Discord: discord.gg/ur9RW6XXcK
[OOC] Our Dying Wish
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Emeth Fluffs Responsibly
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16 hrs ago
"Long ago, the Demon Mother and her generals led an army of devils and monsters, conquering the earth and subjugating the human race."
But, you and your friends don't really know anything about that.
But, you and your friends don't really know anything about that.
The year is 2371, and the vast majority of humans live and die at the mercy of their demon overlords. The only remaining exception—and humanity's last chance at freedom—were driven from their vast former civilization into small, underground cities. At least, you hope that, for humanity's sake, there exists more than this particular cell of human resistance fighters you're so intimately familiar with.
Here, in this veritable prison of a cavern called Agartha, where a fake blue sky is projected onto the ceiling to simulate the "day" part of the city's day and night cycle, uniquely gifted individuals called Mediums are raised to become the next generation of heroes... who will accomplish little more than thinning the horde, as they do every year. It's expected that this year will be a year like any other; young men and women who were considered children only a few months ago will be sent to the surface to die, and have nothing to show for it. One young hero and their ever-expanding circle of friends hope to finally break this cycle of death and hopelessness. By invoking spiritual beings called Jinn, Mediums are able to use their Resonant Power to manifest their desires as a kind of magic. Their sworn purpose is to bring humanity's most fervent wish to fruition: reclaiming their lost freedom and dominion of the earth.
But what those humans truly wished for, above all else, was...
Character Creation
There is more lore below, but before we continue, let's skip ahead to the real reason this exists, as it'll more quickly help you decide if you're going to be interested in this. Mediums invoke spirits called Jinn, who gift their human masters with power—but it comes with a price. To decide what kind of power your character gets, you'll first think about what kind of character you want to play. Then, you the player will make a wish—in-character. Then, another player, acting as your character's Jinn, will grant you the power to make that wish come true, but then tack on some kind of drawback or Achilles' heel to it.
Yep. To get inspiration for your character's combat abilities, you'll be playing corrupt-a-wish!
There are a couple caveats. You aren't locked into whatever the first person to respond after you deigns to give you right away. You have a few options if you need to call a Mulligan. You can (in-character) try to negotiate with your Jinn, or summon another (just ask another player to throw you a bone). Or, if you're already accustomed to giving your characters balanced strengths and weaknesses, you can scroll down and read up on the general expectations and the combat mechanics to get a grasp on what you'll need, post your character sheet complete with combat abilities, and see if I like what you came up with. You're encouraged to at least try to play the game before resorting to that, though.
General Rules and Expectations
1. Post length is whatever you need to make your character come alive. For some, this may only be a single spoken sentence and a short paragraph, or two. Others may write walls of text, and that's fine. Just don't respond to everything non-combat related with one-liners and zero depth or introspection, and you're good. If you're going to have a long-form, in-person conversation with another character, consider writing your posts together, just so your rapid-fire back-and-forth doesn't take over the thread.
2. Presentation is pretty casual. Feel free to open your posts with fancy fonts and a poetic tagline for your character, or don't. If you want to embed background music for those special character-defining moments, then go for it. If you'd rather post an image than painstakingly describe every aspect of something, it's fine. As long as we can understand what is going on in your post, typos are excusable, but do try to use proper grammar.
3. The setting is a fictionalized earth where demons undeniably exist, and as with any other fictional world where demons exist, there will be some religious themes. If you have any concerns about this, feel free to ask me. However, like other fictional works such as Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac, religion is a medium through which the story is being told, and not the "message," if the story must have one. If you're going to be offended in spite of that (or because of it), steer clear.
4. The story's events will revolve around a "home base" named Agartha, where characters will stay until they deploy for missions. This structure will allow characters to return to base during periods of low user activity, and, either individually or as a group, re-deploy at any time—like a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode. This will also allow new players and characters to join the squad at almost any time. What this means for you is that periods of inactivity or discovering this RP after it's already underway will not be punished so severely that it becomes impossible to pick it up again, or at all. What it also means is that player-directed side quests can exist, and multiple small groups can tackle different missions at the same time, or PvP in training simulations until the story moves forward.
5. Combat mechanics and rules are there to keep things fair for other players during PvP if that's your wheelhouse. If it's not, don't be paralyzed by all the nuances. The mechanics are there to give you a general idea of how this world's physics will work when two attacks meet, when spells of different elements and tiers clash, and so on. The "rules" are there to be consulted if someone is doing something unfair. If you have questions, you can ask me. If your PvP partner is fine with whatever, then you can do whatever, as long as you're not destroying the world and everything inside. We're here to have fun.
6. Welcome to Unrealville, Fictionland, where complete immolation leaves a character fully clothed with only some minor burns to show for it, and losing an arm is only a flesh wound. Even though the setting is earth, we won't be adhering strictly to realism, despite the darker themes involved. Mediums especially are basically superheroes, so they should be able to shrug off things that would turn you and me into paste, like the term Cartoon Violence™ shrugs off the looming threat of parental supervision.
7. Character couples are great, but don't lewd in public. (That means no sex scenes in the thread, per RPGuild official rules. There are other places where your characters can escalate their "relations," if you must.) If your character must be nude for a scene, I humbly request that you keep your word choices classy and your descriptions PG-13. If you're not confident in your ability to do this, you can "fade to black" as they say.
8. Discord comes highly recommended for this RP, as there will be several fun integrations with it, most of which I don't want to spoil. Server link: discord.gg/ur9RW6XXcK
2. Presentation is pretty casual. Feel free to open your posts with fancy fonts and a poetic tagline for your character, or don't. If you want to embed background music for those special character-defining moments, then go for it. If you'd rather post an image than painstakingly describe every aspect of something, it's fine. As long as we can understand what is going on in your post, typos are excusable, but do try to use proper grammar.
3. The setting is a fictionalized earth where demons undeniably exist, and as with any other fictional world where demons exist, there will be some religious themes. If you have any concerns about this, feel free to ask me. However, like other fictional works such as Edmund McMillen's The Binding of Isaac, religion is a medium through which the story is being told, and not the "message," if the story must have one. If you're going to be offended in spite of that (or because of it), steer clear.
4. The story's events will revolve around a "home base" named Agartha, where characters will stay until they deploy for missions. This structure will allow characters to return to base during periods of low user activity, and, either individually or as a group, re-deploy at any time—like a drop-in, drop-out co-op mode. This will also allow new players and characters to join the squad at almost any time. What this means for you is that periods of inactivity or discovering this RP after it's already underway will not be punished so severely that it becomes impossible to pick it up again, or at all. What it also means is that player-directed side quests can exist, and multiple small groups can tackle different missions at the same time, or PvP in training simulations until the story moves forward.
5. Combat mechanics and rules are there to keep things fair for other players during PvP if that's your wheelhouse. If it's not, don't be paralyzed by all the nuances. The mechanics are there to give you a general idea of how this world's physics will work when two attacks meet, when spells of different elements and tiers clash, and so on. The "rules" are there to be consulted if someone is doing something unfair. If you have questions, you can ask me. If your PvP partner is fine with whatever, then you can do whatever, as long as you're not destroying the world and everything inside. We're here to have fun.
6. Welcome to Unrealville, Fictionland, where complete immolation leaves a character fully clothed with only some minor burns to show for it, and losing an arm is only a flesh wound. Even though the setting is earth, we won't be adhering strictly to realism, despite the darker themes involved. Mediums especially are basically superheroes, so they should be able to shrug off things that would turn you and me into paste, like the term Cartoon Violence™ shrugs off the looming threat of parental supervision.
7. Character couples are great, but don't lewd in public. (That means no sex scenes in the thread, per RPGuild official rules. There are other places where your characters can escalate their "relations," if you must.) If your character must be nude for a scene, I humbly request that you keep your word choices classy and your descriptions PG-13. If you're not confident in your ability to do this, you can "fade to black" as they say.
8. Discord comes highly recommended for this RP, as there will be several fun integrations with it, most of which I don't want to spoil. Server link: discord.gg/ur9RW6XXcK
Character Wishes and Power Level
1. Your character's wish doesn't have to be a noble one, like "I want to defeat the Demon Mother" or "I want to free humanity from the demons." Most characters will be young, have been living in a cave and (for the most part) treated like nobility their whole lives just for being Mediums. Some will be eager to escape responsibility rather than embrace it, desire to see the wonders of the surface world more than dealing with the demon menace, and other such things. Also, the more specific your character's wish is, the easier it will be for someone to come up with a curse. You should make your wish in-character and include some kind of information about why your character is making this particular wish above any other (so it can be used against them, naturally).
2. Your character can wish for anything, but that doesn't mean that your Jinn will give it to you. If it's something that is beyond their power to grant, they will give you a kind of power that should, theoretically, help your character achieve their wish. Even if it seems like a hopeless wish, they will offer you at least the impression of a step in that direction. They're crafty little buggers.
3. Complete invincibility, unrestricted revival from death, time travel, and other "god tier" abilities are banned. Other abilities include global time stop/extreme time distortion, or any other skill (such as an EX-Mode, Adrenaline Rush, whatever) that would achieve the same effect, as well as any kind of 360° omniscient sixth sense, or free-reign teleportation, or infinite shadow clones, or any other kind of nonsense that would make your character impossible to reliably track down or hit. What this all means functionally for the game mechanics is that your skills can't guarantee that you always dodge (or hit), nor can you break the normal flow of combat by raising or lowering a character's number of actions per turn.
4. Mind control, in all of its various forms and synonyms, is banned, even for use on or by NPCs. As a general rule, you should treat another person's character like you would treat your date. Don't grab them by the hand and pull them into a new scene without asking first, don't assume that they would act or react a certain way without giving them a chance; don't "god mod" as they say.
5. For the purposes of this particular story, being "unable to control" your power (or character, when they are using it) doesn't qualify as a sufficient curse. Having one angsty boi scorch the earth while everyone else watches from a safe distance is no fun for anyone involved.
6. Your character's "curse" should be thematically fitting and opposite to their "blessing," but in terms of your character's overall power level, they should still end up being very obviously super-human. Low-level monsters like goblins or slimes won't stand a chance against you even in a 10v1, and most regular humans are even weaker than they are. The goal isn't to ruin your character's power completely, as would usually be the case when playing corrupt-a-wish.
2. Your character can wish for anything, but that doesn't mean that your Jinn will give it to you. If it's something that is beyond their power to grant, they will give you a kind of power that should, theoretically, help your character achieve their wish. Even if it seems like a hopeless wish, they will offer you at least the impression of a step in that direction. They're crafty little buggers.
3. Complete invincibility, unrestricted revival from death, time travel, and other "god tier" abilities are banned. Other abilities include global time stop/extreme time distortion, or any other skill (such as an EX-Mode, Adrenaline Rush, whatever) that would achieve the same effect, as well as any kind of 360° omniscient sixth sense, or free-reign teleportation, or infinite shadow clones, or any other kind of nonsense that would make your character impossible to reliably track down or hit. What this all means functionally for the game mechanics is that your skills can't guarantee that you always dodge (or hit), nor can you break the normal flow of combat by raising or lowering a character's number of actions per turn.
4. Mind control, in all of its various forms and synonyms, is banned, even for use on or by NPCs. As a general rule, you should treat another person's character like you would treat your date. Don't grab them by the hand and pull them into a new scene without asking first, don't assume that they would act or react a certain way without giving them a chance; don't "god mod" as they say.
5. For the purposes of this particular story, being "unable to control" your power (or character, when they are using it) doesn't qualify as a sufficient curse. Having one angsty boi scorch the earth while everyone else watches from a safe distance is no fun for anyone involved.
6. Your character's "curse" should be thematically fitting and opposite to their "blessing," but in terms of your character's overall power level, they should still end up being very obviously super-human. Low-level monsters like goblins or slimes won't stand a chance against you even in a 10v1, and most regular humans are even weaker than they are. The goal isn't to ruin your character's power completely, as would usually be the case when playing corrupt-a-wish.
/!\ Trade Offer /!\
For the price of invoking a Jinn, you receive:
• 2-8 Basic attack skills (can have special effects; think in terms of Pokémon moves)
• 2-8 Basic spells (can be used at Tier 3 or lower, so each spell may have 3 variants)
• Your Basic skills and spells should total 10; the ratio of skills to magic is your preference
• One more magic spell (a Calamity, Summon, or Transformation)
• Three other skills with passive effects that are always in play
• One more passive skill, with some kind of negative effect (this is your "curse")
• Five stars worth of buffs to any combination of stats (can exceed the normal limit)
• One unique ability (can be any kind of skill or spell) that no other character can acquire
• Some Jinn may gift their human hosts with an accompanying thematic weapon
• If you are acting as a Jinn, feel free to suggest your own "sample abilities"
Character Sheet
You can fill out your character sheet either before or after making your wish. Doing it first will make it easier for other players to come up with a curse for you, but you may also want to design your character around their curse, so it's up to you. Fill in as many or as few of the optional sections as you like; they're there to give you inspiration. Just delete the sections you don't use, along with my helpfully unhelpful help text. You can also skip the "Combat Information" section for now.
[h2]Personal Information[/h2]
[b]Name: [/b]It comes first, but if you're like me, this gets filled in last.
[b]Nickname: [/b](Optional) A casual way to address your character.
[b]Alias: [/b](Optional) If you're cool enough to have a codename or title, put that here.
[b]Gender: [/b]For the purposes of this character sheet, this "Gender" section should include everything but your character's sexual preference, which is listed further below.
[b]Age: [/b]
[b]Birthday: [/b](Optional)
[b]Blood Type: [/b](Optional)
[b]Species: [/b]Unless you're making a villain character, you'll be a Human. I may also allow a Nephilim or Beastkin into the party later on if you have a neat concept (and a reason why they don't eat humans).
[b]Job Class: [/b]Check the lore below for some example jobs. (I'm open to new job additions, too!)
[b]Hometown: [/b]This will most likely be Agartha, unless you want to make up a new place, describe it, and explain how you came to live in Agartha at some point in your back story. If you really want to be a hero and do all that, you might want to run the basic concept by me first, before you spend hours on it.
[b]Theme: [/b](Optional) Music that would play when your character is having a big moment, or just something for people to listen to while they read about them here.
[h2]Body Information[/h2]
[hider][img]Put your face claim image URL here. We expect lots of anime, but something closer to the "photorealistic" side of the spectrum will be accepted too.[/img][/hider]
[b]Face: [/b](Optional) Use this to describe your character's face if you don't use a face claim.
[b]Body: [/b](Optional) Use this if you have a face claim that's not a full-body shot.
[b]Attire: [/b](Optional) Same as above, or if you just feel like pointing out the details.
[b]Ethnicity: [/b]Agartha is located in Switzerland, and houses a mixed population of the descendants of evacuees from all over Europe, so almost anything is believable as far as genealogy goes. Agartha more or less has an artificial skybox that runs on hand-waving magic, so you can ignore any real world effects of multiple generations of cave life that may exist, and give your character any skin color you want.
[b]Height: [/b]
[b]Weight: [/b](Optional)
[b]Eye Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Hair Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Senses: [/b](Optional) If your character has impaired vision or something else, put that here.
[b]Scent: [/b](Optional) This is here for the ladies (yes, I've seen profiles where this was used).
[b]Voice: [/b](Optional) If you read your character's voice lines a certain way, you can invite the rest of us to do the same.
[h2]Personality[/h2]
[b]Usual: [/b]
[b]In Battle: [/b]
[b]Speech: [/b]
[b]Habits: [/b]
[b]Making Friends: [/b]What Resonates with you?
[b]Sexuality: [/b](Optional)
[b]Likes: [/b]
[b]Dislikes: [/b]
[b]Hobbies: [/b]
[b]Issues: [/b](Optional)
[b]Alignment: [/b](Optional) If you want to start an argument about DnD alignments, put yours here.
[h2]History[/h2]
[b]Childhood: [/b]What your character's life was like up to now.
[b]Adulthood: [/b](Optional) If your character is significantly older than 18, here's another section.
[b]Family: [/b](Optional) If your character has family members to consider, you can list them here.
[b]Religion: [/b]This RP deals with some religious themes, so pretty much everyone is going to have [i]some[/i] kind of belief. The real question being asked here—that is not answered anywhere in the lore below—is whether or not (given your character's life experiences and all the supernatural stuff that's happened in general) they believe in the existence of the Creator or not, whether he still cares about humanity, whether or not he's still coming back to save them (why or why not), and so on.
[h2]Combat Information[/h2]
If you haven't made a wish yet, skip this section; your character sheet is done for now!
[h3]Armaments[/h3]
[b]Weapons: [/b]You should stick to having just one main weapon and maybe a sidearm. A Medium's weapons will be forged from the fossils of fallen angels (yes, really) so they can have magical properties like being able to be summoned into battle and later dismissed, able to duplicate themselves, transform, or whatever. The cooler stuff they can do should be described later below, in your Skills section.
[b]Armor: [/b]If your character wears armor, clothing or accessories with magical properties, type here.
[b]Other: [/b]Anything else your character carries with them, specifically for combat purposes. Some example items include the elixir—don't call it a potion—which restores your HP to max the first time you use one in a battle, restores it by half the second time, and so on. Other items include magic stones: crystallized magic power that is created when magical energy comes in contact with the sludge left behind by perishing monsters. You'll acquire these as you slay monsters, and you can share them with your friends to give them more options for elemental attacks. They also have monetary value.
[h3]Parameters[/h3]
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Your Jinn will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Here are 25 stars for you to cut and paste however you like. Refer to PvP mechanics for what these do.
Strength: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
If your Strength is plus or minus one from your opponent, you can parry their attacks.
If it's higher than your opponent's Defense, you can break their guard with a normal attack.
