Mainly influenced by Re: Monster, So I'm a Spider, So What?, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
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This is a story of reincarnation and second chances, but unlike your previous mundane life, this'll be filled with peril and adventure. I do hope you enjoy.
Your restless soul has been forced into a world where heroes, magic, and strange creatures not only exist, but thrive. Perhaps you'll be able to be a hero with a troubled past or a mage from a far away land? Well, possibly in another life, but not this one. Unfortunately, you are monsters. More specifically, you're the weakest of your kind when you begin your journey to become the strongest.
What awaits you is anyone's guess. Good luck, you'll need it.
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The young goblins in the cave were in a terrible fix; there ere no longer any adults. It was a former nursery that was abandoned by it's former tribe. They ran to the north when the humans discovered the area and left the babies behind. They could have stayed and risked their entire clan, or leave and gamble the lives of those left behind.
In the end, a goblins quick growth has made you. The first generation. The goblins who must truly work from the ground up. Remember, simple mistakes could potentially cause death.
Outside the cavern nestled deep within the Arcadian Forest, sunlight shone through the trees. The goblins were only three days old, but they were mature enough to survive in the wild. One by one they began opening their eyes and waking up. Their stomachs growled and they all knew it was time to hunt through sheer instinct. There would be no helping hand through this process.
It was all down to the goblins themselves.
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Name: (What do they call you? Goblin names tend to be short and sweet, but anything is fine.)
Age: Day 3
Gender: (Male or Female?)
Race: Goblin
Appearance: (Pictures are fine, but since finding one will be hard for this particular series, listing traits like hair color, skin color, and small quirks like pointed ears is preferred.)
Level: 1
Personality: (What is your Goblin like?)
Past Life: (What were you like in your past life and how did you die?) Talent(s): (You start with two talents. This is to help differentiate from others since I'm not using traditional stats. Ex. Dexterity, Accuracy, Strength, Magecraft, Fire Magic etc, etc. Talents persist throughout your monster's life so be careful with your choices. They do not always have an immediate impact either. Goblins are not born knowing magic and must learn, but they might have a talent for it. This goes for Swordsmanship, Archery etc, etc. Putting this in a bulleted list helps me a lot!)
Skill(s): (Skills are techniques and abilities that people gain. Not every skill in unique to specific people, but as they mature monsters tend to get more and more diverse skill sets from one another. This includes passive skills as well. Goblins start with the ability "Dark Eye". Again, putting this in a bulleted list helps me a lot!)
Dark Eye - Allows one to see more effectively in the darkness. (Passive) E-Rank Absorption - A monster specific skill. This skill allows monsters to gain the skill(s) of the creatures they devour. The amount of skills gained in this process is limited to a 8 time usage. Choose your stolen abilities wisely. Uses will reset to 8 upon evolving regardless of the amount you have used. (Remaining Uses: 8)
Levels - A rough gauge for the strength of an individual of that race or job. Level is increased by learning new skills, defeating stronger enemies, or even simple tasks like creating or disassembling tools. The fastest and most sure method to leveling up is defeating enemies who are more powerful than you or at your appropriate level. Every monster knows his or her own level, but cannot gauge an enemy's level immediately without a proper skill. This is important for those who wish to keep their level hidden. The max level is 100 for an individual species which, upon being reached, allows for them to "Rank Up" into another strong species.
Rank Up/Evolving - Monsters like Goblins, Imps, Orcs, etc, etc. all have the option of advancing into a new species. The species being evolved into depends on the criteria that an individual meets and certain evolutions are only available if certain requirements are met. Upon Ranking Up it is common for monsters to gain access to powerful abilities they previously hadn't been able to use. This is especially true for Variants or specialist evolutions.
Common Examples
Level 100 Goblin ---> Level 1 Hobgoblin
Level 100 Imp ---> Level 1 Demon
Uncommon Examples
Level 100 Goblin ---> Level 1 Hobgoblin Variant
Level 100 Imp ---> Level 1 Demon Variant
In the case of these uncommon examples, the Goblin had the talents for Magecraft and Strength along with the skills "Swift Swimming" and "Extreme Lung Capacity". This caused the Goblin to evolve into a Hobgoblin Variant with blue skin and the "Water Magic" talent. This may or may not lead to this Hobgoblin to evolve into the race "Half-Spell Lord Variant" with a more specialized aptitude in Water Magic.
