[OOC] Mid/High Casual - Divinus: The Deity Roleplay Mk.II

[Kho]

GUYS. We should create a Divinus in the free section. It can run parallel to this, just something light-hearted and quick. What d'you think?

[Antarctic Termite]

@Kho Let's do it. Anyone who writes more than one paragraph gets their merry ass kicked by Amul.

I give us a week.

[Antarctic Termite]

For real though, here's some system updates I think would be good if we make a mini-Divinus.

• -Might storage caps are use-it-or-lose-it
  -i.e. lower
• -Creations are Might-capped, preferably a fairly low one
  -Thus encouraging players who want high-Might investments to build components and systems rather than a +10 Thing version of a +1 Thing
• -Holy Sites are temporary
  -If you want infinite Might generation, you gotta work for it more often
  -Also makes Holy Sites more likely to be fought over since every god will have like, three
• -Level is capped by Might expenditure somehow, so active gods will level faster
  -Level costs are reduced to compensate
  -Possible solution: you can only level up on a given turn if you've spent all your Might the previous turn
• -Portfolios are fine
• -We figured out Avatars
• -Short posts should make Hero levelling easier, maybe goals-based
• -Time is measured from the start of the roleplay, give or take howevermuch
• -Flavour-based mechanics that prevent gods from nuking planets and such
  -Maybe the Primordials gave a commandment that gods are entrusted with power to create, and those that abuse it to destroy get stripped down to demigod or hero level
  --So gods are allowed to destroy, so long as they do it by creating something that destroys for them
  --God vs. god duels are fair game though
  -Alternatively, gods are just inherently creative forces that are by far more powerful in creation than they are in destruction
• -Worshipper mechanics for gods, because I feel like we missed an opportunity there
• -Maybe a more mechanical path to godhood for demis to encourage people joining
• -RENAME 'FREE POINTS' ALREADY, THEY AREN'T EVEN FREE

Also we'll have to vote on who's Fate's right hand in this particular universe. I vote this lovely lady.

[Cyclone]

For a free section those mechanics are still quite cumbersome. Perhaps it’s best to ditch some of the stuff like detecion, concealment, (maybe even levels?), and avatars. Make the gods overall a bit weaker.

Is Fate even necessary? I’ve always thought Fate and Invictus were really gimmicky and needless.

[Frettzo]

A mini Divinus is a good idea, and some of the features that Termite suggested I think could actually benefit us in this version as well. What Cyclone said is true, though. We should make Free Divinus as lightweight as possible, let's not overload our fellow Feers with mechanics :p

We should also have a backup plan for the possible Gods/players that go OP, like creating a galaxy with 1 MP lol

[Antarctic Termite]

ehhhhh I don't think mechanics are a bad thing so long as they're intuitive and cover bases. The whole tabletop genre is based on them, and you can still run tabletop RPGs in an easy lighthearted way.

There is such a thing as being too free-form. With a few guidelines on what's possible, supplemented if necessary by flavour on why, problems like 'creating a galaxy with 1 MP' should cease to exist, and processes like 'my god has fought a bunch of battles, he should be stronger than before' become much easier to quantify and resolve.

I think the Divinus secret to success has always been Might counts and summaries. In a genre where there are effectively no limits at all on what's possible, giving the players ways to clearly understand the shape and magnitude of their own wacky shit makes everything so much smoother, and being able to have a bunch of people do wacky shit at once is the absolute heart of a deity game.

...We can absolutely ditch concealment/detection, though. And the entire creation of the universe montage. Among other things.

Is Fate even necessary? I’ve always thought Fate and Invictus were really gimmicky and needless.

@Cyclone

i'm dehydrated

Fate isn't, I think I made it invisible to Jvan because I couldn't think of a use for it.

I'm divided on whether we need the Amul/Invictus flavour for 'hey let's do a plot stimulus' or 'oh fuck, we screwed up and need to fix something' moments. On the surface, no, there's really no need for them to be there.

On the other hand, a god roleplay is sort of lacking in any variables outside the collective control of the characters (unless they screw up really badly or something). If any kind of intervention needs to happen, there's no background for the GMs to tweak. If they didn't leave some NPC factor as a caveat, the gods need to act in the interest of gameplay rather than character.

For examples other than the Godkiller or future plot stimuli we're working on, most of our births and deaths involved plot contrivance. We pulled it off well because you're all amazing, but we were still writing character to plot rather than plot to character, which shouldn't be a necessity. It also left newborn demigods really reliant on parentposting.

It might be that the characters are most free to just be themselves when gameplay problems can be resolved, if necessary, without having to tug at the stories people were busy writing for them. Then again, it might also be that the Fate's Right Hand system is a terrible way of doing it. It's certainly the easiest way out.

Additionally, any mechanics that aren't completely behind the scenes are 'that's just the way it is' in-character without at least a hint of context for why the god world is how it is. A cheesy mystery is more fun than a somewhat arbitrary blank slate.

There's also the cool factor, which is immeasurable.

[Cyclone]

I think there’s just a lack of creativity if you feel the need to have a figure like Invictus aka Amul’Sharar sitting dormantly for a RP and a half just on the offchance that te Gms need it for plot devices to force the story back on track.

