Doctrine of Combat Supremacy
A google DOC that contains information on how to create glamors, melodies, as well as how other aspects of the RP works. It's a handbook for everything Synphony of Espers related!
Melody Cost Calculator
Because math can be hard sometimes.
DoCS Patch Notes
A list of changes made to the DoCS from 4/11/2022 onward.
Of course I believe the world has good and evil in it. But I do not believe that individuals have the power to display that particular dichotomy. A father providing for his family? A thief stealing to survive? Friends maintaining a healthy relationship? A spouse cheating on their mate? These are all people doing what’s in their best interest. I would even go as far as saying a serial killer isn’t evil. They’re just deranged, and the “hero” who stops them is protecting their interests.
But when an individual adopts a powerful idea? One strong enough to bring a group of people together? Now you have the power to do good and evil. The power of a god.
~Veronica
Symphony of Espers (SoE) Is a supernatural RP that takes inspiration from ”darker” superhero and magical girl genres such as Madoka Magica, Yuki Yuna is a Hero, Invincible, Watchman, Kingdom Come, and several others.
In this roleplay you play a group of individuals known as espers: powerful wielders of magical artifacts who do battle with even more powerful monsters, other espers, and sometimes criminals. An espers magic is not that of a crusty old mage. Their physical prowess is that of peak humans, and some go far beyond.
The balance of power in Pax Septimus has been knocked off it's scales, and now factions of espers are vying for control over the floundering city. But while the factions squabble amongst themselves, something much bigger is about to make its grand entrance...
The RP takes place in a fictional version of our world. While it looks mundane to most people, there are supernatural forces and energies that hide just out of sight. Monsters, Espers, and everything in between often try to operate away from prying eyes.
Espers are not born with their powers. They are drawn to areas that have a heavy concentration of mana. It is in these places that they will locate a grimoire; a magical artifact that lets them use glamours. These glamours are what give them special powers. They can change their appearance, fortify their strength, grant them weapons, let them use spells, and possibly other supernatural powers. It still isn't clear if espers are a result of a bloodline, a DNA mutation, or simply the grimoires themselves calling out to their chosen warior.
As soon as an Esper picks up their grimoire, their lives are changed forever. The young can imitate their favorite characters, the old can return to a prime they never had, and all can become heroes. But more than that, they become members of the supernatural world.
The espers are the star of the show, and come from many walks of life. The rich, poor, young and old are all capable of becoming espers. Espers often have to adjust their lives accordingly to make time for their new responsibilities. Most switch their jobs to monster hunting, but they still have connections to the mundane world. They must keep up appearances with their friends and family, spouses and children.
But espers aren’t alone. While espers are chosen by fate to wield great power, the magi have constructed their own artifacts to wield a different type of magic. These fellows are the ones more reminiscent of crusty old wizards.
Even on the less magical side, there are operators and suppliers that work to aid espers in a number of different ways. Espers may be the soldiers in the war against monsters, but they are backed by others who help maintain their equipment, training, quality of life, reputation, and a number of other conveniences.
Pax Septimus is a city located in north America somewhere in the middle of the east coast. During frontier era America there were many wealthy families who had moved in from England and/or Canada and lived there while the frontier continued to push into the west. With the harbor nearby, it became a hub for trade and still is today. It was a nasty place for slaves to live before the revolution, and during the 20-40's, more blood was shed when a mafia moved into the city. Pax Septimus is cursed; a city founded on blood.
Of course modern Pax Septimus does its best to not look that way. Its population density ranges well into the millions. The center of Pax is a bustling metropolis with a handful of skyscrapers, while the surrounding city is made up of much smaller buildings. There’s even a historic district where the art deco architecture has been maintained. Quite a few tourists stop by just to see it.
Sadly, like any densely populated area, there’s a fair bit of crime. The cursed city has yet to sate it’s appetite for blood.