While Variants tend to be rarer and more powerful, becoming a regular Hobgoblin would not hinder one's growth. Some could say that not choosing a specialization may even make one more powerful in the long run because they would have more choices for their Rank Up as they level up. It is also important to note that some species do not have the ability to continue evolving. These species tend to make the monster more closely related to humans and instead gain the ability to make use of the "Job System". This is a system that only humans use and is considered inferior when it comes to overall potential, but many believe it to be stronger when in the hands of an evolved monster. The Job System will be explained when the information is come across in the RP or if someone decides to take this route and has reached their maximum evolution.
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Skills - These are abilities or passive abilities that you as an individual have access to. These can be both learned and taken through the monster skill Absorption. There are an almost infinite amount of skills that can be learned, and many can only be gained through the use of other methods such as evolving. Skills come in four types. Utility, Offensive, Defensive, and Unique.
Utility skills are abilities that help an individual through a variety of different uses and are normally the most flexible with their uses, especially when it comes to out of combat. Things like venom, spider webs, and a high lung capacity are examples of utility skills. More often than not utility skills are species specific skills that require the Absorption ability to learn. Most passive abilities are utility skills.
Offensive skills are ones that are almost entirely destructive or used for combat. Abilities such as fire magic, weaponry skills, and a large amount of stealth abilities fall under this category. These skills are mostly learned by the monsters that prefer combat over all else as a form of leveling up.
Defensive skills make it easier to survive most situations. Toughened skin, shield tactics, and an infinite amount of survival skills end up here. There are a few exceptions to this rule though. Abilities like "Escape" and "Grow Armored Scales" fall under utility.
Finally, Unique skills are specific skills to individuals. These are mostly abilities gained through Ranking Up or by meeting specific criteria. It is almost impossible to predict when or how someone will receive a unique skill, or if they'll ever even get one. Mystery shrouds this topic and even now many do not know how to acquire these.
Skill Ranks - When a certain skill becomes powerful enough or mastered enough, it has the possibility of becoming the next letter rank. This scale goes from the lowest, E-Rank, up to the highest, S-Rank. Most monsters never reach S-Rank in any skill as they normally don't evolve far enough for their body to use it. Thus, S-Rank in anything is almost unheard of. It would be considered in a territory that could easily wipe out an entire city. Rumors exist that higher ranks are possible, but that would be Godhood territory. The only ability to not have a rank is Absorption.
Absorption - Taking skills from other creatures through devouring them is common practice in this world for monster. It may sound simple, but it is a very selective process. Since only 6 skills can be taken per Rank Up it's important to watch what you take. The average Goblin will simply take whatever skills they can get as soon as possible, but the more successful ones tend to wait on it. While the ones who wait on which skills to take are normally the successful ones, there is an equal amount who are unsuccessful and simply die because they didn't have any skills to use for the situation at hand. While the ones who just take whatever skills they can get their hands on don't get very powerful, at least they can survive some situations.
When a creature is devoured a series of options is available. They will have the choice of which abilities to steal for themselves, but they won't know what they are. This is why the ability to foresee and predict abilities is important. All abilities that are stolen begin as E-Rank.
Common Examples
1. Goblin Sei eats a Horned Rabbit. She decides to absorb an ability. The Horned Rabbit had the following abilities...
[???] - Utility Skill
Goblin Sei gains the ability... Escape.
2. Goblin Sei eats an Armored Dog. She decides to absorb an ability. The Armored Dog had the following abilities...
[???] - Defensive Skill
[???] - Offensive Skill
Goblin Sei gains the ability... Intimidation.
Uncommon Examples
1. Goblin Sei eats a Horned Rabbit Variant. She decides to absorb an ability. The Horned Rabbit Variant has the following abilities...
[Escape] - The ability to flee and get to a safe location much more efficiently. D-Rank
[???] - Offensive Skill
Because Sei already absorbed and learned what ability Escape was, she'll always know which creatures have it after eating them. This Horned Rabbit is rarer than normal though so she wants to take its other ability.
Goblin Sei gains the ability . .. Camouflage.
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In this world there are 7 classes of items.
Inferior (I) - Items and weapons that are rather weak and nearly unusable. Example = Rusty Iron Sword.
Normal (N) - Items and weapons that are of average quality and able to perform their function properly, though don't give any bonus. Example = Iron Sword.
Rare (R) - Items and weapons of very high quality that are able to perform their function much better than average. They normally have something interesting about them such as being harder or better cutting ability. Example = Mithril Sword.
Unique (U) - Items and weapons of incredibly high quality that are almost always enchanted with powerful magics. They can easily break or destroy normal and even rare quality items. Many country treasuries do not have over Unique rated items. Example = Incendiary Enchanted Hardened Mithril Sword (Most likely named.)
