[2018] The Three Way Dance - Redux (Signup Thread/Rules) [by PSYCHO]

Jan 3, 2007
9,174
967
113
DISCLAIMER: Please do NOT post in this thread yet. We still need to migrate all posts from the old thread on diabloii.net to this thread. If you want to help, feel free to do so :)

This tournament has already ended. It was originally started by @PSYCHO on Sep 12, 2018. The last post was made Mar 3, 2020.
(
link to original thread on diabloii.net)



Well... It has been around 7-8 years (yes, that long!), since I've attempted this - at least, that's what the forum search query tells me. I figure with the conclusion of the MFO it would be a nice time to squeeze everyone into a capped-time tournament that harks back to plentiful shins being kicked, many bars being drunk dry, and many Hardcore characters lost to the wind. The Three Way Dance isn't an SPF institution, but in some ways, it can definitely send you to one...

Any comments, questions, or queries, please let me know!

I will consider this a Signup Thread - I will have this thread replaced with the full tournament thread in TWO WEEKS. That should give all players, lurkers, and new signups the chance to see and signup if need be. I may also allow late-comers to join!


Tournament Rules

This tournament will officially have NO TIME LIMIT. However, if the tournament comes to a point where it can be 'called' - AKA lack of updates/player participation, winners will be decided as if the tournament had naturally concluded (all players' characters are dead).


Character Restrictions

Choose three characters - all characters MUST be of a different class

ALL characters are to be Hardcore

Living characters must stay within ONE Act of each other (a character can't move to Act III unless both other characters move to the beginning of Act II, for example). The only exception to this rule is grabbing the portal to Act IV to make running Mephisto easier across all difficulties

Characters can ONLY utilise two skill trees, not all three

Respecs are allowed, but the resulting skills must only be put back into the skill trees chosen at the beginning of the tournament

Any /players setting may be used at any time


Item Restrictions

Items can be bought from ALL Acts and difficulties

Characters can share items between each other whenever possible (as long as they fall in line with the following restrictions)

Items used may ONLY be (damaged white), Normal, Socketed, Magic and Rare

Crafted, Runic, Set and Unique items CANNOT be used on characters or mercenaries at any point except outlined by the 'Character Rewards' section, below

Socketed items can still have Runes inserted into them, as long as the result doesn't produce a Runeword item (for example, a Socketed Shield can have Ort-Tal-Ral inserted into it, but the 'Ancient's Pledge' Runeword cannot be used unless that character has chosen Shields as an item reward, and is at the appropriate difficulty to equip it)

Skills granted by an item for a skill tree that you do not use CANNOT be used if that item is equipped (IE: if a Sorc is using Fire and Cold skills and picks up an Orb with +1 Teleport on it, the Orb can be equipped but the Sorc may not use Teleport). This also includes inherent skills from socketed items made into Runic items and 'for-all-character' skills present on such Runewords as 'Enigma'.

Items with Passive skills for the Skill Tree you have NOT chosen that provide an ACTIVE bonus to your character may not be equipped (IE: if a Sorc is using Fire and Cold skills and finds an Orb with +1 Lightning Mastery on it, the Orb can be equipped as Lightning Mastery provides no bonus to Cold or Fire skills. However if a Sorc using Cold and Lightning skills and picks up an Orb with +1 Warmth, the Orb cannot be equipped as Warmth provides a Passive bonus to Mana Regeneration).

Charges are perfectly acceptable

Items that grant Auras are particularly powerful - and also permissible


Character Rewards

Players are given the option of equipping Unique, Runic, Set and Crafted items in an item slot of their choice when they:

Have made Destroyer

And again when they've made Conqueror

The rule of thumb for muling items is that once an item is muled off into a prize stash it may not be muled back onto your tournament character. If you intend to use ANY ITEM WHATSOEVER at a later date for your tournament character it must stay on one of your living tournament characters.

The item slots available are as follows:

1. Headgear (includes Primal Helms and Animal Pelts)
2. Body Armour
3. Belts
4. Gloves
5. Boots
6. Shields (includes Paladin Shields and Necromancer Trophies - also includes switch shield)
7. Weapons (includes Sorceress Orbs and Amazon Bows/Javelins/Pikes - also includes Dual Wielding and switch weapons)
8. Jewellery 1 (Amulet and Single Ring)
9. Jewellery 2 (Both Rings Equipped)

Or if you wish you may decide to forego ALL character rewards in exchange for this at Destroyer:

10. The Mercenary Package (Headgear - including Primal Helms for Act V Barbarians, Weapons and Armour - includes Shields for Act III Eastern Sorcerers)

There are two milestones that will allow you to equip Unique, Runic, Set or Crafted items onto your character and that is when reaching Destroyer and Conqueror status. You may only choose ONE DEDICATED ITEM SLOT per milestone. Not only that but the two item slots you plan to use must be decided BEFORE playing that character. For example:

A player using a Barbarian decides to choose '7. Weapons' as his slot reward for making Destroyer and '2. Body Armour' when he has become Conqueror. This now CANNOT be changed once he has commenced playing the Barbarian. If this player happens to find a Unique or Set Body Armour for his Barbarian (or creates a Runic/Crafted weapon), he MUST leave it on his Barbarian character or give it to one of his other tournament characters for temporary storage. It CANNOT be muled off onto his tournament stash and then put back on once he has made Destroyer with that Barbarian.


