Zeroth

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

@Silver CarrotLooks like everything's off to a good start! Did you want to create any NPCs from her backstory, like the Duke or her Fiance? And what would you say her goal will be in the second life? And is the "maybe she was responsible for the poison" stuff off the table at this point or are y'all still working that out?

As far as her "natural talent" goes, would you say she was like a legit anime-style "genius?" Or is it more that she might have been "gifted" at a young age, but without development was only "average" as she grew up? Like a kid who can do the times tables easily in elementary school because they're good at rote memorization, but struggles when they hit algebra because they never learned to actually understand the numbers and processes they were seeing?

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

@Atlas946I like the idea that one of his main "do better this time" reasons is, plain and simple, that he recognizes he COULD have done better and didn't. However, I do think some parts need some work:

ERYX

He never tried his hardest, since his siblings seemed so powerful. Why would he need to? They could pick up his slack. He never saw their flaws, so he thought they were invincible.

Remember, we're ALL part of the Failed Generation. Though some of us might've had our potential cut short more by our own personal failings rather than due to a lack of physical strength or mental acuity, none of us would've been considered "strong" in our first lives. Sure, maybe we got stronger than we were in the Collegem if we lived through our 20s, but compared to other Aura users out there, and especially other members of the Kaides, we would probably have made it to "above average" at BEST.

Rather than Eryx choosing to let his siblings take on the burdens of life out of admiration for their "strength," it might be better if he had some other reasoning behind his lack of effort.

I also like the idea of trying to carry on the wishes of too many dead men; if you have any ideas for NPCs let me know! I think it'd be interesting if one of his goals might be to make sure those same men can fulfil their own wishes this time!

Your Experience adds up, however, Flash Step would be considered a much higher Circle ranking than 2nd. Teleportation is a big deal in a setting like this for a lot of reasons; even a short one would be a game changer in combat, and it would consume a LOT of Mana from the environment. Shield would be more suitable as a 2nd Circle spell, but that leaves you with a 1st Circle spell to pick. In previous examples of magic, it went more like "Candle-flame > Mini-flamethrower > lobbed explosive." So a 1st Circle spell should be something that probably has more utilitarian uses than it does for direct combat (although I have no issues with creatively using cantrips for combat!).

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

I think im going to go for a cure, I think it'd make the most sense with her cynical and realist outward, but hopeless optimistic and do the impossible core attitude she has. Hell, maybe she doesn't get cured. I'd be fine with that, too.

I will say she has probably looked for a cure, starting with religion, failing, and then looking to magic and alchemy and maybe finding some small information there but otherwise nothing ever bore a lot of fruit.

@Rune_Alchemist

I gotchu fam, this isn't a "I got a System" style Regression but a Quest has been created! >:)

@Remram Welcome to the madness! I believe this makes 17 now? Lawd help meh XD

@ERodeReally liking it so far! Here's what I've got for feedback:

FERRUCIO

So with the "bastard of a prostitute" angle, are you aiming to be the child of the Patriarch's Mistress, or were you planning to be an "actual" bastard, as in "A Kaides on deployment got his rocks off in some backwater, and 2 years later a wench shows up with a kid who looks just like him?" Or, alternatively, was Ferrucio's mother a similar mistress of someone besides the Patriarch, like one of Deividas' adult kids?

The identity of the Young Master, and who/what the Swiftblade Regiment is, sound like interesting elements. Did you intend the Swiftblades to be one of the non-elite units of Kaides' own military forces, or part of the Royal Standing Armies, a Mercenary group, etc? Is the Young Master supposed to be one of the other Players or another Kaides NPC, or are they some other NPC from a separate noble family---maybe even the heir to a big merchant group or something? If you wanna avoid spoilers, feel free to PM!

I like that you've incorporated Yaku as his self-designated rival, I think I could do some interesting things with that!

His Experiences add up, so no problems there. Off to a good start!

@TeyaoLooking good, here's a few comments I had:

ROWAN

You've got one extra Experience under your Skill. To increase Physical Strength, Aura, and Magic cost 1 Experience each. Adding a Skill also costs 1 Experience, and Upgrades to that Skill are 1 further Experience. Pushing your Physical Strength to 2nd Rate > 1st Rate > Expert is 3 Experience, so adding the Intuition Skill would be 1 more and that makes 4 spent. You'll need to remove the Upgrade, or back off Physical Strength by 1 Rank.

