VarionusNW

A Magic: The Gathering Custom Set Roleplay: Let's Design a world, Tell the Story, and Make the Cards.

Hello, It's been several years since I've attempted this concept, so I thought I'd introduce it again thanks to the new design direction of Magic: The Gathering. Now planeswalkers are officially only going to be 1 per core set, and the major characters in stories are legendary creatures, with Omenpaths allowing interplanar travel for any who can access them. These open a lot of interesting narrative possibilities.

The core conceit of this project is to design a M:TG set and write the story for it simultaneously. There's a few ways to do this, but I currently lean towards creating a core cast of relevant characters, and each player heading both the designs and narrative for the characters they create/are in charge of, and their story beats. So each player would likely be running multiple characters. For this, posts would likely also need to be much longer, closer to a high-casual to low-advanced level of length and skill, being full scenes or short stories in the overarching world rather than just one post in a chain. There'd also need to be a lot of collaboration, so that it's not a group of people writing disparate stories and shoving them together. Though, before all of that the first step will be the group working together to come up with a setting and core plot we'd all be excited to write within. Of course, this structure is subject to change depending on how everyone would prefer doing it.

If you're at all interested in combining an interest in creating custom magic cards with roleplaying/collaborative storytelling, definitely jump in and express interest. I imagine the pace will be somewhat slow considering all this might entail, but I'd be super excited to get this off the ground.

As a note, we're not beholden to WotC design policy despite me mentioning it, as this is a for fun custom set. Oops all planeswalkers at common if we wanted. Oh, and if you aren't familiar with creating custom magic cards, that's still fine, it's not hard to learn and I don't see a problem with some players just being writers and not designers if they don't want to.

My minimum will be at least 2 other people, but I'm hoping for more.

The Return of Magic - An Intro

James Isaac Keening

James threw the door to his room open and rushed to close and lock it behind him, the act taking him several seconds longer that it should have. His breathing was panicked, and his thoughts were scattered into white noise. He paced around the room, absentmindedly fiddling with random objects from among the mess while trying to focus on anything in particular.

His mind flitted between escape plans. Jumping out the window and just running to nowhere in particular was certainly an option. He could play it cool, but someone was bound to ask how or why he turned his test and an entire pencil to ash. Well, crawling into bed and just waiting for death certainly had its perks, considering he just definitely failed thermodynamics. Anna was likely to kill him over this too. Wait, no, she'd take it as some sort of rebellion against the system probably. Okay, his sister could be informed, but not for a while at least.

James' mind halted for a second as his hands had begun to solve a Rubik's Cube. What had even happened? It was the first exam of the semester, and he wasn't that worried about it. Well, he had only gotten two hours of sleep, and the only studying he had done was last night, but that was normal. Despite normal circumstances, then, James had somehow gained and activated this new ability. Even just thinking about it, his body tensed up. He desperately did not want it to activate accidentally again, or ideally ever. He could get by without the ability to turn paper to dust.

Admittedly though, he was curious, and learning to control it would at least prevent similar incidents. For now, he would keep it firmly locked up and try to regain some sense of normalcy. If the word online was anything to go buy, this magical power stuff wasn't going to be worth it. Most people would likely be quite happy to suddenly have magic, but James was primarily annoyed.

James had finally settled on crawling into bed for an early sleep. He tossed the cube to the ground, and as it skittered towards the door he noticed something. There was a letter on the floor that must have been slipped under his door at some point. Who the hell would send him a letter? He was already bad at responding to texts as is, so archaic snail-mail wasn't exactly the smartest choice.

Despite his confusion at its existence, James picked the letter up and opened it. It didn't improve his day, and it made his mid-afternoon nap no longer an option. Screw the 'not telling Anna' grace period, this was an emergency. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed his sister.

"Get the hell over here, right now."

---

One Month Later

James found himself stumbling along the side of a narrow road. The pavement was cracked, marred with disuse, and lined on both sides by sprawling weeds. He shoes felt as if they were seconds from falling apart, full of holes and fraying all around, but his steps were fall from careful. He had stopped caring about the weight of each footfall several hours ago, though it could have been days ago, he wasn't sure. Every step received the full brunt of his weight, carrying his body entirely by the momentum of the last heavy step. His knees constantly threaten to buckle, and a painful mass of blisters had certainly formed on the bottom of his feet, though he refused to check. To stop would be to die.

Was he even walking in the right direction? The last time he checked the phone, which was now dead, he appeared to be on the last road before reaching the address, but some cruel act of fate could have pulled him off course.

