I'm Pollen, hope you're not allergic. I like writing a myriad of characters in all kinds of genres, so I'm pretty much down for anything roleplay-wise.
@Doc Doctor Approved... for what's in the sheet. Gonad's ability set seems fine, but I did notice something about a 'plethora of other abilities' in there. If those aren't going to be relevant, then he's in, but if you have anything that wasn't explicitly listed that he might end up using then you should let me know. Also, you were vague about his precise strength level... but I did see you mention a while back that you tended to vary that to match whichever tier he was fighting in, which I'm assuming you'll do here. Anyways, good to see Gonad again!
@Vordak Looks good! His strength is a bit higher than what I was thinking, but you've balanced it out with limitations to his other attributes. Gigue is in.
I've also received confirmation from ShidenBlades that he'll be participating. This makes four fighters, which is already a solid start (seems we're going to have a lot of melee combat too)! Will probably wait a few more days for others to request/confirm participation, before kicking things off this weekend if everyone's ready. At the current rate of enrollment, an eight-man tourney seems a reasonable goal.
4 declarations of interest. I'd just like to see a wider scope of what constitutes 'low' powered here. I get that this generally means a cap on how many powers, and their potency. But to clarify would a wind elemental be allowed to send cutting gales that could pierce armor? Could a psionic use TK as perhaps a shield or to fly? Are those classes even allowed? And if so, id like to be given examples of their limitations or general examples of all powers.
I listed most of the rules under "Contestants," but I'll try to clarify. You're essentially right about low powered fights, in that they limit powers and potency. A good rule of thumb is to make your character so that a skilled, clever, but otherwise ordinary human would stand at least a small chance against them in a fight.
A wind elemental would be allowed, and would be able to use cutting gales as you described. However, to qualify for this tourney they would need a physical form of some fort (being literally made of wind would render them immune to most non-magical attacks), and would have their powers restricted to certain techniques, rather than total control of wind. For example, a hypothetical elemental character could manifest as a solid, near-transparent creature with the ability to throw piercing/cutting blades of wind (as you described), conjure sudden gusts to blow itself around or hinder an opponent, and chill its breath and blow frigid blasts to freeze anything standing in front of it.
It could potentially apply these abilities in other manners (for instance: blowing downwards to freeze the ground and then luring the opponent onto slippery ice to be blown off their feet by a gust), but would not have access to the full range of possible wind-based abilities. Similarly, when choosing powers, you wouldn't be approved if you gave it something like the ability to pull all the air out of an opponent's lungs from several meters away.
Psionics would be similar: shields and flight would be allowed, but would need to be limited in certain ways (for instance, the shield conjured might only cover a certain angle, or break under a sustained assault... and flight/levitation might be limited in duration, more of an escape measure than a way to completely shut down all melee attacks).
Glad you're interested, and hope this helps explain things! If you're still worried about power limitations, maybe try posting or sending me your character- you aren't disqualified by submitting a character with abilities exceeding Low powers, I'd just ask you to edit whatever abilities looked problematic before granting approval.
As something of a reference (and because I'm not overly worried about my submission being secret) this will be the character I'll be entering. He is what I'd call a fairly standard example of a low-powered character, only a touch above the peak of unpowered....
Had a look over him, seems he'd fit in well. Consider Sigurd approved!
(Will probably start a list in the first post this evening with those who have declared interest, so I can keep track of you all).
Hmm, if you're not wholly confident in character acceptance you could ask someone to help you and keep character submission secret...
You and Skalla make some interesting points there. The part I quoted would definitely fix the one problem, even if Skalla didn't have the time to go over all submissions with me I could get different people to work on different ones...
The other thing is characters being revealed once the tournament starts: a lot of my other concerns, such as being able to understand what the enemy fighter was doing, were based on the characters remaining hidden throughout (seems I misunderstood you a bit there).
So tell you what: I'll give anyone who wants to the option of PMing me their character sheet in secret, to be posted when the tourney starts. Will edit the first post too. (Also letting @DJAtomika and @ShidenBlades know).
Also, with DJ we have three declarations of interest, and one of possible interest! Glad to see this taking root so far.
How do you plan on taking character submissions? Via PM for secrecy or out in the open in OOC?
Good question! Secrecy is a tempting idea, and one I'd definitely like to try out sometime... but on the other hand, it's easier to RP if you understand who your opponent is and what they're doing, and seeing what characters other people are using often helps players choose/make their own. The other thing is: I'm not the most experienced at the moment (been in two fights here and around 12 on other sites), so it would help to have others reading the character sheets to point out errors/stuff that needs clarifying/overly exploitable abilities that I didn't notice on my own.