Resonance: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Every two stars reduces the RP magic consumes by 1 (you still need the full RP cost available for casting).
Each pair of stars also increases the efficacy of any healing magic you cast by 1 star's worth.
Defense: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Each star of Defense should represent two normal attacks or one Skill's worth of damage you can take.
Your Defense also determines how strong your Guard is against physical attacks, including Skills.
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Resilience should represent how many magical attacks you can take. Calamities take 2 stars.
Resilience will also decrease the efficacy of healing magic on yourself. A 1-star heal would heal 25% HP in the above example.
Reaction: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Characters with higher Reaction can begin a battle with a Free Action (using spells, items, special moves).
After a Parry or elemental spell clash, only the character with higher Reaction can perform a follow-up attack.
Reaction also determines turn order, and is called when rolling for counterattacks and when fleeing AoE attacks.
Perception: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Each star of Perception increases your dodge rate. Refer to the Glossary of Combat Abilities for details.
Dual Attacks, Crew Attacks, Rush Skills and Finest Arts will depreciate Perception with each consecutive dodge.
[b]Wish: [/b]"Where's your motivation?"
[b]Curse: [/b]Your wish's accompanying curse.
[b]Aura Color: [/b]When your character is overflowing with Resonant Power, what color is it?
[b]Fighting Style: [/b]What's your character's bread and butter?
[h3]Attack Skills[/h3]
Attack skills increase your attacking Strength by 2 stars, making them great for guard breaking.
They can also have additional special effects (think Pokémon), but don't make them too obnoxious.
All of these skills should be Basic skills. You can also list as many Rush skills as you want to name.
If your weapon has some kind of special gimmick to it, here's the place for it to shine.
You must have a minimum of 2 Basic skills, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Skill 4: [/b]
[b]Skill 5: [/b]
[b]Rush Skills: [/b](Optional) If you want to give names to your 2-5 attack Rush strings, list them here.
[b]Finest Arts: [/b]You can mix up your Finest Arts combo any way you like. Just give it a name!
[h3]Resonant Power[/h3]
The type of Jinn you invoke should primarily determine what type of spells you receive.
You can have a mix of two or three elements if they all fit thematically with your character's Wish.
Each of your Basic spells can be used at Tiers 1-3, so you don't need multiple slots for one type.
Don't worry about trying to have one of everything for element clashing. That's what friends are for.
You must have a minimum of 2 Basic spells, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Spell 1: [/b]
[b]Spell 2: [/b]
[b]Spell 3: [/b]
[b]Spell 4: [/b]
[b]Last Word: [/b]This is your Calamity tier spell, or Summon, or Transformation (only pick one).
[h3]Personal Skills[/h3]
These skills are passive and always activate. Their effects should be kept simple and easy to apply.
[b]Passive Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Curse: [/b]A thematically appropriate stumbling block for your character on their journey.
[b]Unique Skill: [/b]Can be a Basic skill, spell, or passive skill. Paste it under the appropriate header.
[b]Name: [/b]It comes first, but if you're like me, this gets filled in last.
[b]Nickname: [/b](Optional) A casual way to address your character.
[b]Alias: [/b](Optional) If you're cool enough to have a codename or title, put that here.
[b]Gender: [/b]For the purposes of this character sheet, this "Gender" section should include everything but your character's sexual preference, which is listed further below.
[b]Age: [/b]
[b]Birthday: [/b](Optional)
[b]Blood Type: [/b](Optional)
[b]Species: [/b]Unless you're making a villain character, you'll be a Human. I may also allow a Nephilim or Beastkin into the party later on if you have a neat concept (and a reason why they don't eat humans).
[b]Job Class: [/b]Check the lore below for some example jobs. (I'm open to new job additions, too!)
[b]Hometown: [/b]This will most likely be Agartha, unless you want to make up a new place, describe it, and explain how you came to live in Agartha at some point in your back story. If you really want to be a hero and do all that, you might want to run the basic concept by me first, before you spend hours on it.
[b]Theme: [/b](Optional) Music that would play when your character is having a big moment, or just something for people to listen to while they read about them here.
[h2]Body Information[/h2]
[hider][img]Put your face claim image URL here. We expect lots of anime, but something closer to the "photorealistic" side of the spectrum will be accepted too.[/img][/hider]
[b]Face: [/b](Optional) Use this to describe your character's face if you don't use a face claim.
[b]Body: [/b](Optional) Use this if you have a face claim that's not a full-body shot.
[b]Attire: [/b](Optional) Same as above, or if you just feel like pointing out the details.
[b]Ethnicity: [/b]Agartha is located in Switzerland, and houses a mixed population of the descendants of evacuees from all over Europe, so almost anything is believable as far as genealogy goes. Agartha more or less has an artificial skybox that runs on hand-waving magic, so you can ignore any real world effects of multiple generations of cave life that may exist, and give your character any skin color you want.
[b]Height: [/b]
[b]Weight: [/b](Optional)
[b]Eye Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Hair Color: [/b](Optional) Use these if you have no face claim, or the image has wonky lighting.
[b]Senses: [/b](Optional) If your character has impaired vision or something else, put that here.
[b]Scent: [/b](Optional) This is here for the ladies (yes, I've seen profiles where this was used).
[b]Voice: [/b](Optional) If you read your character's voice lines a certain way, you can invite the rest of us to do the same.
[h2]Personality[/h2]
[b]Usual: [/b]
[b]In Battle: [/b]
[b]Speech: [/b]
[b]Habits: [/b]
[b]Making Friends: [/b]What Resonates with you?
[b]Sexuality: [/b](Optional)
[b]Likes: [/b]
[b]Dislikes: [/b]
[b]Hobbies: [/b]
[b]Issues: [/b](Optional)
[b]Alignment: [/b](Optional) If you want to start an argument about DnD alignments, put yours here.
[h2]History[/h2]
[b]Childhood: [/b]What your character's life was like up to now.
[b]Adulthood: [/b](Optional) If your character is significantly older than 18, here's another section.
[b]Family: [/b](Optional) If your character has family members to consider, you can list them here.
[b]Religion: [/b]This RP deals with some religious themes, so pretty much everyone is going to have [i]some[/i] kind of belief. The real question being asked here—that is not answered anywhere in the lore below—is whether or not (given your character's life experiences and all the supernatural stuff that's happened in general) they believe in the existence of the Creator or not, whether he still cares about humanity, whether or not he's still coming back to save them (why or why not), and so on.
[h2]Combat Information[/h2]
If you haven't made a wish yet, skip this section; your character sheet is done for now!
[h3]Armaments[/h3]
[b]Weapons: [/b]You should stick to having just one main weapon and maybe a sidearm. A Medium's weapons will be forged from the fossils of fallen angels (yes, really) so they can have magical properties like being able to be summoned into battle and later dismissed, able to duplicate themselves, transform, or whatever. The cooler stuff they can do should be described later below, in your Skills section.
[b]Armor: [/b]If your character wears armor, clothing or accessories with magical properties, type here.
[b]Other: [/b]Anything else your character carries with them, specifically for combat purposes. Some example items include the elixir—don't call it a potion—which restores your HP to max the first time you use one in a battle, restores it by half the second time, and so on. Other items include magic stones: crystallized magic power that is created when magical energy comes in contact with the sludge left behind by perishing monsters. You'll acquire these as you slay monsters, and you can share them with your friends to give them more options for elemental attacks. They also have monetary value.
[h3]Parameters[/h3]
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Your Jinn will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Here are 25 stars for you to cut and paste however you like. Refer to PvP mechanics for what these do.
Strength: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
If your Strength is plus or minus one from your opponent, you can parry their attacks.
If it's higher than your opponent's Defense, you can break their guard with a normal attack.
Resonance: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Every two stars reduces the RP magic consumes by 1 (you still need the full RP cost available for casting).
Each pair of stars also increases the efficacy of any healing magic you cast by 1 star's worth.
Defense: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Each star of Defense should represent two normal attacks or one Skill's worth of damage you can take.
Your Defense also determines how strong your Guard is against physical attacks, including Skills.
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+★☆☆☆
Resilience should represent how many magical attacks you can take. Calamities take 2 stars.
Resilience will also decrease the efficacy of healing magic on yourself. A 1-star heal would heal 25% HP in the above example.
Reaction: ★★★★☆☆+★☆☆☆
Characters with higher Reaction can begin a battle with a Free Action (using spells, items, special moves).
After a Parry or elemental spell clash, only the character with higher Reaction can perform a follow-up attack.
Reaction also determines turn order, and is called when rolling for counterattacks and when fleeing AoE attacks.
Perception: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Each star of Perception increases your dodge rate. Refer to the Glossary of Combat Abilities for details.
Dual Attacks, Crew Attacks, Rush Skills and Finest Arts will depreciate Perception with each consecutive dodge.
[b]Wish: [/b]"Where's your motivation?"
[b]Curse: [/b]Your wish's accompanying curse.
[b]Aura Color: [/b]When your character is overflowing with Resonant Power, what color is it?
[b]Fighting Style: [/b]What's your character's bread and butter?
[h3]Attack Skills[/h3]
Attack skills increase your attacking Strength by 2 stars, making them great for guard breaking.
They can also have additional special effects (think Pokémon), but don't make them too obnoxious.
All of these skills should be Basic skills. You can also list as many Rush skills as you want to name.
If your weapon has some kind of special gimmick to it, here's the place for it to shine.
You must have a minimum of 2 Basic skills, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Skill 4: [/b]
[b]Skill 5: [/b]
[b]Rush Skills: [/b](Optional) If you want to give names to your 2-5 attack Rush strings, list them here.
[b]Finest Arts: [/b]You can mix up your Finest Arts combo any way you like. Just give it a name!
[h3]Resonant Power[/h3]
The type of Jinn you invoke should primarily determine what type of spells you receive.
You can have a mix of two or three elements if they all fit thematically with your character's Wish.
Each of your Basic spells can be used at Tiers 1-3, so you don't need multiple slots for one type.
Don't worry about trying to have one of everything for element clashing. That's what friends are for.
You must have a minimum of 2 Basic spells, with a maximum of 8. Your Basic skills and spells should total 10.
[b]Spell 1: [/b]
[b]Spell 2: [/b]
[b]Spell 3: [/b]
[b]Spell 4: [/b]
[b]Last Word: [/b]This is your Calamity tier spell, or Summon, or Transformation (only pick one).
[h3]Personal Skills[/h3]
These skills are passive and always activate. Their effects should be kept simple and easy to apply.
[b]Passive Skill 1: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 2: [/b]
[b]Passive Skill 3: [/b]
[b]Curse: [/b]A thematically appropriate stumbling block for your character on their journey.
[b]Unique Skill: [/b]Can be a Basic skill, spell, or passive skill. Paste it under the appropriate header.
Life in Agartha, and Associated Lore
Humans
Ordinary humans are at the bottom of the divine food chain, and second only to small animals in abject vulnerability. They can use only normal physical attacks, a guard which can be broken by the most Basic attack skills, and Basic magic, which they can only cast using the magic stones that are produced by Mediums. The strongest of them are just barely capable of surviving a one-on-one duel with the lowest rank-and-file monsters, and so they must rely on large numbers or Mediums to survive.
Mediums
Gifted by the Pandora gene, Mediums are humanity's only real hope of defeating the Demon Mother and reclaiming their lost freedom and dominion of the earth. By invoking spiritual beings called Jinn, they are able to use their Resonant Power to manifest their desires as a kind of magic. Their sworn purpose is to bring humanity's most fervent wish to fruition, but no one but their Jinn really knows what they wish for in secret. Mediums live rich and full lives not unlike the nobility of old, and most have only known hardship during their combat training—before they are sent to the surface to die—while the common folk do little more than work. Both classes have mixed feelings about the other's roles, but the birth of a new Medium always brings joy to Agartha, as it means that more jobs will be created, and the city's population will once again be allowed to increase, to support the upbringing of the newest hero.
John Dee
The so-called "original Medium" who appeared some time after the existence of the Demon Mother was known to mankind. Very little is known about the founder of the Brionac Program; even the name "John Dee" was only ever a pseudonym. Nobody knows why he was so secretive, only a privileged few have ever read the results of his research on the Pandora Gene—and nobody knows why or where he suddenly disappeared to, just as humanity's hope for its future began to rise to new heights.
The Pandora Gene
All humans possess the Pandora gene, but nobody knows what causes the Pandora gene to activate. What is known is that, if it is not active shortly after birth, it is usually too late, and there is no known method to increase its activation rate. In times past, the people of Agartha tried to produce more Mediums by inflating the size of its population, but after some time it became clear that this would not be a viable solution to their plight, and the unofficial communal effort that had gone unacknowledged until then was quietly halted. Now, the population of Agartha is "carefully managed" by its government.
Jinn
The conduits of power for the Mediums, Jinn are spiritual beings born from human desires. If humans have worshipped something in great numbers, there is probably a Jinn that embodies that thing, be it an object, element, force of nature, or anything else that evokes human desires. Neither inherently good nor inherently evil, Jinn are easily influenced by the human heart. Even when a Jinn is invoked by two Mediums on opposing sides of a battle, it never revokes either its blessing or its curse, even if it will result in the death of a recipient of its contracts. A Jinn is seemingly only bound by these two forces: its contracts, and human desire. Nothing else is known about Jinn. Perhaps there isn't anything to know.
Resonant Power
In essence, Resonant Power is created when large numbers of humans believe in something. When a Medium is successful in defeating evil beings and freeing enslaved humans, they gather the faith of their allies and the people. This faith can then be harnessed by invoked Jinn to empower one's body beyond the human limit, or cast magic, creating the phenomenon known as Resonant Power.
Mavericks
Mediums who abandon their duty to fight for humanity's survival are called Mavericks. The loss of the people's faith results in an inability to accumulate Resonant Power. While they are still incredibly powerful compared to regular humans—retaining their ability to use Basic skills and magic—these oath breakers are fodder for Mediums, who are often capable of wiping the floor with a small group of them.
Agartha
A small, underground civilization with only about fourteen thousand members. Even so, Agartha is rich with resources, and both Mediums and non-Mediums alike enjoy the city's advanced technology and relative safety. A clear blue sky is projected onto the roof of the cave to simulate day time, while the soft blue glow of its flora naturally imitate a beautiful starscape (albeit with the help of a fake projected moon), and a powerful magic/tech barrier repels low-level monsters. Its denizens are ethnically diverse, but most speak only English after living in such a small world for over three centuries. Transportation in Agartha is achieved with inclined elevators and cable cars, as its topography is complex. Life in Agartha is perhaps best described as "perfectly boring." While the Mediums stave off their boredom with unending training and missions, the common folk lose themselves in their work and very limited time for hobbies.
In Agartha, everything revolves around the birth and upbringing of Mediums, as without them, their lives of independence from the demons would be unsustainable. Agartha's population is allowed to increase only when a new Medium arrives, and the vast majority of its resources go into the Brionac Program, which prepares young Mediums for a future mostly spent fighting evil beings. Despite working or training most of the time, the living conditions are downright luxurious compared to those of humans living under demonic rule. Though underground, the cavern is cool, with naturally circulated fresh air.
Food is a constant concern, and is usually purchased not with gold but with meal tickets, which are provided and managed by Agartha's government. Fruit and vegetables are farmed using vertical and indoor agricultural techniques and technology. Large populations of cattle are unsustainable, so most of the meat eaten by its general population is artificially grown in labs, with the exception of fish that can be caught in a river that falls through the cavern. Wild game is costly and almost exclusively reserved for Mediums and their families. Monsters unfortunately yield no meat when killed, as they will degenerate into a kind of sludge, only edible by other monsters, and only used by humans to create magic stones.
While Agartha's technology is advanced, it has regressed considerably in one aspect, and that is communications. Television no longer exists, and the news is spread with a city-wide intercom and old school papers. Landline phones also exist, but all forms of communication over the "air waves," such as cell phones, internet, and radio, have been eliminated, as demons can hijack them to cause mass panic and spy on people. More secure and advanced communication methods are used by Mediums, which run on magic, but have their own limitations. For one, they cease to function entirely during a Calamity.
Like many other governments in the past, Agartha's is divided into legislative, executive, and judicial branches. All members of the legislative congress are human, and are voted in exclusively by humans, while the other two branches are mixed. The executive branch and associated military forces are almost exclusively Mediums, with many humans occupying the lower government worker positions and supporting roles, with few exceptions: Executive Elpidio, for example, is not a Medium, though he occupies a very important position. In short, the Mediums' dependency on humans as a primary source of their power, and the humans' lack of ability to use said power, creates a society where humans must decide how the system will work, while Mediums run it accordingly. The result is surely far from perfect.
Rather than hosting celebrations on holidays regularly throughout the year, Agartha's times of excess are dictated by the death toll. If more Mediums are joining the force, and fewer are dying, a kind of festival colloquially called "Pandemonium" may occur, where many of the city's usual restrictions are temporarily rescinded. Everyone is given some extra time away from work or training, food will become purchasable with gold rather than meal tickets, couples will rendezvous—and all the usual celebratory fare. The noise tends to dissuade monsters from attacking, as the response is usually swift and merciless.
The Brionac Program
The Brionac Program, and Brionac Academy, are responsible for training Mediums from a young age to combat the demon menace. Mediums are sorted into three different classes, based first on their estimated potential for slaying evil beings, and later based on their estimated body count. First Class Mediums are a menace on the battlefield, while Third Class Mediums are better off in support jobs or staying off the battlefield entirely—at least in theory. Mediums with First Class potential will drop off to lower classes if they don't deploy when Agartha is attacked, or if their body count is low, as will be the case for Valkyries. Drifters are not publicly acknowledged, but are internally referred to as Class Zero.