A noise rattled the loose stones of the road. A car was coming. James veered into the weeds, going deep enough that hopefully it's passengers wouldn't notice him. He couldn't take the risk. Eventually he deemed it safe enough to come out, with vines ripping more holes out of his hoodie. The stumbling continued for an indeterminable length of time, punctuated by the occasional rush into the bushes.

The only sounds James could hear were the blood rushing past his ears, his breathing, and his head throbbing. His body felt like it was falling apart, and his brain was minimizing his surroundings to compensate. The world was a blurry, half finished painting, still white at the edges. Eventually A large brown smudge materialized on the left of the road, at least he thought. He lurched in that direction.

The shapes unblurred, the details filling in. It was some sort of large house, an old mansion? Very old, at that. There were too many greens and oranges where only the greys and beiges should have been. Windows missing, fallen boards, an unkempt lawn, vines and tree branches invading the home. This must have been the right address, the one from the letter. James was pretty sure he was still holding onto a scrap of it in his right hand. It was clenched tight, and it did feel like he was holding onto paper. There were no other buildings for miles, this had to be the one.

James focused his vision on the mansion, but despite that some of the smudges kept moving. People. There were people in front of the house. Not good. It looked like some of them were talking. Another person popped out of nowhere, as if through a portal, though James tried to pay that little mind. He adjusted his glasses, as useless as they were with the lenses covered in dirt and sweat and put his left hand into his pocket. He wrapped his fingers around a rock.

James walked as nonchalantly as he could with legs that barely held him up, approaching the group. They all seemed to be waiting around, but he didn't exactly want to get caught up in that. He tried to wave as he walked, raising his hand to only about chest high, though he dropped his arm when he realized he was just flopping the half-charred letter in his grip about instead. He quickly strode up the steps and towards the door.

He hurriedly reached for the doorknob with one hand, knocked on the door with the other, and tried to pull it open.

The Return of Magic - An Intro

James Isaac Keening

James Isaac Keening

Gender
Male

Age
20

Appearance

James stands at around 6'1" with an average frame, though on the slightly broader end of average, and a general lack of muscle. His head is an unkempt mess of dark hair that is technically dirty blond, but rarely reveals that fact outside of particularly bright conditions. His face is framed by thick rectangular glasses and marked by unfortunately light and patchy stubble. He generally appears to have Germanic and Irish features, though he's descended from a broad mishmash of nationalities.

James' unkempt appearance tends to come off through his choice in clothes as well, often plain colored wrinkled shirts, dark colored hoodies, and jeans. Plain and functional, but lacking in grace, style, or any sort of wrinkle-prevention.

Personality

Analytical | Honest | Sluggish

James would likely describe himself as tired, and little else. He's a classic burnt-out gifted kid. He lacks internal motivation for important tasks, and requires external motivators, usually routine and obligation. James will often engage himself with puzzles, and enjoys trying to figure out problems analytically. He's the sort of person who thinks through his emotions more than he feels them, and can often be slow to build really emotional responses. Unfortunately, when he does build up that emotional inertia, it takes a very long time to de-escalate, making James the extremely spiteful, grudge-holding sort. James can come off as rather antisocial, idiosyncratic, and rude, especially given recent events.

History

How one raises a child as if they're the next Einstein in Cleveland of all places will forever be a mystery to James Isaac Keening.

His parents were the eternally middle class sort, shifting up and down from basic data entry jobs to management position over many years. They always had enough money to live, never enough for all the amenities one could want. It was a family of 4: James, his parents, his sister Annabelle.

The siblings were only separated by two years, but there was a gulf in expectations between them from a young age. Annabelle was rebellious, got held back in kindergarten, and was nearly expelled multiple times during high school. James, however, tested into the school district's gifted program, and did well in school for a long time, his parents pushing him to do better because he's just that smart and should be capable of it. That pushing only got more severe over time, and eventually James gave up.

The shining star child disappeared at the start of high school, replaced with the exhausted, unresponsive young adult that James was always doomed to become. He suddenly had a lot more in common with his older sister who he had fought with all his life. They talked about how awful their parents were often, but there was always the silent belief that the other child of the pair was the cause of their parent's treatment.

James had given up most of what he used to enjoy, now staring into a computer screen for most of the day and disassociating from his living situation. He did gain new interests, however; primarily puzzles and games, and the general joy of learning new things and digging through strange systems and ideas. He still enjoyed learning, but could no longer function in his former structure. James barely passed high school, only picking up in the last year after some guidance councilors and friends encouraged him to create his own routines, resulting in a couple of A grades.

