Lucius Cypher

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

Well it's that kinda of thinking is what is a cause for confusion for me. Bolters hardly seem like the strongest weapon in a world like RWBY, especially after seeing what some people can do with theirs (Coco tearing through Nevermores and Giant scorpions likes nothing being an example). The Nuclear reactor bit I'll admit was a dumb idea in that I had no idea what I was dealing with at the time. Gren was basically a guy permanently grafted into Fallout 4 Power Armor and I used references from there. I get that, but that only arose because someone needed to know the solid science behind how Gren can even exist because again, Gren is a Cyborg was a big issue back than that was either going to be eliminated or saved depending on how willing I was to fight for it. And I was very willing. And Gren being a cyborg was not only important for the purpose of being the warrior I wanted him to be, but for backstory reasons too, as well as utilizing information from canon that supports, though not quite proves, the idea that I had (The existence of humanoid machines and cybernetics).

And as for everyone else making characters not quite as ridiculous as Gren, again, this is where you view of "We are our own main characters" kinda falls apart. Because what I'm about to say may insult many of you: I don't care how you build your characters. They're not mines to judge and I'm not trying to intentionally make Gren better or equal to yours. I knew PvP was going to be something that was going to happen, but I didn't scope out the competition to try to outclass you. I just had ideas for Gren I wanted to use and did everything I could to get them as soon as possible. If everyone wanted to make their characters stronger than Gren then so be it. Like I said, I'm more concerned that Gren is capable of doing what I want him to do. I hope that everyone else got what they wanted from their characters too. And if they want more, I'm more than willing to help them achieve it in some way.

However as we can see, that's not always the case. I made Gren in his own world without really considering who might get involved in it. Because of that he's now considered unbalanced and in need of getting taken down a notch. I don't want that to happen, but it has happened before. It's selfish to think I can get what I want, and even when I do get it of course people won't like it. It's why I've always felt down about doing anything for this RP because every time I want to use Gren, I'm reminded that people don't like him, which in turn makes it feel like they don't like me. So now I just kinda hang out on my own and hope people can look past his combative stuff and try to interact with him as a normal person, without worrying about who he is or what he can do.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

<Snipped quote by Lucius Cypher>

That's because he's loading on bullshit like one of Anaheim's crappy drugged-out creations.

Regards,
Strategic Naval Research Institute.

(PS. ATMOS was a shit, stick with Psycoframes)

Seriously though, if you want to play a giant robot, play a giant robot RPG.

Or get an actual existing in-universe mecha and customise the shit out of it if you want to be a giant robot.

If you're going to try buff your guy up and escalate, no shit you're going to get backlash, especially when you might have to fight them at some point. It's like minmaxers in a tabletop; competing with them requires you to go pull out the power buffs too and sometimes you can't be fucked.

@Crimmy

I'll admit, making Gren good at combat and making him better when I can is something I'm interested in, but I wouldn't call myself a minmaxer. Or at least, I didn't intend to be. For the same reason I felt uncomfortable at having Gren being labeled the strongest character; I just felt like this was something Gren could have, and if others wanted something like it too, who am I to stop them? You'll certainly never hear from me if someone is too powerful. I wanted him to be able to do or fit a certain image and I tried to achieve that. He's optimized for it, certainly. I wouldn't make a fighter and then dump his strength. I'm also aware that he may suffer from certain weaknesses, and I consider options to deal with them in the event they become an issue. Gren was originally built as a slow moving but tough and powerful guy, and I know speedster types could outmaneuver him. So I wanted to take steps to deal with them. And maybe mech brings the wrong image: Power Armor is more what I was going for in terms of his durability and strength. Big, covered in steel, and you probably don't want to try and box with him. But he can die, just like everyone else. He's just aware enough of his own drawbacks that his upgrades mostly consist of dealing with those drawbacks instead of improving what he already has.

