At an untold time of prosperity and peace, the first of the gates opened. Unleashing otherworldly creatures into the world, humanity was caught off guard as all manner of beasts and monsters poured into cities. What would have been tragedy turned into triumph as man quickly fought back. Those monsters had been pushed back into the gates they came from. Not settled with just that, man struck at the very heart the monsters came from. By venturing into the gates, man found an otherworldly energy trapped within this other world. A time of great advancement with materials from this other world.
But that era has since passed.
Now fueled by a symbiotic relationship with these gates, life has changed. The gates still remain a threat, mankind has taken to walled cities and artificial islands leaving their old cities abandoned and fallen to disrepair. No longer does the military sortie into the other world. Instead, those willing to brave the danger for wealth dive in headfirst using special equipment: Cross Gears. Empowered weapons capable of doing the impossible created from science and otherworldly materials.
Only one question remains: how much can you earn?
So a concept I was wanting to do for a while. A dungeon exploration type RP in a futuristic setting. No overarching requirement to save the world, no gritty pain, just a bunch of people wanting to get rich off treasure. Add in a cup of monster hunter, a cup of anime scifi world on an artificial island, two cups of every single Korean dungeon crawler webtoon that the kids these days read, a splash of neon and a sprinkle of insane anime horse hockey.
The RP would follow a bunch of these treasure hunters in a semi-sandbox, diving into dungeons, making fat stacks of cash, beating up mooks, raid bosses, and improving their Cross Gears with what they find. Combat's gonna be frenetic and powerful. The other world unlocks your true potential, so while you might be an empowered human in the real world, on then other side you're going to punch (and be punched) straight through walls, all with a futuristic and neon vibe.
excuse the mistakes, this was a 2am fever dream to finally get the interest check down
I am very interested. please keep us in the loop on this! I would be very interested in a cartographer style character who isn't so much earning money by finding treasure but earning money by creating and drafting maps of the regions on the other side of the gate.
I am very interested. please keep us in the loop on this! I would be very interested in a cartographer style character who isn't so much earning money by finding treasure but earning money by creating and drafting maps of the regions on the other side of the gate.
That's fine. The powers that be also deal in information and the nature of gates mean that they're always buying. Though it does pay considerably less.
OOC either tomorrow or the day after, depending.
In the mean time, here's some world information and a character sheet.
If there's any questions, ask away.
Those who choose to enter the other world for the riches held within, Divers are a peculiar group. They come from all walks of life and, save for a small few that sought employment, are freelancers. Becoming a diver isn't a simple feat. While generations ago, one could enter a gate with a rudimentary Cross Gear, that time has passed. In order to gain the strength to enter and fight on the other side, each Diver has a surgery to implant an AEGIS within them. Besides the details of a controller at the neck and a battery in the gut, the specific details of the system are lost on most divers.
The cost of each AEGIS is incredible. As a result, most fledgling divers have their rewards garnished until fully paid off. The process can take months or even years, depending on one's ability. It is a one time procedure, however. An AEGIS evolves alongside the user. By absorbing more and more of the other world's energy, a battery strengthens itself. The AEGIS is responsible for strengthening the body, powering the tools that divers use, and regenerating mortal wounds in emergencies.
While augmentations such as robotic arms exist, they are relatively unused by divers as most prosthetics are unable to scale with an AEGIS like one's flesh and blood. Those that do use them have to spend the money on replacements. Those who do use prosthetics do so out of necessity rather than choice.
The vast majority of divers work as self-employed independent contractors. Diver Services could be considered as the bureaucratic vanguard that allows this system. They post the location and level of gates for all Divers, handle rewards, implant AEGIS, handle government contracts, operate UNITs, maintain gear, and do all of the heavy lifting so divers can do their job without any hassle. However, they do have a code all divers must follow. The exact specifics are in a legal document, but the general gist is "don't harm people" and "don't steal".
Originally named after the manufacturer of the first specialized anti-outsider weapon, a Cross Gear is a general term that refers to any weapon specifically designed to hunt outsiders. Most Cross Gears are fully modular, allowing for easy upgrades and on the fly repairs. The form of a cross gear has no limits; so long as it can deal damage, it can be used. Cross Gears do require energy to fuel themselves, otherwise they are nothing more than paper weights.
