STATUS:
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
8 days ago
Current
Two days ago, Noble Arms is indisputably four years old, spread out across three threads, and the third thread is still ongoing and about to reach the endgame...
3
likes
19 days ago
Can't believe that I actually got an RP close to its endgame, btw...
4
likes
1 mo ago
Noble Arms is now either four years old, or three years and eleven months. The third thread had lasted for more than one year.
1
like
2 mos ago
New Interest Check, everybody!
2 mos ago
My Roleplay, Noble Arms: The ASEAN War, will reach its 4th year in June or July. It's been a long journey.
Artwork Originally of Jason Levasseur from Moonlight Apparition, a webcomic made by one Darkhalo4321; all credit given to her.
Important items:
Curved daggers - Two blades forged from super-alloys and honed to a monomolecular edge, Ashton carries these weapons as reminders of his ordeal in the Ascendancy, and his determination to prevent the same thing from happening to other people.
Coilgun Pistol - A pistol that uses electromagnetic technology to launch metal bullets at a fraction of the speed of light.
Ballistics Vest - An undershirt of soft but tough materials surrounding a core of armored dura-ceramic plates that can withstand a few pistol shots.
Galactic Credits - A few thousand credits in digital form given by the former Rau've warden.
Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.
Short Bio: Ashton Andrews could still remember a time when he had been happy. Born to an ordinary household, with the only thing extraordinary about him being his intelligence, he had loving parents and friends, as well as promises of a future scholarship to the University of Proxima Centauri, a star system which he would one day 'visit' in a way he very much did not want. Then the war with the Rau've and Kaisoken started, a war that his parents privately murmured was 'for unneeded territory' and 'to serve the needs of the dictators in power'. These whispers were somehow heard by the authorities, who were already viewing Ashton as a potential test subject, and so on Ashton's thirteenth birthday, Ashton disappeared on his way to school, and it was subtly hinted that his abduction was to keep his parents under control.
After disappearing, Ashton was taken to an Ascendancy Black Site, where horrific experiments were done to him, as well as various humiliations and torments to slowly break down his sense of self and make him more malleable for military training, which he was quickly thrown into as the war with the 'Alien Meneace' was intensifying at a rapid pace. He was trained by the best special forces trainers, who put him through hell in order to fight in any environment with his chosen weapons and use the Magic he had been taught to lethal effect. And once he was ready, he was sent to another level of hell.
Life became a blur of combat actions, depression, and additional traumas imposed by his 'superiors'. And also friendships, bonds, and even love with his fellow child soldiers, among them one Flame Brooks, who became his boyfriend and fighting partner. Together, they managed to make it through the Ascendancy's increasing number of losses, which culminated in the Battle of Proxima, where the Ascendancy Fleet tried to prevent the Rau've/Kaisoken Coalition from pushing through to Earth.
Ashton and Flame were deployed with most of the child soldiers in a boarding action against the Rau've's flagship with orders to demolish it, but this turned out to be a trap, as the Aliens had learned how to fight against these 'magical humans' after many engagements. Ashton and Flame and their battalion were ambushed by overwhelming enemy forces, who subdued them with a tranquilizer that could not be negated with Change Magic.
The young man woke up in a prison camp, screaming for Flame. A collar of plant matter and crystal was on his neck, preventing him from casting spells, and the walls were padded and without any convenient air vents. It was clear that he was at the mercy of his enemies, and all he can do was cry.
Then, he was allowed to meet with Flame, and there was hope that things might be all right. Said hope was proven right when the aliens treated the child soldiers humanely, allowing them to roam freely in their 'prison quarters', giving them books to read, puzzles to play with, and actually taking care of them. And with Flame, he was happy, even though the other boy was burnt with a need for revenge, while Ashton wanted only closure. And so, they decided not to accept the Rau've's offer of a new home, and instead chose to chase rumors of Moonstrike, a resistance against the Ascendancy. This was allowed, but not without regrets...
Spell List:
Supernal Vision (High) - The Mage can see all Magic, identify what School it is, and the strength of the spell.
High Enchantment (High) - Ashton's daggers and bullets can be enchanted to deal wounds unhealable by Magic on Magi, Magical Creatures, and Constructs. This can be cast on weapons not owned by Ashton for three rounds of combat.
Suppress Aura (High) - Ashton can conceal the aura given off by his own Magic and others, as well as the aura of magical items.
Aerokinesis (World) - Ashton can control the wind, moving it around at high velocities.
Physical Invisibility (World) - Ashton can bend light and electromagnetic radiation (infrared, ultraviolet, and x-rays, etc.) to hide from physical scanning.
Flash Step (Dimensional, Tied to Omni-Tool and useless without it) - Ashton can plane shift a very short distance, the length of a small room, then return to this dimension in another spot to get behind an enemy and thus gain the advantage of surprise.
Character Traits
Infilitrator - Ashton is trained not just in regular stealth, but the electronic kind, in hiding his presence from surveillance equipment. He is also adept in collecting information, not just from Alien technology, but from renegade AIs and computers owned by 'collaborators' as well. In short, he's not just a stealth fighter, but a hacker as well, just as capable of entering your smartphone's systems as he is at carving your heart out with a knife... Or was it the reverse?
Parkour and Acrobatics - Ashton is a natural in climbing things, somersaulting out of the way of attacks, and even contorting himself a bit. This gives him an extra advantage in urban terrain, as well as any area not even plain.
Wolf Cub of Wall Street - When he was young, Ashton's inner genius manifested itself when he accidentally logged into the E-commerce platform his father was using and, thinking it was some sort of videogame, promptly made his parents a fortune in the stock market, a fortune which his father had to give back upon finding out. Nevertheless, when Ashton grew older, he managed to find ways to play the E-commerce game until he was abducted by the Ascendancy, and even then, he found occasional ways to get back in the stock market game whenever his superiors' vigilance lapsed.
Area Mastery: High and Dimensional - Ashton, by having three High Magic spells taught in the Traditionalist Manner and one Dimensional Function tied to his Omni-Tool, has Mastery over High and Dimensional Magic.
We were just children, albeit ones of exceptional mind and body. Then the Ascendancy of Man took us from our families, our friends, and our homes; they said we were needed to fight the 'Alien Menace' that was threatening our civilization. In the name of 'survival', they abused us, subjecting us to pain and torture, altering our brains and bodies through bio-organic technology so that our minds can switch between the common methods of Magic as easily as one picks up a new phone. It was a miracle we all lived to see the horrors of war, they said, but was it really?
After being altered and trained, we were thrown into the meat grinder that the war against the other species of the sector had become. Able to use both ‘Traditional’ Magic and ‘Enlightened Inventions’, our battalions slew huge numbers of the enemy. But it wasn't enough; in the Battle of Proxima, the Ascendancy's fleets and armies finally fell to a sustained assault by the Aliens, and we, the supernatural child soldiers that had wreaked such havoc against the foe, were captured and taken to a prison camp in one of the enemy's holdings.
Despair overtook us as we awaited our fate. What abuse was coming? How will we be treated by those whom we had slaughtered in droves? But when our enemies, the Aliens known as the Rau've, showed pity on us instead, we wept in joy. They saw that we were just kids, and gave us mercy.
We were offered new homes and new families among the Aliens, and most of us accepted. But I didn't, same for a handful of others. I thanked our former captors - former, for the war had ended with a peace treaty - but I told them that I and the others with me wanted revenge on the regime that had betrayed us, used us, and were crueler than the enemy they fought. They sighed, and gave us coordinates to the Galactic Bazaar, a space station where jobs and ships can be found to start our revenge; they wouldn't help us directly.
And so we, with magic, combat skills, and what few peaceful talents we remembered before we were 'drafted' by the Ascendancy of Man, went to the space station where almost anything can be bought and sold. But one must be warned; the Ascendancy of Man was also there, and will not tolerate their former tools turning against their 'masters'.
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I fought in the Ascendancy's Fleet. I believed in their propagandistic drivel. I did work dirty and clean for them, and what did I get? Thrown away without pay, without a pension, just tossed out like last day's trash. And to add insult to injury, they blamed us for their own butts getting kicked on Proxima, said that us frontier-worlds didn't fight hard enough and so they got defeated. Well, I've had enough of them stomping on the little guy, so I joined the dime-a-dozen rebels - I mean, Moonstrike!
My name is Natasha Zhang, and I lead a crew of humans, aliens, and even a robot or two in missions of piracy and smuggling against the Ascendancy. Moonstrike is the rebel network we belong to, and they give us jobs to do to bring down those Ascendancy morons. And this latest mission is the sweetest yet - A bunch of renegade Ascendancy Supersoldiers is coming to the Galactic Bazaar to rendezvous with us!
Wait, what are these children walking about in the hangar bay? What, they can use Magic without using only one set of methods? Oh, no, those are the Supersoldiers Moonstrike One mentioned, aren't they?!
God Almighty, why am I stuck in a babysitting job?
------
Basically, this is an RP set in a Science Fantasy world with both lasers and Magic. You have two options of player character:
- Child soldiers that had been taken from their homes and used by the Ascendancy of Man in their war against Aliens, were spared by said Aliens when they lost, and are now looking for revenge against their former abusers. You can get around the restrictions of the Magic System (see below).
