STATUS:
Say "thanks," when they compliment you and smile. Watch more of what's going on around you instead of staying inside your head. If eye contact's hard, stare at her forehead.
17 days ago
Current
Say "thanks," when they compliment you and smile. Watch more of what's going on around you instead of staying inside your head. If eye contact's hard, stare at her forehead.
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1 mo ago
@ColdAtlus: Cheems.
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2 mos ago
If commissioning an artist isn't possible, could look into using AI and then editing what it puts out. Lots of ppl are salty about AI art so maybe use a disclaimer, but it's an option.
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2 mos ago
1-liners become impossible if you actually write. What're your characters' 5 senses picking up? What emotions/thoughts do they have as they speak? What body language do they show? No bulli, just fact.
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2 mos ago
In the AI era, you can only get ghosted if you choose to be.
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Bio
On CST time, United States. Typically busy most of the week and do most posting/replying on weekends.
That's all super helpful, thanks very much! As far as drawbacks for the character's power go...
As far as the limitations of using his power, even if he's reinforcing himself with a "web-brace," he wouldn't be able to just plant his feet and slug somebody with super-strength. In order to generate force and momentum, he'd have to use his webs for swinging, sling-shotting, and spring-loading forces. He'd also have to keep track of a lot of things when swinging around or creating nets---where are his anchor points, how high is he above the ground, the arc of a swing, etc---so without the patented "Spidey-sense" I could easily see him getting overwhelmed in a situation with too many factors like busy streets, multi-person battles, etc.
For drawbacks on his power itself, I imagine he'd be required to eat a lot of calories, especially protein-rich foods, to produce large amounts of webbing. So rather than running out of "web cartridges," the indicator that he's running low on webs would be hearing his stomach growl, lol. Because the web comes from his body, it also means he wouldn't be able to wear certain types of armor and such. His webs could be dissolved by anything acidic or caustic like bleach, white vinegar, etc, and they'd be flammable.
Would that work, or does he need something that's more of a "kryptonite factor" as a drawback?
@Ace of flames01 Hi, I'm potentially interested in this but I have a few questions about my character concept and the worldbuilding! I apologize if I ramble, so I've put the questions into hiders:
For my character, I wanted to do something very Spiderman-esque. But I noticed that you had mentioned to others that Gifts need to be based around a "singular" power, and of course Spiderman's general "spiderpowers" are broken up into various aspects. For the web-slinging and wall-climbing aspects, I had the idea that his Gift mutation causes his body's hair follicles (specifically, Vellus Hair, so he wouldn't be bald lol) to act as miniature spinnerets that produce webs instead of human hair. This way even if all his power really is, is "making webs," he could potentially fire a webline from most surfaces of his body (similar to the Venom suit, as opposed to the usual web-shooters). By weaving the individual strands together he could create stronger cordage, nets or loops that can close with a pull, etc.
Would using these webs to wrap "braces" around himself, such as on his arms, legs, spine, a vest over his torso, etc be a justifiable way to emulate street-level super strength, speed, and durability? Or would all this versatility be too far outside the original power's scope by your standards? And would changing the quality of the webs themselves (some that are stickier, some that spray out in liquid form and then harden, some that are harder but less flexible like metallic wire, etc) also be considered a "separate" ability?
Given that there's a period of over a century between the advent of the Gifted and the time in which they're being hunted down, how common are they among the populace? Are we talking about like, 1 per million compared to "normal" people, or fewer/more? Depending on how likely it is for Gifts to be inherited, is there any reason that the Gifted populace hasn't risen so high as to overtake or equal normal human populations? Even if normal people had advanced tech and weapons, is there anything that stops the Gifted from using those advantages for themselves?
How often do Gifted powers of noticeable levels occur, roughly? Like, are the "heroes and villains" of the setting just outliers whereas your "every-day average" Gifted would just have a power like "10/10 vision" or "magnetic bones (with said magnetism being like, the strength of a shop-mag for picking up nails and such)" compared to the monsters who can throw cars or fly at mach speed?
Are there any non-power related genetic differences between Gifted and normal humans? Like immunity or resistance against disease, drugs that ONLY affect Gifted, new blood types, etc? I realize this one seems kind of pointless but I ask because of what I had planned for my character's backstory, and also because it seems like a Gifted's body would adapt differently depending on their powers (for instance, would someone whose teeth can chew through anything also have a stronger digestive system?).