Of course again, it becomes a matter of perspective. In my mind I made Gren to do a job and he is able to do it right. For others, he's an unstoppable Juggernaut because he can accomplish the purpose I've made him for. Though for me things like winning or beating others isn't the goal so much as simply being able to do what I want him to do. Sure, I could run a fragile speedster who relies on big damage but has the defense of a soggy napkin, but instead I wanted to make a tanky guy who could survive said damage, dish a bit of his own, and at some point realize that he needs to address the fact he can't hit shit because everyone is zipping around him.

So, would it be entirely wrong of me to say that your primary motivation for Gren is writing out combative technology and armaments and their usage?

Because while that's a perfectly fair attraction (it's RWBY after all), I think if that's ALL that's there, it's just a limitation on your skills that you don't have any need for. If all your character is to you is their gear and fighting skills...

You could explore a lot more with him, you know? You can keep the upgrades as an eventual goal (Shoutouts to my girl Gigi), but in the meantime, why not try and look at other sides of him? There's gotta be more than just that. The love of food, for instance? You could take that and the passion for cooking somewhere, and even if it's not too far, it could easily open up doors to other, more engaging stuff. Feasts are gatherings, maybe put one on and try to invite his friends and get some solid interaction down? Those sorts of situations oftentimes go a long way towards building connections and friendships between characters and, oftentimes, players. I first met Krayzikk waaaaaay back when some seven-odd years ago, when his character and mine both ended up being on the run from the same group and had to gut it out together.

Terrible example, but I hope the point's still there.

Hypocritical though it is coming from me ("write more araragi, write more araragi, write more araragi"), I'd call exploring those other things a good start towards motivation. It's why I'm such a contest-whore, I get to look at different angles of Luke than the main game normally allows. It freshens up my takes on him, rounds him out and gives some supplemental info when I can sneak it in, and really helps me delve into how everything all connects back into who he is.

@HereComesTheSnow

Oh, but I do. That's also where other issues lie, such as his affiliation to the White Fang or the fact he might actually have skills outside of combat (See, makes his own tech). When I create characters I generally start with a single idea about that character I want to emphasis. For Gren, it was simply making a powered armored ork. Once I had that foundation made, then I went about expanding who he is outside of battle. I gave him his interests in cuisine and video games, a hobby for gardening, and a history that might explain how exactly he became who he today. His thoughts and beliefs about people and certain politics, and even tried my hand at romance (I knew shit when I tried though, which reflected in Gren). In a way I work backwards: I create the big picture first, and then I start filling in the details.

Now yes, making Gren into the warrior I wanted him to be was the first thing I had in mind. But that doesn't mean it was the only thing. There was always going to be more to him than just his weapons and abilities. He has his history, hobbies, and even a personality that isn't very warlike for someone built like him, and ideally he'll make friends that would take him away from the battlefield and let him live like a normal dude. But just because I can have those simple things doesn't mean I can't try to get the warrior bits too. Forgive me if I seem like the type of guy who wants his cake and to eat it too. As you may tell, I've always been the type of guy who has ambitions greater than what he deserves.

D&D 5e - Hoard of the Dragon Queen

If what Ryo says is true and that this is a trap, there's probs more hiding around here. We're in no shape to go throwing ourselves into danger so we should just focus on capturing one person and gtfo.

IC however, Orchid would definitely favor attacking them now. They're done looting and now they're just destroying the place, so there isn't anything left to save. Kill em all and try to leave a smart looking one alive for questioning. Then toss them into the fire. As for tactics, I'd say someone distracts them while the rest of us charge out and kill em in one blow.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

@SevenStormStyle Why not just bring up your ideas in the OOC and see if people like them before implementing them in the IC? If I were creating an event that I felt would make any sort of significant impact to the RP, that's what I would do. If people like it, they can say so. If not, they can explain why. I'd like to think we're all friendly enough with each other to not just shoot each other's creations down.

