Oddsbod

Oddsbod's Test Battlefield

"Since the dawn of time, an invisible force has flowed through every being on this planet... PURE! FIGHTING! SPIRIT! Limits? For the true fighter, there are no limits! Not when you have ki on your side! With superhuman powers, these heroes, these adventurers, these nomads journey the world searching for showdowns , and this Friday, catch the showdown of the century: the BRAZILIAN! FIGHTING OPEN! Tickets are a click away, online! Can’t be there in person? Catch this historic brawl on Fox Sports and ESPN Live! Contact your cable provider today before you miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime event—

With a buzz of static, the man on the couch flipped the channel. If he saw one more awful Brazilian Open ad, he’d put his foot through the TV.

Although. This Friday, said the ad. That reminded him…

He snatched up his red leather notebook from the coffee table. He checked the dates. He made some marks on the calendar in the back. Then, he picked up the phone and he made a call. It was almost one in the morning before he hung up, but, after all, a professional should plan down to the tiniest detail.

After all—it was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

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GMs: KaiserElectric, Savo, Redbaron1234, Oddsbod
GENRE: Anime, Fighting Game, Modern-Fantasy/Scifi, Semi-Sandbox, Character Driven.
RECRUITMENT STATUS: Open
CURRENT PLAYERS: 9

Welcome to World Warrior: The Nomadic Fist. This RP takes place in a quirky, anime-and-fighting-games-themed world where supernatural warriors known as "Nomads" head out and engage in supernatural battles. Fueled by ki, magic, or technology, they journey the world, and, for whatever reason, they seek out fights.

This won’t quite be a PVP roleplay, and is more story and character driven, with your characters fighting NPCs and a variety of sinister plots (with player fights for special occasions). The world is very, very free-form; lore is loose (basically amounting to everything just described in that first paragraph), and you’re free to create almost any kind of character or backstory you please.

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The world is abuzz with fear and gossip.

Just two weeks ago, the Brazilian Fighting Open was interrupted by an unprecedented terrorist attack: a small army of drones assaulted Maracanã Stadium, devastating Rio de Janeiro and leaving over 70 people dead. Governments now search furiously for the culprit, while bounty hunters search for what they think will be the windfall of a lifetime. Meanwhile, in all the chaos and confusion, the mysterious Grand Prize of the tournament has gone missing, and a much subtler hunt has begun in the shadows...

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The setting of this RP is modern-day Earth in the year 20XX. There is magic, and technology, and whacky martial arts battles that might have jumped from out of a video game. In most other ways, however, it is just Earth, not as affected as you might think by this action genre stew.

Nomads and Ki

Ki, at its simplest, can be thought of as life energy, invisible, preternatural, and primordial. It has gone by many names, and it empowers and imbues all living things. Everyone has some amount of ki inside them, and ki gives them the strength to grow and live. Most people have a ‘normal’ amount of ki, and display no abnormal abilities.

Some, however, have unusually high ki concentrations, and these few are capable of the superhuman. Speed, strength, durability, agility, resilience, all these increase alongside a person’s ki reserves, and occasionally open the way to unusual powers. Many modern hospitals, for example, often have a ki specialist who can treat illnesses that affect life energy, or use their own ki reserves to heal injuries. However, the average joe will most likely know about ki in the context of nomads

The nomad has become a staple of global pop culture in the last century or so. The name 'nomad' refers to a wandering warrior with fantastical powers, a vagabond who, for one reason or another, travels the world seeking new fights and new challenges. They have epic showdowns, they participate in international martial arts tournaments, and they are features in movies, TV shows, and airport paperbacks. On Earth, there are superheroes, and supersoldiers, and ki-wielding doctors, but none of them have quite captured the public eye (or been as heavily commercialized) as the nomad.

By nature of their ki, your average nomad or nomad-level person can punch through walls, deflect most bullets like paper spitballs, and is shrouded by a subtle shield of life energy that makes them difficult to damage by conventional means. Of course, as with all things, if you hit them enough times with enough force, or enough ki, these defenses eventually break. Keep in mind that your character doesn’t have to be a ‘proper’ nomad, or even have to rely on ki, as magic and technology can allow even otherwise normal humans to tangle with ki-powered superhumans.