Is his Berserker trait just something he does, or were you going to play that as a "condition" of some kind he needs to overcome? Do you know at this time what your plans are for developing on that? There's nothing wrong with it, I like it, I'm just looking for some angles to incorporate it into relevant stuff.

Loving the stuff about losing a comrade and struggling to protect just one person as the village burns around him! If you want to create NPCs and a small description of that village, I'd be fine with it, or if you want to keep it a surprise/save yourself the effort, I could do it for ya. I would definitely like to incorporate these elements into some kind of side-quest or plot-event if you're cool with it!

Also, on the subjects of half siblings and how many illegitimate kids a nobleman might have: All Players who are kids of the Patriarch would of course be half-siblings, and Kaides children being born from Austenos, Fulvya, or Deividas' unnamed adult kids, would all fall under "cousins." As for children born out of wedlock, whether due to elopement, foolish young romance, or countryside brothels---it's the medieval ages baby, ain't nobody got birth control! XD

@OwOComing together nicely! I just have a few questions mostly for clarity and further GM scheming:

ESTELLE

Since supernatural methods of healing exist (although they still have limits), did the monster completely remove her non-working eyeball, or at least enough of it that the organ itself wouldn't be able to heal completely? And do you think the assassin would've had the means/motive to use an other-wise-hard-to-get kind of poison, or would it have just been your typical nightshade/cyanide/etc concoction?

Any plans to use the elderly barbarian as an NPC, or to revisit the place where the orphanage was? How strong in his prime vs his old age did you envision the old man being? I've decided to shift the Aura Awakening to 1 in 10,000 people instead of 1 in 100,000, so it's entirely possible he could've awakened it. Also, would she have known the specifics of the events that made those orphans, since she seems to have spent long enough raising them that they were of conscription age (at least 14 or 15) before 1012 YC?

So what I'm seeing is that both of Ophelias direct siblings effectively run away from home and leave her alone. One even after just being poisoned after she had effectively dealt with that her whole life.

~yay trauma~

@Rune_Alchemist

Heroes are born from Tragic Backstories, after all!

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

Since she has like a -1 in STR and Con, would you deem leveling her physical strength less effective then others. And lemme know if I need to change anything right now before I get super far into making her.

@Rune_Alchemist

From what's on there so far, it looks like the CS is off to a good start, no glaring issues!

As for her physical abilities: "3rd Rate" is a ranking that includes "normal people" too; from a person who has no training whatsoever, to someone who's been training for maybe a couple years, anyone who either hasn't been at it very long or who just kinda sucks is considered "3rd Rate." So you wouldn't have to give her like, a negative ranking or call her 4th Rate or anything. As far as putting your Experience into your Abilities, if you choose to put it into Strength I'll trust you to just take her infirmities into account in the actual prose narrative. Maybe she knows the movements and tactics very well, but can only fight at her peak for a few minutes before she gets the ol' classic blood from the mouth cough. Or maybe she figured out a way to make up for lack of muscle by using a different kind of footwork, creating different points of leverage against an enemy's blade, etc. However you wanna express it is fine with me!

Also, would you say that you'd be looking for a way to "cure" her, using something she gained from the future? Or would her story be more along the lines of giving up a stubbornly unrealistic goal, and delving into something else like Magic? I ask for the purposes of GM scheming. ;)

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

Actually that makes me wonder, is there any way of the PCs knowing there are other returners? I don't know if they'd all have motivations to share it with everyone but it's kind of a needle in a haystack situation if they don't know and don't have a incentive to tell each other

@Crowvette

There won't be any external signs or anything. Aside from the fact that most people will know the same version of events (some of you may have been in different places and thus may learn things others didn't), and thus will be able to tell "Wait just a minute here, I don't remember X doing that..." Players may very well end up thinking they're the only ones for a while!

Which, if you think about it, could make things very interesting. What if one person wants to make sure something happens exactly like it did previously, but another person wants to change it? If their biggest advantage is their foreknowledge of events, then what happens when those events are no longer foolproof? I can't wait to see what happens as you all pursue your own agendas... >:D

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

@OwO I've got some feedback for your character! As you all work on this collab, just let me know whenever you feel like you need something and I'll try to chime in when I see stuff.

