I noticed I didn't add my pirate's height, so I fixed that.
Also, @Lugubrious, the Mind sculptor's almost done, but I'll lose Wi-Fi soon. I have too many spells to think of so I'll pm you the sheet later with everything except the spells I don't have yet. PM because he's potentially a bad guy and he has a lot of secrets.
Man, it's sometimes hard to remember that the setting's supposed to be somewhat 1920's.
That's why I just stick to what little I know of old English, Victorian, medieval times. Even though none of those time periods are anywhere near the 1920s.
That's why I just stick to what little I know of old English, Victorian, medieval times. Even though none of those time periods are anywhere near the 1920s.
It's not too hard to work with. Just look at the 1920s on wikipedia. Television became a thing in that decade. Movies started to to be produced with sound. Automobiles are really replacing the horse. People are flying now. Technology is everywhere and people want more of it for status and convenience. The world urban world started to look a lot more like today instead of Victorian or earlier.
Meta, be sure to go back and touch up the capitalization and punctuation of what you've already written when you add in bio and appearance.
Helve looks good, except for the bio. The germina are very distrusting of magic, and the only way you might find one outside the germina sanctuary in Feldspar is if the germina has been exiled. I expect that you missed the section on the Germina Cabal in the factions bit. If I were you, Black, I'd work in that Helve's mother was one of the few magicians in the Cabal, how Helve's love of magic isolated her, and how her dabbling in Mortuus got her exiled, or something similar.
As it turns out, I did indeed come up with some monsters, along with a couple of other things.
The shades are creatures of pure malice. They form in areas where many have died, or where suffering is high. Their bodies are solid masses of shadow, cruel mockeries made to resemble the living serving as a shell to protect the stone heart that sustains their being. One can cut the shadows away forever, but their bodies will continue to reform until this heart is destroyed. The nature of the shades is a mystery, and a subject of much debate. Some believe them to be a variety of demon, feeding on suffering and the lingering memories of the dead. Others think them to be angry souls still anchored to the realm of the living, lashing out in jealousy and rage. Others still see them as personifications of negative emotion that have formed from an excess of fear, grief, sorrow, hatred, and pain. The worse off an area presently is, or the more death it has seen, the more powerful the shades will be. This has led to a system of tiers, ranking the shades by power and rarity.
Tier I shades are the weakest and most common of the bunch. They can be seen in small numbers in areas struck with poverty or crime, terrorizing the populace and bringing in more of their kind. This tier usually takes on a humanoid form, ranging in size from that of a dwarf to a human, with clawed hands and feet paired with dagger teeth. They're fast and ferocious, but their weak bodies will quickly crumple and fade after a good swing from a sword, making them a threat to unarmed peasantry, but only an annoyance to most armed fighters.
Tier II shades are a bit tougher. They're uncommon, usually only appearing on battlefields, inside plague stricken lands, or within places of dark and bloody history. They take on a larger humanoid form, standing at or above the size of a traveler. They trade tooth and claw for weapons and armor formed from the same shadows as their body. They seem to be more intelligent, often serving as leaders for bands of weaker shades, organizing them into a more effective fighting force. With their troops they can be quite fearsome, but even alone they can put up a good fight with their weapons, and larger, more armored bodies.
Tier III shades are powerful and fearsome creatures. They can rarely be found wandering ancient battlefields, where battles of a grand size occurred, or sleeping in the depths of ruins that were once home to long dead civilizations. Their bodies are large, often of enough size to fill a moderately sized room, and varied in form from wolfish monstrosities, to slithering snakelike beings. Their tough and thick forms serve as an excellent defense for their core, and their attacks can fell the strongest men. These are the kinds of monsters that heroes face in legend.