The Daemon Program
A full-immersion virtual reality simulator that allows digital versions of evil beings to be fought in a safe environment, with user-controlled battlefield conditions. The program is new, and collecting the necessary data to produce these "Daemons" is difficult, so currently only common monsters and devils can be fought. Its creator, Executive Elpidio, hopes that the newest generation of Mediums can help him change that. He is also known to design his own opponents for aspiring Mediums to fight.
The Void
A pitch-black cavern where Mediums who are at least 16 years of age and have graduated from the "education-only" portion of the Brionac Program go to contact and invoke Jinn. Only those Mediums with the nerve to enter this foreboding place alone and emerge successful are inducted into the second portion of the Brionac Program, where it becomes possible to go on missions with one's life on the line. The Void is home only to Jinn, and contains nothing but the metallic remnants of fallen angels. Despite smelling faintly of death, it is completely devoid of any kind of life, including predators. However, due to the sensory deprivation required to contact Jinn, many reportedly experience terrifying hallucinations.
Fallen Angels
Existing only as fossils, fallen angels are spiritual beings that were forced to assume physical form before being cast out of the heavens. No flesh samples have survived, but a metallic substance was left over, which can be used to make magical weapons and magically infused technological devices. Even normal humans can technically use these weapons after a Medium has infused it with Resonant Power, but whether or not their frail bodies can physically handle the forces generated is another matter.
Medium Job Classes and Occupations
Pioneers are seasoned adventurers who are privileged to choose their own battles, and explore the surface world at their own pace, drawing maps and scouring for what's left of the earth's precious remaining resources. For Pioneers, danger is never more than a hair's breadth away, as demonic cities and forces are everywhere and not always visible without a bird's-eye view. Pioneers must be quick on the draw and on their feet if they want to survive. They stay away from large-scale warfare.
Vanguards are stalwart warriors who defend Agartha from higher-level monsters that won't be repelled by its barrier. They tend to stay within close proximity of Agartha, but aren't afraid to venture out beyond the boundaries of the barrier and confront the hordes of small fry accompanying the juicier targets. Defensive in build, with wide, sweeping attacks, Vanguards are well respected by the people.
Juggernauts are physical powerhouses that live to fight the strongest beings the Demon Mother has on offer. They shine brightest when fighting a single opponent, but are more than capable of taking on smaller groups of moderate-to-highly dangerous monsters, such as a pack of dire wolves. They vary in their preference between speed and defense, but all of them are a force to be reckoned with.
Valkyries are magical specialists with a knack for Resonance. The backbone of any task force, big or small, their supportive abilities are adored by the people, and are always the favorite of young and impressionable girls. However, not all Valkyries are of the emblematic "healing angels" variety. Some specialize in other types of magic, such as blessing's opposite, curse magic. Debilitating enemies in large numbers, they allow even normal humans to get in on the monster-slaying action from time to time.
Warlocks are another type of magical specialist with a talent for laying waste to large swaths of demon scum using your basic elemental magics such as fire and ice, lightning and water, wind and earth, light and dark, etc. You can't go wrong with the classics, and the Warlock has remained effective for as long as Mediums who love magic have honed their craft, which is also as long as Mediums have existed.
Sorcerers are strategic masterminds who specialize in dealing with magical foes. Essentially the "team leaders" of Warlocks and Valkyries, they are tacticians who directly counter the demon army's efforts to thwart the humans' advance with magic, while they themselves handle the "trickier" elements of magic, such as nature and artifice, sight and sound, time and space, and generally abstract spells.
Bastioners are experts in artifice magic who act as architects, either in the city of Agartha or on the surface, quickly building forward operating bases, or FOBs. They can assemble towers and bunkers in no time, even in the middle of a battle, if there's enough space and they're left alone. At higher tiers of magic, they can conjure up rows of cannons or other siege weapons, laying waste to the evil hordes. Both on the battlefield and off, their unique abilities inspire awe and jealousy in the hearts of DIY guys.
A secret job title given to a Medium with unique talents and the motivation to use them to defend Agartha, even at the behest of their life, is the Drifter. Drifters are given freedom to pursue their own targets and to execute their own missions because at any given point in time a Drifter can be called to action in Agartha. A Drifter preemptively hunts down and fells the deadliest of all evil beings—those with special attributes who are deemed too hazardous for ordinary Mediums, who prefer facing their foes head on—such as the infamous Medusa. The work of a Drifter is not seen by an audience, but felt by the world whenever these destructive monsters can no longer take human lives. (Credit: Co-GM dabombjk)
Religious Lore and Bestiary
The Father, Creator of Earth and Humans
After the demons took over the surface world and the human population began to plummet, all religious texts were targeted for destruction, by both malevolent demons and despairing humans alike. All that remains is collected and kept secure by Agartha's small but organized body of government. All that is publicly known is that a divine Father, the Creator, created mankind and gave them dominion of the earth. He then appeared before them many times, attempting to bring law and order to humanity, but they rejected his various laws and disciplines each time, until finally he came one last time, bringing only one commandment: love one another, as I have loved you. Again, the humans rejected his message and killed him, and he never returned to the world he'd given to his children to rule. Agartha's citizens believe various things regarding whether or not the Father will someday return to save his children from the demons. Almost all humans who live under demonic rule believe that no savior is coming.
Demon Mother
Roughly 350 years ago, the Demon Mother appeared without warning, though her existence was not immediately known to humans. Some time after, evil beings quietly began to appear within the last of the earth's untouched wilderness. First came the devils, then monsters, and eventually demons and nephilim. Powerless to stop their rapidly climbing numbers, the world's governments tried to cover up their existence, and, in their desperate struggle for the last of the earth's resources, failed to unite against this supernatural threat, and were primarily conquered from within as they vied for the favor of the rapidly ascending demons. By the time the common people took notice of what was happening, all was already lost, and they could do nothing but curse their leaders and pray for a savior that never came.
Devils
Animal-like in appearance, these low-level spiritual beings are the Demon Mother's spawn. They feed on negative emotions—primarily fear, by visiting nightmares upon innocent people—until they gain the power to take on physical form and take advantage of the local ecosystem. The most common form of devil is the infamous "unnaturally large black dog" of urban legend. They rival the cleverest animals on planet earth in intelligence, and are purely malevolent toward humans, though they don't always kill them on sight. Devils are exclusively male, and can mate with animals, which produces monsters.
Monsters
Female animals that mate with devils give birth to monsters, which can take any kind of "genetic experiment gone wrong" form that you could imagine. This interbreeding of natural and spiritual being tends to also cause gigantism, though there are a few exceptions. Monsters do not retain the cleverness of their devil parent, and spend their days mindlessly eating anything that moves, including you. When killed, monsters quickly degenerate into an inedible sludge, so no meat can be harvested from them, but if the monster was killed with magic, the sludge will crystallize and become a magic stone, which can then be used to cast Basic magic of that same element one time, enabling even normal humans to use it.
Beastkin
Mediums that willingly choose to invoke devils instead of Jinn retain only their human level of intelligence, and gain nothing but animalistic features and desires, malevolence, and brute physical strength. The most common kind of Beastkin is the Werewolf, but the most deadly of all might be the Wendigo. Infamous for its cultural association with death, winter, and cannibalism, it retains its former self's magical ability. Concealing its form, but not its presence, it terrorizes its prey before devouring it.
Demons
When humans worship devils (by choice or otherwise) those devils may become demons. As the devil evolves into a demon, it gradually loses its animalistic features and gains human characteristics. In general, the more "human" a demon appears to be, the more dangerous it is. High-level demons can use Resonant Power, much like Mediums can, but do not require the aid of a Jinn to do so—therefore, their power does not come with a curse. Whether demons are openly malevolent or more neutral toward humans depends on the methods they used to achieve whatever level of deity they managed to extract from their human subjects. Those who rule through fear will be as violent as they were when they were mere devils, but those who were worshipped voluntarily or coerced without violent methods may turn out more level headed and cunning than their comrades. Regardless, none of them see humans as more than cattle to be exploited for their gain. Like their previous form, the devil, demons all begin their new lives as male, but gain the ability to assume a female form if they desire. Demons who become female in this way cannot give birth—the Demon Mother being the sole exception. Those who retain their male form or choose to revert to it can mate with human women, which may cause a Nephilim to be conceived. The odds of conception are low, however, and since almost all demons see almost all humans as utterly beneath them—in much the same way as humans view animals—such a "union" is extremely rare.
Nephilim
Half-human and half-demon, nephilim can be identified during childhood, if certain conditions are met. Under a full moon during the witching hour, they will appear as the "black-eyed children" of urban legend. However, this is not common knowledge (nor would it even be useful in Agartha), so they often mingle with humans unnoticed, until they become young adults, at which point they will start to express the same gigantism trait as monsters—as well as a taste for human flesh, naturally. Nephilim are often abandoned by their true mothers and picked up by well-meaning strangers, mostly unsuspecting women who can't ignore an infant's cries. Even in cases where this doesn't happen, however, nephilim who reach this age often abandon their caretakers and live in exile, in search of acceptance by demons.
Witches
The mothers of nephilim are called witches, due to the old superstitious belief that demons will not enter your home unless they are invited, or drawn there by some kind of wicked activity. Of course, this is not true, unfortunately for humans. Witches, as portrayed in popular culture, do not exist, but the art of witchcraft—potion making—absolutely does, and it's still as taboo as it ever was. Never make the unfortunate mistake of calling your healing elixir a "potion," or you'll get some looks from passersby.
Undead
The undead are humans that have been partially resurrected with time magic. Some are driven mad by the desire to return to the afterlife whence they came, while some have been driven mad by the torment of an existence devoid of any earthly pleasure, and seek only to satisfy those desires once again. Contrary to popular myth, they are not harmed by healing magic, but are simply immune to it. However, the realization that their corrupt body cannot be fully returned to life may drive them berserk.
Combat Abilities and PvP Mechanics
The Basics
Rounds: The Flow of Combat
Combat takes place in Rounds, which are sequences of each player's Turn. A Round in a 1v1 scenario, for example, consists of 2 Turns, because there are 2 involved players. Turn order is decided by comparing each character's Reaction stat, with higher star ratings going first. If two players tie, and they are allies, turn order will be decided alphabetically. If they are enemies, a coin is flipped. For a Reaction tie between 3 or more players, if the battle is a free-for-all, a turn order between them will be generated using Random.org. Note that faster players can decide when to use their Turn; if they want a slower ally to do something first before using their own Turn, they can declare that they wish to shuffle Turn order.
Turns: The Speed Limit
When an RPG is broken, speed is usually the cause, especially if it gives you more moves than your opponent. In Our Dying Wish, each character will normally be limited to 2 combat-related Actions per Turn, regardless of their Reaction stat. Your character's first Action will either be a "Free Action" or a "Reaction," depending on if they are currently being attacked or not. In other words, your character gets more options during the first Action of their Turn, if they are "free" in the sense that they are not under pressure from enemy attacks, and can move about the battlefield and act "freely." Their second Action will be either a normal "Action" or another "Reaction," if special circumstances call for it. High-Reaction characters can be expected to act first and to get more Free Actions, giving them more options in combat, rather than extra Actions to abuse.
Damage "Calculation"
There are no real numbers being tracked with regards to HP. Each character's HP is the same as any other, and ranges from 0% to 100%; damage calculation is done with those percentages. Damage is calculated by first considering the type of attack and whether Defense or Resilience is checked against it. The "star rating" of the attacker's move is compared to the defending character's Defense or Resilience, and the difference is turned into a percentage and subtracted from their HP. Normal attacks deal half a star's worth of Defense in damage, while Skills normally deal a full star. If you have four stars of Defense and take a full-damage hit from a Skill that deals normal damage, you'll be at 75% health, for example. Spells also deal a full star of damage, and Calamity spells deal two—this holds true even if the type of magic being cast is healing, so the higher your Resilience to magic is, the smaller the portion of health you'll receive. (This is to keep characters with a focus on physical attacks from benefiting too much from self-healing; characters with a higher investment in magic (Resonance) will naturally offset this.) If the result of a damage check is exactly zero, then you'll be left with 0.1% HP as a second chance. So, if you have exactly two stars of Resilience, you can still take a Calamity spell and survive from full health. At the end of each of my (Emeth's) posts, you will find a brief report on everyone's current HP and RP. A more detailed combat record can be found on the Discord server, in the ooc-combat-menu channel.
Consecutive Attacks and Combos
Normally, a single Guard or Dodge Reaction can be used to block or avoid as many attacks as necessary within a single Turn, with Dodge Reactions rolling unlimited dice as needed. However, consecutive attacks from an aggressive, pursuing opponent, from hordes of monsters, or from more intelligent and coordinated foes will depreciate the value of these options over time. In the case of consecutive attacks, each subsequent hit on a Guard will reduce its effective Defense by 1 star, and in the case of Dodges, each subsequent attack will reduce the dodging character's Perception by 1 star, increasing the chance of a failed dodge check. If you're severely outnumbered, consider Fleeing, which will perform a single pair of dodge checks instead.
Distinct and separate from the concept of consecutive attacks are combos. When a character's Guard is broken, or they take direct damage from an attack, their current Turn ends, and they become vulnerable until the beginning of their next Turn. Each attack they take during this vulnerable state will string together; this is called a combo. Combos can be cancelled by a third party, such as the victim's ally stepping in to React in their stead. This is called a Rescue; a Rescue requires the rescuer to have a Free Action, and protects the rescuee from any further damage until their next Turn. If the rescuer's Reaction fails and they get hit, they become the victim of the next combo, instead of the ally they Rescued before.
Resonant Power
Forget about painstakingly memorizing long incantations or tediously drawing magic circles—for Mediums, this is all accomplished automatically on the back end, by their Jinn. All a Medium needs to do to cast magic is to will it into existence using their Resonant Power. Resonant Power (RP) begins at zero at the start of every battle, increases every time your character performs most combat-related Actions, and is consumed when using high-tier Skills and spells. The more invested your character is in a battle (the more you participate), the faster you'll be able to use higher-tiered magic and Skills. Joining a battle and immediately seizing the victory in one move won't be possible, since you'll be starting at zero RP. At the end of each of my (Emeth's) posts, you will find a brief report on everyone's current RP and HP. A more detailed combat record can be found on the Discord server, in the ooc-combat-menu channel.
Instant Cast and Safe Cast
Any spell that is not a Calamity (Tier 4) spell can be cast instantly, making instant cast the normal casting speed. Calamities are the exception, and require a Free Action (specifically, Safe Cast) to use with no chance of being punished. Normally, a spell that is cast as an Action has priority over physical attacks, and cannot be interrupted by any other spell, except one of its opposing element or a higher tier. If the defending character has neither of these options available, they should Dodge or Guard. When used as a Reaction, however, any normal, non-Calamity spell will have less priority than physical attacks and other spells, trading hits with physicals and, in the case of magic, causing the Reacting character to take the hit at the cost of casting their own spell, which the attacking mage can safely deal with on their next Turn, before the Reacting mage's recovery Turn.
Quickly Identifying Magic
• A small magic circle in front of the caster is a Tier 1 Basic Spell.
• A large magic circle on the ground is a Tier 2 Field Spell.
• A small magic circle beneath a target is a Tier 3 Resonant Magic.
• A large magic circle above the field of battle is a Tier 4 Calamity.
• A small magic circle above the caster is a Tier 5 Transformation.
• A large magic circle in front of the caster is a Tier 5 Summon.
• The color of the magic circle indicates what element it is, as noted below.
Elemental Dichotomies
Rather than the elemental rock-paper-scissors that you're probably used to, elements come in pairs that oppose each other. What this effectively means is that enemies that are associated with these elements and wield them as their primary means of attack will not be doing "super-effective" damage against each other. If two players cast opposing elemental magic at the same tier, and at the same time, the magic circles will destabilize and the spells will fizzle out. This cancels both attacks, just as any two physical attacks of similar strength would be cancelled during a parry, and grants the mage casting the opposing magic +1 RP. The existence of these elemental dichotomies also means there is no "neutral" or "non elemental" damage type that can't be resisted.
The Elements (and their Magic Circles)
• Fire and Ice (Orange and Cyan)
• Lightning and Water (Yellow and Blue)
• Wind and Earth (Green and Brown)
• Light and Dark (White and Black)
• Nature and Artifice (Lime and Gray)
[Umbrella Elements: Wood and Metal]
• Sight and Sound (Pulsing White, Vibrating Black)
[Umbrella Elements: Truth and Illusion]
• Time and Space (Inverted Colors, Nebula Colors)
[Umbrella Elements: Sun and Moon]
• Blessing and Curse (Gold and Blood Red)
[Umbrella Elements: Life and Death]
• (Etc, I may add more on request?)
Elemental Resistances
Elemental resistances come in the form of passive skills. Any passive skill that gives resistance to one element will also give resistance to its opposing element. So, you will never encounter an opponent that is resistant to fire, but not to ice, for example. It's also important to note that, while these skills are passive in the sense that they are always active, they draw on Resonant Power to fuel their effects. Your character will be completely immune (no damage, no knockback, nothing) to any elemental spell they resist that has an RP cost equal or less than their current RP level. For example, if you resist fire and ice, you will always be immune to Tier 1 fire and ice spells, because Tier 1 magic costs nothing. However, to resist Tiers 2, 3, and 4, your character must currently have 4, 6, or 10 RP respectively. In other words, if you have enough RP to cast the spell you're trying to resist, then you can resist it, if you have the required skill.
Resistance Skills
• Extremophile: Resist Fire and Ice.
• Weathered: Resist Lightning and Water.
• Immovable: Resist Wind and Earth.
• Transcendent: Resist Light and Dark.