- Natasha Zhang's Crew, a motley crew of humans, aliens, and robots who fight as privateers for Moonstrike, a resistance group opposing the Ascendancy of Man. If you have Magic, you have to choose a specific set of methods (see below) and each has their own drawbacks. However, you have more skills, experience, and technology.
II. Alien Species
The Rau've - The prime leaders of the Coalition against Humanity, the Rau've are a race of plant people who are able to nourish themselves through photosynthesis, enabling them to mostly sidestep the agricultural stage of development. Highly philosophical and compassionate, the Rau've can still be savage in war, as their organic warships and crystal-based energy cannons show. But they were deeply horrified at their enemy's use of children in battle and were the prime advocates of letting the child soldiers go unpunished after the peace treaty was signed.
The Kaisoken: A race of sentient crystal-like minerals bound by quantum pathways and transcendent intelligence. Floating gently, the Kaisoken communicate through impulses translated into audible speech, and are proficient in the control of magic, though they are limited in a straight fight.
Kaisoken grow in size the older they are and the more cosmic power and knowledge they absorb, with Kaisoken over a Millenium old growing to the size of mountains. Note that the Kaisoken can control the process of their growth, with some remaining the size of a humanoid, but many pride themselves on growing mountain-sized, especially as Kaisoken reproduce by budding and the 'Mountains' can bud more Kaisoken.
The Kaisoken are led by the 'Nineteen-Thousand-Year Mountain', the oldest of the Kaisoken who is the size of Mount Everest.
The Gill: Combining reptilian and amphibian features, the Gill are evolved to live primarily in water, with long, slender limbs for powerful strikes ending in webbed hands. Hardy against poisons and extreme terrain, on account of the noxious swamps on their homeworld, they have moved to colonize other oceanic places, and are proficient skirmishers. Like Humans, they can use Magic, but prefer the 'Traditionalist' approach (see below).
The Korta: Diminutive beings resembling pachyderms, the Korta are highly intelligent and analytical, mostly serving as engineers and bureaucrats. Computer systems, locks, and riddles tend to fall quickly before them. They have very few 'Traditionalist' Mages and prefer 'Enlightened Inventions' (see below).
The Tayanen: Clusters of sentient amorphous material locked into massively armored shells, the Tayanen deliver heavy firepower with high resistance to physical damage due to their silicon-based biology, which also allows them to absorb electricity harmlessly. Nevertheless, they are slow to react, though their decision-making ability when in a group can be very fast. Basically, they are a combination of Geth from Mass Effect (highly dangerous and more intelligent when grouped together) and Slimes from Dungeons and Dragons (can eat and absorb most anything).
Cannot use Magic at all unless grafted with a willing Kaisoken 'host' through an unknown process.
III. Magic System
There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because human belief can make Magic work does not mean that Reality is relativistic; objective, observable reality still exists despite being changeable by Magic, which in turn has limits.
Traditionalist/Ceremonial - Traditionalists use words, rituals, and symbolic tools (aka items which are less practical than current tech; obsolete tools) in order to cast powerful spells which defy scientific understanding, like fireballs, instant healing, precognition, and blessings/curses. The advantage of this is that Traditionalists can use their magic right away, with just a word or gesture, they don't actually need the items they use, and they can do things without advanced technology or which are still impossible with current science. In short, what they lack in the reach and range of their effects, they more than make up for by being their own tools in an emergency.
"Enlightened Invention" - Enlightened Inventors used to believe that their Magic isn't Magic at all but 'Hyperradvanced Technology', and some of them still believe it today. But the truth is that their inventions, though recognizably technology, still use Mana, the reality-altering substance which allows Magic to exist in the first place. However, Magitech has one big advantage over Traditionalist/Ceremonial powers: Anyone can use it even if they are not an Enlightened Inventor and it can be combined with actual technology to create mass-produced wonders. However, the drawback is that without tools, objects, or anything resembling technology, an 'Enlightened Inventor' is useless.
Attempts have been made to hybridize these two disciplines before, but the only successful examples involve the Mage being trained while still young before their brain fully develops. This allows the Mage to switch between the radically different mindsets needed to use both ways of Spellcasting...
Mages (both Traditionalists and Enlightened) divide Reality into eight areas, six of which can be affected by Magic, and two of which cannot except in very rare circumstances. The six 'Open Areas' are High, Underworld, Mind, World, Change, and Dimensional, while the two forbidden ones are Fate and Timespace.
High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, fuel magitech and create enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.
Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering the emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. This can also alter one's own mind to temporarily increase learning time and allow for perfect memory, as well as create and program sapient AIs. A very powerful magical discipline, but its flaw is that it can be resisted with strong willpower, whether from Human, Alien, or AI...
Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect, but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, to speak with ghosts, and to strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...
World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.
Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists, and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or reanimate/control beings which are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.
Dimensional - This is the Magic that allows access to Hyperspace, which Traditionalists call the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Otherworld. Basically, Dimensional allows one to create portals, summon and make contracts with Nature Spirits, and even, with enough preparation and magical energy, travel to other universes resembling our own. However, the drawback of Dimensional-based spells (aside from making portals) is that Nature Spirits have wills of their own and look very badly at people trying to order them around...
Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.
The Forbidden Areas cannot be affected by Magic whatsoever unless you sacrifice literal billions of people or build artificial structures as large as Saturn's rings.
Fate - Alters luck and probability and allows for blessing one's efforts so that they succeed, or cursing them so that they always fail or carry a high cost.
Timespace - Time travel, time stop, and true bullet time (actually slowing down time instead of just one's perception of it and ability to physically respond to it). Making physical distances longer and shorter without using Hyperspace/The Astral Plane. Flawless Teleportation where you can instantly appear without any warning signs, such as the color and light made by portals.
Spell Mastery
Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has its own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic Area> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? That depends if you are a Traditionalist or Enlightened Inventor; Traditionalists can master any Area they have 3+ Spells in, and furthermore instantly cast their exiting spells in that Area with only words and gestures or even just thoughts. Enlightened Inventors, meanwhile, can master as many Areas of Magic as they have Spells (which they call 'Functions'), but each Spell/Function has to be tied to an advanced gadget/weapon and they lose their Mastery when losing the gadget.
And yes, an Enlightened Inventor can put all their available Spells/Functions into one gadget.
How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.
Enchantment Rules
For Traditionalists, Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.
For Enlightened Inventors, Enchantment is merely the creation of new gadgets and the addition of new 'Functions' to an existing one, and they do not need High Magic to do this. However, they do need a workshop and materials and their works must at least look like advanced technology...
Perfected Electrum
Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi can be 'perfected', aka transformed into metal as hard as a diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection. The Ascendancy of Man has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum due to its patronage of 'Enlightened Inventors'; not that it helped them win the war.
Group Spells/Projects
Basically, multiple spell-casters with different areas can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for a single Magi's weaknesses in their specialization. Note that Traditionalists can only do Group Spells with each other, the same for Enlightened Inventors, who call their spells 'Projects'.
The Star Marines/Child Soldiers have unrestricted Group Spells.
IV. Character Traits and Tech Level
Character Traits (Formerly Exceptional Skills)
Character Traits can both be a few neat bullet points to describe some of your character’s defining traits, and also accommodate your character’s non-magic skills. They essentially describe a portion of your character, and some of them might be capable of special effects that can benefit you and other characters in different ways.
A character Trait consists of 3 parts as described
<Trait Name>: <Trait Description>. <Trait Effects> <Trait Name>: Self-explanatory <Trait Description>: A few sentences explaining what characteristics of your character that this Trait is describing. You can go longer if you wish <Trait Effects>: These are optional, but the most interesting. These essentially encompasses the Ex Skills, but a lot more specific and individual-based.
A few examples of generic trait to illustrate this further
Swordmaster: His extended training with his family’s traditional blade and under their guidance have made him exceptionally capable with these weapons. Greatly increases proficiency when using blades Turtleback: His natural skin of his species allowed him to essentially be a walking mini-fortress. Enhanced resistance against physical attacks. A Healthy and Focused Mind: Her zen training allowed him to ascend to a higher spiritual state that allows her to act solely based on his instincts. Only usable in combat situation. Allows the character to ignore mind magic during these time. Only affected when said magic can affect subconscious thoughts. Disgraced Warrior: From a family of traitors, he is received by the public with mistrust. Reduce effectiveness when coercing people through diplomacy Supreme Chef: She’s just really good at cooking duh. <Blank> (Yes, you can leave it blank. You don’t have to have an effect for every trait)
Of course, these are generic examples that apply to no one in particular. Your character traits, however, are bound by their background. A character trait has to be connected somehow to your character and what makes them who they are. Unrelated traits will be rejected. Your trait names does not have to follow these format. Feel free to go ham and be creative with the name and description.
What these skills are not, however: They do not fully describe your character. There is and should be more depths to your character than just a bunch of bullet points. They have defining characteristics but they have nuances and more depths to and outside those characteristics. That’s how a great character is made
Some potential questions.
How many traits are needed: There should be no limits to how many traits you have, but please refrain from making too many of them. Remember this is supposed to represent defining characteristics that screams that’s them when mentioned. You don’t want to describe yourself like that. For starters, around 3-4 traits would be a healthy number (this number is preliminary).