Instead of having some supposedly omnipotent but actually dormant overlord awakening, there could just be some other crisis; ie the invasion of demons or gods from another plane, or the sudden draining of magic and divine power.

You know what? This Divinis has been getting a bit stale for me with using the same characters for so long, so a free Divinus with new characters sounds like just what I need.

Not to steal the idea and run off with it, but I think I’ll go ahead and give this a shot in the near future if nobody beats me to the punch.

[Frettzo]

i wanna die, i lost the file that contained a several thousand word long multi-part series of posts that explored the birth (sprouting, blooming?) of a new sentient species. Can teknall pls craft me a gun to shoot myself lol

[Muttonhawk]

You know what? This Divinis has been getting a bit stale for me with using the same characters for so long, so a free Divinus with new characters sounds like just what I need.

@Cyclone

Sounds like fun! Let us know how it goes.

As for Amul, I see it more as an IC precedent for GM action more than a limiting go-to for GM action. Something to preclude the "WTF HOW DARE A GM MAKE UP A DISASTER ON THE SPOT TO RUIN MY OP STUPID FUN" type deal.

I think it's easy to forget with how awesome the players are in this RP.

i wanna die, i lost the file that contained a several thousand word long multi-part series of posts that explored the birth (sprouting, blooming?) of a new sentient species. Can teknall pls craft me a gun to shoot myself lol

@Frettzo

Nooooo!

I had better back up my progress on this Yorumpost in that case, hmm.

[Kho]

For real though, here's some system updates I think would be good if we make a mini-Divinus.

• -Might storage caps are use-it-or-lose-it
  -i.e. lower
• -Creations are Might-capped, preferably a fairly low one
  -Thus encouraging players who want high-Might investments to build components and systems rather than a +10 Thing version of a +1 Thing
• -Holy Sites are temporary
  -If you want infinite Might generation, you gotta work for it more often
  -Also makes Holy Sites more likely to be fought over since every god will have like, three
• -Level is capped by Might expenditure somehow, so active gods will level faster
  -Level costs are reduced to compensate
  -Possible solution: you can only level up on a given turn if you've spent all your Might the previous turn
• -Portfolios are fine
• -We figured out Avatars
• -Short posts should make Hero levelling easier, maybe goals-based
• -Time is measured from the start of the roleplay, give or take howevermuch
• -Flavour-based mechanics that prevent gods from nuking planets and such
  -Maybe the Primordials gave a commandment that gods are entrusted with power to create, and those that abuse it to destroy get stripped down to demigod or hero level
  --So gods are allowed to destroy, so long as they do it by creating something that destroys for them
  --God vs. god duels are fair game though
  -Alternatively, gods are just inherently creative forces that are by far more powerful in creation than they are in destruction
• -Worshipper mechanics for gods, because I feel like we missed an opportunity there
• -Maybe a more mechanical path to godhood for demis to encourage people joining
• -RENAME 'FREE POINTS' ALREADY, THEY AREN'T EVEN FREE

Also we'll have to vote on who's Fate's right hand in this particular universe. I vote this lovely lady.

@Antarctic Termite

Currently re-working the OP for mini-Divinus. What do you mean by making Holy Sites temporary? As in, they only one or two turns? If one creates a Holy Site with, say, 6 Might, it'll be two turns before they recover their initial losses, so any temporary holy site will need to last at least three turns to be worthwhile.
The only issue I have with making them temporary is that it puts additional burdens on the GM, who will have to monitor every single Holy Site to ensure that it expires when it's meant to. As this is a free section RP and things will be far more fast-paced, it'll be a headache. I say, if infinite Might generation is problematic, we either get rid of holy-sites completely, or we keep them as they are, but with a lower cap on how many a god can have (e.g. 3 rather than the present 5). I really like this 'Capturing Holy Sites' mechanic, if we keep holy sites we should add that.

As for the monitoring destructive gods, in Mk.I Fate did impose a decree that gods will no longer become directly embroiled in mortal affairs, directly harm, destroy etc. them. I've actually been building to something like that in this RP, but the gods will actually come together in some kind of Divine Summit or something.
I think there's no need for us to arbitrarily demand that gods be creative and not destructive - destructive gods tend to create new plotlines etc. which help the life of an RP. It also allows players to develop laws internal to the game, which is always cool.

As for worshipper mechanics for gods - you mean something similar to what demigods currently have?

[Muttonhawk]

...
The only issue I have with making them temporary is that it puts additional burdens on the GM, who will have to monitor every single Holy Site to ensure that it expires when it's meant to...

@Kho

[Kho]

Is Fate even necessary? I’ve always thought Fate and Invictus were really gimmicky and needless.

@Cyclone

It's come to a point where, GM purposes aside, it is irrelevant whether Fate and Fate's Right Hand are needless or gimmicky. They're part of the Divinus tradition and no amount of tantruming will get rid of them. Creating a Divinus without them will be a major breach of the in-game multiverse. I'm not prepared to do that.

