Spirit Surge: Unbound Covenant (OOC)

[TRALegacy]

Well, here it is. After many years of brainstorming, scrapped ideas, and starting from scratch, I think I'm finally ready to set my plan in motion. I'm new on this forum, but I'm still very excited to present the idea of this roleplay to the rest of the Guild. I hope that it grows into something greater than I expect it to be.


WARNING: While this Roleplay doesn't necessarily represent my views, there will be several plot elements that will breach controversial territory. I ask that you don't take offense, because it is just a story, and not intended to prove or disprove anything. =)


Spirit Surge

On our planet Earth, in the year of 2139, a new Crusade tore the world asunder, fueled by several religious militant groups. The ancient feud between Christians and Muslims was reingnited, however, instead of swords and arrows, the new crusaders wielded rifles and bombs. Powerful new technology, developed after the turn of the 22nd century, was now under the control of enraged and crazed religious acolytes and apostles, who all claimed their God was true, and any other was fake, or in fact the Devil in disguise. While at first they resisted the pull of the conflict, nations around the world were slowly drawn in and forced to choose sides, threatened by potential annihilation.

After the war had risen to new levels of brutality, the violence finally ascended to a crescendo, and everyone's worst fears were realized. On this summer day, jet-streams crisscrossed the clear sky, as hundreds of warheads streaked violently to their destinations. The world stood still, just before country after country was laid to waste. The heat from the explosions turned bricks and asphalt to magma, water to steam, and everything else to ash, leaving behind little but a wasteland...
Realizing that their feud would only destroy civilization, the leaders of nations around the globe called a cease fire, and reluctantly attempted compromise. Although apocalypse had been avoided, it came at the cost of nearly two bilion lives, and the collapse of national economy. The United States, which had been a major target of destruction, was devestated with almost 26 states completely erased from the face of the Earth, including the Capitol. Leaderless and eviscerated, the cratered country painfully attempted to rebuild in any way possible, and slowly moved towards reparation.

On a desolate New Year's Eve, after years of struggling to mend the carnage of war, a small group of scientists from a young research company known as Xytas found evidence of a new source of energy that could be potentially harvested and rebirth the failing economy, after running several unsuccessful tests, the team finally found a way to extract the material, which they called Lytenium, or Lyte. This new compound proved to be completely unique, bearing no similarities to any atomic elements, and could not be chemically identified, as it changed composition on a constant basis. One thing was for sure, however: Lyte was energy, and energy is something everyone can use, and pay for. Soon, the material swept the globe, which finally had a method to get back on its feet...

For a short time after the discovery of Lytenium, everything seemed to finally be coming together. Nations once more had the ability to function and cultivate their newfound economies. Unfortunately, as with every form of energy and material ever discovered in the past, Lyte soon came to be tested for it's killing potential, which it passed with flying colors. What had just ushered a potential era of peace, wan now simply another tool of war, as Lyte weapons production went into full swing.
Before any conflict could arise, however, a distinctly different threat began to rumble beneath the surface of our world, a threat that would change everything that mankind had ever established...

[Factions]
(Minor Factions) These factions are non obligatory and may
change at any given time based upon the actions of your
character. Each one confers its own special skill or attribute
that cannot otherwise be attained. Enjoy~

Civilians- Defined as those people who remained in their
hometowns after the destruction of the war. Often civilians
have banded together for support to form tight knit
communities. (Bonus) Group Morale: When working in
cooperation with others toward a goal, your success is
enhanced substantially. Go team!

Nomad- Classified as those that were displaced from their
homes after the war, Nomads have taken to migration from
one place to another for survival. Often seeking abandoned
buildings with plentiful resources, or occasionally aid from
civilian communities. (Bonus) Survival on the Go: Nomads
are adept at scavenging for resources, and are very knowledgeable about where to find them. They also have a
higher chance of recovering rare valuable items.

Mercenaries: Upon the destruction left behind from the
previous war, many civilian and nomadic groups needed
protection from various renegade groups that sprung up.
While reliable and low cost, militia groups were hard to find
and utilize. So came the need for mercenaries, individuals
with special skills that kept people safe in exchange for some form of payment, be it supplies or simply a place to eat
and sleep.
(Bonus) Innate Alertness: Mercenaries are adept at reading
the signs of an impending assault from an enemy and
prepare accordingly.

Militia: People who saw the potential for wrongdoing and
took it upon themselves to protect others from it were known
as militia. Working wiith fellow militia members, they establish
a sense of justice among communities in order to repel
renegade activity. (Bonus) Lawbringer: Militia, while not
common, gather an aura of respect from others, be it by gratitude or fear. Many will openly comply with the demands
of militia to avoid confrontation.

