"Long ago, the Demon Mother and her generals led an army of devils and monsters, conquering the earth and subjugating the human race."
But, you and your friends don't really know anything about that.
But, you and your friends don't really know anything about that.
The year is 2371, and the vast majority of humans live and die at the mercy of their demon overlords. The only remaining exception—and humanity's last chance at freedom—were driven from their vast former civilization into small, underground cities. At least, you hope that, for humanity's sake, there exists more than this particular cell of human resistance fighters you're so intimately familiar with.
Here, in this veritable prison of a cavern called Agartha, where a fake blue sky is projected onto the ceiling to simulate the "day" part of the city's day and night cycle, uniquely gifted individuals called Mediums are raised to become the next generation of heroes... who will accomplish little more than thinning the horde, as they do every year. It's expected that this year will be a year like any other; young men and women who were considered children only a few months ago will be sent to the surface to die, and have nothing to show for it. One young hero and their ever-expanding circle of friends hope to finally break this cycle of death and hopelessness. By invoking spiritual beings called Jinn, Mediums are able to use their Resonant Power to manifest their desires as a kind of magic. Their sworn purpose is to bring humanity's most fervent wish to fruition: reclaiming their lost freedom and dominion of the earth.
But what those humans truly wished for, above all else, was...
Character Creation
There is more lore below, but before we continue, let's skip ahead to the real reason this exists, as it'll more quickly help you decide if you're going to be interested in this. Mediums invoke spirits called Jinn, who gift their human masters with power—but it comes with a price. To decide what kind of power your character gets, you'll first think about what kind of character you want to play. Then, you the player will make a wish—in-character. Then, another player, acting as your character's Jinn, will grant you the power to make that wish come true, but then tack on some kind of drawback or Achilles' heel to it.
Yep. To get inspiration for your character's combat abilities, you'll be playing corrupt-a-wish!
There are a couple caveats. You aren't locked into whatever the first person to respond after you deigns to give you right away. You have a few options if you need to call a Mulligan. You can (in-character) try to negotiate with your Jinn, or summon another (just ask another player to throw you a bone). Or, if you're already accustomed to giving your characters balanced strengths and weaknesses, you can scroll down and read up on the general expectations and the combat mechanics to get a grasp on what you'll need, post your character sheet complete with combat abilities, and see if I like what you came up with. You're encouraged to at least try to play the game before resorting to that, though.
General Rules and Expectations
Disclaimer: This topic is a proof-of-concept OoC post for a work-in-progress RP, so keep that in mind as you read and/or develop any character ideas. It's probably absurdly long for an interest check and you're definitely expected to skim through the lore dump and combat mechanics in particular to find whatever you need to know or are interested in. Expect small things to change here and there, especially if I get a lot of "I'd be interested if" feedback, or the PvP mechanics end up getting broken (I'm not placing any bets that the first draft will hold up under the scrutiny of clever players).
1. Post length is whatever you need to make your character come alive. For some, this may only be a single spoken sentence and a short paragraph, or two. Others may write walls of text, and that's fine. Just don't respond to everything non-combat related with one-liners and zero depth or introspection, and you're good. If you're going to have a long-form, in-person conversation with another character, consider writing your posts together, just so your rapid-fire back-and-forth doesn't take over the thread.
2. Presentation is pretty casual. Feel free to open your posts with fancy fonts and a poetic tagline for your character, or don't. If you want to embed background music for those special character-defining moments, then go for it. If you'd rather post an image than painstakingly describe every aspect of something, it's fine. As long as we can understand what is going on in your post, typos are excusable, but do try to use proper grammar.
3. The setting is a fictionalized earth where demons undeniably exist, and as with any other fictional world where demons exist, there will be some religious themes. If you have any concerns about this, feel free to ask me. However, like other fictional works such as Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac, religion is a medium through which the story is being told, and not the "message," if the story must have one. If you're going to be offended in spite of that (or because of it), steer clear.
4. The story's events will revolve around a "home base" named Agartha, where characters will stay until they deploy for missions. This structure will allow characters to return to base during periods of low user activity, and, either individually or as a group, re-deploy at any time—like a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode. This will also allow new players and characters to join the squad at almost any time. What this means for you is that periods of inactivity or discovering this RP after it's already underway will not be punished so severely that it becomes impossible to pick it up again, or at all. What it also means is that player-directed side quests can exist, and multiple small groups can tackle different missions at the same time, or PvP in training simulations until the story moves forward.
5. Combat mechanics and rules are there to keep things fair for other players during PvP if that's your wheelhouse. If it's not, don't be paralyzed by all the nuances. The mechanics are there to give you a general idea of how this world's physics will work when two attacks meet, when spells of different elements and tiers clash, and so on. The "rules" are there to be consulted if someone is doing something unfair. If you have questions, you can ask me. If your PvP partner is fine with whatever, then you can do whatever, as long as you're not destroying the world and everything inside. We're here to have fun.
6. Welcome to Unrealville, Fictionland, where complete immolation leaves a character fully clothed with only some minor burns to show for it, and losing an arm is only a flesh wound. Even though the setting is earth, we won't be adhering strictly to realism, despite the darker themes involved. Mediums especially are basically superheroes, so they should be able to shrug off things that would turn you and me into paste, like the term Cartoon Violence™ shrugs off the looming threat of parental supervision.
7. Character couples are great, but don't lewd in public. (That means no sex scenes in the thread, per RPGuild official rules. There are other places where your characters can escalate their "relations," if you must.) If your character must be nude for a scene, I humbly request that you keep your word choices classy and your descriptions PG-13. If you're not confident in your ability to do this, you can "fade to black" as they say.
8. Discord comes highly recommended for this RP, as there will be several fun integrations with it, most of which I don't want to spoil. Server link: discord.gg/ur9RW6XXcK
1. Post length is whatever you need to make your character come alive. For some, this may only be a single spoken sentence and a short paragraph, or two. Others may write walls of text, and that's fine. Just don't respond to everything non-combat related with one-liners and zero depth or introspection, and you're good. If you're going to have a long-form, in-person conversation with another character, consider writing your posts together, just so your rapid-fire back-and-forth doesn't take over the thread.
2. Presentation is pretty casual. Feel free to open your posts with fancy fonts and a poetic tagline for your character, or don't. If you want to embed background music for those special character-defining moments, then go for it. If you'd rather post an image than painstakingly describe every aspect of something, it's fine. As long as we can understand what is going on in your post, typos are excusable, but do try to use proper grammar.
3. The setting is a fictionalized earth where demons undeniably exist, and as with any other fictional world where demons exist, there will be some religious themes. If you have any concerns about this, feel free to ask me. However, like other fictional works such as Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac, religion is a medium through which the story is being told, and not the "message," if the story must have one. If you're going to be offended in spite of that (or because of it), steer clear.
4. The story's events will revolve around a "home base" named Agartha, where characters will stay until they deploy for missions. This structure will allow characters to return to base during periods of low user activity, and, either individually or as a group, re-deploy at any time—like a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode. This will also allow new players and characters to join the squad at almost any time. What this means for you is that periods of inactivity or discovering this RP after it's already underway will not be punished so severely that it becomes impossible to pick it up again, or at all. What it also means is that player-directed side quests can exist, and multiple small groups can tackle different missions at the same time, or PvP in training simulations until the story moves forward.
5. Combat mechanics and rules are there to keep things fair for other players during PvP if that's your wheelhouse. If it's not, don't be paralyzed by all the nuances. The mechanics are there to give you a general idea of how this world's physics will work when two attacks meet, when spells of different elements and tiers clash, and so on. The "rules" are there to be consulted if someone is doing something unfair. If you have questions, you can ask me. If your PvP partner is fine with whatever, then you can do whatever, as long as you're not destroying the world and everything inside. We're here to have fun.
6. Welcome to Unrealville, Fictionland, where complete immolation leaves a character fully clothed with only some minor burns to show for it, and losing an arm is only a flesh wound. Even though the setting is earth, we won't be adhering strictly to realism, despite the darker themes involved. Mediums especially are basically superheroes, so they should be able to shrug off things that would turn you and me into paste, like the term Cartoon Violence™ shrugs off the looming threat of parental supervision.
7. Character couples are great, but don't lewd in public. (That means no sex scenes in the thread, per RPGuild official rules. There are other places where your characters can escalate their "relations," if you must.) If your character must be nude for a scene, I humbly request that you keep your word choices classy and your descriptions PG-13. If you're not confident in your ability to do this, you can "fade to black" as they say.