Magic is a largely unknown thing. Magi have only recently been able to study it thanks to advancements in technology. There’s still so much they don’t know about it. Mostly what they have is an idea about magic called “memory theory.”
Memory theory states that mana is made up of memories. Mana is made in the brain while a human is alive and is released upon their death. There was some speculation that mana might have been proof that human souls exist, but this was later disproved when the levels of mana in people with forms of memory impairment made less mana over the course of their lives.
The more mana that’s in our atmosphere, the more likely it is for supernatural events to happen. This means more monsters, but also more espers to fight them. During the dark ages, there was barely enough mana to sustain more than a handful of espers at a time. But now with the world’s record population, there are espers wherever there are people.
Another odd thing about mana is that it can’t be consumed by anything but monsters. While an espers grimoire uses mana to activate, that mana temporarily changes form before returning to normal. This is a bit of a problem, as it means that killing off monsters before they can feed enough prompts more and stronger monsters to show up. Yet letting them feed also increases the chance that they will cause a catastrophe and generate even more mana. Quite the conundrum.
Monsters are not a product of our world. They come from another dimension called the elemental chaos. It’s not clear if the elemental chaos is a single world or many. No one who has entered the elemental chaos has lived to tell the tale, and those few who have witnessed monsters enter our world have seen a glimpse of it through the portals they use. Burning glaciers, electrostatic smoke, and floating lava are all anomalies that have been observed. The more religious scholars believe the elemental chaos to be hell, but that would not explain the glimpses of more tranquil scenery. Floating islands and other pleasant, yet surreal vistas also make up the elemental chaos.
Monsters come to our world to feed on the ever growing supply of mana. But most of the time this is merely the start of a vicious cycle. While all humans release mana when they die, they release far more when they are feeling negative emotions. Monsters cause tragedies so that more mana can be harvested. This excess of mana causes even more, and stronger monsters to show up, who continue to expedite the process. These eldritch creatures remain hidden and subtly spread despair. They are bearers of plagues, wars, and tragedies. The less patient ones might be content to start a mass shooting by driving someone mad, while the more careful and methodical ones will hold out for something much bigger. There are a few that are harmless, but many would not risk sparing them.
Monsters come in all shapes and sizes, from giant kaiju to small rodents. While some have a humanoid appearance, they are different enough to never be mistaken for one. While some use magic to take the appearance of humans, their true forms have oddly colored skin or are too big to be real. It is not uncommon for them to have human level intelligence, but many monsters are little more than thralls or pets, willing to attack at their master’s command.
Perhaps the most disheartening thing about the monsters is their near immunity to physical harm and how their attacks rip through the most advanced armors available. This is why espers are dispatched to deal with monsters, as they are one of the few things that are able to harm them and resist their attacks.
As the case usually is with monsters, the danger to the public at large is often indirect. A monster will seldom try to personally execute a group of people. They will drive people mad, spread disease, cause accidents, and other heinous things.
The presence of monsters in an area can also lead to gangs, cultists, and even the mafia showing up in an area. Crime rates also tend to soar, as well as the presence of mania in the general populace. Sometimes it gets so bad that the local police force can’t handle it, and espers are asked to assist with the cleanup.
Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to the monster conundrum. Kill them, and the growing mana supply invites more monsters. Spare them, and invite despair into the world.
Should the world’s mana levels get too high, it could attract something to this world that even the espers aren’t equipped to fight: an eldritch horror.
All espers in SoE serve one of three factions. Depending on who your esper serves depends on their view of the monster problem as well as who their allies are.
G.E.M.I.N.I. stands for “Government Esper and Monster Intelligence and Neutralization Initiative,” and is North America’s government run esper unit. It’s their job to slay monsters wherever they hide, as well as learn what they can about supernatural phenomenon like other espers and the elemental chaos. The US believes that the eradication of all monsters is the only sensible option, and that advancements in technology will eventually allow them to manage the growing mana problem. They are sworn enemies of Mavrick Alternative, and will attack espers that are known to be from that faction on sight.