Ki can be increased several ways. Some rare few are simply born with it, gifted with immense power from Day 1. For most, meditation is one of the most basic—if unrewarding—ways to build ki, and this life energy, whether it’s called ‘ki’ or otherwise, often figures into a variety of religions. Disciplined physical training that unites the mind and the body is another way to increase ki. Because of the lasting impression of the nomad on pop culture, most people will associate ki with physical training, especially martial arts. Indeed, martial arts is probably the most effective and straightforward way to build ki.

Ki Manipulation

Beyond the across-the-board stat boost that high ki reserves grant, ki manipulation opens the way to a variety of abilities. Most use ki to emphasize specific attributes, like speed or strength. Others learn to manipulate their ki and focus it into specific forms. Ki can be transferred to allies to boost strength and stamina, and the more talented ki manipulators can even use it to heal. Ki can also be forced to take physical form, usually manifesting as a specific element that reflects the wielder’s personality and temperament, or to manipulate elements in the immediate vicinity. A person isn’t strictly confined to one element, of course, but will generally find it difficult to go outside their natural comfort zone. A person whose ki can manipulate rocks might find conjuring wind to be extremely challenging, for example.

Others might forgo these versatile abilities, and focus on the overwhelmingly difficult technique of manifesting ki in its pure, unconverted state, which often makes for the strongest shields and the most armor-piercing attacks.

One of the last well-known ki abilities is the power to sense life energy, and depending on practice and ability can detect increasingly specific details about power level and mood at increasingly great distances. The average nomad who has chosen to learn the sensing technique can gauge the general concentration of ki in the immediate vicinity, and notice people like nomads with unusually high ki-reserves.

Magic and Technology

Extra World Details

While skimming at least the ki and nomad sections above is probably necessary for creating a character in this RPG, this is just extra info, things to flesh out the world your character lives in.

Organizations

Several prominent organizations are at work in the world today who owe their existence to the superhuman, or are a direct response to it. These are some examples, to give you an idea of some of the things you can expect in this setting.

■ MAVERICK

An elite peacekeeping task force founded in 1950 and managed by the United Nations, MAVERICK trains its soldiers specifically to combat superbeings like nomads and to handle situations that standard emergency personal could not. They wield advanced technology like anti-magic riot shields, ki-piercing bullets, and other such tricks and toys. These are the soldiers dispatched to keep the powerful from abusing their gifts, and, according to their charter, can only be involved when the superhuman is involved, and have the primary directive of civilian protection.

Despite this, MAVERICK has been the tool of influential dictators and underhanded international politics in the past, and such as its infamous 1975 suppression of anti-junta rebels in Argentina. In the current, modern day, after several decades of internal investigation and reform, they are seen in a more-or-less positive light, though mistrust and conspiracy theories still haunt the organization.

MAVERICK does not, in fact, actually stand for anything, as it was quickly realized that no one really cared what these acronyms stood for as long as they spelled something reasonably compelling. A common in-joke at the MAVERICK offices is brainstorming actual names to go with the acronym.

■ Horizon Frontiers

Horizon Frontiers is regarded as one of the best scientific foundations in the world, specializing in biotechnology & prosthetics at a level head and shoulders above any previous organization. But unbeknownst to the public, the company moves far beyond just the limits of technology: It goes beyond the limits of morality. Deep in the bowels of their operations, Horizon Frontiers has made dozens of amalgamations of flesh and technology, known as Symbiotes, and then testing their capabilities by pitting them against other Nomads & leasing them to mercenary groups, in hopes of creating the ultimate lifeform. In recent years, Horizon Frontiers has even begun to study ki.

■ Domovoi Mechanica Incorporated

A highly influential robotics and weapons development company, run by the wealthy and powerful Auden Rose. Their drone technology is especially advanced, sold to many militaries worldwide, primarily the United States. The company claims its work lies in self-defense and protective services; others label them a merchant of death.

The drones used in the attack on the Brazilian Open were all Domovoi Mechanica, and, while only conspiracy theorists believe Auden and DMI would use their own technology (complete with Domovoi Mechanica logos) on a terrorist attack with no clear benefit to DMI, the incident has caused serious doubt towards the safety and reliability of the company and its product. Some say subpar programming allowed the drones to be hacked, others that poor security allowed them to be stolen. Governments are especially worried that Domovoi Mechanica is selling under the table to terrorist groups, though Auden vehemently denies this, and so early in the investigation, no concrete information has emerged on how exactly a warehouse full of powerful attack droids ended up assaulting Rio de Janeiro.