So for this one, I'll ask for submissions in the OOC... but if you don't mind, I might steal your idea for sometime in the future :P
I might be interested. Depends on where this goes.
Gotcha. Hopefully we'll go where you're looking for... (And my goodness, that Undertale sig is fantastic)
Are you treating magic items like spells? Only a few and with a limited scope? @Drifting Pollen
Glad you're interested! Existing characters are welcome, as well as new ones.
As for magic items... it depends on the scope/use of them really. Something like boots that enhance speed would be counted as regular equipment, since that kind of upgrade is similar to, say, playing a character of a race with naturally high speed (same effect, different reason). Likewise, a spear that transforms into a sword would not count towards the magical limitation, as that's an effect that could be replicated to some extent by simply carrying two weapons.
A magic item would count as a 'spell,' however, if it had a distinct and sudden effect that gave a major advantage while being well beyond the boundaries of ordinary weaponry/equipment. For instance, if you recall our match in a previous tournament here: the 'rust dust' you used as Nicoli, which could eat away metal in seconds, would be allowed here, but would be counted as a spell. So would the floating blades I used- but since those were under total and maintained control rather than being a single technique, those would not be allowed here. A floating blade could still be potentially used, but it would need some limitation- the leviation would only last a certain time, perhaps, and have limited uses.
Any questions, comments, and of course applications are welcome. The goal is battles with relatively few flashy powers and more of a focus on tactics and use of terrain, which will hopefully result in some intense and hard-fought matches.
All come seeking. Any may climb. But only one will reach the peak of The Mountain.
The Black Mountain is an 8+ person, low-powered ranked tournament, with multiple complex arenas in which to engage. Losing does not mean elimination, but the defeated will need to scratch and claw their way up to have a chance at ultimate victory... to succeed in this Tourney, you'll need tenacity, cleverness, even a fair amount of sheer daring. Will you be the one to ascend the peak, and pass through the Angel's Gate?
The Story:
In a faraway land, the sages tell tales of the day two armies of angels fought a titanic battle in the heavens. One by one they fell, slain by weapons and magic of unimaginable power, their corpses forming a vast pile on the earth below. By the time the sun set, the clouds had been torn asunder, and both sides lay dead under the open sky.
The bodies of the angels were never meant to touch the mortal realm. Their strange golden flesh dimmed, then hardened, and finally turned to dark, unyielding stone. Thus was born the Black Mountain.
These are only legends, of course, but none can deny that the Mountain is a place of strange and terrible power. Hundreds of ancient weapons and artefacts have been unearthed from its dark slopes, and the greatest of them all is the Angel's Gate, a structure seemingly growing out of the Mountain's peak. It is said that whichever mortal opens this door will be transported through time and space, to the location of their deepest and truest desire.
The Gate, however, is not easily opened. For centuries at a time, it will remain locked, sealed so tightly that no mortal can hope to breach it. Even one who possessed some artfice to break through it would have to contend with the fierce order of monks who worship the Mountain and guard it with zeal, never letting any outsider pass- until now.
For the Gate has unlocked itself for the first time in hundreds of years, and it is time for the mighiest of warriors to ascend the mysterious peak and claim the greatest of prizes. The monks recognize the mountain's will, and have spread word far and wide.
This is no mere climb, however. The Mountain is alive, it twists and bends the few safe paths up its slopes, drawing travelers together. When two paths cross, it will seal the way, allowing only one to pass- whichever climber can defeat the other, and prove themselves more worthy of ascending higher. How far will they push themselves, how much will they sacrifice, to reach the top? For in the end, only one may claim the final prize...
The Rules:
Tournament structure:
- The basic format is an elimination tournament. Eight climbers (this number may be adjusted based on interest), will be matched against each other, winners ascend the Mountain and move on to the next round to face other winners, while losers must give up or become Fallen (see below). There are no draws or ties. A fight can only end in a win or a loss via death, incapacitation, or surrender.
- Any character eleminated from the tournament bracket has the option of becoming a Fallen. By sacrificing their soul to the Mountain, they gain new life and/or restored strength, but will be slowly driven insane by the whispers of dead angels. A fighter can only become a Fallen once, any Fallen who loses a fight is permanently eliminated.
- Fallen do not re-enter the tournament, but may challenge other Fallen to combat at any time. Both fighters must accept the challenge for combat to occur. Once the bracket tournament is finished, whichever Fallen has the most victories (including victories won before elimination from the bracket) may challenge the victor.
- Whoever wins this final match will be crowned champion. (If multiple Fallen share the highest victory count, they must fight each other. The challenger is whoever has the highest victory count as soon as the finals end, fights in progress at the time can no longer affect proceedings).
