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Topic Started: Oct 19 2011, 09:13 AM (66 Views)
EndlessDreamers
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A strange phenomena has occurred. Strange armored creatures began to appear around the world and attack humans. They exhibited powers that were beyond human comprehension and baffled scientists around the world. They also seemed to have a thirst for human beings. The few that survived these attacks developed strange symptoms where eventually their very blood crystallized around strange stigmata like marks on their bodies, creating small pieces of armor in the shapes of bracelets, anklets, collars, and other various items on the victims. These victims seemed to exhibit no other symptoms until a few months later when strange abilities began to manifest. Those who were afflicted were capable of doing superhuman things, though on a scale much lower than that of the armored creatures. As time passed, more of these humans appeared. It has been a year since the armored creatures appeared and while a large majority have been destroyed, there remains a multitude that still prowls the world.

General idea of the powers:
Everyday Activation - Level 1 powers (Low level power. Mostly cosmetic.) (1 power)

If you learn how to, you can 'activate' the power and increase the power. This gives you more power, up to level 10 which is on par with the monsters. As they are more activated, the armaments get larger, eventually covering an entire limb. Of course, past level 2 you begin to get weaknesses. This is because you are pushing super human limits on a human body. Also, the more activated a power is, the less 'human' you become and the less control you have. For some, that's no problem, but there is a definite chance of getting 'stuck' and becoming one of the creatures.

You can have multiple of these armaments at one time, but you have to pay XP for every power and weaknesses do stack. Also, strengths of some cannot cover weaknesses of others. So enhanced endurance cannot make your weakness of 10 minutes before your energy runs dry become 20. It can, however, mean you have more energy in those 10 minutes. Also, there is the definite danger of the more armaments you have active, the more weaknesses you have and the higher chance of losing control. Two level 2 armaments activated is the same as a level 4 activated energy wise. So having ten armaments on level 10 will give you maybe a second before you possibly drop dead.

Level 2 Power - Level 1 Weakness (Low level power. Low damage potential.) (1 power, 1 sub-power)
Level 3 Power - Level 1 Weakness (Low level power. Actual damage potential, but still 'human'.) (2 powers, 1 sub-power)
Level 4 Power - Level 2 Weakness (Medium level power. Going slightly beyond human.) (2 powers, 2 sub-power)
Level 5 Power - Level 2 Weakness (Medium level power. Definitely superhuman, but more x-men than superman.) (3 powers, 2 sub-powers
Level 6 Power - Level 3 Weakness (Medium level power. High level x-men supernatural.) (3 powers, 3 sub-powers)
Level 7 Power - Level 4 Weakness (High level power. Ranging on potential to take out multiple normal humans at once.) (4 powers, 3 sub-powers
Level 8 Power - Level 5 Weakness (High level power. Building destruction potential.) (4 powers, 4 sub-powers)
Level 9 Power - Level 6 Weakness (High level power. City block destruction potential.) (5 powers, 4 sub-powers)
Level 10 Power - Level 7 Weakness (Final level power. City threatening power.) (5 powers, 5 sub-powers)

Keep in mind that even though level 10 is capable of making a huge fire storm that can cover a huge radius while also blasting fireballs in all direction while still having the ability move, a level 7 weakness is akin to taking a level 7 power to the gut in a sense. So while a level 10 is AMAZING to use, USING it in anything other than an emergency is stupid as fucking hell.

So what do I mean by powers and sub-powers? Well, pretty much this is what happens:

You use XP to unlock a new level. That means you can access this level and you have to update what it can do at each level. However, since that is just the power of it, but not the control, as you get more control, you gain more powers and sub-powers that you can have. What do I mean?

A power is just a basic power. Keep in mind these can't be too broad. Fireballs or firewalls are powers. Fire manipulation is a bit too broad. So a power is what you can do. So by the time you reach level 10, you can use 5 various powers involved with the overall scheme of that armament. So say we keep with the fire example. At level 10, you have the capability to use fireballs, summon walls of fire, bring out fire golems, cover yourself in fire armor AND summon a fire sword. This means you can do it even at level 1 (though they'll be pretty low power). This is just so that your armaments don't only become more powerful but more useful at the same time. Though, keep in mind that spamming more abilities requires more concentration and more energy. So spending XP on unlocking new levels is not only useful for more power but also versatility.