8. Discord comes highly recommended for this RP, as there will be several fun integrations with it, most of which I don't want to spoil. Server link: discord.gg/ur9RW6XXcK
Character Wishes and Power Level
1. Your character's wish doesn't have to be a noble one, like "I want to defeat the Demon Mother" or "I want to free humanity from the demons." Most characters will be young, have been living in a cave and (for the most part) treated like nobility their whole lives just for being Mediums. Some will be eager to escape responsibility rather than embrace it, desire to see the wonders of the surface world more than dealing with the demon menace, and other such things. Also, the more specific your character's wish is, the easier it will be for someone to come up with a curse. You should make your wish in-character and include some kind of information about why your character is making this particular wish above any other (so it can be used against them, naturally).
2. Your character can wish for anything, but that doesn't mean that your Jinn will give it to you. If it's something that is beyond their power to grant, they will give you a kind of power that should, theoretically, help your character achieve their wish. Even if it seems like a hopeless wish, they will offer you at least the impression of a step in that direction. They're crafty little buggers.
3. Complete invincibility, unrestricted revival from death, time travel, and other "god tier" abilities are banned. Other abilities include global time stop/extreme time distortion, or any other skill (such as an EX-Mode, Adrenaline Rush, whatever) that would achieve the same effect, as well as any kind of 360° omniscient sixth sense, or free-reign teleportation, or infinite shadow clones, or any other kind of nonsense that would make your character impossible to reliably track down or hit. What this all means functionally for the game mechanics is that your skills can't guarantee a dodge, or raise your chances of dodging past the maximum 10 star (83.3%) rate, nor can you break the normal flow of combat by raising or lowering a character's number of actions per turn.
4. Mind control, in all of its various forms and synonyms, is banned, even for use on or by NPCs. As a general rule, you should treat another person's character like you would treat your date. Don't grab them by the hand and pull them into a new scene without asking first, don't assume that they would act or react a certain way without giving them a chance; don't "god mod" as they say.
5. For the purposes of this particular story, being "unable to control" your power (or character, when they are using it) doesn't qualify as a sufficient curse. Having one angsty boi scorch the earth while everyone else watches from a safe distance is no fun for anyone involved.
6. Your character's "curse" should be thematically fitting and opposite to their "blessing," but in terms of your character's overall power level, they should still end up being very obviously super-human. Low-level monsters like goblins or slimes won't stand a chance against you even in a 10v1, and most regular humans are even weaker than they are. The goal isn't to ruin your character's power completely, as would usually be the case when playing corrupt-a-wish.
7. A human can invoke up to three Jinn. Once this is done, it cannot be undone, so unless you want to design an older character with a rich and storied history and well-established motivations, you should leave a couple slots open for your character to adapt as they grow and their desires change. If they really only have one central motivation that they must fulfill at any cost, you should choose their powers very carefully, since you won't be able to change them later. By the way, don't try to invoke a fourth Jinn. Doing so will drive your character insane (and by insane, I mean the lame gibbering vegetable kind, not the fun scorch-the-earth-while-laughing-mad kind).
2. Your character can wish for anything, but that doesn't mean that your Jinn will give it to you. If it's something that is beyond their power to grant, they will give you a kind of power that should, theoretically, help your character achieve their wish. Even if it seems like a hopeless wish, they will offer you at least the impression of a step in that direction. They're crafty little buggers.
3. Complete invincibility, unrestricted revival from death, time travel, and other "god tier" abilities are banned. Other abilities include global time stop/extreme time distortion, or any other skill (such as an EX-Mode, Adrenaline Rush, whatever) that would achieve the same effect, as well as any kind of 360° omniscient sixth sense, or free-reign teleportation, or infinite shadow clones, or any other kind of nonsense that would make your character impossible to reliably track down or hit. What this all means functionally for the game mechanics is that your skills can't guarantee a dodge, or raise your chances of dodging past the maximum 10 star (83.3%) rate, nor can you break the normal flow of combat by raising or lowering a character's number of actions per turn.
4. Mind control, in all of its various forms and synonyms, is banned, even for use on or by NPCs. As a general rule, you should treat another person's character like you would treat your date. Don't grab them by the hand and pull them into a new scene without asking first, don't assume that they would act or react a certain way without giving them a chance; don't "god mod" as they say.
5. For the purposes of this particular story, being "unable to control" your power (or character, when they are using it) doesn't qualify as a sufficient curse. Having one angsty boi scorch the earth while everyone else watches from a safe distance is no fun for anyone involved.
6. Your character's "curse" should be thematically fitting and opposite to their "blessing," but in terms of your character's overall power level, they should still end up being very obviously super-human. Low-level monsters like goblins or slimes won't stand a chance against you even in a 10v1, and most regular humans are even weaker than they are. The goal isn't to ruin your character's power completely, as would usually be the case when playing corrupt-a-wish.
7. A human can invoke up to three Jinn. Once this is done, it cannot be undone, so unless you want to design an older character with a rich and storied history and well-established motivations, you should leave a couple slots open for your character to adapt as they grow and their desires change. If they really only have one central motivation that they must fulfill at any cost, you should choose their powers very carefully, since you won't be able to change them later. By the way, don't try to invoke a fourth Jinn. Doing so will drive your character insane (and by insane, I mean the lame gibbering vegetable kind, not the fun scorch-the-earth-while-laughing-mad kind).
/!\ Trade Offer /!\
For the price of invoking one Jinn, you receive:
• 2-8 Basic attack skills (can have special effects; think in terms of Pokémon moves)
• 1-7 Basic spells (can be used at Tier 3 or lower, so each spell may have 3 variants)
• One more magic spell (a Calamity, Summon, or Transformation)
• Your Basic skills and spells should total 10; the ratio of skills to magic is your preference
• Three other skills with passive effects that are always in play
• One more passive skill, with some kind of negative effect (this is your "curse")
• Five stars worth of buffs to any combination of stats (can exceed the normal limit)
• One unique ability (can be any kind of skill or spell) that no other character can acquire
• Some Jinn may gift their human hosts with an accompanying thematic weapon
• If you are acting as a Jinn, feel free to suggest your own "sample abilities"
If the premise interests you, be sure to let me know here or on the Discord server. Server link: Click Me. Once you're ready to make a wish, you can do so on the server, in this thread, or in the OoC tab of the RP, after enough people express interest in it here.
Character Sheet
You can fill out your character sheet either before or after making your wish. Doing it first will make it easier for other players to come up with a curse for you, but you may also want to design your character around their curse, so it's up to you. Fill in as many or as few of the optional sections as you like; they're there to give you inspiration. Just delete the sections you don't use, along with my helpfully unhelpful help text. You can also skip the "Combat Information" section for now.
[h2]Personal Information[/h2]
[b]Name: [/b]It comes first, but if you're like me, this gets filled in last.
[b]Nickname: [/b](Optional) A casual way to address your character.
[b]Alias: [/b](Optional) If you're cool enough to have a codename or title, put that here.
[b]Gender: [/b]For the purposes of this character sheet, this "Gender" section should include everything but your character's sexual preference, which is listed further below.
[b]Age: [/b]
[b]Birthday: [/b](Optional)
[b]Blood Type: [/b](Optional)
[b]Species: [/b]Unless you're making a villain character, you'll be a Human. I may also allow a Nephilim or Beastkin into the party later on if you have a neat concept (and a reason why they don't eat humans).
[b]Job Class: [/b]Check the lore below for some example jobs. (I'm open to new job additions, too!)
[b]Hometown: [/b]This will most likely be Agartha, unless you want to make up a new place, describe it, and explain how you came to live in Agartha at some point in your back story. If you really want to be a hero and do all that, you might want to run the basic concept by me first, before you spend hours on it.
[b]Theme: [/b](Optional) Music that would play when your character is having a big moment, or just something for people to listen to while they read about them here.
[h2]Body Information[/h2]
[hider][img]Put your face claim image URL here. We expect lots of anime, but something closer to the "photorealistic" side of the spectrum will be accepted too.[/img][/hider]
[b]Face: [/b](Optional) Use this to describe your character's face if you don't use a face claim.
[b]Body: [/b](Optional) Use this if you have a face claim that's not a full-body shot.
[b]Attire: [/b](Optional) Same as above, or if you just feel like pointing out the details.
[b]Ethnicity: [/b]Agartha is located in Switzerland, and houses a mixed population of the descendants of evacuees from all over Europe, so almost anything is believable as far as genealogy goes. Agartha more or less has an artificial skybox that runs on hand-waving magic, so you can ignore any real world effects of multiple generations of cave life that may exist, and give your character any skin color you want.
[b]Height: [/b]
[b]Weight: [/b](Optional)
[b]Eye Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Hair Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Senses: [/b](Optional) If your character has impaired vision or something else, put that here.
[b]Scent: [/b](Optional) This is here for the ladies (yes, I've seen profiles where this was used).
