For centuries, Lords from all the worlds gathered nourished the flame, sacrificed embers. But the Dark withstood the shackles of Lords, posed a threat to those that sought light. Three Lords and their champions gathered once more to ignite the Flame again, to zeal the Hollowed.
Viraahn, the slayer of wyrms, wandered from the East, with his champions, the Silent Twins, slaying Unkindled.
The Gatekeeper of the Grand Capital and his Custodian, together bonded by chain and flame, igniting the North.
And Queen of the Blazing Forest and her demonic presence of Hellspawner, piling up the dead beneath their feet.
But the Bell does not toll for their reign, for Unkindled, Undead and what lurks the Dark rise from all the arches of the world. It is their revolution once more...
--- In between the fissures of reality, the Undead and Unkindled walk the lands, each calling their own piece of Thrones and Flames. Even the wretched Knights of Londor roam the sacred land of Ayree, the center of the wildlands, the root of a new Kindling. Covenants have banded up, joining in a gathered task to become a Lord, or kindle the First Flame, to return the Light to the world, or to break their curse.
Whatever motivates your kin, you wander the lands. To your feet, the mud of the Rotten Swamp, a place of dread to keep the sane and the weak from these lands.
Will you as a group become a new Lord of Cinder, ignite the Flame, steal it for your gain, or do something out of different motivation altogether, it is up to the individual bounded together through the thread of fate... --- Hello people. I welcome you to my Dark Souls RP. It will be a little different. It will be a different world, in a different time. There are similarities and differences, so treat it as such. For those that wish to join, there will be a set of rules to abide, that I wish people read carefully before.
They go as follows: 1. If problems arise throughout the IC, please remain polite and address such problems in the OOC. Should people not come to terms, it will the GM (me) or Co-GMs to decide what will happen. 2. Joining this RP, you accept that you will not leave without telling the people in OOC and that you follow the unwritten(?) guidelines to Casual RPing, which are one paragraph at least, no double-post unless it is necessary and discussed, no "auto-hitting", no "God-modding" and a clean environment inside the OOC. Your character may use foul language as he pleases, but the OOC is to talk about problems and plan with others ahead. 3. Please clean up grammar mistakes, typos and assorted mistakes. It helps the players understanding your post and actions more thoroughly. 4. Sexual content should not be addressed inside a group RP. If it is necessary for you, then please PM-RP that person. 5. Try and post frequently. Semi-daily would be enough to suffice. If you cannot post for a while, make sure you give us a heads up and finish some actions, so you missing out on some days does not hinder the overall flow. 6. Some rules might follow or change... --- Character Sheet:
Name: Age: Gender: Appearance: Weapon: Armor: Curse:(Are you Unkindled, Undead or Hollowed?)
Appearance: Artyom Barkov, third son of Count Barkov of the Ori River, was rather average looking compared to his two elder brothers. Pale skin, tired looking blue eyes, well kept short brown hair and a rather slender body shape, Artyom looked more suited to the role of a lawyer or judge then a Count like his father. The curse of undeath has resulted in the dark mark that he has been forced to bare in the middle of his back, a symbol of his fate as one of the undead.
Weapon: Currently favors a solid looking shield combined with a well made longsword.
Armor: Artyom wears the plate armor of a minor noble; rather plain looking but effective at the job that it is being asked to do in trying to keep its wearer alive.
Curse: Undead
Minor History: The Ori River that ran through the lands of the Barkov family was believed by many to have been blessed by the gods and thus the waters were considered holy. In an attempt to deal with the undead plague in his lands, Count Barkov (Artyom's father) would slay those afflicted with undeath and dump their corpses in the river to let the holiness purify and purge the taint while carrying the body away. While it quickly became clear that the river's holiness didn't cure undeath, it did get the undead out of his lands (And no longer his problem) and thus the practice continued.
So many corpses were dumped in the Ori River that the waters turned crimson with blood. The Ori River was renamed the Blood River shortly afterwards.
HEY HO! I shall get a CS in soon... provided the site behaves enough when I try to post it XD
I may also need to PM the GM about something character related... maybe XD And definitely need to look up the difference between curses... much as I like dark souls, i have no idea what the difference between them is! XD
HEY HO! I shall get a CS in soon... provided the site behaves enough when I try to post it XD
I may also need to PM the GM about something character related... maybe XD And definitely need to look up the difference between curses... much as I like dark souls, i have no idea what the difference between them is! XD
Well, I can help a little bit about that.