Agents tend to wear darker colors. Usually formal outfits, but sometimes something closer to a military uniform. Their clothing is neat and tidy, as their kind are trained and very disciplined.
The head of the initiative isn’t really known, but Veronica is an up and coming researcher who’s been put in direct control of all GEMINI agents operating in Pax Septimus. Espers working under her can expect to frequently go out of their way to eliminate monsters and collect samples for her research. Occasionally she will dispatch her assistant “Binky” to do work too fine for a normal esper’s hands.
Maverick Alternative has been labeled by the government as a terrorist organisation, but they choose to view themselves as pragmatic heroes of the new age. They do not have faith in the government’s ideas, viewing GEMINI agents as bullies at best and murderers at worst. Rather than waiting for a scientific solution to present itself, The mavericks have faith in an alternative to killing every monster in sight. They instead try to communicate with them. They can’t reason with every monster, and some monsters drive a pretty stiff bargain. But at the end of the day, getting monsters to eat mana actually helps resolve the mana crisis now. It may cost a few human lives, but better than losing all of them.
Mavericks dress like punks, rock stars, gypsies, and other social outcasts. If you feel like an esper would describe their clothing choice as “non-conformist” they are likely a Maverick. Hair gel, hair dye, motorcycles, and showing skin are also clear marks of mavericks.
Heading Maverick Alternative is Billy Black, a larger than life man who’s always wearing a gas mask. He’s also a monster. Needless to say, many view the espers he commands as misguided souls that have simply given into his wicked magics, but the truth is that everyone who serves him does so willingly. That includes the plethora of women he surrounds himself with. But don’t be fooled, his ladies are a very important part of his organization, and one usually oversees any activity the mavericks choose to engage in.
The Freelancers acknowledge the presence of the two other factions, but don’t really participate in their feud. Their feelings about how to best deal with the mana problem are as varied as they are. Freelancers usually focus on keeping the mundane world in check, and only engage monsters if they are being a clear menace. They do not aim to anger either of the other two factions, as they might like to be hired by them at some point. Both GEMINI and Maverick Alternative put out bounties that any freelance esper with the “Shimr” app can readily take on.
Freelancers wear just about everything. There’s no wrong way to dress as a freelancer, though they do tend to avoid dressing up like other factions to avoid getting brutally murdered over a silly misunderstanding.
The freelancers have no leader, or rather their leader is the Shimr app. They ultimately decide who and what they’re going to do on their own. There are some inspirational leaders in the freelance community, but they are more looked at as aspirations or rivals.
The depraved are not a real faction. It is a title given to espers who are marked for death. They have done something so heinous that all the other factions want to kill them.
This usually works by making enemies of the government as well as the mavericks. Once they both put a bounty on your head, it’s only a matter of time before the freelancers are there to collect. Though upsetting the freelancers en mass can also have this effect. Once the freelancers are up in arms over whatever happened, GEMINI and Alternative will both be gunning for you to earn that favor.
Depraved do not live very long. The ones that do only survive because they have frightening powers or are very reclusive.
Every esper has a magical artifact called a grimoire. They aren’t really espers without one. Each one has 4 slots that each grants the esper a special kind of power.
All the details about what a grimoire can and can’t do can be found in the Doctrine of Combat Supremacy, but this offers a quick rundown of what each slot does.
This enables an esper to change their grimoire into a powerful weapon. Almost anything from a sword, to a bow, to a bazooka, even a chain whip. Regardless of what instrument is selected, each one has a situation it performs well in and not so well in. It is up to the esper to decide what type of instrument works best for them.
In addition to becoming sturdier than a normal human, an esper’s style can change their physical form. Some look just different enough to hide their true identities, while others experience far more radical transformations. All espers still have a human shape, but they can look pretty exotic. Some even age up or down!
Genre are what let espers cast spells called melodies. By stringing together magical notes, they can make highly customizable melodies for a variety of different situations.