■ The World Martial Arts Federation

Notoriously bureaucratic, grossly overbloated, mildly corrupt, and absolutely rolling in cash, the WMAF manages some of the biggest and most viewed martial arts tournaments in the world. They have had a hand in lifting many well-known and beloved nomads to international fame, and their own share of scandals, from the rigging of the 1999 Warsaw Grand Prix, to the 2005 bribery scandal, to the infamous pee tape leaked in 2012. They also sponsor ki-training schools, though the quality of those schools can vary drastically.

■ The League of Capes

The League of Capes is a superhero organization based out of the United States. Though never as popular as nomads, especially since, in practical terms, superheroes don’t get into that many actual, fun, flashy, easily televised and commercialized fights, they have their own significant place in global pop culture.

The American superhero industry can often be remarkably similar to Hollywood, in its shallowness, glamor, and hidden corruption—the League, however, is the golden standard that even the most jaded cynic can admire. The prestigious League of Capes is where every superhero hopes to one day work. They are known for famous and exciting fights with all manner of rogue nomads, mad scientists, and supervillains. But in the day-to-day, the League is ultimately more of a charity and lobbying organization, heavily involved in international relief efforts, refugee protection, and the safe transport of needed goods to dangerous areas.

Legends

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

Hmm.. perhaps a historian then.

@vietmyke

I'm not saying a trickster is a bad idea, like, it'd totally be fun to play and it's a cool concept, you'd just gotta make sure they're good and dodging thrown obects.

A historian would be cool, for like a scholarly character. They'd get along with my character too, since he'll be an archaeologist. If you do wanna stick to something bard-ish, a storyteller or a singer who can read the mood and has songs more fitting for what's basically gloomy rural Scotland would be likable enough to the average farmer.

Why don't you embrace the despair that plagues this world? Become a tax collector.

Just noticed this but @Oddsbod what happened to Nephilim in the People of Invernier tab?

@Oxy

I'll touch on that in the main post, but after thinking about it, I decided to lump nephilim together with dragons and the undead as a known, sentient, but nonplayer race. I feel a nephilim would just stand out way too much, and it might feel too much like hoop jumping to get this quasi-mythic giant to be in the rural middle of nowhere with the other player characters.

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

I was going more with a D&d type bard @Oddsbod - and he's more a trickster/performer that happens to know music than a 'lemme travel around and sing the song of the people'.

@vietmyke

I think a trickster/performer is likely to make a bad impression on the average Tempestan. Like, tricksters would definitely be universally shunned, and I feel people would have little patience for elaborate or colorful performances, depending on where you are and the performer's personality. Like, the Tempesta is basically entirely superstitious and suspicious shepherds, serious merchants, and wandering strangers, so they won't be easy to win over.

Again, that character'd be pretty interesting to play, just keep in mind performers may not get the best reception in the Tempesta, or really a lot of Invernier. Maybe a storyteller who likes recounting history would be a pretty universal crowd-pleaser, but tricksters would definitely be universally disliked.

Final Fantasy: The Dark Crystal

Clementine Haschwalden

Thorne City

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You have been assigned to guard duty for the duration of the festival.

Those were Clementine's orders. But that's not very helpful, he had protested. Or specific. Where am I supposed to guard?

Unfortunately, his orders were delivered via letter, which he opened over breakfast the day festivities would begin. That's just not helpful at all.

And so he went wandering the streets, feeling more like a tourist than an employed soldier of Throrne and emissary of Cronquist. Which wasn't altogether bad, of course, but did make him feel a little guilty. You can't help it though, not on a day like this. Clementine, slightly but not altogether unwilling, felt every part of him relax. During the heat of the morning, he bought a snowy white-blue popsicle, and ate it in the shade of the arena. Confetti and flower petals blew through the air like swarms of happy bumblebees.

Eventually, however, common sense got the better of Clementine, and, feeling a little red-faced over wasting the whole morning, went out in search of an officer. Most of the soldiers couldn't give him much advice. In fact, most of the soldiers were busy engaging in the festivities. Eventually, he found one soldier who told him, rather awkwardly while eyeing his armor, "Commander Amelia is in charge of the Knights" and, eventually, another, just in front of the Temple, mentioned, "I think I saw her pass into that tavern across the way."