Hollows, from what I understand are basically just mindless undead, to an extent. As the saying goes, all Hollow are Undead, but not all Undead are Hollow.
Not sure there's much of a difference there, but as for the Unkindled...
As from what I remember, they're basically people who tried linking the first flame or a bonfire, but were consumed by the flame in the process, later revived by the bells. Read this for a good theory on what Unkindled are: Unkindled
Under her armor, she has bright red hair with pale skin. Freckles dot her face in various places, and her eyes are the color of emeralds. She stands at roughly 5'11", quite taller than most other woman do. She has a lithe, slender build with obvious muscles. Often times, her face is adorned with a friendly and jovial smile, and her demeanor is the same.
Weapon: Alia has two weapons she uses on a regular bases. An elegant but well constructed and durable spear, and an equally elegant and durable long sword. Shields aren't something she has ever been fond of, as she believes they engender passivity and reduces ones agility in combat. Many of the knights from her homeland had such beliefs, and focused more on activeness in combat, instead of relying on slow moving shields.
Armor: Durable, but light plate made of steel, polished to reflect the sunlight beautifully. It was given to knights of the highest caliber in her homeland, far to west. While it isn't made of the strongest stuff possible to allow for more mobility, it holds its own in regards to defensive abilities.
Curse: Unkindled
Brief Bio: Born and raised in a land far, far to the west, Alia has been a knight almost since birth. Unfortunately, an event where a person she loved was afflicted with the curse of the undead and imprisoned, caused the knight to lose faith in her country. Since then, she has taken to wander the land...and eventually, she died. At least, she vaguely remembers dying from, and an intense heat. But when the bells toll, Ash seeketh embers...
And there she is. I do hope that is acceptable. If not, I will change anything I need too~
And knocked it out, if anything needs changed, do let me know, yeah?
Name: Ansgar Staudinger
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Appearance: Standing at just over 6'1", Ansgar plays well to his already naturally long reach, having a fairly lean and thin build. Wiry muscles make up his strength beneath his attire, which is fairly light and indicative to an evasive stance over a sturdy, taking blows head on one. His garb does not indicate a formal army standing, at least by most standards, but it was the standard for men of his guard unit, so he continues to wear it proudly.
Weapon: Currently uses a humble halberd, well worn from use as a guard before serving as a soldier in his kingdom's army, led in an attempt to link the fire of his realm and stave off the darkness, and undead, and the style he wields it in lends itself well to other styles of polearms. He favors the weapon but, when pressed, does carry a dirk for handling opponents he can't in close quarters, due to the size of the polearm and the problem it creates in confined spaces.
Armor: Ansgar's armor doesn't cover any joints, and it is meant to provide lightweight protection to what was considered critical areas in his time. Each piece is made out of sturdy black iron, trimmed down from true black steel, although it still imparts the resistance to flames, or perhaps they became that way during his time fighting, one could not readily say. But, beyond the greaves, gauntlets and shoulder pads, one hidden under his tattered cloak, he relies on mobility over sheer, raw armor.
Curse: Unkindled
A Brief Tale: Ansgar was from a kingdom centrally located in his time, focused on commerce and lacked any single, massive capital, instead being split up into many smaller fiefdoms. Each fiefdom maintained its own guards, and Ansgar remembers having served the one that tended to lead the kingdom, before an outbreak of undead conincided with an upsurge of demons assaulting from the north. Ansgar was part of a grand army sent to stop the demons, and the last thing he remembers, fighting alongside undead and human alike, was a blistering heat unlike what the demons could muster. Ansgar knows he died that day, and yet, the tolling of bells is not something readily resisted.
Hollows, from what I understand are basically just mindless undead, to an extent. As the saying goes, all Hollow are Undead, but not all Undead are Hollow.
Not sure there's much of a difference there, but as for the Unkindled...
As from what I remember, they're basically people who tried linking the first flame or a bonfire, but were consumed by the flame in the process, later revived by the bells. Read this for a good theory on what Unkindled are: Unkindled
Almost done with my Cs, by the way.
