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Back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth, I got started with writing online on the Spore forums. Man, those were the days. We're talking like 12 years ago!

I've been here on and off for almost as long, and have GM'd a bunch of different things to varying success.

Discord: VMS#8777

Most Recent Posts

@Vec for Melantha
@Slime

Merely being able to see other Spheres from your own (and not vice-versa?) is not the sort of interaction or connection that I meant. It's almost a given that most of the Celestial Spheres that occupy true space can see one another.

Dismissing the stars in Observatory as "just a backdrop" is also wasting the chance to make something that could have been interesting. See how some stars are Katharsos' pyres, for instance.

I don't think you're using your Sphere to anywhere near its potential.

Also,

@Slime What shall Abanoc do for the first few turns before mortals arrive?


+1
Pit stop for Slime, whose review was postponed earlier while he made some changes.

@Slime for Abanoc
Three more in this post below. For the next set of reviews, I'm going to go out of order to quickly address some sheets that had problems. That way those who need to make revisions will have more time to do so.

But anyways, before that:

@Antarctic Termite for Chopstick Eyes


@Leotamer for Parvus


@AdorableSaucer for Shengshi
A few more sheets to quickly review:

@Crispy Octopus for Asceal


@Double Capybara for Urhu
Two sheets have now been reviewed by all three of us, and we've arrived at a consensus on them.

@Lord Zee for Orvus


@Commodore for Ohannakeloi


Once approved, feel free to make wiki articles. Thanks for putting in the work on making these sheets and joining the RP!
Thanks for the kind words, but much credit also goes to Muttonhawk for prettying things, BBeast for being my mascot, and the two of them together for both keeping me motivated and on track as well as pulling their weight by writing substantial parts of that OP themselves.

CS reviews are underway. Expect us to start posting them on here soon.
This interest check is now over. We have a real thread:

roleplayerguild.com/topics/176075-div…
Here Lies the Gateway to the Almighty Wiki


The Carta Galbaria


As a reminder, please do not post your Character Sheets here. They belong on the wiki as articles, but don't post them there either until your sheet has been explicitly and officially approved.

We will largely not be using this character section so as to avoid clutter; however, you are permitted to have a post here with a compilation of links to the various wiki articles for your creations in this RP.

Divinus: The Deity Roleplay (Mk.III)



Prologue


Much work remains to be done.


I see that now. The endless toil has left me with naught but an empty vessel filled with dust and rock and darkness. I thought that I would have more time, that I could create Eternity...but my bones ache. I must devise some plan.

The ancient contemplated that thought. He ruminated over his limits and his failings with all of the brutal honesty and cynicism that came with age. Finally, the god rose from his throne; he had rested in a statuesque meditation for countless years, so the motion seemed stiff. Dirty, tattered, and long-frayed robes clung to an equally abused frame.

This will not do...

That outward appearance had been a mere reflection of his mental state. With newfound determination came a restored image, one of might and wisdom. Now, he was prepared.




CREDITS

Praise unto the following people! Honor them!
@Frettzo for the awesome banner!
@Kho and @Rtron for running Mk. I and then letting me join the GM party in Mk. II, we miss you guys!
@BBeast@Muttonhawk@Antarctic Termite for picking up the pieces that Kho, Rtron, and I left in Mk. II
Antarctic Termite again for letting me steal a bunch of mechanics and stuff from Godspeed
@Cyclone for being himself and for making Mk. III, and BBeast and Muttonhawk again for helping him GM it
And finally everyone else whose abundant feedback on the OOC of Mk. II and the comment threads of the Google doc helped us out, with special shoutout to @Double Capybara and @Crispy Octopus.


Synopsis

Divinus will be a story about a pantheon of gods, their creations, and the world of Galbar as it is shaped by our collective actions.

One great and enlightened being, the Architect of the Spheres, tried to create an entire universe on his own. After toiling for unknown aeons in maddening solitude, he accomplished nothing but the bare shell of a planet called Galbar and the blank cosmos that surrounded it. He reflected and ultimately realized the limits of his own strength. It was then that he made the fateful decision to open a rift to What Lay Beyond, allowing several spirits to enter the realm of his making to help him see his vision fulfilled. Regardless of whatever those spirits might have been before, they were, in the Architect's arms, made as gods over this universe. Though his expectations are reasonable, the Architect nonetheless expects the gods to ‘earn their stay’ by not slacking in their duties, and to show him some measure of gratitude and fealty. Incurring his wrath can have consequences, for he is a powerful being; however, he is not infinitely so. Through the combined might of many rebellious mature gods, the Architect could perhaps one day be overthrown.