Ancient (A) - Items and weapons that are incredibly powerful. Almost every Ancient item has a name and rumors about it floating around. The ones that aren't named, will be named when they are discovered or created. Most likely have at least one very powerful enchantment. Example = Arcaeis, the Ring of Foresight.
Legendary (L) - Items and weapons that are just so powerful that even a single one can cause a major power shift between countries. As they are ranked as such, they normally are a weapon used by a hero from the past. If they haven't, then odds are they will be. Many very powerful enchantments are normally on these items.
Phantasamal (P) - These items and weapons are so rare that it is almost unimaginable to find one. People have spent their entire lives chasing the dream of obtaining one of these, but died without even seeing one. Example = ???.
Disclaimer: I'll be following a plot that'll be gradually be revealed as the story goes on. Story-wise, I'm good for the first three arcs and on how I wanna end this thing. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
My application, made with the few edits we discussed. Let me know if anything else needs work.
Name: Saito
Age: Day 3
Gender: Male
Race: Goblin
Appearance: Though many male goblins are as bald as they are ugly, Saito bears a distinct tuft of hair that sweeps toward the right side of his hairline. It's a dark shade of auburn, glinting red in the right light. His eyes are a light honey amber, but narrow and sharp as if he's used to either squinting or glaring. Though just as scrawny as the rest of his littermates, he has slightly larger hands and feet, implying that when he's full grown he might be of decent size for a greenskin.
Level: 1
Personality: Saito acts much like an old, austere man. Though respectful, he often doesn't mince words or bother with trifles. Often stern and stoic, but not terribly hard to get along with--however, he seems to have little patience for some of the...less scrupulous behaviors of goblins. He can be quiet and still for long periods of time, before suddenly jumping up to put whatever idea he's been thinking of into action. When interacting with others he behaves much like a teacher or a strict parent, but it's not as if he doesn't know how to laugh. His anger, however, is unusual--he doesn't hide it, nor does he shout it to the heavens. It isn't a cold fury, or red faced bluster. It is more like...an acknowledgement. Like writing a name down in a book.
Past Life:
Born to the Saito family and given the name Yamato, in his previous life the boy grew up in rural Japan. His father was a former soldier turned farmer, his mother was a schoolteacher, and his grandfather was a traditional Karate master. Under his grandfather and father's tutelage, at an old fashioned dojo nestled in the mountains with only a handful of students, Saito took to martial arts like a duck to water at the tender age of 7.
Only 4 years later, the Imperial Japanese Army would seize Manchuria, and World War II would begin in earnest. Saito's father was called back to the army, and did not return. His grandfather made his training stricter, harsher, with the intent that Saito would inherit the family legacy--and the boy was determined to stand proudly even with such a weight on his shoulders.
By 1943, the boy was a man. He had high marks in academia, and was an accomplished Karateka in both school-level competitions and professional tournaments. Though only 23 and still in University (pursuing a degree in Physiology), Saito found himself subject to the nation's changing draft laws as the war grew more desperate. While on tour in the military, he traveled to both China and Korea...and though these were dark times, many he would not only regret, but never speak of again, these experiences allowed him to see many things that appealed to his inner warrior.
Saito survived the war, with distinguished service. By the end of this horror, he was content that he had done his duty as a Japanese man, and was more than ready to accept whatever consequences came with the nation's surrender. By some stroke of fate, he found himself returning to Karate training in the martial arts' birthplace of Okinawa...and, of all things, many of his students were American soldiers! He also found himself exposed to the Westerners' martial arts, boxing and wrestling, and became enamored with the desire to learn more--especially from one soldier in particular, a man by the name of Jack Dempsey.
Becoming the official head of his grandfather's dojo, which by this point had expanded, at a young age meant that Saito Yamata had quite the ordeal to prove himself among other older, more established masters. His grandfather's health was beginning to wane, but there were still other students capable of taking care of day to day business. In order to improve himself, and further his understanding of what he had seen--in China, in Korea, from the Americans, and much more--he began to travel the world.
In Taiwan, after stumbling through many unsavory channels to find information--and beating up several bands of local thugs--he tracked down a man known as the disciple of a "Spear God." Saito wished he could have encountered the original master himself, but he was more than happy to jump through seemingly endless hoops--a former Japanese soldier was obviously unwelcome--until he could experience the art known as Bajiquan. In Hong Kong, he once again bowed his head and even begged until a grandmaster of Wing Chun agreed to teach him. He also met a young man at this time, less than half his age, but blindingly fast and somewhat a philosopher. Though their time as fellow students was short, Saito considered the youth to be one of his greatest rivals--but, because he was Japanese and the young man had some foreign blood, Saito didn't want to make a big deal out of their friendship for fear that it would further affect the already negative reputation the youngster had among many older, more conservative martial artists.
