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Post by JW% on Feb 1, 2014 16:52:02 GMT -8
AKA: Universe 2.0 AKA: Dungeon Keeper Penny This is going to be a multipart sign up and OOC discussion, with some meta IC roleplaying done IN THIS THREAD before the actual IC thread starts up. You've been warned, this is going to be meta, and possibly quite complicated.
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Y'know what, screw it. The character write ups are too complicated? Drop 'em all. Not needed. This is a generic fantasy world, everyone should be familiar enough with the BASICS that everything else can be covered when it comes up. I'm starting this as a jump in free for all in the IC. Forget the OOC, I can work around everyone else.~~~~~~~~~~~~ Universal Games started out with just a few 'under the radar' hits, including a simple puzzle game involving matching candies and a real time strategy game battling high fantasy armies, but they soon started making break out hits that just grew into bigger and bigger popularity. Each time everyone thought they'd sit back on the laurels and enjoy the wealth and popularity of their games, turning out nothing but sequels, they found a way to break into a new genre or add enough to a sequel that it 'redefined' the genre of game it was in. Each time the game was well designed and just innovative enough to keep people interested a little longer than the competition did. The speed of their success led many to question of the head of the company hadn't made some pact with the devil or something, making this impossible rise to the top. Universal Games greatest and largest feat to date was 'Universe', which blended many of their best games into a massive multiplayer environment. Then an announcement went out, Universal Games was going to hold a closed beta testing contest. Winners of the lottery would receive a free trip to the studio and would be paid prize money to test out the new 'Stand alone-expansion' to Universe, adding a full overarching fantasy roleplaying storyline and sandbox construction to the already massively multiplayer online game, by both playing it and letting the world watch as you play and review it. Congratulations... you won. The question is, will you survive? Be it through occult means, or perhaps just hallucinations, you find yourself in the game, living as the character you created, remembering both their life you designed in the character creator, and your own. A game that's much less fun being on the inside than the outside. The game itself is designed to be unwinnable, but if you can make peace with that, perhaps you can find a way to live happily in the game. Or maybe there's a glitch or two you could use to your advantage. Character Sheet(1):
[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Personality Sketch:[/b]
[b]Playing Style:[/b]
[b]Reaction To Winning the free trip and game preview:[/b]
[b]People who might come searching for them:[/b]
[b]Additional Information:[/b]
{Character Sheet(of your characters character, step one):}
The screen shows four groups. The left half of the screen seems to have a lighter, softer tone to it, with Roman style columns and airy plants and flowers denoting the outer edge and lettering, while the right have is harder edge and a bit more chaotic with sharp spikes and gothic wall decorations. The groups are labled, clockwise from the upper left:
Human(shows three extreme ethnic groups in the forefront with a number of shadowed figures in the background. Their attire is varied but all looks 'civilized')
Nilbog(Center figure looks almost like a short human with vague ethnicity while still having a few fantasy shaped features like floppy sheep like ears, the ones not in the shadowed background have even more extreme fantasy elements such as green skin, sharp noses, and broad frog like mouths filled with sharks teeth. Their attire is likewise varied but looks 'primitive')
Jotun(Larger than normal, though some slouched down, having large noses and heavy muscles. The shadowed figures look to be far more interesting, as some seem to have tentacles, others horns, and at least one bat wings. Their attire looks rather 'homespun' and simple, yet not primitive.)
Fey(These folks look like your standard fantasy races. In the center looks like a normal human of vague ethnicity, the right side a tall androgynous slim elf, the left side a short stout dwarf.)
Selecting any of these four initial choices brings a wheel letting you rotate through all the choices(many of which are marked as being 'unlockable'... but congratulations winners of the beta contest have unlocked all finished options to try out) within that group and compare them.
In addition to those four choices, which apparently open up to further choices, there are numerous tabs letting you go back and forth through character creation at any time, and an option of opening up a window to track your characters statistics(and how your choices effect them), if you're interested in powergaming.
First step: Species choice: Human, Nilbog, Jotun, or Fey.
Second step: Race choice within that species(this includes 'standard races' which have little impact other than skin color and your characters features, and 'cursed races' which include half animal variations, like Centaur(a human race) and Fairy(a Fey race).