Unkindled are different from the Undead, as the later will Hollow with time and the Unkindled remain a human appearance and never grow insane (or at least are far more resilient to Hollowing). The third option (Hollows) are Undead that are still conscious and sane, even when in the deepest forms of Hollowing (See Dark Souls 3 - Londor, Dark Sigils). So the choice of the curse is pretty much whether your character will stay human in appearance, grow Hollow or IS Hollow in their looks.
I posed an idea for a philosophy based alternate path one could take with undead/hollowing, and it was suggested I share it with the group and see what the 'group's' opinions are on it, so here is that info-dump + character.
I was curious of a 'new' type I've been using in recent dark souls RP, though I wouldn't call it so much a 'curse' as a philosophical re-imagining of the hollowing process, and I'm not sure how it may or may not tie in with 'this' RP of yours, but in the past it has worked well and appealed well when I've asked about it, So I figured I'd try and salvage it once more for this RP :D
The basic concept looks at the various characters who, if you progress their stories successfully, seem to lose themselves and 'hollow' more and more the harder they try to hold on to their past, and asks the question 'what if someone let that past go and filled 'themselves' with 'new', new memories, experiences, new portions of 'what makes us what we are'. Would they, rather than hollowing and going mad or feral, simply 'change' as they progress onward?
It also uses the concept of some of the creatures in Dark souls and their 'quirks', along with the typical undead pattern of absorbing the souls of their enemies, and imagines that as the original 'soul' fades, which I 'think' has been alluded to, this particular style of existence would, instead of manipulating those absorbed souls to be used to strengthen the original, would literally replace the missing portions, most likely leading to strange mutations related to the particular creature, though also dependent on how strong that creatures 'soul' was. [i.e. normal hollows would still be pretty much fodder, but if he 'farms' them he might very well begin to emulate those twisted lost souls. Where-as a 'boss' soul would yield a more profound effect on him, both physically and psychologically, yet would likely make him stronger for it... that is of course assuming 'he' is given the boss soul, but he could still gain 'something' from the residual.]
Ultimately, this equates to replacing the standard spells, as well as some armor and weapon availability, in exchange for somewhat 'quirkier' alternative spells, and natural armor and weapons... and of course, not descending into a mumbling moaning mess of mindless hollow.
All that said, in terms of 'play' it equates to a limited system allowing him to, instead of learning or needing 'the right stats', or attuning, he can gain new abilities, strength, weaknesses, and potentially detrimental traits based on the creatures he fights the most. The general system I work with is that anything that isn't a boss that is either sufficiently strong, or that he absorbs from in large enough numbers, will grant him a new ability or improvement [like casting conflagrate without a pyromancer flame or 'limited charges'], but also a new weakness or balancing negative to the change [Like that conflagration cast burning his arm as much as it does the enemy.], all with limited, albeit long, periods of persistence through which it will fade away just as everything else in his past does.
That said, Boss souls are a different matter, being vastly stronger than normal monsters they'll grant some improvement or ability without a major debuff aside from relevant weaknesses that said boss 'had'. [Like, for instance, if he absorbed 'duke's dear freya' he might be able to produce poison and have chitinous armor, along with relevant resistances and immunity to his 'own' poison.] That is, 'again', assuming he actually 'gets' the boss soul given that this is a group RP, but something lesser could still come from that residual.
below is the character I used for those other RPs, and now that I think about it in the 'curse' sense, it kind of forces him to walk a path of seeking dangerous enemies to face in order to avoid being 'over-filled' with the essence of the land's endless hollows which would ultimately lead to the same fate as any other undead that went hollow the normal way.
all of 'that' said! I am okay with relegating him to simply being a remarkably eccentric, but otherwise standard, undead... and just to note, the 'additional skills' at the bottom were added in the last RP because it called for those, being based on setting up a new settlement and each one needing something to contribute in the sense of NPCs providing services XD... those may or may not be at all relevant here, heheh.
Name – Astavyastamaina Marpunu [He just goes by Asta][And yes, that is a made up name, he made it up himself! it even has a meaning.] Age – Unknown Gender – Male Sexuality – Undefined Land of Origin – He doesn't remember where he came from before. Covenant – Marpu yokka margam [The path of Change] Title of Government - None yet! Appearance – He's a rather odd looking person, seemingly not an inch of his body is actually visible, fairly tall and covered from head to knee's in a strangely fibrous looking white material that appears to be done up in a cloak of sorts. There is clearly something worn under it, as there are thick leather sleeves protruding from it, though they look needlessly wide and they terminate in a pair of gauntlets that are attached to the sleeve's outer edges and almost seem as if they are sealing them. These gauntlets appear to be made of some form of chitinous material, as if they were made from the pieces of some over-sized bug monster, the boots might be similar, though there is some slightly obscuring mist lingering at the base of his cloak that blurs the view beneath it.
