On most days, Gleebridge as a happy city. A sparkling, shiny metropolis that casts no shadows, unless the sun is shining at an angle corresponding to any hour of the day that wasn't noon. Yes, despite winning the 'Happiest Town on Earth' award for three years running, Gleebridge is just like any other place: probably with way more crime than anyone talks about.
And never is this more right than now. A mysterious event known as the Midnight Poems returns to the city after its disappearance years ago. Horribly written and horribly prophetic, the Poems tell of tragedies yet to come, and come they do, no matter how bizarre and improbable the tellings are. Now the Midnight Poems are becoming more frequent, deadlier, and drawing quite a lot of attention to what was once just an urban legend.
It leaves a bad taste in the mouths of every Gleebridge citizen, and several questions in their minds; who writes the Midnight Poems? Do they predict the future or write it? What will they target next? Why have they returned after all this time?
And can we get this guy some writing lessons?
No preexisting knowledge of either the show or the streams are needed to play.
GENERAL INFO
GENERAL INFO
For those unaware, Epithets are a form of power from the web-based cartoon, "Epithet Erased", which is based off of a series of streams of a home-made RPG called "Anime Campaign". Epithets are words assigned to a person's soul that allows them to do... stuff. (People with Epithets are called Inscribed, and people without are Mundies.) What exactly can be done with one's Epithet depends largely on the Inscribed using it (and what the players think is cool), and isn't entirely set in stone.
Example: say your Epithet is 'Draw'. It could give you the ability to draw anything into existence. Or it could center around the drawing of a weapon, like a sword or gun. Maybe it lets you use a stack of cards as deadly weapons and summon monsters and familiars like so many card-based anime.
In canon, Epithets are an incredibly common aspect of life, with every 1-in-5 people being born with one. There tends to be a bias between Inscribed and Mundies (usually called "lexism"), with the former getting perks and special treatment on top of their innate cool powers. The tension has gotten so bad that a certain Mundie terrorist group causes havoc and works behind the shadows...
But they won't be a part of this roleplay, so no need to worry about that!
Example: say your Epithet is 'Draw'. It could give you the ability to draw anything into existence. Or it could center around the drawing of a weapon, like a sword or gun. Maybe it lets you use a stack of cards as deadly weapons and summon monsters and familiars like so many card-based anime.
In canon, Epithets are an incredibly common aspect of life, with every 1-in-5 people being born with one. There tends to be a bias between Inscribed and Mundies (usually called "lexism"), with the former getting perks and special treatment on top of their innate cool powers. The tension has gotten so bad that a certain Mundie terrorist group causes havoc and works behind the shadows...
But they won't be a part of this roleplay, so no need to worry about that!
First and foremost, the tone: Mostly silly, goofy, and outrageous, but with enough seriousness and sincerity to give it heart and backbone and to have actual stakes. It's weird people and weirder powers in a normal world, so don't let the ridiculousness overshadow the fact that these are meant to be actual people.
The RP will be divided into chapters, however many are needed to get through the story and then some. Each chapter will usually be set in a different location within/around Gleebridge, sometimes directly following the plot, othertimes not so much. This is because I want to follow a particular part of the source material pretty closely; the making and playing of a lot of different characters.
Every time there's a change in chapters, the players will be prompted on if they want to play as somebody else (more information on the creation process below). This is to keep things fresh, expand the setting, and to see the weird and wonderful ways Epithets play out. This isn't to say you'll be forced to ditch characters every once in a while. So long as you can conceivably fit them into a chapter, you're free to have any character you've played before return - and they'll even have a boost because of it! It'll make more sense once things get rolling, so don't worry if you don't really get it right now.
And, finally, there will be numbers involved. Light RPG-like elements, such as defined health and leveling up, will be implemented. This is both to keep with the spirit of the source material (as even in the show characters are limited by how much Stamina they have) and also to balance things out a bit better. When you have characters that can almost do anything, it's important to limit what you can.
