Hi, everyone. I'm new to this forum, but I'm not new to roleplaying. I've already hosted several RPs on [url=http://www.kongregate.com/forums/36]Kongregate Forum Games Forum[/url] that could be considered "advanced" (I migrated here because I thought Kongregate FGF didn't have enough dedicated roleplayers), so I have a fair amount of experience in writing, worldbuilding, and roleplaying. This will be the first game that I host here, and I'll try to do it the same way I hosted games on Kongregate FGF and see if that works out. I apologize in advance if I inadvertently get anything wrong. If I understand correctly, before making any game, I'm supposed to make an interest check thread in this section of the forum to see if people like the idea. So I'm going to put some information regarding the setting, gameplay, and character creation below. This information is going to be available in the game thread's OOC tab if enough people are interested to get the game going. This game was hosted once in Kongregate FGF three years ago, by my friend [@BCTheEntity], though it failed due to inactivity and BC’s lack of hosting experience back then. However, the idea was mine to begin with; I let BC host it because I was already hosting another game at the time. You can ask BC for confirmation if you want. Of course, this game won’t be exactly the same as the version BC hosted, since I’m changing many things to fix some of the problems that I believe BC’s version had that caused the game to fail. [hr] [h3]Introduction[/h3] In a corner of the universe, far away from most other forms of intelligent life, was a blue planet that its inhabitants called Earth. In the wake of battles between eldritch beings of unspeakable power long since gone, billions of years ago, the first lifeforms arose from the turbulent magical energies raging across planet's surface. From magic they were born, and so they could command such energies of the world, through naught but the raw instincts of their nascent minds. Over the eons the planet's environments stabilized, and its inhabitants grew ever more complex, until there emerged the first species possessing true sapience - humanity. Humans' intelligence came at the cost of raw physical power, compared to the ferocious predators roaming the wilderness. To ensure the survival of their species, the strongest of human mages tore rifts into the Sea of Chaos, a universe parallel to their own and the source of all magical energies, and created a vast structure that would eventually come to be called the Dweomerheart. The structure became the cornerstone of human societies of yore, for it channeled the Sea of Chaos's energies and systematically distributed them among human settlements, saturating the environment, such that virtually every human was born with or developed powers of magic. With such powers, the humans became the planet's dominant species, constructing expansive cities and spreading to every nook and cranny of Earth. But also with such powers, the humans often waged war among one another, for individuality inevitably led to conflict. All changed when there came a powerful sorcerer-king who sought to unify the world. Whether he was sick of humans' constant warfare and suffering, or simply driven by pride and greed, no one knew. But everyone knew that he was mad, mad enough to use a forbidden ritual to become one with the Dweomerheart itself. With the incalculable powers he gained from the nexus of magic, the sorcerer-king brutally crushed any who stood in his way, and enslaved the planet to rule it with an adamantine fist, bringing with him unprecedented peace but oppression for centuries. Unwilling to live under the sorcerer-king's reign of terror, groups eventually rose to challenge him, many of them united against their common enemy. After nigh-unimaginable amounts of bloodshed and death, the sorcerer-king was slain, in a battle that devastated the entire planet. In the battle died all magic users of notable power, and with the sorcerer-king died the Dweomerheart. Humanity survived the cataclysm, but magic was lost. Humans slowly began to rebuild their societies from the smouldering ruins. Without magic, they came to rely on technology, creating tools that could be used by anyone of sufficient skill. Over the next centuries, magic was forgotten altogether as technology developed, until the world resembled modern Earth in our real life. But humans did not remember their lesson from the sorcerer-king. They once again waged war with one another. Weapons capable of ending all life were unleashed, reducing the planet to a wasteland a second time. Technologies, however, were not lost this time. The most elite of humanity poured all of their remaining resources to construct massive spaceships and leave Earth, while the other survivors were left to die. And that was the branching point of the sides of Tech and Magi. Through some miracle of improbable chance, the ancient power of magic stirred to life again just as all hope seemed to be lost for those who remained on Earth, allowing them to rebuild a second time. The humans that escaped the planet ruthlessly perfected their technologies, aided by alien substances they found during their interstellar travels, developing cybernetics, mutations, and psionics that could rival true magic. The two sides would have forever gone their