[b]Voice: [/b](Optional) If you read your character's voice lines a certain way, you can invite the rest of us to do the same.
[h2]Personality[/h2]
[b]Usual: [/b]
[b]In Battle: [/b]
[b]Speech: [/b]
[b]Habits: [/b]
[b]Making Friends: [/b]What Resonates with you?
[b]Sexuality: [/b](Optional)
[b]Likes: [/b]
[b]Dislikes: [/b]
[b]Hobbies: [/b]
[b]Issues: [/b](Optional)
[b]Alignment: [/b](Optional) If you want to start an argument about DnD alignments, put yours here.
[h2]History[/h2]
[b]Childhood: [/b]What your character's life was like up to now.
[b]Adulthood: [/b](Optional) If your character is significantly older than 18, here's another section.
[b]Family: [/b](Optional) If your character has family members to consider, you can list them here.
[b]Religion: [/b]This RP deals with some religious themes, so pretty much everyone is going to have [i]some[/i] kind of belief. The real question being asked here—that is not answered anywhere in the lore below—is whether or not (given your character's life experiences and all the supernatural stuff that's happened in general) they believe in the existence of the Creator or not, whether he still cares about humanity, whether or not he's still coming back to save them (why or why not), and so on.
[h2]Combat Information[/h2]
If you haven't made a wish yet, skip this section; your character sheet is done for now!
[h3]Armaments[/h3]
[b]Weapons: [/b]You should stick to having just one main weapon and maybe a sidearm. A Medium's weapons will be forged from the fossils of fallen angels (yes, really) so they can have magical properties like being able to be summoned into battle and later dismissed, able to duplicate themselves, transform, or whatever. The cooler stuff they can do should be described later below, in your Skills section.
[b]Armor: [/b]If your character wears armor, clothing or accessories with magical properties, type here.
[b]Other: [/b]Anything else your character carries with them, specifically for combat purposes. Some example items include the elixir—don't call it a potion—which restores your HP to max the first time you use one in a battle, restores it by half the second time, and so on. Other items include magic stones: crystallized magic power that is created when magical energy comes in contact with the sludge left behind by perishing monsters. You'll acquire these as you slay monsters, and you can share them with your friends to give them more options for elemental attacks. They also have monetary value.
[h3]Parameters[/h3]
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Each one will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Here are 25 stars for you to cut and paste however you like.
Strength: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
If your Strength is plus or minus one from your opponent, you can parry their attacks.
If it's higher than your opponent's Defense, you can break their guard with a normal attack.
Resonance: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Every two stars reduces the RP you consume by 1 (you still need the full RP cost available for casting).
Each pair of stars also increases the efficacy of any healing magic you cast by 1 star's worth.
Defense: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Each star of Defense should represent two normal attacks or one Skill's worth of damage you can take.
Your Defense also determines how strong your guard is against physical attacks, including skills.
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Resilience should represent how many magical attacks you can take. Divide it by 2 for Calamities.
Higher Resilience will effectively increase your HP pool, decreasing the efficacy of healing magic.
Reaction: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Characters with higher Reaction can begin a battle with a free action (using spells, items, special moves).
After a parry or elemental spell clash, the character with higher Reaction should get the follow-up attack.
Perception: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Each star of Perception should represent about an 8.3% rate of dodging Basic attacks, skills and magic.
You don't have to roll for dodges outside of PvP, but if you do, you gain +1 RP, even if you fail the check.
[b]Wish: [/b]"Where's your motivation?"
[b]Curse: [/b]Your wish's accompanying curse.
[b]Aura Color: [/b]When your character is overflowing with Resonant Power, what color is it?
[b]Fighting Style: [/b]What's your character's bread and butter?
[h3]Attack Skills[/h3]
Attack skills increase your attacking Strength by 2 stars, making them great for guard breaking.
They can also have additional special effects (think Pokémon), but don't make them too obnoxious.
All five of these skills should be Basic skills. You can also list as many Rush skills as you want to name.
If your weapon has some kind of special gimmick to it, here's the place for it to shine.
You must have a minimum of 2 skills, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Skill 4: [/b]
[b]Skill 5: [/b]
[b]Rush Skills: [/b](Optional) If you want to give names to your 3-5 attack Rush strings, list them here.
[b]Finest Arts: [/b]You can mix up your Finest Arts combo any way you like. Just give it a name!
[h3]Resonant Power[/h3]
The type of Jinn you invoke should primarily determine what type of spells you receive.
You can have a mix of two or three elements if they all fit thematically with your character's Wish.
Each of your four Basic spells can be used at Tiers 1-3, so you don't need multiple slots for one type.
Don't worry about trying to have one of everything for element clashing. That's what friends are for.
You must have a minimum of 2 spells, with a maximum of 8, including your "Last Word."
[b]Spell 1: [/b]
[b]Spell 2: [/b]
[b]Spell 3: [/b]
[b]Spell 4: [/b]
[b]Last Word: [/b]This is your Calamity tier spell, or Summon, or Transformation (only pick one).
[h3]Personal Skills[/h3]
These skills are passive and always activate. Their effects should be kept simple and easy to apply.
[b]Passive Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Curse: [/b]A thematically appropriate stumbling block for your character on their journey.
[b]Unique Skill: [/b]Can be a Basic skill, spell, or passive skill. Paste it under the appropriate header.
[b]Name: [/b]It comes first, but if you're like me, this gets filled in last.
[b]Nickname: [/b](Optional) A casual way to address your character.
[b]Alias: [/b](Optional) If you're cool enough to have a codename or title, put that here.
[b]Gender: [/b]For the purposes of this character sheet, this "Gender" section should include everything but your character's sexual preference, which is listed further below.
[b]Age: [/b]
[b]Birthday: [/b](Optional)
[b]Blood Type: [/b](Optional)
[b]Species: [/b]Unless you're making a villain character, you'll be a Human. I may also allow a Nephilim or Beastkin into the party later on if you have a neat concept (and a reason why they don't eat humans).
[b]Job Class: [/b]Check the lore below for some example jobs. (I'm open to new job additions, too!)
[b]Hometown: [/b]This will most likely be Agartha, unless you want to make up a new place, describe it, and explain how you came to live in Agartha at some point in your back story. If you really want to be a hero and do all that, you might want to run the basic concept by me first, before you spend hours on it.
[b]Theme: [/b](Optional) Music that would play when your character is having a big moment, or just something for people to listen to while they read about them here.
[h2]Body Information[/h2]
[hider][img]Put your face claim image URL here. We expect lots of anime, but something closer to the "photorealistic" side of the spectrum will be accepted too.[/img][/hider]
[b]Face: [/b](Optional) Use this to describe your character's face if you don't use a face claim.
[b]Body: [/b](Optional) Use this if you have a face claim that's not a full-body shot.
[b]Attire: [/b](Optional) Same as above, or if you just feel like pointing out the details.
[b]Ethnicity: [/b]Agartha is located in Switzerland, and houses a mixed population of the descendants of evacuees from all over Europe, so almost anything is believable as far as genealogy goes. Agartha more or less has an artificial skybox that runs on hand-waving magic, so you can ignore any real world effects of multiple generations of cave life that may exist, and give your character any skin color you want.
[b]Height: [/b]
[b]Weight: [/b](Optional)
[b]Eye Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Hair Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Senses: [/b](Optional) If your character has impaired vision or something else, put that here.
[b]Scent: [/b](Optional) This is here for the ladies (yes, I've seen profiles where this was used).
[b]Voice: [/b](Optional) If you read your character's voice lines a certain way, you can invite the rest of us to do the same.
[h2]Personality[/h2]
[b]Usual: [/b]
[b]In Battle: [/b]
[b]Speech: [/b]
[b]Habits: [/b]
[b]Making Friends: [/b]What Resonates with you?
[b]Sexuality: [/b](Optional)
[b]Likes: [/b]
[b]Dislikes: [/b]
[b]Hobbies: [/b]
[b]Issues: [/b](Optional)
[b]Alignment: [/b](Optional) If you want to start an argument about DnD alignments, put yours here.
[h2]History[/h2]
[b]Childhood: [/b]What your character's life was like up to now.
[b]Adulthood: [/b](Optional) If your character is significantly older than 18, here's another section.
[b]Family: [/b](Optional) If your character has family members to consider, you can list them here.
[b]Religion: [/b]This RP deals with some religious themes, so pretty much everyone is going to have [i]some[/i] kind of belief. The real question being asked here—that is not answered anywhere in the lore below—is whether or not (given your character's life experiences and all the supernatural stuff that's happened in general) they believe in the existence of the Creator or not, whether he still cares about humanity, whether or not he's still coming back to save them (why or why not), and so on.