What about combat with vague measures to quantify your strength: Well, this is not a tabletop RP to begin with. There is no dice. We have narratives and plots to drive your characters around. How battles would turn out is entirely down to you and your fighting partners. Discuss with your partner how you would want fights to turn out. Maybe this guy have a really cool move that he wants to show off, or this lady is cocky and needs to be slapped down a peg. After all, it’s more about building your character than a game of who gets to win. If you have problem deciding the fight, the GMs can step in and help
Can you bypass these skills somehow: Yes. Having traits that give you enhanced characteristics (durability/strength/speed/etc.) does not make you infallible (unless you opt in for it, to which you would need to give a GOOD justification). Having enhanced resistance against Mind Magic could fall apart if you’re intoxicated/not paying attention. Use common sense and logic at all times.
Gaining/Losing traits: This is possible, as your character changes, but you shouldn’t gain too many traits throughout the journey anyway, so when you want to add/remove/change a trait, contact your GM. Don’t worry we’re friendly
What about Magic Mastery: If you have 3+ spells mastered from the same school of magic, you can gain a mastery trait of that specific school, giving you increased magic literacy for that school. If you CHOOSE to have that trait at the very beginning, and thus giving you at least 3 spells to be mastered, it’s best you contact the GM so we can discuss it.
Tech Level is...variable, thanks to the effects of widespread upheaval. Automation is common in the more civilized portions of the Sector, as well as lasers, railguns, EMP emitters, and plasma throwers. The main method of FTL is the use of a 'wormhole system' that links most planets, but Kaisoken, Rau've, and Ascendancy of Man use Spacedivers, spaceships that use Magitech that can dive into another dimension or dimensions where distances are naturally distorted, then return to a point in this one light-years away.
Cybernetics exist, but are taboo in the inner levels of the Ascendancy of Man, where biotechnology is preferred as 'it does not mar the pure human form'. Cybernetics can be used to justify possession of an Exceptional Skill, the same for Drugs, Powered Armor, and other pieces of technology.
V. Rules
Basic Rules:
1) No Godmodding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions 2) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place. 3) Be polite to others. 4) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time. 5) The GM reserves the right to control inactive PCs as NPCs in order to keep the plot moving.
VI. Miscellaneous Lore and Worldbuilding
The first decades of the Ascendancy of Man were of construction, colonization, and exploration, as the 'Spacewarpers' of the Human Fleet opened up new horizons. Over time, autonomous trading companies grew in the fringes of Human Space, pushing the frontiers of expansion. But when the Rau've and Kaisoken were finally discovered, along with their equivalent or greater power to the Ascendancy, the first President-for-Life, Corrin Herbert, began to move towards centralization, nationalizing several trading companies and forcing those left to consolidate underneath Henry Windsor, one of the leading explorers and merchants of the fringe worlds.
Together, these trading companies formed a formidable fleet, well-armed against Space Pirates (mostly Aliens and renegade Humans) and enough to endanger the Ascendancy itself if it came to war. And so Corrin Herbert was forced to make concessions: The Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet will be allowed to continue its operations, provided that it provides a large payment to the Ascendancy of Man and logistical support to its future wars. This was resented by Corrin's two successors, Elijah and Emmanuel Thoreau, but neither of them made any move to withdraw said concessions, being enmeshed with their own plans.
Even the coming of the Rau've/Kaisoken War did not endanger the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet, as the latter paid a large payment to the Ascendancy in order to avoid giving logistical support. This was a good thing, as the Windsors had already decided that the future lay in economic cooperation with Aliens (albeit with Humans on top) instead of making war with them. So they stood by, consolidating their power on the Southern Fringe of Human Space, well away from the Kaisoken and Rau've territory. And the war ended with the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet more powerful than ever, with only the Ascendancy's Carrier Fleet able to contest them.
Now, the Windsors cannot avoid a collision with the upper levels of the Ascendancy; money can no longer overcome the fear that the Trading Fleet, made up of Xenophiles and immensely rich and powerful, would conduct a coup. And the Windsors knew it, so they decided to conduct a coup for real, contacting disaffected elements among the fringe worlds and other dissidents only to find they had already been contacted by a new organization, Moonstrike, an organization that seemed to have access to Ascendancy tech and military hardware. And so all activity from them stopped. Was it jealousy, or were they biding their time for something else?
1999 - The Paradigm Shift; Traditionalist secret societies sign a peace treaty with their Enlightened Inventor counterparts to prevent “a grim and dark future” they saw coming for Humanity.
2099 AD - Commonwealth of Humanity Formed, Enlightened Inventors invent Faster-than-Light Travel which allows for interstellar exploration.
2160 AD - Commonwealth of Humanity meets the Gill, a minor Alien Race living in the water world of Gill'home. A resolution is drafted to 'uplift the Gill technologically' so that they can 'stand as equals' with the Human Race.
2161 AD - Humanity attempts to uplift the Gill by giving them advanced technology, causing the Gill to become more ambitious.
2181 - Gill Traditionalists spark a civil war among their species by rejecting advanced technology and making war against Gill ‘modernizers’ and Humans.
2191 AD - Korta and Tayanen Pirates attack Human planets, trading companies, and installations. A small number of Gill are discovered to have collaborated with the pirates in order to form their own 'space empire', and Humanity cuts off their entire species' uplift as a result.
2200 AD - The Commonwealth of Man defeats the Korta, Tayanen, and a few Rogue Gill in the battle of Gill'home, and renames itself the 'Ascendancy of Man'. Gill'home is blockaded and completely cut off from Interstellar Commerce.
2215 - The Ascendancy of Man forcibly registers all Traditionalists and Enlightened Inventors, making them available for conscription and mandatory military service. For now, Spellcasters/Magi under 18 are exempted from this rule but not for registration.
2230 - The Ascendancy of Man discovers the Korta Home Worlds, and prepares to assault them. The Korta species is merely vassalized and made to pay tribute.
2250 AD - The Tayanen Home Worlds are discovered and the Tayanen are made a vassal as well. Rumors emerge of a Galactic Bazaar being constructed by renegade Tayanen and Korta in concert with various unknown alien species.
2280 AD - The rumors are proven right and the completed Galactic Bazaar is discovered, along with the Rau've and Kaisoken Empires. The Ascendancy of Man turns into a 'dictatorship with a democratic appearance' shortly after, with the current President, Corrin Herbert, becoming the first 'President for Life'.
2285 AD - Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet founded.
2290 AD - Corrin Herbert was replaced with Elijah Thoreau, who orders his son, Emmanuel, to begin experiments on children to create Mages who can shift between Traditionalist and Inventor mindsets at will and have the advantages of both.
2320 AD - Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet sets up shop in Gill'home after being allowed a special exemption from the blockade; trade with the Gill, who had strengthened their Traditionalist Magic during the blockade, blooms.
2321 AD - Emmanuel Thoreau becomes the new President-for-Life; experiments on children are proven to be successful, with many of them being able to retain the ability to shift between Traditionalist and Inventor mindsets as adults.
2370 AD - The Alien Coalition War begins, with Ascendancy Forces attacking the Rau've and Kaisoken for 'living space'.
2375 AD - Battle of Proxima Centauri. The Ascendancy loses. Tayanen and Korta released from Human vassalage.
2376 AD - Start of the RP.
VII. Character Sheet Skeleton
UPDATED CSes
(Note that you do not necessarily have to follow these skeletons. Feel free to alter the skeleton if you feel fit)
Name: What’s your characters name?
Age: How old is your character?
Physical Description: What does your character look like?
(Place any photos or written descriptions here.)
Are you a Traditionalist, Inventor, or Both: (Only the Child Soldiers/Star Marines can be both.)
Weapons and Items: (What kind of weapons or other important items does your character have? Traditionalists have obsolete antiques, Enlightened have gadgets. If your character has cash, put it there too.)
Spell List: (Star Marines/Child Soldiers can have 6 Spells/Functions. Functions are identical to spells but you need a specific gadget or piece of tech to use them; please list the gadget/tech/weapon the Function is attached to, in that case. Crewfolk who are Magi can only have 4 Spells/Functions and they must be either a Traditionalist or Inventor and not both.)
Character Traits: It should be noted that the Star Marines spent most of their experimental life mastering magic as opposed to physical ability, and so has lesser abilities as a result that will grow in due time.
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Short Bio: Tell us your character's story up to this point. Who are they exactly? Where did they come from? What are they like? All of the above goes here.
Theme Song: (Purely optional, if possible, try to find a song that bests represents your character.)
Name: (What is the name of the Species?)
Status to Humans: (How are their relationship to Mankind/How do they see Mankind?)
Life expectancy: (How old on average can they be before dying of old age?)
Genders: (How many genders do they have, just the binary 2, or perhaps more?)
Full Description: (Fully explain the appearance, abilities, and average personality of the Species. This would be where you would add an image of your race if you have one.)
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Type of society: (Self-explanatory; Do they have a hierarchy, are they democratic, or perhaps ruled by a patriarch or a matriarch, what kind of systems of social activity do they have, what sort of trading/economic system do they possess?)
Technological advancement: (How far has their technology come compared to other races?)
