Too Old 4 This

Arboreal

It's good to see some interest. In light of this I'm going to drop a character sheet here so people can start brainstorming if they are so inclined. I'm trying something new with the CS design and I hope people like it. Please feel free to ask questions and offer suggestions as this is still in beta as it were.

Character Sheet

Character Name:

Species Name: (Any arboreal vertebrate animal, anthropomorphized (examples: chipmunk, spider monkey, sloth, owl, koala, chameleon, etc.). I will also accept one Rhizoid which would be a species, vertebrate or invertebrate, with a subterranean and/or parasitic life history (example: phylloxeran, aphid, bark beetle, ant, mole, shrew, rabbit)

Species Persona: (Everything superficial and obvious about your species. Their appearance, size, demeanor and typical stereotypes)

Species Nature: (Posted as a spoiler which only characters who are members of this species or familiar with it through study or experience should read. Everything nuanced about your species. Things only those of your kind and those with knowledge of your culture would know. These include beliefs, rituals, specific modes of governance, religion, attitudes toward magic, etc.)

Character Persona: (Superficial details of the character; what do you see when you look at him/her)

Character Nature: (Posted as a spoiler or a PM to me. This includes everything about your character not common knowledge Don't share with any other PCs who do not know your backstory in character. This prevents metagaming and makes the start of the game way more suspenseful)

Arboreal

Arboreal

Concept

Players create a unique anthropomorphic animal race (must be an arboreal animal, squirrel, bird, chameleon, monkey, etc.) and play as a member of that race in a world which is, effectively, a supermassive tree on the scale of a planetoid orbiting a star in space. The mainplot will involve the conflict between the green, sunlit realms of the upper branches (Phyllan or the Phyllosphere) and the dark, dank and fungal dominated landscapes of the root realms (Rhizora or the Rhizosphere).

Setting

The World Tree or Orun is far older than even Owlish records and holds a host of animal civilizations within its boughs and betwixt its roots. Although each species has its own culture, they can be classed largely into two categories, Dendroids or Branch dwellers, and Rhizoids or Root Dwellers. Invertebrates dominate the Rhizorum and tend to be cold and ruthless in their organization. They care little for the health of Orun and so tend to spread sickness, blight, in their wake. Vertebrates, on the other hand, dominate the boughs and trunk and tend to be more empathic toward both one another and the world tree itself. The dominant society in the Rhizosphere is the Cicadian Empire, a powerful society of insect root parasites who draw the fuel for their dark magics directly from the tree's lifesap. Cicadians periodically lead invasions into the phyllosphere when their society undergoes a radical metamorphisis which grants them wings and powered flight. Opposing them in the branches is a loose alliance of varied animal cultures united only in their stewerdship of the tree and respect for the druids, ancient practitioners of green magic who offer advice but eschew power.

Magic

Magic in the world always derives from the world tree. Black or Blight Magic taps the fluid essence of the world tree, called mana, for power and causes rot and sickness as a result. It is practiced openly only in the Rhizosphere. Green magic or druidry, on the other hand, restrains itself to using only sources that the tree itself provides, ambrosia from nectar or fruits. Black magic is unquestionably more powerful, but it can only destroy where as green magic may be weak but it alone can create life. Other forms of magic are rumored to exist, but are not widely known. All these magics require a certain kind of mind which is in tune with its source of power, the lifeforce of the tree or the spiral of decay. Such a mindset comes either from a natural gift or decades of training and/or intensive meditation.

Technology

By using the different fibers and woods provided by the tree, almost any material imaginable is available for technology. Although limited to preindustrial machines, the animal races of the boughs have mastered wind power and airship technology. The later are the main type of transport in the Dendrosphere where the spans of air between branches would otherwise make travel difficult. Although not as keen on airships (many rhizoids already possess wings), Rhizoid armies are feared for their use of graywood (iron) and other metals available to them due to their close interface with the soil that surrounds Orun's roots.

Races

In general all animal races will be about the same size regardless of the size of their realworld counterparts. Invertebrate races will be, in general, about half this standard scale. Players should feel free to be as creative as possible when designing their race so long as they stay true to the overall theme.

Game

The game will be party based and open world. Although there will be mainplot elements players WILL NOT be railroaded and rather will have the freedom to confront challenges in whichever way they deem fit. The only constrictions are that players try to remain as a party and not completely ignore important world events.

Fallout: Capital wasteland/east coast (high Casual.)

Always interested in FO. What are our character options? I do like me some ghouls.

A City. (High Fantasy)

@Dylan What I'm talking about is metaphysics, mood and culture. How does magic work in the world. What is the mood or general tone, grimdark, noblebright, etc? What are the cultural universals? If this is a single continent then cultures are going to be similar, do they have a more European or a more Eastern flair or are they something more unique. If these three elements are not defined, people's creations won't look like they belong in the same setting together. Cowriting is more than just a bunch of people coming up with ideas. You need that shared skeleton to make sure the ideas mesh with one another and the end product is a believable and immersive setting.

I'm sorry for my skepticism, but the last one of these I got involved with began with the GM posting a picture of his centaur character which was some erotic, equine abomination straight out of the darkside of furcadia. Defining the theme doesn't restrict creativity, it just makes sure your players are interested in designing a world together and not just in shoehorning or magical realming.

A City. (High Fantasy)

I've done this before. It's sometimes called a collaborative, or if there is a regular swap of the GM role, a round-robin. What you need to make it realistic is some essential theme or framework that helps tie people's disparate ideas together. If you just go full-on free-for-all then everyone will wind up shoehorning in the idea they personally want rather than thinking of how it makes sense in the world. The result is always a tumescent pile of clashing and self contradictory concepts that feel nothing like a coherent and believable setting.

tl;dr A city on the coast with high fantasy elements is not enough for player creativity to build on and have the results appear to belong in the same setting together. A good world has that special trademark that sets it apart and manifests in many, if not all, aspects of the world.

If you give me some coherent theme then I'm in. If not, I'm afraid it's just going to be a random salad of every player's favorite trope and magical realm.

Dragon Age: Origins (Remix)

@auto No problem, just trying to make sure we keep a pace.

@All Hang in there, the group is starting to take shape and once that happens the game generally flows more smoothly.

Dragon Age: Origins (Remix)

Waiting on Automaton. You have four PCs WTFing in your general direction.

TES: Soul Cairn

I intend my next post to be after a considerable length of travel for both my main and her henchmen. Combat heavy posts are causing a time dilation in Bravil, so don't expect to see my next post for a while. At least a day or two ingame time.

Dragon Age: Origins (Remix)

@Zordon Okay, so that ship with the golem had kind of sailed and there was really enough going on in that scene as is. Now it's kind of a trainwreck, but no matter. Also mind that Warden recruits who have not even undergone the joining do not generally bark orders at their senior Wardens. There is somewhat of an in-character hierarchy among players at this point. When the group becomes more integrated, this may disolve, but currently Joras outranks most of you and in a wartime environment people tend to take rank seriously.

Fauna of the Caribbean

TheHeist said
Thought i would bump this, let some more people see the idea :D.

Thanks.