[h2]Combat Information[/h2]
If you haven't made a wish yet, skip this section; your character sheet is done for now!
[h3]Armaments[/h3]
[b]Weapons: [/b]You should stick to having just one main weapon and maybe a sidearm. A Medium's weapons will be forged from the fossils of fallen angels (yes, really) so they can have magical properties like being able to be summoned into battle and later dismissed, able to duplicate themselves, transform, or whatever. The cooler stuff they can do should be described later below, in your Skills section.
[b]Armor: [/b]If your character wears armor, clothing or accessories with magical properties, type here.
[b]Other: [/b]Anything else your character carries with them, specifically for combat purposes. Some example items include the elixir—don't call it a potion—which restores your HP to max the first time you use one in a battle, restores it by half the second time, and so on. Other items include magic stones: crystallized magic power that is created when magical energy comes in contact with the sludge left behind by perishing monsters. You'll acquire these as you slay monsters, and you can share them with your friends to give them more options for elemental attacks. They also have monetary value.
[h3]Parameters[/h3]
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Each one will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Here are 25 stars for you to cut and paste however you like.
Strength: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
If your Strength is plus or minus one from your opponent, you can parry their attacks.
If it's higher than your opponent's Defense, you can break their guard with a normal attack.
Resonance: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Every two stars reduces the RP you consume by 1 (you still need the full RP cost available for casting).
Each pair of stars also increases the efficacy of any healing magic you cast by 1 star's worth.
Defense: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Each star of Defense should represent two normal attacks or one Skill's worth of damage you can take.
Your Defense also determines how strong your guard is against physical attacks, including skills.
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Resilience should represent how many magical attacks you can take. Divide it by 2 for Calamities.
Higher Resilience will effectively increase your HP pool, decreasing the efficacy of healing magic.
Reaction: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Characters with higher Reaction can begin a battle with a free action (using spells, items, special moves).
After a parry or elemental spell clash, the character with higher Reaction should get the follow-up attack.
Perception: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Each star of Perception should represent about an 8.3% rate of dodging Basic attacks, skills and magic.
You don't have to roll for dodges outside of PvP, but if you do, you gain +1 RP, even if you fail the check.
[b]Wish: [/b]"Where's your motivation?"
[b]Curse: [/b]Your wish's accompanying curse.
[b]Aura Color: [/b]When your character is overflowing with Resonant Power, what color is it?
[b]Fighting Style: [/b]What's your character's bread and butter?
[h3]Attack Skills[/h3]
Attack skills increase your attacking Strength by 2 stars, making them great for guard breaking.
They can also have additional special effects (think Pokémon), but don't make them too obnoxious.
All five of these skills should be Basic skills. You can also list as many Rush skills as you want to name.
If your weapon has some kind of special gimmick to it, here's the place for it to shine.
You must have a minimum of 2 skills, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Skill 4: [/b]
[b]Skill 5: [/b]
[b]Rush Skills: [/b](Optional) If you want to give names to your 3-5 attack Rush strings, list them here.
[b]Finest Arts: [/b]You can mix up your Finest Arts combo any way you like. Just give it a name!
[h3]Resonant Power[/h3]
The type of Jinn you invoke should primarily determine what type of spells you receive.
You can have a mix of two or three elements if they all fit thematically with your character's Wish.
Each of your four Basic spells can be used at Tiers 1-3, so you don't need multiple slots for one type.
Don't worry about trying to have one of everything for element clashing. That's what friends are for.
You must have a minimum of 2 spells, with a maximum of 8, including your "Last Word."
[b]Spell 1: [/b]
[b]Spell 2: [/b]
[b]Spell 3: [/b]
[b]Spell 4: [/b]
[b]Last Word: [/b]This is your Calamity tier spell, or Summon, or Transformation (only pick one).
[h3]Personal Skills[/h3]
These skills are passive and always activate. Their effects should be kept simple and easy to apply.
[b]Passive Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Curse: [/b]A thematically appropriate stumbling block for your character on their journey.
[b]Unique Skill: [/b]Can be a Basic skill, spell, or passive skill. Paste it under the appropriate header.
Life in Agartha, and Associated Lore
Humans
Ordinary humans are at the bottom of the divine food chain, and second only to small animals in abject vulnerability. They can use only normal physical attacks, a guard which can be broken by the most Basic attack skills, and Basic magic, which they can only cast using the magic stones that are produced by Mediums. The strongest of them are just barely capable of surviving a one-on-one duel with the lowest rank-and-file monsters, and so they must rely on large numbers or Mediums to survive.
Mediums
Gifted by the Pandora gene, Mediums are humanity's only real hope of defeating the Demon Mother and reclaiming their lost freedom and dominion of the earth. By invoking spiritual beings called Jinn, they are able to use their Resonant Power to manifest their desires as a kind of magic. Their sworn purpose is to bring humanity's most fervent wish to fruition, but no one but their Jinn really knows what they wish for in secret. Mediums live rich and full lives not unlike the nobility of old, and most have only known hardship during their combat training—before they are sent to the surface to die—while the common folk do little more than work. Both classes have mixed feelings about the other's roles, but the birth of a new Medium always brings joy to Agartha, as it means that more jobs will be created, and the city's population will once again be allowed to increase, to support the upbringing of the newest hero.
John Dee
The so-called "original Medium" who appeared some time after the existence of the Demon Mother was known to mankind. Very little is known about the founder of the Brionac Program; even the name "John Dee" was only ever a pseudonym. Nobody knows why he was so secretive, only a privileged few have ever read the results of his research on the Pandora Gene—and nobody knows why or where he suddenly disappeared to, just as humanity's hope for its future began to rise to new heights.
The Pandora Gene
All humans possess the Pandora gene, but nobody knows what causes the Pandora gene to activate. What is known is that, if it is not active shortly after birth, it is usually too late, and there is no known method to increase its activation rate. In times past, the people of Agartha tried to produce more Mediums by inflating the size of its population, but after some time it became clear that this would not be a viable solution to their plight, and the unofficial communal effort that had gone unacknowledged until then was quietly halted. Now, the population of Agartha is "carefully managed" by its government.
Jinn
The conduits of power for the Mediums, Jinn are spiritual beings born from human desires. If humans have worshipped something in great numbers, there is probably a Jinn that embodies that thing, be it an object, element, force of nature, or anything else that evokes human desires. Neither inherently good nor inherently evil, Jinn are easily influenced by the human heart. Even when a Jinn is invoked by two Mediums on opposing sides of a battle, it never revokes either its blessing or its curse, even if it will result in the death of a recipient of its contracts. A Jinn is seemingly only bound by these two forces: its contracts, and human desire. Nothing else is known about Jinn. Perhaps there isn't anything to know.
Resonant Power
In essence, Resonant Power is created when large numbers of humans believe in something. When a Medium is successful in defeating evil beings and freeing enslaved humans, they gather the faith of their allies and the people. This faith can then be harnessed by invoked Jinn to empower one's body beyond the human limit, or cast magic, creating the phenomenon known as Resonant Power.
Mavericks
Mediums who abandon their duty to fight for humanity's survival are called Mavericks. The loss of the people's faith results in an inability to accumulate Resonant Power. While they are still incredibly powerful compared to regular humans—retaining their ability to use Basic skills and magic—these oath breakers are fodder for Mediums, who are often capable of wiping the floor with a small group of them.
Agartha
A small, underground civilization with only about fourteen thousand members. Even so, Agartha is rich with resources, and both Mediums and non-Mediums alike enjoy the city's advanced technology and relative safety. A clear blue sky is projected onto the roof of the cave to simulate day time, while the soft blue glow of its flora naturally imitate a beautiful starscape (albeit with the help of a fake projected moon), and a powerful magic/tech barrier repels low-level monsters. Its denizens are ethnically diverse, but most speak only English after living in such a small world for over three centuries. Transportation in Agartha is achieved with inclined elevators and cable cars, as its topography is complex. Life in Agartha is perhaps best described as "perfectly boring." While the Mediums stave off their boredom with unending training and missions, the common folk lose themselves in their work and very limited time for hobbies.
In Agartha, everything revolves around the birth and upbringing of Mediums, as without them, their lives of independence from the demons would be unsustainable. Agartha's population is allowed to increase only when a new Medium arrives, and the vast majority of its resources go into the Brionac Program, which prepares young Mediums for a future mostly spent fighting evil beings. Despite working or training most of the time, the living conditions are downright luxurious compared to those of humans living under demonic rule. Though underground, the cavern is cool, with naturally circulated fresh air.