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Miscellaneous: (Anything else you want to say about your race?)
Planet Name: (The name of the planet goes here)
World Type: (Is it similar to Earth ala a Continental World? Or is it a planet covered in Oceans with barely any land. Or is it a planet covered in complete deserts? Or is it a planet covered in jungles.)
Classification: (What is the classification of your world?)
Class D (planetoid or moon with little to no atmosphere) Class H (generally uninhabitable) Class J (gas giant) Class K (habitable, as long as pressure domes are used) Class L (marginally habitable, with vegetation but no animal life) Class M (terrestrial/Habitable/akin to Earth) Class N (sulfuric) Class R (a rogue planet, not as habitable as a terrestrial planet) Class Y (toxic atmosphere, high temperatures)
Moon: (Does it have a moon? Or two or three?)
The Civilized Populace: (Who is civilized in your world? Is there one or more races that are classified as Civilized. Fallen Civilizations are counted into this, if they were on the planet before their fall it counts.
Example: Humans that are on planet Earth.)
Population: (How many people are living on your planet?)
Tourism: (Is your planet a tourist spot in the galaxy? Within whom they share a border with.)
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System Name: (The Name of the System’s Star) Star Class: (The class of the star) Planetary Bodies: (The Planetary bodies within the System as a whole, how many planets does it have including the one you named above. How many of them ‘can’ be terraformed and etc. Is there an asteroid belt similar to the Sol System? How many Gas Giants are there?) Location: (How far is your planet from the Ascendancy of Man's Core Sector)
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Landmasses: (Continents and etc. If it is a Continental World it’ll have to have continents. Islands or etc. Anything can go here as long as it can hold life on it. In terms of cities on the land.)
Waters: (The next part is how many oceans, lakes, rivers, seas does the planet hold?)
Notorious Monsters/Creatures: (What’s the apex predator on your planet? Or what was the apex predator before your culture on your planet evolved enough to take them down? As well they can be for a specific creature type that is horrifying and terrifying at all the same time like the Underveiled.)
Level of Development: (What’s the level of technology on your land masses? Are they all the same or are they in different eras completely outpacing the other ones.)
Economy: (The Economy of the Planet, what’s the primary currency the entire planet uses? It could be based on the most technological continent or otherwise.)
Type of Society: (What’s the society as a whole? In terms of the people who lived on it before any outside influence from another space-faring faction. This is similar to the type of society in the species sheet but different. Since its more focused only on the ones who inhabit the planet before other people colonized it.)
No. As far as I know neither region are known for precious metals and any precious metals they have would have had to be imported in exchange for exports or as taxes for through-passing caravans. Or direct spending on the Ottoman court in the region. The timber of those territories may not be wide spread enough either for any commercial use, which is not to mention trees that develop in arid environments don't tend to be tall enough, straight enough, or regular enough for ship building (cyprus trees tend to be short and skinny, olive and nut trees too knotted, and if you were to go extreme and go to Australia where Eucalyptus can be tall enough it is also too hard and far too knotted to plane down to regular boards). So Egypt would have to still export timber in exchange for gold or direct exchange of commodities (Fiat vs Commodity Money).
To that point as outlined in the article Egypt had to make use of French expertise imported into the country and utilized a shipyard in Cairo built by Napoleon to even make the ships that were disassembled and caravaned to the Red Sea for use in the Arab campaigns that are the subject of the essay. But:
The French would be willing to sanction some small amount of ship building timber to Egypt for an amount of commodity in exchange if not just straight gold. But the French will not send significant amount of timber so as to not make the British or Ottomans too upset and maintain a regional balance.
We'll give you Sudanese Gold, then, as well as allow French Egyptologists to roam all throughout Egypt and Sudan and get preferential treatment over other nations' scholars.
Physical Description: Artwork Originally of Lark Meadows from Moonlight Apparition, a webcomic made by one Darkhalo4321; all credit given to her.
Important items:
Perfected Electrum Bow - A magical weapon that boosts the strength and range of Flame's 'energy' spells, allowing them to burn through meta-materials and flesh alike.
Emergency Knife - A fully-mundane knife carried on his person just in case he needs a last-ditch method of defense.
Ballistics Vest - An undershirt of soft but tough materials surrounding a core of armored dura-ceramic plates that can withstand a few pistol shots.
Galactic Credits - A few thousand credits in digital form given by the former Rau've warden.
Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.
Med-kit - A futiuristic first aid kit which contains healing nanomachines and biological gel. Can heal burns from High Magic within reason.
Short Bio: Flame Brooks was born to a drunkard father whose mother ran out on the family. Needless to say, this did not result in a happy upbringing, even with Flame's high intelligence and physicality allowing him to be fast-tracked in education. By some miracle, the authorities only took Flame once he was thirteen, and even then it wasn't social services who came for him, but rather the miitary, whom Flame's father sold his own son to in exchange for more drinking money.
What followed was hell, hell that could have turned him into a sociopath or psychopath willing to inflict cruelty and pain on others just to gain respite from his own suffering, if not for Ashton reaching out for him in one of the few periods of free time they were allowed to have. Friendship followed, and in the adrenaline-charged haze of the war, so much more. Flame found someone to love, someone who loved him, and he was able to endure the perils of war and the traumas placed on him and Ashton by their 'owners' in the military because of this. And so in what moments of spare time he had, he plotted revenge, revenge against the Ascendancy.
In the final decisive battle at Proxima, Flame fought hard against the Alien Coalition's forces, fearing death and other ordeals should they be captured by the enemy. But it was said enemy who spared them after capture, and said enemy who treated them as sapient beings once more and not property. And thus, he had time to think about the revenge he planned on the Ascendancy. However, if Ashton had chosen the Rau've offer of a new home, he'd have accepted - Ashton's happiness was important to him, after all.
Thankfully, his boyfriend had a similar need, a need for closure, and so they decided to courteously decline the offer of a new and peaceful life. And so Flame made his final decision: To throw himself into a new conflict, this time, to make the Ascendancy - The enemy - pay for the treatment he and Ashton were put through!
Spell List:
Energy Bolt (World, tied to the Perfected Electrum Bow and unusable without it) - Bolts of pure light and heat that can inflict serious damage on the level of a powerful laser.
Shield of Force (World) - A barrier of energy that allows Flame to protect himself from harm.
Shattering Palm (World) - A close-range attack/strike which enables Flame to break solid objects through sheer kinetic force. Originally meant against Kaisoken, this move can break Power Armor and even Ascendancy ground vehicles as well.
Cone of Silence (World) - A cone of telekinetic force that prevents sound from escaping, thus providing a space for him and others to talk in without outside folk overhearing.
Power Electronic Equipment (World) - With just a touch, Flame can power electronic equipment using only his own magic, acting as battery and transformer, and extension cord.
Prenatural Calmness (Mind) - Flame can use Magic to keep his composure in circumstances that would shatter another person, allowing him to act calmly, though not necessarily rationally, in a terrifying situation.
Character Traits
Observer of Human Nature - Flame's abusive treatment by his father, then his superiors, as well as the kindness shown to him by Ashton and the other Star Marines, have given him some sense of Human actions and feelings, allowing him to keenly observe whether a person is being sincere and their motives if they are not. But these observations are not infallible, and Flame can be paranoid or self-deceiving at times...
Marksman and Sniper - Flame is good at hitting a specific spot on an enemy with almost any ranged weapon or his own magic.
Trained Endurance - Abuse can sometimes deaden one to pain and in the world of the Ascendancy Military, that is an asset. So Flame was subjected not just to harsh military training, but also forced to undergo 'torture resistance courses' which consisted of enduring pain for hours on end to improve his pain tolerance, although, at the same time, he was given the right diet and exercise to improve his physical health. This gave him the ability to, well, endure burdens that would bring down an adult.
Area Mastery: World - Flame knows World Magic through both Traditionalist and Inventor Mindsets and so needs very little Mana to cast very powerful Spells/Functions.
Artwork Originally of Jason Levasseur from Moonlight Apparition, a webcomic made by one Darkhalo4321; all credit given to her.
Important items:
Curved daggers - Two blades forged from super-alloys and honed to a monomolecular edge, Ashton carries these weapons as reminders of his ordeal in the Ascendancy, and his determination to prevent the same thing from happening to other people.
Coilgun Pistol - A pistol that uses electromagnetic technology to launch metal bullets at a fraction of the speed of light.
Ballistics Vest - An undershirt of soft but tough materials surrounding a core of armored dura-ceramic plates that can withstand a few pistol shots.
Galactic Credits - A few thousand credits in digital form given by the former Rau've warden.
Omni-Tool - Miniature Computer that allows for communication, calculation, augmented reality navigation and small-scale hacking.
Short Bio: Ashton Andrews could still remember a time when he had been happy. Born to an ordinary household, with the only thing extraordinary about him being his intelligence, he had loving parents and friends, as well as promises of a future scholarship to the University of Proxima Centauri, a star system which he would one day 'visit' in a way he very much did not want. Then the war with the Rau've and Kaisoken started, a war that his parents privately murmured was 'for unneeded territory' and 'to serve the needs of the dictators in power'. These whispers were somehow heard by the authorities, who were already viewing Ashton as a potential test subject, and so on Ashton's thirteenth birthday, Ashton disappeared on his way to school, and it was subtly hinted that his abduction was to keep his parents under control.