Edit: Also, as the player whose god literally got ROFLstomped by BOTH Fate and Amul, how can you still be sayin' they do nada?

[Kho]

With regards to earning Khookies, I'm thinking a simple 1 Khookie per Post system should be fine. If we're talking one-three line posts, that's the only system independent of GM management that I can come up with.
Getting into goal-oriented khookie earning would be tiresome - though perhaps we can have some kind of 'quest' system where, in addition to the 1 Khookie per Post system, completing quests set by a god will also earn one X Khookies

[Kho]

^{Free, Large Group, Nation, Fantasy, Historical, Military, Romance, somewhat post-Apocalyptic}

Aᴄᴋɴᴏᴡʟᴇᴅɢᴇᴍᴇɴᴛ

Based on ActRaiserTheReturned's OldGuild 'Divinus'

• GMs: [@?], [@?] and [@?]

This RP was inspired by an OldGuild roleplay, by the same name, GMed by ActRaiser. It found new life in the early summer of 2015 and developed tremendously as Mk.I. A new iteration, Mk.II, has since been and continues to be an astounding success. We would now like to launch a new version, reconfigured and refined for the Free Section –

Dɪᴠɪɴᴜs: Tʜᴇ Dᴇɪᴛʏ Rᴏʟᴇᴘʟᴀʏ (Mᴋ.Lɪᴛᴇ)

• Domains & Portfolios

  Domains are 'elements' of the universe over which a god rules. These 'elements' are broad and can range from the obvious (classic elements of air, fire, earth, water) to the obscure ('fear', 'fantasy'). There can be many gods with the same Domain.
  What makes gods more unique is their (Portfolio). No two gods can share a Domain(Portfolio), or just a (Portfolio). These are specific elements of a Domain over which the god has greater power. A god whose domain is water will have power over all water, but if their portfolio is 'rivers' then their power over rivers is particularly potent and overrides the power of any other god - whose domain is water or otherwise - over rivers. Other factors will also be at play, but adopt this as a general rule, and exceptions can be explored in-game.
  
  As a god's level rises, they can add new portfolios within their Domain to their personal portfolios. A god of Water(Oceans) cab - once they 1) reach the required level, 2) carry out the requirements, and 3) have the Might to spare - add another (Portfolio), like (Rivers) to their portfolios. Likewise, a god can also add another Domain.
  
  Keep in mind: gods are not limited to their domains. They are powerful beings and all share a basic threshold of power.
• Level

  A level-one god has certain base powers.
  

  • Control over weather, landscape, and other physical phenomena in their direct vicinity. (Gods whose (Domain) is specifically geared towards weather, or earth etc. have increased vicinity and power over these.)
  • Ability to appear in whatever shape or form they wish.
  • Cannot be harmed by normal weapons or magic. Gods can muster power great enough to hurt another god, and if united, a group of gods can even cause the 'death' of another god.
  • Sense all things within their effective vicinity, including thoughts, feelings, holy sites, and other gods. A god also has a basic idea of what is happening outside their effective vicinity. They know no details, but general things. A god has the ability to cover their presence or block the senses of another god to their presence with Might Points (MP, Might), abilities whose strength depends on level and Domain(Portfolio).
  • Can create their own, private plane of existence. These generally cannot be located by other gods unless the creator god allows them. These planes are small (e.g. not a universe).
  • Can travel wherever they wish instantly.

  
  
  As a god's level increases, the strength of the above will increase - for instance, their effective vicinity at level-two will be slightly greater than at level-one.
  
  A god's level also dictates how much Might they receive per turn. At Level 1 a god gets 4 Might per Turn; at Level 2 they get 5 Might per Turn; at Level 3 they get 6 Might per Turn etc.
  
  Here is a simple table breaking down the amount of Might required for each level up:
  
  

  Level 1-2: 1 Might
  Level 2-3: 2 Might
  Level 3-4: 3 Might
  Level 4-5: 4 Might
  Level 5-10: 6 Might
  Level 10-20: 9 Might
  Level 20-35: 15 Might
  Level 35-50: 20 Might
  Level 50-100: 25 Might
• Turns

  A game mechanism that orders the game and limits what any one god can do at a time. A turn, in-game, has no set time-limit. In real-time, we play a turn out until it reaches its natural end and it is necessary to move on to the next turn in order to allow for the story to develop. Why? This is because Might is used up during a turn and recuperated once a new turn begins. The first turn will see all gods at level 1, meaning they have 4 Might to spend.
• Might

  Might is the unit of divine power in-game. Particularly powerful miracles or actions require Might.
  While a god can, using their inherent abilities, raise a small island or mould and form land more to their liking, they can use Might to, for instance, raise whole continents.
  
  A god's actions can be split into two categories; 1) those requiring nothing other than a god's inherent power, 2) those requiring Might.
  