The RP will be divided into chapters, however many are needed to get through the story and then some. Each chapter will usually be set in a different location within/around Gleebridge, sometimes directly following the plot, othertimes not so much. This is because I want to follow a particular part of the source material pretty closely; the making and playing of a lot of different characters.
Every time there's a change in chapters, the players will be prompted on if they want to play as somebody else (more information on the creation process below). This is to keep things fresh, expand the setting, and to see the weird and wonderful ways Epithets play out. This isn't to say you'll be forced to ditch characters every once in a while. So long as you can conceivably fit them into a chapter, you're free to have any character you've played before return - and they'll even have a boost because of it! It'll make more sense once things get rolling, so don't worry if you don't really get it right now.
And, finally, there will be numbers involved. Light RPG-like elements, such as defined health and leveling up, will be implemented. This is both to keep with the spirit of the source material (as even in the show characters are limited by how much Stamina they have) and also to balance things out a bit better. When you have characters that can almost do anything, it's important to limit what you can.
Pretty sure there's a few things I haven't covered because I just plum forgot their importance, so this is here in case I remember something or if a question is asked and the answer is important. Feel free to read Anime Campaign's ruledoc here for a good idea on how the RP is going to go, generally speaking.
CHARACTER STUFF
Now, onto the fun part: making the characters! There's actually a process behind this. Characters will be made cooperatively, ie with me providing the mechanics to fit the character you're hoping to make.
(Everything will be explained in more detail below. This is just an overview of how it works.)
First, either in the thread of through PM, say what sort of character you want to play, an Inscribed or a Mundie . Then, we hash it out together. If Inscribed, or you want to use a Coreword, I roll a random selection of 3 words that you pick from (if none of them scratch your itch I roll one more that gets added to the choices). We determine your character's stats, and then their abilities, passive, and talent(s), which I make up based on your Epithet/Coreword or the sort of character your, uh, character is.
Along with all of that, your character gets a weapon. It doesn't have to be a very weapon-based weapon, and can be theoretically anything. Spicy gum, a box of thumbtacks, a pair of cool gloves, whatever we think fits best.
After that, you're golden! Just gotta put all that in a character sheet and it's ready to go.
(Everything will be explained in more detail below. This is just an overview of how it works.)
First, either in the thread of through PM, say what sort of character you want to play, an Inscribed or a Mundie . Then, we hash it out together. If Inscribed, or you want to use a Coreword, I roll a random selection of 3 words that you pick from (if none of them scratch your itch I roll one more that gets added to the choices). We determine your character's stats, and then their abilities, passive, and talent(s), which I make up based on your Epithet/Coreword or the sort of character your, uh, character is.
Along with all of that, your character gets a weapon. It doesn't have to be a very weapon-based weapon, and can be theoretically anything. Spicy gum, a box of thumbtacks, a pair of cool gloves, whatever we think fits best.
After that, you're golden! Just gotta put all that in a character sheet and it's ready to go.
Nerd stuff. The lifeblood of all games.
This stuff is actually really important.
• Stamina, Proficiency, Creativity: Your character's three stats.
- Stamina is their health, as well as their mana. It depletes every time they take damage or use their Epithet.
- Proficiency shows how good your character is at what they do. The raw power of their jazz. Also acts as EXP, as the more you gain, the better you get.
- Creativity is somewhat similar to Proficiency. Less of a stat and more for flavor, it shows how 'creative' your character is at using their skillset. It also determines what, exactly, your character can do - more of it means more abilities and uses of your Epithet.
Each stat is represented by stars - up to five stars per level, with four levels each. For Stamina and Proficiency, each star counts for 5 towards that stat (maxing them out at 100), whereas Creativity is different in that it isn't quantified, with a star representing an ability or some such. At Character Creation, you start out with 1 star each and get 7 extra to place into each stat, so take into account what sort of character you want to play and how their epithet could function. Seemingly weak ones can have tons of Creativity, making them very versatile, while strong ones can be very uncreative and have one or two things they're able to do with it.