More note-worthy still is the helmet, also wrapped in the strange white stuff and comprised of a large green orb whose surface creates the illusion of a giant eye that turns in whichever direction it is viewed from.
Personality: Personality – Asta comes across as a bit of a loon, not a violent one, just a real odd-ball, with strange mannerisms and an equally strange language that joins his speech from time to time. He often seems to take nothing as seriously as anyone he meets, but the smart traveler of Lordran would easily consider that, like countless other things in this land, there is more to him than meets the eye.
He bears strong beliefs about the undeadening, some which differ intensely from most groups and, while he may not have personal problems against certain groups, some of them may have issues with 'him', particularly since he is not shy about sharing his strange philosophy with whoever will listen, though he still refrains from wanton preaching.
Backround - He doesn't remember where he came from, and only a few tidbits of who he used to be that he decided were worth recreating, mainly some personality traits, especially those that set the foundation for his philosophy, skills, and useful knowledge. Otherwise, he considers his 'old self' to be dead and gone in favor of the new self, in standing with his philosophy, the process of becoming undead was simply the death of his old life, which he released to oblivious in favor of going head-long into forging a new life, one full of change rediscovery.
He does not view the undeadening as a curse, but simply another stage in life that gives him the chance to become a whole new person! In fact, he came to Lordran seeking adventure, and prophecies tended to be great guides to finding exactly that! The interesting people sure don't hurt the experience either.
What he 'does' remember is that since becoming undead, he has never felt freer, letting the old slip away in order to discover the new, ever changing as he forges new memories, finds new knowledge, and learns new skills to play with... He can't imagine why anyone would be afraid of new things!
Weapons, spells, armor, other equipment go here: Arsenal –
Bone Greatbow - An almost comically large bow, formed of surprisingly flexible bones from some unknown creatures, with skulls of some other creatures fused to it. It is surprisingly durable for it's rickety appearance and often used as a make-shift shield if anything gets too close while he has it out.
Bone Great Arrows - Giant Arrows made from the bones of some large creatures, shaped similar to lances and useless on anything less than a great bow, can also be used in melee if one doesn't mind something being more fragile than a proper weapon.
Screen of Marpu - The strange helmet worn by a mysterious man, the unusual shaping of it's giant crystal eye, though appearing solid from the outside, provides the wearer with a refracted view that shows all before him, allowing unhindered vision despite being a full helmet. It also has the added effect of being remarkably creepy to the onlooker.
Fibrous Cloak - A cloak made of an unknown fibrous material, though it appears fragile, it is surprisingly effective at 'catching' sharp objects such as arrows or lighter swords and appears to be resistant to Fire, Electrical currents, and Cold weather. It can in-fact be used to store small objects or lighter weapons by setting them amidst the odd material. Deep contents - Estus Flask, Several healing poultices, a couple of smoke bombs, some snack meats, a couple of rusty old broken swords he usually throws at things for the hell of it.
Gauntlets and Sabatons of Marpu - A Similar set of gauntlets and boots that appear to be made from the remains of some giant insect, fashioned into clawed hand protectors and sharpened boots, they are useful for climbing and clinging, as well as improvised melee, while the boots seem to exude a strange mist that the Muffles sounds of contact with various surfaces. It is possible that, like their wearer, there is more to these things than what is visible on the surface.
Magical Traits –
Magic Imitation? - There are several 'spells' he uses that resemble others while not being literally a learned/attuned spell in the same way other's know them.
Combustion - It behaves identically to it's actual pyromancy counter-part, producing a blast of flame from the hand, yet where a pyromancer is untouched by their own flame, his seems to leave his gauntlets singed and smoking.
Soul Infusion - It has an affect similar to Resonant weapon and other infusion spells, however, rather than empowering a weapon with a particular element it infuses it with a non-elemental boost. Ironically, this does not work with most 'equipped' weapons, and in-fact can only be used while un-armed, using simple natural weapons, or those with special properties such as being made of bone or 'designed' to channel it. As this uses his gathered souls, repeated use is costly, however he can choose how much to use in each strike and can even do so with 'single souls', although the out-put of power is directly proportional to how much is 'paid'. [Hint: His bone-greatbow counts and he can form soul arrows for it, but naturally this is costly in souls.]