Tired, rather frazzled, but mostly pleased with his detective work, Clementine pushed his way into the bar. It wasn't hard to spot her; the Knight-Commander's paladin armor was bright and mighty even in the dim, orangey tavern-light.

He approached her table, a lonely little corner of the building, his helmet tucked under his arm, and said quietly, "Um, excuse me, ma'am, I'm sorry to bother you, but my orders, the ones I got this morning, I mean—"

The Knight-Commander was quite tall and serious looking, and Clementine became keenly aware of his rambling.

"What I meant to say, ma'am, I was assigned to guard duty, but I'm not actually sure what that means, and there weren't any further orders to clarify where I was to go or who I'd be working under. Someone mentioned that you were in charge of the knights, and I thought I might find you and ask if there was anything you needed. From me, I mean."

@Ogobrogo

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

I is excite. Don't stress yourself over building the history too much before starting, history is just that, 'his story'. A story that has as much truth as there are lies, that we could discover as 'our story' goes on.

Let's start soon. :).

@71452K

I've just wrapped up the race description section, and things should be done relatively soon! Yeah, I'm excited to get this going too (but I'm also a hyper-nitpicky detail maker, just spent an hour outlining the last 4000 years of Invernier history, whoops).

I had a concept for an elf that was somewhat non-traditional and didn't really fit well with other RP. I'm pretty excited to try it here.

@Force and Fury

Lookin forward to seeing it. I just updated the description of elves on the opening post of the interest check with the description that'll be used in the main, OOC post if you wanna skim it for ideas.

Im thinking magical elf bard, who has a penchant for knives.

@vietmyke

Nice, a musician would be a cool addition to the cast. I'd keep in mind that traditional Final Fantasy style bards would probably not fit in on the Tempesta, and if an elf who's just going around singing to people wants to not get things thrown at them, or have people think they're putting a spell on them, they'd have to be pretty good at reading the mood and also be okay with getting stuff thrown at them anyways sometimes. I do like the idea though, seems neat to play with.

World Warriors: The Nomadic Fist (Quirky Fighting Game Influenced Roleplay)

@Mr Allen J I'd like to make a new character.

My Hider

His name is Gun the Voytslinger. He is the best shot this side of the Mississippi. His head is a gun. It's actually a metaphor.

Of Crosses and Collapses: A Crossover Adventure of Survival on a Patchwork World.

Self-control has successfully been overpowered. I'm in, running with the Skyrim Housecarl character we talked about.

Lookin forward to plunderin all that loot.

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

very interesting concept.

@vietmyke

Interesting enough to seduce you into its coils? Thanks! It's a bit cluttered right now, but I'm cleaning things up for the OOC post, especially with the efertide information, how players start out, and the environment of the Tempesta.

End + Sleep: A High Fantasy Adventure in Cursed Land

Colour me interested.

@Force and Fury

Consider yourself coloured.

I'm still doing work on the OOC post, but it should be done in about a day or two.

World Warriors: The Nomadic Fist (Quirky Fighting Game Influenced Roleplay)

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"Ooph!" Askin swung in great, wild loops around the singularity, half-blind from the blood in his face. Frantic scrubbing knuckles managed to free up one of Askin's eyes, just in time to see a dark shape come in from the side and knocked into him, sending them both spinning.

"Oh! Um, hello!" A woman in all black swung by him, her hands in a deathgrip around a long dark rifle. Askin waved as he went by.

They were on the end of the singularity opposite the monster, but they must have had seconds before it was time to come back around. Askin fingered the container he'd use to rip off the monster's face. Okay. Okay okay okay, let's try something else.

Askin swung around again, and the monster's red camera-eyes came into view. Electricity flew from the exposed wiring of its newly-naked head. Whipping his thin arms down in as hard a punch he could throw, Askin opened the bottle, and the robot was struck across the head with its own stolen face. An explosion of sparks, and the grating sound of metal on metal; the robot's head lurched to the side.

"Damn!" It looked a solid hit, but the sharp end of the robot's armor hadn't penetrated its head like he'd hoped. How could you aim like this? Askin was upside down now, spinning faster than before from the force of his attack. This isn't going anywhere.