James started going to a community college, as it was all he could get into at first. He did eventually transfer to a larger college, working on a bachelor's in physics. Of course, he still didn't magically do better, and his grades kept slumping intermittently every time there was a mild change in his routine. Luckily, James at least had support, in the form of a small group of friends, and his sister who had followed him in going to college. Life was bearable for a while.

Unfortunately, good things don't last long for a Keening. James had been watching the conversation about supposed magic online for a while, and assumed it was all a hoax. That was, until he unknowingly developed one. He speculates that he might've had it the moment powers started showing up in the world, and he was none the wiser for months.

Then he got too stressed during a test.

The paper turned to ash under his hand, leaving his mouth agape. A second later, he tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and rationalize the situation, and instead it was as if he breathed the pencil in through his hand, that too disappearing into dust. His muscles went rigid, the fear and confusion coursing through him. He excused himself and ran to his dorm.

He spent ten minutes pacing before he noticed a letter that had been slipped under his door. James wasn't exactly thrilled that someone somehow knew about this strange power before he did, but he didn't want to show his face on campus ever again. He brought the situation up to his sister, and it was her idea to get the hell out of Ohio and follow the letter. Within a few days' time James, Anna, and a few of their friends got into Anna's car and started toward Massachusets.

James doesn't discuss the weeks that followed, and why they resulted in him arriving to the address alone on foot, but the bruises, dirt, and frayed clothing give insight that the young man refuses to elaborate on.

Equipment

Nothing but his frayed, dirty clothes, a small leatherbound notebook, and a pocket full of rocks.

Magic

The following is an excerpt from James' notes

It appears that I can turn small objects to dust with little effort. Rocks, paper, marbles and such. All I need to do is touch something, then I get this sensation like I can almost breathe the object through my hand, sucking it in, and then the object disintegrates. The thing needs to fit in my palm, I think. Anything larger takes too much force, like breathing through a straw filled with concrete. Same thing happens with stuff with a lot of parts, most things with little mechanisms or any sort of circuitry. I'm not exactly sure what the use case for this is. I can become the world's most effective paper shredder, I suppose.

The Return of Magic - An Intro

James Isaac Keening

James Isaac Keening

Gender
Male

Age
20

Appearance

James stands at around 6'1" with an average frame, though on the slightly broader end of average, and a general lack of muscle. His head is an unkempt mess of dark hair that is technically dirty blond, but rarely reveals that fact outside of particularly bright conditions. His face is framed by thick rectangular glasses and marked by unfortunately light and patchy stubble. He generally appears to have Germanic and Irish features, though he's descended from a broad mishmash of nationalities.

James' unkempt appearance tends to come off through his choice in clothes as well, often plain colored wrinkled shirts, dark colored hoodies, and jeans. Plain and functional, but lacking in grace, style, or any sort of wrinkle-prevention.

Personality

Analytical | Honest | Sluggish

James would likely describe himself as tired, and little else. He's a classic burnt-out gifted kid. He lacks internal motivation for important tasks, and requires external motivators, usually routine and obligation. James will often engage himself with puzzles, and enjoys trying to figure out problems analytically. He's the sort of person who thinks through his emotions more than he feels them, and can often be slow to build really emotional responses. Unfortunately, when he does build up that emotional inertia, it takes a very long time to de-escalate, making James the extremely spiteful, grudge-holding sort. James can come off as rather antisocial, idiosyncratic, and rude, especially given recent events.

History

How one raises a child as if they're the next Einstein in Cleveland of all places will forever be a mystery to James Isaac Keening.

His parents were the eternally middle class sort, shifting up and down from basic data entry jobs to management position over many years. They always had enough money to live, never enough for all the amenities one could want. It was a family of 4: James, his parents, his sister Annabelle.

The siblings were only separated by two years, but there was a gulf in expectations between them from a young age. Annabelle was rebellious, got held back in kindergarten, and was nearly expelled multiple times during high school. James, however, tested into the school district's gifted program, and did well in school for a long time, his parents pushing him to do better because he's just that smart and should be capable of it. That pushing only got more severe over time, and eventually James gave up.

The shining star child disappeared at the start of high school, replaced with the exhausted, unresponsive young adult that James was always doomed to become. He suddenly had a lot more in common with his older sister who he had fought with all his life. They talked about how awful their parents were often, but there was always the silent belief that the other child of the pair was the cause of their parent's treatment.

