Letter Bee

The Ghosts of Napoleon

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

Take your time to figure things out. My computer decided it would become difficult and I have to figure out what's wrong with us and a few others have personal stuff going on

@Dinh AaronMk

Thanks! And be safe!

Pariah

Mikael Peacemaker

Mikael got a live feed from an amateur blogger who had accepted his offer, and was eavesdropping close to where Remy and Mysterious Guy were talking about their powers. And Mikael was pleased to know that Remy's powers worked by touching the target... Which meant that he can deflect said powers with his passive 'Power Deflection'. It seemed that if he can get the other kid trained, he might change his mind about recruiting 'The Rat', especially as he had received word that Flip had been sighted trying to rescue civilians from the fire in Uptown and was making friends with a few actual Nobles.

It didn't matter; Mikael had decided to go for both now that he knew Remy's powers and that he was able to prevent himself being stolen from, while Flip, well, Flip provided brawn. He sent a message to the amateur blogger, saying: $150 is to be sent to your bank account. I'll pay $1000 if you can follow that guy and Remy around to that building they're going to, and $1500 if you get caught and potentially hurt, and $2000 if you get caught yet persuade that guy and Remy that you're taking money from someone who can ensure that kid is fed three meals a day, has a warm and clean bed and clean clothes too.

Now, back to Flip and his pals; it seemed that Senbonsakura (?) was there too, as well as Breakneck. It was too dangerous for mundane journalists and bloggers to gather information, so he withdrew his requests for more info on Flip for the time being. Instead, he focused on his plans to build his lair, the laboratory where he was going to work to prevent all-out-war between Variants and Non-Variants, as well as for the eventual confrontation with 'Mr./Ms./Them. with bad logic with Grand Canyon-sized holes in it', aka Ignoble. He, with his hard hat on, spoke to Pierre and continued, "Make sure this lab is easily demolishable, by the way, just in case Ignoble does force me to destroy my research."

As Pierre nodded, Mikael sighed and muttered, "I wonder if Ignoble has ever considered that the research she is stopping could have helped Behemoth keep control of his powers..."

Either way, he waited for his amateur blogger to follow Remy and his new friend...

Noble Arms - The ASEAN War [Moved to New Thread]

Chapter One, Desperation in Lingayen, Part Eleven

Lingayen Beach, Municipality of Lingayen, Lingayen Gulf - 9/25/2022, 18:00 UTC+8

The volcano was pierced through and through, the molten rock and burning gas within it leaking out and causing the artificial structure to fall apart as it was drained of its contents. As it collapsed and its deadly load was poured into the sea, the sunset gave way before the New Moon, but the smoke and steam hid the stars.

Tian Fei was blessed with an Arm's Master's resilience, but the forces she had unleashed were running away from her, becoming too strong for her terrakinesis to control, terrakinesis which required her Noble Arm to touch the ground it controlled. She had survived the onslaught so far by tunneling within the earth, turning the soil and rock and sand into a fortress, not even the defenders' Noble Arms could pierce. But even an Arms Master like her needed air and creating a volcano with her powers had worsened the quality of what she can draw in through tunnels and fissures in her makeshift bunker.

So she did the unthinkable and lifted herself out, lifted herself up from where she had nestled in-between the collapsing volcano to the furthest west and the 'Kaiju' construct she had sent towards the defenders' main knot. As she shook flecks of sand and mud from her glossy black hair, the fallen nun looked at where her golem/construct had fallen and realized that it had formed a dam and a bridge that none of the enemies had dared cross yet.

Tian Fei

She laughed out loud, shouting incoherently in Chinese for anyone besides Qingshe to defy her, pulling out her second Noble Arm, a Noble Arm given to her by the Downward Descent, and which needed her to see the target; this meant that it could not be used inside the ground. Being a fallen Buddhist Nun, Tian Fei's second NA took the form of a scroll that embodied the Anti-Sutra; a symbol of base desires and illusions which entrapped the human soul. All she needed to do was find a spot relatively clear from the dust and the smoke and the steam and she can use the Anti-Sutra on her enemies and play with them all the more...

But she didn't notice that -

Locations

-------

"She came out," Noel said to Nemo as he picked up the latter kid and began sprinting towards Tian Fei's position, covering both of them in his invisibility field even as he shouted, "Tian Fei has been forced out! Repeat, Tian Fei has been forced out! You can't see me, but I'm headed toward her, repeat, I am headed toward her!"

La Luna's Miraculous Evasion (which increased his speed as well) ought to tide him by as he went towards Tian Fei, the mix of physical enhancement and probability manipulation clearing the way for him and the tiny teenager he held to reach the enemy in the few minutes needed for the steam to clear. And as the steam cleared, he saw her, the depraved fallen Buddhist Nun, lifting up a scroll surrounded with a dark purple aura. Not on my watch, he thought as he rushed towards her, and with surprising strength, threw Nemo at her, saying, "Kill her, now!"

If that didn't work, he'd be slicing through Tian Fei herself; either way, she'd be dead. Either way, the nightmare would be over. Whatever happened, the invasion's thrust into Lingayen would be stalled...

@SkyHresvelg@The World@Chiro@Aisede@MagusDream@Lewascan2@Sniblet@Conscripts@Gerlando@Senhara@Creative Chaos@Nimbus@The Man Emperor@KaiserElectric

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Altered Cast

@BigPapaBelial, Now we wait for @Rin or some other player.

Edit: Barring a miracle, the RP is dead.

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Altered Cast

@BigPapaBelial, @Rin:

So, you two are committed to this RP?

The Ghosts of Napoleon

Sorry for the delay in posting; just hit writer's block.

