Randomly channeled my depressive energies into writing up an RPG. Not entirely fleshed out idea. See if there's any interest for this to keep going. Fantasy RPG with classical four element system. Humans vs monsters type thing.
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Twelve hundred years ago, a race of giants dwelled upon this earth. Blessed by the gods with vast strength and intellect, the giants stood above all the world's other creatures, building for themselves an advanced civilisation that spread across the continent. They were undisputed masters of the world, capable of crafting technological wonders and casting the greatest of magics. It was a golden age, and the giants, their position unparalleled, saw that it was good.
But in their arrogance, the giants found themselves laid low by a foe they never saw coming: themselves. Though masters of the world, they hubristically thought themselves to be able to dominate even nature, and in their quest to tap further into those primal magicks, found their very beings corrupted by the raw energies of the planet itself. They were transformed, becoming wild beasts that sought only to conquer and destroy. Their civilisation splintered almost overnight, for those who had not lost control of themselves were forced to fight back against their brethren, creating mighty war machines to do battle against the empowered animals that they once called kin.
Battle after battle changed the very landscape, the chaotic magicks once considered forbidden being liberally employed in the pursuit of destruction and survival. Animals were altered into monsters, nature corralled into cold technology, and the environment warped in ways that none could have imagined. And at the heart of all this change was the excessive use of nature's magic, pushing the world ever closer and closer to the brink.
Finally, the giants' actions reached a tipping point. In their pursuit of power, in their attempts to dominate nature's magicks, in their hubristic excess ... they brought about an cataclysm, and the entire world was forever changed.
Magic, polluted.
Creatures, mutated.
Their civilisation, gone.
When the dust settled, they found a broken world, one swarming with the monsters created during that horrible war. Magic, the primal energy of nature, had been tainted irreversibly, and the corruption would leave those who fed off it utterly without control. Rusting machines, both broken and not, littered the landscape, their former masters nowhere to be seen.
And in the aftermath of this cataclysm, came humanity.
Emerging from their caves, humankind, once subjects of the giants, were forced to survive with no protection, fighting against wild beast and monster to carve out their own little nations. In the ruins of the old world, they took upon the mantles of their predecessors, salvaging the works of the giants and building their own. Over the years, they fought against both nature and their own kin, expanding outward slowly but surely, bringing civilisation back to overgrown forest and wasteland.
Like the giants, they called upon the elements to give them magic, but they lacked the power to call nature's will their own, instead contracting with spirits of fire, water, earth and air to perform supernatural deeds. These magicians, these Contractors, were the vanguard in humanity's fight for survival against the monsters, yet at times, they seemed more beast than man. Magic, forever scarred by the actions of the giants, was more primal than before, and those who used magic found themselves at risk of losing all control, of everything that made them human.
As time went on, these Contractors found ways to maintain control. They changed their very selves, changed their very bodies, all to better master the powers granted to them by nature. Alchemical solutions and eerie surgeries were performed on those willing to sacrifice more for the sake of the human race. The result was a class of magical warriors, their strength so much greater than that of their normal human brethren. No longer were magic's risks as great, and the fight in defense of human nations was no longer so dangerous, but with this power came fear; could one truly say the Contractors were still human?
Even today, twelve hundred years after the fall of the giants, their nations firmly established in the ruins of the old world, humanity still holds these Contractors in both fear and respect. Many warn their kin not to join the ranks of the Contractors, but power can be a great allure, and so the battle against the corrupted beasts is never yearning for more soldiers.
Yet more than monsters may await these warriors in the future, for it seems that something else is stirring beneath the earth ...
In this RPG, you play as a "Contractor", a person who has the ability to make use of magic thanks to a contract they've made with a nature spirit. Contractors, through the power that is alchemical modifications (magic drugs) and experimentation (magic surgery), are stronger than baseline humans (such as better reflexes, eyesight, speed) as to handle magic without losing control, which have also made them the perfect soldiers in the fight against the corrupted monster that stalk the land. It also allows for animesque fighting to turn up, given the supernatural abilities in play.
The setting is sort of a kitchen sink in terms of fantasy, with the cataclysmic events twelve hundred years prior to the current day having left the world in a state where there's random technology lying around that's been haphazardly used to help further human advancement. Electricity and firearms exist, but armour and melee weaponry hasn't really gone out of style, especially when stuff like swords are pretty great force multipliers for super strong Contractors. Said Contractors pretty much get away with their own schticks, making use of whatever stuff they can get to fight against monsters.