Tier IV shades are in possession of both great power, and surprising intellect. They're very rare, to the point that nobody is entirely certain as to what causes them to from. Theoretical causes are: Long wars of a grand scale, calamitous events resulting in mass destruction and casualties, the death of civilizations, and even the suffering of those in Gehenna. These shades tower above buildings, and their forms are more varied than those of any other, often morphing whatever it is their based off of greatly, some even taking on forms that are unrecognizably alien. Some will happily roam the land causing terror and destruction. Others have taken over entire lands, becoming powerful rulers over the kingdoms of man. A few have been content to lie in rest in secluded homes, offering dark deals and impossible tasks to those who cross their paths. There have even been recorded cases of these powerful shades being worshiped as gods. The slaying of these creatures is extremely difficult, and success is a monumental feat. Those who have successfully done so have become legend, ingrained in history for ages to come.
(To put it into video game terms, Tier I are Mooks, Tier II are Elite Mooks or Mini-Bosses, Tier III are Bosses, Tier IV are End-Game Bosses.)
The Willows, also known as "Squigglys", are a variety of a demon. These poor souls have long since lost their humanity, their minds decayed and their bodies twisted into an impossible form. Willows are easily distinguished by their great height, twisted black flesh, and incredibly thin stick-like limbs. These creatures are incredibly flexible, able to contort their bodies in ways that shouldn't even be possible. A wide grin is usually plastered across their faces. There are a great many stories about Willows killing livestock and stealing children, but despite their appearance, Willows tend to be harmless. They like to play pranks on people, and they tend to scare any children unfortunate enough to come across them, but they're actually quite cowardly themselves and will flee at the slightest sign of danger. They're also fairly weak, posing little threat in direct combat.
Ghouls are dead souls corrupted by the influence of Gehenna. Ghouls largely retain their human form, and some even escape to Protea with their minds unaltered. They look as they did in life, but with varying degrees of decay. The majority are violent and mean, a memento from their time in Gehenna, and many of those who's minds remain uncorrupted would still be called monsters for what they did before. However, there are a small few who have managed both to avoid the influence of Gehenna, and to become a better person than who they were before. The threat of a ghoul varies greatly, as they retain their skills and attributes from before death. They are also known as "Zombies", "Rotters", "Blighted", and less commonly "Robes", due to the tendency for less brazen ghouls to cover themselves with robes and similar garments.
These creatures resembling giant millipedes make their home in the deserts of Feldspar. On average they reach a height of about 6 feet, and a length of 20. Their soft and squishy flesh is covered by a thick carapace, usually colored black or brown, but sometimes white and dark green varieties are seen. They can be spotted wandering the desert on their many legs, but their name comes from their ability to borrow beneath the sands, both as a defensive measure and a means of catching prey. They've also been known to float along the sand seas. The Sand Sifters are carnivores, but haven't been known to eat people outside of rare circumstances. People have been known to tame for use as mounts, but they're more commonly hunted for their tough shells, which are given a variety of uses, such as armors, dishes, oddly fashionable outfits, and even toys.
Peaceful herbivores that make their home on the plains of Chalcedony. These creatures are a little bigger than your average truck. They have tough leathery skin, and a rock-like shell covers their central body. They have a symbiotic relationship with an algae-like substance that grows over their shells, and down their blocky eyeless heads. They walk on four large feet similar to those of an elephant. While they could potentially kill somebody if they were to step on them, the Mums are benign unless threatened. Some people harvest the plants that grow off them for food, and a few have tried to use their hide in place of other leathers, but Mums and people generally live independent of each other.
As you can probably tell, I spent most of my time on the shades.
As it turns out, I did indeed come up with some monsters, along with a couple of other things.
The shades are creatures of pure malice. They form in areas where many have died, or where suffering is high. Their bodies are solid masses of shadow, cruel mockeries made to resemble the living serving as a shell to protect the stone heart that sustains their being. One can cut the shadows away forever, but their bodies will continue to reform until this heart is destroyed. The nature of the shades is a mystery, and a subject of much debate. Some believe them to be a variety of demon, feeding on suffering and the lingering memories of the dead. Others think them to be angry souls still anchored to the realm of the living, lashing out in jealousy and rage. Others still see them as personifications of negative emotion that have formed from an excess of fear, grief, sorrow, hatred, and pain. The worse off an area presently is, or the more death it has seen, the more powerful the shades will be. This has led to a system of tiers, ranking the shades by power and rarity.