@Guess Who

Seven probs wouldn't do that for the same reason I need to stop doing that: because my ideas will cause people to get angry, and some of us don't handle confrontation very well. Just look at "Gren and his Fusion Core" or even read the book "Gren is a cyborg" to see how well those ideas went. And that's kinda the thing too; a lot of ideas have gotten shot down rather publicly, and while we're still together, there's no doubt that a lot of us have done stupid shit that has painted us in a negative fashion.

I can really only speak for myself considering that I have been the source of a lot of salt and bullshit that has gone on in this RP. From the very notion that Gren is a cyborg with a semblance, to his affiliations with the White Fang, and even things I want to have but don't quite got, such as additional upgrades and his plot to take over the team. On the flipside, how everyone talks about how shitty RWBY is in canon also kinda kills me mood to RP. I won't try to convince you that RWBY is good because that falls under the purview of your preference in entertainment. But I'm also the type of guy who would take a fragment of something and become inspired to expand on it. Stuff like "extremely humanoid robots/androids exist" and "Youths are freakishly talented with combat and engineering before highschool" and go nuts with it. Or when there isn't anything to explain how something can happen, but it does happen, than I'd make up a reason for it that has neither been supported or disproved.

But then I come here and see people talk shit about that when it actually becomes true in canon, and it makes me think that maybe I can't do what I want because people don't like that. Than it makes me think I made a bad character because there are so many people, or at least someone who's raising a big fuss about it, and that just kills any interest in not only my character, but in the RP as a whole. I'm digressing so I'll get to the crux of the issue: at some point the RWBY we wanted isn't the RWBY we got. I don't know what you guys expected but I'm going to guess that what we were given isn't really that interesting to you, and now you got a gift you don't know what to do with. Some of us handle it better than others, but it's gotten to the point where it's kinda hard to have fun.

<Snipped quote by Crimson Raven>

On this point, I've found that a good mentality for attacking the internals of the issue is this.

Roleplays are, in essence, people coming together to tell stories. No matter how much or how little you may interact with whatever ephemeral, in this case formless and not quite there main plotline, you are telling the story of your character. And they are, doubtlessly, the main character of their own story. It's similar to acting. You don't just become a cog in the machine of the play, you become the character you are cast as and are doing everything from their point of view, telling their side of the story through your words, actions, and emotions.

It's actually more liberating here, because despite interacting with others and following a general line of plot you have the freedom of tweaking the script in regards to your character. You're not locked into the role that only gets one line and is there in one scene, you are always able to really go into the meat of the character-- because you have complete creative control of what they do and who they are, so long as it meshes with this very forgiving setting.

They can fail, They can suffer, They can go through complete hell on earth, even if they aren't important to anyone else's plot. The "camera", so to speak, is always on them through your posts and narration, even if it's well away from whomever's been designated BumFuck McGee and the Chosen Three. It helps for them to forge connections and get involved in big stuff, sure, but you always need to remember that for every bit that they are a part of that story, that story is a part of their story. That's the story we're here to tell, to me. The roleplay comes about in how these individual threads weave together, how these stories interact, cross, and share with one another. That's where the magic happens, not in which way the whole rope goes but in how each thread tenses and slacks within.

Or something like that. Just write their tale, man. Don't look at me. As long as they have somebody to play off of I'm set.

@HereComesTheSnow

I'd like to say I agree to this, and I do, but once more personal experience has made me think that this sort of thinking doesn't pan out in practice. Once more, Gren is my example. I'll admit I do want to load him up with all sorts of cool shit I think it's possible in RWBY, shit like jetpacks, giant guns, and badass robot armor. In my own opinion that's stuff I can see Gren wanting and eventually getting. But the problem comes from the fact that he does have to interact with others, and in a semi-competitive combat RP, there needs to be balance. When Lugu said that Gren is likely the "strongest" character in the RP, I was confused and worried. I won't lie; he's pretty badass in a fight. But ideally, so is everyone else. We're fucking hunters, not Jaune. Each of us ought to be able to not only hold our own but carry others too, either when necessary or when possible. In my mind, Gren isn't the "strongest" character because I don't care if he's the strongest or not. He's just exactly what I want him to be, which is basically an ork-sized gundam.