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Post by JW% on Feb 1, 2014 16:52:20 GMT -8
(Reserved for GM notes) {Powergaming}
Power gaming in this case refers to the practice of knowing the rules the game is based on, and specifically tailoring your play style towards being the most effective they can within these rule sets. This is usually done by way of discovering what sort of behavior is most rewarded, and then focusing your characters entire design around that sort of behavior. If you don't intend for your character to play their character this way, just close this section now, everything here will be handled by the GM(or the computer) and you don't need to think about it. Heck, even if you do want to play it that way, it's not going to be entirely possible, as the player characters will not know anything about the game when they start. Some assumptions can be made given how the character generation system works, and some further ones can be drawn from traditional MMORPG conventions.
For example, while there are innumerable job types, which is explained below, there are three basic kinds of job classes: Striker, Survivor, and Supporter. The trinity of MMORPGs, "DPS" "Tank" and "Healz"
Strikers deal damage, they're emphasis is on being able to eliminate a foe as quickly as possible so that they can move on to the next foe and thereby maximize their progress. The playstyle for a Striker would normally be straightforward, fast and aggressive. The exact stats used by a Striker would be variable, since the damage could come from rapid fire energy bolts of a mage, or from a heavy sword hitting hard, or a pair of daggers hitting repeatedly. Everyone will deal damage of course, but Strikers stand above the rest. "DPS" or Damage per second is their specialty.
Survivors... well... survive. Everyone will take damage of course, just like everyone will deal damage, but a Survivor takes it to the next level. They maximize their progress by being able to methodically take on far larger numbers or scale of foes than the Striker, and their playstyle is usually a slower waiting game while they outlast their opponents and gain bigger rewards less frequently because they took on a bigger challenge and it took them longer. Again, the exact means of this can be varied. A survivor might survive because they wear the best and heaviest armor possible, or they might be so nimble and skilled that they sidestep and avoid most incoming blows, or rapidly heal and recover from incoming damage, or they might magically hinder their targets keeping their enemies from attacking. "Tanking" is the term that would apply to their tactics and they tend to require at least some battlefield control in order to work well on a team, being the first into a fight and taking the attention and aggression or "aggro" of the threats and channeling it into a direction that the team can handle(typically towards the Survivor).
Supporters are everyone else. They deal damage and they can take damage, but they deal no more damage than a Survivor and can't stand any more aggro than a Striker. What they do have is force multipliers, tactics and abilities that let their teammates and themselves reach higher than they could without those tactics and abilities. The most stereotypical means of doing this is to provide healing to teammates, making everyone on the team as effective as the Survivor(and the Survivor doubly effective if their Surviving wasn't already based on regenerating hitpoints), but this is far from the only choice and while traditionally the most obvious, may not be the most effective. Increasing your teams damage output, decreasing your teams downtime between fights, or any other number of ways that you lend support to others is what you focus on. This can lead to being somewhat less effective adventuring solo than the average character, unless you have a way of supporting yourself, so it's best for Supporters to join a team and stand back from the fights thinking about them tactically and strategicly. The traditional term for your role in the MMORPG lexicon is "Healz" but this can be seen as somewhat derogatory(it may not be descriptive of what you do offer) the term "Buff" is more inclusive. A real powergamer will refuse to advance without having at least one of these on the team... but for some reason most seem not to want to BE one of them, since it makes them reliant on the team.
Character statistics follow the SEARCH system. To recap:
Strength:
~Striking:
~Carrying:
Endurance:
~Blocking:
~Soaking:
Agility:
~Ranged:
~Melee:
Reason:
~Logical:
~Holistic:
Charisma:
~Charm:
~Stealth:
Heart:
~Casting:
~Resisting:
STR, END, and AGI add together to give Hitpoints
RSN, CHA, and HRT add together to give Spellpoints
All characters start with 10 in each stat and are considered slightly above average. This is BEFORE picking a species and race, which adds an adjustment on your character making you average for that race. And then you pick your job class, which gives you further adjustments.
Since job classes, as mentioned below, are unlimited in options, we focus instead on the three main catagories a power gamer will be focusing on.
Strikers will obviously get the most damage from building up their Striking Strength, but can also get results from building up their Casting Heart(for magic attacks), or their Agility(either one, for rapid and accurate attacks). Reason of both kinds is helpful as Holistic will let them both get the first shot, and Logical lets them equip the best gear.
Survivors will get the most results from Endurance(both), but should also have a good Resisting Heart to survive mental or spiritual assaults. Having a good Carrying Strength will let them use the heaviest gear(armors), while a good Agility will let them avoid incoming attacks. Good Charisma is also helpful for battlefield control.