Tier I shades are the weakest and most common of the bunch. They can be seen in small numbers in areas struck with poverty or crime, terrorizing the populace and bringing in more of their kind. This tier usually takes on a humanoid form, ranging in size from that of a dwarf to a human, with clawed hands and feet paired with dagger teeth. They're fast and ferocious, but their weak bodies will quickly crumple and fade after a good swing from a sword, making them a threat to unarmed peasantry, but only an annoyance to most armed fighters.
Tier II shades are a bit tougher. They're uncommon, usually only appearing on battlefields, inside plague stricken lands, or within places of dark and bloody history. They take on a larger humanoid form, standing at or above the size of a traveler. They trade tooth and claw for weapons and armor formed from the same shadows as their body. They seem to be more intelligent, often serving as leaders for bands of weaker shades, organizing them into a more effective fighting force. With their troops they can be quite fearsome, but even alone they can put up a good fight with their weapons, and larger, more armored bodies.
Tier III shades are powerful and fearsome creatures. They can rarely be found wandering ancient battlefields, where battles of a grand size occurred, or sleeping in the depths of ruins that were once home to long dead civilizations. Their bodies are large, often of enough size to fill a moderately sized room, and varied in form from wolfish monstrosities, to slithering snakelike beings. Their tough and thick forms serve as an excellent defense for their core, and their attacks can fell the strongest men. These are the kinds of monsters that heroes face in legend.
Tier IV shades are in possession of both great power, and surprising intellect. They're very rare, to the point that nobody is entirely certain as to what causes them to from. Theoretical causes are: Long wars of a grand scale, calamitous events resulting in mass destruction and casualties, the death of civilizations, and even the suffering of those in Gehenna. These shades tower above buildings, and their forms are more varied than those of any other, often morphing whatever it is their based off of greatly, some even taking on forms that are unrecognizably alien. Some will happily roam the land causing terror and destruction. Others have taken over entire lands, becoming powerful rulers over the kingdoms of man. A few have been content to lie in rest in secluded homes, offering dark deals and impossible tasks to those who cross their paths. There have even been recorded cases of these powerful shades being worshiped as gods. The slaying of these creatures is extremely difficult, and success is a monumental feat. Those who have successfully done so have become legend, ingrained in history for ages to come.
(To put it into video game terms, Tier I are Mooks, Tier II are Elite Mooks or Mini-Bosses, Tier III are Bosses, Tier IV are End-Game Bosses.)
The Willows, also known as "Squigglys", are a variety of a demon. These poor souls have long since lost their humanity, their minds decayed and their bodies twisted into an impossible form. Willows are easily distinguished by their great height, twisted black flesh, and incredibly thin stick-like limbs. These creatures are incredibly flexible, able to contort their bodies in ways that shouldn't even be possible. A wide grin is usually plastered across their faces. There are a great many stories about Willows killing livestock and stealing children, but despite their appearance, Willows tend to be harmless. They like to play pranks on people, and they tend to scare any children unfortunate enough to come across them, but they're actually quite cowardly themselves and will flee at the slightest sign of danger. They're also fairly weak, posing little threat in direct combat.
Ghouls are dead souls corrupted by the influence of Gehenna. Ghouls largely retain their human form, and some even escape to Protea with their minds unaltered. They look as they did in life, but with varying degrees of decay. The majority are violent and mean, a memento from their time in Gehenna, and many of those who's minds remain uncorrupted would still be called monsters for what they did before. However, there are a small few who have managed both to avoid the influence of Gehenna, and to become a better person than who they were before. The threat of a ghoul varies greatly, as they retain their skills and attributes from before death. They are also known as "Zombies", "Rotters", "Blighted", and less commonly "Robes", due to the tendency for less brazen ghouls to cover themselves with robes and similar garments.
These creatures resembling giant millipedes make their home in the deserts of Feldspar. On average they reach a height of about 6 feet, and a length of 20. Their soft and squishy flesh is covered by a thick carapace, usually colored black or brown, but sometimes white and dark green varieties are seen. They can be spotted wandering the desert on their many legs, but their name comes from their ability to borrow beneath the sands, both as a defensive measure and a means of catching prey. They've also been known to float along the sand seas. The Sand Sifters are carnivores, but haven't been known to eat people outside of rare circumstances. People have been known to tame for use as mounts, but they're more commonly hunted for their tough shells, which are given a variety of uses, such as armors, dishes, oddly fashionable outfits, and even toys.