You specifically, however, are assigned to the 5th Blathmac Unit, a loosely organised group of Contractors affiliated with the Principality of Calchow, a nation located in the south-east of this yet-to-be-named continent. The 5th Blathmac Unit works out of an ancient abandoned church on the outskirts of the town of Cadrawd in the south of the country, a community bordered by snow-filled mountains to the south, forests to the west, and the sea beneath high chalky cliffs to the east. It's a generally rugged place that gets all cold and white in winter, and due to the large concentration of monsters in the area (being in the marches of the Principality and all), the Contractors have been tasked to defend its populace from attacks.
And if necessary, handle being the only Contractor group nearby, thanks to how stretched thin the Principality's forces have become.
Magic, in this setting, is essentially the energy of nature, a primal wild force that can be found everywhere in nature. Powerful magical creatures are capable of naturally making use of it, as they possess "magical cores" (which are still yet to be properly understood) that allow them to properly process the raw power of nature. However, even then they fall at risk of being entirely overwhelmed, becoming untameable. And after the magic of the world was tainted by the giants twelve hundred years ago, magic has even become corruptive, taking far more ease in removing the faculties of those who make use of magic and transforming them in monsters, hence creating foes for the Contractors.
Contractors, as their name suggests, make use of elemental magics through contracting with nature spirits of air, fire, water and earth. These spirits are ethereal manifestations of magic that have populated the planet since long ago, and it is through them that humanity can actually use magic. Humans don't have the ability to process magic properly by themselves, but by committing themselves entirely to these spirits, they gain access to an aspect of their powers (for example, someone contracted to a water spirit may be able to freeze things). This of course, lead to many humans losing control as well, becoming little more than beasts, hence the need for alchemy and surgery to turn them into proper Contractors (some of whom have less than human qualities to their bodies).
Even then, however, they still run the risk of being corrupted, as magic is a powerful, primal thing, especially if in an area of taint. The corruption there tends to be bad for the soul.
And there you have it. Still a barebones idea that I've written up in a sleep-deprived haze of depression, but if people are interested enough, I'll try and flesh it out as much as possible and get something up and running.
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Gigantomachia
Twelve hundred years ago, a race of giants dwelled upon this earth. Blessed by the gods with vast strength and intellect, the giants stood above all the world's other creatures, building for themselves an advanced civilisation that spread across the continent. They were undisputed masters of the world, capable of crafting technological wonders and casting the greatest of magics. It was a golden age, and the giants, their position unparalleled, saw that it was good.
But in their arrogance, the giants found themselves laid low by a foe they never saw coming: themselves. Though masters of the world, they hubristically thought themselves to be able to dominate even nature, and in their quest to tap further into those primal magicks, found their very beings corrupted by the raw energies of the planet itself. They were transformed, becoming wild beasts that sought only to conquer and destroy. Their civilisation splintered almost overnight, for those who had not lost control of themselves were forced to fight back against their brethren, creating mighty war machines to do battle against the empowered animals that they once called kin.
Battle after battle changed the very landscape, the chaotic magicks once considered forbidden being liberally employed in the pursuit of destruction and survival. Animals were altered into monsters, nature corralled into cold technology, and the environment warped in ways that none could have imagined. And at the heart of all this change was the excessive use of nature's magic, pushing the world ever closer and closer to the brink.
Finally, the giants' actions reached a tipping point. In their pursuit of power, in their attempts to dominate nature's magicks, in their hubristic excess ... they brought about an cataclysm, and the entire world was forever changed.
Magic, polluted.
Creatures, mutated.
Their civilisation, gone.
When the dust settled, they found a broken world, one swarming with the monsters created during that horrible war. Magic, the primal energy of nature, had been tainted irreversibly, and the corruption would leave those who fed off it utterly without control. Rusting machines, both broken and not, littered the landscape, their former masters nowhere to be seen.
And in the aftermath of this cataclysm, came humanity.
Emerging from their caves, humankind, once subjects of the giants, were forced to survive with no protection, fighting against wild beast and monster to carve out their own little nations. In the ruins of the old world, they took upon the mantles of their predecessors, salvaging the works of the giants and building their own. Over the years, they fought against both nature and their own kin, expanding outward slowly but surely, bringing civilisation back to overgrown forest and wasteland.
