[i][color=8493ca]Flashes of radioactive light danced across the darkened skies, day turning to night the closer one got to the ruined city just beyond. Like the bones of a long dead animal, the buildings that once teemed with life stood despite their ravaged frames. Each was scored and blasted open from the multiple strikes that hit the region in close proximity and bathed it in nuclear fire. For nearly a hundred miles in every direction there was nothing but blasted hellscape, the suburbs eroding into desolate warrens of ghouls, super mutants and those few raiders crazy or desperate enough to scratch out a living within. Closer though, the wall loomed. It was the only thing keeping the barely livable outskirts of New York City apart from what everyone simply called "The Necropolis". Few remember when or why it was built, only that it keeps them safe from what lurks within, and that to venture inside is death.

Yet still there are those who dare. Raider gangs across the Eastern Coast make the journey with slaves in tow, or arm themselves up to the teeth to enter themselves all in the name of what may or may not be hidden within the city proper. Upon witnessing the perpetual radiation storm that lingers, most turn back unwilling to face the increasing radiation as one gets closer and closer to the wall itself. Some decide to settle the region, joining the other "Dead-landers" who sank into despair and now fight out a meager survival in their final days. Then there's those truly determined few. Those who either have nothing left to lose, have sank too far into their greed, or are too arrogant to believe the tales. To them, it matters nothing of the deadly radiation soaking the entire city, the still live ordnance embedded in the sides of buildings, or of the shadows lurking around every corner, only revealed with the flash of lightning. A promise of undisturbed treasures draws them into the Necropolis, of technologies waiting within sealed vaults and of course the city's own vault deep beneath the surface.

Despite that no one has ever entered into the storm and returned, hundreds do so every year in the hopes that they may be the one who survives. All the while, the echoes of the Great War linger across the wasteland…[/color][/i][hr]
[url=https://discord.gg/T4tDP2j]Discord server[/url]

Welcome to "Fallout: Into the Storm", an RP inspired largely by a mixture of post-apocalyptic settings and the last entry in the series with their portrayal of a more urban environment, and of course, the Glowing Sea. Called the "Necropolis" by the residents of the surrounding wasteland, New York City is both a far cry from what it used to be, yet retains her dominance of the skyline. Seen from miles away, the radioactive fog that constantly writhes around the broken and twisted skyscrapers lights with the flash of lightning and the rare gunfire of brave adventurers. Rumors draw in people from as far as the Midwest in the hopes of plundering the riches of the dead city. Our RP begins with a group who has come for that reason and others, contacted by a mysterious agent known only as "The Pariah" and asked to venture into the Necropolis and retrieve for them some of that lost technology hidden within.

Each member of this group would have been selected for one reason or another, due to a certain skillset perhaps, or circumstances that would make them particularly desperate to succeed. This means that it's more than likely that most people would be at least somewhat competent when it comes to a chosen field, but not that everyone would be a fighter. It's entirely possible that The Pariah selected out a particularly skilled hacker, a lockpick, or an engineer for whatever reasons they might have had. It's up to [i]you[/i] the player to determine what you feel your character should be best skilled at, and how they contribute to the party.

Character Roles and Skills:

Skills, perks and roles are a staple of the RPG genre, and we all know them by heart. Whether it be the fighter or ranger, the rifleman perk or the gunslinger we base our playthroughs around what we feel makes up our character and contributes the most to the character of them. Into the Storm will be no different, though I'm not going to make anyone go nearly as indepth as an actual game would, as my focus here is primarily on the story I hope we all can work together to tell.

Under the skills section in your character sheet you'll find it pretty free-form in what to place down. That's done for a reason, as I don't want to restrict people exclusively to what the Fallout series has to offer. You can put down nearly anything within reason as a skill, from your character's charms and silver tongue, to something perhaps a little more practical such as their skill with a gun. What I will ask though, is that while detailing out skills there be a little about each of them to describe what exactly they are capable of, as well as their proficiency in said skill. It's one thing to say "First Aid" and quite another to explain how a character is a trained medic that can treat serious wounds, or knows combat triage.