Poison Mist/Acid Surge/Flash Sweat - Acid, poison, and sweat have been a few things he frequently displays the ability to produce in large quantities without afflicting himself with their negative side-effects, whether as a cloud or a spray, or simply 'washing' himself in it for one reason or another [like resisting fire], and interestingly enough this is one of his spells that does not appear to have a drawback that works against him when using it. [Hint: There's a reason for that :3] [Note:When I think of acid and poison, I usually imagine that different things produce different kinds, and while immune to their own, they may not be immune to different kinds of such from a different sources, perhaps resistant though.]
Iron guard - Technically speaking this one behaves exactly like 'Iron Flesh', Except that it focuses on specific portions instead of the whole body, thus restricting his mobility less than the original spell, but this is solely because there is less 'metal' by comparison, and as such less protection. In addition to 'still' restricting his mobility somewhat the 'iron flesh' is actually thin enough that it will simply break against heavier blunt or piercing strikes instead of protecting him. [Note: By specific portions, I'm referring to his 'Gauntlets' and 'boots', so body blows will still be un-hindered by the metal addition.]
Paragon of Change - Little is known about this strange power, one needs to see it for themselves to grasp it, and even then they may not realize what it means, though interestingly enough, it is actually the source of his other so called 'spells'. [There's several things under this category I would use, I'll detail them when Asta reveals them =3 but they won't even be relevant until then.]
Any relations?: Many, forgotten and not. [though in the context of the current group, I'll let everyone else decide if they want to do that XD]
Additional skills: Soul Transmutation [Specialization - Spells? Armor? Effects?], Crafting [Variety, Weapons, Armor, Accessories. Restriction - Primal materials, bones, chitin, hide, etc.], Climbing, Archery, Joke Telling, Acrobatics, Chaotic Melee... Also knows all the emotes, and Praises the sun whenever he pleases!
...I'll be honest, gave it a read and I'm not a fan of the 'absorbing monsters power for your own thing'
Reminds me a bit too much of Aldrich, if I'm reading that right, and I think he was probably a special case. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing...it just seems to well, break away too much from established Dark Souls lore and things. Seems like he'd...I dunno, be something that'd be more of a boss or NPC type thing.
I dunno, I'm not sure why at the moment, but it just doesn't sit well with me.
Seems like it could easily just become quite overpowered, I think, compared to the rest of the characters.
I'm kind of inclined to agree with Rune here, don't get me wrong here, its a rather fascinating idea though.
But looking at how the Souls games (Demon souls included, hell, even Bloodborne to a degree, granted, bosses didn't give souls to forge weapons into, they did sometimes give badges or guard them, which sort of functioned like that) have handled boss souls and how the player interacts with them, currency form of souls (Blood Echoes) included, forming either weapons or spells independent of the character in question, it doesn't seem to be something an undead would develop into, more organically mimicking the powers of dead enemies, both strengths and weaknesses. Definitely strikes me as a one off sort of rarity, NPC or even optional Boss in that regards.
I have no interest in following that path, personally, but the idea could make an interesting one off oddity of sorts. Definitely not something to be running around in, in large numbers, far as my opinion goes at least.
This looks promising. It's been quite awhile, so please understand that I rusty from this type of roleplay. Below is my character sheet for review. I look forward to hear from you, thanks.
Weapon(s): {Listed Below} “Requiem” – a Bastard Sword that is wielded single-handedly with the right hand. Llanowaar is extremely proficient in swordsmanship, especially when switching from single to two-handed stances.
Armor: Ser Llanowaar utilizes a complete set of hard-boiled, reinforced leather armour which is stained and scarred from previous battles. A single, tarnished steel pauldron rests over his right shoulder; while old furs rest over his left attached to his ragged cloak. His hood is always drawn over his face, keeping true to his illusion of being a forgotten knight.