After disappearing, Ashton was taken to an Ascendancy Black Site, where horrific experiments were done to him, as well as various humiliations and torments to slowly break down his sense of self and make him more malleable for military training, which he was quickly thrown into as the war with the 'Alien Meneace' was intensifying at a rapid pace. He was trained by the best special forces trainers, who put him through hell in order to fight in any environment with his chosen weapons and use the Magic he had been taught to lethal effect. And once he was ready, he was sent to another level of hell.
Life became a blur of combat actions, depression, and additional traumas imposed by his 'superiors'. And also friendships, bonds, and even love with his fellow child soldiers, among them one Flame Brooks, who became his boyfriend and fighting partner. Together, they managed to make it through the Ascendancy's increasing number of losses, which culminated in the Battle of Proxima, where the Ascendancy Fleet tried to prevent the Rau've/Kaisoken Coalition from pushing through to Earth.
Ashton and Flame were deployed with most of the child soldiers in a boarding action against the Rau've's flagship with orders to demolish it, but this turned out to be a trap, as the Aliens had learned how to fight against these 'magical humans' after many engagements. Ashton and Flame and their battalion were ambushed by overwhelming enemy forces, who subdued them with a tranquilizer that could not be negated with Change Magic.
The young man woke up in a prison camp, screaming for Flame. A collar of plant matter and crystal was on his neck, preventing him from casting spells, and the walls were padded and without any convenient air vents. It was clear that he was at the mercy of his enemies, and all he can do was cry.
Then, he was allowed to meet with Flame, and there was hope that things might be all right. Said hope was proven right when the aliens treated the child soldiers humanely, allowing them to roam freely in their 'prison quarters', giving them books to read, puzzles to play with, and actually taking care of them. And with Flame, he was happy, even though the other boy was burnt with a need for revenge, while Ashton wanted only closure. And so, they decided not to accept the Rau've's offer of a new home, and instead chose to chase rumors of Moonstrike, a resistance against the Ascendancy. This was allowed, but not without regrets...
Spell List:
Supernal Vision (High) - The Mage can see all Magic, identify what School it is, and the strength of the spell.
High Enchantment (High) - Ashton's daggers and bullets can be enchanted to deal wounds unhealable by Magic on Magi, Magical Creatures, and Constructs. This can be cast on weapons not owned by Ashton for three rounds of combat.
Suppress Aura (High) - Ashton can conceal the aura given off by his own Magic and others, as well as the aura of magical items.
Aerokinesis (World) - Ashton can control the wind, moving it around at high velocities.
Physical Invisibility (World) - Ashton can bend light and electromagnetic radiation (infrared, ultraviolet, and x-rays, etc.) to hide from physical scanning.
Flash Step (Dimensional, Tied to Omni-Tool and useless without it) - Ashton can plane shift a very short distance, the length of a small room, then return to this dimension in another spot to get behind an enemy and thus gain the advantage of surprise.
Character Traits
Infilitrator - Ashton is trained not just in regular stealth, but the electronic kind, in hiding his presence from surveillance equipment. He is also adept in collecting information, not just from Alien technology, but from renegade AIs and computers owned by 'collaborators' as well. In short, he's not just a stealth fighter, but a hacker as well, just as capable of entering your smartphone's systems as he is at carving your heart out with a knife... Or was it the reverse?
Parkour and Acrobatics - Ashton is a natural in climbing things, somersaulting out of the way of attacks, and even contorting himself a bit. This gives him an extra advantage in urban terrain, as well as any area not even plain.
Wolf Cub of Wall Street - When he was young, Ashton's inner genius manifested itself when he accidentally logged into the E-commerce platform his father was using and, thinking it was some sort of videogame, promptly made his parents a fortune in the stock market, a fortune which his father had to give back upon finding out. Nevertheless, when Ashton grew older, he managed to find ways to play the E-commerce game until he was abducted by the Ascendancy, and even then, he found occasional ways to get back in the stock market game whenever his superiors' vigilance lapsed.
Area Mastery: High and Dimensional - Ashton, by having three High Magic spells taught in the Traditionalist Manner and one Dimensional Function tied to his Omni-Tool, has Mastery over High and Dimensional Magic.
If we're operating on the basis that Muhammad Ali has at least half-independence in the eyes of some or most of the European courts: no. Those would be core Turkish territories and what trade is going on would be between Egypt and the Ottomans, who probably being salty that they didn't wrestle a contentious subject back into order may not be willing to sell those resources in order to curb their influence on the Mediterranean
Hmm, do Syria and Cilicia have timber-able woods, then? Or goods that the French or Russians might desire enough to exchange timber and technology for?
I'm not going to say you can't have it but I am asking for a plugging of a hole in logistics.
I was thinking Muhammad Ali managed to strong-arm the Ottoman Sultan into allowing him all of those, which would be easier if he still had Syria and Cilicia, the latter which is close to Konya. Alternatively, won't Syria and Cilicia have timber or precious metals to exchange for timber (Sudan has gold too)?
We were just children, albeit ones of exceptional mind and body. Then the Ascendancy of Man took us from our families, our friends, and our homes; they said we were needed to fight the 'Alien Menace' that was threatening our civilization. In the name of 'survival', they abused us, subjecting us to pain and torture, altering our brains and bodies through bio-organic technology so that our minds can switch between the common methods of Magic as easily as one picks up a new phone. It was a miracle we all lived to see the horrors of war, they said, but was it really?
After being altered and trained, we were thrown into the meat grinder that the war against the other species of the sector had become. Able to use both ‘Traditional’ Magic and ‘Enlightened Inventions’, our battalions slew huge numbers of the enemy. But it wasn't enough; in the Battle of Proxima, the Ascendancy's fleets and armies finally fell to a sustained assault by the Aliens, and we, the supernatural child soldiers that had wreaked such havoc against the foe, were captured and taken to a prison camp in one of the enemy's holdings.
Despair overtook us as we awaited our fate. What abuse was coming? How will we be treated by those whom we had slaughtered in droves? But when our enemies, the Aliens known as the Rau've, showed pity on us instead, we wept in joy. They saw that we were just kids, and gave us mercy.
We were offered new homes and new families among the Aliens, and most of us accepted. But I didn't, same for a handful of others. I thanked our former captors - former, for the war had ended with a peace treaty - but I told them that I and the others with me wanted revenge on the regime that had betrayed us, used us, and were crueler than the enemy they fought. They sighed, and gave us coordinates to the Galactic Bazaar, a space station where jobs and ships can be found to start our revenge; they wouldn't help us directly.
And so we, with magic, combat skills, and what few peaceful talents we remembered before we were 'drafted' by the Ascendancy of Man, went to the space station where almost anything can be bought and sold. But one must be warned; the Ascendancy of Man was also there, and will not tolerate their former tools turning against their 'masters'.
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I fought in the Ascendancy's Fleet. I believed in their propagandistic drivel. I did work dirty and clean for them, and what did I get? Thrown away without pay, without a pension, just tossed out like last day's trash. And to add insult to injury, they blamed us for their own butts getting kicked on Proxima, said that us frontier-worlds didn't fight hard enough and so they got defeated. Well, I've had enough of them stomping on the little guy, so I joined the dime-a-dozen rebels - I mean, Moonstrike!
My name is Natasha Zhang, and I lead a crew of humans, aliens, and even a robot or two in missions of piracy and smuggling against the Ascendancy. Moonstrike is the rebel network we belong to, and they give us jobs to do to bring down those Ascendancy morons. And this latest mission is the sweetest yet - A bunch of renegade Ascendancy Supersoldiers is coming to the Galactic Bazaar to rendezvous with us!
Wait, what are these children walking about in the hangar bay? What, they can use Magic without using only one set of methods? Oh, no, those are the Supersoldiers Moonstrike One mentioned, aren't they?!
God Almighty, why am I stuck in a babysitting job?
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Basically, this is an RP set in a Science Fantasy world with both lasers and Magic. You have two options of player character:
- Child soldiers that had been taken from their homes and used by the Ascendancy of Man in their war against Aliens, were spared by said Aliens when they lost, and are now looking for revenge against their former abusers. You can get around the restrictions of the Magic System (see below).
- Natasha Zhang's Crew, a motley crew of humans, aliens, and robots who fight as privateers for Moonstrike, a resistance group opposing the Ascendancy of Man. If you have Magic, you have to choose a specific set of methods (see below) and each has their own drawbacks. However, you have more skills, experience, and technology.
II. Alien Species
The Rau've - The prime leaders of the Coalition against Humanity, the Rau've are a race of plant people who are able to nourish themselves through photosynthesis, enabling them to mostly sidestep the agricultural stage of development. Highly philosophical and compassionate, the Rau've can still be savage in war, as their organic warships and crystal-based energy cannons show. But they were deeply horrified at their enemy's use of children in battle and were the prime advocates of letting the child soldiers go unpunished after the peace treaty was signed.
The Kaisoken: A race of sentient crystal-like minerals bound by quantum pathways and transcendent intelligence. Floating gently, the Kaisoken communicate through impulses translated into audible speech, and are proficient in the control of magic, though they are limited in a straight fight.