• Incorporeal: Resist Nature and Artifice.
• Enlightened: Resist Sight and Sound.
• Unstoppable: Resist Time and Space.
• Ineffable: Resist Blessing and Curse.
Status Effects and Curses
Like the elements these are associated with, the statuses in each pair will cancel each other out and cannot both be applied.
Burn: Deals 5% chip damage to the afflicted character each time they use a physical attack or Skill. Up to three Burn statuses can stack, causing "second degree" burns which deal 10% and "third degree" burns which deal 15% each time. The Burn status can be removed with Salve or reduced by 1 every time the victim is healed or Chilled.
Chilled: Causes the afflicted character to take 5% chip damage on each of their Turns; also reduces their Reaction and Perception by 1 star for each stack of this status. The status can be removed by spending a Turn Fleeing to warm up or reduced by 1 when Burn is applied. If Chilled is allowed to stack 3 times, 1 stack of Chilled is removed and Sleep is added instead.
Stunned: Causes the afflicted character to lose their Action after Recovering from damage. The status is removed immediately after applying its effect a single time, and cannot be acquired again next Round.
Sleep: The afflicted character cannot act for 3 Rounds. The status is removed immediately upon the victim Recovering from taking damage a single time. While under the Sleep status, they will take 1.5x damage from any attack executed during that combo. The status can be warded off for up to 5 Rounds using Coffee. For each Round that passes while under Sleep status, 1 stack of Chilled status is removed, if applicable.
Altitude Sickness: The afflicted character loses their +2 Strength bonus when using skills, and their Defense is reduced by 2 stars instead of 1 whenever their Guard is attacked consecutively. If they use the Flee command at any time while under this status, they must Recover on their next turn, as though they had taken damage. The status ends after 3 Rounds, or when the victim uses Medicine.
Petrification: The afflicted character's Defense is used as a counter. Each time the victim performs any action, the counter will be reduced by 1 (usually this will be 2 for each of their Turns, except during Recovery Turns). Throughout the duration of the countdown, their Reaction is treated as zero stars for the purposes of determining turn order, their Perception is decreased by 2 stars, and their Defense is increased by 2 Stars. Once the countdown reaches 0, the character is Petrified and cannot act during their Turn. Their Defense is increased to 10 stars, they are treated as being in a constant Guard state, and they will not take damage unless their Guard is broken. If their Guard is broken by any means, they are freed from the Petrified status, but they will take double the damage they would have taken if they hadn't been Guarding. Using a Salve during the countdown will cancel the status, but afterwards, the stone shell must be broken. If it is not broken by either an enemy or an ally, and the rest of the victim's party is KO'd, they too will count as KO'd and their opponent will not be required to finish them to claim victory.
Spotted: Afflicted characters are treated as priority targets for enemies, and cannot enter stealth mode, even with a Free Action. The status will end if the Spotted character is Rescued by an ally, causing the enemies to become distracted (though the Rescuing ally will inherit the status for one Round). The original target can then choose to re-enter stealth mode during their Free Action after that.
Blinded: An afflicted character must pass two dodge checks for each attack coming during a Reaction, and their own targets are able to roll twice for each dodge check whenever they are attacked by their Blinded foe. The status ends one full Round after the offending light source (or lack thereof) is removed. The status can be warded off for 5 Rounds using Salve.
Poison: Afflicted characters take 10% chip damage on each of their Turns. If at any time the afflicted character uses the Flee Reaction, their increased heart rate will cause the poison to spread faster, replacing the base Poison status with a Lethal Poison status that deals 20% damage on each of their Turns. The Lethal Poison status can also be inflicted directly by some foes. These statuses will last until the victim uses an Elixir or an Antidote.
Radiation Sickness: Prevents the afflicted character from healing by any means until they first cure the status. The status itself can only be cured by first leaving the effective range of the radiation, then drinking an Elixir or Medicine. Using an Elixir to cure this status will cancel the healing effect but still cause the drinker's "tolerance" for that battle to increase, reducing the healing effect of future Elixirs as well.
Obsession: Characters that have been afflicted with this status must continue attacking the same target, and cannot be forced to change targets. If the target of the afflicted character's Obsession is Rescued, they will instead attack the Rescuer until the Round ends and their original target becomes a valid option again. The status will end only when the target of the afflicted character's Obsession is KO'd.
Confusion: On each of the afflicted character's Turns, a D4 will be rolled to determine if the character attacks normally, uses a Basic skill or spell, Guards, or Dodges. If the roll is a 2, a D10 will then be rolled to determine which Basic skill or spell is used, based on the order they are listed in the character sheet. Don't even think about changing the order mid-battle, or I'll know. /Revolver Ocelot voice A list of all the battle's participants will then be generated on Random.org, and the afflicted character will attack them all in that order, if applicable, removing two participants from the list on each Turn. Even if the victim of the Confusion status is taking damage or Recovering and a D4 roll is not necessary, two names will be removed from the list on each of their Turns. Once the end of the list has been reached, the status will end on its own.
Cosmic Interference: The afflicted character's stats are all increased to a minimum of 3 stars, and are then shuffled every Round, with each row of stars being shifted down one position at the end of each of their Turns. After a full rotation of 6 shuffles, the status will end on its own.
Radio Silence: In space, no one can hear you scream. Afflicted characters cannot cast Tier 2-5 spells or begin Crew Attacks. The status will end automatically if at any time a Calamity is used, or if the afflicted character reaches 10 RP by any means.
Amnesia: Afflicted characters cannot use Rush skills or Finest Arts, and will "forget" one random Basic skill or spell at the end of each of their Turns, decided by rolling a D12. If an 11 or 12 is rolled, the status ends. Only one Basic skill or spell can be "forgotten" at a time.
Misery: Afflicted characters can gain only 1 RP per each of their Turns regardless of actions chosen. An ally can remove this status by spending a free action to hug their afflicted friend, both gaining a +1 RP bonus. They can also remove the status themselves by taking their frustration out on an enemy using Finest Arts.
Items
Elixirs: The standard Elixir heals for 100% HP when consumed, cut by a third for each use after that in the same battle. Removes the Poison/Lethal Poison and Radiation Sickness statuses, but does not prevent them from being re-applied.
Potions: Forbidden tonics that can have a wide variety of effects. They are stronger than any of their legal counterparts, but sanity is the price to pay for power. A random status effect or curse may be applied, or the potion may backfire entirely. It's not like these things are regulated, you know. Of course, a witch may be willing to remove these curses—for a small fee.
Magic Stones: Allows one cast of a Tier 1 spell of its associated element. Does not grant +1 RP when used. Even regular humans can use these, and they also have monetary value. The most coveted are the Space-elemental Teleport Stones.
Antidote: Removes Poison/Lethal Poison statuses and wards them off for 5 Rounds.
Medicine: Removes Altitude Sickness status and wards it off for 5 Rounds. Removes the Radiation Sickness status when consumed outside the effective range of the radiation, but does not ward it off while inside that radius.
Salve: Removes Burn status and Petrification countdown. Wards off Blinded status for 5 Rounds.
Coffee: Wards off Sleep status for 5 Rounds. Removes one stack of Chilled per Round if consumed hot. Adds Burn status if spilled.
Glossary of Combat Abilities
Actions
Normal Attacks: Normal attacks will use your Strength stat to determine how much Strength is required for your opponent to Parry, and how much Defense is required to hold a Guard against them. Using a normal attack increases your RP by 1 and deals a half-star of your target's Defense in damage.
Basic Skills: Basic attack Skills are a cut above regular attacks, and add +2 stars to Strength and do a full star of your opponent's Defense in damage. Basic attack Skills do not cost any RP to use, but using them does not increase your RP, either, so don't over-rely on them.
Basic Magic: Also called Tier 1 magic, it draws a small magic circle in front of the user, with effects that are typically aimed at a single target, based on line of sight. The caster is also a valid target for Tier 1 spells. This is the only tier of magic that boosts the caster's RP (by 1) when cast, instead of consuming it.
Crew Attacks: Crew attacks are coordinated combos between two or more characters using their normal attacks and Basic Skills or Magic. Successfully using one of these will raise each character's RP by an additional point. They cost nothing except creativity and practice, so gang up on those demon scum. Crew Attacks are considered consecutive attacks for the purposes of Reaction (refer to The Basics).
Magic Stones: When magic is used to defeat monsters, the energy will crystallize the sludge left behind by the dying monster, creating a magic stone of the same element as the spell that dealt the final blow. These are consumable items that can be used to cast Tier 1 spells that are normally unavailable to you otherwise. Using them won't raise RP, but they will give you more options to defend against magic.
Using Free Actions
Dual Attack: Using your free action for a consecutive attack against the same target may force them to play defense as you gain RP faster. You can also attack two different targets.
Wind-Up Skills: Some skills may take additional actions to prepare, or even outright require a free action to use, in exchange for more damage, hitting multiple targets, or other extraordinary effects. If your character has one of these, this is the time to use one without worry of making yourself a target.
Safe Cast: If a spell you wish to cast would normally leave you open to attacks from other enemies not being targeted, or doesn't deal damage at all, you can use a free action to both stay safe during the cast and ensure that it will not be cancelled by magic of the opposing element, or a spell of a higher tier.
Rescue: Use a Free Action to Rescue one of your allies who's either about to or currently taking damage. Though this requires a Free Action, it does not consume either of your two actions. Rescuing an ally forces any enemies targeting them to target you instead, and you can then React with an attack to Parry, use your Guard, or simply push your ally out of the way and dodge in their stead. You gain an extra +1 RP for Rescuing in addition to whatever you would normally gain. If you rescue an ally by Parrying with a normal attack, that's +3!
Elixirs: An elixir will restore your HP by 100% the first time you use one in a battle, and the effect is cut by a third for each additional elixir you use during the same battle. Using an elixir only takes up one of your actions in a turn, but the only way to use one safely without getting punished is with a Free Action.
Reactions
Parrying: Using a normal attack or Skill with a Strength value roughly equal to that of an incoming physical attack (plus or minus one star) will Parry the attack, cancelling it out with yours. A Parry will give both you and your opponent +1 RP, which will stack with the +1 from using a normal attack, if you used a normal attack for the Parry, making these a great option for building RP fast. If you Parry an opponent with higher Reaction than you, however, you cannot safely attack again that turn, as their speed allows them to Break Through. Consider starting a Crew Attack, or using a Rush Skill or Finest Arts to Parry.
Break Through: If the Strength of your attack is greater than your opponent's by 2 stars or more, you can simply capitalize on their poor decision making skills and Break Through the attack, dealing the appropriate amount of damage for the attack you used, then either follow up or attack another target. If you have higher Reaction than your opponent, and their first Action on their Turn was a Parry, you can ignore their Strength and Break Through their second attack using your Reaction stat instead of Strength.
Element Clashing: The magical equivalent of a parry requires you to cast a spell of the opposing element to the one you're facing, at the same tier or higher. Doing so gives you +1 RP, just like a parry, but unlike a parry, your opponent does not gain +1 RP alongside you.
Spell Break: The magical equivalent of Breaking Through requires you to cast magic a single tier higher than your opponent's magic. Field (Tier 2) Magic will break Basic (Tier 1) Spells, cancelling them, while Resonant (Tier 3) Magic will more or less "override" Field Magic, ignoring it. A Calamity will trump all of these, but they take time to cast, so they aren't useful for defending yourself.
Guarding: If your Defense is equal to or greater than the Strength of the incoming attack, you can Guard, taking no damage and robbing your opponent of their RP bonus for attacking, which might help you stall your opponent. If their Strength is higher than your Defense, your guard will be broken, and you will take half damage from the attack that broke your Guard, lose the rest of your current turn, and be completely vulnerable to enemy attacks until your next turn, or until you are Rescued. You can Guard against as many separate attacks from different enemies as you need using only one Reaction; however, consecutive attacks from Dual Attacks, Crew Attacks, Rush Skills and Finest Arts will reduce your Defense by 1 star for each attack, eventually breaking your Guard. When being attacked consecutively, you cannot switch from Guarding to dodging just before a guard break—though, if your foes' combo has ended, and another, bigger attack threatens to break your new, fresh Guard, you can do this, though it will cost another Action to dodge. Magic will always deal half damage against a Guard at Tier 1, break it at Tier 2, and ignore it at either Resonant or Calamity tier. To more effectively and reliably defend against magic, you must break the enemy's spells with your own using higher tiers, or their opposing elements. For Tier 1 spells, you can also rely on Magic Stones.
Dodging: Each star of your Perception represents a D6 that you will roll when performing a dodge check. If you roll at least one 6, you'll dodge the attack. If you need to dodge more attacks, you will roll again as needed. You gain just 1 RP per Reaction used for dodging, regardless of how many times you roll, and how many attacks you evade—even if you fail your first roll, you will gain +1 RP for trying. Your opponent will also lose their +1 RP bonus for attacking, if applicable, when you dodge a normal attack. Dodging multiple attacks works similarly as with a Guard; you may dodge attacks from several enemies using one Reaction, but consecutive attacks will reduce your Perception by 1 star for each consecutive attack dodged (in other words, some of your D6s will be taken away until your opponent has finished their Dual Attack, Crew Attack, Rush Skill or Finest Arts).
Below is a table showing what your chance of dodging an attack will be, based on the number of D6s.
(Super huge thank you to Ryik for making a more sensible dodging curve easy to implement.)
1d6 = 16.67%
2d6 = 30.56%
3d6 = 42.13%
4d6 = 51.77%
5d6 = 59.81%
6d6 = 66.51%
7d6 = 72.09%
8d6 = 76.74%
9d6 = 80.62%
10d6 = 83.85%
Counterattacking: During a successful dodge, you have a chance to counterattack, rolling with Reaction in place of Perception, and with D10s in place of D6s, with the chance to counterattack capping at a 65% chance of rolling at least one 10 for it. Performing a counterattack does not require an action, and does not cause any hit stun or change the flow of combat in any way. You simply get a free half-star of physical damage, equivalent to those cheeky hits speedrunners get on a boss when they're not "supposed" to be vulnerable.
Below is a table showing what your chance of counterattacking will be, based on the number of D10s.
(Super huge thank you to Ryik again for doing the math for the lazy GM.)
1d10 = 10%
2d10 = 19%
3d10 = 27.1%
4d10 = 34.39%
5d10 = 40.95%
6d10 = 46.86%
7d10 = 52.17%
8d10 = 56.95%
9d10 = 61.26%
10d10 = 65.13%
Fleeing: An area-of-effect attack with a wide blast radius such as Tier 2 magic, rapid-fire projectile weapon, or homing attacks (such as some Tier 3 magic) may require you to flee outright instead of dodging. You may also want to flee when facing multiple consecutive attacks that will drain your Defense or Perception until you eventually take damage. When fleeing, you perform two dodge checks, and if you fail either, you will trip and fall, taking damage from the attack. You can re-roll just one of these dodge checks using Reaction instead of Perception to save yourself from the fall and successfully flee. Fleeing will consume both of your actions for that Turn, so you will not be able to retaliate with an attack right after fleeing. Unlike dodging, fleeing neither grants your character +1 RP nor robs your opponent of any RP for attacking, so use this option wisely.
Recovering: After taking damage, your character's first action on their next turn will be spent regaining their footing. Then, their second action that turn will be a guaranteed Action, rather than a Reaction—in other words, you will start the next round of combat, even if your opponent's Reaction is higher. Because of this, there are no infinite combos, even if your allies aren't around to rescue you.
Resonant Powers
Rush Skills: Rush Skills are strings of consecutive attacks against a single target. A Rush Skill will drain all of your RP, and the amount of RP you currently have will determine how many attacks you get. Two-to-five attack combos require 3, 5, 7 and 9 RP, respectively. These attacks will not raise your RP, so you'll end with 0. However, Rush Skills raise your Strength by 2 stars and deal a full star of damage per hit just like any other Skill, and they also ignore the opponent's Reaction stat, allowing a character with a lower Reaction stat to Parry and continue attacking without fear of retaliation. Rush Skills cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
Finest Arts: By spending a full bar of 10 RP, your character can use their Finest Arts, the physical equivalent of a Calamity. Finest Arts is an uninterrupted string of 5 Basic attack Skills, and it won't be stopped even if you take a hit from a third party while using it. In fighting game terms, you have "super armor" during your Finest Arts string, and you can't be KO'd until it's over, leaving you with at least 0.1% HP no matter how many attacks you may take throughout its duration. Health-draining effects that take place at either the start or end of your Turn can still kill you, if applicable.
Field Magic: Also called Tier 2 magic, this spell draws a large magic circle on the ground, affecting the entire area above it. In the moment that it's cast, Tier 2 magic breaks any Tier 1 magic being cast there, effectively cancelling Basic spells and erasing Tier 1 blessings and curses. This is only a momentary effect, however, and ongoing Field magic will not prevent further casting. Field magic costs 4 RP to cast.
Resonant Magic: Also called Tier 3 magic, Resonant magic will cost 6 RP. Smaller magic circles will appear underneath each member of any unified group, be they allies or enemies, and bypass any active Tier 2 magic effects. For example, casting Resonant Heal will heal all your allies, and also momentarily protect them from any damage they might take from incoming (or ongoing) Field magic. Characters that are in stealth mode will not be included in Resonant tier magic—from friends or foes alike.
Calamities: Also called Tier 4 magic, this tier draws a large magic circle above the field of battle, and targets anything. Unlike Tier 2's momentary cancelling effect on Tier 1 magic, Tier 4 both breaks all lesser magic in its radius and blocks anything below Tier 5 until the Calamity is over—including another Calamity. A Calamity isn't necessarily an attack—it could have almost any effect. A Calamity costs 10 RP, and takes up two of your character's allotted actions per turn, so cast them wisely, preferably when your allies have you covered, or you have your opponent on defense. Otherwise, you'll just become a target.