separate ways, until two centuries after the initial split, out of nostalgia the Tech side decided to reclaim the planet that they abandoned so long ago and thought to be barren still. Suffice to say, neither of the two sides expected, or were pleased by, the other side's existence. And neither were willing to relinquish the planet that they felt was rightfully theirs. That is the current state of the world. Though not at outright war yet, the sides of Tech and Magi have reached an impasse with their negotiations, several months after their initial meeting. A multitude of factions exist within each side, all of them having conflicting motives and goals. Skirmishes between various groups are fought almost daily. The world is in a state of cold war, and the future is more uncertain than ever before. You live in this uncertain world. But you have the potential to shape the future, for you are powerful, more powerful than many of those around you. But with this power, what future will you bring? [hr] [h3]Game Overview[/h3] This game is intended to be a mostly freeform RP, where the plot is determined by the players’ collaborative effort. As the GM, I will play the game using my own characters, but I will not be directly responsible for the main storyline. Both the Tech and Magi sides have multiple smaller factions within them, as previously mentioned, and it will be up to the players to create these factions and construct a plot from their interactions and conflicts. For this reason, each player is allowed to create as many characters and factions as he wants, within reason, though each still must be approved by me. Since this is a serious, “advanced” RP, please don’t create more characters or factions than you can handle. The special features of the Magi and Tech sides are listed below. [hider=Magi] [b]Powers[/b]: As the name indicates, members of the Magi side are able to use their minds to manipulate magical energies and produce various effects. A detailed explanation of magic in this setting can be found in sections [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hC26xsP6ApcOrfan1sCW3yPN96Ex0im86tlBVjFUf74/edit#heading=h.n2iozxe9w1hj]2[/url] and [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hC26xsP6ApcOrfan1sCW3yPN96Ex0im86tlBVjFUf74/edit#heading=h.fmiq4kjoubpq]2.1.2[/url] of [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hC26xsP6ApcOrfan1sCW3yPN96Ex0im86tlBVjFUf74/edit]this document[/url], and I suggest that you at least give the appropriate sections a skim. Overall, magic is not too different from the magic in other settings that use an “MP meter”, though there are subtle differences that may arise in specific situations, which should have been addressed in the links above. Magic on the Magi side are primarily divided into three “styles”, each channeling magical energy in a different way. A mage may specialize in one of the styles, or dabble in more than one. There also exist overlaps between the three styles, and with sufficient skill one style can replicate the effects of another. Ultimately, the three styles are just “flavor”, since this game is played through purely storytelling, instead of tabletop RPG stats and mechanics. In all cases, the ability to use magic is hereditary, though the specific forms of magic wielded by the parents may or may not be inherited by their children. The three styles of magic are described below. [i]Spellcasting[/i]: This is the “traditional” style of magic, like common depictions of wizards in fantasy literature, where the user projects magical energy to produce direct effects upon the environment. Any user can theoretically learn any spell, but each user has an easier time learning certain types of spells, determined by the user’s personality and experiences. Multiple spells may be cast at the same time, and combined into new spells. More skilled users can learn more spells and improve the versatility of their spells. On average, Spellcasting tends to be better than other styles at sheer destructive power and large-scale complex effects, though its effects are relatively more short-lived, and it is less effective at protecting the user in battle. Practitioners of Spellcasting are called Casters. Examples of Spellcasting: - A fireball that explodes on impact. - A large circle of dark magic that absorbs the life force of everyone inside and feeds it to the caster. [i]Evocation[/i]: This style of magic materializes magical items from the user’s soul. These items are produced from the user’s magical energy, and are manifestations of the user’s personality and experiences. Many of them take on the form of weapons, but they may also be tools, armor and clothing, or even “summoned” semi-autonomous creatures that obey the user’s commands. Each such magical item possesses magical abilities, in accordance with the parts of the user’s personality and experiences that the item is manifested out of. Multiple items may be evoked at once, and even combined. More skilled users can manifest additional items and give their items more abilities. Magical items produced by Evocation are linked to their owners through hyperspace, and are stabilized by their owners’ souls. If the object gets too far away from the owner (i.e. significantly greater than the Earth’s diameter), or the link is broken, or the owner runs out of energy, the object will