Food is a constant concern, and is usually purchased not with gold but with meal tickets, which are provided and managed by Agartha's government. Fruit and vegetables are farmed using vertical and indoor agricultural techniques and technology. Large populations of cattle are unsustainable, so most of the meat eaten by its general population is artificially grown in labs, with the exception of fish that can be caught in a river that falls through the cavern. Wild game is costly and almost exclusively reserved for Mediums and their families. Monsters unfortunately yield no meat when killed, as they will degenerate into a kind of sludge, only edible by other monsters, and only used by humans to create magic stones.
While Agartha's technology is advanced, it has regressed considerably in one aspect, and that is communications. Television no longer exists, and the news is spread with a city-wide intercom and old school papers. Landline phones also exist, but all forms of communication over the "air waves," such as cell phones, internet, and radio, have been eliminated, as demons can hijack them to cause mass panic and spy on people. More secure and advanced communication methods are used by Mediums, which run on magic, but have their own limitations. For one, they cease to function entirely during a Calamity.
Like many other governments in the past, Agartha's is divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. All members of the legislative congress are human, and are voted in exclusively by humans, while the other two branches are mixed. The executive branch and associated military forces are almost exclusively Mediums, with many humans occupying the lower government worker positions and supporting roles, with few exceptions: Executive Elpidio, for example, is not a Medium, though he occupies a very important position. In short, the Mediums' dependency on humans as a primary source of their power, and the humans' lack of ability to use said power, creates a society where humans must decide how the system will work, while Mediums run it accordingly. The result is surely far from perfect.
Rather than hosting celebrations on holidays regularly throughout the year, Agartha's times of excess are dictated by the death toll. If more Mediums are joining the force, and fewer are dying, a kind of festival colloquially called "Pandemonium" may occur, where many of the city's usual restrictions are temporarily rescinded. Everyone is given some extra time away from work or training, food will become purchasable with gold rather than meal tickets, couples will rendezvous—and all the usual celebratory fare. The noise tends to dissuade monsters from attacking, as the response is usually swift and merciless.
The Brionac Program
The Brionac Program, and Brionac Academy, are responsible for training Mediums from a young age to combat the demon menace. Mediums are sorted into three different classes, based first on their estimated potential for slaying evil beings, and later based on their estimated body count. First Class Mediums are a menace on the battlefield, while Third Class Mediums are better off in support jobs or staying off the battlefield entirely—at least in theory. Mediums with First Class potential will drop off to lower classes if they don't deploy when Agartha is attacked, or if their body count is low, as will be the case for Valkyries. Drifters are not publicly acknowledged, but are internally referred to as Class Zero.
The Daemon Program
A full-immersion virtual reality simulator that allows digital versions of evil beings to be fought in a safe environment, with user-controlled battlefield conditions. The program is new, and collecting the necessary data to produce these "Daemons" is difficult, so currently only common monsters and devils can be fought. Its creator, Executive Elpidio, hopes that the newest generation of Mediums can help him change that. He is also known to design his own opponents for aspiring Mediums to fight.
The Void
A pitch-black cavern where Mediums who are at least 16 years of age and have graduated from the "education-only" portion of the Brionac Program go to contact and invoke Jinn. Only those Mediums with the nerve to enter this foreboding place alone and emerge successful are inducted into the second portion of the Brionac Program, where it becomes possible to go on missions with one's life on the line. The Void is home only to Jinn, and contains nothing but the metallic remnants of fallen angels. Despite smelling faintly of death, it is completely devoid of any kind of life, including predators. However, due to the sensory deprivation required to contact Jinn, many reportedly experience terrifying hallucinations.
Fallen Angels
Existing only as fossils, fallen angels are spiritual beings that were forced to assume physical form before being cast out of the heavens. No flesh samples have survived, but a metallic substance was left over, which can be used to make magical weapons and magically infused technological devices. Even normal humans can technically use these weapons after a Medium has infused it with Resonant Power, but whether or not their frail bodies can physically handle the forces generated is another matter.
Medium Job Classes and Occupations
Pioneers are seasoned adventurers who are privileged to choose their own battles, and explore the surface world at their own pace, drawing maps and scouring for what's left of the earth's precious remaining resources. For Pioneers, danger is never more than a hair's breadth away, as demonic cities and forces are everywhere and not always visible without a bird's-eye view. Pioneers must be quick on the draw and on their feet if they want to survive. They stay away from large-scale warfare.
Vanguards are stalwart warriors who defend Agartha from higher-level monsters that won't be repelled by its barrier. They tend to stay within close proximity of Agartha, but aren't afraid to venture out beyond the boundaries of the barrier and confront the hordes of small fry accompanying the juicier targets. Defensive in build, with wide, sweeping attacks, Vanguards are well respected by the people.
Juggernauts are physical powerhouses that live to fight the strongest beings the Demon Mother has on offer. They shine brightest when fighting a single opponent, but are more than capable of taking on smaller groups of moderate-to-highly dangerous monsters, such as a pack of dire wolves. They vary in their preference between speed and defense, but all of them are a force to be reckoned with.
Valkyries are magical specialists with a knack for Resonance. The backbone of any task force, big or small, their supportive abilities are adored by the people, and are always the favorite of young and impressionable girls. However, not all Valkyries are of the emblematic "healing angels" variety. Some specialize in other types of magic, such as blessing's opposite, curse magic. Debilitating enemies in large numbers, they allow even normal humans to get in on the monster-slaying action from time to time.
Warlocks are another type of magical specialist with a talent for laying waste to large swaths of demon scum using your basic elemental magics such as fire and ice, lightning and water, wind and earth, light and dark, etc. You can't go wrong with the classics, and the Warlock has remained effective for as long as Mediums who love magic have honed their craft, which is also as long as Mediums have existed.
Sorcerers are strategic masterminds who specialize in dealing with magical foes. Essentially the "team leaders" of Warlocks and Valkyries, they are tacticians who directly counter the demon army's efforts to thwart the humans' advance with magic, while they themselves handle the "trickier" elements of magic, such as nature and artifice, sight and sound, time and space, and generally abstract spells.
Bastioners are experts in artifice magic who act as architects, either in the city of Agartha or on the surface, quickly building forward operating bases, or FOBs. They can assemble towers and bunkers in no time, even in the middle of a battle, if there's enough space and they're left alone. At higher tiers of magic, they can conjure up rows of cannons or other siege weapons, laying waste to the evil hordes. Both on the battlefield and off, their unique abilities inspire awe and jealousy in the hearts of DIY guys.
A secret job title given to a Medium with unique talents and the motivation to use them to defend Agartha, even at the behest of their life, is the Drifter. Drifters are given freedom to pursue their own targets and to execute their own missions because at any given point in time a Drifter can be called to action in Agartha. A Drifter preemptively hunts down and fells the deadliest of all evil beings—those with special attributes who are deemed too hazardous for ordinary Mediums, who prefer facing their foes head on—such as the infamous Medusa. The work of a Drifter is not seen by an audience, but felt by the world whenever these destructive monsters can no longer take human lives. (Credit: Co-GM dabombjk)
Religious Lore and Bestiary
The Father, Creator of Earth and Humans
After the demons took over the surface world and the human population began to plummet, all religious texts were targeted for destruction, by both malevolent demons and despairing humans alike. All that remains is collected and kept secure by Agartha's small but organized body of government. All that is publicly known is that a divine Father, the Creator, created mankind and gave them dominion of the earth. He then appeared before them many times, attempting to bring law and order to humanity, but they rejected his various laws and disciplines each time, until finally he came one last time, bringing only one commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. Again, the humans rejected his message and killed him, and he never returned to the world he'd given to his children to rule. Agartha's citizens believe various things regarding whether or not the Father will someday return to save his children from the demons. Almost all humans who live under demonic rule believe that no savior is coming.
Demon Mother
Roughly 350 years ago, the Demon Mother appeared without warning, though her existence was not immediately known to humans. Some time after, evil beings quietly began to appear within the last of the earth's untouched wilderness. First came the devils, then monsters, and eventually demons and nephilim. Powerless to stop their rapidly climbing numbers, the world's governments tried to cover up their existence, and, in their desperate struggle for the last of the earth's resources, failed to unite against this supernatural threat, and were primarily conquered from within as they vied for the favor of the rapidly ascending demons. By the time the common people took notice of what was happening, all was already lost, and they could do nothing but curse their leaders and pray for a savior that never came.
Devils
Animal-like in appearance, these low-level spiritual beings are the Demon Mother's spawn. They feed on negative emotions—primarily fear, by visiting nightmares upon innocent people—until they gain the power to take on physical form and take advantage of the local ecosystem. The most common form of devil is the infamous "unnaturally large black dog" of urban legend. They rival the cleverest animals on planet earth in intelligence, and are purely malevolent toward humans, though they don't always kill them on sight. Devils are exclusively male, and can mate with animals, which produces monsters.