Transformations: A form of Tier 5 magic, Transformations draw a small magic circle above the caster's body, transforming their body and attire and removing status effects and curses as it passes through them. Transformations require 10 RP to use, but they do not "cost" any RP when cast. Instead, your RP will be reduced by 2 per action (4 total per turn), until it reaches zero, after which the Transformation will end. Actions that normally increase RP will instead prevent it from being lost, prolonging the Transformation. Transformations can give you 5 stars worth of stat boosts and a new passive skill, or two passive skills.
Summons: Another form of Tier 5 magic is the Summon. Summons are indicated by a large magic circle in front of the caster. Summons also require 10 RP to use, but do not "cost" any RP when cast. Instead, their "cost" is that your character cannot use their RP for anything else, or the Summon will be dismissed. The Summon can be a high-level monster under your character's command, or it can be your Jinn. A monster can attack in sync with your movements, as though you were its puppet master, and it can also tank attacks for you—though if it is killed, you can kiss your RP goodbye. If you summon your Jinn, it will have spells identical to yours, and can similarly tank spells—but not physical attacks. It will, however, be totally immune to spells of its own type and its opposing type. If you both cast the same Tier 1 spell, it'll create a Tier 2 spell that can be used for free, shutting down enemy mages. A Summon will be in sync with you, and can't help you attack more times per turn, or from different angles.
A summoned Jinn will need a Resilience stat to determine how many magical attacks they can take, and up to 3 relevant elemental resistance skills. A summoned monster will require a full suite of stats, with Resonance being replaced by a new "Aggression" stat. For every two stars of Aggression, a monster will gain +1 Rage (the monster equivalent of RP) when using one of their zero-cost skills, of which they can have up to 3. Monsters will also have up to 3 Rage skills, which will—you guessed it—cost Rage to use, as well as 3 passive skills.
So yeah, TL;DR. How do I write my post?
If there are attacks headed your way, choose from the list of Reactions to deal with it effectively. If there aren't any, choose a Free Action instead. If you had a Free Action or your chosen Reaction was successful in dealing with incoming attacks, you'll get another Action after that. If your chosen Action is an attack, you should describe it, but whether or not it will hit and what effect it will have is up to your opponent to write. Even if your opponent failed to defend against your attack from the last turn, which should guarantee that any follow-up attacks this turn will land, you should still write your post with the assumption that they may not be hit—because a third party may interfere. Even in a 1v1, though, let your opponent describe the damage. (Just because their HP hits zero doesn't necessarily mean they're dead, just unable to keep fighting.) After this, they will recover, and start the next round.
All of this information is probably a lot to take in at once, but that's because I more or less just gave you everything I'm "pretty sure" about with regards to how combat's going to work. Most of the number crunching and nuances of combat will be handled on the back end by the GMs, outside of PvP or side quests. It's usually going to be pretty simple on the player end, especially if you use the OoC Discord combat menu, which will present you with a much narrower range of immediately useful options to choose from, like any good RPG combat menu should. This will be useful for new players or anyone who is risk-averse. My goal for complexity on the player end is Pokémon—there's a lot of stuff going on underneath the surface, but the players shouldn't need to understand all of it to get started.
Patch Notes
9/09/21
PvP Mechanics Changes:
-Status effects were rebalanced a bit; Wind gained the Altitude Sickness status and its previous status, changed to Radiation Sickness, was given to Artifice
-All items currently mentioned (I hope) are listed right below status effects
9/08/21
OoC Post Changes:
-Multiple Jinns no longer allowed; instead, existing abilities and stats will be buffed at key points in the story
-Fixed errors regarding spell count in the trade offer and character sheet
-Fixed several errors regarding multiple Reactions being needed to deal with incoming attacks
PvP Mechanics Changes:
-Added status effects, one for every element that currently exists; Artifice might get a different one instead of "Lethal Poison" later
-Re-integrated fleeing dodges as an option for consecutive attacks, and requirement for dodging AoE blast radius attacks (mainly to buff higher-tier magic)
-In addition to robbing an attacker's RP gains during a dodge, counterattacks have been implemented, further making "attack with 12 Strength" less of a foolproof strategy (courtesy of the Nerf Rika Squad)
-Added further uses for the Reaction stat in the above two mechanics
-Further described the actual event of an elemental spell clash under Elemental Dichotomies, and added a clause stating your opponent does not gain +1 RP (always intended)
-Clarified Rescuing, just because I felt like the description was ass
-Buffed Elixirs to only have their effect cut by a third with each use; like dodging, they have a "curve" now, and remain useful for slightly longer
-Added a clause stating that, during consecutive attacks, you cannot switch from a Guard to dodging just before a guard break (this was always an intended mechanic)
-With all of the ways consecutive attacks can now be dealt with, Rush skills have been buffed to deal a full star of damage per hit; they are now "in business"
-Clarification added on how Finest Arts can prevent death through its duration, but not afterwards (Ink will still die if he spams FA)
-Tentative details were added on how summoned monsters might work; these may change as needed for balance purposes
-Sample combat scenarios were deleted as most of them were rendered obsolete by these updates, and people learned faster just by asking me anyway
8/29/21
OoC Post Changes:
-Max dodge chance removed from Character Wishes and Power Level section to reflect evasion curve changes
Character Sheet Changes:
-Resonance no longer reduces the RP cost of Rush Skills or Finest Arts; this has broken the game twice (Rika has ultimately benefited from this change)
-Some semantics were clarified under the description of Resilience; Perception was changed to reflect changes to Dodging mechanics
-Fixed a consistency error in the Character Sheet regarding how many Basic Skills you should have
PvP Mechanics Changes:
-Rounds: The Flow of Combat section added under The Basics for clarification of existing mechanics
-Turns: The Speed Limit section under The Basics rewritten for clarification of existing mechanics
-Damage "Calculation" section under The Basics rewritten for clarification of existing mechanics
-Consecutive Attacks and Combos section added under The Basics for clarification of existing mechanics; Guards and Dodges were buffed against consecutive attacks; Rika's 5th Vanguard Skill was nerfed to reflect this
-Instant Cast and Safe Cast section added under The Basics for clarification of existing mechanics; Tier 1-3 spells got a priority buff during Actions
-Parrying and Break Through sections edited to clarify semantics; you *can* attack again after Parrying an opponent with higher Reaction, but they'll Break Through
-Guarding and Dodging sections were changed to reflect buffs against consecutive attacks, and changes to the evasion curve
-Dodging normal attacks now robs your opponent of their +1 RP bonus for attacking, same as during a Guard; this fixes a potentially unwinnable fight scenario
-Since the Dodging mechanic now requires an evasion table, it exists now
-After multiple buffs to the Dodging mechanic, autododges are no longer allowed, as the usefulness of "Fleeing" has been merged into the Dodging mechanic for a buff; Rika's combat abilities were changed to reflect this
-Rush Skills are now declared to increase Strength by +2 stars, just like any other Skill already does, and they now share the super armor trait of Finest Arts
-Now that Rush Skills can no longer be used for free using Resonance, 2-hit Rushes were re-implemented, and costs were adjusted, also to fix potentially unwinnable fight scenarios
-Sample Combat Scenarios were edited slightly to reflect changes to the mechanics, particularly dodges robbing RP bonuses
KenjuGuy Luminary of the Stars
Member
Seen
1 mo ago
Sweet, gotta get my brain moving in terms of thinking of a character
King Cosmos
Member
Seen
12 hrs ago
@Emeth Here's my character so far. I haven't done any of the combat information yet, I'll wait until I've made her wish for that.
Name: Candice Rose Zahler
Nickname: N/A
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Birthday: 23rd February
Blood Type: B+
Species: Human
Job Class: Pioneer
Hometown: Agartha
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height: 5’ 8”
Weight: 137lbs
Usual: Candice’s usual personality is standoffish and blunt. She is something of a misanthrope, someone who doesn’t often enjoy the company of others, particularly if they are not a Medium and who partially sculpts her behaviour to discourage people from approaching her. To this end she tends to act arrogant about her power and position, especially around other Mediums, and pushes the idea that she is independent and better off being left alone. She is rebellious too, not responding well to authority of any kind and someone who often challenges conventions and the rules that be in little ways whenever she can.
In Battle: Aggressive; Candice always seeks to end fights, and her opponents, as soon as possible, fighting with a level of intensity that is almost frightening. Her fighting style tends to be destructive, both to her enemies and to the environment; this can be dangerous for any allies who might be fighting alongside her, for whom she has little regard.
Speech: In conversation, Candice tends to be blunt with her word choice and harsh in the way she shares her opinions. She filters her language just enough to avoid getting into too much trouble, avoiding saying things that shouldn’t be said or mouthing off to someone too important, but is otherwise unfettered in expressing whatever is on her mind at the time.
Habits: Between her behaviour and the way she speak Candice is prone towards getting into altercations with other Mediums, particularly if they do not share her perspectives on the world; these rarely end up being serious, often stopping at an argument or a spar rather than a real fight. She also has a habit of taking liberties that she only gets away with because she is a Medium and as such valued; her behaviour would certainly not be allowed were she not so important and she is more than aware of this.
Making Friends: Making friends is something that Candice actively avoid most of the time, but no woman is an island and sometimes finding something in common with someone is inevitable. It would have to be someone who agrees with her stances on things, someone who shares her slight disgust with the way in which society operates and the way it treats people like her. They would also have to be willing to take her as she is, as Candice would have little patience for anyone looking to chastise her behaviour or correct her attitude.
Likes: Books, food, fighting.
Dislikes: Everything else.
Hobbies: In her free time Candice will spend most of her time either reading or training; books offer her an escape, or at least a distraction, from everything else, while training and sparring is a good way for her to vent her excess energy or anger when she is feeling restless. While she wouldn’t consider it a hobby she also enjoys cooking, or at least prefers to handle her own cooking rather than allow someone else to prepare her meals; she is better at it than she gives herself credit for.
Childhood: Like with all Medium’s, Candice’s birth was celebrated. The announcement of another new Medium meant many things; Agartha would be allowed to grow again, more jobs would be created, another soldier to fight the demons was to be trained and her family would experience an uplifting to the high classes of society.
Her parents and her extended family were merchants, moderately wealthy and living comfortable lives before she was born. They still are, for the most part, but having a Medium as a daughter has certainly given them a level of prestige, wealth and fame that they didn’t previously have; their family had produced Medium’s in the past, though none of note, but it had been generations since the last. Candice’s birth was seen more as a return to form, a reclaiming of what was once theirs, than something new.
Initially Candice was happy with her life. Cared for and pampered and revered, as a child she was spoiled and treated like royalty; she had no reason to complain about her situation or to think that anything was wrong. It wasn’t until she grew older that she began to notice the problems; the differences between how she was treated compared to everyone else, the way that other children, even her own cousins and relatives, would be separated from her. She was apart from them, special, and as a child she couldn’t understand why. They said she was a Medium, a hero and a warrior; her family would try to explain by talking about the things she would do, the person she could become, and it confused her because it didn’t sound like her at all. They were describing a stranger. They weren’t talking about her at all.
That was when she first realised that nobody, even her own parents, saw her as a person. She was a Medium, a weapon, a doll. She was trapped in a gilded cage, treated like royalty and prepared for a future she wasn’t even aware of.
She began training not long after and was exposed to the public for the first time in her life. So many people, a population who knew her even less than her family did, who all wanted the same things of her; fight, kill, die, save them, impress them, be their hero, be their shield, be their martyr. It scared her. It angered her. It made her feel helpless and alone.
The expectations and obligations began to settle in then; a weight on her back that left her feeling trapped. It was worse once the training began and she actually showed talent; she wasn’t just a Medium she was going to be a good one, a strong one. The expectations grew; they wanted great things of her now, not just to fight but to win. She considered sabotaging herself somehow, making herself look worse or weak somehow; but when she thought about what would happen next, how they wouldn’t let her go now that they had seen her potential she gave up on that. She thought about running away, but that would just lead to her being hunted down as a deserter by other Mediums.
Her only option was the Wish that ever Medium got; that was her only chance to change things. When she stepped into the Void and met the Jinn, she made the only request she could think of.
Adulthood: Since completing her training and making her wish in the Void, Candice has spent as little time in Agartha as possible. She chose the job of Pioneer as soon as she could and ventured out into the wilds of the surface and frequently and for as long as she could. Her goal was simply to avoid her family, the people of Agartha and anything to do with the Brionac Program as she could; she doesn’t like the way that being back in the city makes her feel, like a weapon, like a tool. Candice isn’t sure what to do about her situation and cannot see anyway to escape it, so although she knows she is only playing into their hands by doing so she does her job as a Medium and fights the demons instead. As far away from home for as long as she possibly can.
The irony of this is that by choosing to be a Pioneer, by venturing out on her own, she is putting herself into a position to be noticed and make a name for herself. She is doing exactly what her family wishes of her.
Family: Candice comes from a fairly large family. Her mother and father, aunts, uncles and even her grandparents all work as merchants in Agartha. She has no siblings, but several cousins; there are many that are of a similar age to her, a few that are older and just as many that are younger than her. Some of those cousins were only born because of the expansion in population size that her birth and recognition as a Medium allowed. Candice has barely spoken to any of them; to be honest, she doesn’t even know all of their names.
Religion: Candice has not given much thought to whether or not the Creator truly exists; she is not sure one way or another, but leans slightly more towards believing that he does. Whether or not he exists though, Candice is sure that he is not coming back to save humanity; listening to the stories, the histories, about how humanity rejected his offers of help and even killed him the last time he appeared, it doesn’t seem like he will return. She wouldn’t, in his position.
Weapons: N/A
Armour: N/A
Other: 2 vials of elixir which she carries on her for emergencies. 6 magic stones gathered from fallen monsters, 2 water and 4 earth.
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Each one will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Strength: ★★★★★★+★★☆☆
Resonance: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Defense: ★★☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Reaction: ★★★★★☆+★☆☆☆
Perception: ★★★★☆☆+★★☆☆
Wish: “I want to be strong enough that no one else matters anymore.”
Curse: “You wish to stand alone? Then you will stand alone. If you accept the aid of another Medium’s power you will suffer it as well. It will wound you, so that you will always know that by accepting their help you have strayed from your path.”
Aura Colour: A deep red
Fighting Style: Kill the enemy before they can kill you. Candice’s fighting style is based around striking fast and hard, constantly being the aggressor in order to prevent the opponent from mounting an effective counter-offensive. Her wish had given her access to the elements of both earth and water and as such Candice has developed fighting techniques which take advantage of the qualities of both of these using martial arts as a basis; solid, powerful strikes using the strength of earth and quick flowing combinations using the fluidity of water.
Landslide: Summons either water or earth around Candice’s leg, depending on which stance she is in, before delivering a low sweeping attack to knock the opponents off of their feet with a heavy impact.
In Earth Stance only – By imbuing this skill with the Earth element Candice is able to strike an even heavier blow than normal. If this skill succeeds in dealing damage the target will be afflicted with the stunned condition.
In Water Stance only – The water gathered around Candice’s leg will succeed in dealing damage the opponent even if her attack is blocked, flowing around their guard to strike at the opponent regardless.
Roots of the Mountain: A powerful, guard breaking attack in which Candice imbues her body with the earth element, partially and temporarily petrifying part of her body to strike a heavy blow. Increases her strength by an additional 50% for the purposes of calculating damage against blocks but will inflict the same amount of damage, i.e. her strength, with the 2 star increase for using an attack skill, will be treated as 16 stars. Requires two actions on a turn to perform.
In Earth Stance only – Requires only one action to perform.
Wave Breaker: Candice imbues her body with the earth element in order to allow her to parry incoming spells with her own body as she would a physical attack using the strength stat; however, this can only be used to protect against spells that attack directly and will not save her from debuffs or spells with an area of effect. If this spell is used as an attack, it can likewise be parried by spells, as well as physical attacks; however if it is broken through, it is treated as a parry. (Candice does not take damage).
In Earth Stance only – Can only be performed in the Earth Stance. Candice immediately switches to the Water Stance upon using this technique.
Rising Tide: Candice creates a narrow spout of water and uses it to propel herself forward, dealing damage to any enemies in her path and pushing them back.
In Water Stance only – The spout become a wave which can hit enemies over a wider area, not dealing damage to enemies hit by just the wave but still pushing them back. If an enemy is pushed back by this skill while in the process of performing a melee attack, the attack is cancelled.
Confluence of Streams: A flurry of three attacks delivered in quick succession, each individually weaker than a single attack but requires multiple dodges to deal with. Each attack is treated as having a third of Candice’s strength for calculating damage against guard, rounded down; i.e. the first attack will have a strength of three, with each subsequent attack being treated as one higher as per normal. Damage after a guard break or against an unguarded opponent is quartered, i.e. each attack will do one fourth as much damage as a regular attack skill.
In Water Stance only – An additional attack is added to the flurry, making for four attacks total.
Flow Like Water: By completely giving control of her body over to the water within herself that she is able to manipulate, Candice automatically dodges the next attack used against her, if possible, as well as automatically counter attacks for the usual amount of damage, if within range to do so.
In Water Stance only – Can only be performed in the Water Stance. Candice immediately switches to Earth Stance upon using this technique.
Rush Skill – Raging Torrent: Like a stream finding a crack in stone, slowly but persistently applying pressure until it inevitably shatters, Candice delivers a series of quick, precise strikes delivered in succession using the swiftness and fluidity of water to overwhelm her opponent. Can only be performed in the Water Stance.