destabilize and dissolve into energy. A highly skilled user of Evocation may be able to break off a fragment of his soul and embed it into his Evoked item to allow the item to exist without the user. Even in this case, the item will lose some abilities and become less powerful if disconnected from the user, because it is now sustained by a weaker fragment of its user’s soul. The truly skilled user can place his entire soul into a magical item, in which case the item won’t weaken at all, if the user is willing to abandon his original body. Due to the ability to generate weapons and armor, Evocation can turn its user into a highly effective warrior or marksman, though it may have a hard time matching the sheer power and scope of Spellcasting. Practitioners of Evocation are called Evokers. Examples of Evocation: - A magical sword that can send out waves of razor-sharp wind along its edge. - An animated suit of armor that can both be worn and act as an independent fighter. [i]Shapeshifting[/i]: This style of magic specializes in transforming the user’s own body, which is usually too complex and dangerous for generalized Spellcasting to accomplish. The magic makes changes in the user’s soul, and causes the user’s body to magically adapt to the changes, rather than trying to directly restructure the molecules in the body. The forms that the user can shapeshift into, as well as the abilities gained in these forms, are determined by the user’s personality and experiences, similar to Evocation. Multiple forms can be mixed and matched to create hybrid forms. More skilled users can shapeshift into more forms, and give their forms additional abilities. Due to how Shapeshifting works, having too many forms will distort the user’s soul, and lead to deteriorating mental stability. Hence, even the most skilled users of Shapeshifting have no more than a handful of forms. Compared to the other two styles, the abilities granted by Shapeshifting are the least versatile and complex. However, since it directly and easily enhances the user’s physical capabilities, Shapeshifting makes the user far more survivable than the other styles of magic. Practitioners of Shapeshifting are called Shifters. Examples of Shapeshifting: - Turning into a horned lizardman with the ability to breathe frost. - Turning into a giant spider that can spin webs and spit poison. [hr] [b]Races and Habitat[/b]: All of the Magi side’s population live on planet Earth. However, due to the presence of magic, many types of fantastical environments from fiction can now be found on Earth, such as magical forests and underground cities. Aside from normal humans, Earth is inhabited by a variety of fantasy creatures, though most of them still have their roots tied to humanity. Since there are far too many types of creatures, they’re instead organized into several broad categories, listed below. Because of magic, most creatures can interbreed with one another, and produce fertile offspring, if their reproductive organs are compatible; Shapeshifting magic is able to make reproductive organs compatible for this purpose. [i]Demihuman[/i]: These beings are humans who had their bodies permanently altered by magic, and the descendants of such altered humans. Humanoid and semi-humanoid races in fantasy, such as elves, orcs, harpies, and merfolk, are classified as demihumans. [i]Spawn[/i]: These beings are magical creatures created by humans from parts of normal nonhuman creatures, formerly normal nonhuman creatures changed by magic, and the descendants of creatures in the previous two groups. Non-humanoid creatures in fantasy, such as treants, gryphons, and dragons, are classified as the spawn. [i]Spirit[/i]: These are beings with bodies made of magical energy, though the energy may be solid and resemble organic materials. Spirits were either souls that spontaneously coalesced into existence in areas of extremely concentrated magic, formerly non-spiritual beings who abandoned their old bodies in favors of new bodies made of energy, or descendants of other spirits. Unlike many species of demihumans and the spawn, spirits do not grow old upon reaching physical maturity. The more explicitly fantastical and “otherworldly” creatures in fantasy, such as angels and demons, and creatures made of energy, such as elementals, are classified as spirits. [i]Construct[/i]: These are beings created “from scratch” by humans or other beings, machines constructed from simple raw materials and animated by complex magical circuits. Some of them are no more than machines, but others can be just as intelligent as other beings, and may even have souls. Due to their mechanical bodies, constructs are usually not capable of reproduction. Golems in fantasy are classified as constructs. [i]Hybrid[/i]: This category is for beings born from the unions of parents belonging to more than one of the categories above, e.g. a half-orc, half-demon. Their traits are mixtures of their parents’ traits. [/hider] [hider=Tech] [b]Powers[/b]: If you’ve skimmed the document that I linked in the Magi section, you may have noticed that it says magic is a fundamental part of my fictional universe’s physics. Thus, the Tech side’s powers can be treated as, by the players OOC, as simply other “styles” of magic compared to the Magi side’s styles, with no fundamental difference aside from flavor. Again, flavor