Play Restrictions

All quests MUST be completed before moving onto the next Act

Quests MUST be completed in order

Visiting previous difficulties is NOT allowed unless to socket, imbue or engrave items and change maps

Act bosses may be re-run as long as the character hasn't proceeded to the next Act/Difficulty - the only exception to this is moving to Act IV to make running Mephisto less time consuming, and using Warriv to trek to Act I to run Ancient Tunnels

Trading is NOT allowed between different players in this tournament, but it IS allowed between your own three characters

You may visit previous difficulties to change map seeds however buying items and gambling items from previous difficulties is still off limits. All quests must be completed in order (or as "in order" as Act II and III allow us to be). Yes, that means Nihlathak must be killed before Baal in ALL difficulties.


Special notes

Returning the Horadric Malus to Charsi, defeating Shenk the Overseer and killing Nihlathak are sufficient for completing those quests in Act I and Act V. It is up to you whether or not to use the imbue, engrave and socket rewards immediately or to save them for a later date

You CANNOT 'Save and Exit' if you are in trouble (or any other variation such as 'Alt-F4' and 'Slam my fist into the reset button'). If you find yourself in any kind of trouble at all, fight to the death or fight your way out and Portal to Town - but do not avoid dying honourably by saving and exiting or by any other dishonourable means.


Rewards

1 point per completed quest

3 points for finishing Normal Difficulty (making Destroyer)

5 points for finishing Nightmare Difficulty (making Conqueror)

11 points for finishing Hell Difficulty (making Guardian)

1 item slot granted for finishing Normal Difficulty (making Destroyer)

1 item slot granted for finishing Nightmare Difficulty (making Conqueror)

Or with regards to item slots one can forego their item slot rewards for Nightmare and Hell and choose to equip their Mercenary entirely once making Destroyer.


Helpful Numbers

30 points per character that has made Destroyer
62 points per character that has made Conqueror
100 points per character that has made Guardian


Your Contribution

All players must maintain a stash to store items for this tournament. All items that are found with your tournament characters must end up in one of the following places:

1. On your characters (dead or alive - self, inventory and in-game chest)
2. On your mercenary (dead or alive - within the confines of the character rewards section)
3. In your Prize Stash (via the accepted means such as Atma/GoMule etc.)
4. Sold off or left on the ground

There is a 'Minimum Item Requirement' for prize stashes. In other words the only items that all participants should worry about putting into their Prize Stashes are:

TC3 items - if you do not know what they are, a list can be found via this thread; along with a very good explanation of where to find them: http://diablo.incgamers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=585846

Semi-Rare runes and above: Sol, Dol, Hel, Io, Lum, Ko, Fal, Lem, Pul, Um, Mal, Ist, Gul, Vex, Ohm, Lo, Sur, Ber, Jah, Cham and Zod.

Exceptional Unique and all Elite Unique and Set items.

If you don't think you can part with finding a very rare Elite Unique item then state you wish to play 'Self-found'. In previous tournaments we've given away some very nice items due to players' honesty (two that come to mind are the Grandfather and Cranium Basher), so once again I ask; if you cannot part with it, be honest from the very beginning and play as 'Self-found'.

A special note here about dead characters and items. When your tournament character dies you are NEVER to take items off that character for use on your other tournament characters or to transfer into your prize stash. Once a character is dead all items on that character are considered lost.


Determining the Victor!

[spoiler] Once the tournament has completed, either by all entrants being dead, or through lack of participation/activity, the victor (and second, then third) shall be determined by the number of points they accumulated across their three characters. The prize distribution will be in the vein of the Magic Find Olympics:

1st Place - Picks 4 items from ANY other entrants (max 1 per entrant).
2nd Place - Picks 3 items from ANY other entrants ranked below them (max 1 per entrant)
3rd place - Picks 2 items from ANY other entrants ranked below them (max 1 per entrant)

A maximum of (2) items can only be taken from any (1) entrant.

Please be considerate of players attempting grails - if they do need an item for grail status, perhaps choose another item from their prize stash instead, or negotiate with the player for a suitable replacement prize.

Remaining items in tournament prize stashes will be returned to their original players afterwards.


In conclusion...

Please state, along with your team name and characters, what FAM you are playing with, and also if you intend to contribute to the Prize Pool or if you prefer to play as Self-Found (keep all items). If you do not have trade status you may still partake in this tournament but may not contribute a prize stash and may not receive prizes once the tournament is over.

Remember to also include your choice of rewards for every character, for Nightmare and Hell or if you wish to exchange them for Mercenary outfitting in Hell BEFORE commencing play. Remember that these cannot be changed once you have started playing your characters! Please be respectful and polite to other people in this tournament thread.
 
Diablo 4 Interactive Map
PurePremium
Estimated market value
Low
High