• Abilities, Talents, and Passives: The mechanical aspect of your character.
- Abilities are, simply put, what your character can do. While not the limits of their skills/powers, Abilities are the really special, strong, or gimmicky things they've trained or learned. Each ability comes with a Stamina cost, anywhere from negligible (1) or beefy (10). Some may also only be allowed Once Per Post (OPP) due to sheer abusability otherwise, so don't try to sneak more of those in. I'll see 'em.
- Talents and Passives are pretty close in what they do, with some differences. Talents are like Abilities in that you get a choice out of a handful, and with Stamina bonuses (or debuffs). You can also get more of them as you level up. Passives are singular free grabs that usually revolve around the personality of the character instead of their moveset. No strings attached!
This stuff is actually really important.
• Stamina, Proficiency, Creativity: Your character's three stats.
- Stamina is their health, as well as their mana. It depletes every time they take damage or use their Epithet.
- Proficiency shows how good your character is at what they do. The raw power of their jazz. Also acts as EXP, as the more you gain, the better you get.
- Creativity is somewhat similar to Proficiency. Less of a stat and more for flavor, it shows how 'creative' your character is at using their skillset. It also determines what, exactly, your character can do - more of it means more abilities and uses of your Epithet.
Each stat is represented by stars - up to five stars per level, with four levels each. For Stamina and Proficiency, each star counts for 5 towards that stat (maxing them out at 100), whereas Creativity is different in that it isn't quantified, with a star representing an ability or some such. At Character Creation, you start out with 1 star each and get 7 extra to place into each stat, so take into account what sort of character you want to play and how their epithet could function. Seemingly weak ones can have tons of Creativity, making them very versatile, while strong ones can be very uncreative and have one or two things they're able to do with it.
• Abilities, Talents, and Passives: The mechanical aspect of your character.
- Abilities are, simply put, what your character can do. While not the limits of their skills/powers, Abilities are the really special, strong, or gimmicky things they've trained or learned. Each ability comes with a Stamina cost, anywhere from negligible (1) or beefy (10). Some may also only be allowed Once Per Post (OPP) due to sheer abusability otherwise, so don't try to sneak more of those in. I'll see 'em.
- Talents and Passives are pretty close in what they do, with some differences. Talents are like Abilities in that you get a choice out of a handful, and with Stamina bonuses (or debuffs). You can also get more of them as you level up. Passives are singular free grabs that usually revolve around the personality of the character instead of their moveset. No strings attached!
I've made mention to 'leveling up' throughout the OP here, and here's where I tell ya how.
Rather than gaining levels like a traditional RPG does, there's a few methods of improving your stats: Spoils, Guessing Epithets, and Return Bonuses
Spoils are small stat boosts after battles and the like. You can choose either Stamina and Proficiency Spoils, the amount of which depends on how difficult the encounter is. Typically, Spoils give slightly more Stamina than Proficiency. If you're playing as a Mundie (further explained below), you get extra Spoils.
Guessing Epithets is exactly what it says. When you correctly guess an NPCs Epithet, you'll be given points towards your Proficiency depending on how difficult the word was to guess. These guesses should occur in-character and only done once in a post. The latter is to stop just spamming any word you can think of, and the former is so that there's consequences to getting it wrong, since Epithets are personal traits that most people don't like having someone guess at, like their weight.
Return Bonuses are also pretty clearcut, in that they're bonuses a character gets for returning. If a character is left for a chapter or two, when they're next brought in to play, you can give a short blurb on what they've been doing during their time, and I'll award points relating to what they've been doing - ie, if a character studied or practiced, they'll get bonus Proficiency, whereas training your muscles or your Epithet will award Stamina.