Leitmotifs are something unique to each esper. They can take almost any shape. The sky’s the limit!
Q: Are there really only the above factions?
A: In Pax Septimus, GEMINI and Maverick Alternative are the two most powerful factions. There are other factions around the world of course. Other countries have their own esper agent programs, and there are other groups of monster sympathizers outside of Pax Septimus. But in the immediate future, none of them really matter as they have no bearing on what's happening in Pax Septimus right now. Other governments have no jurisdiction in America, as an example. If you'd like to play as an other country's agent or a sympathizer that isn't MA, a freelancer would be a good faction to pick. Though most government agents and sympathizers have the same ideas about the mana problem. So you could also pick GEMINI if your agent is working with the local American forces, or MA if your sympathizer is working with a larger group to complete their goal.
Q: Are we going to eventually visit other cities, countries, dimensions, realities, timelines, etc?
A: I've seen a lot of roleplays flounder when they reach too far. It's tempting to want to see how the world works outside a small area. It would be interesting to see how other countries handle the mana problem when they have different ethics than GEMINI, and who doesn't want to explore the elemental chaos? But I've found that when a plot (and it's characters) get spread too thin it's impossible for things to move forward in a satisfying way. If the RP lasts long enough, we probably will see the location of the plot move and other forces get involved. This is 100% not an adventure story though.
Q: Is the "Doctrine of Combat Supremacy" required reading? It looks sorta big...
A: Most of what's written in the DoCs are examples for glamors as well as extensive descriptions of notes that you may or may not make use of. I think that it would be a good idea to read the entire thing at least once, but the most important things to read shouldn't take you very long.
Q: I have a note idea, will you implement it?
A: If you have an idea for a note that helps Espers do something that seems reasonable, I may implement it. Do keep in mind though that notes can be combined into melodies for some fierce combinations, so I'm not looking for compound notes that are just a combination of other notes. There are also some things I refuse to put in the hands of espers, such as the ability to stop time or revive dead people.
If I do take a note idea, do be patient. It needs to be written to the DoCs in such a way that it is easily understood and can't be abused too badly. I also have GM posts to make and am constantly working on bettering things.
Q: When does my character get stronger? Can I change my glamors/notes after character creation?
A: As the RP goes on and I become more confident in its systems, the player characters will be allowed to upgrade or swap out their glamors. Changing glamors prior to advancement is something I won't normally allow. You may swap out notes, provided your character is not out on a mission, in combat, or about to be in combat, and never without the approval of a GM. Ideally though, this will only be done if you don't like how a note behaves in character. Espers shouldn't really have a reason to swap out their notes between fights.
Q: PvP?
A: The goal of the RP is to have espers fight for their cause, which is usually going to pit them against dangerous monsters, cults, the mafia, magi, and other such dangers. However, fights with other espers are also possible, as are fights with player espers. It is not the focus of the RP, but one of the reasons why some of the more complex systems for the RP exist is to establish fair play in PvP situations. players wishing to beat on each other is inevitable.
~ All forms of metagaming, godmodding, and the like are prohibited.
~ Keep OOC drama as low as possible. If you do have a problem, take it to PMs. Should you need the GMs, we frequently log into discord and check our PMs. You’ll have help within 24 hours most of the time.
~ If it's been a week since your last IC post without any word from you, a GM may take control of your character. They may not be there for you to take back if/when you return. To prevent this, please notify a GM if you won't be able to post for an extended period of time, or lose interest in the RP. Common courtesy.
~ You get 1 character. You don’t get another unless that one leaves the RP
~ SoE is a dark roleplay that deals with dark themes, but does so tastefully. Posts are expected to follow Guild guidelines. That means no gratuitous violence, and fade to black where appropriate.
~ If you're going to use colored text anywhere, please use a bright color that doesn't blend in with the background. The gray BG is pretty dark on some screens, and black and dark colors makes it hard to read.
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