is the only thing that exists, since this game is only about storytelling. Since Tech powers were developed from innovations in modern human technology, they’re still seen as forms of technology by characters who use them, even though they operate on the same laws of physics that give rise to magic. There are three main types of Tech powers, each originating from a different alien substance that the Tech humans discovered during their interstellar journey in the past two centuries. Similar to magic, one can specialize in one type of Tech powers, or dabble in multiple. Also similar to magic, the three types of Tech powers can overlap with one another in the effects they produce, and even with magic; sufficient skill can use one type to replicate the effects of another. The three types of technologies are described below. [i]Cybernetics[/i]: This group consists of futuristic machinery, as seen in many traditional sci-fi stories, implanted into the bodies of users. Such machinery is made from a variety of alloys and other synthetic materials, containing a metal called “unobtainium”, originally dubbed as such due to having properties considered too good to be true. Unobtainium is a semi-living (though thankfully non-sentient) metal, capable of forming highly complex structures and bonding with other substances and energies to display myriads of different properties. The internal structures of machines made of unobtainium-containing substances tend to change after prolonged usage, adapting to their working conditions and experiences. For example, a suit of powered armor may become more heat-resistant after long periods of fighting in a volcanic environment. This allows cybernetics to “grow” more powerful over time, like mutants, psionists, and magic users. Of course, not all cybernetics is created equal; some start more potent than others due to superior techniques in construction. Adaptation may also become impossible if the machinery is destroyed before it has the chance to adapt. Due to the adaptive nature of unobtainium, a cybernetic implant is able to synchronize with and be empowered by its user, e.g. with the soul of a human or with the rest of the machinery of a robot that it is installed onto. This makes cybernetics more powerful when wielded by a stronger user. For obvious reasons, cybernetics cannot be inherited by children, barring extremely rare circumstances that must be discussed on a case-by-case basis if they arise. Compared to the other types of Tech powers, cybernetics is the least versatile, due to being the most restricted in material structures. But it is the most easily transferable, as cybernetic implants can easily be swapped from user to user. However, if an implant is empowered by a strong user, as described in the previous paragraph, the implant may be no longer as powerful if transferred to a weaker user. Examples of cybernetics: - A robotic arm that can transform into a plasma cannon. - A mechanical eye that has adapted to seeing magical energy. [i]Mutations[/i]: This group consists of superhuman abilities gained from the mutations in organic tissues. Obviously, ordinary mutations found in real life aren’t this exciting, but these superpowered mutations are caused by “xenogen”, a liquid mutagenic compound that some humans were exposed to in the past centuries. Those mutated by xenogen have their physiologies altered and infused by energies similar to the magical energies wielded by Magi, granting them special abilities. Since mutations are genetic, they can be passed on to offsprings. A non-mutant may also become a mutant, by being exposed to xenogen or xenogen-infused body parts of other mutants. However, aside from the transplant of body parts, mutations cannot be “taught” or transferred from one user to another. The abilities that a mutant develops tend to be correlated with his personality and experiences, if they aren’t inherited from parents. Through practice or traumatic experiences, a mutant may also develop new abilities. Compared to other types of Tech powers, mutations tend to be the most limited in range and scale, as they’re usually limited to the user’s own body and immediate surroundings. On the other hand, mutations can enhance the user’s physical capabilities much more easily than other power types. Examples of mutations: - The ability to transform one’s body into liquid metal. - The ability to generate and shoot electricity from one’s body. [i]Psionics[/i]: This group consists of superhuman abilities stemming from one’s mind, and is the closest to actual magic used by the Magi side. Psionic powers originally developed when small chunks of a special crystal, called “psionite”, were implanted into the brains of human test subjects, though nowadays injections of psionite-containing compounds will suffice. The energy in psionite reacts with the human mind and soul (as described in the previously linked document about magic, if you’ve skimmed the appropriate sections), bringing out latent abilities of converting the energies of the mind into other forms and using them to affect the environment. The end result is something similar to the Spellcasting style of magic, with differences that are of interest mostly only to scholars and researchers. Due to being intimately related to the mind, psionic powers are often highly instinctual, though there