Supporters have no 'obvious' stats they get the best reward from. Logical Reasoning will let them craft the best gear and supplies for their teammates, Charm Charisma is one avenue for "Buffs" to be applied as it inspires teammates and distracts or manipulates foes, and of course Casting Heart is used for magics of all kinds. It's not unheard of for a Supporter to have a good amount into Carrying Strength and Soaking Endurance and be a convenience to the team by hauling their gear. Either way you go, you'll probably be fighting along side the team and should include some thought into that.
As such, when picking the job class and playable race a power gamer would try to accentuate the skills they think would be most desirable. For example, a human species(+4 to Endurance), tauric race(another +8 to Endurance) or the Centaur, is potentially the 'best' choice for a pure Survivor. They can take twice the damage and continue walking in full gear twice as long as other characters. However, as they have no bonus to Strength, their ability to carry and wear armor is decreased, and their -4 Heart means that they're susceptible to magical attacks that don't take a physical form(a rock being levitated and thrown is physical. A death curse... not so much) and mind control. Plus, as a cursed race, they don't start out with a job class(though they can pick them up later as they level) and are missing out on starting gear. In theory this balances out.
In practice, as this is a beta test, the system is probably not balanced. I leave it to you, if you really want to be a power gamer, to find the exploits though.
{Playable races}
All 'standard' races are playable, and all 'cursed' races listed here have been 'unlocked' to the players, showing that they're intended to be extra rare. 'Cursed' races are characters who have been exposed to magics at an early age, perhaps prenatally, and either by accident or intent, have had their bodies warped into something different from their normal species. Cursed Races suffer a penalty of not having a starting job class, their form dictates how society treats them and what their 'job' is, and they often have to learn how to use their bodies. 'Cursed' here is used in quotation marks, as curses are common enough in the setting, and there is another sub-set of cursed races that is not playable, primarily consisting of undead. Cursed do not pass on their cursed traits to their children(often because the curse sterilizes them, but not always).
Playable cursed races are as follows:
Dire, the most common 'curse'(occurring naturally and often to animals as well as people), they grow to roughly twice the size. +4 STR, +4 END, -4 HRT.
Zooanthropic, or Beastial, the individual grows extra hair, natural defenses, and their skeleton reshapes for certain animalistic features depending on their species, often becoming more aggressive. +4 END, +4 AGI, -4 RSN.
Tauric, from the waist up entirely normal, from the waist down the body appears to be graphed onto the neck of a four legged animal. +8 END, -4 HRT
Winged, adapts to a method of winged flight. -2 STR, -2 END, +2 AGI, +2 RSN, +4 HRT
Aquatic, adapts to aquatic(or at least amphibious) life. -4 AGI(out of water), +4 AGI(in water), +4 HRT
~~
(Humans Species, upper right of the start screen, uses Greek style geometric patterned stonework)
Human Standard Races(Most Standard Races have no differences between themselves, it's purely cosmetic as you can mix and match features of the standard races as you like. NPCs with these features tend towards certain regions however. All humans adventurers gain +4 to Endurance):
Caucasian (Found primarily in the western countries)
Mongoloid (Primarily eastern)
Negroid (Primarily southern)
Human 'Cursed' Races
Dire curse = Giant
Zooanthropic curse = Werewolf
Tauric curse = Centaur
Winged curse = Valkyrie
Aquatic curse = Merfolk
(Nilbog Species, upper right side of the screen, uses thorny bramble style)
Nilbog Standard Races(-4 STR, +4 AGI, +4 RSN, unifying appearance of being short with drooping 'sheep' ears and shark-like teeth)
Tengu (long nosed, thick dark hair, bright red-orange-yellow skin, found primarily in the eastern countries)
Kappa (Wide frog like mouth, stringy hair, particularly short, blue-green-yellow skin, southern)
Hobgoblin (taller, most 'human like', primarily northern)
Nilbog 'cursed' Races
Dire curse = Orc
Zooanthropic curse = Gnoll
Tauric curse = Satyr
Winged curse = Harpy
Aquatic curse = Silkie
(Jotun Species, lower right side of the screen, uses a darker 'gothic castle/cathedral' style)
Jotun Standard Races(+4 STR, -4 AGI, +4 RSN, unifying appearance of being tall with a large nose and rough stone or bark like skin, and tusks(of varying sizes from scary to completely hidden in the mouth). Often seen with a tail, but it's optional.)