Kaisoken grow in size the older they are and the more cosmic power and knowledge they absorb, with Kaisoken over a Millenium old growing to the size of mountains. Note that the Kaisoken can control the process of their growth, with some remaining the size of a humanoid, but many pride themselves on growing mountain-sized, especially as Kaisoken reproduce by budding and the 'Mountains' can bud more Kaisoken.
The Kaisoken are led by the 'Nineteen-Thousand-Year Mountain', the oldest of the Kaisoken who is the size of Mount Everest.
The Gill: Combining reptilian and amphibian features, the Gill are evolved to live primarily in water, with long, slender limbs for powerful strikes ending in webbed hands. Hardy against poisons and extreme terrain, on account of the noxious swamps on their homeworld, they have moved to colonize other oceanic places, and are proficient skirmishers. Like Humans, they can use Magic, but prefer the 'Traditionalist' approach (see below).
The Korta: Diminutive beings resembling pachyderms, the Korta are highly intelligent and analytical, mostly serving as engineers and bureaucrats. Computer systems, locks, and riddles tend to fall quickly before them. They have very few 'Traditionalist' Mages and prefer 'Enlightened Inventions' (see below).
The Tayanen: Clusters of sentient amorphous material locked into massively armored shells, the Tayanen deliver heavy firepower with high resistance to physical damage due to their silicon-based biology, which also allows them to absorb electricity harmlessly. Nevertheless, they are slow to react, though their decision-making ability when in a group can be very fast. Basically, they are a combination of Geth from Mass Effect (highly dangerous and more intelligent when grouped together) and Slimes from Dungeons and Dragons (can eat and absorb most anything).
Cannot use Magic at all unless grafted with a willing Kaisoken 'host' through an unknown process.
III. Magic System
There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because human belief can make Magic work does not mean that Reality is relativistic; objective, observable reality still exists despite being changeable by Magic, which in turn has limits.
Traditionalist/Ceremonial - Traditionalists use words, rituals, and symbolic tools (aka items which are less practical than current tech; obsolete tools) in order to cast powerful spells which defy scientific understanding, like fireballs, instant healing, precognition, and blessings/curses. The advantage of this is that Traditionalists can use their magic right away, with just a word or gesture, they don't actually need the items they use, and they can do things without advanced technology or which are still impossible with current science. In short, what they lack in the reach and range of their effects, they more than make up for by being their own tools in an emergency.
"Enlightened Invention" - Enlightened Inventors used to believe that their Magic isn't Magic at all but 'Hyperradvanced Technology', and some of them still believe it today. But the truth is that their inventions, though recognizably technology, still use Mana, the reality-altering substance which allows Magic to exist in the first place. However, Magitech has one big advantage over Traditionalist/Ceremonial powers: Anyone can use it even if they are not an Enlightened Inventor and it can be combined with actual technology to create mass-produced wonders. However, the drawback is that without tools, objects, or anything resembling technology, an 'Enlightened Inventor' is useless.
Attempts have been made to hybridize these two disciplines before, but the only successful examples involve the Mage being trained while still young before their brain fully develops. This allows the Mage to switch between the radically different mindsets needed to use both ways of Spellcasting...
Mages (both Traditionalists and Enlightened) divide Reality into eight areas, six of which can be affected by Magic, and two of which cannot except in very rare circumstances. The six 'Open Areas' are High, Underworld, Mind, World, Change, and Dimensional, while the two forbidden ones are Fate and Timespace.
High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, fuel magitech and create enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.
Mind Magic - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering the emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. This can also alter one's own mind to temporarily increase learning time and allow for perfect memory, as well as create and program sapient AIs. A very powerful magical discipline, but its flaw is that it can be resisted with strong willpower, whether from Human, Alien, or AI...
Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect, but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, to speak with ghosts, and to strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...
World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.
Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists, and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or reanimate/control beings which are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.
Dimensional - This is the Magic that allows access to Hyperspace, which Traditionalists call the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Otherworld. Basically, Dimensional allows one ot create portals, summon and make contracts with Nature Spirits, and even, with enough preparation and magical energy, travel to other universes resembling our own. However, the drawback of Dimensional-based spells (aside from making portals) is that Nature Spirits have wills of their own and look very badly at people trying to order them around...
Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.
The Forbidden Areas cannot be affected by Magic whatsoever unless you sacrifice literal billions of people or build artificial structures as large as Saturn's rings.
Fate - Alters luck and probability and allows for blessing one's efforts so that they succeed, or cursing them so that they always fail or carry a high cost.
Timespace - Time travel, time stop, and bullet time. Making physical distances longer and shorter; teleportation.
Spell Mastery
Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has its own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic Area> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? That depends if you are a Traditionalist or Enlightened Inventor; Traditionalists can master any Area they have 3+ Spells in, and furthermore instantly cast spells in that Area with only words and gestures. Enlightened Inventors, meanwhile, can master as many Areas of Magic as they have Spells (which they call 'Functions'), but each Spell/Function has to be tied to an advanced gadget/weapon and they lose their Mastery when losing the gadget.
And yes, an Enlightened Inventor can put all their available Spells/Functions into one gadget.
How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.
Enchantment Rules
For Traditionalists, Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.
For Enlightened Inventors, Enchantment is merely the creation of new gadgets and the addition of new 'Functions' to an existing one, and they do not need High Magic to do this. However, they do need a workshop and materials and their works must at least look like advanced technology...
Perfected Electrum
Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi can be 'perfected', aka transformed into metal as hard as a diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection. The Ascendancy of Man has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum due to its patronage of 'Enlightened Inventors'; not that it helped them win the war.
Group Spells/Projects
Basically, multiple spell-casters with different areas can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for a single Magi's weaknesses in their specialization. Note that Traditionalists can only do Group Spells with each other, the same for Enlightened Inventors, who call their spells 'Projects'.
The Star Marines/Child Soldiers have unrestricted Group Spells.
IV. Character Traits and Tech Level
Character Traits (Formerly Exceptional Skills)
Character Traits can both be a few neat bullet points to describe some of your character’s defining traits, and also accommodate your character’s non-magic skills. They essentially describe a portion of your character, and some of them might be capable of special effects that can benefit you and other characters in different ways.
A character Trait consists of 3 parts as described
<Trait Name>: <Trait Description>. <Trait Effects> <Trait Name>: Self-explanatory <Trait Description>: A few sentences explaining what characteristics of your character that this Trait is describing. You can go longer if you wish <Trait Effects>: These are optional, but the most interesting. These essentially encompasses the Ex Skills, but a lot more specific and individual-based.
A few examples of generic trait to illustrate this further
Swordmaster: His extended training with his family’s traditional blade and under their guidance have made him exceptionally capable with these weapons. Greatly increases proficiency when using blades Turtleback: His natural skin of his species allowed him to essentially be a walking mini-fortress. Enhanced resistance against physical attacks. A Healthy and Focused Mind: Her zen training allowed him to ascend to a higher spiritual state that allows her to act solely based on his instincts. Only usable in combat situation. Allows the character to ignore mind magic during these time. Only affected when said magic can affect subconscious thoughts. Disgraced Warrior: From a family of traitors, he is received by the public with mistrust. Reduce effectiveness when coercing people through diplomacy Supreme Chef: She’s just really good at cooking duh. <Blank> (Yes, you can leave it blank. You don’t have to have an effect for every trait)
Of course, these are generic examples that apply to no one in particular. Your character traits, however, are bound by their background. A character trait has to be connected somehow to your character and what makes them who they are. Unrelated traits will be rejected. Your trait names does not have to follow these format. Feel free to go ham and be creative with the name and description.
What these skills are not, however: They do not fully describe your character. There is and should be more depths to your character than just a bunch of bullet points. They have defining characteristics but they have nuances and more depths to and outside those characteristics. That’s how a great character is made
Some potential questions.
How many traits are needed: There should be no limits to how many traits you have, but please refrain from making too many of them. Remember this is supposed to represent defining characteristics that screams that’s them when mentioned. You don’t want to describe yourself like that. For starters, around 3-4 traits would be a healthy number (this number is preliminary).
What about combat with vague measures to quantify your strength: Well, this is not a tabletop RP to begin with. There is no dice. We have narratives and plots to drive your characters around. How battles would turn out is entirely down to you and your fighting partners. Discuss with your partner how you would want fights to turn out. Maybe this guy have a really cool move that he wants to show off, or this lady is cocky and needs to be slapped down a peg. After all, it’s more about building your character than a game of who gets to win. If you have problem deciding the fight, the GMs can step in and help
Can you bypass these skills somehow: Yes. Having traits that give you enhanced characteristics (durability/strength/speed/etc.) does not make you infallible (unless you opt in for it, to which you would need to give a GOOD justification). Having enhanced resistance against Mind Magic could fall apart if you’re intoxicated/not paying attention. Use common sense and logic at all times.
Gaining/Losing traits: This is possible, as your character changes, but you shouldn’t gain too many traits throughout the journey anyway, so when you want to add/remove/change a trait, contact your GM. Don’t worry we’re friendly
What about Magic Mastery: If you have 3+ spells mastered from the same school of magic, you can gain a mastery trait of that specific school, giving you increased magic literacy for that school. If you CHOOSE to have that trait at the very beginning, and thus giving you at least 3 spells to be mastered, it’s best you contact the GM so we can discuss it.