But now that he's the "strongest", I feel like I have this pressure to both maintain a high level of strength, but also a limit to what else I can do or add onto him because he's already "the strongest", even if he hasn't achieved or obtained everything I wanted for him. SO that, plus me pondering and asking about getting him more things, have tended to backfire on me and makes me wonder if Gren is more work than he's worth. In this world of super powered teenage warriors, giant shadowy monsters, and weapons with no place in logic, I just wanted to be a giant robot. But I can't. And that makes me sad.

Heroes of Beacon - the Next Chapter

I'll admit, I haven't written anything in months because after Hari vanished from thin air, I felt rather deflated. I kinda feel like a lot of the people who I do want to interact with are suddenly gone, and there isn't really much for me to do now. I love Gren and the things I'd get him into, but right now it just kinda feels like all of Gren's friends are dead. Sure, I could always make new ones for him, but at some point I'd have to address the elephant in the room and notice that since Hari is gone, Shiro has suddenly vanished too. Suddenly Team SNSG just lost an member and that's not something that I can just pretend to get over, especially for all the drama I had Gren get into with Shiro.

Also doesn't help my own philosophy of waiting for people who I've responded to, so all this time I've been waiting for Pyro who I also think has gone AWOL. Unfortunate, but inevitable.

As for you Lugu, this isn't your fault really. After all your attempts to do your job as a GM and getting it thrown back into your face, I'm not surprised that you are hesitant to try to reign the RP around again. That's what you got your Co-GM's for after all, whatever they're up to anyways.

All in all I'm still interested, loosely anyways. I definitely know that Gren has stuff he could do, but it's less of a manner of Gren needing something to do, but mostly of a motivation for myself. Where am I going with him? What could I do now? Honestly after Gren's beat down with the nerf stick so long ago, my own interests in sticking around was mostly out of a sense of duty and honor turned stockholm. But now that's worn away only the guilt of thinking I might be letting this ancient RP die is what prevents me from just walking out the door.

🦄 Duplicity - D&D Style Fantasy Rp Adventure (Completed)

Ntaj Zoov Yaaj

Location: Salarn’s Graveyard
Actions: Investigating

The graveyard was vast, but it was easy enough for Ntaj to find nothing of note. Most of these graves were unmarked beyond being there, and no real signs of heavy travel. Was Maggie perhaps lying when he was told that there were bodies dug up around here? Or perhaps he was lied to? Ntaj figured that maybe he ought to find the gravekeeper around here, or whoever Maggie got his rumor from. They'd likely point Ntaj in the right direction. So Ntaj needed to do more investigations, perhaps ask around. At the very least he could try and see if there's any trails leading away from the graveyard. Footprints that didn't seem like they belonged; either because they were skeletal, nonhuman, or simply going in a strange direction. It had rained fairly hard these past few days, so either the tracks would be fresh or they would have already been washed away. Only one way to find out.

For good measure Ntaj also took out his Holy Water Flail. Perhaps Kyra's paranoia was getting the better of him too, but he felt like he was being watched. He looked around for any birds or creatures staring at him, particularly ravens and such. He's heard plenty of stories of evil necromancers using their familiars to spy on potential prey, and this situation would be perfect for such an occasion. Even the militia patrol here could easily fall under the influence of a mage's spells. He doubt many people in this town were particularly strong willed considering how morose they all were. Two strong but isolated adventurers, in an area too far from others for their screams to be heard, with no one knowing where exactly they went. Ntaj was half hoping that Kyra was right and that Maggie was a spy, and he'd show up and try to kill Ntaj. Kyra could leave feeling right and Ntaj would get to kill someone. Putting these thoughts aside Ntaj started looking for tracks around the grave site.