History: In the lands of the north-western woodlands, lived an order of knights dedicated to the ideals of the Great Wolves. Living solely to eradicate those who would harm the enchanted forests and the creatures who lived amongst the wood. A simple knight once lived here with his family, going about his daily tasks only to return home to his wife and children. Until one day, the forests grew darker and gloomier than what was the norm for the season. The smell of ash and flames filled the air, forcing the knight to take up arms to investigate the disturbance of the woodlands. What he discovered, was his brothers and sisters in arms decimated whilst burning at the stakes made of the trees they were sworn to protect. Outraged at his failure to save his allies, he turned his attention back to his home and family. Hurrying as fast as his destrier could gallop, he arrived just in time to watch his family being murdered and also burned at the stake. Filled with intense rage, he immediately dismounted and assaulted his family's murderers with the ferocity of a mad man. And when the bloodshed was over, the knight fell to his knees in sorrow and cried out to the heavens for salvation. The knight received his answer with a blade puncturing through his back and through his armor. Spatting out blood, he turned his gaze to his killer and was met with the burning eyes of an unknown warrior. His adversary's body burned in a slight glow, giving an indication of glimmering embers. Before his eyes closed for what he believed to be forever, the knight overheard a mention of his enemy serving the "Cinders" and wanting to become one with the "Flames."
Where he wandered to, he could not recall, due to the dark and coldness he felt in the emptiness of nothing. Then, a light appeared in the shape of a maiden's hand. Reaching out for it, the knight found himself in the middle of the burned forest that was once his home. His armor and body remained untouched; while his wound remained open but did not trouble him. Looking before him, his eyes were met by the hooded figure of a woman. Her hair was as silver as any coin and her skin was an icy white, but her voice sent chills to his very bones. She spoke of what had occurred and what would come to pass if the Lords of Cinders were not stopped; simply ending the world as they knew it with flames. The maiden then told the tale of returning the knight from the darkness to act as her champion to eradicate the flaming lords and their followers: the Unkindled. And in return, he would be reunited with his slain family and comrades forever so long as he acted as her sworn champion. Without hesitation, the knight moved into a kneel and unsheathed his blade to be laid at her feet. With his solemn swear, he devoted his life to her service and to end the reign of the Lords of Cinder. From here, he has wandered the world's lands in the pursuit of the flame lords and their servants with the fervor of madness. This knight's name: Ser Llanowaar the Hunter of Unkindled.
'i'll' be honest... I've never gotten to play blood-borne 'nor' do I know who Aldrich is XD... unless he's a dark souls thing I missed somewhere... and I always thought that Dark souls lore was rather 'enigmatic' and 'unexplained' officially... at least, that was the feeling I got last time I seriously looked into it, like they designed the lore to inspire speculation and imagination on the parts of the players.
And just for some helpful clarification, it's not like 'goose one spider and he can suddenly spit poison' kind of absorbing, it basically assumes that the qualities of souls he absorbs [everyone does that anyway, this just implies that his has a themed effect on him] can influence what he can do, but have to be of sufficient volume, and will fade over-time [say, a week or a month depending on how much], or maybe become unusable if diluted too much with conflicting souls. [which we know could happen quickly given the volume of enemies that show up sometimes XD]
-Edit-Hmmm, Actually, I just had a thought. If I were to put it in terms of the game's actual system, it would be harder for him to 'level up' as the more souls he gathers the easier some would slip away because he doesn't desperately cling to what he has like most of the characters I've seen 'do'... As if he's less at risk of 'hollowing', yet it's harder to get 'stronger' as well... at least, alone it is, heheh. -end edit-
There'd be a limit to how much could be held, not unlike attunement slot limits, and all of the easily acquired non-boss versions come with equal debuffs/weaknesses [say, the spider example from above, it might make him more flammable himself.] Though also in a way it replaces the majority of weapon/armor availability that other's would have, as well as the spells... I was trying to make sure it'd even out around the same level as Dark souls can normally be at, just in a different way.
It's mostly designed to explore a conceptualized philosophical approach to being undead. [Which to my knowledge is something dark souls tried to inspire, making the players imagine all the 'what ifs' because it never truly explained anything with surety itself.] I mean, I can put him down as a normal undead and just roll with his 'quirky ideals', I actually only included the absorption idea because it kindof fit with his Philosophical theme of replacing 'his' old with a new 'him', in a way, which made since that it could be influenced by something he might be replacing it 'with'.