CS FEEDBACK

To be part of the "generation," 37 is a little too old. The range I'd like characters to aim for is going to be right at 30 at the eldest, and around 24 at the youngest (since 14 is the age at which they'd attend the Collegem, and I doubt anyone wants to play through the childhood phase).

To fit with the theme of the "Failed Generation," despite being a talented person, I think in addition to an external incident that has partially blinded her, she should also be "lacking" in something the Kaides would normally believe necessary. The Kaides wouldn't give even a prodigy any "special treatment," to make it easy for them to progress in life, but they WOULD be more encouraging and amicable towards them---so for her potential to be cut short because of something outside of her own control, due to the betrayal, wouldn't necessarily be a "failure" on her part.

Maybe as a child she lacked a "killer instinct," or maybe she let her talents get to her head and became lazy? Maybe she was seen as too kind or naive, and that trusting nature was what made her vulnerable to an "obvious" betrayal? You could take it any number of ways, but I think the idea to aim for is having the rest of the family grumble "She COULD'VE been great, but her [insert weakness] made her vulnerable. That's why she fell for such petty tricks."

Graduating at 19 would imply that she Awakened her Aura, which is one of the hard-limits none of the Player characters were able to accomplish until after age 21 in their First Life. Without Aura, completing the Collegem's curriculum before age 21 becomes impossibly difficult, because it requires performing at a level that allows you to receive acknowledgement from the Instructors and skip over their classes.

I like the idea of being a caretaker, both for an old warrior and for kids who went on to be decent-to-above average themselves---because that means she would have learned a lot that she couldn't use back then, but can now.

The 4 Experience being spent on Skills works out, so other than what I've listed above this CS is off to a good start!

@Silver Carrot@SilverPaw@Rune_Alchemist

As for the mother: I was thinking of this prodigal warrior who was born as a commoner, and made her name after enlisting in the military. She'd then become a knight to the Kaides, one of those elite Glavios ppl. Prolly did sth silly like keep challenging the patriarch of the family, and either bc she won one spar one time or bc the dude got charmed otherwise, became one of his wives (or the one mistress he has besides the 3 wives). As a character she'd generally be affable, feisty, believing that effort and self-determination can overcome any obstacle. But she'd also be not that well adapted to the noble society - obv if she was the wife or mistress, she prolly did go through some basics, but ya know. Not stupid, but lacking guile, and not really getting/brushing off how some others in the family (or outside) might have resented her. This could be tied into either or both of the assassination attempts if either you or Rune want it to. The mother is basically a once in a 1000 years talent who doesn't think she was born special, but became like that cause she worked her ass off. I can see Estelle thriving with that kind of parenting, meanwhile the middle and youngest sister felt quite pressured.

@SilverPaw

By and large I like this idea, and the parts I put in bold are what I jive with the most for that particular scenario! I'm sure this idea will get refined more as we go along, and I'll keep in mind the possibility that this NPC might provoke others with her behavior/their jealousy at her talent and so forth as we figure out the whos, whys, and hows of the assassination!

Also, for everyone, although I don't wanna look for the mention-list again, lol:

The Kaides Family leaders currently look like:

• Patriarch Martenos Kaides - 3 wives, 1 mistress. Now in his late 40s, maybe 50 tops (he got married the 1st time at 16-18).
• Austenos Kaides - Younger brother of Martenos, has at least 1 wife, maybe 2? Can be a Player Parent if needed.
• Fulvya Hastam-Kaides - Middle sister of Martenos and Austenos. Married to a Vassal Family that is a Branch of Kaides (far enough separation for no froggy-business), so by fictional inheritance laws the Main Family Name is kept over the Branch family name therefore her kids are all Kaides. She could also be a Player Parent if needed.
• Deividas Kaides - Younger brother of the PREVIOUS Patriarch, now in his 70s, has only 1 wife, but probably multiple adult children who could also be Player Parents if needed.
• Sylas Kaides - Oldest adult son of Deividas, most likely has only 1 wife. His children are said to have "escaped the curse," of the Failed Generation. Many of them are your former tormentors that we will now pound into the dirt >:D

A New Day; Cozy Fantasy Village Life

--- Outskirts ---

Akitsugu

Early Evening
@Xaltwind@Tally Dor@Expendable

---

---

The other of the two newcomers, the one who looked like he'd come from a position of much greater wealth, must have followed after Akitsugu and Darryl as he raised his own concerns about the person shouting for goblins. Akitsugu glanced back at him.