Rush Skill – Seismic Activity: Like a boulder breaking loose from a cliff, setting off an avalanche that sweeps aside everything in its path, Candice pummels the opponent with consecutive heavy blows with the implacable brunt force of a mountain in motion to crush her opponent. Can only be performed in the Earth Stance.
Finest Arts – Wave Against The Rocks: A combination of all of Candice’s fighting techniques used to destroy the opponent as efficiently and as brutally as possible. The assault always begins by splitting open their guard with Roots of the Mountain or knocking their feet out from under with Landslide before taking advantage of the opening with Confluence of Streams and ending with another Roots of the Mountain or Rising Tide.
Where the Land Meets the Sea: Upon using this ability Candice can choose to imbue herself with resonant power of the Earth or Water elements, concentrating it within her body to enter a ‘stance’; these stances grant her additional abilities and bring herself more in tune with that element. Using this spell at Tier 2 produces a surge of energy which will knock back enemies and allies below a certain weight within ten feet of Candice.
While in the Earth Stance Candice’s body is heavier and sturdier, allowing her to harden her body like stone before she strikes or before being struck; this enhances her toughness but lowers her speed as a result. Candice’s Defense and Strength rises by 1 star each, but her Reaction falls by 1 star while in this stance compared to her base stars.
While in the Water Stance Candice is able to manipulate the water element within her body, relaxing her muscles and letter the water carry her along with it to deliver lightning fast strikes and movements; this increases her reaction speed and ability to dodge at the cost of less power. Candice’s Reaction and Perception will rise by 1 star, but her Strength will fall by 1 star compared to her base stars.
One with the Earth: Manipulates the ground beneath a target’s feet in order to turn it to mud and control it to wrap around their lower body and drag them deeper into the mire; ensnared targets cannot move from their location, but can still act so long as long as their arms remain free, and can Struggle (using their Strength stat) to free themselves. At Tier 2 this ability can ensnare multiple targets at once and at Tier 3 the mud will shoot higher into the air like a geyser, before being manipulated to pursue that are not on the ground or otherwise out of reach.
In Earth Stance only – Inflicts petrification on those who are successfully ensnared.
Deep Water: Summons and manipulated water in the air surrounding the targets head, causing them to drown; drowning targets will be inflicted with the Sleep condition after a number of turns equal to their Resistance stat if they are unable to free themselves. Maintaining the effect requires continual concentration on Candice’s part and it will be automatically cancelled if she takes any damage. At Tier 2 this ability can affect multiple targets at once and at Tier 3 it can surround the entire targets body in water to prevent movement as well; the submerged targets are still able to use spells while in the water.
In Water Stance only – The target will be inflicted with the Sleep condition after a number of turns equal to half of their Resistance stat rounded up.
Nature’s Gift: A healing ability which draws on the cleansing power of water to heal injuries and remove debuff and status effects. Requires existing water in the area to work, though water summoned by Candice will suffice. At Tier 2 this spell can affect multiple targets and at Tier 3 it will also provide an additional passive heal of an additional star on the next turn.
In Earth Stance only – Spell takes two actions to successfully cast
In Water Stance only – Spell only take a single action to successfully cast
Last Word – Gaia (Transformation): Candice draws on the power of the earth, combining earth and water to become an avatar of the land itself; she surrounds herself in a shell of stone, fractured and split by veins of flowing water.
While in this form Candice is treated as being in both the Earth and Water Stances simultaneously, gaining all of the associated benefits of both; her Strength, Defense, Reaction and Perception all rise by 1 star, both passive abilities ‘Beloved by the Earth’ and ‘Chosen of Thetis’ are active and she is able to use all of her attack skills and spells to their full potential.
Nature’s Bounty (Unique Skill): Candice is able to subsist off of water alone for prolonged periods of time with no detrimental effects to her health.
Immovable: Resist Wind and Earth.
Beloved by the Earth: Passive ability only active while in the Earth Stance. Candice’s hardened body makes her studier and harder to hurt; while her effective health remains the same her Defence stat is treated as double its value for the purpose of calculating guard breaks. Additionally, Candice will heal by 5% each time she ends a round with her feet touching the ground.
Chosen of Thetis: Passive ability only active while in the Water Stance. With heightened reactions and flexibility, Candice is able to move her body more freely than most; Candice uses a D8 for rolls to counter attack instead of a D10. Additionally, Candice will heal by 5% each time she ends a round while in contact with a standing or flowing body of water.
Lone Warrior (Curse): Choosing the road of a lone warrior, any time Candice receives aid from another medium she will be punished for straying from her path. Candice can choose to ignore the effects of an allies support magic that is used on her without her consent, but should she willingly accept the help of another e.g. healing, a buff or a status affect, she will be inflicted with one of the following punishments;
Healing – Will receive a debilitating effect which will lower her Strength stat by a number of stars equal to it’s the Tier of the healing ability for a number of turns equal to its Tier.
Buff – For each buff that Candice receives her maximum HP will be reduced by 20% for the remainder of the battle, regardless of their effect or duration.
Status Heal – Will be inflicted with any random status infliction other than the one she was just healed of.
Personal Information
Name: Candice Rose Zahler
Nickname: N/A
Alias: N/A
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Birthday: 23rd February
Blood Type: B+
Species: Human
Job Class: Pioneer
Hometown: Agartha
Body Information
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height: 5’ 8”
Weight: 137lbs
Personality
Usual: Candice’s usual personality is standoffish and blunt. She is something of a misanthrope, someone who doesn’t often enjoy the company of others, particularly if they are not a Medium and who partially sculpts her behaviour to discourage people from approaching her. To this end she tends to act arrogant about her power and position, especially around other Mediums, and pushes the idea that she is independent and better off being left alone. She is rebellious too, not responding well to authority of any kind and someone who often challenges conventions and the rules that be in little ways whenever she can.
In Battle: Aggressive; Candice always seeks to end fights, and her opponents, as soon as possible, fighting with a level of intensity that is almost frightening. Her fighting style tends to be destructive, both to her enemies and to the environment; this can be dangerous for any allies who might be fighting alongside her, for whom she has little regard.
Speech: In conversation, Candice tends to be blunt with her word choice and harsh in the way she shares her opinions. She filters her language just enough to avoid getting into too much trouble, avoiding saying things that shouldn’t be said or mouthing off to someone too important, but is otherwise unfettered in expressing whatever is on her mind at the time.
Habits: Between her behaviour and the way she speak Candice is prone towards getting into altercations with other Mediums, particularly if they do not share her perspectives on the world; these rarely end up being serious, often stopping at an argument or a spar rather than a real fight. She also has a habit of taking liberties that she only gets away with because she is a Medium and as such valued; her behaviour would certainly not be allowed were she not so important and she is more than aware of this.
Making Friends: Making friends is something that Candice actively avoid most of the time, but no woman is an island and sometimes finding something in common with someone is inevitable. It would have to be someone who agrees with her stances on things, someone who shares her slight disgust with the way in which society operates and the way it treats people like her. They would also have to be willing to take her as she is, as Candice would have little patience for anyone looking to chastise her behaviour or correct her attitude.
Likes: Books, food, fighting.
Dislikes: Everything else.
Hobbies: In her free time Candice will spend most of her time either reading or training; books offer her an escape, or at least a distraction, from everything else, while training and sparring is a good way for her to vent her excess energy or anger when she is feeling restless. While she wouldn’t consider it a hobby she also enjoys cooking, or at least prefers to handle her own cooking rather than allow someone else to prepare her meals; she is better at it than she gives herself credit for.
History
Childhood: Like with all Medium’s, Candice’s birth was celebrated. The announcement of another new Medium meant many things; Agartha would be allowed to grow again, more jobs would be created, another soldier to fight the demons was to be trained and her family would experience an uplifting to the high classes of society.
Her parents and her extended family were merchants, moderately wealthy and living comfortable lives before she was born. They still are, for the most part, but having a Medium as a daughter has certainly given them a level of prestige, wealth and fame that they didn’t previously have; their family had produced Medium’s in the past, though none of note, but it had been generations since the last. Candice’s birth was seen more as a return to form, a reclaiming of what was once theirs, than something new.
Initially Candice was happy with her life. Cared for and pampered and revered, as a child she was spoiled and treated like royalty; she had no reason to complain about her situation or to think that anything was wrong. It wasn’t until she grew older that she began to notice the problems; the differences between how she was treated compared to everyone else, the way that other children, even her own cousins and relatives, would be separated from her. She was apart from them, special, and as a child she couldn’t understand why. They said she was a Medium, a hero and a warrior; her family would try to explain by talking about the things she would do, the person she could become, and it confused her because it didn’t sound like her at all. They were describing a stranger. They weren’t talking about her at all.
That was when she first realised that nobody, even her own parents, saw her as a person. She was a Medium, a weapon, a doll. She was trapped in a gilded cage, treated like royalty and prepared for a future she wasn’t even aware of.
She began training not long after and was exposed to the public for the first time in her life. So many people, a population who knew her even less than her family did, who all wanted the same things of her; fight, kill, die, save them, impress them, be their hero, be their shield, be their martyr. It scared her. It angered her. It made her feel helpless and alone.
The expectations and obligations began to settle in then; a weight on her back that left her feeling trapped. It was worse once the training began and she actually showed talent; she wasn’t just a Medium she was going to be a good one, a strong one. The expectations grew; they wanted great things of her now, not just to fight but to win. She considered sabotaging herself somehow, making herself look worse or weak somehow; but when she thought about what would happen next, how they wouldn’t let her go now that they had seen her potential she gave up on that. She thought about running away, but that would just lead to her being hunted down as a deserter by other Mediums.
Her only option was the Wish that ever Medium got; that was her only chance to change things. When she stepped into the Void and met the Jinn, she made the only request she could think of.
Adulthood: Since completing her training and making her wish in the Void, Candice has spent as little time in Agartha as possible. She chose the job of Pioneer as soon as she could and ventured out into the wilds of the surface and frequently and for as long as she could. Her goal was simply to avoid her family, the people of Agartha and anything to do with the Brionac Program as she could; she doesn’t like the way that being back in the city makes her feel, like a weapon, like a tool. Candice isn’t sure what to do about her situation and cannot see anyway to escape it, so although she knows she is only playing into their hands by doing so she does her job as a Medium and fights the demons instead. As far away from home for as long as she possibly can.
The irony of this is that by choosing to be a Pioneer, by venturing out on her own, she is putting herself into a position to be noticed and make a name for herself. She is doing exactly what her family wishes of her.
Family: Candice comes from a fairly large family. Her mother and father, aunts, uncles and even her grandparents all work as merchants in Agartha. She has no siblings, but several cousins; there are many that are of a similar age to her, a few that are older and just as many that are younger than her. Some of those cousins were only born because of the expansion in population size that her birth and recognition as a Medium allowed. Candice has barely spoken to any of them; to be honest, she doesn’t even know all of their names.
Religion: Candice has not given much thought to whether or not the Creator truly exists; she is not sure one way or another, but leans slightly more towards believing that he does. Whether or not he exists though, Candice is sure that he is not coming back to save humanity; listening to the stories, the histories, about how humanity rejected his offers of help and even killed him the last time he appeared, it doesn’t seem like he will return. She wouldn’t, in his position.
Combat Information
Armaments
Weapons: N/A
Armour: N/A
Other: 2 vials of elixir which she carries on her for emergencies. 6 magic stones gathered from fallen monsters, 2 water and 4 earth.
Parameters
These are your stats, which will range from zero to ten stars. Six stars in any given stat is considered the "human limit" for Mediums, and to boost it even higher, you'll need to rely on your invoked Jinn. Each one will give you five stars worth of buffs, to assign as you see fit. Your initial stats should not exceed 25 stars, 5 of which will be the boost from your starting Jinn, and should go on the right side of the + signs.
Strength: ★★★★★★+★★☆☆
Resonance: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Defense: ★★☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Resilience: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Reaction: ★★★★★☆+★☆☆☆
Perception: ★★★★☆☆+★★☆☆
Wish: “I want to be strong enough that no one else matters anymore.”
Curse: “You wish to stand alone? Then you will stand alone. If you accept the aid of another Medium’s power you will suffer it as well. It will wound you, so that you will always know that by accepting their help you have strayed from your path.”
Aura Colour: A deep red
Fighting Style: Kill the enemy before they can kill you. Candice’s fighting style is based around striking fast and hard, constantly being the aggressor in order to prevent the opponent from mounting an effective counter-offensive. Her wish had given her access to the elements of both earth and water and as such Candice has developed fighting techniques which take advantage of the qualities of both of these using martial arts as a basis; solid, powerful strikes using the strength of earth and quick flowing combinations using the fluidity of water.
Attack Skills
Landslide: Summons either water or earth around Candice’s leg, depending on which stance she is in, before delivering a low sweeping attack to knock the opponents off of their feet with a heavy impact.
In Earth Stance only – By imbuing this skill with the Earth element Candice is able to strike an even heavier blow than normal. If this skill succeeds in dealing damage the target will be afflicted with the stunned condition.
In Water Stance only – The water gathered around Candice’s leg will succeed in dealing damage the opponent even if her attack is blocked, flowing around their guard to strike at the opponent regardless.
Roots of the Mountain: A powerful, guard breaking attack in which Candice imbues her body with the earth element, partially and temporarily petrifying part of her body to strike a heavy blow. Increases her strength by an additional 50% for the purposes of calculating damage against blocks but will inflict the same amount of damage, i.e. her strength, with the 2 star increase for using an attack skill, will be treated as 16 stars. Requires two actions on a turn to perform.
In Earth Stance only – Requires only one action to perform.
Wave Breaker: Candice imbues her body with the earth element in order to allow her to parry incoming spells with her own body as she would a physical attack using the strength stat; however, this can only be used to protect against spells that attack directly and will not save her from debuffs or spells with an area of effect. If this spell is used as an attack, it can likewise be parried by spells, as well as physical attacks; however if it is broken through, it is treated as a parry. (Candice does not take damage).
In Earth Stance only – Can only be performed in the Earth Stance. Candice immediately switches to the Water Stance upon using this technique.
Rising Tide: Candice creates a narrow spout of water and uses it to propel herself forward, dealing damage to any enemies in her path and pushing them back.
In Water Stance only – The spout become a wave which can hit enemies over a wider area, not dealing damage to enemies hit by just the wave but still pushing them back. If an enemy is pushed back by this skill while in the process of performing a melee attack, the attack is cancelled.
Confluence of Streams: A flurry of three attacks delivered in quick succession, each individually weaker than a single attack but requires multiple dodges to deal with. Each attack is treated as having a third of Candice’s strength for calculating damage against guard, rounded down; i.e. the first attack will have a strength of three, with each subsequent attack being treated as one higher as per normal. Damage after a guard break or against an unguarded opponent is quartered, i.e. each attack will do one fourth as much damage as a regular attack skill.
In Water Stance only – An additional attack is added to the flurry, making for four attacks total.
Flow Like Water: By completely giving control of her body over to the water within herself that she is able to manipulate, Candice automatically dodges the next attack used against her, if possible, as well as automatically counter attacks for the usual amount of damage, if within range to do so.
In Water Stance only – Can only be performed in the Water Stance. Candice immediately switches to Earth Stance upon using this technique.
Rush Skill – Raging Torrent: Like a stream finding a crack in stone, slowly but persistently applying pressure until it inevitably shatters, Candice delivers a series of quick, precise strikes delivered in succession using the swiftness and fluidity of water to overwhelm her opponent. Can only be performed in the Water Stance.
Rush Skill – Seismic Activity: Like a boulder breaking loose from a cliff, setting off an avalanche that sweeps aside everything in its path, Candice pummels the opponent with consecutive heavy blows with the implacable brunt force of a mountain in motion to crush her opponent. Can only be performed in the Earth Stance.
Finest Arts – Wave Against The Rocks: A combination of all of Candice’s fighting techniques used to destroy the opponent as efficiently and as brutally as possible. The assault always begins by splitting open their guard with Roots of the Mountain or knocking their feet out from under with Landslide before taking advantage of the opening with Confluence of Streams and ending with another Roots of the Mountain or Rising Tide.
Resonant Power
Where the Land Meets the Sea: Upon using this ability Candice can choose to imbue herself with resonant power of the Earth or Water elements, concentrating it within her body to enter a ‘stance’; these stances grant her additional abilities and bring herself more in tune with that element. Using this spell at Tier 2 produces a surge of energy which will knock back enemies and allies below a certain weight within ten feet of Candice.
While in the Earth Stance Candice’s body is heavier and sturdier, allowing her to harden her body like stone before she strikes or before being struck; this enhances her toughness but lowers her speed as a result. Candice’s Defense and Strength rises by 1 star each, but her Reaction falls by 1 star while in this stance compared to her base stars.
While in the Water Stance Candice is able to manipulate the water element within her body, relaxing her muscles and letter the water carry her along with it to deliver lightning fast strikes and movements; this increases her reaction speed and ability to dodge at the cost of less power. Candice’s Reaction and Perception will rise by 1 star, but her Strength will fall by 1 star compared to her base stars.
One with the Earth: Manipulates the ground beneath a target’s feet in order to turn it to mud and control it to wrap around their lower body and drag them deeper into the mire; ensnared targets cannot move from their location, but can still act so long as long as their arms remain free, and can Struggle (using their Strength stat) to free themselves. At Tier 2 this ability can ensnare multiple targets at once and at Tier 3 the mud will shoot higher into the air like a geyser, before being manipulated to pursue that are not on the ground or otherwise out of reach.
In Earth Stance only – Inflicts petrification on those who are successfully ensnared.