  What kinds of actions require Might? Here is a (far from exhaustive) list:
  

  • 1 Might: Teaching your minions/worshippers/mortals powerful and unique skills/abilities
  • 1 Might: Creating huge land masses or oceans
  • 1 Might: Create a Hero. These are exceptionally powerful individuals whose powers and skills are well beyond those of normal members of their species or race. Heroes gain immortality, though a god may set conditions to this. Immortality does not mean they cannot be killed.
  • 1 Might: Bless or Curse. Can be anything, depending on the will of the god in question. Blessings and curses can be countered by other gods.
  • 1 Might: Censure or Praise. Very similar to the above miracle, but is applied to individuals or small groups of people and is far more severe.
  • 1 Might: Form an Order. A highly specialized and well-trained group - if you want to create the Jedi, the Knights Templar or the Valkyries, this is your port of call.
  • 1 Might: Create a portal. A permanent connection between two locations. Alternatively, this action can create a hotspot for mana from a different place. E.g. you could create a permanent strong magical connection between the dungeons of a castle and your world of death, leaving deposits of negative energy there and wreaking unknown mutations on whoever is unfortunate - or fortunate - enough to be there.
  • 1 Might: Create an Avatar. Avatars are small fragments of a god that operate independently. They are beings of extreme power. They can be devastating in war and boons in peace. Magically, physically and in many other ways, they are very difficult to match. Depending on the god in question, an Avatar's abilities and qualities will differ. These beings exist so long as their creator wills it or a more powerful Avatar or god destroys them. Magic from mortal beings, if powerful, can harm and weaken them, so far as to force them to dissipate until they regain strength, but cannot destroy them. If an Avatar is created, the next Avatar will cost double (i.e 2 Might), and the one after that will cost double again (i.e 4 Might). Every Avatar after the third will cost 4 Might more than the previous one (so: 1-2-4-8-12-16-20). There is no limit on the number of Avatars a god can create, and Avatars are taken to be at the same level as the god in question. While a Hero can potentially defeat an Avatar, the level between the Avatar and Hero must be extraordinary.
  • 1 Might: Create a moon.
  • ? Might: Level a Hero up. See 'Heroes' section for details.
  • 2 Might: Create stars or planets.
  • 1 Might: Create a Hero item - a powerful weapon or item used by a hero. No more than 1 Might can be spent on such items. They can be upgraded/improved by building components, systems, and so on.
  • 2 Might: Create a Divine item - a powerful weapon or item used by a god, and which can also be gifted to a hero or mortals. No more than 2 Might can be spent on such items. They can be upgraded/improved by building components, systems, and so on.

  
  
  If, when a turn comes to an end, you find that you have not used all your Might, then the unused Might will be lost.
  
  Levelling up is one of the ways in which you can increase the amount of Might your god recuperates per turn, each level up increases your total Might recuperation by 1.
  
  'Holy Sites' are another way. Half the amount of Might which goes into creating a Holy Site is produced by it per turn. So, for instance, if you spend 4 Might on creating a Holy Site in a given turn, it will generate 2 Might for you every turn thereafter.
  Holy Sites can easily be destroyed by gods or mortals.
  
  A player must wait three turns after creating a Holy Site to create a second, and another three to create a third. One cannot create more than three holy sites. Destroyed or damaged holy sites can be rebuilt from scratch. The Might spent to rebuild the holy site replaces the original value of the holy site. Rebuilding a holy site does not affect and is not affected by the time limits for constructing new holy sites. When rebuilding a holy site, you cannot spend more than two times the original cost of the holy site.
  
  A holy site must be maintained by worshippers in order to generate Might. If a holy site is abandoned, or the worshippers present there stop worshipping the creator god, then the creator god will stop receiving the Might bonus. A holy site can also be 'captured' by another god, thus producing Might for them rather than the creator god. This is done by converting the worshippers at the holy site, or supplanting them with one's own worshippers. This captured holy site counts as one of the creator god's three holy sites.
  
  One of the uses of Might is to adopt portfolios for oneself and even Domains. Once a god reaches the required level, carries out the required actions and have the Might to spare, they can add a (Portfolio).
  The following are the requirements in order to add a (Portfolio):
  

  • A god must have used 3 Might on the specific (Portfolio) before they are eligible to adopt it as theirs. For instance, a Water(Oceans) god who wishes to incorporate (Rain) into their portfolios must spend 3 Might on (Rain)-related actions before they 'unlock' (Rain) as a portfolio which they can add.
  • A god must spend another 3 Might in order to incorporate the (Portfolio). So, the above god spent 3 Might on (Rain)-related actions, now they need to spend another 3 Might to incorporate it.
  • A god cannot incorporate a (Portfolio) which is not within their Domain. So, a Fire-type god cannot incorporate (Rain) as a (Portfolio).
  • Each (Portfolio) requires 1 Level to sustain it. For instance, a Level 1 god cannot sustain any more portfolios than they have. At level 2 they can add a new (Portfolio).