"Clothes for goblins? That's what he was shouting about?" What kind of fool would try to engage in business with---

The pot-bellied dwarf was moving now, and the blacksmith's head snapped back in his direction. He saw the sword at the fellow's hip...but the dwarf took his hand away from the hilt, and so Akitsugu did the same. He seemed to be approaching them, so Akitsugu did the same; he didn't catch everything that was said, but heard something to the effect of:

"...needed to make sure this place had nothing untoward buried in it."

"I see." Akitsugu nodded. The tone of voice and body language seemed jovial enough. The blacksmith relaxed and smiled back. "There are no goblins here, sir---the only monster we've encountered thus far is a slime, which quickly found itself in Mr. Brom's cooking pot---"

The dwarf waved his hands, and magical runes flared. Akitsugu's eyes dilated as he reflexively jumped back, distancing himself a full two meters from the apparent mage, and once again he moved to draw his blade!

Then a blue chicken appeared with a puff of smoke and a loud "Bak-buk-ba-CAWH!"

Akitsugu's brain just couldn't process it. He lost his balance and stumbled drunkenly to one side, instead of executing the smooth step-and-draw-cut one might've expected. The crimson-maned dwarf declared himself Chanticleer the Chickenmancer.

The blacksmith sat down in the grass, and looked helplessly at Darryl and the (as yet unintroduced) Ned.

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

Is it me or is physical strength missing from the empty CS Code

@Rune_Alchemist

Yep, it got caught in my highlight ctrl+X apparently. Should be fixed now!

It would be pretty funny if there was a whole ass chain set up. I generally intend on creating a character whose major regret stems from never confessing their feelings for another character (whether NPC or PC) because they only wanted to do so after the war ended.

So naturally, when the war ends (via death into time travel), its time to go hard.

@ERode

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

That sounds perfectly good to me. Would be a daughter tho.

@Iten

Whoops lol, I probably was still trying to lay out the family tree of "X is the son of Y so Z would be..." in my head while figuring out what your character's relationship would be. But yeah, it sounds like we ironed that out well!

Is it too late to be interested?

@Thunder999999

Nah, come on in! Once I get the OOC up I might mark it as "full," but right now I don't really have a limit on the number of Players---I'd just like to ask that everyone only make one character each, which most people seem to do by default.

Return of a Failed Generation: A Time Regression Power Fantasy

<Snipped quote by Zeroth>
Would they extend one to a half devil? I've been thinking about the death of my character and I had an idea that she could die at the final stand. Last one alive of her group, wherever it is, and after so many years of hiding it she gets injured to the point where the broken horns that she used to hide in her hair became clearly visible. She gets a whole "join us" speech, takes EXTREME offense and successfully stabs them in a rage, and dies shortly after. Who that 'them' is I'm not really sure about, but I thought it would be fun for it to be one of those generals or maybe even the demon king with the speech happening with the backdrop of the burning ships behind them.

@Iten

It was mentioned earlier that in the case of Half-Elves and Half-Dwarves it might not be outright impossible for a Player Character, but that it's more likely a Player would be quarter-blooded or less. For a Half-Devil, however, it's even trickier, because Devil/Human pairings would not be peaceful affairs by any stretch of things, and a clan as prestigious as House Kaides would likely take a lot of issue bringing someone with that unfortunate baggage into the fold.

If you've got your heart set on it, though, would you be opposed to your character's bloodline relation being further away from the main-line? In terms of age you'd still be part of the "Failed Generation," but rather than being the child of the family Patriarch you might be...maybe the son of an adult niece who's become a recluse due to the traumatic event that spawned you? Something along those lines?

As to whether or not Demons would extend an olive branch to a half Devil, the answer to that is "yes, But," with the But being that it kinda depends on the Demon. A bunch of orcs probably wouldn't care, but if the one to find you was also a Devil, or a group of smarter demons, etc then yeah they'd be willing to take you on. As for whether or not your character's last, desperate attack would accomplish anything, that'll depend on how much your character grew during the First Life.