Rather than gaining levels like a traditional RPG does, there's a few methods of improving your stats: Spoils, Guessing Epithets, and Return Bonuses
Spoils are small stat boosts after battles and the like. You can choose either Stamina and Proficiency Spoils, the amount of which depends on how difficult the encounter is. Typically, Spoils give slightly more Stamina than Proficiency. If you're playing as a Mundie (further explained below), you get extra Spoils.
Guessing Epithets is exactly what it says. When you correctly guess an NPCs Epithet, you'll be given points towards your Proficiency depending on how difficult the word was to guess. These guesses should occur in-character and only done once in a post. The latter is to stop just spamming any word you can think of, and the former is so that there's consequences to getting it wrong, since Epithets are personal traits that most people don't like having someone guess at, like their weight.
Return Bonuses are also pretty clearcut, in that they're bonuses a character gets for returning. If a character is left for a chapter or two, when they're next brought in to play, you can give a short blurb on what they've been doing during their time, and I'll award points relating to what they've been doing - ie, if a character studied or practiced, they'll get bonus Proficiency, whereas training your muscles or your Epithet will award Stamina.
So your first thought is probably something along the lines of the header blurb. Not to worry, for I have answers!
You can choose between playing an Inscribed, with an Epithet and (probably) cool powers, or a Mundie, who has none of that. But being a Mundie can still be fun! Most Mundies are striving to match and surpass Epithets, and many can hold their own in their respective fields. They're usually as ridiculous as Inscribed - in-canon, a Mundie escape artist could incorporate actual speedrunning moves to flit about the place.
Mechanically, this means two things; first, that whereas an Inscribed gets more varied uses of their Epithet as they gain Proficiency, Mundies get better at a specific, narrower skillset. Two, they grow their stats faster than Inscribed, so while they don't have much to offer comparatively, what they can do gets really, really good.
If you want to play a Mundie, first decide if you want them to be a Powerhouse Mundie (has one extra star in Stamina and gains 1.5x Stamina Spoils) or an Expert Mundie (has one extra star in Proficiency and gains 1.5x Proficiency Spoils). You can also choose to implement a Coreword, which is like choosing an Epithet in spirit but doesn't actually do anything. More for flavor, or a handy way to get ideas for a character. Corewords are optional, and you can pick on after the character is made if you really want to.
You can choose between playing an Inscribed, with an Epithet and (probably) cool powers, or a Mundie, who has none of that. But being a Mundie can still be fun! Most Mundies are striving to match and surpass Epithets, and many can hold their own in their respective fields. They're usually as ridiculous as Inscribed - in-canon, a Mundie escape artist could incorporate actual speedrunning moves to flit about the place.
Mechanically, this means two things; first, that whereas an Inscribed gets more varied uses of their Epithet as they gain Proficiency, Mundies get better at a specific, narrower skillset. Two, they grow their stats faster than Inscribed, so while they don't have much to offer comparatively, what they can do gets really, really good.
If you want to play a Mundie, first decide if you want them to be a Powerhouse Mundie (has one extra star in Stamina and gains 1.5x Stamina Spoils) or an Expert Mundie (has one extra star in Proficiency and gains 1.5x Proficiency Spoils). You can also choose to implement a Coreword, which is like choosing an Epithet in spirit but doesn't actually do anything. More for flavor, or a handy way to get ideas for a character. Corewords are optional, and you can pick on after the character is made if you really want to.
Name Here
"Some kind of quote maybe."
Inscribed/Mundie (Powerhouse/Expert) - Epithet/Core Word
Class - (Fun descriptor of their deal, make one up)
Stamina: ★☆☆☆☆
Proficiency: ★☆☆☆☆
Creativity: ★☆☆☆☆
Appearance
(Picture or words, just make it unique!)
Age
Personality
Weapon:
Weapon Name - Description
Passive:
Passive Name - Description
Talent(s):
Talent Name (Stamina Buff/Debuff) - Description
Abilities:
Ability Name (Stamina Cost) - Description
Ability Name (Stamina Cost) - Description
...
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