What are sub powers? Sub-powers are enhancements to your current powers. They aren't powers in their own right but rather they can be used to increase something about your other ones. Imagine it as a specialization. Those fireballs you had before? They're homing now. Those fire golems? They can think for themselves slightly. Of course, each sub power can only give you a small modification, so to get a golem that can think just as well as you can, you'll have to use all five sub powers only on the golems. Of course, use of more sub powers uses more energy, so you can choose if they are active or not.

So, again. Higher level activation ONLY increases the raw power of the power. So more powerful, more destructive, faster. It does not add on new capabilities. That is what sub-powers are for. Since you only get five (for nowish), you have to choose wisely which of your powers you want to activate.

Armaments CAN be broken. If they are, they can be repaired however their powers cannot be used until repaired. However, they are pretty tough and most things a normal human would have access to (even guns) would not be able to break it.
Edited by EndlessDreamers, Oct 20 2011, 07:19 AM.
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EndlessDreamers
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How we're going to do Experience? I'm thinking VtM style? I dunno this is pretty new.

What we want to avoid:
- People spamming horrible threads to get points ala CoC
- A system where newbies can NEVER catch up to the old people through no matter how hard they work.
- A system that revolves only once a month.
- A system that seems to emphasize stupid fights ala CoC.
- A system that doesn't reward normal threads.
- A system that doesn't reward good threads more than normal ones.

Major experience points:
- Points given for good threads. Possible storyline threads. NOT random occurence threads. I want to avoid those kinds of things. Yay a random enemy popped up that they all defeated and no one actually developed.
- Points for being around for a month for normal threads.
- Points for major events

Monthly Stuff -
1 - Normal interaction. Nothing really special. Just a participation bonus.
2 - Some special interaction. Maybe something interesting or two happened. Some development.
3 - A lot of special interaction and development. It's pretty rare to get a three. This is pretty impressive.

This is just for the monthly stuff and has nothing to do with other things. So, this is just experience for doing normal roleplaying with no participation in larger story lines.

For larger story lines, I'm not a fan of one of your characters not being IN the storyline.

For larger arcs? I'm not a huge fan of "Whee, random events happen!" so that will mostly fall under monthly reports. If it is actually something LARGE to your character outside of making a new boyfriend/girlfriend? Something actually large and changing? Something that develops them in a way that's awesome? You get one to three extra experience points. Three is for major major things, with possibly one or two more added in if you're doing a REALLY good job. However most of the time you'll get one or possibly two if it's really good, three if its just huge on excellent. It'll be graded on your characters interactions within the story, so it's possible to be part of a major storyline and get nothing if you did or learned nothing.

Need to work on figuring out how to let people catch up.
Edited by EndlessDreamers, Oct 21 2011, 05:40 PM.
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EndlessDreamers
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Types of Armaments:

Equipment Type - Turn in to weaponry or armor with various properties. These types of armaments tend to get stronger or more damaging as they level up. A sword would cut more, a hammer would smash more, a piece of armor would defend against more. Secondary powers can allow them to change in to a different type of equipment. Sub powers can give each the equipment varying effects, such as elemental enchantment or other types.

Control Type - Control of an element or some sort of concept. These types of armaments become more powerful as they level up, so it ends up with more destructive power. This only grants power, not control. So, if you have something that only affects a single person, you won't be able to affect two or three people with an increase in level, just affect one more. To affect more control over it, you need to use a sub power. Secondary powers give a different type of manipulation over the control while sub powers can increase the amount of control you have.

Transformation Type - Transform a part of the body. These armaments become stronger as they level up, and tend to focus on physical aspects. Secondary powers can give a different type of transformation for a different type of use. Sub powers can change up how the power is used and its varying effects so that it can be used in a different way. A good example is a transformation that turns your arms in to extremely powerful gorilla arms that have a strong lifting potential. A secondary power would be to change them instead to smaller arms with more concentrated destructive power but less control or larger arms with more defense or some other variety, while a sub power would be to add things to the transformation or to allow for a variety of changes to how it is used.
Edited by EndlessDreamers, Oct 21 2011, 06:08 PM.
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Your points on what to avoid, I think, are crucial to developing a viable system. As you mentioned, you want a system that rewards not fighting or grinding, but good interactive storytelling. To that end, it may be better to reward characters whom make selfish, human reactions to situations, or those who fail at their goals rather than those who succeed. After all, anyone with an armament in the game needs to have been violently assaulted by one of the monsters. That sets a rather grim tone for the setting. Which isn't a bad thing at all. Taking that and running with it isn't a terrible idea.