In Thailand, he studied for some time with the fierce kickboxers known for their shins of iron and devastating elbow and knee strikes. In California, he fought many amateur bouts as a boxer. Going professional did not appeal to him--if he wanted money or fame, there were far better ways to attain that than getting punched in the head constantly. And he still had things he had to do.
After more than a decade of various travels--though he returned home more than once between trips--and having continued his Karate training all the while, Saito felt himself experienced, practiced, and accomplished enough to truly take over his grandfather's school. Over the next half century, he continued to constantly seek self-improvement and more knowledge while teaching. His students became masters and opened schools in their own right. Their students became masters and opened schools of their own. He married, had children, and raised two of the three of them (one son preferred to be a businessman, and that was quite alright) to be respected masters as well. His family legacy, though connected more by teachings than blood, spread to the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He continued to travel well into his old age--a life of hard training, as well as mental and spiritual discipline, blessed him with wonderful health and long life like his grandfather--and he never stopped learning.
The morning after his 100th birthday, he rose before the sun was up as he always did. Despite drinking more than usual at the celebration last night, his head felt clear and the crisp, chilly air on top of the mountain was fresh in his lungs. As he always did, he bowed when he entered the dojo, and lit the incense under the portraits of all the past masters, including his grandfather. On a strange whim, he decided to practice only the basics today--fundamentals, he believed, should remain important throughout one's life. How many times, he wondered, had he been forced to clear his mind of preconceptions, and seek the innocence of childhood once again? Taking up the first stance he had ever learned--Kiba-dachi, the horse stance--he began to peform 100 repetitions of the most basic technique of Karate, the straight punch known as the Seiken.
Despite his age, his battered, threadbare Gi still snapped like a whip with each blow. His arms, tanned a leathery brown and crisscrossed with scars, still held sinew like steel cables though their mass had begun to wither away. Each breath inflated his torso, swelling the wrinkled flesh and tightening the muscles so that his ribcage didn't stand out quite so much as it usually did these days. His posture was not rigid, and yet he seemed as unmovable as the earth itself. Hard, and soft. Yin, and Yang. Heaven, and Earth. In deep meditation, as each punch thrummed the air, he contemplated these things.
He had more than enough to be content. He had done all he could be expected to do, and more. He did not mind, if he never grew past this point.
But to say he no longer had anything to reach for, that simply would not do. He was not burdened with the inner drive, the consuming fire of youth. He no longer entertained the dream of every man--who, at some point, wishes to be the strongest man in the world. But still, he thought it would be nice. To see how much further he could go. Yet, he did not mind if he didn't. That was just the way things were. There was no harm in it.
Lost in thought, he had already surpassed his intention of 100 Seiken. On a mere whim, he sought to send his fist beyond its final destination. He performed the 108th punch. His kiai shook the dojo, and brought his youngest son and the grandchildren running down the hall in surprise. His legs pushed power up from the balls of his feet, his hips torqued, his shoulders rolled. He felt...something...surge through his fist. As if an icy, yet relieving chill swept through him.
Ah, was this what the silly little shows his granchildren loved called "spirit energy," perhaps? He sighed peacefully, but did not breathe back in. More than ten feet in front of him, across the wooden floor, at the instant his punch was complete, the flame on the incense had blown out.
Yamato Saito passed from this world with a smile. He was still standing in proper form, with his fist extended.
Personality: Reshy is of a mischievous mind, it seemingly never settles. His fingers seldom idle and his grin often wide, easily portrays his mood. He has little time for pleasantries and speaks with blunt statements void of consequences. A lover of puzzles and gadgets, his attention not so easily lost when sunken into a thing or challenge. He has a strong competitive streak not bound by honour or rules. Victory is victory after all. Especially to the greedy. However, he is not reckless, a thin film of cowardice rears from time to time and prevents him from overstepping his limits. What good are things or greatness if you are dead?
