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The World and the Tower; Throwing out ideas for comment or opposition
Topic Started: Aug 29 2012, 10:45 PM (385 Views)
Merior
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I've been trying to imagine what this world is like beyond the introduction already given and a few ideas have come to mind so far. These are just what I'm throwing out as possibilities so comments, or alternatives, would be welcome.
"Biigoh wrote:"
 
There are relics, ruins... and a single transcendent tower that is, as the D&D players say 'Dungeon Time'... dimensionally transcendent... ie the tower is the only way to other realities the only problem lies in that there are monsters and such in said tower that don't leave it. And not every one will end up as a 'super character'... think of those who ended up as absolutely normal people.

Think a tower that is several miles wide, and an uncalculatable height (literally, it keeps shifting... within a set amount... but it changes
Bomb wrote that in one of the messages and it looks like a good place to start. In my minds eye I'm imagining people waking up scattered far and wide, sometimes in groups and sometimes not, with often significant distances from them to the Tower. Yet the tower is something which stands out while still being obscured, which divinations, psychic powers, or sensors would determine is doing 'odd things' but the details are nigh impossible to determine. People, knowingly or not, are often drawn towards the tower and various forms of determining direct will generally point towards it.

Generally things wander into the Tower through doors to other worlds within it, ones which open and close erratically, but at other times the Tower draws things in a less controlled fashion. Items, beasts, plants, or people can be found appearing in the Tower or even in the regions close to it. Setting up a lasting residence too close to the Tower risks waking up one day to find, say, hell wasps have appeared in your bedroom.

In the larger world there signs of previous habitation, but bar the tower the most recent is ruins at best. The land is untouched by human, or unhuman, hand and the wildlife varies from almost normal to somewhat monstrous due to things which came from the tower managing to find a niche for themselves. It would be a lush and dangerous place, something which is not going to help the more normal people who appeared in this world.


Anyone else got a view on this?
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biigoh
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That does sound about right...

Also, there are ancient wreckages of space-faring vessels... now just as overgrown and looking more like ancient ruins or geological formations in some cases.

Quote:
 
Damian Crash says, "I mean more... plains, forest, mountain, seaside, etc... also since you said the tower would be needed for supplies, is it that there's nothing to mine or is it just finished products you mean"
Glorfindel murmurs, "The tower sounds a bit like a Gygaxian dungeon."
Glorfindel quotes from memory, "Behind door number one: a magic crown! Door number two: instant death! Door three: eigth giant rats guarding 34 cp."
Damian Crash says, "there's something to consider... just what does the economy end up being based on? at the start it would have to be pure barter/favor trading, but later on..."
Biichan says, "Mountain range to the west, and northwest... plains stretch forth from their feet while the tower sits in a massive in-land sea/large lake, with forests to the east... and small rivers leading away from the tower"
Biichan says, "While to the south... in the distance is a seaside"


Also, I meant more finished products or rare/exotic spell components...
Edited by biigoh, Aug 29 2012, 10:58 PM.
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Merior
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Is this world actually a planet or more a plane stretching out from the Tower at it's centre as a landmark which is arbitrarily visible? I'm leaning towards the former, but the later would be... interestingly odd.

Anyway, here are some random thoughts I was having on the world:

  • In terms of flora and fauna in the world I can imagine that there would be an odd mix. Mostly 'mundane', for a given value of that term, but with the occasional odd creature which had found an niche for itself. This is partially to avoid a 'death world' situation and partially to reduce the availability of 'exotic components' for mages to use.

  • The ruins around are mostly old and seem, if one has the knowledge to check such things, to have been abandoned suddenly and without violence. Just left to fall to ruin or be buried as though the inhabitants had simply vanished one day.

  • Given that the only real source of technology is the Tower (which is erratic to say the least) I believe that the more technologically inclined are going to have problems unless someone arrived with a fabber.

  • Since we will have 'odd technology' occasional available via the Tower I can imagine that the look of any settlement within a reasonable distance(but not too close) would be schizo-tech. Low tech, but well thought out and probably enhanced with magical fabrication methods, and the occasional devise or devises which just don't belong.

  • Magic and such can end up drawing off of the user and/or the local 'astral plane' substitute. Big things tend to require energy from later so too much use will (temporarily) deplete it and restrict mages to the smaller things. People with the right knowledge might be able to effect this by creating a reservoir of power, building channels to gather it from further afield and/or something weirder.