Tech Level is...variable, thanks to the effects of widespread upheaval. Automation is common in the more civilized portions of the Sector, as well as lasers, railguns, EMP emitters, and plasma throwers. The main method of FTL is the use of a 'wormhole system' that links most planets, but Kaisoken, Rau've, and Ascendancy of Man use Spacewarpers, spaceships that use Magitech that can turn a hundred light-years' worth of distance to one day's trip.
Cybernetics exist, but are taboo in the inner levels of the Ascendancy of Man, where biotechnology is preferred as 'it does not mar the pure human form'. Cybernetics can be used to justify possession of an Exceptional Skill, the same for Drugs, Powered Armor, and other pieces of technology.
V. Rules
Basic Rules:
1) No Godmodding or Powergaming, aka no controlling other players' actions 2) Any consenting relationship between people of the same age group is allowed, whether it's Homosexual or Heterosexual. If you cannot stand such things, don't post here in the first place. 3) Be polite to others. 4) Please notify me if you will be gone for more than a week, I myself will let you guys know if I will be gone for that same amount of time. 5) The GM reserves the right to control inactive PCs as NPCs in order to keep the plot moving.
VI. Miscellaneous Lore and Worldbuilding
The first decades of the Ascendancy of Man were of construction, colonization, and exploration, as the 'Spacewarpers' of the Human Fleet opened up new horizons. Over time, autonomous trading companies grew in the fringes of Human Space, pushing the frontiers of expansion. But when the Rau've and Kaisoken were finally discovered, along with their equivalent or greater power to the Ascendancy, the first President-for-Life, Corrin Herbert, began to move towards centralization, nationalizing several trading companies and forcing those left to consolidate underneath Henry Windsor, one of the leading explorers and merchants of the fringe worlds.
Together, these trading companies formed a formidable fleet, well-armed against Space Pirates (mostly Aliens and renegade Humans) and enough to endanger the Ascendancy itself if it came to war. And so Corrin Herbert was forced to make concessions: The Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet will be allowed to continue its operations, provided that it provides a large payment to the Ascendancy of Man and logistical support to its future wars. This was resented by Corrin's two successors, Elijah and Emmanuel Thoreau, but neither of them made any move to withdraw said concessions, being enmeshed with their own plans.
Even the coming of the Rau've/Kaisoken War did not endanger the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet, as the latter paid a large payment to the Ascendancy in order to avoid giving logistical support. This was a good thing, as the Windsors had already decided that the future lay in economic cooperation with Aliens (albeit with Humans on top) instead of making war with them. So they stood by, consolidating their power on the Southern Fringe of Human Space, well away from the Kaisoken and Rau've territory. And the war ended with the Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet more powerful than ever, with only the Ascendancy's Carrier Fleet able to contest them.
Now, the Windsors cannot avoid a collision with the upper levels of the Ascendancy; money can no longer overcome the fear that the Trading Fleet, made up of Xenophiles and immensely rich and powerful, would conduct a coup. And the Windsors knew it, so they decided to conduct a coup for real, contacting disaffected elements among the fringe worlds and other dissidents only to find they had already been contacted by a new organization, Moonstrike, an organization that seemed to have access to Ascendancy tech and military hardware. And so all activity from them stopped. Was it jealousy, or were they biding their time for something else?
1999 - The Paradigm Shift; Traditionalist secret societies sign a peace treaty with their Enlightened Inventor counterparts to prevent “a grim and dark future” they saw coming for Humanity.
2099 AD - Commonwealth of Humanity Formed, Enlightened Inventors invent Faster-than-Light Travel which allows for interstellar exploration.
2160 AD - Commonwealth of Humanity meets the Gill, a minor Alien Race living in the water world of Gill'home. A resolution is drafted to 'uplift the Gill technologically' so that they can 'stand as equals' with the Human Race.
2161 AD - Humanity attempts to uplift the Gill by giving them advanced technology, causing the Gill to become more ambitious.
2181 - Gill Traditionalists spark a civil war among their species by rejecting advanced technology and making war against Gill ‘modernizers’ and Humans.
2191 AD - Korta and Tayanen Pirates attack Human planets, trading companies, and installations. A small number of Gill are discovered to have collaborated with the pirates in order to form their own 'space empire', and Humanity cuts off their entire species' uplift as a result.
2200 AD - The Commonwealth of Man defeats the Korta, Tayanen, and a few Rogue Gill in the battle of Gill'home, and renames itself the 'Ascendancy of Man'. Gill'home is blockaded and completely cut off from Interstellar Commerce.
2215 - The Ascendancy of Man forcibly registers all Traditionalists and Enlightened Inventors, making them available for conscription and mandatory military service. For now, Spellcasters/Magi under 18 are exempted from this rule but not for registration.
2230 - The Ascendancy of Man discovers the Korta Home Worlds, and prepares to assault them. The Korta species is merely vassalized and made to pay tribute.
2250 AD - The Tayanen Home Worlds are discovered and the Tayanen are made a vassal as well. Rumors emerge of a Galactic Bazaar being constructed by renegade Tayanen and Korta in concert with various unknown alien species.
2280 AD - The rumors are proven right and the completed Galactic Bazaar is discovered, along with the Rau've and Kaisoken Empires. The Ascendancy of Man turns into a 'dictatorship with a democratic appearance' shortly after, with the current President, Corrin Herbert, becoming the first 'President for Life'.
2285 AD - Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet founded.
2290 AD - Corrin Herbert was replaced with Elijah Thoreau, who orders his son, Emmanuel, to begin experiments on children to create Mages who can shift between Traditionalist and Inventor mindsets at will and have the advantages of both.
2320 AD - Windsor Autonomous Trading Fleet sets up shop in Gill'home after being allowed a special exemption from the blockade; trade with the Gill, who had strengthened their Traditionalist Magic during the blockade, blooms.
2321 AD - Emmanuel Thoreau becomes the new President-for-Life; experiments on children are proven to be successful, with many of them being able to retain the ability to shift between Traditionalist and Inventor mindsets as adults.
2370 AD - The Alien Coalition War begins, with Ascendancy Forces attacking the Rau've and Kaisoken for 'living space'.
2375 AD - Battle of Proxima Centauri. The Ascendancy loses. Tayanen and Korta released from Human vassalage.
2376 AD - Start of the RP.
VII. Character Sheet Skeleton
UPDATED CSes
(Note that you do not necessarily have to follow these skeletons. Feel free to alter the skeleton if you feel fit)
Name: What’s your characters name?
Age: How old is your character?
Physical Description: What does your character look like?
(Place any photos or written descriptions here.)
Are you a Traditionalist, Inventor, or Both: (Only the Child Soldiers/Star Marines can be both.)
Weapons and Items: (What kind of weapons or other important items does your character have? Traditionalists have obsolete antiques, Enlightened have gadgets. If your character has cash, put it there too.)
Spell List: (Star Marines/Child Soldiers can have 6 Spells/Functions. Functions are identical to spells but you need a specific gadget or piece of tech to use them; please list the gadget/tech/weapon the Function is attached to, in that case. Crewfolk who are Magi can only have 4 Spells/Functions and they must be either a Traditionalist or Inventor and not both.)
Character Traits: It should be noted that the Star Marines spent most of their experimental life mastering magic as opposed to physical ability, and so has lesser abilities as a result that will grow in due time.
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Short Bio: Tell us your character's story up to this point. Who are they exactly? Where did they come from? What are they like? All of the above goes here.
Theme Song: (Purely optional, if possible, try to find a song that bests represents your character.)
Name: (What is the name of the Species?)
Status to Humans: (How are their relationship to Mankind/How do they see Mankind?)
Life expectancy: (How old on average can they be before dying of old age?)
Genders: (How many genders do they have, just the binary 2, or perhaps more?)
Full Description: (Fully explain the appearance, abilities, and average personality of the Species. This would be where you would add an image of your race if you have one.)
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Type of society: (Self-explanatory; Do they have a hierarchy, are they democratic, or perhaps ruled by a patriarch or a matriarch, what kind of systems of social activity do they have, what sort of trading/economic system do they possess?)
Technological advancement: (How far has their technology come compared to other races?)
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Miscellaneous: (Anything else you want to say about your race?)
Planet Name: (The name of the planet goes here)
World Type: (Is it similar to Earth ala a Continental World? Or is it a planet covered in Oceans with barely any land. Or is it a planet covered in complete deserts? Or is it a planet covered in jungles.)
Classification: (What is the classification of your world?)
Class D (planetoid or moon with little to no atmosphere) Class H (generally uninhabitable) Class J (gas giant) Class K (habitable, as long as pressure domes are used) Class L (marginally habitable, with vegetation but no animal life) Class M (terrestrial/Habitable/akin to Earth) Class N (sulfuric) Class R (a rogue planet, not as habitable as a terrestrial planet) Class Y (toxic atmosphere, high temperatures)
Moon: (Does it have a moon? Or two or three?)