Though these gods may start small, in time they will raise mountains, gouge rivers, sow jungles and freeze oceans, and having done so they can create every manner of flora, fauna, spirit and mortal folk to populate them. Their colliding visions for the world may drive them to invent mighty weapons and field vast armies, conjure horrific monsters, and sanction glorious heroes to defend their dreams from the passion of the other gods.

Each god will be important. Each will potentially wield great influence over reality and all the life that comes to arise, as every god will control a ‘Sphere’ that can be thought of as a piece of the intricate system that constitutes Galbar’s universe. The gods’ power is measured in Might, which they must spend wisely on the aspects of creation that are most vital to them. As they continue to grow their powers and shape the world ever more, the gods may build holy sanctuaries in which their mortal disciples may glorify their name, raising them to new heights of terror and splendor.

The game of gods has many rules, but do not be daunted! This RP is about weaving interesting tales, not about such crass motives as winning or losing. All rules are here for your benefit to make sure everyone plays fairly, in a collaborative manner and to work for the betterment of the story. We've put a lot of effort into the system, so I hope it brings as much pleasure to you as it has to us.


Glossary

  • Galbar
    This is the name of the primary setting for this RP, the middle and most important Sphere of the universe, and the realm in which most mortals will reside. It is somewhat like earth except it will start covered in a vast ocean only interrupted by ice caps and the occasional barren rock.
  • Sphere
    This setting is a magical one. This is reflected in how the universe itself is divided into numerous Spheres, similar to Aristotelian physics, but without necessarily being euclidean in layout. Galbar is the aforementioned Middle Sphere in the center of this system. Each sphere can be conceptualised as a bordered physical space in which all manner of things could be made. Each god in this setting will come to be attuned with one Sphere, taking charge over it and shaping it with their powers so that it may serve some purpose in the greater system and influence Galbar in some way.
  • God
    In Divinus, the pantheon of gods will be the focus and main characters of the story. Though mortals, demigods, and other beings will eventually emerge, in the beginning there will only be gods. Gods are powerful beings capable of traveling throughout the Spheres (though this may be difficult and take time), but they are not omnipotent or omniscient. The baseline of every god’s power will be explained in greater detail below.
  • Hero
    A hero is a lesser being that has been endowed with great power by some god, often to act as a champion or noteworthy servant of some other kind. Heroes can be granted a great deal of power, but even if they start with more humble beginnings they can become formidable over time. A hero’s actions can earn them Prestige, which in turn can be spent on increasing their power or on having them perform godly acts (such as creating powerful artifacts or performing miraculous feats) albeit on a smaller scale than would be expected of the gods themselves.
  • Demigod
    A demigod is a being that exists in the sizable space between a hero and a god. Players who enter the RP after the beginning will start as demigods rather than gods. They are immortal in the sense that they can weather time and disease and other natural forces with ease, though they could still potentially be killed. Demigods are divine beings in that they can potentially traverse the various Spheres, but they are not attuned to any of the Spheres and nor do they have a Sphere to command as their own. They will thus find themselves wanderers, usually unable to truly ascend to full godhood until they prove themselves worthy enough to be uplifted and sponsored by an existing god.
  • MP
    This is an acronym for Might Points (sometimes just Might), our way of measuring the power and exertion that a god puts into their various actions. Gods have immense powers of creation and can alter reality around them, but most actions that do not directly pertain to a god’s portfolio will cost some amount of MP. Gods will earn an income of MP over time as the RP goes on; the IC will be separated into turns, and MP is be issued out in chunks at the beginning of each turn.
  • FP and Ages
    Just as the IC is divided into turns, the turns will be grouped together into Ages. Each Age will generally span for 1-4 turns and will set a theme and rough timescale for the IC events.
    FP is an acronym for Free Points, which are functionally the same as MP except for the caveat that they can only be spent on actions pertaining to the theme of the current Age. For instance, in the beginning we will have an Age of Creation during which a substantial amount of FP will be given to every god for the purposes of shaping their Sphere as well as the landmasses and various features of Galbar.
  • Portfolio
    In most mythological settings that feature a plethora of various deities and other divine beings, the major gods each rule over certain aspects of reality. This is the case in Divinus as well; we describe a god’s powers in terms of short and highly specific words (preferably one word) called Portfolios. A Portfolio could be anything from a natural phenomenon like fire, to a craft like carpentry, or to a more abstract concept like authority.