🦄 Duplicity - D&D Style Fantasy Rp Adventure (Completed)

Rodger dodger. I'll try to post sometime during this mother day rush.

The Chronicles of Dosei: Sands of Blood, A Dungeons and Dragons Roleplay. (Reboot)(Full)

Malkai

Malkai drove the caravan forward in stoic quiet, half driving the horses, half meditating. He needed to keep his senses sharp even in these vast deserts. He did not want to get ambushed again. Falchion had been sent out to scout ahead as usual, though they didn't go so far that Flachion would spot anything before the group arrived. Malkai smelled it before they saw; the stench of death and decay. It was fresh too, not the same stale smell from mummified corpses. Sure enough once they arrived to the temple there were the corpses of gnolls spread around the place. The corpses were wrapped in thick cloth, not unusual for mummification but also bound in such a way that it would even keep rotting bones and flesh together. Obviously guardians of this temple, even after death.

Everyone began to spread out and search. That was their first mistake. In his greed Malkai had hoped that perhaps one of the gnoll leaders had left weapons or equipment, but before the half-orc could react he fell into a deep dark chasm. Malkai had barely enough time to brace himself before he fell into a pile of skeletal corpses. He should count his luck; Malkai was only a few feet away from Forbes, who was impaled on large rocks. He could hear the wolf's sad whimpers before he was put out of his misery by Alexander. Malkai wasn't going to pretend that he sympathized with Alexander, but Malkai would pay his respects to the noble beast and leave his body alone. As tempting as harvesting it for ingredients would be.

"Ach... That was rather painful. Anyone else alive?"

---

Veridis Quo

Once everyone got on the road Veridis allowed himself to calm down about Kalista. He could worry as much as he'd want, but there was nothing he could do but make sure he didn't end up dead weight. He tuned his lute, cleaned his sword, and organized his tombs. As he waited in the back, holding the lute in his hands, Veridis's mind went back to a time before. An exciting time, to get his body pumped and ready for the wicked adventure he'll no doubt see soon. And accompanying this memory was a song. He could remember it as if he was witnessing it himself first hand: A round table.

Veridis sat across a mountain of a man. A rogue, a bandit, a villain. Veridis had come straight to him to offer him a choice: surrender peacefully, or face swift justice. Outnumbered by ten and the shortest of the bunch Veridis was certain that he would have lost. But perhaps that would have been the case if he faced them with only his blade. But he had wits on his side. Wits, and magic. Veridis could see it again. Swashbuckling against these vile foes, parrying and riposting their strikes before adding a dash of magic to befuddle and take away their advantages. Simple things; a spill of grease here, uncontrollable laughter there, and shattered glass everywhere. It wasn't just a fight, but a dance with the accompany music of battle. Veridis relied on these memories to keep him alive; these expereinces which he could apply to battles in the future. No doubt he'll be seeing more soon.

Eventually the group stopped after they arrived to the temple. When they did however, a foul stench assaulted Veridis's nose. "Eug, disgusting. Smells like death." Veridis took a moment to prepare himself a makeshift mask to cover his mouth. he supposed it made sense; this was the temple to a dead god. Plenty of rotting corpses within, riddle with diseases and sickness. He hoped the party had brought anti-plagues. But as Veridis got out of the cart and got ready to look around, a large pit opened up. Many of the others were swallowed up by the sand and sent into an abyss. Veridis took a step forward, but when the sands started shifting underneath his feet he took retreated before he was sent plummeting into the darkness. By the time the hole stopped expanding, nearly half their party was consumed. It was far too deep for even the sunlight above to illuminating the darkness below. Veridis wished the best for the others, but he was almost certain that they may not have made it.

"Looks like we found an entrance. Should we try going down or taking the regular way instead?"

The Chronicles of Dosei: Sands of Blood, A Dungeons and Dragons Roleplay. (Reboot)(Full)

Oh no no no, your post is fine. I've just really, really lazy. I ought to get something up today.

The War of the Three

Kol right now