  
  
  The rules for Domains are as follows:
  
  

  • A god must have used at least 6 Might in the specific Domain before they are eligible to adopt it.
  • A god must spend another 6 Might in order to incorporate the Domain.
  • A god cannot incorporate a Domain which is a natural opposite to one of their existing Domains - god with a Water Domain cannot incorporate Fire. Earth cannot incorporate Wind, Light cannot incorporate Darkness etc.
  • Each Domain requires 5 Levels to sustain it. So once a god reaches level 5, they can only sustain 1 Domain, the one they already have. Once they reach Level 10, they can add another, and so on.
• Demigods

  A god can produce offspring - whether on their own, with another god, or with a mortal. These offspring are demigods. They are similar to Heroes but much more powerful. With time, demigods can ascend to godhood. They too have a Domain(Portfolio), although their power over these are much reduced and grow as they level up. Leveling up occurs for demigods as it does for gods, they must consume Might. The Might required to level-up is the same as gods. Demigods do not have Turnpoints.
  Unlike gods, demigods are purely physical beings, although as their level and power increases, it may result in a change to their form - they may become something more like this.
  
  Unlike gods, however, demigods do not have any power over other Domain(Portfolio)s. Thus, while a Fire god could still create, fashion and control water and do water-based things with skill, a fire demigod has no such capabilities.
  
  Their unique baseline of abilities is as follows:
  
  

  • Demigods exercise increasing control over their Domain(Portfolio) as they level up.
  • Demigods can add portfolios and Domains to their already existing ones in the same way gods do.
  • Demigods have greater initial strength and stamina than the average Hero, though not by much unless the demigod in question is tied to martial ways or physical power.
  • Demigods can fly.
  • Demigods can use magic and are usually naturally proficient at it.
  • Demigods have a phenomenal amount of magical energy reserves, compared to mortals.
  • Demigods are annihilated if they venture beyond the atmosphere, though higher level ones may be able to generate an 'atmosphere' of sorts around themselves should they wish to explore space.
  • The presence of demigods can irritate or even hurt weak mortals in their vicinity. This is subject to the demigod's will.
  • Demigods have a limited ability to know things within their vicinity, including the presence of living beings, strands of thoughts and feelings, holy sites and other demigods. However, a demigod, unlike gods, does not have the ability to cover their presence or block the senses of another demigod to their presence. Those geared towards deception or stealth would be capable of hiding their presence, though success is limited. Demigods cannot sense gods unless the god in question wills it.
  • Normal weapons are generally ineffective against demigods, as are low-level magics.
  • Demigods cannot bend space-time and create personal planes or travel between dimensions of their own power. Thus, should a god wish to banish a demigod to another plane the demigod would be utterly helpless.
  • Demigods can create life, though this is generally not sentient and very basic - for instance, a carnivorous plant. Or an unintelligent hobgoblin who must be injected with purpose (i.e. defend demigod's lair, collect wood).

  
  
  Demigods whose level is 6 or above can ascend to godhood.
  Demigods can use their Might in the same way gods use Might and Heroes use Khookies to teach, create and other such things.
  
  Demigods, like gods, can also build Holy Sites, though these are nowhere near as impressive as those created by gods. They are, however, an extra source of Might, functioning in the same way as those constructed by gods. Demigods get 1 Might recuperation for every 1000 Worshippers, up to a cap of 4 extra Might.
• Fate & Mater Lei

  Other than hanging about and being in every way more terrifying and powerful than you, Mater Lei and Fate also have a pretty decent purpose which relates to you directly (other than destroying you if they feel the time has come). They can be approached if you have questions about the game-world and the mysteries of the Old Universe and what they guard against. They will also intervene should they feel the need to, either blessing or cursing, praising or censuring. It is a mystery why they do this and what their reasons are.
  Further, and of further interest to you, they can be directly approached for favours and powers. How a god does so must be explored during game-play. If you RP well and show creativity in approaching them, they may take note of you and listen to what you have to say.
  These two may even be challenged – but as things are, any challenge to them, even should the new gods unite, will certainly be crushed.
• Combat & Death

  Generally, gods engage in wars and combat indirectly through their minions/slaves/worshippers. Such wars and battles will take place like in any other RP: players can either have a good back and fro posting battle until strategy and best writing wins out, or they can discuss it and decide a plot line or they can collaborate.
  If battles become direct, then the procedure will be much as above. In both cases the level of the gods involved must be taken into account, and so too the Might at play.
  
  For instance, if we have a battle between the armies of a Level 5 god and the armies of a Level 10 god, but the L5 army has ten heroes and is blessed and has various technologies, bringing the total Might spent on bringing about such an army to, say, 15-18 Might, but the army of the L10 is made up of hundreds of Ug the Caveman with absolutely no idea which is the sharp end of the stick and which is not, then clearly, the Level 10 god, despite being a higher level, will be really hard-pressed.
  With direct god battles, level plays a very major part, but so too does quality roleplaying. If the lower level god puts up a heroic fight and uses all the wit and power available, while the higher level merely plays on the fact that they are a higher level, the 'Forces that Be' may well step in.
  Quality roleplaying trumps statistics any day. Keep that in mind.
  
  Now, god death. A single god may be able to hurt, even badly damage, another god - however, unless the difference in level is huge (perhaps, 10 levels) then they will not be able to 'kill' the other god. Should a few gods gang up on one god, and they are all of similar levels, then they could potentially muster enough power between them to kill their victim.
  