As I've mentioned prior, I think a system whereby newer members/characters have slightly less than the current average of the active memberbase would encourage people to continue playing actively while not punishing those who are either new or hardpressed for time. Alternatively, you could implement within the monthly activity system a "catch-up" bonus, so that newer characters are accelerated over the course of a few months without just giving them a lot to start with. Obviously this needs to be used with discretion. As I mentioned earlier, you don't wan to encourage people to not play.

Going by VtM is a solid idea. It's worked in a lot of other RPGs. It can work here.

In regards to the different types of armaments: One of your examples for an Equipment Subpower includes Elemental Enchantment. Would such an upgrade require access to a base control armament in order to work?

Are armaments inherently compatible, both within the host and within others. If so, how so? If not, what happens when people try to combine their powers?

Can an Equipment type of Armament be something other than Weaponry or Armor? Could someone have, say, an armament that could interface with other technology? Or one that could interface with other, separate armaments? At what point is the distinction between Equipment, Control and Transform made? How well do they react to one another?
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EndlessDreamers
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Ya. Thus when I write up a grading scale, I'm gonna put a focus on 'humanity' in a sense. The entire point of the board is a human having a monstrous like power that can and will take them over given they lose control. Some will do with it as they please, others will choose to try and fight it. And then they will be trying to kill one another.

For the equipment getting elemental type stuff, I'm gonna probably say no just cause lord knows that is what bogged down NSL. Had to get 3 of X, 4 of Y and 10 of Z just to get one power that you really wanted to make sense. In that sense, the hard line between the types is going to blur as they get more powerful. Though, remember the difference between a main power and a sub power.

If your main power is that of a blade, and you get a fire sub power, the fire won't get stronger as the blade gets stronger. If your main power is that of a fireball and you get a blade sub power, the fire will get stronger but it won't get sharper. So it's a trade off in a sense. The major focus is what increases as power goes up and the sub power is an nice addition to it however doesn't really grow since it's something you have added on.

Pretty much imagine armaments being living beings. They have their major temperaments and you can give them a boost or two of your teperment to make them stronger but they still will be inclined to their major temperament.

As for armaments, pretty much they're almost a virus of sorts. They are activated by their host's blood and 'fuse' with it, so that the blood is a catalyst. So, once an armament has joined with you, it will be linked by your blood. While armaments 'fusing' isn't going to happen cause they are separate 'beings' of sorts (at least not that you want them to. If they fuse, that means you are probably going to go berserk), however they can work together because they have a common part. So combining powers tends to work, however it will take a bit of practice to get a hang of.

As for types? Sky is the limit. As long as you can explain it? A transformation type and an equipment type could be virtually indistinguishable. If you have an equipment type that turns in to wings? Or an arm guard that acts like a fist? Same as a transformation type. Those 'types' so to speak are just ways to sort of distinguish some ideas in ways that people can go.

Hell, you can choose a string type equipment type and as your second power, have it turn in to an armor like covering. Or a fire type control type and have it cover your arm with flames and have a flaming fist that could be akin to a transformation or equipment type. Creativity will be monitored but it will definitely NOT be held back.

One thing about melding you have to understand though that I forgot to mention.

ALL armaments are on separate limbs. Meaning you can't have two armaments on your arms. You could, say, have one on your left, one on your right, one on your left leg, one on your right leg, one on your torso, one on your head, one on your back, but not two on your right.

Of course, given time, I can give suggestions to how to make it a bit more creative, such as armaments that are 'floating', but no two armaments at any point will ever be 'touching' other than barely. If you do do one floating over the other one, when they materialize the two won't be 'combined'. It'd be like wearing two sets of armor (in the bad sense).
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Legacy

Is it not possible that you could have two armaments on the same limb, and only have one active at a time? That could create interesting problems for the users. Rather than melding, they would instead be mutually exclusive.

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EndlessDreamers
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Hm. I would accept that actually. But it would be something that would have to be suggested.
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Legacy

Sounds good.
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