  • To sort of balance out the advantages of magic, and to prevent all magic items from becoming useless when the local energy is tapped out, I'd say that enchanted items either fall under the category of 'requires exotic materials so it can be self-powered' or else needs to be supplied with power (from a mage or the local astral).

At the moment I'm vaguely playing about with character ideas still, although none which are as closely tied to a setting or game as they should be, but will likely end up 'forting up' at the edge of the forests after some nasty encounters in there. Forting up in a temporarily shelter which becomes something more permanent, and secure, in short order... yet there would be safety in numbers and I'm sure that people wouldn't mind trading a little help for meals and somewhere safe to sleep.
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biigoh
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I was actually thinking a planet, to be honest... one with a water filled core... and BIG FISH in its depths... but that gets silly and would eventually require hunting expeditions to get rid of Gungan infestations.

http://www.darthsanddroids.net/episodes/0031.html

So for the betterment of humanity, there isn't a water core...
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Glorfindel
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I see Merior already mentioned most things I wanted to ask about. Very convenient.

(No ewoks, gungans or other age 10 focus group stuff, please. I'd hate to start my new life committing genocide.)

I do have some questions that are keeping me from deciding on much of anything:

  • I think the first big thing on most people's minds is going to be survival? Water, food, shelter... how hospitable is the land?
    If you'd leave it to me, I'd make things fairly pleasant early on; there is the occasional fruit tree about, and maybe some hillsides have patches of grain that might be the remains of arable fields. The weather is mild and pleasant. Winter could happen later.

  • There are not any resident sentient races, are there? What dangerous animals, etc. are there to contend with? Monsters?
    Wild animals may be challenging enough, I think. Worse stuff may creep out of the Tower later.

  • Important: What sort of power level will must protagonists have? I know that's going to be defined in broad strokes, but what's definitely too much to handle or too little to be very relevant storywise?
    I would suggest: anything that can casually wipe out a village of normal people is too much; make it take some effort at least.
Edited by Glorfindel, Aug 31 2012, 06:39 PM.
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Mr Pumblechook
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Merior
Aug 31 2012, 04:03 PM


[*] Magic and such can end up drawing off of the user and/or the local 'astral plane' substitute. Big things tend to require energy from later so too much use will (temporarily) deplete it and restrict mages to the smaller things. People with the right knowledge might be able to effect this by creating a reservoir of power, building channels to gather it from further afield and/or something weirder.

[*] To sort of balance out the advantages of magic, and to prevent all magic items from becoming useless when the local energy is tapped out, I'd say that enchanted items either fall under the category of 'requires exotic materials so it can be self-powered' or else needs to be supplied with power (from a mage or the local astral).

At the moment I'm vaguely playing about with character ideas still, although none which are as closely tied to a setting or game as they should be, but will likely end up 'forting up' at the edge of the forests after some nasty encounters in there. Forting up in a temporarily shelter which becomes something more permanent, and secure, in short order... yet there would be safety in numbers and I'm sure that people wouldn't mind trading a little help for meals and somewhere safe to sleep.
As far as magical power, we could borrow part of the paradigm from Exalted and Fate/stay night : people/mages having personal essence (F/SN Od) they store in themselves and can use anywhere, and peripheral essence (Mana) they draw from around themselves.

You could also postulate being able to store power, say in enchanted gems.

I'm in the same boat on characters, floating... (although definitely NOT an android again) One concept is a fate/stay night mage (without any actual skills, just a useful power reserve) with a Servant (possibly Caster)

http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/1173258/1girl-blue_eyes-blue_hair-braid-caster-chibiru-dre

However, I need to think of a 'story' to tell that isn't self indulgent and cliched.
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biigoh
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Convenient or plot thingy? Elf-tan?

And agreed on the age 10 focus group stuff. Unless it's one of those one offs where you DO get a fan of such.

And I was thinking of nice climates and such... temperment. Warm nights and cool days (perhaps a nice spring-y weather), easy access to fruits, veggies and 'small' animals and birds to catch and such. Just mind the wolves and predator species. Former arable fields and farmland would be reasonable.

Also, no outright monsters, for now. But there ARE those who might be considered such, vampires, werewolves and other such insertions... who've given into their instincts.