... If that makes sense. XD
You are right however, it could easily lead to being over-powered if not properly handled, hence the limits and idea of it replacing most of the 'easier variety advantage' that other undead might have, and 'if' I get to use it I fully intend to make sure that it is sufficiently balanced, and would fully expect to be called out if I ever go 'too far', though I'd still try to avoid making that necessary in the first place.
... It's also kind of fun, I'll admit, >3> playing the quirky loon and seeing the reactions of other characters... Jesters and Fools and all that, and combining that with exploring an interesting concept that fits his theme.
'i'll' be honest... I've never gotten to play blood-borne 'nor' do I know who Aldrich is XD... unless he's a dark souls thing I missed somewhere... and I always thought that Dark souls lore was rather 'enigmatic' and 'unexplained' officially... at least, that was the feeling I got last time I seriously looked into it, like they designed the lore to inspire speculation and imagination on the parts of the players.
Aldrich, The Devourer of Gods is basically a boss and a Lord of Cinder in Dark Souls 3 who 'devoured' the Gods (Gwyndolin is the only the confirmed one, but many people speculate he consumed more) And basically absorbed their powers. (which, he did through cannibalism, by the way, so I would imagine if your character did something similar he'd have to do it as well to make sense lore-wise)
It's mostly designed to explore a conceptualized philosophical approach to being undead. [Which to my knowledge is something dark souls tried to inspire, making the players imagine all the 'what ifs' because it never truly explained anything with surety itself.] I mean, I can put him down as a normal undead and just roll with his 'quirky ideals', I actually only included the absorption idea because it kindof fit with his Philosophical theme of replacing 'his' old with a new 'him', in a way, which made since that it could be influenced by something he might be replacing it 'with'.
I think that's the beauty of the Dark Souls universe, honestly, that it never fully explains what it is. Because then, everyone can come up with their own ideas and theories and as you said, philosophies. That said, there is pretty much the option for 'Undead are actually just the true form of humanity' hinted at multiple times through the games. In dark souls 1 the ending where you decide not to Link the first flame. So, to further say I just don't think the abilities your guys have make sense lore wise, unless he was similar to Aldrich.
Which is a huge 'no' from me, since he's well...a Boss. Also, not undead, and in fact an enemy from the Abyss, I believe.
Basically, I just don't see any feasible way for this to work in the setting of Dark Souls established setting.
Huh, had no idea they were planning a boss to do anything even similar to this idea when I came up with it. I started this idea I think a year ago in a different dark souls RP way before DS 3 was done yet XD
On a side note, I don't actually picture 'most' of the bosses as so OP, given that we kindof kick their asses... a LOT!... but no, I would not like to copy the abilities of a 'god devouring boss' because that screams mary sue-fest right there.
From my point of view it's an entirely different thing though, one 'eats the gods to gain their powers' and the other simply follows a philosophy of 'letting' the old fade, perhaps recreating some elements that might be key to staying 'him', but always replacing old with new over-time. Even if he did somehow do something like Aldrich, it would fade over time as everything about him does, not to mention that absorbing a boss soul and gaining a 'larger advantage' from it, is still designed, at least in my head, to pale in comparison to actually 'being a boss'.
That said, in 'RP' I would not picture bosses the same way as in the game. In a way, we're all on the same level as bosses [save for the 'giant monster/god slayer/eater/inherently over-powered bosses] in that from an RP perspective you're not whittling away at a health bar, but just trying to break them successfully. Like Ornstein for instance, We wouldn't need to 'beat the fuck out of him' to win like in the game, he seemed more like a nimble but dangerous style, so it'd likely be more about managing to get in 'that good hit' that manages to turn the tide... I hope that makes sense XD
But again, I 'can' normalize him and just keep the philosophical angle but throw out the absorption side of it :P just means some things will have to have been 'made' rather than 'formed'...
Also, sorry if this is long-winded, I actually rather like debate, especially when it's a mature debate with someone who's actually thinking instead of screaming obscenities and slurs [curse those youtube feminists]
Hmmm, what about 'this' perspective?
All undead, every player, every NPC [i think?], absorbs souls to get stronger and sortof maintain their mental integrity [neverminding the theme of those who try 'too hard' often being the ones who go insane first.], the idea here basically translates to the same thing, Asta absorbs souls to get stronger too, just in a different way rather than just boosting stats with soul reserves, and a way where the only permanent strength he can gain has to come from either powerful souls or from an abundance of similar enemies.