Letter Bee's Magic System v2

III. Magic System (Venedig Version)

How Magic Works

There are two disciplines of Magic, defined by human belief. However, in this universe, just because sapient beings' 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 'Natural Philosophy', 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...

What Can Magic Do?

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 devices 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 the emotions of both humans and animals, as well as creating illusions, and 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, Xul, Elf, Dwarf, Dragon, or some other unknown race...

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, speak with ghosts, and 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

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 (impossible in a Medieval/Renaissance Setting).

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

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 their device.

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

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, but 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 'devices' 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 technology or better tools...

Perfected Electrum

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 Reich des Goldenen Grahles has a monopoly of Perfected Electrum due to its patronage of 'Enlightened Inventors'; not that it helped them win the war.

Group Spells/Projects

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'.

Pariah

Hidden for Size

Not Realistic Picture

Hidden for Size

More Realistic Picture

Name | Andrew Belmont
Alias | Merlin
Age | 19
Gender | Male
Appearance | Andrew prefers fine clothes of silk which give off an anachronistic, almost medieval feel, and keeps himself well-groomed at all times.
Notoriety | Noble.
Danger Level/Variant Type | Level 4 Distortionist/Architect.
Abilities |

Nature to Mana Transmutation - Andrew can drain nearby plant life of its vitality and transform the siphoned life force into a silvery-white, faintly glowing substance called 'Mana', which he can 'inscribe' into books and pieces of paper/parchment/cardboard/any feasible writing material and transform into 'spells' bound by his imagination. These 'spells' can in turn be used to create fireballs, heal others' wounds, instantly repair machines, and even buff other people's abilities. However, there is a drawback: Said spells must be prepared beforehand; each spell takes a minute to five to 'inscribe' depending on their power, and more powerful spells demand more willpower than Andrew alone can muster.

Not just that, but all spells must be picked out from the List of D&D Wizard Spells, and Andrew cannot pick any spell higher than 5th Level for his 'List'. Not just that, but Andrew cannot fuel spells beyond 3rd Level with a single garden, forest, or tree; he has to drain a square kilometer's worth of wetlands/bayou to fuel a single 4th Level Spell, and ten square kilometers' worth of wetlands bayou filled with plant life to fuel a single 5th Level one.

And yes, Andrew can just drain a little vitality from plants and algae and not wither them completely; this means he has to drain a wider area of ground, but it also means less outrage from the EPA. Oh, and Andrew, being an Architect, can also 'lend out' his spellbooks for a fee (namely letting him drain vitality from other people's gardens).

[Gear]
Attire | As in the pictures, but Andrew prefers the clothes shown in the first one.
Armament/Equipment |

- Omni-Tool/Smartphone.
- Passport and Official Papers identifying him as a US Citizen, Registered, and Noble.
- Credit Sticks containing enough cash to maintain a wealthy lifestyle for several months.
- Bulletproof vest.
- Taser.
- Ceramic Revolver decorated with a mother-of-pearl and electrum (an alloy of gold and silver)-plated handle.
- Self-Driving Limousine /w bulletproof glass windows.
- Ten 'Spellbooks', nine of them blank and the tenth inscribed with a new list of spells every day for different situations.

[Temperament & Lifestyle]
Affiliation | Independent.
Personality/Habits | Andrew does not really care about whether his powers are real Magic or not; what matters is that they function like real Magic and that he could do what he wants with it, which in turn is explore the possibilties inherent in such a strong power. He is also a bibliophile and despite his powers draining plants, an enthusiast of gardens and parks, forests and nature. Not just that, but he is quick to assume that other people who share his interests in books and plants is a friend and is much more likely to lend out his 'Spellbooks' to them.
Occupation/Trade | Rich businessman who helps run a landscaping, garden supplies, flowers, and forestry business. Is a book collector in his spare time.
Skills/Talents |

- Bachelor's Degree in Botany.
- Graduate's Degree in History.
- Fencing.
- Shooting.
- Graduate's Degree in Business.
- Associate's Degree in Art.
- Driving.
- D&D.

Family | Laurent Belmont (Father), Louise Belmont (Mother), Elise Belmont (Older Sister), Charlotte Belmont (Younger Sister)

Background | Andrew Belmont had always been bad around plants, yet fascinated by them. Discovering his Variant powers early when trying to bring his favorite bonsai tree back to life (but winding up draining it further), the boy used his knowledge of D&D as the lens to explore his powers, realizing that the substance he produced while draining plants can be used to create spells that can do almost anything beneath 5th Level, where the cost was just too much for him.

Of course, his family had mixed feelings about Andrew's new obsession, but the worst it got was his father telling him 'not to drain the family garden and drain the bayou instead'. So Andrew went on frequent trips to the undeveloped land to the east, draining stretches of Bayou for his experiments with 'Magic'. Of course, the EPA complained, so Andrew's father got him a license to act as a Noble and told him 'Do heroics; it'll improve our PR and allow you to access other people's plants and gardens'.

And so Andrew has been conducting heroics, sometimes fighting alongside the Glorious Alliance, other times fighting on his own, and sometimes lending out his spellbooks to other people in exchange for access to plants and gardens, and generally being happy...

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Altered Cast

@Letter Bee

I had to go look and was kinda worried I wouldn't be able to do Orga justice. The leader and all that right? I dunno.

I can try and figure out an original idea sure. I'll think on it.

@BigPapaBelial

Thanks! I can provide leadership for the OC group with NPCs, then.

Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans - Altered Cast

@BigPapaBelial

Not necessarily direct alternates; I only proposed them because players might find them easier. If you have a more original idea, you can make them as well.