Monsters
Female animals that mate with devils give birth to monsters, which can take any kind of "genetic experiment gone wrong" form that you could imagine. This interbreeding of natural and spiritual being tends to also cause gigantism, though there are a few exceptions. Monsters do not retain the cleverness of their devil parent, and spend their days mindlessly eating anything that moves, including you. When killed, monsters quickly degenerate into an inedible sludge, so no meat can be harvested from them, but if the monster was killed with magic, the sludge will crystallize and become a magic stone, which can then be used to cast Basic magic of that same element one time, enabling even normal humans to use it.
Beastkin
Mediums that willingly choose to invoke devils instead of Jinn retain only their human level of intelligence, and gain nothing but animalistic features and desires, malevolence, and brute physical strength. The most common kind of Beastkin is the Werewolf, but the most deadly of all might be the Wendigo. Infamous for its cultural association with death, winter, and cannibalism, it retains its former self's magical ability. Concealing its form, but not its presence, it terrorizes its prey before devouring it.
Demons
When humans worship devils (by choice or otherwise) those devils may become demons. As the devil evolves into a demon, it gradually loses its animalistic features and gains human characteristics. In general, the more "human" a demon appears to be, the more dangerous it is. High-level demons can use Resonant Power, much like Mediums can, but do not require the aid of a Jinn to do so—therefore, their power does not come with a curse. Whether demons are openly malevolent or more neutral toward humans depends on the methods they used to achieve whatever level of deity they managed to extract from their human subjects. Those who rule through fear will be as violent as they were when they were mere devils, but those who were worshipped voluntarily or coerced without violent methods may turn out more level headed and cunning than their comrades. Regardless, none of them see humans as more than cattle to be exploited for their gain. Like their previous form, the devil, demons all begin their new lives as male, but gain the ability to assume a female form if they desire. Demons who become female in this way cannot give birth—the Demon Mother being the sole exception. Those who retain their male form or choose to revert to it can mate with human women, which may cause a Nephilim to be conceived. The odds of conception are low, however, and since almost all demons see almost all humans as utterly beneath them—in much the same way as humans view animals—such a "union" is extremely rare.
Nephilim
Half-human and half-demon, nephilim can be identified during childhood, if certain conditions are met. Under a full moon during the witching hour, they will appear as the "black-eyed children" of urban legend. However, this is not common knowledge (nor would it even be useful in Agartha), so they often mingle with humans unnoticed, until they become young adults, at which point they will start to express the same gigantism trait as monsters—as well as a taste for human flesh, naturally. Nephilim are often abandoned by their true mothers and picked up by well-meaning strangers, mostly unsuspecting women who can't ignore an infant's cries. Even in cases where this doesn't happen, however, nephilim who reach this age often abandon their caretakers and live in exile, in search of acceptance by demons.
Witches
The mothers of nephilim are called witches, due to the old superstitious belief that demons will not enter your home unless they are invited, or drawn there by some kind of wicked activity. Of course, this is not true, unfortunately for humans. Witches, as portrayed in popular culture, do not exist, but the art of witchcraft—potion making—absolutely does, and it's still as taboo as it ever was. Never make the unfortunate mistake of calling your healing elixir a "potion," or you'll get some looks from passersby.
Undead
The undead are humans that have been partially resurrected with time magic. Some are driven mad by the desire to return to the afterlife whence they came, while some have been driven mad by the torment of an existence devoid of any earthly pleasure, and seek only to satisfy those desires once again. Contrary to popular myth, they are not harmed by healing magic, but are simply immune to it. However, the realization that their corrupt body cannot be fully returned to life may drive them berserk.
Combat Abilities and PvP Mechanics
Just the Basics
The Speed Limit
When an RPG is broken, Speed is usually the cause, especially if it gives you more actions than your opponent. In this world, each character will normally be limited to 2 combat-related actions per turn, regardless of their level of "speediness." Your character's first action will either be a "Free Action" or a "Reaction," depending on if they are currently being attacked or not, and their second action will be either an "Action" or another "Reaction," if special circumstances call for it. The speedier characters will act first and can be expected to get more Free Actions, giving them options, rather than extra actions.
Damage "Calculation"
There are no real numbers being tracked; everything is done with percentages, based on the type of attack you were hit by and whether Defense or Resilience is checked against it. Normal attacks deal a "half-star" of damage, while skills normally deal a full star. If you have four stars of Defense and take a full-damage hit from a skill that deals normal damage, you'll be at 75% health, for example. Spells also deal a full star of damage, and Calamity spells deal two—this holds true even if the type of magic being cast is healing, so the higher your Resilience to magic is, the smaller the portion of health you'll receive. (This is to keep characters with a focus on physical attacks from benefiting too much from self-healing; characters with a higher investment in magic (Resonance) will naturally offset this.) If the result of a damage check is exactly zero, then you'll be left with 0.1% HP as a second chance. So, if you have exactly two stars of Resilience, you can still take a Calamity spell and survive from full health. At the end of each of my (Emeth's) posts, you will find a brief report on everyone's current HP and RP. A more detailed combat record can be found on the Discord server, in the ooc-combat-menu channel.
Resonant Power
Forget about painstakingly memorizing long incantations or tediously drawing magic circles—for Mediums, this is all accomplished automatically on the back end, by their Jinn. All a Medium needs to do to cast magic is to will it into existence using their Resonant Power. Resonant Power (RP) begins at zero at the start of every battle, increases every time your character performs most combat-related actions, and is consumed when using high-tier skills and spells. The more invested your character is in a battle (the more you participate), the faster you'll be able to use higher-tiered magic and skills. Joining a battle and immediately seizing the victory in one move won't be possible, since you'll be starting at zero RP. At the end of each of my (Emeth's) posts, you will find a brief report on everyone's current RP and HP. A more detailed combat record can be found on the Discord server, in the ooc-combat-menu channel.
Quickly Identifying Magic
• A small magic circle in front of the caster is a Tier 1 Basic Spell.
• A large magic circle on the ground is a Tier 2 Field Spell.
• A small magic circle beneath a target is a Tier 3 Resonant Magic.
• A large magic circle above the field of battle is a Tier 4 Calamity.
• A small magic circle above the caster is a Tier 5 Transformation.
• A large magic circle in front of the caster is a Tier 5 Summon.
• The color of the magic circle indicates what element it is, as noted below.
Elemental Dichotomies
Rather than the elemental rock-paper-scissors that you're probably used to, elements come in pairs that oppose each other. What this effectively means is that enemies that are associated with these elements and wield them as their primary means of attack will not be doing "super-effective" damage against each other. If two players cast opposing elemental magic at the same tier, and at the same time, they will clash and fizzle out, just as any two physical attacks of similar strength would clash during a parry. This also means that there is no "neutral" or "non elemental" damage type that can't be resisted.
The Elements (and their Magic Circles)
• Fire and Ice (Orange and Cyan)
• Lightning and Water (Yellow and Blue)
• Wind and Earth (Green and Brown)
• Light and Dark (White and Black)
• Nature and Artifice (Lime and Gray)
[Umbrella Elements: Wood and Metal]
• Sight and Sound (Pulsing White, Vibrating Black)
[Umbrella Elements: Truth and Illusion]
• Time and Space (Inverted Colors, Nebula Colors)
[Umbrella Elements: Sun and Moon]
• Blessing and Curse (Gold and Blood Red)
[Umbrella Elements: Life and Death]
• (Etc, I may add more on request?)
Elemental Resistances
Elemental resistances come in the form of passive skills. Any passive skill that gives resistance to one element will also give resistance to its opposing element. So, you will never encounter an opponent that is resistant to fire, but not to ice, for example. It's also important to note that, while these skills are passive in the sense that they are always active, they draw on Resonant Power to fuel their effects. Your character will be completely immune (no damage, no knockback, nothing) to any elemental spell they resist that has an RP cost equal or less than their current RP level. For example, if you resist fire and ice, you will always be immune to Tier 1 fire and ice spells, because Tier 1 magic costs nothing. However, to resist Tiers 2, 3, and 4, your character must currently have 4, 6, or 10 RP respectively. In other words, if you have enough RP to cast the spell you're trying to resist, then you can resist it, if you have the skill.
Resistance Skills
• Extremophile: Resist Fire and Ice.
• Weathered: Resist Lightning and Water.
• Immovable: Resist Wind and Earth.
• Transcendent: Resist Light and Dark.
• Incorporeal: Resist Nature and Artifice.
• Enlightened: Resist Sight and Sound.
• Unstoppable: Resist Time and Space.
• Ineffable: Resist Blessing and Curse.
The Complete Index of Combat Abilities
Actions
Normal Attacks: Normal attacks will use your Strength stat to determine how much Strength is required for your opponent to parry, and how much Defense is required to hold a guard against them. Using a normal attack increases your RP by 1 and deals a half-star of your target's Defense in damage.