Troll (thick stocky limbed, thick hair, found primarily in the northern countries)
Caliban (long limbed, thin hair, found primarily in the southern countries)
Huldra (shorter 'most human like', primarily western countries)
Jotun 'cursed' Races
Dire curse = Ogre
Zooanthropic curse = Minotaur
Tauric curse = Sphinx
Winged curse = Gargoyle
Aquatic curse = Cecaelia
(Fey Species, lower left side of the screen, uses ivy white marble look)
Due to eugenics and advanced magic, Fey have two extreme races and a middle ground race, instead of mixing parentage you have a slider from one extreme to the other. Distinctive features include long pointed ears, limited skin and hair tonality(gray skin, no reddening, though they might go into purple).
Dwarf (short, stocky, hairy, +4 STR, -4 AGI, +4 HRT, Northern)
Halfling (Most human like, perhaps a bit shorter. +4 HRT, Western)
Elf (tall, thin, -4 STR, +4 AGI, +4 HRT, Eastern)
Fey 'cursed' Races also only seem to effect certain Fey standard races, or at least 'reset' the race to Halfling, no matter the parents.
Dire curse = Drow
Zooanthropic curse = Werecat
Tauric curse = Drider
Winged curse = Fairy
Aquatic curse = Naga
{Job Classes}
The number of job classes is supposed to be ridiculously long and take up several drop down windows of the page after your character customization. Rather than list them all, here's the form to MAKE your characters job class. The only exception is that taking a "cursed" race means that your character has to get used to being "cursed" first, and as such does not get a job class to start with. After leveling up, they could learn a trade, but first they need to do things like relearn how to walk with four legs or flippers.
Job Classes are typed into "Striker, Survivor, and Supporter" the idea that the job class is focused on raw damage dealing, on keeping themselves alive while under fire, or utilizing force multipliers respectively.
Skills involve should list both the skill, and if you wish to be a power gamer the stat which the skill calls on. For example, a bow and arrow hunter would probably have skills like "tracking game" and "shooting arrows". This would apply to Holistic Reason and Ranged Agility, but you don't need to include the stat, since knowing about the stats is a somewhat meta feature in this game.
Gear/Spell Types are just a broad general sense of the types of gear or spells that the Job Class requires to function. List it as types, as a starter character will likely have the bare minimal gear. More specialized Job Classes would require more specialized gear, while more generalized Job Classes can have very broad and general gear/spells. For example, a "Knight of the Double Blade" might require a special double bladed polearm, while a "Fighter" would just require any weapon.
Which leads us to Identification. If somebody were to glance at your character, your job class should be automatically identifiable to anyone who knows what signs to look for. This could be that your "Knight of the Double Blade" is carrying a strange weapon that looks like a halberd with an axe head at both ends of the spear, or it could mean that your character wears green, the color of a certain kingdoms scouting force.
Class Name:
Type:
Skills Involved:
Gear/Spell Types Used:
Identification:
{The Gods}The patron deity that your character chooses to follow and uphold the tenets of will influence their magics. If a spell is left undefined, then the deity will fill in the gaps, and as such the same spell, for example a ranged attack spell, will appear differently depending on the faith of the character casting the spell(a follower of Thor will throw a lightning bolt, the follower of Loki a fireball). Additionally, your God either has some influence over your characters development, or more likely your character picked their god because they admire those attributes, but either way as they level up they will become more like their chosen god.
Humans follow the Greek/Roman pantheon
Fey follow the Egyptian pantheon
Jotun follow the Norse pantheon
Nilbog follow the Celtic pantheon
With a few changes made to each religion(Jotun interpretation of Norse Mythology often has the trolls as heroes, and a fair number of the main gods related to or allied with trolls instead of the humans) of course, which are smoothed out in that you realize these are stereotypes and not a solid rule. Many Nilbog living in predominately Fey territory(and working with the Fey, there must be some cultural exchange happening) may have adopted to worshiping Ra(in all his many forms), just like many Fey have taken a liking to the myths of Hercules and Aphrodite(whom they swear is an elf maiden, not a human maiden).
