitions like races or wrestling matches where wild Rukaan compete against each other. These events are judged monthly, and placements are based on effort and bonuses. The prizes are quite worthwhile, but the competition can be stiff!

• Battles:  These are fights between your Rukaan (or your Rukaan and their handler) against an opponent and they come in three type: NPC, PvP and Boss fights. Some opponents are harder than others, and you can improve your odds by increasing your stats, traits and companions. The harder the boss, the better the reward for defeating them!

Submissions: Submissions work a little differently with Rukaan. When you submit a piece to the gallery, it will be rolled for both activity rewards (if it is an activity entry) and also for Rune Marks. These Rune Marks are what you use to rise in the ranking system, so you'll want to keep track of them in your Rukaan's Tracker. See The Ranking System for more info on trackers.

Trackers: You will want to have a place to track both Rune Marks and activity drops for your Rukaan. There are a few options for doing this, which are laid out in The Ranking System.

Banking: Unless otherwise specified, items won from activities or events are automatically deposited in your bank account. Items in your bank account can be accessed and used through the Grand Treasury.

Kroner: The in-game currency for Fields of Valhalla. They are not to be confused with Rune Marks, which are the art points/leveling system of the game.  Kroner can not be purchased directly from the group, but can be earned in-game primarily by selling items from your vault. The kroner value of sellable items can be found in the item encyclopedia and on the item art for that item. Kroner can be used to buy items at the Merilian Market, from the Traveling Trader (when he is open), and from the annual group kroner sale. It is not a major part of gameplay, but can be useful if you have acquired more activity drop items than you have a use for.  Many activity drop items can be used in crafting or rune magic, so you may want to check the item's item art for a list of recipes they are used in before selling them for kroner.

Dispositions: Each Rukaan will have a disposition: Wild or Tame. This indicates whether they have a humanoid handler or live a life in the wild, and can be changed by completing the Passage of True Calling. It will also impact which professions, aptitudes, crafting, rune magic, and activities they can participate in.