still exist schools of psionics that emphasize careful control. A psionist tends to develop powers suited to his personality and experiences, and may develop new ones over time. Psionic powers can be taught by one psionist to another, though this is relatively difficult, especially if the psionist’s mind is not very suited to perform the power he wants to learn. One typically becomes a psionist by absorbing psionite into the brain, one way or another. This may be done through the aforementioned injections or implants, or by receiving the psionite from the gametes of parents who are also psionists. Thus, psionics can also be inherited by offsprings. Compared to other types of Tech powers, psionics tends to be more adept and destructive and large-scale effects. But it does not directly enhance the user’s body, and may thus leave the user vulnerable. Examples of psionics: - The ability to generate and manipulate force fields with one’s mind, to use as weapons, shields, or extra limbs. - The ability to convert psionic energy associated with one’s hatred into corrosive energy. Note: [b]Unobtainium, xenogen, and psionite are [i]not[/i] extremely rare materials.[/b] They’re still not as common as, say, iron, but they’re not so rare that plot points can be made from obtaining them. These materials can be manufactured out of normal materials too, so there’s no risk of running out either. [hr] [b]Races and Habitat[/b]: The majority of the Tech side’s population live on a large number of space stations, each around the size of cities. The stations are close enough to one another to make travel feasible, but not so close that they’re likely to crash into one another. They’re mainly connected to one another through a complex network of portals. Some settlements exist on the planets the Tech humans have encountered before, but not many, as living conditions on those planets are dangerous enough that it’s easier to build hospitable space stations than to terraform these planets. Management levels on space stations and other settlements vary, so they may resemble futuristic cities, dystopian slums, radioactive wastelands, and anything in between. The main Tech settlements are many light years away from Earth, in another solar system. However, the Tech people have built portals connecting their home to a section of space near Earth, the portals powered by the star in their solar system. The Magi side, in retaliation, have also built some portals connecting to space near the Tech homeworld, these ones powered by energy from the Sea of Chaos. Aside from normal humans, the Tech side’s populace is mainly classified by the types of Tech powers they use. Each type has two categories of beings associated with it, listed below. [i]Cyborg/Robot[/i]: “Cyborg” is a racial modifier describing any being who possesses at least one unobtainium-based cybernetic implant. A “robot”, on the other hand, is a machine made entirely out of cybernetics, though this category includes artificial intelligences as well. Many robots are simple automatons, but others are fully sentient and intelligent, despite having no souls, thanks to their complex, adaptive unobtainium circuits. A robot can become a mutant by grafting mutant body parts onto its mechanical body, and become a psionist by installing psionite nodes to its CPU. It is even possible for a robot to become human, or some other organic being, by first installing brain tissues into its CPU, then gradually replacing all mechanical parts with biological parts; this process is likely to cause the robot to develop a soul if successful. Lastly, a robot can abandon its body and become a psi-specter if it is a psionist. [i]Mutant/Mutoid[/i]: “Mutant” is a racial modifier describing any being whose body has been mutated by xenogen. A “mutoid” refers to a mutant that isn’t human-based, either a mutated non-human organism or a creature assembled from the biological matter of other mutants. As a rough analogy, mutants can be compared to superheroes, while mutoids can be compared to the monsters that superheroes fight. Mutants and mutoids can become robots by gradually replacing biological body parts with mechanical ones, and become psi-specters by becoming psionists then abandoning their bodies. [i]Psionist/Psi-Specter[/i]: “Psionist” is a racial modifier describing any being who can use psionite-induced psionic powers. A “psi-specter” is a being whose body is made of pure psionic energy, created when a skilled psionist abandons his physical body and creates a body of energy for his soul and mind. A psi-specter can reform its body as long as its soul still exists, and is highly resistant to physical damage, but more vulnerable to energy-based attacks. A psi-specter can produce psi-specter children with any being who has a soul, by letting the other being’s energy mingle with itself. A sufficiently skilled psi-specter can permanently possess a new body, making the body its own; this is the only way for the psi-specter to “become” a cyborg or a mutant due to its lack of physical body otherwise. [/hider] For all characters, Magi and Tech, a character’s [i]raw power level[/i] is independent of the [i]versatility[/i] of his abilities. Raw power is slowly increased through training and experience, while versatility depends on the character’s skill. There exists training that can increase both