As a quick run down of each pantheon(listing only the top nine, assume the rest of the pantheon is present):
Greek
Zeus - Primary father(or brother) of the Gods Dominion over the sky and lightning
Poseidon - God of the Sea, wields a trident
Hades - God of Death, judgement, and wealth
Demeter - Goddess of Earth and crops
Hera - Goddess of Youth, loyalty, marriage and family, Zeus's wife
Ares - War and conflict, spear wielder
Aphrodite - Beauty and love
Hephaestus - Fire and weapons making
Athena - Wisdom and art, wields a shield
Egyptian
Atum - Creator god of water
Shu - God of the air, justice, and calm
Tefnut - Lioness Goddess of rain and weather
Geb - Snake God of earth and crops
Neuth - Cow Goddess of the night sky or 'heavens'(stars etc)
Osiris - God of love, beauty, and death
Isis - Goddess of civilization and magic
Set - God of the desert, storms, and chaos
Nephthys - Goddess of protection and fire
Norse
Odin - Father God of Wisdom
Frig - Mother Goddess of the Hearth and family/future
Loki - Trickster God of fire and magic
Thor - Guardian God of Thunder, wields a hammer
Hod - Poet God of winter and darkness
Balder - Invulnerable God of light, joy, innocence and beauty.
Hermod - Messenger of the Gods and water, wields a staff
Tyr - God of war and courage, wields a spear
Hel - Goddess of Death
Celtic(forgive me if I mix in the Irish versions)
Danu - Primary goddess, head of the gods
Dagda - God of earth and it's bounties. Wields a massive club, and appears as a large strong man. Son of Danu, Married to Morrigan.
Morrigan - Goddess of war and battle(through magic and tactics rather than strength) and gruesome painful death. Takes the form of a crow or a beautiful woman or a group of fearsome elderly women.
Brigid - Goddess of Fire, Inspiration, Industry. Daughter of Dagda and Morrigan.
Ogmois - God of eloquence, language, and learning. Wields a bow, and appears as an old man. Son of Danu
Manannan - God of seas, Wields a sword that can not be turned from it's strike and a cloak of invisiblity.
Nuada - God of the sun, beauty, youth, and vigor. Lost his hand in battle, and Cecht gave him one of silver. Wields a sword that can cut through anything. Son of Danu
Bres - God of agriculture and farming. Replaced Nuada while he was wounded, but did poorly and was exiled. Son of Balor, Married to Brigid.
Balor - God of Death, fog, and winter. One eyed blind giant who can kill with a gaze. 'elder' god, not related to Danu's family(save by his children marrying into it).
Additionally there are many many other gods, so if you'd like to make one up(or there's one in those four pantheons that you think should have been mentioned), fill out this God Character Creation Sheet:
Name:
Attributes:(Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, Dark, Order, Chaos) and/or (Strength, Endurance, Agility, Reason, Charisma, 'Heart')
Worshiped Predominately by: (race, nation, and/or professions)
Religious Requirements: (what the god wants from worshipers)
Additional Notes:
{Bestiary}
Additional curses:(may lead to any of the following creatures being created from an intelligent race)
Zombie
Mummy
Vampire
Skeleton
Ghost
Wraith
Banshee
Siren
Gorgon
Additionally the Dire curse can effect animals, leading to giant or more dangerous versions of normal animals.
Finally, properly magical creatures: (utterly inhuman)
Changeling
Manticore
Unicorn
Chimera
Kraken
Ent
Phoenix
Thunderbird
Salamander
Demonspawn
Basilisk
Dragon
Ifrit
Djinni
And then there are other 'monsters' that are either created by magic, or summoned from another realm. Not just inhuman, but 'alien' as well.
Imp
Hellhound
Bile Demon
Tentacle
Juggernaut
Stone Knight
Golem
Dark Angel
Horned Reaper
Keeper Heart
{Example Character}
Name:Joshua Walton
Personality Sketch: Joshua is a typical 'nice guy' shut in who puts forth an effort to learn and understand others
Playing Style: Joshua plays mostly casually, spreading his attentions over multiple games, and enjoying games that allow him to make multiple characters
Reaction To Winning the free trip and game preview: He was surprised and eager to try it out.
People who might come searching for them:None. He has some friends, but they'd likely forget about him quickly if not present.
Additional Information:
Character:Wallcrest
Species - Race: Fey - Dwarf
Strength:
~Striking: 14
~Carrying: 14
Endurance:
~Blocking: 10
~Soaking: 10
Agility:
~Ranged: 6
~Melee: 6
Reason:
~Logical: 10
~Holistic: 10
Charisma:
~Charm: 10
~Stealth: 10
Heart:
~Casting: 14
~Resisting: 14
Hitpoints: 30
Spellpoints: 34
Class Name: Dwarven Shield Master
Type: Survivor
Skills Involved: Blocking with a shield, Wearing armor, Melee and thrown martial arts, maintaining gear
Gear/Spell Types Used: Shield, armor(often gauntlets).
Identification: Uses a shield in battle, often thrown or with force projections through the shield.
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