Renegade: While many survivors sought efforts to rebuild
society, some decided that to survive, they would have to take what they needed by any means necessary. They trekked out and begand raiding communities and caravans, depriving them of whatever property they had left and often murdering them. Some renegades form large named gangs, while others roam alone, garnering vast amounts of infamy with nearby populations.
(Bonus) Intimidation: Renegades are commanders of fear, spreading terror and malice through the hearts of the
innocents. As a result, many may flee at the mere sight of a renegade, not even putting up a fight. Note: I may or may not add more later, but I'm always open to ideas for new factions, so if you have any, bring it up in OOC and I'll consider it =)

Roleplay Elements:

Every character will have an aura when he/she is created, which influences the events and actions that occur around them. Similar to "alignment" but a little more in depth.

The roleplay will be divided up into chapters known as sagas, each of which will center around a major event or character in the roleplay, and will effect ALL player characters. At the beginning of each saga, players will receive an optional "personal quest" for their character(s) which can be completed for a special bonus at the end of the saga. A score will be given to each player for the performance of their characters during every saga, which will effect the experience earned, among other potential rewards.

Name- (First, Last)
Title- (Dr., Mrs., etc)(if any)
Age- (Human age, max lifespan around the Roleplay's date is about 120 years old. Not sure why you'd want that old of a character, but to each his/her own xD)
Apppearance- (Race, Gender, Clothing, Physical Features
Description- (Background, Personality, Relation to other characters goes here)
Faction-(Choose a faction to start as, and include whatever bonus it confers [Ex: Mercenary- Alertness]
Critical Memory- (Different from background, important event from character's past that has impacted him/her.)
Aura- (Choose two adjectives to describe your character's aura. One must be positive and the other one must be negative. The two cannot opppose each other [Example: Vengeful/Forgiving])
Specialization: (Choose a major and minor skill for your character. The skills may or may not be combat related. The major skill will define your character and his/her capabilities, but the minor skill is just extra.)
[[Will add a sample character sheet later on. Also, character sheets may have additional features included later on.]]

Notes:
I have decided to make Spirit Surge a completely Open-World Roleplay, which means that your character is not restricted to any one place and can be whoever you want him/her to be, from a civilian, to a graphic design artist, to a blood-crazed mercenary. There may be times where I guide your character somewhere, but ultimately, the choices you make through him or her, will determine your fate in this story. Whoever joins will be partaking in not just a Roleplay, but the authoring of this world of possibilities.
So what do you say? Come write with me =)

[DinoxTreaty]

I dunno, the open world RP style isn't that interesting as most of the time you are typing alone. Other than that look's good really. But an interest check first would of been a good idea.

[TRALegacy]

I dunno, the open world RP style isn't that interesting as most of the time you are typing alone. Other than that look's good really. But an interest check first would of been a good idea.

I actually already created an interest check thread, under the Interest Check subforum. I just don't have one in Casual ICs.

- - - Updated - - -

Okay, I figure, before anyone starts submitting characters, I'll put this out there.
I have a set of equations that function as a combat system that I was considering using for this roleplay. I created it myself, and I didn't use any outside sources to do so, which means it's entirely an original combat system. I'm not sure whether to actually implement it though, since it is slightly complicated, so I'm just going to put it out there and you all can vote yea or nay as you post your characters.

First I will present the variables, then the equations along with descriptions, then summarize how it will fit into the roleplay.

Variables-

Move Value (MV)
MV is the general pace at which your character is moving, rated slowest to fastest 3 to 0.

• Unmoving- 3
• Walking- 2
• Jogging- 1
• Sprinting- 0

Skill Aptitude (SA)
SA is the rating of a particular skill. Rangest from Inept to Master or 1 to 5

• Inept- 1
• Novice- 2
• Adept- 3
• Expert- 4
• Master- 5

Weapon Bonus (WB)
All weapons have a WB value that confers extra damage during combat in addition to base skill damage. Value is any number greater than 1.

Injury Level (IL)
IL refers to damage currently inflicted on a character. This is included in combat damage and accuracy/dexterity due to an injury's potential impact on weapon handling. Ranges from Uninjured to Fatal Wound (a wound that will cause death soon if not attended to immediately). Each consecutive level doubles in value.

• Uninjured- 1
• Minor- 2
• Moderate- 4
• Severe- 8
• Crippling- 16
• Fatal- 32

Range (RA)
Range value indicates the distance from the character at which an attack originates to the intended target for the attack. This is the most complicated variable in the combat system as many distance ranges must be accounted for.
Note the presence of decimals.

• 0-5 ft= .1
• 6-20 ft= .25
• 21-50 ft= .5
• 51-100 ft= 1
• 100-500 ft= 2
• 500-1000 ft= 3
• greater than 1000 ft= 4

Time (T)
Time value represents the time taken to prepare a weapon for an attack, and is determined by doubling the Move Value. T is not indicative of a measurement of time, but simply a variable.

Okay, now that the variables are out of the way I'll explain the actual equations and calculations.
I currently only have 4 equations completed: Ranged damage and Accuracy, which are used for any ranged weaponry, and Melee Damage and Dexterity which are used for melee and unarmed damage.