  There is a difference between a god dying and god being destroyed. A god who dies merely slips from the current planes of existence available to any other god. In other words, they exit the 'World' guarded by Mater Lei and Fate. They are formless and without will and power, but they are still technically living. Their existence as whatever god they were before is gone, but their essence lives on and can return as a new god with a different Domain(Portfolio). This is how old gods 'die' and new ones are 'born'.
  
  If a god is destroyed, which is impossible for player characters in this RP, then their very essence is destroyed and their existences all cease to be. While player characters may not be able to do this, be warned that certain actions may bring upon you the wrath of those who can and will (you will be warned if you are in danger).
• Heroes

  Heroes are creations who have been 'chosen' by the god and granted great power.
  Heroes wield tremendous power and can be devastating forces on a battlefield and great, charismatic leaders. They may also be peaceable creatures, depending on their god, with very little combat knowledge or ability. Heroes are immortal and are largely impervious to harm - e.g. poison, serious stab wounds, magical attacks. However, this does not mean they are invincible. Potent poisons can kill them in large quantities while powerful magic or numerous serious wounds can bring about their death. Depending on the god in question, their Heroes can be more or less impervious to such things. While all Heroes have unique powers, all have a basic threshold of power, as listed below:
  
  

  • All Heroes are immortal
  • All Heroes are partially impervious to attacks, poisons, and magic
  • All Heroes have extraordinary strength, speed, and stamina, the extent depending on their god and level
  • All Heroes can cast magic, the type and their proficiency depending on their god and level
  • All Heroes can Bless or Curse individuals. The power of this grows with level and is not as powerful as a god's ability
  • All Heroes can slightly mould their surroundings to their will - an inherent magic rather than a divine capability
  • All Heroes can sense people, objects, creatures, and gods unless any of these are concealed, within their vicinity

  
  
  As Heroes grow in strength, their own, unique abilities will grow, as will their above traits. Heroes level up using Khookies. Beginning at Level 1, Heroes have 0 Khookies, and as they go about their daily life, they will earn Khookies. Khookies are earned by posting.
  

  - Every hero post will earn 2 Khookies.
  -Completing a divine 'quest' will earn a Hero Khookies (the amount will depend on the quest's difficulty and how creatively the hero completed it).

  
  
  Gods can use Might to level heroes up:
  
  

  • Levels 1-8: 1 Level per 0.25 MP
  • Levels 8-16: 3 Levels per 1 MP
  • Levels 16-24: 1 Level per 0.5 MP
  • Levels 24-32: 1 Level per 1 MP
  • Levels 32-40: 1 Level per 2 MP
  • Levels 40-48: 1 Level per 3 MP
  • Levels 48-56: 1 Level per 4 MP
  • Levels 56-64: 1 Level per 5 MP
  • Levels 64-72: 1 Level per 6 MP

  
  
  Beyond this, each group of 8 Levels costs one more Might per Level than the previous group.
  
  The higher a Hero's level, the more Khookies needed to level up. The following are the Khookie requirements for each level up, considering all Heroes begin at Level 1:
  
  

  • Level 1-2: 2 Khookies
  • Level 2-3: 3 Khookies
  • Level 3-4: 6 Khookies
  • Level 4-5: 7 Khookies
  • Level 5-6: 10 Khookies
  • Level 6-7: 11 Khookies
  • Level 7-8: 14 Khookies
  • Level 8-9: 15 Khookies
  • Level 9-10: 18 Khookies
  • Level 10-11: 19 Khookies
  • Level 11-12: 22 Khookies
  • Level 12-13: 23 Khookies
  • Level 13-14: 26 Khookies
  • Level 14-15: 27 Khookies
  • Level 15-16: 30 Khookies
  • Level 16-17: 31 Khookies
  • Level 17-18: 34 Khookies
  • Level 18-19: 35 Khookies
  • Level 19-20: 38 Khookies
  • Level 20-21: 39 Khookies
  • Level 21-22: 42 Khookies
  • Level 22-23: 43 Khookies
  • Level 23-24: 46 Khookies
  • Level 24-25: 47 Khookies
  • Level 25-26: 50 Khookies
  • Level 26-27: 51 Khookies
  • Level 27-28: 54 Khookies
  • Level 28-29: 55 Khookies
  • Level 29-30: 58 Khookies
  • Level 30-31: 59 Khookies
  • Level 31-32: 62 Khookies
  • Level 32-33: 63 Khookies
  • Level 33-34: 66 Khookies
  • Level 34-35: 67 Khookies

  
  
  Khookies can also be earned by completing Divine Quests. These can be set by GMs, but are also set by gods for free. Each god can only have one active quest at any one time, and only one Quest can be created per turn. Each quest can be completed by more than one hero, although each hero can only claim the prize once. Multiple heroes working together to complete a quest all gain the full prize. All heroes have the opportunity to learn of the existence of a Quest (via rumours, legends, proclamations, visions, etc.); no secret or private Quests are allowed. A hero can only complete one Quest per turn.
  