Basic Skills: Basic attack skills are a cut above regular attacks, and add +2 stars to Strength and do a full star of your opponent's Defense in damage. They can also have special effects in addition to that damage, making them potentially more useful than their Basic magic counterpart. Basic attack skills do not cost any RP to use, but using them does not increase your RP, either, so don't over-rely on them.
Basic Magic: Also called Tier 1 magic, it draws a small magic circle in front of the user, with effects that are typically aimed at a single target, based on line of sight. The caster is also a valid target for Tier 1 spells. This is the only tier of magic that boosts the caster's RP (by 1) when cast, instead of consuming it.
Crew Attacks: Crew attacks are coordinated combos between two or more characters using their normal attacks and Basic Skills or Magic. Successfully using one of these will raise each character's RP by an additional point. They cost nothing except creativity and practice, so gang up on those demon scum.
Magic Stones: When magic is used to defeat monsters, the energy will crystallize the sludge left behind by the dying monster, creating a magic stone of the same element as the spell that dealt the final blow. These are consumable items that can be used to cast Tier 1 spells that are normally unavailable to you otherwise. Using them won't raise RP, but they will give you more options to defend against magic.
Using Free Actions
Dual Attack: Using your free action for a second attack against the same target may force them to play defense, using up both of their allotted actions to parry or dodge. Be warned, however, that if your opponent can overpower your attack, or hold a guard against both attacks, this will not be useful for you.
Wind-Up Skills: Some skills may take additional actions to prepare, or even outright require a free action to use, in exchange for more damage, hitting multiple targets, or other extraordinary effects. If your character has one of these, this is the time to use one without worry of making yourself a target.
Safe Cast: If a spell you wish to cast would normally leave you open to attacks from other enemies not being targeted, or doesn't deal damage at all, you can use a free action to both stay safe during the cast and ensure that it will not be cancelled by magic of the opposing element, or a spell of a higher tier.
Rescue: Use a free action to rescue one of your allies who's either about to or currently taking damage. You can do this by attacking their opponents with anything that won't also damage your ally, and you'll gain +1 RP for your troubles. If you rescue an ally by parrying with a normal attack, that's +3!
Elixirs: An elixir will restore your HP to 100% the first time you use one in a battle, and the effect is cut in half for each additional elixir you use during the same battle. Using an elixir only takes up one of your actions in a turn, but the only way to use one safely without getting punished is with a free action.
Reactions
Parrying: Using a normal attack or skill with a Strength value roughly equal to that of an incoming physical attack (plus or minus one star) will parry the attack, cancelling it out with yours. A parry will give both you and your opponent +1 RP, which will stack with the +1 from using a normal attack, if you used a normal attack for the parry, making these a great option for building RP fast. If you parry an opponent with higher Reaction than you, however, you will not be able to attack again that turn, as their follow-up attack will beat yours. Your second move that turn will have to be another Reaction, which will give your opponent a Free Action next turn if they have no other challengers. So, you may consider other options.
Break Through: If the Strength of your attack is greater than your opponent's by 2 stars or more, you can simply capitalize on their poor decision making skills and break through the attack, dealing the appropriate amount of damage for the attack you used, then either follow up or attack another target.
Element Clashing: The magical equivalent of a parry requires you to cast a spell of the opposing element to the one you're facing, at the same tier or higher. Doing so gives you +1 RP, just like a parry.
Spell Break: The magical equivalent of breaking through requires you to cast magic a single tier higher than your opponent's magic. Field (Tier 2) Magic will break Basic (Tier 1) Spells, cancelling them, while Resonant (Tier 3) Magic will more or less "override" Field Magic, creating some small safe zones. A Calamity will trump all of these, but they take time to cast, so they aren't useful for defending yourself.
Guarding: If your Defense is equal to or greater than the Strength of the incoming attack, you can guard, taking no damage and robbing your opponent of their RP bonus for attacking, which might help you stall your opponent. If their Strength is higher than your Defense, your guard will be broken, and you will take half damage from the attack that broke your guard, lose the rest of your current turn, and be completely vulnerable to enemy attacks until your next turn. You can guard against as many separate attacks from different enemies as you need using only one Reaction; however, consecutive attacks from Dual attacks, Crew attacks, Rush Skills and Finest Arts will accumulate Strength against a single guard, eventually breaking it. If your opponent uses a Free Action to Dual Attack, you can choose to use your first action to guard, and if you can hold the guard against the cumulative Strength of both of your opponent's attacks, you can break out of their speed trap by using your second action to retaliate. Magic will always deal half damage against a guard at Tier 1, break it at Tier 2, and bypass it entirely at either Resonant or Calamity tier. To more effectively defend against magic, you must break the enemy's spells with your own using higher tiers, or their opposing elements.
Dodging: Each star of your character's Perception represents about an 8.3% chance, or 1 side of a D12, to dodge their opponent's attack, capping at 83.3% or 10 sides of the D12 at 10 stars. You will not be required to request dodge checks outside of PvP; however, requesting dodge checks will increase your RP, even if you fail them. You gain just 1 RP per Reaction used for dodging, regardless of how many times you dodge. Dodging multiple attacks works similarly as when guarding; you may dodge attacks from several enemies attacking from multiple directions using one Reaction, but not consecutive attacks from a pursuing opponent, or a coordinated Crew attack. In this situation, a second dodging Reaction will only get you so far. If 3 or more are consecutive attacks, you should guard—if yours can withstand an attack—or Flee.
Fleeing: If none of the above options seem promising, one final option to keep your character in the game is to flee. Fleeing is like a guaranteed dodge, but it must be used as your first action in a turn, you forfeit the rest of your turn for using it, and you lose 1 RP each time you rely on it to avoid an attack that could have been dodged instead. Some attacks or spells with rapid fire or a wide radius may require you to flee in order to avoid them, in which case this penalty will not be applied. Some spells or other factors may also prevent you from fleeing. In PvP, Fleeing can no longer be used after your RP reaches zero, to prevent infinite stalling.
Recovering: After taking damage, your character's first action on their next turn will be spent regaining their footing. Then, their second action that turn will be a guaranteed Action, rather than a Reaction—in other words, you will start the next round of combat, even if your opponent's Reaction is higher. Because of this, there are no infinite combos, even if your allies aren't around to rescue you.
Resonant Powers
Rush Skills: Rush skills are strings of consecutive attacks against a single target. A Rush Skill will drain all of your RP, and the amount of RP you currently have will determine how many attacks you get. Three, four, and five-attack combos require 4, 6, and 8 RP, respectively. These attacks will not raise your RP, so you'll end with 0. However, Rush Skills ignore the opponent's Reaction stat, allowing a character with a lower Reaction stat to parry and continue attacking without fear of retaliation.
Finest Arts: By spending a full bar of 10 RP, your character can use their Finest Arts, the physical equivalent of a Calamity. Finest Arts is an uninterrupted string of 5 Basic attack skills, and it won't be stopped even if you take a hit from a third party while using it. In fighting game terms, you have "super armor" during your Finest Arts string, and you can't be KO'd until it's over, leaving you with at least 0.1% HP.
Field Magic: Also called Tier 2 magic, this spell draws a large magic circle on the ground, affecting the entire area above it. In the moment that it's cast, Tier 2 magic breaks any Tier 1 magic being cast there, effectively cancelling Basic spells and erasing Tier 1 blessings and curses. This is only a momentary effect, however, and ongoing Field magic will not prevent further casting. Field magic costs 4 RP to cast.
Resonant Magic: Also called Tier 3 magic, Resonant magic will cost 6 RP. Smaller magic circles will appear underneath each member of any unified group, be they allies or enemies, and bypass any active Tier 2 magic effects. For example, casting Resonant Heal will heal all your allies, and also momentarily protect them from any damage they might take from incoming (or ongoing) Field magic. Characters that are in stealth mode will not be included in Resonant tier magic—from friends or foes alike.
Calamities: Also called Tier 4 magic, this tier draws a large magic circle above the field of battle, and targets anything. Unlike Tier 2's momentary cancelling effect on Tier 1 magic, Tier 4 both breaks all lesser magic in its radius and blocks anything below Tier 5 until the Calamity is over—including another Calamity. A Calamity isn't necessarily an attack—it could have almost any effect. A Calamity costs 10 RP, and takes up two of your character's allotted actions per turn, so cast them wisely, preferably when your allies have you covered, or you have your opponent on defense. Otherwise, you'll just become a target.