raw power and skill, but that doesn’t mean the two are directly correlated. To prevent any ability from being overpowered, all abilities are subject to limitations described in section [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hC26xsP6ApcOrfan1sCW3yPN96Ex0im86tlBVjFUf74/edit#heading=h.hra6u9xe0ak0]2.2[/url] of the document describing magic. [b]No character can start with both Magi and Tech abilities. Theoretically, there’s nothing preventing a character from having abilities from both sides, but the two sides simply haven’t been in contact with each other for long enough for anyone to have gained any meaningful abilities from the other side. During the game, a character may obtain abilities from the other side; it’s just that no character can [i]start[/i] with abilities from both sides.[/b] [hr] [h3]Signup Sheets[/h3] In this game, each player can create an unlimited number of characters and factions. The character and faction signup sheets will be included below. [hider=Character Sheet] [b]Name[/b]: Self-explanatory. Put aliases, nicknames, and titles here too if you want, but please do make it clear which is your character’s main name. [b]Side[/b]: Magi or Tech. Pick one. Your character cannot be both or neither. [b]Sex[/b]: Self-explanatory. Includes all possible variations on human sex, e.g. both male and female, sexless, changed from male to female or vice versa, but are not limited to human sexes; some creatures may have sexes that are entirely outside the human male-female spectrum. Note that this indicates biological sex; things like gender identity go in the Personality section. [b]Age[/b]: Self-explanatory. Any age older than the maximum human lifespan must be justified using appropriate superhuman abilities. Since magic and futuristic technology only began developing two centuries ago, your character cannot be older than 200. [b]Race[/b]: What type of creature is your character? The list of races in the section above are only broad categories, so please be more specific if possible. And if your character is a hybrid of multiple races, please list all races involved. [b]Appearance[/b]: Self-explanatory. Please describe both your character’s physical appearance and clothes, if any. [b]Personality[/b]: You can flesh out your character as you roleplay along, but it’s still a good idea to give a general description of his or her personality. If you don’t know what to put, think about virtues, vices, intelligence, temperaments, religious, philosophical, and moral beliefs, sexual orientation, quirks, habits, etc. [b]Faction[/b]: Which faction does your character belong to? Put "N/A" if he or she is not a part of any faction. If you want to be a member of a faction created by another player, you must obtain that player's permission first. [b]Biography[/b]: Briefly explain your character’s life before the game began. [b]Skills[/b]: What mundane skills does your character have? Examples include but are obviously not limited to singing, cooking, and martial arts. [b]Abilities[/b]: This section contains your character’s Magi or Tech abilities. Please read the document listing the limitations of superhuman abilities, linked immediately below the descriptions of the Magi and Tech sides in the previous section. Your character can start with as many abilities as you want, but within reason. Your character also cannot start off more powerful than someone who can, with some notable effort, lay waste to an unpopulated normal city, unless you extensively discuss the character idea with me beforehand. [b]Possessions[/b]: List any items of significance that your character has in his or her possession. Magical items conjured by Evocation do [i]not[/i] count; these should go under Abilities. Items in your character's possession can have special properties and abilities. It's possible for a Magi character to possess Tech items, and vice versa, if the items were taken from their previous owners. Again, you can have an unlimited number of possessions, but within reason. [/hider] [hider=Faction Sheet] [b]Name[/b]: Self-explanatory. If your faction has multiple names, please indicate which is the main one used by the faction's members. [b]Side[/b]: Magi or Tech. Again, you must be one or the other. [b]Composition[/b]: What races do the majority of your faction's members belong to? If there are multiple, please list the rough proportions of each race. [b]Location[/b]: Where is your faction's base of operations located? If it has multiple notable bases, you may choose to list them all. [b]Description[/b]: What exactly is your faction about? Please also include some of your faction's history. [b]Goals[/b]: What does your faction seek to accomplish? Both general goals and goals more specific to the Magi-Tech conflict can be included. As examples, a faction may want to make peace with the other side, force the other side to leave, conquer the other side, completely destroy the other side, or obtain the other side's powers for itself. [b]Notable Members[/b]: Please list all player-created characters who are members of this faction. Note that if you want another player's character to be a member of your faction, you must obtain that player's permission first. [/hider] [hr] So that's my game idea. What do you guys think? I hope it's not too long of a read, given the standards of advanced RPs here.