Past Life: He worked some boring office job, locked in a tiny cubicle from 9-5. His soul slowly withering away a little more each and every day. Meanwhile his heart yearned for the wilderness, for freedom. His spare time was occupied with documentaries and books on survival and nature. He even volunteering at animal shelters and visited the local wildlife sanctuary far more than most. When he was younger he had been in the scouts, had gone hunting and camping with his father, but those days were long behind him. When he finally sought to re-live them, his glory days, those simpler happy times, he spent five days out in the serenity of nature with the barest of supplies before a simple slip sent him off a mountain edge and ended his life. Talent(s):
Appearance - Emri is a runt of a goblin in ever form. His stature is smaller than unusual, his build is frailer than usual, and he struggles to find the might to hold heavier weapons even by goblin standard. Looking at the poor soul you would think that he was doomed upon birth to be the weakest fodder enemy of the group, the type that you you kill last because you know they won't put up much fight anyway. He didn't have too many distinguishing features for his race other than the large vibrant eyes and even larger ears. His skin was a pale green variant with tinges of tan and brown, but the marred areas of his skin were consciously cared for even in the short time he'd been alive. But the scraps of cloth he wore did make him stand out a bit. Rather than the makeshift loincloths, strappings, and pieces of leather, this goblin covered himself from head to toe in patterned fabric. Whether it was the goblin's shy personality or the fact that he felt exposed due to his frame the goblin would be an unusual sight among the crowd, hopefully not too much to make him a target however.
Level - One.
Personality - Emri is a timid little person. Itβs not so much that heβs antisocial or afraid others necessarily, thereβs just some deep seated psychological complex that causes him to dislike being in crowds of people. Which is horrible for him in his current situation! Emri is also fairly good-natured, heβs often trying to improve the situations of others and sticks his neck out for those in need. Often you'll find him rummaging for scraps to help those who are hungry, though he'll do this discretely in hopes to not be caught in such an act. Because even though he does wish to help others, being seen doing so would cause a plethora of problems for him, with all the attention it would gather if those he helped wished to show him gratitude.
Past Life -
The life of a delivery driver was quite humble. Waking up at the crack of dawn and jumping on the vespa to head to work, grabbing small packages that needed to be run around the neighborhood. Sometimes it was pharmacy meds, sometimes it was groceries, maybe even some important contents from time to time. An honest days work wold have him running to the dispatch building, receiving the item, and zipping around the streets with his GPS guiding him through his headphones. It was also quite nice just meeting different people all of the time, hearing about their lives and their stories. Sometimes they'd talk his ear off delaying his scheduling, but it wasn't in his nature to dismiss these people of storytelling the experiences of their lives.
Emri was quite popular in his life of work. Often when people called dispatch for deliveries they'd specifically request for him, dismissing any other drivers that offered their services. It was a double-edged sword that made him busy and make plenty of money in tips, but damn was he ran ragged to the point of exhaustion most of the time. But he pressed on, and he really did enjoy his job no matter the circumstance. He was saving all of the extra money he accumulated to buy an actual car, being the young adult that he was, it felt to him like the next stage to maturing into a full-fledged functioning citizen. He didn't want anything flashy or too nice, just a new car with good mileage, something that would last him long enough to get the value out of every dollar he spent on it.
But that would soon be denied to him along with everything else, as a boxtruck being driven by a sleep deprived worker missed a stop sign. And thus the story of Emri the Delivery Boy ended on that day.
@Dark Light@Versa@Zeroth I'm fine with starting out with 3 goblins, unless you guys wanna wait for more. I'll start writing up the blanket introduction for the OP.
@demonspade64@TheMushroomLord Knowledge on one's past life will be vague and cloudy; initially, you'll be lead by young goblin instincts.
Psychology-wise, up to you if you wanna have some sort of change in personality when you find out you've rebirth into a goblin, but it isn't necessary.
Appearance: At the age of 3 days old, Rena stands taller than the average female goblin. She had short dark hair, big purple eyes, light green skin, and small pointy ears.
Level: 1
Personality:Rena is a rather prideful and determine goblin, Normally she always wearing a smile if not a neutral even when things are going awry. She rarely shows emotion weakness preferring to keep it hidden as if her life depends on it. She also not afraid to make rather immoral choices to fulfill her goals, even if it means getting blood on her hands; yet despite this, she can also be quite chivalrous. She does her best to keep her word when it can be helped and sometimes helping the weak. She has a strong respect for individuals will she considers strong, brave, or royal.
Appearance: Ragi has typical goblin appearance, but with slightly more elongated ears. She has short black hair and yellowish brown eyes that somewhat resembles a feral cat's.
Level: 1
Personality: For a goblin's standard, Ragi is quite sociable. She enjoys others' company and attention, and is a good listener. For a goblin, at least. She gets bored easy and often get distracted into another train of thoughts when talking with others.
Past Life: Ragi was a criminal in her past life. As of what her criminal track record was, she did not remember - or refuse to remember, one of those. All she remembered was that she started small: stealing foods to fill her stomach when times were trying. Then things escalated and she did worse and worse stuffs. In the end, her death was fitting for a vermin like her - getting multiple stabs by fellow criminal in a dark alley.