Transformations: A form of Tier 5 magic, Transformations draw a small magic circle above the caster's body, transforming their body and attire and removing curse spells as it passes through them. Transformations require 10 RP to use, but they do not "cost" any RP when cast. Instead, your RP will be reduced by 2 per action (4 total per turn), until it reaches zero, after which the Transformation will end. Actions that normally increase RP will instead prevent it from being lost, prolonging the Transformation. Transformations can give you 5 stars worth of stat boosts and a new passive skill, or two passive skills.
Summons: Another form of Tier 5 magic is the Summon. Summons are indicated by a large magic circle in front of the caster. Summons also require 10 RP to use, but do not "cost" any RP when cast. Instead, their "cost" is that your character cannot use their RP for anything else, or the Summon will be dismissed. The Summon can be a high-level monster under your character's command, or it can be your Jinn. A monster can attack in sync with your movements, as though you were its puppet master, and it can also tank attacks for you—though if it is killed, you can kiss your RP goodbye. If you summon your Jinn, it will have spells identical to yours, and can similarly tank spells—but not physical attacks. It will, however, be totally immune to spells of its own type and its opposing type. If you both cast the same Tier 1 spell, it'll create a Tier 2 spell that can be used for free, shutting down enemy mages. A Summon will be in sync with you, and can't help you attack more times per turn, or from different angles.
So yeah, TL;DR. How do I write my post?
If there are attacks headed your way, choose from the list of Reactions to deal with it effectively. If there aren't any, choose a Free Action instead. If you had a Free Action or your chosen Reaction was successful in dealing with incoming attacks, you'll get another Action after that. (If you were only partly successful, and there are more attacks coming, you may need a second Reaction.) If your chosen Action is an attack, you should describe it, but whether or not it will hit and what effect it will have is up to your opponent to write. Even if your opponent failed to defend against your attack from the last turn, which should guarantee that any follow-up attacks this turn will land, you should still write your post with the assumption that they may not be hit—because a third party may interfere. Even in a 1v1, though, let your opponent describe the damage. (Just because their HP hits zero doesn't necessarily mean they're dead, just unable to keep fighting.) After this, they will recover, and start the next round.
All of this information is probably a lot to take in at once, but that's because I more or less just gave you everything I'm "pretty sure" about with regards to how combat's going to work. Most of the number crunching and nuances of combat will be handled on the back end by the GMs, outside of PvP or side quests. It's usually going to be pretty simple on the player end, especially if you use the OoC Discord combat menu, which will present you with a much narrower range of immediately useful options to choose from, like any good RPG combat menu should. This will be useful for new players or anyone who is risk-averse.
Sample Battle Scenarios
Here are some examples to help you get a grasp on how your choices will affect the flow of battle.
Your opponent is equal to you in strength, but slower. He attacks normally. One option is to use an attack (+1RP) which results in a parry (+1RP) and, since you are faster, follow up with another (+1RP), or begin a Crew attack with your friends (+2RP), giving you 3 or 4 RP total, depending on what you chose. However, that parry also gives your opponent +1RP, even though it's your turn. Attempting to dodge the attack gives you 1 less RP than parrying, but may also rob your opponent of higher-RP options next turn. Guarding would rob them even further, negating their RP bonus for attacking, if you really need to stall.
Suppose your opponent is faster than you, instead. This puts you on the back foot, since if you parry, you can't attack again right away, since the character with higher Reaction gets the follow-up. If you have no RP, your best option is to guard or dodge first, then retaliate. However, if you use a Rush skill, you can ignore your opponent's Reaction and get the parry with the first hit, then follow-up with as many attacks as your current RP dictates. This will cost all of your RP, so use this when you're in a bind.
If your opponent is stronger than you, parrying is not an option, even with a Rush Skill. The good news is that their Reaction doesn't matter anymore—the bad news is that you dodge, guard with higher Defense, or get wrecked. If none of these options look good for you, you're probably in a support class, and will be relying on your friends to bail you out anyway (and fleeing if they're shirking guard duty). But if you insist on fighting, you may have one more saving grace: if your opponent's only option to break your guard is to use a skill, and they do nothing but use skills while you dodge (and you keep passing the GM's dodge checks), you will gain RP while they gain nothing, so you won't be stuck dodging forever.
If your opponent uses a spell, your "parry-like" option is to use a spell of the opposing element to it (such as fire against ice) or break through their spell by using a higher tiered spell. If the opponent's spell is fire, clashing with ice will give you +1 RP, while relying on higher tiers will give you nothing but a look of smug satisfaction. With magic, it pays to strategize, since dodging Tier 2 or Tier 3 won't always be viable, and your best defense against a Calamity is to find the caster and stop them before the Calamity begins. Spell breaking and element clashing are your best options for defense—guarding a distant third.
If you're on the receiving end of a long string of Rush attacks or your opponent's Finest Arts, and you've got no squad who's going to try and rescue you from the beating you're about to take, you are at some point just going to have to take damage, and that's kind of the point. People who always dodge every attack make me mad, and they've probably made you mad too, and Finest Arts is your chance to let 'em have it. Your best option for defending against these is to look at your Strength, Defense and Perception. Parry the first attack if you can, then guard, or dodge if you feel lucky. Well, do ya, punk?
If you're on the receiving end of a Calamity, the good news is that it's "only" one hit—the bad news is that everyone is sharing the pain, and Resonant Heal won't help you this time. Actually, magic most likely won't help you at all this time, since Calamities effectively create an anti-magic field. There is only one possible exception: if you are lucky enough to be blessed with a Transformation, or better yet, a Summon with the opposing element to the Calamity, you may be able to create a very small safe zone by huddling up. Otherwise, this may be the time to use your elixir. Your only remaining comfort is that Calamities can be interrupted during casting, and are impossible to spam, even with max Resonance.
Your opponent is equal to you in strength, but slower. He attacks normally. One option is to use an attack (+1RP) which results in a parry (+1RP) and, since you are faster, follow up with another (+1RP), or begin a Crew attack with your friends (+2RP), giving you 3 or 4 RP total, depending on what you chose. However, that parry also gives your opponent +1RP, even though it's your turn. Attempting to dodge the attack gives you 1 less RP than parrying, but may also rob your opponent of higher-RP options next turn. Guarding would rob them even further, negating their RP bonus for attacking, if you really need to stall.
Suppose your opponent is faster than you, instead. This puts you on the back foot, since if you parry, you can't attack again right away, since the character with higher Reaction gets the follow-up. If you have no RP, your best option is to guard or dodge first, then retaliate. However, if you use a Rush skill, you can ignore your opponent's Reaction and get the parry with the first hit, then follow-up with as many attacks as your current RP dictates. This will cost all of your RP, so use this when you're in a bind.
If your opponent is stronger than you, parrying is not an option, even with a Rush Skill. The good news is that their Reaction doesn't matter anymore—the bad news is that you dodge, guard with higher Defense, or get wrecked. If none of these options look good for you, you're probably in a support class, and will be relying on your friends to bail you out anyway (and fleeing if they're shirking guard duty). But if you insist on fighting, you may have one more saving grace: if your opponent's only option to break your guard is to use a skill, and they do nothing but use skills while you dodge (and you keep passing the GM's dodge checks), you will gain RP while they gain nothing, so you won't be stuck dodging forever.
If your opponent uses a spell, your "parry-like" option is to use a spell of the opposing element to it (such as fire against ice) or break through their spell by using a higher tiered spell. If the opponent's spell is fire, clashing with ice will give you +1 RP, while relying on higher tiers will give you nothing but a look of smug satisfaction. With magic, it pays to strategize, since dodging Tier 2 or Tier 3 won't always be viable, and your best defense against a Calamity is to find the caster and stop them before the Calamity begins. Spell breaking and element clashing are your best options for defense—guarding a distant third.
If you're on the receiving end of a long string of Rush attacks or your opponent's Finest Arts, and you've got no squad who's going to try and rescue you from the beating you're about to take, you are at some point just going to have to take damage, and that's kind of the point. People who always dodge every attack make me mad, and they've probably made you mad too, and Finest Arts is your chance to let 'em have it. Your best option for defending against these is to look at your Strength, Defense and Perception. Parry the first attack if you can, then guard, or dodge if you feel lucky. Well, do ya, punk?
If you're on the receiving end of a Calamity, the good news is that it's "only" one hit—the bad news is that everyone is sharing the pain, and Resonant Heal won't help you this time. Actually, magic most likely won't help you at all this time, since Calamities effectively create an anti-magic field. There is only one possible exception: if you are lucky enough to be blessed with a Transformation, or better yet, a Summon with the opposing element to the Calamity, you may be able to create a very small safe zone by huddling up. Otherwise, this may be the time to use your elixir. Your only remaining comfort is that Calamities can be interrupted during casting, and are impossible to spam, even with max Resonance.
