Nexus War :: Glossary

Action Point: Action Points, or AP, represent the character's energy and ability to perform actions, such as moving, attacking, or searching. If the character runs out of Action Points, or lets their Action Points become negative, he or she is exhausted and must rest until they have accumulated more (1 every 15 minutes).
Alignment: A character's moral leaning. Alignment determines available options for Character Class choices. There are three alignments: Good, Evil, and Neutral. Alignment is determined by Morality score: a Morality of -20 and below indicates Evil, a score of 20 and above indicates Good, and inbetween lies the realm of Neutral.
Angel: A character who has ascended - chosen a Good-aligned character class at level 10 (Paladin or Shepherd).
Area of Effect: Area of Effect (or AoE) attacks are those which can potentially deal damage to all characters within a specified area. AoE attacks are potentially very damaging to a large number of characters at once.
Ascend: To ascend is the word used to describe the process whereby a mortal of Good morality can acquire the Paladin or Shepherd character classes, thereby becoming an angel.
Aspect: Aspect refers to the physical body possessed by a character. It is found under a character's Physical Description in their profile. A character's aspect (their physical description) will change every time they die and return to life.
Barricades: Barricades are barriers that can be created by players using the Structural Engineering skill. They impede the movement of landbound players across the tile boundaries on which they are built. These players must then either destroy or dismantle the barricades or choose an alternate route.
Level: A Character's Level is a rough measure of his/her experience and power in the Nexus. As a character gains Experience Points, their level increases. Higher levels bring numerous benefits, affecting Character Points, Magic Points, Action Points, and the risk of enchantment decay. The maximum level obtainable is 30.
Character Point: Character Points, or CP, are spent by characters in order to learn new Skills and Spells. Characters automatically earn a variable number of Character Points by gaining a level, though there are other methods of obtaining Character Points (finding exploration Badges is one additional way to earn Character Points). A character cannot change to the next tier of existence unless they have less than a certain amount of CP (40 for tier 2, 70 for tier 3).
Class: A character's Class serves as a general representation of the abilities of the character. Different character classes have different Skills that are available for purchase. Each class also has a particular set of Aspects, or appearances, which are unique to it.
Damage: There are several types of damage that can be inflicted by weapons or spells. Damage type is important, as certain armors protect only against certain types of damage (or provide better protection to some types than others).
Decay: Over time, various elements of the game will decay. Decay is a process whereby an element's effectiveness is reduced.
Demon: The term demon is applied to any character who has begun (or completed) the process of descension. In practical game terms, this is any character who has selected either the Pariah or Defiler character class (as these are the gateways). Only characters with morality of -20 or less are able to choose these classes.
Descend: To descend is the word used to describe the process whereby a mortal of Evil morality can acquire the Pariah or Defiler character classes, thereby becoming a demon.
Experience Point: Experience Points (or XP) are a raw measure of how much a character has learned and, well, experienced. The more Experience Points a character has, the higher his or her Character Level. As a character's level increases, his or her power increases as well.
Faction: Factions are player-created "teams" of characters. The more powerful a faction is, the more powerful its members are.
Game Time: The game's internal time. A full cycle (day) of game time is four hours of real time. The location description pane of the interface tells you whether it is day or night, and an approximate time of day. The time of day affects your chances of success when searching for an item or a hiding place.
Hand to Hand: Hand to hand attacks are where the body itself is made into a weapon. These attacks use only innate weaponry, such as fists or claws.
Hit Point: Hit Points, or HP, are a raw measure of a character's overall health. When characters are injured (through any means) their Hit Points are reduced. This generally occurs when an enemy character attacks your character, but it is also possible to receive damage performing other actions.
Honor: Honor can be used to measure a faction's fairplay. Factional honor takes into account the difference between the faction's level and the level of its victims.
Idle: A character that has been inactive (not logged in) for 5 days will become marked as Idle. These characters are removed from the game until they log in again (they are not deleted).
Infusion: Infusion is the only method of increasing your faction karma and in turn activating faction bonuses. Infusions are performed by characters with the appropriate skill for investing Magic Points into a location allowing them to claim it for their faction. It is not possible to infuse a location if your character is not a member of a faction.
Inventory: The inventory represents the items that a character is currently carrying and serves as the means through which they can interact with them.
Karma: A faction's Karma score represents its overall power through magical control of territory.
Magic Point: Magic Points, or MP, are a raw measure of a character's overall magical power. Certain abilities (such as casting Spells and using Skills) will require that the character spend an amount of Magic Points to perform the action. Traveling between planes using Portals also requires a certain amount of Magic Points.
Melee: A Melee Attack is the damage style associated with an attack action performed by using close-combat hand-held items such as Swords, Knives, Daggers, and various Improvised weapons.