Notable Cross Gears used by famous divers include: An anti-materiel rifle that fires implosive rounds. A great hammer that doubles as a jet engine. Gloves that create a razor sharp wire out of thin air.
Most newbie divers carry a generic, easy to manufacture Cross Gear that has no specialty.
The energy brought from the other world didn't just advance science; it fundamentally changed the biology of a small group. While rare, holders don't require an AEGIS. They are instead born with an extra organ acting as a natural battery. This organ stores the otherworldly energy rather than any mechanical part. Not only that, holders can assimilate the neon blood that outsiders possess, gaining what's known as a code. By using a Interpretation Device (ID), a holder can use their collected energy and a code to alter reality. Similar to a mage in a fantasy world, they can cast spells.
This comes at a price, unfortunately. Holders are more fragile and possess less strength than their artificial brethren.
Despite the variance of Cross Gears, abilities and talents, each diver carries a set of equipment ubiquitous to the job.
The EC-K is standard issue. Short for energy collection knife, the knife acts as four things: a razor sharp and nigh indestructible tool to dismantle monsters, a siphon to catch and absorb any stray energy, a debit card for trading in the energy, and identification in the event of total annihilation. The shape of an EC-K varies to the user's preference, but remain a tool unsuitable for combat.
A holograph projecting drone, UNIT, does most of the pencil pushing of a diver. Acting as a black box, the UNITs record and analyze one's actions in the other world. They also act as a map, can display one's internal condition (and any issues within), communicate with other hunters, disassemble and store dismantled outsiders, and more. UNITs are an entirely closed system, refusing to interface with any system without consent (save for the event of death). Units are the size of one's palm and relay information to their diver via an earpiece and hologram.
Beings of the other world, outsiders are aberrant monsters that occasionally raid the real world. Their appearances vary by considerable amounts. Some outsiders are entirely machine-like, resembling alien robotics. Others are much more bestial, like hulking monsters that spew brimstone. They constantly evolve gaining new traits, to the point of shifting in the middle of fights. No two outsiders are exactly alike, save for the ineffectual mass spawn. Unlike humanity, they are not strengthened or weakened by changing worlds.
Gates are the lifeblood of the new world. From materials within, they power every aspect of science. Taking the form of a floating ball of tar, gates are constantly monitored by Diver Services. The inside of gate is wholly unique and ever changing, though they do retain aspects as they evolve. While inside of a gate, the AEGIS and Cross Gears are capable of unleashing their full power.
Gates are rated by three aspects: environment, enemy type, and general risk.
Style this how you want.
[b]Name:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Appearance:[/b] (anime picture preferred, text description accepted) [b]Personality:[/b] (To ensure we don't too many cooks it) [b]Background:[/b] (Just enough to give me a background. Feel free to make up the world, I left it pretty barren intentionally) [b]Type:[/b] (If AEGIS, you can specify if your AEGIS specializes in anything IE, speed, power, vit. If Holder, say Holder) [b]Codes:[/b] (Delete this if not a Holder. Consider this a spell list; you can get more as you beat stuff up and drink the neon fluid that comes out) [b]Cross Gear:[/b] (There's no limit, save for really bizarre things like frying pans and refrigerators. Any weapon you want with it having any ability you want) [b]Equipment:[/b] (Stuff not covered by what's implied your hunter has. Keepsakes, extra tools/gadgets, etc) [b]Skills:[/b] (What your character is good at) [b]Other:[/b] (in case i missed anything)
Potential interest, though I wonder if an AEGIS specializing in enhancing the mind's processing power is in the realm of possibility, and if that would grant any tangible benefit.
I wonder if an AEGIS specializing in enhancing the mind's processing power is in the realm of possibility, and if that would grant any tangible benefit.
Yes and yes. Cross Gears that can use improved perception, faster thinking, parallel processing, or more can make use of it. Things that ricochet attacks, control drones, don't require one's body to attack, etc.
The ethical ramifications of loading up someone's brain with pure energy is something I'm just gonna sweep under the rug.
Sounds neat, I'd be interested kn playing a Holder possibly. I'm thinking of the child of two well-respected Divers who grew up in their shadow, but they've now gone missing on a Dive and he wants to (likely futilely) try and find and save them.