As for power levels, it doesn't have to be high high or low low. I mean I'm picking Ciara of all things. I know it's indulgent of me. And from the looks of it, Berry is picking a F/SN genenric person who has magic circuits and Caster. Which does put the power level above village destroyers

Personal verses Peripheral power thingies isn't a bad way to go. It's just that it's 'easier' to use peripheral as you're not tapping your own resources? Which you see alot of in the F/SN-setting for the magus.
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biigoh
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Was talking to Nathan, and the subject of the over-writing came up...

(7:39:30 PM) Nathan Huss: -nods- one of the reasons. could go either way, depending on how that's treated (which glor will likely want to talk to you with at some point. when we were discussing the memory/personality thing he was... apprehensive of the concept, at least in the 'total overwright' potential)
(7:41:14 PM) Haku: It's an infection/contamination?
(7:41:24 PM) Haku: ie plot or drama speed type effects?
(7:43:55 PM) Nathan Huss: -nods-

he actually likened it to Limit from exalted. basically he finds it a bit more morbid at first glance than he'd expect for this kind of collaboration project that any "characters" we would run across would be people who've literally been replaced mentally
(7:45:44 PM) Haku: ahhh
(7:45:45 PM) Haku: point
(7:46:05 PM) Haku: It IS a tad bad when you think about it
(7:46:10 PM) Nathan Huss: -nodnods-
(7:46:22 PM) Haku: otoh, I* was thinking of it as a copy mechanism
(7:46:28 PM) Haku: coping even
(7:46:48 PM) Haku: To basically reach for abilities, memories and skills
(7:46:58 PM) Haku: and effectively going too far and not wanting to go back
(7:47:18 PM) Haku: and thus... letting the memories and personalities of the other part remain in charge
(7:47:44 PM) Nathan Huss: -nods- that's something different, yeah. didn't come across that way when you originally said it, though, which is why we thought it was a "you have been erased and replaced"
(7:48:53 PM) Haku: Sorry ^_^;
(7:49:23 PM) Nathan Huss: -nods- getting that clarification is good, as it does imply that returning would be possible
(7:50:11 PM) Haku: But in the end, would you want to return to being the weak and all too fragile mortal or staying as some kind of super human?
(7:51:10 PM) Nathan Huss: depends on how much you NEED to rely on the memories to use any powers, or whether it's possible to grow to use them on your own
(7:51:27 PM) Haku: True... there is that
(7:54:41 PM) Nathan Huss: though for someone who's already fully into the character, it would be moot, yes. depends on how much the base/original personality depends/wants those powers for whether they'd bother trying to claw their way back
(7:55:09 PM) Haku: *nodnods*
(7:55:21 PM) Haku: Also depends on the character's persona
(8:00:04 PM) Nathan Huss: too much difference between the two would make it easier or harder, depending on whether the base actually wants to be like the character
(8:01:31 PM) Haku: *nods*
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Glorfindel
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About the overwriting: I'm fine with the above or at least not dead-set against it. I did note to Nathan there is a measure of redundance here; eventually there are 1. characters/monsters that were dragged to that world like us, but who gave in to their 'fictional' personality and memories and 2. characters/monsters that escape the tower, who are the real thing. We can have both, but cutting category 1 is also an option.

Assuming you don't cut it, do you want to treat these characters as victims suffering a form of insanity or possession, or simply like the new personality they have adopted?

Nath and I also discussed terminology a bit. I think castaways is a good term for everyone who ended up in our new world in a new body (not applied to people simply entering the world through the Tower). How about revenants for those who lost their own identity entirely? Not sure if we need a term for those who retain their own identity. Later on, it might be handy to coin a term to distinguish between characters entering the world through the Tower and revenants.

Speaking of the Tower, I am tempted to picture it like the one in Dreamfall:

Posted Image

Posted Image

Except the (our) Tower is standing in a big lake, which I like.


Oh, and hi Barry!
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biigoh
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Posted Image

I had in mind something more organic, than a straight upwards tower... something with sufficient detail and stuff on it that you can't be sure that everything is quite the same, even if you keep looking at it.

As for personas and such, I think it would depend?

Does everyone want to keep the risk of losing yourself in your new self... or take that out? I thought, it might be something to give drama, when you're not sure if the person you're talking to is the original, someone whose retreated into the persona, or someone whose taking it on.
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