Fight rules:
- Fights will be judged as ranked fights, using the default T1 format.
- During fights, a contestant should post within three days of their opponent's post. If a good reason is given OOC, the time limit may be extended by 4 days. If a fighter does not post within the time limit, their opponent may claim victory.
- Characters are free to interact at 'Shrines' between rounds, which act as safe zones on the mountainside. Such interactions are for RP purposes only, and are not required.
The Contestants:
This tourney will use enhanced-human power levels (low tier). Character sheets should either be posted in the OOC thread, or PMed directly to me for approval (no other tourney participants would see it in the latter case). All sheets will be revealed and posted in the Characters tab once the tourney starts.
- Speed, strength, etc. may be increased to above peak human levels, but should remain low-tier (e.g. around Captain America levels rather than Superman).
- Technology is restricted to pre-1800 levels (fictional weapons and items may be used, so long as they are not overly advanced).
- One to three minor spells may be allowed per character, but these should be focused techniques (e.g. tossing a small fireball is allowed, free control of fire is not).
- All manner of equipment is allowed (within tech levels), but no pets or summons may be used in a fight.
- Different races are allowed (elves, dwarves, what have you), with some limitations: no additional arms, no unlimited flight, fighters must be creatures of flesh and bone (or something similarly vulnerable), height is restricted to 9 feet maximum, 1 foot minimum.
The Arenas:
There will be three arenas to choose from for each round. Opponents may agree on a location if they wish, otherwise one will be randomly assigned to each bout. Arena 1: Windswept cliffs
Falling off the cliff kills you, obviously. The small rocks near the center of the area are about five feet high at their highest point, and are wide enough to reasonably be used as cover. Fighters start on the marked red circles. The ground is rocky and uneven, but level overall. Weather conditions will be normal for the first 10 posts of the fight, after which strong winds will begin blowing harshly across the arena, starting from left to right and switching direction every other turn. Arena 2: Quiet forest
The stream is shallow enough to wade through at the wide end, and narrow enough to easily jump over at the thin end. The ground is muddy and moss-covered. Weather conditions will be cloudy for the first 10 posts of the fight, after which it will begin to rain heavily, making footing uneven.
Arena 3: Burning cauldron
The battle takes place in a deep pit, which both constestants have fallen or climbed into. The bridges have steady footing, but are very hot, and hard to walk upon for long. There are no barriers around the magma pools, anything that touches the magma is burned/melted. The ground is hard, level, and smooth. Weather conditions will be hot for the first 10 posts of the fight, after which thick steam will begin to build up in the arena, gradually reducing visibility.
The Black Mountain awaits those brave enough to attempt the climb. Step forth!
Participants: 1. MelonHead - Sigurd Stoneheart 2. Doc Doctor - Gonad Yakspitter 3. Vordak - Gigue Lagace 4. ShidenBlades - Nicoli D'Angelo 5. DJAtomika - Guzman Galliard III 6. FallenReaper - Trixi 7. Scarifar - Shen Chung Gong 8. Chimera - Iolanthe Adastreia (more slots may open up if sufficient interest is expressed)
@Drifting Pollen You would host. I and Rilla will be here to help. The setup, ruleset, arena and power level are yours to determine. Although a human enhanced tourney is my recommendation less work overall.
Seems interesting enough.
Tell you what: sometime this weekend I'll type up my ideas for the tournament, and message them to the two of you. If you think it looks okay, and seems like I know what I'm doing and wouldn't screw it up too badly... then I could host. I'm willing to commit the time and effort required, but I'd like to double-check that I'm actually qualified for this before going all-in.
Alrighty boys and girls, who is hosting the winter tourney? Who wants to kick off the new season?
Does one have to be a ranked fighter in order to host? What does hosting involve, exactly? I'm assuming there's a degree of refereeing, along with the fluff/background, and possibly arena design...
I don't know if I'd be allowed to be the main host (I've only done a couple of fights here, neither of which were officially judged). However, I could have a go at it if the duties are made clear, or at least help out with the kind of thing I mentioned above, if needed.
Hello!
I'm Pollen, hope you're not allergic. I like writing a myriad of characters in all kinds of genres, so I'm pretty much down for anything roleplay-wise.
Come talk with me if you want! I'm friendly.
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">Hello!<br><br>I'm Pollen, hope you're not allergic. I like writing a myriad of characters in all kinds of genres, so I'm pretty much down for anything roleplay-wise.<br><br>Come talk with me if you want! I'm friendly.</div>
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Lugubrious