Deep Water: Summons and manipulated water in the air surrounding the targets head, causing them to drown; drowning targets will be inflicted with the Sleep condition after a number of turns equal to their Resistance stat if they are unable to free themselves. Maintaining the effect requires continual concentration on Candice’s part and it will be automatically cancelled if she takes any damage. At Tier 2 this ability can affect multiple targets at once and at Tier 3 it can surround the entire targets body in water to prevent movement as well; the submerged targets are still able to use spells while in the water.
In Water Stance only – The target will be inflicted with the Sleep condition after a number of turns equal to half of their Resistance stat rounded up.
Nature’s Gift: A healing ability which draws on the cleansing power of water to heal injuries and remove debuff and status effects. Requires existing water in the area to work, though water summoned by Candice will suffice. At Tier 2 this spell can affect multiple targets and at Tier 3 it will also provide an additional passive heal of an additional star on the next turn.
In Earth Stance only – Spell takes two actions to successfully cast
In Water Stance only – Spell only take a single action to successfully cast
Last Word – Gaia (Transformation): Candice draws on the power of the earth, combining earth and water to become an avatar of the land itself; she surrounds herself in a shell of stone, fractured and split by veins of flowing water.
While in this form Candice is treated as being in both the Earth and Water Stances simultaneously, gaining all of the associated benefits of both; her Strength, Defense, Reaction and Perception all rise by 1 star, both passive abilities ‘Beloved by the Earth’ and ‘Chosen of Thetis’ are active and she is able to use all of her attack skills and spells to their full potential.
Personal Skills
Nature’s Bounty (Unique Skill): Candice is able to subsist off of water alone for prolonged periods of time with no detrimental effects to her health.
Immovable: Resist Wind and Earth.
Beloved by the Earth: Passive ability only active while in the Earth Stance. Candice’s hardened body makes her studier and harder to hurt; while her effective health remains the same her Defence stat is treated as double its value for the purpose of calculating guard breaks. Additionally, Candice will heal by 5% each time she ends a round with her feet touching the ground.
Chosen of Thetis: Passive ability only active while in the Water Stance. With heightened reactions and flexibility, Candice is able to move her body more freely than most; Candice uses a D8 for rolls to counter attack instead of a D10. Additionally, Candice will heal by 5% each time she ends a round while in contact with a standing or flowing body of water.
Lone Warrior (Curse): Choosing the road of a lone warrior, any time Candice receives aid from another medium she will be punished for straying from her path. Candice can choose to ignore the effects of an allies support magic that is used on her without her consent, but should she willingly accept the help of another e.g. healing, a buff or a status affect, she will be inflicted with one of the following punishments;
Healing – Will receive a debilitating effect which will lower her Strength stat by a number of stars equal to it’s the Tier of the healing ability for a number of turns equal to its Tier.
Buff – For each buff that Candice receives her maximum HP will be reduced by 20% for the remainder of the battle, regardless of their effect or duration.
Status Heal – Will be inflicted with any random status infliction other than the one she was just healed of.
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DracoLunaris Multiverse tourist
Member
Seen
8 hrs ago
Personal Information
Name: Angela Degrasse
Gender: F
Age: 20
Species: Human
Job Class: Valkyrie (though a somewhat unconventional one at that)
Hometown: Agartha
Theme:
Body Information
Personality
Usual: If Angela is anything, she is prideful. She is quite certain she is among the best of the best and that she is destined for greatness. Despite this arrogance she is something of a social butterfly, outgoing, assertive but also kind in her own twisted way. She might be a legend in the making while others are mere bit players in her story, but that is simply how things are. No need to be rude about it, or push people already beneath her down any further.
It should also be noted that this arrogance does not result in endless clashes with authority, such things can create a hindrance to gaining power and influence, but it certainly can cause friction, especially if she views the leader as undeserving of their position for whatever reason.
In Battle: Angela is something of a show off. Not enough to compromise her effectiveness (at least on a regular basis), but if she sees the opportunity to impress others she will leap at the opportunity. Otherwise she fights with a degree of righteous fervor, her self assurance in her greatness in herself extending to all of humanity, of which she is a champion.
Speech: Tends to be a bit flowery and longwinded, putting on the airs of nobility. Expect to hear the word darling a lot.
Habits: She cares alot about her appearance. A savior of humanity should look the part, as far as she is concerned, and so she puts effort into presentation and considers herself something of a fashion leader, as much as that is a thing in these dark times.
Making Friends: Friends are just connections waiting to be exploited, or that is what Angela has been taught. As a result she values competence, reliability, rank and strength highly, as these are things that make good allies. On a more personal level she appreciates good presentation, responds well to flattery but is also more likely to resonate with people who are confident and self assured rather than mere toadies who she sees as wishing to simply to ride her coat tails.
Sexuality: Bi as fuck
Likes: Herself, sugar, beautiful people, being adored, parties, crushing her foes, theatrics, passion, the smell you get after rain
Dislikes: Being perceived as weak, onions and fresh tomatoes, manual labor, being embarrassed, cowardice and those who shirk their duties .
Hobbies: The pressure she is/puts herself under leaves little time for solo hobbies, but as of late she has taken to painting in her spare time, when she isn't training, learning or socialising.
Issues: Angela does not handle repeated failure well, and is liable to rapidly become frustrated and then angry as she throws herself at whatever obstacle has stood in her way again and again till she masters it. In a similar vein, she also doesn't like being shown up by her peers.
History
Childhood:
Angela's extended family, or clan, have a long and prestigious history (at least in their opinion), a core part of which is that they have both birth an unusually large number of Mediums and that several of those rose to be great heros worthy of history, things they are both very proud of and have taken every advantage of. Children in the family are almost expected to become Mediums despite the still very low odds of this occurring. Those who do not are considered to have disappointed the family, and are expected to chase mortal power to make up for this fact or risk being disowned.
Such was the fate of Angela’s father, who had married for love and worked a common skill he was passionate about, till his daughter was born. Her family were brought back into the fold of the clan, somewhat against their wishes, and they proceeded to heap every effort into preparing their gift from god for greatness. Strings were pulled to move clan members into positions where they could exert influence over their latest medium, while her actual parents were gradually pushed to the side once more.
Growing up then, Angela was often at risk of being crushed by expectations, something the clan had learned to counter by swelling her with pride. Every failure was a sin, but in contrast every achievement proof of her greatness. Expected, yes, but praiseworthy nonetheless. She was given every advantage while also being pushed to never be complacent, to always seek to further her position, standing and power.
The clan would argue that their time honored traditions produce bold, confident and inspiring mediums. Others whisper behind their backs that they primarily breed arrogance.
Angela has grown up strong, proud and determined but also someone who craves adoration, praise and attention. She was a model student, putting everything into training while weaving a wide reaching web of social connections within and above her peer group.
When the time came she stepped into the void without fear, ready to start her legend.
Family: A history of nepotism and a dash of actual competence without which they would have been ousted has allowed the Degrasse clan to worm its way into government positions of relatively high importance. This has allowed them to keep in contact with the family's prodigal child inorder to pull strings for her and whisper tutarage and instructions into her ear.
The current matriarch of the family, Madam Esmarel Degrasse, is the cousin of Angela’s grandmother, and rules over her clan with a hand of iron and a hand of silk both, weaving a spiderwebbing tapestry of commitment and obligation while crushing any who step out of line.
Angela’s parents, victims of the clan’s wrath, were (and still are) both engineers, a position of vital importance to the maintenance of the city but one seen beneath the clan’s station. Angela does not see them much anymore, and they have grown distant to them as a result of embracing the clan’s teachings. Despite this distance, she has more respect for the ‘common people’ than her extended family do as a result of their interactions, even if it is in a ‘everyone has their place’ kind of way.
Religion: Angela has been thoroughly indoctrinated into her clan's belief that no miraculous rescue is coming from the heavens, because their help is already here. God has chosen them (and maybe some others) to be his instruments upon this earth, champions who will claw it back from demon-kind by tooth and nail. Why else would they have been blessed with so many mediums? Why else had they managed to acquire power and status within their community? Effort must be put in, of course, as it has been for generations to achieve all they have wrought because, in the end, God will only save those who will save themselves.
Combat Information
Armaments
Weapons:
Short sword and shotgun: A pair of sidearms, one antiquated and one modern. Angela has a high degree of skill with both due to years of training, but only at a purely mortal level. She won't be toppling any giants with either, but sometimes you just need to pop a goblin’s brains out without worrying about burning yourself alive.
Angel Bone Corset: A rather unconventional design, the corset is a solid mass of angel bone tied around her waist, which is there primarily to boost her evasiveness. The bone will physically pull its wearer out of harm's way, allowing her to either dodge faster, or even avoid attacks she had not seen coming. It also keeps her waist nice and slim, and looks rather fetching to boot, which are both pluses in Angela’s book.
Fire Retardant Combat Armor Light but tough clothing who’s most important attribute is that it refuses to catch fire.
Anti-burn cream An elixir used explicitly to undo the possibilities of long term harm inflicted by Angela’s rather drastic healing method and is used out of combat to remove cauterization stacks.
Parameters
Strength: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Resonance: ★★★★★★+★★☆☆
Defense: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Resilience: ★★★★★☆+☆☆☆☆
Reaction: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Perception: ★★★★★★+★★★☆
Wish: "I want to live up to my family name- no, to live up to the legacy of my ancestors, who were strong and noble and true. I have the will and ambition to grasp greatness, to enact the will of god and humanity. All I need, dearest Sinclair, is your power, your strength and cunning, and together we will shine so brightly as we shape history!"
Curse: “Then it shall be so. I shall lend you my strength and together we will shine brightly, as you wish it to be so. But beware, my shining star, that you are human and not a star. We may shine together, but you cannot join with my light and not feel it’s burn. For as long as you call upon my strength, the heat that comes from light will our enemy and our friend. Fire will hurt you more than others, and your burns will not be healed so easily. In this world many shiny bright, some even more than you, and others will have a will of iron same as you. Are you willing to accept this price so that you may be tempered and shaped to illuminate the word. To blazingly shout that you are here and that nothing will stop you, not even the sun?”
“And if someone is dishonorable to your family or ancestors, I expect you to respond in a blaze of glory.”
Aura Color: Burning bright with flames as red as her hair.
Fighting Style: Angela has two fighting styles. Either she stands back and rains fiery destruction on her foes from afar in a classic mage style, generally supporting and supporting other mages or ranged fighters (Angela can if given time make even conventional weapons pack a heavy punch, making her surprisingly effective when paired with an entrenched squad of regular gun wielding humans) or she moves in close to dance among her foes, blasting them with short range gouts of fire while evading their own attacks with impossible grace.
Attack Skills
Burning Sword: Quite simply, Angela ignites the length of her sword with her flames. If she deals damage, she inflicts a stack of Cauterized on her foe, which reduces the effectiveness of any healing they receive. (see Cauterize spell for details)
Dragon’s Breath Rounds: Special ammunition made from magnesium pellets and shards of fire element magic stones which causes her shotgun to shoot a tight blast of fire rather than just bullets. If it hits it sets the target on fire, inflicting the Burning! Status effect (see Ignition for details)
Rush Skills - give em both/three/four/five barrels an unrelenting bombardment of shotgun shells.
Finest Arts- Suffer/Burn inflicts either 5 stacks of Cauterize or Burning! Depending on if she stabs or shoots her foe.
Resonant Power
Ignition (Fire) Angela’s bread and butter is fire and flames. T1 creates a short ranged flame thrower, t2 sets an area on fire (damaging anyone who starts their turn in or enters the fire field), and t3 sets every enemy on fire. Targets who are hit gain a Burning! Status effect, which causes 1/2 star of fire damage at the end of the enemy turn, but can be extinguished using a free action to roll on the ground to put the fire out. Burning! Statuses stack and also count as t1 curses no matter how they are applied.
Illumination (Light/Fire) Another straightforward set of magics, Angela uses it to fire heatrays at her target, either shooting at them from her location at tier 1, or bombarding down from the heavens at t2 and 3. These lightspeed attacks are difficult to avoid, causing targets to roll with disadvantage (roll twice, take the worse result) when attempting to dodge these attacks.
Cauterize (Fire) Heals the target by rather brutally burning their wounds shut. As a result of her methodology, targets are left with burn scars, resulting in each heal adding a stack of Cauterized. Each stack of Cauterized adds 2 to the power of the number of Cauterized stacks (2/4/8/16/32/etc) of effective resistance whenever the target receives healing, resulting in healing being (resonance/2 + 1) / (resistance + 2 ^ Cauterized stacks).
For example, this results in Angela healing herself for 100%/71%/55%/38%/23%/13%/7%/3% for each stack.
Cloak of Flames (fire) Angela covers a person in flames which form into the shape of a dress and cause them to trail fire as they move. Causes any melee attacker to take 1/2 a star of fire damage on a successful dodge, as they run head first into the fire trail as their target dances away from their strike.
Burn Bright (fire) Engulfs an ally in a flaming aura, adding a stack of Cauterize (see Cauterize spell), and then imbuing their weaponry with burning power. Successful physical attacks now deal an extra ¼ star of fire damage for every Cauterize stack. Casting on an ally who is already buffed this way instead adds two Cauterize stacks.
A New Dawn (light/sun(time)) A field effect that creates a miniature sun which hangs above a section of the battlefield. The bright lights cause anyone facing the sun to roll with disadvantage (roll twice, take the worse result) when dodging. Meanwhile, those fighting beneath it undergo a minimal time acceleration effect that can give them the split second advantage they need to avoid incoming fire, giving them advantage (roll twice, take the best result) for dodging attacks coming from outside the sun’s area of effect. Attacks performed from within the spell are unaffected, as both target and attacker are under the time acceleration effect.
Steal the Spotlight (light) Causes Angela to be lit up by a beam of eye-catching and dazzling light, generally accompanied by a taunt to her foe, which draws the attention of her enemies towards her. Can be as a Rescue in place of an attack (while still gaining attack rp), which will force the attacker to instead switch their focus to attack Angela instead, who will generally try and dodge the subsequent strike. Used on its own it will aggros foes struck by it to come and attack her instead of her allies, and will grant her an rp for each foe who is taunted this way (enemies already attacking her don't count.), up to a maximum of 3.
Unique Spell - That’s not how the story goes (time) Rolls back time within a magic field by two seconds, which is generally just enough to undo an attack. Of course, with time rewound, the attack will be coming once again, and so this forces/allows the person to confront the blow a second time. Functionally, this allows Angela to reroll a dodge, either a one failed by her or an ally, or a successful one by an enemy. The target could also decide not to dodge and instead retreat or guard instead if they don't like their new odds.
For the sake of perception reduction and rp, the prior dodge still counts as going off, so rp for successful hits or dodges from the first attempt are still earned, and the dodger’s perception also goes down by one, making the second dodge, and also all subsequent dodges, more difficult. A positive outcome cannot be rerolled to try and farm more rp.
Each attack can only be rerolled once. Can only be used supportively/offensively once a turn, but Angela can happily gambled away all her own Perception rerolling failed dodges against multiple incoming attacks.
Legacy (transformation) (fire/time) Angela calles on the memory of one of her famous ancestors, becoming surrounded by a titanic burning effigy of their armor and angel bone equipment.
She gains +2 Resonance, + 1 Perception (maxing out both) and +2 Defense and the Ancestral Might passive, who’s effects vary depending on the ancestor who she is channeling
Scalia Degrass aka The Queen of Winter: Angela becomes cloaked in a ballgown and wears a sapphire encrusted circlet upon her brow. Her fire now burns cold, changing all her fire attacks into ice ones (thought for the sake of her Iccarus passive they still count as fire attacks), and now all inflict a Frostburn status, which causes those inflicted with it to take ½ star of frost damage at the start of their turn until the transformation ends. Also changes all abilities that apply burning to apply Frostburn instead. Counts as a t1 curse.
Jonathan Degrass aka The Raven: Angela gains a doctor’s cloak and a beaked mask. Her cauterize spell now both ignores cauterisation stacks and does not apply new ones.
Guthy Degrass aka Galant Guthy: Angela becomes encased in a knight’s plate mail, and gains a giant two handed battle axe as a weapon. She can no longer cast magic or dodge due to the platemail inhibiting such actions, but as a trade can use her resonance in place of power and perception as reaction for the duration of the transformation.
Personal Skills
Uncanny dodge: Angela’s angel bone corset will pull her out of the way of attacks, allowing her to dodge even attacks that she did not see coming, negating any advantages here foes may gain from stealth, ambush or flanking attacks.
Center of attention Angela gains an additional rp from dodging attacks from more than one enemy per turn. Each successful dodge against each additional enemy grands an additional rp, up to a maximum of 3.
Desolation Angela also gains 1 rp from field spells
Iccarus: Whenever Angela uses a fire spell, or starts her turn with a fire buff on her, she takes ¼ star worth of fire damage.
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Ryik Wandering Phantasm
Member
Seen
20 days ago
Personal Information
Name: Incurro Ⅱ Lysander
Nickname: Ink
Alias: Ink. Sometimes referred to as a (or "the") Fallen Paladin, Oathbreaker Paladin, or Dark Knight, though it's usually derisive or in jest.
Gender: ♂
Age: 23
Birthday: November 13, 2347
Blood Type: O-
Species: Human
Job Class: Sorcerer, First Class
Hometown: Agartha
Body Information
Height: 5'10
Weight: 178 lb
Eye Color: Black
Hair Color: Black
Senses: Capable of smelling and tasting magic. It's supposedly sweet in both ways. Even if neither is possible, he can sense magic in his immediate vicinity, including enchanted/cursed items, but is not able to distinguish the nature of the magic.
Scent: Were someone other than himself capable of smelling magic, he would constantly smell like caramel.