@King Cosmos It's not that the way you guys did things was bad---it's always on the GM to introduce plot, I could've easily sent something at you guys at any time! I didn't intend to make the statement feel like a barb or anything, sorry!
Yeah I understand the difficulty in having groups, especially in a game like this where everyone's consistently holding to a pretty high level of posting. But, thanks for mentioning that I might be pushing players together too much---I mostly intended to just lay out opportunities to interact, and leave whether or not any interaction actually occurred up to players. Like when you guys passed Agar on the way to the caves and he chose not to join, and no one chose to pursue him, and so forth. If it feels too forced, I'll try not to be so overt with it! The intention was just to allow people to be aware of different things happening around them.
Character interaction will definitely be a bigger focus this time, both for PCs and NPCs! That's why I had you guys all start as basically already "walking and talking" and part of the Orc tribe, whereas last time because everyone was a different kind of monster, it didn't make as much sense for "mixed packs" to form. The Head Warrior, Shaman, Warchief, all those folks will definitely present opportunities for more cerebral activities instead of a constant cycle of fighting, skill grinding, and survival crafting!
Now why in the world would you say that? Do you know something about the Flak Beetle that others don't? š
Update is go! As always, let me know if anything was missed, concerns, clarity etc!
Also, in the interest of bolstering more activity, does anyone have anything they think has maybe not quite been up to par they'd like to suggest fixes for? I know most of you are basically ambush hunting/tracking and thus literally have to kinda wait for stuff passively to happen, but I don't want to run into some of the same stagnation problems I had last time when I ran "I, the Demon King, Will Summon My Own Damned Heroes!" (also known by the fan name for its anime adaptation, KusoYuusha!) The fact that the System gives you quest and exploration prompts is an effort towards that, but if there's anything else that could be done I'd love to hear your takes!
@Rune_Alchemist Like a blast from one of those heathen foreign cartoons, Svarokās Holy Bolt took the goblin between the shoulder blades. The creature cried out breathlessly as it was knocked end over end through the brush, coming to rest with a crash against a tree trunk. As the Orc Runt caught up with the so-called spy, the smaller greenskin rolled over onto its belly with a groan. As it got onto all fours, rubbing its head, it looked up to see the stern face of Svarok.
āEeeeek!ā The goblin bowed down, putting its forehead to the ground as it blubbered.
āI sorriez, Mighty Orcling! Please, please forgives!ā sobbed the creature. āPlease donāt kills me! Iās only a widdle gobby! Iās just a silly little guy! Pwee-heeeeze, has murh-hurr-cies!ā
Whether or not Svarok had mercy to spare, however, another rustling just out of her periphery on the right side reached her ears. Less than a half-second after that sound, a second goblin sprang out of the brush! This one had a long stick tipped with a sharp piece of black-tipped rock, which it thrust squarely at Svarokās midsection with a phlegmy roar! @Timemaster [[Since Steel Legion has gone dormant, feel free to either attack the monsters youāve encountered or to try and join up with another player instead. We can assume that Legionās character either stays behind or chooses to retreat for now, etc]]
As Carmina watched the Jackalope and the Slime before her, there was a bright burst of light not too far away, followed by a lot of what sounded likeā¦crying? It didnāt seem like an Orcās voice, being higher pitched in nature and kind of wheedling or nasal.
The two monsters facing off with each other reacted as well, both looking in the same direction. If Carmina wanted a distraction, now would be the perfect moment to strike one of themā¦but, whoever that was that had caused the flash of light, from the sounds of it they were either in, or causing, a great amount of distress. That voice sounded desparateā¦ @ReusableSword The Tatzelwurm and the Harpy faced each other, both wounded. One bleeding, one seemingly poisoned. Both injured. The snake-cat coiled its body for what appeared to be a straight forward springā¦the movement was telegraphed, but maybe it was relying on its seeming advantage in speed? The harpy, meanwhile, folded its wings and crouched low on those five-taloned, disturbingly hand-like feetā¦
Another red crackle of energy covered the Harpyās talons. The tatzelwurmās tail unleashed its muscular force like an activated spring. Its claws were held ready to intercept the Slash it thought was comingāit would use its fangs to deal the final blow instead!