  Khookies can be used in much the same way a god would use Might. Using Khookies, a Hero can found a full-fledged Order without a god having to use Might, form societies, and teach their people new technologies and ideas. A people who could previously not build stone houses may be taught by a Hero how to do so, one who could not use magic in a particular way can be taught, and a Hero could set himself up as a King, thus teaching them monarchy. Further, a Hero can teach ideologies - by building a temple to a certain god, he can teach them a religion and teach them laws and so on. The only difference is that unlike things a god does, they do not magically affect an entire species or people, merely those whom the Hero interacts with, and they must be shown to take a substantial amount of time ICly, depending on the thing in question. Teaching people how to make Fire may take a few months, teaching people about Monarchy and getting them to accept a monarch's authority may take decades.
  
  Khookie usage examples:
  
  

  • 2 Khookie - Teach people a basic technology or idea (stone houses, Monarchy, empiricism)
  • 5 Khookie - Form a village, tribe or other small settlement
  • 8 Khookies - Teach people an ideology (such as a religion or way of life, Code of the Samurai etc.)
  • 10 Khookies - Teach people a powerful magic or technology (Magic, The Force, Damascus steel, sword specialization etc. very unique boons to a people)
  • 10 Khookies - Form a full-fledged Order, complete with any unique skill or magical specialization

  
  
  It must be noted, last of all, that there is potential for Heroes, given extraordinary circumstances, to become demigods. There is no set route for a Hero to go about becoming a demigod and it is a matter of developing ICly, though one ingredient that is of utmost importance is to gain access to divine essence in some way.
  
  If an extremely powerful Hero were to harm an Avatar, for instance, and drink its blood, they would take in some of said god's essence present in their blood and become somewhat divine themselves (or at least close to it). It must be noted, also, that normal mortals or Heroes who are not powerful enough would be immediately destroyed upon exposure to divine essence. In cases where a god willingly gifts a Hero with their essence, this will cause said Hero to immediately ascend to godhood, if they are powerful enough.

Cʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀ sʜᴇᴇᴛ

NAME

ALLIAS ^{(IF ANY)}

GENDER ^{(IF APPLICABLE)}

Dᴏᴍᴀɪɴ & Pᴏʀᴛꜰᴏʟɪᴏ

e.g. Water (Oceans)

Aʟɪɢɴᴍᴇɴᴛ

Good, Evil, Indifferent or some kind of variant of Good or Evil. For example, if you are a god who is extremely into law but who is also benevolent and uses law for the 'good', Lawful Good is your alignment. If you are a Jackboot fascist, you are Lawful Evil.

Pᴇʀsᴏɴᴀʟɪᴛʏ

Their personality etc. the way they see themselves.

Aᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ

Pictures, descriptions or both are fine. You can specify preferred forms and what forms they adopt in particular circumstances.

Mᴜsɪᴄᴀʟ Tʜᴇᴍᴇ

Lets add some spice.

[BBeast]

A Divinus-lite sounds fun, although I'm concerned it might draw activity away from main Divinus.

I'll deliver some feedback on the ideas thrown around anyway. (They also make good rules considerations for Divinus Mk.3 if we ever get to that stage.)

• I'm not sure how temporary Holy Sites would be useful. Additionally, IC, with Holy Sites meant to be lasting monuments to their creator god, having them expire runs counter to that.
• Capturing Holy Sites is cool, if you could figure out a way to do it.
• Worshipper mechanics might be complicated. What defines a worshipper? How can we ensure that worshippers are obtained fairly? A cap on the bonus worshippers gives like for demigods is likely needed. However, IC, Divinus gods are special in that their existence and power is largely independent of mortals, which gives you that extra feeling of power, that you are because you are, not because some mortals believed you into power.
• However, I've figured out a potential way to join modifications to Holy Sites and Worshippers: Holy Sites must be maintained/attended by your Worshippers in order for you to gain Might from it. Holy Sites thus become infrastructure for channelling mortal piety into divine power. The number of worshippers is not important, as long as it is enough to operate the Holy Site (which might scale with Might Cost). If you lose influence over your worshippers, your Holy Site stops functioning. If another god supplants your worshippers and puts their own in the Holy Site, then that god gains the benefits of the Holy Site instead.
• To add to the Fate/Amul debate: the mere presence of the Primordials is enough to remind the Player Characters that, although they are Gods, they are not the most powerful beings around, which adds an interesting dynamic. Also, if you are opening something up in the Free section, it might be worthwhile keeping them around as GM tools in case the players we attract are not as well behaved as us.

But again, don't you all go abandoning real Divinus. That would be rude.

[Antarctic Termite]

i wanna die, i lost the file that contained a several thousand word long multi-part series of posts that explored the birth (sprouting, blooming?) of a new sentient species. Can teknall pls craft me a gun to shoot myself lol

@Frettzo

i nha le

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Double Capybara]

I kinda like it? Perhaps not from the gods, but something that incentivizes more heroic tasks over a handful of posts over just one?

Also, if its a quick play sort of thing with "jump-in" mechanics, just ditch free points in their current form.

No need for a strong god/demi-god division too, tbh, the level catch-up is already such a large gap.

For alternatives to Holy Sites, what if that was tied to the idea of worshippers giving extra might? HS allowing for more worshippers but not immediately giving them. Though that would change a lot of how they work, especially for gods that use them for the structure.