Voice: Matthew Mercer when he's not doing an accent, or something similar
Personality
Usual: Nonchalant, kind of lazy, tries to stay cool and collected but lacks impulse control. Has a weak conscience and is somewhat untrusting. Curious enough to be open to trying new things and attempting to befriend others with similar interests. Proclivity for chivalry or even kindness, in spite of lacking moral principles.
In Battle: Cruel, pragmatic, and relaxed. Tries to stay detached and calm but can't resist being snarky when the opportunity arises.
Speech: Snarky as sin. Inappropriately calm in dire situations. Tends to sound tired or annoyed for no reason.
Habits: Highly addictive personality.
Making Friends: Makes friends almost solely when he can think of something worth talking about; will give up otherwise. Prefers asking questions over receiving them; doesn't generally like talking about himself.
Likes: The taste of magic, Sugar, alcohol, carbonated beverages, easy jobs, lazing about, staring at the night sky, overcast weather, and petrichor without rain.
Dislikes: Surprises, the feeling of being watched, archers/gunmen (especially magically created ones, e.g. the undead), hot days, the sun, cleaning up dead bodies and/or viscera.
Hobbies: Sleeping, stargazing, making bets with confident Warlocks or Sorcerers, helping out with the Daemon program.
Issues: Sticky fingers. Not a kleptomaniac or some grand thief, but if he wants something and can take it easily, he doesn't mind borrowing it for a while. He doesn't want for much, but he can't return candy he's already eaten.
Alignment: True Neutral
History
Childhood: The Lysanders are a prestigious family known for serendipitously producing skilled Mediums frequently throughout the generations, and Ink was no different. As family tradition dictated, Ink was trained from a young age to become a Paladin; their iconic brand of vanguards. It was an informal title passed down between mediums within the Lysander bloodline, harkening back to the Paladins of ancient history. The title itself is venerated, containing historical significance, and Lysander Paladins often became elected officials simply because of the public and political clout granted by the title. The fighting style of a Paladin was associated with light and blessing magic, and was typically flashy and garish, making them stand out among other Mediums, as if the specialized training regimen wasn't enough. In addition, Paladins are taught to follow a strict code of conduct, upholding justice and righteousness wherever possible.
Ink didn't exactly enjoy this style of upbringing. The expectations both internal and external were crushing. The code of conduct was a load of bullshit and he didn't even think Paladins were cool from a spectator's perspective. They were overdramatic and excessive and he'd rather just have literally any other form of magic than that holier-than-thou shit constantly touted by his tutors as the ultimate in "heroism". Ink didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want to dedicate his life to serving Agartha and its people; it seemed like a thankless job, and being a B-list (or even an A-list) celebrity just meant losing his privacy and being judged over every little thing he did. Still, he pretended to go along with it, because what else could he do? Run away from Agartha? He wouldn't be the first in his family to try, but even unimpeded, the records of what became of them paint a clear example of how that wouldn't work out for him. He was being indoctrinated of course; he was sure the accounts were exaggerated to scare him off trying, but living under demon rule was undeniably not ideal. Basically, his options were to become a social pariah, die, or become a Paladin.
Adulthood: In spite of failing to uphold the Paladin's code of conduct even if he tried, he eventually completed the training of the Brionac program, turned 16, and entered the void to invoke a Jinn. When he reemerged, he had mixed feelings. On one hand, he got a Jinn to say the word "bullshit". On the other, he was told he needed to go eat bullshit or die. Either way he was exhausted and needed rest. When he next woke, he was hungry, but otherwise didn't feel any different, but he couldn't help but feel that something was wrong during breakfast.
Before he could look for more food to satiate himself, he was rushed off to continue his Paladin training. He was finally to be trained in the use of magic, "the Paladin way". Unfortunately, he quickly found that he didn't have any magic to speak of. He was accused of lying about meeting a Jinn, of disrespecting the Paladin name, and thrown out, presumably to reenter the void and contract a (new) Jinn. He had been expecting something like this even before entering the Void. Instead he returned to Brionac Academy, gained a newfound understanding of his abilities, (the Jinn wasn't being literal, thank god) and used money stolen from his family to live comfortably in a new home, never to return to House Lysander. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable that he'd have to carry out his duty as a Medium. He started off as a Third Class Pioneer, but as his body count steadily grew, he was promoted to Second Class and eventually First Class. To that end, he didn't like the current arrangements. He felt like he was mainly just killing demons who were reliant on magic. His constant need to eat magic made it risky to travel too far from Agartha, (buying magic stones or commissioning special supplies from Valkyries all the time was costly) and it was difficult to handle demons he had a bad matchup against. After a while, he started to feel like he was just doing the job of a Sorcerer, so he casually decided he would apply to be one. After passing a written test and practically cheating in the practical exam, he was officially a first class Sorcerer despite being completely incapable of even basic magic. If he wasn't famous for being a black sheep of the Paladin family, he was certainly more notable now. The Jinn had truly cursed him to never live a normal life for the rest of his days. Well, in any case, being a Sorcerer meant managing Warlocks and Valkyries, so it was a convenient position from which to exploit his subordinates for magical sustenance, so he did the best he could to defend his position from his detractors, the most notable of which were the Lysander family.
Family: His father is getting on in years, but is the only living Paladin in the family, and seemingly the last of their bloodline, since Ink was an only son and has no intentions to continue the tradition. His mother died at a young age, and he never felt close to the step mother his father remarried. There are also a number of wannabe Paladins who his father took under his wing who helped in Ink's Paladin training. They are considered "part of the family", but do not have the Lysander name. Plans are probably being made to declare one of them the next Paladin, which would be the second time in history the title was given to someone outside of the Lysander bloodline, although the first time was because of an exceptional individual, rather than an effort to avoid the tradition being destroyed entirely.
Religion: Ink believes that if the Father exists or existed, which, to begin with, would be doubtful in his eyes, at least as he is described; then the Father has/had probably long since given up on humans, which he should have already done long before the last time he was killed. Short of divine intervention to the contrary, he thinks it's best to go about as if he does not exist. Hell, even with divine intervention, isn't the Father indifferent to, if not outright complicit in humanity's current predicament? Proof of his existence alone wouldn't be enough to dedicate his life to the Father. Murdering the Father in seemingly blind rage as he had been in the past would be uncalled for, but if the Father demands they start being friendly ("love one another, as I have loved you") with the demons trying to kill and enslave them, then maybe those demands aren't worth listening to.
Combat Information
Armaments
Inkwell: A cursed Kris (wavy dagger) that disrupts magic, absorbs it, and coalesces the magic onto its tip. Every time Ink deals damage with it against an enemy who is either capable of magic or has magical properties, he gains 1 blood charge, which can be used for his skills. Blood charges do not carry over between battles. Has a special insulating handle to keep Ink from draining the blade of its potency, since it in itself is a magical item. The magic on its tip will apply random curses to those exposed to it, though it can be made to retain the magic for later use.
Gun: Gun. Closest thing to a mass-produced Medium weapon there is. It's made mostly from mundane materials and doesn't have noteworthy features, but it's effective enough.
Armor: Prefers dressing light for maneuverability's sake. Has all of his clothing magically enhanced specifically for the sake of enduring magical attacks, especially his pants and underwear. Running face-first into magical attacks does quite a number on his clothing, and he has already had to experience the consequences of failing to prepare for this during his Pioneer days.
Items: A small bag that can be summoned at will, mainly containing magic stones and cursed candy. Requires a free action to safely consume one in the middle of battle, similarly to elixirs. The bag also contains a few potions which Ink purchases from a witch living outside of Agartha. He has no idea what effect they would have on an ordinary person, but on him they have an identical effect as the candy, and they taste WAY better than elixirs. He doesn't usually drink them, but keeps them around in case someone pays too much attention to him, claiming they're elixirs. He tries to keep his dependence on magic a secret, claiming his curse is just the inability to use magic.
Parameters
Strength: ★★★★★☆+☆☆☆☆
Resonance: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Defense: ★★★☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Resilience: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+★★★★
Reaction: ★★★★★★+☆☆☆☆
Perception: ★★★★★★+★☆☆☆
Wish: "I wish I could be free from all the bullshit in this world. The expectation to be a Paladin, the demon army, being fucked over by the whims of you Jinns, all of it. I just want the freedom to live a normal life."
Curse: "Your wish is too broad to grant completely, but I will grant you this: You will defy expectations and ignore many of the hardships you would not see in a 'normal life'. However, you will yearn for those hardships, that 'bullshit', and you must feast upon it, else you will be consumed, body and soul. You should know better than to ask a Jinn for freedom from their own curse."
Aura Color: Transparent, with fleeting streaks of black
Fighting Style: Fast and deceptive, he does the best he can to maximize his ability. His gun helps keep the pressure on any time distance is created, and most enemies are helpless to stop him from closing the distance, where he uses his cursed dagger to make them suffer.
Attack Skills
Just a Taste: Ink consumes all blood charges on the Inkwell, literally, activating a curse on himself proportional to the amount of blood charges removed and triggering an enhanced version of "Delicious Desires", treating Ink as if he has +1 Resilience for every consumed blood charge. Cannot be used without blood charges. Requires a free action to be used without risk.
Ink Over: Stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell, disrupting their magical capability and subtly "silencing" them; If an enemy tries to cast a spell during the same turn or the turn after they are hit with Ink Over, the spell will fail unless it was a wind-up spell Safe Cast before being hit with Ink Over. Wind-up spells (including Calamity spells) that are started during Ink Over's effect but activated after it ends are unaffected unless they are hit with Ink Over again, wherein they will fail even if the spell was Safe Cast. Spells that fail due to Ink Over still use up the action used to attempt them and do not generate RP, but do not consume any either. Characters with a Resonance stat of 6 or more will be able to detect the silence and react accordingly before casting a failed spell. Characters with a Resonance stat of 5 or less will be unable to distinguish Ink Over from Ink's other attacks.
Dab of Ink: Briefly tenses up, reeling back with his free arm over his face and his weapon pointed behind him before taking off at the enemy faster than the eye can see. If Ink's strength with this skill would result in parrying or breaking through an attack, he instead dodges the attack. He does not gain RP from dodging in this manner, but enemies gain 0 RP from their attack, and Ink rolls to perform a separate counterattack. Otherwise, it is treated as a parry or break through respectively. If this skill activates successfully, Ink gains +3 Reaction until the end of his next turn. (Which applies to the counterattack roll)
Heavy Drawing: Ink stabs into the enemy with the Inkwell and twists the blade. Landing this attack on a target that is either capable of magic or has magical properties will generate an extra blood charge on the Inkwell. (For a total of +2)
Line Across: Ink rushes across the battlefield, closing the distance between him and a target of his choosing, attacking the target and potentially damaging multiple enemies in his way. Will parry attacks without interrupting Ink's attack(s) on other targets if Ink's strength is sufficient and the targets were in the middle of attacking. He must use the same weapon for all applicable attacks. Can attack up to a maximum of 3 targets, including the one at his destination.
Tender Embrace: Ink hugs an ally. He likes to think they're hugging back in spirit. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully, and counts as a rescue if they are being targeted by a spell, granting Ink +1 RP. While being hugged, any magic attack or effect on the ally is absorbed by Ink, including ongoing blessings and curses and attacks or effects that would normally target them both separately. Triggers "Delicious Desires" if a magical attack or effect is absorbed. Allies cannot move while being hugged, though they can still launch ranged attacks while remaining hugged. The same applies to Ink. Affected allies can break the hug without consuming an action, if they so choose to abandon the safe haven of Ink's bosom.
Galactic Mermaid: Ink slices through the enemy with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge to lay a random curse on them. (Determined by a d8) Curses are lifted at the beginning of their next turn after the duration, (before they act) rather than the end of the last turn it has an effect on them. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
- Berserk: The target loses all self-control and just starts attacking either the nearest enemy they can find or the one they find the most infuriating, usually Ink. They gain +1 strength and their basic attacks gain half a star in damage, but they can only use basic attacks with any and all of their actions. Lasts for 3 turns.
- Bloody Mary: All of a sudden, the target starts seeing double. Whenever they attack, their target is treated as having +4 Perception. Lasts for 3 turns.
- Charm: The target falls desperately, madly in love with Ink. For 3 turns, they ally themselves with Ink and will begin fighting against Ink's enemies or helping Ink and his allies. (If they are the only enemy, they will cease all aggression) They will also obey Ink's requests, within reason, if they can understand Ink. Will end early if they receive any damage from Ink or his allies.
- Clouded Thoughts: The target becomes distracted, and can only take one action per turn. (not including recovering) Lasts for 4 turns, or until the next time the target takes damage and recovers.
- Confusion: On each of the afflicted character's Turns, a D4 will be rolled to determine if the character attacks normally, uses a basic skill or spell, guards, or dodges. If the roll is a 2, a D10 will then be rolled to determine which basic skill or spell is used, based on the order they are listed in the character sheet. A list of all the battle's participants will then be randomly generated, and the afflicted character will attack them all in that order, if applicable, removing two participants from the list on each Turn. Even if the victim of the confusion status is taking damage or recovering and a D4 roll is not necessary, two names will be removed from the list on each of their turns. Once the end of the list has been reached, the status will end.
- Fear: In the eyes of the target, Ink's visage is replaced by a horrifying creature clad in inky blackness. They cannot willingly approach or attempt melee attacks against him, even as reactions. Lasts for 3 turns.
- Sleep: The target enters a magical slumber, patiently awaiting true love's kiss to wake them up again. Lasts for 3 turns, or until they take any damage whatsoever. Sleeping targets take x1.5 damage from attacks that wake them up, as well as all consecutive attacks in the awaking combo.
- Slow: The target's senses are drastically dulled as the world passes them by as if in fast forward. Their Reaction stat is reduced to 0 and their perception stat is halved (rounded down) for 3 rounds, not including the round it is inflicted.
Marked for Death: Ink bullies cursed enemies with the Inkwell, consuming 1 blood charge and one curse of Ink's choice to curse the target with Death Mark. Enemies with Death Mark take an additional half star of damage from all sources, not including Marked for Death. Lasts for 3 rounds, including the round Death Mark is inflicted. Fails if no damage is dealt, but the blood charge and curse is not consumed if so. Does not generate blood charges.
Unique Skill - Ravenous Impulse: Costs 6 RP to use. Ends Ink's turn if used successfully. Grants Ink additional Strength for the attack equal to half the target's Resonance, rounded down. Only usable against enemies who are either capable of magic or have magical properties. If the attack goes through, Ink gets in close to the enemy and bites them, doing his absolute darnedest to eat them alive. Deals an extra star of damage for every magical effect (blessings, curses, transformations, Ink Over's silence, etc.) on the target and triggers "Delicious Desires". Alas, his enemies are often pretty big, and his jaw is just too small. Ink will be forced to give up on eating them when they next recover. At least, for the time being.
2-Hit Rush Skill - Second Coating: Costs 3 RP to use. Performs 2 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
3-Hit Rush Skill - Neapolitan: Costs 5 RP to use. Performs 3 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
4-Hit Rush Skill - Four Color Theorem: Costs 7 RP to use. Performs 4 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
5-Hit Rush Skill - Five Basic Flavors: Costs 9 RP to use. Performs 5 consecutive attacks. Ignores the opponent's reaction stat. Cannot be interrupted by damage trades.
Finest Arts - Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Costs 10 RP. Ink attacks repeatedly with his various skills, such as Line Across or Heavy Drawing, as he gathers up blood charges in preparation for Just a Taste or other skills.
Finest Arts - Out of Fucks to Give: Costs 10 RP and up to 5 blood charges. Gathers up blood charges as necessary and burns them on Galactic Mermaid and Marked for Death, doing everything in his power to make his enemies suffer.
Finest Arts - Feast of Bullshit: Costs 16 RP and up to 4 blood charges to use. After breaking through the enemy's defenses, Ink smothers them in as many curses as he can with Ink Over, Marked for Death, and Galactic Mermaid, before finally digging in with Ravenous Impulse.
Resonant Power
Due to his passive "Insatiable", Ink has never used his magic abilities, and therefore doesn't know what any of his spells do. He knows what Backfire does though.
Backfire: Cannot normally be cast. (Not a complete spell) Occurs when another spell is cast while having the "Insatiable" passive. Requires a free action to attempt without fear and two actions to complete; Ink can cancel the cast early as he senses the impending danger. If he goes through with the cast, the spell short-circuits, causing magical recoil and lowering his RP by 10. Does not trigger "Delicious Desires".
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Personal Skills
Magic-Eater: Ink is completely immune to all magical attacks and effects. Physical objects lose all magically imposed momentum as they touch him and magically generated attacks pass over him like a gentle breeze.
Negativity Nullity Engine: Ink can spend or lose more RP than he has, going into the negatives. Any time Ink falls to a negative amount, after the skill finishes, he regains RP until he returns to 0 RP and loses 10% of his health for each RP gained. (Can kill him after using Finest Arts) If Ink has used finest arts at any point in the battle and falls to .1% HP through any means, he will no longer be able to use finest arts for the remainder of the battle. If Ink fully restores his health and acquires 10 RP while at full health, his finest arts will be usable again.
Delicious Desires: Any time Ink is subject to a magical attack or effect, (regardless of "Magic-Eater") he restores (Resilience*5%) of his health and gains (Resilience/2, rounded down) RP. Elixirs are 1/4th as effective on Ink, because they taste bad. Ink can also consume and digest any magical object or creature he can fit in his mouth with no adverse effects; doing so will trigger this ability.
Curse - Insatiable: Any spells Ink casts will Backfire. Excluding his first turn in combat, at the end of each of his turns, If he has not triggered Delicious Desires since the beginning of his last turn, he loses 1 RP. Every 5 consecutive turns he loses the same amount of RP due to Insatiable, he'll start losing an additional RP every subsequent turn.
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