But the harpy didnāt take a swing at it. Instead, that energy on its legs seemed to be channeled into a sudden forward lunge that matched, maybe even exceeded, the Tatzelwurmās speed! With an angled step the Harpy dashed past the tatzelwurm, and while the creature was still in the air after missing its own lunge, the bird-like monster bit down on the back of its neck!
The cat-snake struggled and thrashed, but the harpy shook it back and forth like a dog, biting down harder all the while. Within seconds, the tatzelwurm ceased to move. The harpy dropped it, stepping on it with one talon as if to make sure it was actually deadā¦
The bruise on its shoulder grew larger, dark veins running up its neck. The creature let out a pained yowl, and seemed to be out of breathā¦
Agarās target had seemingly been decided for himā¦
As Lazash and Vola explored deeper into the cavern, they were quick to notice the purple fungus and the large beetle. But now that they were inside and could look down the passageway, once their eyes adjusted they had a closer view of other things inside the cave as well.
A part of the cave wall looked dark and smooth and slightly wet, yet within it were faint sprinkles of lighter material, like individual grains of sand. It was clearly a different kind of stone from the rest of the material around itā¦
And deeper into the cleft in the rock, the narrow passage, along the right-hand side of the wall there was another difference in the stony layers. Standing out from the crags around it was a jagged part of the wall with a yellowish color and a metallic luster. It bore what looked to be scratch marks in several places. A distinctive black streak with green flecks crossed the uneven surface, as if drawn there with paint.
But these materials were probably at the back of the Orc Runtsā minds, because two more immediate concerns were now within armās reach. Both of them decided to examine, and take a few samples, from the clusters of mushrooms under where the beetle clung to the upper wall.
Lazash was careful to watch the insectoid monster as well as she bent down, and activated her [Creature Analysis].
Analyzing Creatures... Flak Beetle - An aggressive insectoid known for the glowing sac hidden under its shell. The shell hides a gland in the bug's thorax that, similar to a firefly, contains a substance that produces light. It also has strong jaws.
Skill Progress: Creature Analysis - Rank I > Rank II! Gain more information when analyzing a creature, including a general assessment of the threat it poses. Warning: Assessmentās accuracy is based on known factors and does not account for individual differences within specimens.
But as they pulled the purple mushrooms from their stalks, the white pustules on each cap began to swell up! With a sound like a fart, they burst and spewed clouds of tiny lavender spores into the air! The girls found that the dust settled on them without immediate harm, aside from perhaps causing some sneezing and coughing. Some of the spores also landed on the rocks around them.
Then, the mushrooms that were still in the ground suddenly began to swell tooāexcept instead of the white pustules, it was the purple caps that began to inflate, and only one out of every four mushrooms seemed to be doing it. Then, rather than explode, the caps simply split open.
Followed by tongue like, barbed tendrils that lashed out with frightening speed towards Lazash and Vola, as well as what seemed to be random spots on the ground and wallsā¦
Meanwhile, outside the cavern, it seemed like the three Runts waiting for something to bumble their way so they could unga-bunga it to death would have a rather boring time of it. However, if they were to pay close attention to their surroundings, especially on the rocky ledge above the entrance to the cave, they might note that there were indeed other life forms in this valleyā¦some that were quite different from what theyād encountered in the forestā¦
A dire rat, with the same kind of urgency that a squirrel has when leaping between trees over passing humans on the trail, jumped off one pile of rocks and scurried across the ledge towards another. In the process, however, it stepped on one rock that actually jumped upward. From beneath the stone came a pair of chitinous pincers that snapped and snatched at the rodent, who responded by biting back viciously and letting out an enraged squeak.
And behind the three waiting orc runts, from further up the slope of the valley, another creature came rolling downhill. It wasnāt exactly coming right for themā¦but it didnāt look like it had any intention of avoiding them eitherā¦nor of slowing downā¦
If they chose to engage these monsters, however, they might be risking not being in position when it came time to do their thingā¦however, Lazash and Vola hadnāt made much noise so far, so who knew how long itād be until they found somethingā¦?
Grunthor acquired Spiked Club from Gren's inventory. Vola acquired Spear Thrower and Short Spears from Gren's inventory.
If we can get a few more posts, I'd like to do an update this weekend. Let me know if anyone needs info, but don't feel rushed if you've got other things going. I have to admit though, I do feel like it's been a little slow lately...but that may just be my week in RPing in general.
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