Peaceful herbivores that make their home on the plains of Chalcedony. These creatures are a little bigger than your average truck. They have tough leathery skin, and a rock-like shell covers their central body. They have a symbiotic relationship with an algae-like substance that grows over their shells, and down their blocky eyeless heads. They walk on four large feet similar to those of an elephant. While they could potentially kill somebody if they were to step on them, the Mums are benign unless threatened. Some people harvest the plants that grow off them for food, and a few have tried to use their hide in place of other leathers, but Mums and people generally live independent of each other.
As you can probably tell, I spent most of my time on the shades.
That's pretty darn cool. Did you think about having ghouls playable?
It's not too hard to work with. Just look at the 1920s on wikipedia. Television became a thing in that decade. Movies started to to be produced with sound. Automobiles are really replacing the horse. People are flying now. Technology is everywhere and people want more of it for status and convenience. The world urban world started to look a lot more like today instead of Victorian or earlier.
Right, I completely forgot the wealth of knowledge that is wikipedia. Still stickin' with what I have though. Thinkin' more steampunk lines.
Hey lug, I edited the thing with the ducks in an attempt to make it more serious. I actually think they could be a thing now. Here is another idea, I'll just post more as they pop into my head:
Pugaroocusus (singular: Pugaroocus) are small six legged insects that are about the size of a human hand. They have beady red eyes, a black exoskeleton, and large, basketball sized sacs on their backs. These sacks are typically filled with either water, water vapor, or liquid/ gaseous raw magic and are too thick to be broken unintentionally, but weak enough to be pierced or burst open by a knife or strong blow. It is nearly impossible to tell what is within the sacs before the contents are released because they are opaque. Magicians attempted to breed different Pugaroocusus, but were not very unsuccessful. The contents of the mother and fathers sacs had no affect on the contents of the child's sac (Igunus sac father + Lux filled mother= Water vapor filled child). In addition, although a Pugaroocus does not die upon having it's sac removed, the sacs seem to be an essential source of nutrients. Without the sacs, the Pugaroocusus can survive, but must eat exorbitantly large amount of food to do so. So why not farm Pugaroocusus? Just have a magician farm Pugaroocusus and get raw magic from them all the time? It is not that simple. Pugaroocus live in dark caves and deserts and are typically fearful of most humans. A magician would have to go out of his way to find them. They also only thrive in dark places, or places near plenty of mana pools. They don't reproduce very quickly and a mother can only give birth to a child every two years. In addition, if they are threatened, they sometimes bite, scratch, or cry out for help. Finally, the majority of sacs contain a gallon of liquid mana at best, which isn't really too much. In short, using Pugaroocusus as a source of mana is impractical for nearly any magician. Some magicians will keep one around as a pet or good luck charm to pop open in a pinch. They can live to be over 250 years old in captivity.
I will be adding a 'notable creatures' section to the OP shortly. Thank you all for your contributions! I hope you won't mind a little editing along with the transcription.
Meta, your sheet is acceptable, on two further conditions. Change 'for reasons unknown' in his fighting style to 'as luck would have it'. While things can, indeed, happen for no reason (such is the chaotic tumult of life), saying that reasons are unknown (or anything is unknown) on a character sheet is, as I said to Santa I think, somewhat of an easy way out. The second condition, and I hope you won't feel affronted, is to proofread your IC posts for syntactical and spelling errors when the time comes. Just a simple reread to make sure everything's in order will suffice, but such carefulness is a tenet of Casual-level postery.
No internet ATM ;-; Just shitty, spotty phone data. But I will be checking more now that real life backed the heck down so while immediate response will slow, I can and will respond more.
Edit: I will fix my cs first chance I can connect with a PC. My formatting really made adjusting hard on my phone. Her motivation is in the more-presentish part of her bio otherwise. As for a greatest love... She doesn't know it as her greatest love, but a good meal.