Detailed Description of RP Mechanics











General Rules and Regulations

  • The Golden Rule--Do not godmod/metagame/powerplay. It’s ironic because this is an RP with actual gods as characters; however, there are definitely limits as to the power level of our gods. We’re trying to make a collaborative story rather than host a game meant to be ‘won,’ so please keep that in mind as you write.
  • The Rule of Fair Warning--Before significantly influencing someone else’s creations, especially if it is going to be in a destructive way, give them some fair warning OOC so that potential objections can be made ahead of time and plans can be shifted. Ideally conflicts between two gods that lead to destruction or harm of one god or its possessions will be written with the consent of both players, but if you think that somebody is being unreasonable us GMs can intervene.
  • The Good Summaritan Rule--Somewhere in every post, please attach a hider box containing a short summary of the post’s actions, including how Might has been expended in the post if applicable. As Divinus RPs have traditionally had some massive posts, this helps greatly when trying to keep track of all that’s been going on and when trying to make sure you didn’t miss any important plot point within some massive post. That being said, please do still try to read all IC posts and not just the summaries.
    • Addendum: Your summary should convey the bare miniumum of which characters were involved, what major plotpoints were covered, and which (if any) other peoples' characters you're initiating some sort of action with.
  • The Bookkeeping Rule--We will be using a wiki to store character and creation sheets, as past experience has demonstrated that RPGuild character tab on this thread won’t be enough space and will get too cluttered. For all creations of significance, please make at least a 1-2 sentence page for them on our wiki. The 0th post on the characters section will contain a link to our wiki; if you need any help figuring out how to use the wiki, by all means feel free to ask.
    • Addendum: Though the wiki is considered canon, you should still describe your creations IC. Don't simply reference that you've made a creation IC and then make us all go to the wiki article to find out basic details on what the creation does; it's unhealthy to make reading the wiki articles obligatory for one's understanding of what's happening IC.
  • Leave of Absence--Please give us forewarning on the OOC if circumstances dictate that you will become inactive in the RP for a time. I’m sure we’ve all seen the phenomena of people simply vanishing; it’s frustrating and leaves work where the others have to pick up the narrative pieces. Failure to follow this rule can potentially lead to your god being deposed IC; the Architect won’t look kindly upon squatters that sit around in his realm without contributing to Galbar’s development or fulfilling their divine duties.

The above commandments are most important. Almost every other conduct is to fall under the domain of common sense and the RPGuild rules, with the understanding that our goal is to collaboratively create cool narratives. Be considerate to one another and facilitate storytelling. If there are any concerns or clarifications required, the GMs are always happy to help.



Character Creation

I would like to reiterate that we will be using a wikia (link can be found on the 0th post of the character section) to store and organize all character sheets, rather than the character tab on this RPGuild thread. This is obligatory; however, if you need help figuring out how to work with the wiki, just let us know. If you like, you may still use the character tab to compile links to the various wiki articles for you creations.

With that out of the way, feel free to format your sheet however you like, so long as it clearly contains answers to at least the questions posed by this example sheet below.

As you consider ideas for your character and grapple with what you want to do, I would encourage you to first focus upon what sort of Sphere or portfolio you want to have, and then use that as a foundation to construct a god that makes sense given that dimension.

Beyond the concept for your character, you should also have an idea of what you want your god to do, how your god might change or progress, how they will contribute to the story and how they will interact with other players. In particular, note that the first few Turns will likely be inhospitable to mortal races. Otherwise, an otherwise excellent character might become very boring to play very quickly, and nobody wants that.



A reminder: Once the RP has already started, new players will only be allowed to join as demigods.

The above character sheet is designed for gods, but for demigod characters simply remove the parts pertaining to Spheres, and perhaps instead talk about your demigod’s parentage.
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