Like the giants, they called upon the elements to give them magic, but they lacked the power to call nature's will their own, instead contracting with spirits of fire, water, earth and air to perform supernatural deeds. These magicians, these Contractors, were the vanguard in humanity's fight for survival against the monsters, yet at times, they seemed more beast than man. Magic, forever scarred by the actions of the giants, was more primal than before, and those who used magic found themselves at risk of losing all control, of everything that made them human.
As time went on, these Contractors found ways to maintain control. They changed their very selves, changed their very bodies, all to better master the powers granted to them by nature. Alchemical solutions and eerie surgeries were performed on those willing to sacrifice more for the sake of the human race. The result was a class of magical warriors, their strength so much greater than that of their normal human brethren. No longer were magic's risks as great, and the fight in defense of human nations was no longer so dangerous, but with this power came fear; could one truly say the Contractors were still human?
Even today, twelve hundred years after the fall of the giants, their nations firmly established in the ruins of the old world, humanity still holds these Contractors in both fear and respect. Many warn their kin not to join the ranks of the Contractors, but power can be a great allure, and so the battle against the corrupted beasts is never yearning for more soldiers.
Yet more than monsters may await these warriors in the future, for it seems that something else is stirring beneath the earth ...
Welcome to Gigantomachia!
In this RPG, you play as a "Contractor", a person who has the ability to make use of magic thanks to a contract they've made with a nature spirit. Contractors, through the power that is alchemical modifications (magic drugs) and experimentation (magic surgery), are stronger than baseline humans (such as better reflexes, eyesight, speed) as to handle magic without losing control, which have also made them the perfect soldiers in the fight against the corrupted monster that stalk the land. It also allows for animesque fighting to turn up, given the supernatural abilities in play.
The setting is sort of a kitchen sink in terms of fantasy, with the cataclysmic events twelve hundred years prior to the current day having left the world in a state where there's random technology lying around that's been haphazardly used to help further human advancement. Electricity and firearms exist, but armour and melee weaponry hasn't really gone out of style, especially when stuff like swords are pretty great force multipliers for super strong Contractors. Said Contractors pretty much get away with their own schticks, making use of whatever stuff they can get to fight against monsters.
You specifically, however, are assigned to the 5th Blathmac Unit, a loosely organised group of Contractors affiliated with the Principality of Calchow, a nation located in the south-east of this yet-to-be-named continent. The 5th Blathmac Unit works out of an ancient abandoned church on the outskirts of the town of Cadrawd in the south of the country, a community bordered by snow-filled mountains to the south, forests to the west, and the sea beneath high chalky cliffs to the east. It's a generally rugged place that gets all cold and white in winter, and due to the large concentration of monsters in the area (being in the marches of the Principality and all), the Contractors have been tasked to defend its populace from attacks.
And if necessary, handle being the only Contractor group nearby, thanks to how stretched thin the Principality's forces have become.
How does magic work?
Magic, in this setting, is essentially the energy of nature, a primal wild force that can be found everywhere in nature. Powerful magical creatures are capable of naturally making use of it, as they possess "magical cores" (which are still yet to be properly understood) that allow them to properly process the raw power of nature. However, even then they fall at risk of being entirely overwhelmed, becoming untameable. And after the magic of the world was tainted by the giants twelve hundred years ago, magic has even become corruptive, taking far more ease in removing the faculties of those who make use of magic and transforming them in monsters, hence creating foes for the Contractors.
Contractors, as their name suggests, make use of elemental magics through contracting with nature spirits of air, fire, water and earth. These spirits are ethereal manifestations of magic that have populated the planet since long ago, and it is through them that humanity can actually use magic. Humans don't have the ability to process magic properly by themselves, but by committing themselves entirely to these spirits, they gain access to an aspect of their powers (for example, someone contracted to a water spirit may be able to freeze things). This of course, lead to many humans losing control as well, becoming little more than beasts, hence the need for alchemy and surgery to turn them into proper Contractors (some of whom have less than human qualities to their bodies).
Even then, however, they still run the risk of being corrupted, as magic is a powerful, primal thing, especially if in an area of taint. The corruption there tends to be bad for the soul.
And there you have it. Still a barebones idea that I've written up in a sleep-deprived haze of depression, but if people are interested enough, I'll try and flesh it out as much as possible and get something up and running.