James had given up most of what he used to enjoy, now staring into a computer screen for most of the day and disassociating from his living situation. He did gain new interests, however; primarily puzzles and games, and the general joy of learning new things and digging through strange systems and ideas. He still enjoyed learning, but could no longer function in his former structure. James barely passed high school, only picking up in the last year after some guidance councilors and friends encouraged him to create his own routines, resulting in a couple of A grades.

James started going to a community college, as it was all he could get into at first. He did eventually transfer to a larger college, working on a bachelor's in physics. Of course, he still didn't magically do better, and his grades kept slumping intermittently every time there was a mild change in his routine. Luckily, James at least had support, in the form of a small group of friends, and his sister who had followed him in going to college. Life was bearable for a while.

Unfortunately, good things don't last long for a Keening. James had been watching the conversation about supposed magic online for a while, and assumed it was all a hoax. That was, until he unknowingly developed one. He speculates that he might've had it the moment powers started showing up in the world, and he was none the wiser for months.

Then he got too stressed during a test.

The paper turned to ash under his hand, leaving his mouth agape. A second later, he tried to take a deep breath to calm himself and rationalize the situation, and instead it was as if he breathed the pencil in through his hand, that too disappearing into dust. His muscles went rigid, the fear and confusion coursing through him. He excused himself and ran to his dorm.

He spent ten minutes pacing before he noticed a letter that had been slipped under his door. James wasn't exactly thrilled that someone somehow knew about this strange power before he did, but he didn't want to show his face on campus ever again. He brought the situation up to his sister, and it was her idea to get the hell out of Ohio and follow the letter. Within a few days' time James, Anna, and a few of their friends got into Anna's car and started toward Massachusets.

James doesn't discuss the weeks that followed, and why they resulted in him arriving to the address alone on foot, but the bruises, dirt, and frayed clothing give insight that the young man refuses to elaborate on.

Equipment

Nothing but his frayed, dirty clothes, a small leatherbound notebook, and a pocket full of rocks.

Magic

The following is an excerpt from James' notes

It appears that I can turn small objects to dust with little effort. Rocks, paper, marbles and such. All I need to do is touch something, then I get this sensation like I can almost breathe the object through my hand, sucking it in, and then the object disintegrates. The thing needs to fit in my palm, I think. Anything larger takes too much force, like breathing through a straw filled with concrete. Same thing happens with stuff with a lot of parts, most things with little mechanisms or any sort of circuitry. I'm not exactly sure what the use case for this is. I can become the world's most effective paper shredder, I suppose.

The Return of Magic - An Intro

@Gisk This came up in the discord, time manipulation can be a little wonky and potentially overpowered in an RP setting. "It tends to be a can of worms that never ends" in the GM's words.

The Return of Magic - The intro

@ColouredCyan Yea it's modern fantasy. I thought the same that at first too, but the first post references the internet and Modern is one of the tags. And I'm sure we'll get clarification on magic and power scaling once the OOC is out since everyone seems to have a few different ideas of what it might be. From what I read it looks like more of a power system, with each character probably picking a concept or magic type, and starting with a single cantrip level minor ability. And the upgrades are at least player guided, if not directly player controlled. I could be entirely wrong though.

The Return of Magic - The intro

@MagratheanWhale I feel like there's maybe a power section missing from the sheet, unless that was a deliberate exclusion for the moment?

The Return of Magic - The intro

Anyone else have any ideas that they're tossing around character wise yet? I have a few power concepts, but I think I'll wait to see what others are going for to narrow my options down.

Also any plans for a discord for this RP at all?

The Return of Magic - The intro

Weak powers that upgrade over time are my jam, as long as everyone improves at basically the same rate.

And if you don't mind my two cents @Dragonfly 9, I think a demon that grants a load of powers to a host is likely beyond the scale of what Whale is going for. It sounds like the plan is extremely weak single-concept powers as the magic at the start. Maybe you could maybe the characters magic be demon binding, and they accidentally bind a demon to themselves and lack the ability to undo it, but the demon's powers are also hindered by a human form that isn't used to magic. And then as they improve, they get to use that demon magic, which could maybe be in one or two of the directions you mentioned maybe? Just an idea, and I am just guessing mostly, just had some thoughts since I do enjoy a good two characters in one body gimmick.

Also looks like we have 5 interested people now. That went really fast.

The Return of Magic - The intro

I think I might be interested. Definitely looking forward to more details, particularly on how the magic should work/ the sort of stuff we'll be allowed to do.