The Civilized Populace: (Who is civilized in your world? Is there one or more races that are classified as Civilized. Fallen Civilizations are counted into this, if they were on the planet before their fall it counts.
Example: Humans that are on planet Earth.)
Population: (How many people are living on your planet?)
Tourism: (Is your planet a tourist spot in the galaxy? Within whom they share a border with.)
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System Name: (The Name of the System’s Star) Star Class: (The class of the star) Planetary Bodies: (The Planetary bodies within the System as a whole, how many planets does it have including the one you named above. How many of them ‘can’ be terraformed and etc. Is there an asteroid belt similar to the Sol System? How many Gas Giants are there?) Location: (How far is your planet from the Ascendancy of Man's Core Sector)
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Landmasses: (Continents and etc. If it is a Continental World it’ll have to have continents. Islands or etc. Anything can go here as long as it can hold life on it. In terms of cities on the land.)
Waters: (The next part is how many oceans, lakes, rivers, seas does the planet hold?)
Notorious Monsters/Creatures: (What’s the apex predator on your planet? Or what was the apex predator before your culture on your planet evolved enough to take them down? As well they can be for a specific creature type that is horrifying and terrifying at all the same time like the Underveiled.)
Level of Development: (What’s the level of technology on your land masses? Are they all the same or are they in different eras completely outpacing the other ones.)
Economy: (The Economy of the Planet, what’s the primary currency the entire planet uses? It could be based on the most technological continent or otherwise.)
Type of Society: (What’s the society as a whole? In terms of the people who lived on it before any outside influence from another space-faring faction. This is similar to the type of society in the species sheet but different. Since its more focused only on the ones who inhabit the planet before other people colonized it.)
There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because human (and Alien and AI) belief can make Magic work does not mean that Reality is relativistic; objective, observable reality still exists despite being changeable by Magic, which in turn has limits.
Traditionalist/Ceremonial - Traditionalists use words, rituals, and symbolic tools (aka items which are less practical than current tech; obsolete tools) in order to cast powerful spells which defy scientific understanding, like fireballs, instant healing, precognition, and blessings/curses. The advantage of this is that Traditionalists can use their magic right away, with just a word or gesture, they don't actually need the items they use, and they can do things without advanced technology or which are still impossible with current science. In short, what they lack in the reach and range of their effects, they more than make up for by being their own tools in an emergency.
"Enlightened Invention" - Enlightened Inventors used to believe that their Magic isn't Magic at all but 'Hyperradvanced Technology', and some of them still believe it today. But the truth is that their inventions, though recognizably technology, still use Mana, the reality-altering substance which allows Magic to exist in the first place. However, Magitech has one big advantage over Traditionalist/Ceremonial powers: Anyone can use it even if they are not an Enlightened Inventor and it can be combined with actual technology to create mass-produced wonders. However, the drawback is that without tools, objects, or anything resembling technology, an 'Enlightened Inventor' is useless (unless they specialize in hyper-psychology, in which case they can make the perfect brainwashing technique or give themselves perfect memories).
Attempts have been made to hybridize these two disciplines before, but the only successful examples involve the Mage being trained while still young, before their brain fully develops. This allows the Mage to switch between the radically different mindsets needed to use both ways of Spellcasting...
Mages (both Traditionalists and Enlightened) divide Reality into eight areas, six which can be affected by Magic, and two which cannot except in very rare circumstances. The six 'Open Areas' are High, Underworld, Mind, World, Change, and Dimensional, while the two forbidden ones are Fate and Timespace.
High - There are many theories that try to explain High Magic. Some say that it is the power of The Divine, it is the power of positive emotions, channeled through the human soul. Nevertheless, High Magic is the power of controlling Magical Energy itself, allowing for the ability to see all Magic, to draw available magical energy from the sky and earth, create constructs of condensed Mana, fuel magitech and create enchanted items, ward people and places from magic, and finally, the ability to create bolts of silver-white light that cause damage that cannot be healed by magic to Mages and Magical creatures... But not ordinary targets, whose burns can be healed as normal.
Mind - This magic deals with controlling minds and altering emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, mental compulsions, and even erasing or editing memories. This can also alter one's own mind to temporarily increase learning time and allow for perfect memory, as well as create and program sapient AIs. A very powerful magical discipline, but its flaw is that it can be resisted with strong willpower, whether from Human, Alien, or AI...
Underworld - Death is all around us, and the old laws against disturbing the ghosts who chose not to pass on are gone, cast into the wind. Nevertheless, the souls of the departed have to be treated with respect, but it is not the same for their bodies. Underworld Magic is the magic of Necromancy; it is the magic you wield when you want to raise an army of the dead, to control the shadows of the world, to speak with ghosts, and to strike people dead with one blow (this is a high-level spell). You can even use this to transcend death, allowing you continued existence in this world without the need for food, drink, and sleep...
World - World Magic is control over the physical elements of the world. Do you want to create Fire? World Magic. Do you want to alter Gravity to make yourself float? World Magic. Do you want to use lightning to electrocute a person? World Magic. Basically, if it has nothing to do with changing one thing to another, or controlling something that isn't wholly of this earth? World Magic is your key. Basically, Bending from Avatar: The Last Airbender, but without healing or spiritual arts and with control over gravity.
Change - This is the magic that deals with changing one thing to another. This magic can knit wounds and reverse aging, cause trees to grow fists, and turn vines into whips. This magic can change one substance to another, turning lead into gold, earth into acid, and fire into water. What it cannot do, however, is affect stuff protected by High magic, or reanimate/control beings which are already dead. That belongs to another school, the magic of the Underworld.
Dimensional - This is the Magic which allows access to Hyperspace, which Traditionalists call the Astral Plane, the Spirit World, or the Otherworld. Basically, Dimensional allows one ot create portals, to summon and make contracts with Nature Spirits, and even, with enough preperation and magical energy, to travel to other universes resembling our own. However, the drawback of Dimensional-based spells (aside from making portals) is that Nature Spirits have wills of their own and look very badly at people trying to order them around...
Note: A lot of individual spells are very broken by nature, and would fundamentally destroy the game’s balance if implemented. If you’re touching these spells, please make sure you have some limitations added to them. If you’re not sure, look no further than your GMs! They will be happy to answer your question/address the balancing of your powers.
The Forbidden Areas cannot be affected by Magic whatsoever unless you sacrifice literal billions of people or build artificial structures as large as Saturn's rings.
Fate - Alters luck and probability and allows for blessing ones' efforts so that they succeed, or cursing them so that they always fail or carry a high cost.
Timespace - Time travel, time stop, and true bullet time (actually slowing down time instead of just one's perception of it and ability to physically respond to it). Making physical distances longer and shorter without using Hyperspace/The Astral Plane. Flawless Teleportation where you can instantly appear without any warning signs, such as the color and light made by portals (which using the Dimensional School of Magic always gives).
Spell Mastery
Pretty self-explanatory. Each spell your character possesses has their own degree of mastery. The more you master a spell, the less effort (Mana, Time, other relevant resources) it takes to perform that spell. If you have enough spells from the same school mastered, you can choose to make it a <Magic Area> Mastery trait. How many spells, you ask? That depends if you are a Traditionalist or Enlightened Inventor; Traditionalists can master any Area they have 3+ Spells in, and furthermore instantly cast spells in that Area with only words and gestures. Enlightened Inventors, meanwhile, can master as many Areas of Magic as they have Spells (which they call 'Functions'), but each Spell/Function has to be tied to an advanced gadget/weapon and they lose their Mastery when losing said gadget.
And yes, an Enlightened Inventor can put all their available Spells/Functions into one gadget.
How long is it going to take to master a spell: This gives me headaches every time. It really depends. From the length of an arc to the number of times the character practices/uses these spells. I’d say on average 1 spell is mastered every arc as a benchmark, but don’t take this as a gospel. Use a LOT of nuances when interpreting this. We’ll try to adjust and accommodate your needs, just let us know.
Enchantment Rules
For Traditionalists, Enchantment requires High Magic and a spell that you or another party member knows, along with an item to be enchanted. Note however that the weaker and less durable the material is, the magic you can put into it is more limited; for example, oak can be enchanted to emit laser beams, birch cannot. This is the same for metals, and the strongest of spells can only be enchanted into 'Perfected Electrum (more below)'.
For Enlightened Inventors, Enchantment is merely the creation of new gadgets and the addition of new 'Functions' to an existing one, and they do not need High Magic to do this. However, they do need a workshop and materials and their works must at least look like advanced technology...
Perfected Electrum
Electrum is a mix of Gold and Silver that occurs naturally but can be made by artificial means. This material, if treated by High and Change Magic by four different Magi can be 'perfected', aka transformed into metal as hard as a diamond yet not as brittle, and whose lightness is that of cloth. But the most valuable property of Perfected Electrum is that it can contain very, very strong spells, except for Resurrection. The Ascendancy of Man has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum due to its patronage of 'Enlightened Inventors'; not that it helped them win the war.
Group Spells/Projects
Basically, multiple spell-casters with different areas can do things that would strain a single Mage. This also helps in compensating for single Magi's weaknesses in specialization. Note that Traditionalists can only do Group Spells with each other, same for Enlightened Inventors, who call their spells 'Projects'.
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