When marking what combat skills a character has, for this RP energy weapons and standard ballistic weapons are only different when it comes to the care and maintenance of them. While it is true that a plasma rifle will function differently from a laser rifle or hunting rifle, those differences would be minimal enough that skill with mid-range firearms would cover them comfortably. Same goes for melee weapons in general, as with the whole nuclear apocalypse thing going on, I doubt too many schools of combat are still around.

Guns, Swords, Knives, Armor and the ever Elusive Backpack:

The question was put to those who expressed interest initially, and with that feedback I've chosen to take a more mid-range option with the equipment section of the CS. Food, water and medicine are still going to be a thing, but most of that will be taken with the understanding that we have all packed what we need for at least a two-week journey. Ammunition and wear on what we've got though, that will be a thing that I'll be loosely tracking. Everyone should take that into understanding when equipping their characters, especially when looking at weapons. Certain types of ammo are rarer for certain groups of people, and harder to come by. There is also the aspect of skill with that particular type of firearm, and the maintenance of it. So if you're rolling with something like plasma weapons and power armor, then I would like to see sufficient reasoning worked into the CS to explain it.

On that note, while I personally would prefer for as few players as possible to [i]start[/i] with power armor, I feel it best to explain how one of the more iconic pieces of gear within the setting will work in this RP. Unlike in the games where certain variants were definitively better than others, and there was always one particular suit that was the endgame goal, I feel that each one would have its own advantages over the others due to the development of it. What will be universal though, is that no one can just jump into a suit and expect to know how to use it. Only those who have undergone specific training to use a power armor frame will be able to use standard power armor, with greater expertise for the more advanced suits, and rudimentary knowledge for raider armor or cobbled together suits. Beyond that, all power armor works off a base frame that takes fusion cores, and no they don't run down to zero as soon as they're plugged in.

Secret Backgrounds:

[b][i]Oh yes.[/i][/b] I mentioned this briefly, and here I'll explain a little more indepth for not just those who expressed initial interest, but also anyone new coming along. In the Fallout setting, it's great and all to be this wasteland badass who takes down raiders and settlements like it's nothing, or to be a paragon of justice fresh from the vault, but there are numerous factions within the world and not all of them are well received. Certain people and groups will not openly advertise themselves, either due to open distrust and hatred by some, or that it is simply better for them if they stay low. Most notable are those of the Enclave and the Institute, as both factions would be known within the East Coast region in a less than stellar light. Former or even current Enclave members would keep such a thing secret for their own well-being or perhaps for their mission, especially since the Brotherhood of Steel operates within the proximity of the Necropolis.

As this RP is set [i]just[/i] before the beginning of Fallout4, the Institute is not nearly as openly active as it gets later in that game, so is largely regarded as a sort of boogeyman in the Commonwealth. Down where the RP is set, they would still have a minimal presence, but only in the line of the rare Synth that has managed to escape as far. Both would be kept a secret if a character was one or the other, perhaps for better reason than the Enclave soldier.

Speaking of which, it can be safely assumed that [i]most[/i] know of the events of Fallout3 and Broken Steel. For those that don't, the Enclave isn't exactly the most well liked on the East Coast, and while they aren't hunted down with quite the fervor as they are in the west, those remnants that escaped Raven Rock and Adams Air Force Base keep their heads down. Anyone who might have been associated with them would be considered a hostile by the Brotherhood of Steel, a faction that operates in proximity of the Deadlands and is rumored to frequently attempt runs into the Necropolis.

Rules:

Yeah, as much as a bummer as [b][i]rules[/i][/b] are, they are a bit necessary to keep things in order and reduce incidents as much as possible. I'm a pretty lax GM when it comes to imposing a whole bunch of them on players and forcing people into things, but I would at least like it if everyone agreed to these guidelines and don't make me be a mean GM lol. If I have to be mean about enforcing some means of balance and restraint on people, then that means that person isn't having fun, people looking on aren't having fun and I'm not having fun either.