Morality: A character's morality score represents his or her position on the ethical spectrum. A score of 0 indicates perfect neutrality: the character is a blank slate as far as damnation or redemption is concerned.
Mortal: All characters in the Nexus begin as Mortals. Mortals are just that: mortal beings with no extraordinary powers. Mortals begin their existence unaligned and with the precious gift of free will: they are able to choose their own destinies.
Multi Abuse: Multi abuse (or zerging) is the term for the use of multiple characters, owned by the same player, being used for an unfair advantage. Multi-abuse is generally referring to using multiple characters (or accounts) to benefit each other directly, whereas zerging usually refers to using multiple characters (or accounts) to affect another players in a detrimental fashion.
Nifleheim: Nifleheim is the formal name for the plane of death.
Nimbus: The Nimbus is the formal name for the highest plane of existence populated by all things good. It is a land of clouds, and lies above Paradise.
Paradise: Paradise is the formal name for the plane of existence populated by all things good. It is the home plane for Angelic character classes (Paladins, Shepherds, Advocates, Lightspeakers, Seraphs, and Divine Champions).
Pet: Pets are summoned or created creatures. A pet will follow its master to the best of its ability and will obey a limited set of commands. Most pets will engage in combat if ordered, and some pets have additional abilities, such as the power to heal others. The actual powers possessed by a pet depend on its type.
Plane: The term plane refers to one of several planes of existence - areas of physical space which comprise the greater Nexus. A single plane may be aligned or neutral by its very nature. There are four planes: Valhalla (or St. Germaine), Stygia, Paradise, and Purgatorio.
Portal: A Portal is a magical "doorway" that links the various planes of existence. Stepping through a portal in one location will transport a character to another location.
Profile: The profile is a representation of a character's current status and their past accomplishments.
Purgatorio: Purgatorio is the formal name for the plane of existence populated by all things neutral and unaligned, focused on free will.
Ranged: A Ranged Attack is the damage style associated with an attack action that allows the attacker to hit the intended victim from a distance. These include spells and skills and attacks made with weapons such as Rifles, Pistols, or Bows.
Rejuvenate: After a while, all pets will run low on Action Points, Magic Points, and Hit Points. If any of these numbers reaches 0, the pet will despawn. However, the pet's master may choose to rejuvenate the pet - restoring it to full power - with the expense of Magic Points.
Respawn: When a character takes more damage than he has Hit Points, he dies. The physical shell falls lifelessly to the ground leaving a corpse and the character's spirit rises up to mingle in the Void.
Saint Germaine: Saint Germaine is the name of a small archipelago located within the Bermuda triangle, the name of the largest island in that archipelago, and the name of a nation located there (the Saint Germaine Principality).
Skills: Skills grant characters new abilities and powers. These vary from improved accuracy and damage to innate armors and attacks. Each class has a different set of skills available.
Soak: Damage soak is an effect that reduces the damage dealt to one's character.
Spells: Spells are magical abilities that can be utilized by classes with the Cast Spell skill. Casting spells expend Magic Points and cost Character Points to commit to memory. The strength of different spells varies widely, as do their effects.
Standard: Standards are flags or other objects that represent a faction. Standards are kept inside a faction's stronghold and can be taken by other factions during a successful raid.
Status Effect: Status Effects are timed alterations to some part of a character. Some Status Effects are beneficial, and some are harmful. Status Effects can be invoked by using spells, drinking potions, or using class abilties.
Stronghold: A stronghold is a location that has been declared by a faction as being their headquarters or base of operations. Strongholds provide a greater degree of protection to the members of a faction.
Stygia: Stygia is the formal name for the plane of existence populated by all things evil and chaotic: demons, devils, their dark servants and even darker masters.
Stygian Warrens: The Stygian Warrens is the formal name for the lowest plane of existence populated by all things evil. It is a land of pulsing, organic rock and lies below Stygia.
Survivor Bonus: Factionless characters can choose a "survivor bonus" to compensate for missing out on a faction bonus. This bonus is selectable on the character edit screen.
Tier: The term "tier" refers to a rank of Character Class or Skill. There are three tiers for both classes and skills.
Touch Attack: A Touch Attack is any attack action (usually a spell or skill, such as Death Touch or Poison) that requires that the attacker simply "touch" the intended victim.
Transcend: To transcend is the word used to describe the process whereby a mortal of any morality can acquire the Myrmidon or Sorcerer character classes, stepping beyond the bounds of mere humanity.
Valhalla: Valhalla is the official name for the "Earth" zone in Nexus War. It consists of the Caivan Sea and the islands of the Saint Germaine Archipelago.
Ward: Wards are magical barriers that can be erected in a location (either inside or outside). Wards are targeted to prevent specific types of characters from entering the location.
Warrens: See "Stygian Warrens".