The first equation is Ranged Damage:

WB + [SA x ((WB + MV) / (IL + RA))]
Working from inside the ellipses outward:

(W + B) Weapon Bonus is combined with Move Value. A higher value here is preferred, as it will help magnify the amount of damage potential of your attack. The slower you move with a ranged weapon, the easier it is to hit vital points on a target, therefore increasing damage.

(IL + RA) Here we have Injury level in combination with Range. If your character is injured, it will be harder to maximize the effectiveness of the weapon and control where it hits. Range decelerates the speed of a projectile as it moves through the air, so closer range will offer a more powerful impact.

(WB + MV)/(IL + RA) Once those have been calculated, divide the top total with the bottom total to determine the damage multiplier (DM)

SA x DM The Skill aptitude is now multiplied by the Damage multiplier. A DM less than 1 will reduce your damage, and a DM higher than 1 will increase your damage. Now you have your Raw Damage (BD)

WB + BD Here the weapon's bonus damage is combined with the Raw Damage to determine Total Damage which is what will be detracted from the target's health (and/or armor depending on the enemy)


ACCURACY
Accuracy determines whether or not an attack will land, and the vitality of the area hit on the target supplying Extra, or Critical damage.

The formula for accuracy is as follows:

(MV + T) / (IL x RA)

(MV + T) In this section, movement speed is combined with Time. Slow MV is preferred, demonstrating that less movement allows for a more accurate shot. Longer T allows more time to aim and increase accuracy.

(IL x RA) The second portion of the equation applies Injury hindrance and range. Injuries will reduce the ability of a character to adequately handle a weapon and keep it on target, and a farther range makes it more difficult to predict the area a projectile will strike, due the the earth's rotation, wind, and gravity. You want low numbers here.

(MV + T) / (IL x RA)
Once both sections have been calculated, divide them, and you'll have the accuracy value. If the number is less than 1, the attack is considered a miss and NO damage is dealt. If the number is 1 or greater, the attack is a hit. The value is then added to the Total damage as Extra or Critical damage.

Since it's 4am my time, and I'm exhausted from typing all of this on my phone (x_x) I will add the melee damage and dexterity equations tomorrow. They are similar to the ranged dmg and accuracy equations though, so you all should have a decent idea of what they are. Again let me know if you want me to scrap this combat system or not, I just figured it would make the roleplay a bit more interesting.

[TRALegacy]

Bumpity bump~
This forum sure moves fast.

[Frettzo]

I'm here! I'll be trying to work on a CS, but it'll probably take me a while.

[TRALegacy]

Yikes... this is a tough crowd... I guess people are too busy with other roleplays? =x

[Chaos Kid]

Maybe.

[TRALegacy]

Bump

[Shadowraven]

Before posting my character, I'd vote 'yea' on using your combat system (though an explanation how it is implemented would be welcome). And I'd suggest one small change: call it either 'base damage' or change the abbreviation from 'BD' to 'RD' to make it less confusing.

Apart from that, I like it. ^_^

[TRALegacy]

Before posting my character, I'd vote 'yea' on using your combat system (though an explanation how it is implemented would be welcome). And I'd suggest one small change: call it either 'base damage' or change the abbreviation from 'BD' to 'RD' to make it less confusing.

Apart from that, I like it. ^_^

Ah right, a description of how it would work during the rp would probably be nice wouldn't it? xD
Also, i just noticed a mistake on the first section of the Ranged attack equation, instead of (W + B) it should be (WB + MV).

Anyway, as far as the utilization of the combat system goes, here's how it would work:
As players in the RP, you wont (need to) worry about specific variable unless you desire to run the equations yourself (if so, just let me know) You will only be required to update three of the variables during the course of a combat phase, Move Value, Injury level, and Range (Time will change according to the MV) This can be done any way you see fit, such as simply stating the changes at the beginning or end of your attack phase:
(example)
MV: Sprinting
IL: Moderate
RA: 200 Feet

[Insert Char. Name here] observed as [Insert enemy name here] dodged swiftly to the left, barely avoiding a spray of bullets. After leveling his rifle, and traversing a partially blasted wall, [Char.] dashed forward in the opponent's direction, releasing another burst of fire.

Another way to post all the variable information is to incorporate it into the actions of the character:
(example)

After missing yet another shot, [Char.] tossed his depleted rifle to the ground and retrieved his pistol from it's holster. He halted and crouched down to one knee, taking careful aim down the ironsights at his enemy, who began to swiftly close the 150 foot distance between the two. [Char.] winced as blood trickled slowly from the moderate gash at his side, and beads of sweat flecked his brow. He took a deep breath and fired...

Now either way is fine, but if you don't feel like waiting for me to calculate everything for you (since I can be pretty busy during my 40 hour work week) you always have the option to do the calculations yourself. It's tedious, since you'll have to work all the other variables into the equation, but it will help the roleplay cruise along in case I'm not there for whatever reason. Again it's up to you whether you want to or not.

As for the Raw Damage, changing it to Base damage is probably a good idea, in fact I think I planned on changing it and simply forgot about it xD" My bad. Well Base Damage it is then!