- Respect each other and communicate. Countless issues can be resolved by simply going into things with the understanding that we're all here to have a good time and tell a story about our characters and participate in the narrative. Please keep that in mind when you're posting in either the OOC or IC, and always be sure to involve someone in the discussion if your character's actions may involve their own character. Exceptions exist of course, but let's try to keep to this one as much as possible.
- Keep perspective of the setting. I don't mind drawing from outside the Fallout universe when it comes to gear, as let's be real, it can be a bit lacking sometimes and it becomes a necessity when doing an RP of any actual depth; just don't be pulling things that are blatantly non-Fallout. To clarify, it's absolutely cool to say your character has a firearm drawn from real life, such as an FN-P90 or SCAR, but it's not okay to draw from [i]another setting[/i] and have something such as a Lasgun or Bolter from WH40K.
- Uniques, Legendaries and Personal gear. It should be expected, but I just want to say it here to make sure and answer the question before it ever gets asked. Weapons, armor and other gear from the setting that are considered to be legendary, unique or the personal gear of a specific character are completely not allowed, nor are replications of such items.
- Character sheets. Got a few things on them that I want to go over real quick. First, while I do love a more detailed sheet, and am much more willing to give allowances towards well made ones, it's not a requirement. Don't feel pressured to push out a huge sheet, or to get yours done in a hurry. My focus is on the quality and concept of each character, and how committed each player is to their own. I would be remiss if someone put a lot of effort into getting out a CS for a character that they ended up not liking. Second is on the subject of pictures for characters. I've come to like having a face-claim for certain characters, but I'm by no means requiring it for everyone. Also, [i]please[/i] don't post wip's or unaccepted characters into the characters tab. Lastly, just want to say that while I don't want people taking things like I mentioned in the point above, I [i]love[/i] personalized gear. If your character's weapon, armor or some memento of theirs has a story, please do give some attention to it.
- Don't be a dick. Most important, just don't do it. I'll have to be mean, and we went over how that works out in the end.

In closing, please don't take things too seriously. I know the setting might be painted as a [i]tad[/i] bleak and unforgiving, but I'm here to have fun and work a narrative, as I hope everyone else is. We can afford to take our time with things, talk things through and work as a group both IC and OOC. On the note of time though, do be warned that I'm not a fast poster by any means, and I'm not expecting anyone else to be.

Now, with all that said and done, let's get on with the adventure.

[hider=Character sheet]
[code][center][h1][color=???]Character Name[/color][/h1]
[img]Img or gif here[/img]
[color=???][b][sub]{ [i]"Insert character quote here."[/i] }[/sub][/b][/color]
[center][h2]- General Characteristics -[/h2][/center]
[color=???][b]|[u] {Full Name} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]First Middle Last.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Nickname/Callsign} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Do they even have one?[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Age} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Note that most standard wastelanders would have a lower life expectancy than Vault Dwellers, Institute personnel, Enclave remnants and especially Ghouls.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Gender} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Male? Female?[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Face Claim} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Who are you using to portray your character?[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Dialogue Color} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent][color=???]Color here.[/color][/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Appearance} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]This is one of the areas where I like a bit of detail, as appearances of characters help greatly in imagining the scene and working posts. At the very least cover the basics such as body type, height, distinguishing features and anything else that would be relevant.[/indent][.hr]
[center][h2]- Psychological Profile -[/h2][/center]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Personality} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Again, an area where more is better in terms of detail. Include both positive features and negatives ones, everything that makes them who they are and how they think.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Fears/Limitations} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]What are they afraid of most? Where do they fall short? Many times it is here that most of what makes a character is found, in the flaws and imperfections.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Place of Origin} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Faction felt a bit clunky in the first CS, so I went with this instead. Here is where you would put where your character came from, and essentially what faction they would have been, or are, part of. Also note here if your character is something other than human, such as a ghoul, super mutant or synth(if you want to make that OOC knowledge :v)[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Background} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Last area where I'm actively looking for detail, since it's one of the big three. Use this to really tell the story of who your character is and how they got to the Necropolis.[/indent][.hr]
[center][h2]- Survival Characteristics -[/h2][/center]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Non-Combat Skills} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Here is where any skill your character may have proficiency in that is not directly combat related would go.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Possessions} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]Anything not directly related to combat, work on their person regularly or considered essential gear.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Combat Skills} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]And here is where any skill your character may have that is either directly or indirectly related to combat would go.[/indent]

[color=???][b]|[u] {Gear} [/u]|[/b][/color]
[indent]All combat and survival gear, as well as anything that they would consistently wear on their person.[/indent][/code][/hider]