Edit: This was done before I got to read the latest posts, so I have no idea if ideas changed.

[Kho]

But again, don't you all go abandoning real Divinus. That would be rude.

@BBeast

There's no way I'm abandoning this Divinus. Maybe Cyclone would, traitor that he is >.> but I've got at least three collabs going atm, and about six-million ideas in my super secret PM to myself. AND I've only just caught up with everything, not jumping ship after putting in all that effort.

As I just said to Cyclone over discord: This is an expansion of the Divinus franchise beause Divinus is awesome. Everyone needs to know about it. What better way to advertise than launching it in the free section? THEN we'll get multiple Divinus RPs running simultaneously. THEN we'll be able to create really complex, inter-RP plotlines that bring different RPs clashing together,
and that will put players in a better position to explore the mysteries of the Primordials Cyclone is always tantrumming about.

We have a really strong base here in Mk.II, which is why I think launching a Divinus-lite is feasible at all - we have the core necessary for an expansion of this kind. And then, if it is successful that's great, and if it isn't then we're all still here pumping out posts at our own pace. If anything, Divinus-lite can serve as an on-the-side while we're waiting on developments here.

Edit: I VERY MUCH LIKE the idea of Holy Sites as infrastructure maintained by worshippers. That brings in the whole holy site takeover mechanic in very smoothly.

[Double Capybara]

Ah, seems like BBeast had a similar idea to me.

While brooding over Holy Sites as a structure like Ilu, Tek, Jvan and others use, I came up with another proto-idea. What if there were two types of Holy Site? One that gives might (temples for worshipers and such) and one that gives free actions / 0 might actions, so say, as the god of plants, you would always need to spend might creating plants (unlike the current system where plant creation can be justified as a free action if you have the plants domain) unless you spend some might creating the Gardens of Somewheria which would give you the free actions.

[Antarctic Termite]

ok I think we can safely toss the temporary holy sites idea, that wasn't going anywhere. Capturing them sounds fine, but I feel like there should be a Might cost associated with that one too, somehow.

Creating a Divinus without them will be a major breach of the in-game multiverse.

@Kho

'Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to. That's the only way to become what you were meant to be.'

-a whiny lil shit with a good point

I think there’s just a lack of creativity if you feel the need to have a figure like Invictus aka Amul’Sharar sitting dormantly for a RP and a half just on the offchance that te Gms need it for plot devices to force the story back on track.

Instead of having some supposedly omnipotent but actually dormant overlord awakening, there could just be some other crisis; ie the invasion of demons or gods from another plane, or the sudden draining of magic and divine power.

@Cyclone

These solutions are basically the same, but on a blank slate world, they now lack context. Also I

I feel like the major flaw of Amul in these games is underuse. Having him be present somehow, and allowing him to have interactions and a personality that have nothing to do with plot (and don't screw with the characters too much), would help a lot. I've tried to get this to happen in this game but CHECK THE DAMN GM THREAD OI @Muttonhawk@BBeast

Amul is a mechanically sanctioned way of creating what Vowzra was through most of this RP, without the GM having to fiddle with the motives of their own player character in the way of Vowzra's 'mysterious' interaction with Fate.

As for the monitoring destructive gods, in Mk.I Fate did impose a decree that gods will no longer become directly embroiled in mortal affairs, directly harm, destroy etc. them. I've actually been building to something like that in this RP, but the gods will actually come together in some kind of Divine Summit or something.

I think there's no need for us to arbitrarily demand that gods be creative and not destructive - destructive gods tend to create new plotlines etc. which help the life of an RP. It also allows players to develop laws internal to the game, which is always cool.

@Kho

This is outright contrivance, though. Moreover, it's something we already do extensively- the reason Logos doesn't do this to Galbar, the reason Xos doesn't do it to Jvan's nonsense, the reason Jvan didn't do it to the Djinni, and shit, the reason Belvast didn't do it to Jvan via portal cutting- is basically a mess of idiosyncracies and plot coming before character.

Of course I want destructive gods! But I want the players to use more of their creative genius to figure out how to destroy things than why they shouldn't.

Like @Cyclone said, less powerful gods is ideal, so long as they can still create wacky shit.

With regards to earning Khookies, I'm thinking a simple 1 Khookie per Post system should be fine. If we're talking one-three line posts, that's the only system independent of GM management that I can come up with.

@Kho

>one to three line posts
buddy, we're all gonna die

make it five thousand characters or so

Getting into goal-oriented khookie earning would be tiresome - though perhaps we can have some kind of 'quest' system where, in addition to the 1 Khookie per Post system, completing quests set by a god will also earn one X Khookies

@Kho

1 khookie per post sounds fine, but I think we should probably rename those too. 'Prestige' or something.

Having gods incentivised to set up quests somehow that help heroes level up would be amazing.

As for worshipper mechanics for gods - you mean something similar to what demigods currently have?

@Kho

Anything that makes mortals useful. Currently the only thing that makes gods not do things themselves is plot. Usually that's natural, but sometimes it's contrived- again, the whole change-eater / djinni fiasco.

@BBeast has some pretty excellent ideas.