The Official RPG Planning Topic

[Silvan Haven]

We know the name of the place for a week and somebody already came up with a game for it?

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Cooked up an idea for a RPG involving Okoto...

 

Isn't this a tad premature? We don't exactly know much about the setting. No reason to dive head-first into the to-be-released series yet.

 

EDIT: I didn't notice there was another page until after I hit send. Comes with the "posting while tired" domain (it's similar to doing so while wasted, only with fewer inhibitions and better grammar). I am the fool. But yeah, what Silvan said.

 

EDIT 2: Heck, to make this post worthwhile, I will throw this in - compared to the first RPG you posted however long ago, the writing is far better. Tomorrow I'll actually try to post some commentary.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited October 14, 2014 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Constructelf]

At Toatapio: your idea screams "Tripods" to me...

 

That aside, I don't think it would be a good idea to set it on Okoto yet. Maybe come up with an original location and see how it plays out.

[The Lorax]

Pretty much. Since we know so little about Okoto and its inhabitants at the moment, and this RPG uses a lot of things from "Old BIONICLE" that probably won't be in the new stuff, it would make more sense to set it on an unknown MU island than Okoto and have more and more continuity issues accumulate as more of canon Okoto is revealed.

[Toatapio Nuva]

@Silvan Haven: Someone's got to be first, right?

 

@Levacius: Thank you for the compliment

 

@nam: I was thinking more along the lines of Bohrok Krana possession and the bending of the wills to a hivemind, but having read The Tripods books, I see what you mean. The idea is indeed very similar.

 

@Lorax: I can see how that might make more sense.

 

Thanks for the comments guys, I guess I'll head back to the design phase to make some adjustments.

[Akavakaku]

That Rahkshi RP sounds like the greatest, most original one I've ever heard of, and it only required one tiny deviation from canon. If it succeeds, you can be sure I'll join if I can.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Reposting because its a new page and because I've actually finished it this time

 

CorpusRahkshi

 

 

 

All around you is the dark. It is all you have ever known. A liquid gloom that swaddles you better than any blanket, that keeps you safe from the burning gaze of the sun. The only light you need-the only light you want-is the dim green glow that oozes from the crystalline confine that is your entire world. Oh there’s definitely something beyond the glassy walls that cocoon you, but they are dim shadows, patches of deeper blackness within the blackness, beyond your concern and ability to care. You have your world of green gloaming. And it is good.

Then suddenly, pressure. Pulling you and pushing you all at once. Squeezing your boneless body through pipes and tubes you hadn’t known ever existed and now desperately wish didn’t exist at all. You are forced, squirming every inch of the way, further from your old home and towards-Ah! Towards pain! You are pressed into something unyielding and cold, so cold! The ooze that held you before was merely cool, this dread chill is new, sharp and biting like you are caught in the maw of some icy beast. 

Your next new experience is gravity, as you tumble freely until the ground rises to meet you in a cacophonous clang. You begin to realise from the cold, the noise, the inflexibility of the prison you find yourself in that you have gone from a womb of slime to a womb of steel. The metal may close around you tightly, but you are aware that it stretches out far beyond the normal reach of the strip of meat that is your body. Stretches out into gangly limbs, all four naught but metal but…you can feel through them? You’d question how that works but you’re flooded by fresh sensations. Your eyes see better now, freed from the murk of viridescent crystal, and the dark holds no secrets from them as you take in every detail of the cave you find yourself in. You can feel the slight breeze that wafts through the air, bringing with it a smell of musty dampness. You’ve never smelt anything before. It’s…weird. 

But none of this, not the sight, not the smell, not the sensations, none of it compares to the raw power you can feel flowing through the new you-all of the new you, flesh and metal. 

You start getting these new limbs in order. Two end in broad feet that are seeking purchase even before you plant them firmly beneath you. Two others end in a tangle of fingers, each one tapering to a wedge-like claw that score shallow gouges into the rock as you push yourself upwards. Standing for the first time is hard. You hadn’t understood how complicated legs were before, there’s so many minute differences in weight and balance that threaten to topple you right back down again. You fight the urge to hold your arms aloft like wings, letting your joints learn how to compensate. 

Once you’ve mastered standing up, all you want is to run. To chase. To hunt. You want to scale every height of a mountain, to tear down every tree in a forest. Boundless energy bursting through you, its fantastic! Before, when you were tiny and blind, you just felt safe because you were comfortable. Now you feel safe because you’re strong! You could take on the world and win! 

You need to do something to stamp your place in this new world, something to tell anyone who can hear that you are here now and aren’t going to leave any time soon. The armour plates around your head respond to your subconscious will, pulling back to expose the stub of raw flesh that is your head as you open your mouthparts and scream. It is a scream of defiance backed by the staccato rattling of the spines on our back, a scream to put fear in the hearts of anyone who would see you killed or thrown back to that half-life you now realise you led before. You are here to stay! You…are Rahkshi!

 

Over in the furthest reach of the birthing chamber, hidden behind illusory weaves of shadow that even your eyes could not see through, the Makuta who has been watching the whole scene smiles. For it is good.

 

 

Welcome!

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Rahkshi. They have always been our stalwart servants. Our eyes, our ears and, if needed, our iron fist. The production of kraata and the design of their armour has been perfected over the many millennia we have been using them so that they are now a shining example of what the biological and the mechanical are capable of when working in unison. 

Which is why it is somewhat perturbing that they seem to be changing.

The “fault”, as I shall call it for now, is a development in their cognitive abilities, allowing them both a range of thought greater than their usual bestial processes and a better capacity to express these thoughts. Put succinctly, they’re getting smarter. Kraata which should be little better than mindless animals seeking to spread corruption purely on instinct are reasoning, imagining and even philosophising. I wouldn’t expect these traits, certainly not to this level, from anything short of a full blown Shadow Kraata yet we now have new-spawns displaying them left, right and centre. It is truly fascinating. 

At first we were unsure of what to do with this new breed. Study them? Train them? Destroy them? There were a number of voices in favour of that latter option but fortunately saner heads prevailed. After all, who knew what kind of use these smarter Rahkshi could have. Imagine a squad of them with teamwork and co-ordination to rival that of Toa teams. Imagine being able to produce strategic geniuses by the handful instead of waiting for likely to generals to rise through the ranks. Imagine Rahkshi who could be expert spies or assassins instead of simply living wrecking balls. With this ridiculous extended skirmish the Dark Hunters have declared on us entering its tenth year some more advanced troops in the field would help enormously with keeping the regions we possess pacified and under control. Though personally I find myself more intrigued by the scientific possibilities of what this might mean for my fellows and I. Evolution in the kraata could mean another step of evolution for we Makuta, and I wish to be ready if we undergo any more radical changes. 

The answer to our curiosity and wariness towards the new breed was to re-use our leader’s solution to the Matoran Civil War: stick everything in a box and wait to see the results. And so the Corpus Rahkshi academy was born. A place to properly keep them. A place to properly train them. A place to properly keep an eye on them…

 

Ah Rahkshi. We all know they’re pretty awesome, and this RPG is all about them. Basic summary is that, for whatever reason, the Brotherhood of Makuta’s Rahkshi have started getting smarter. An increasing number of them are no longer behaving like feral creatures but have begun developing personalities and increased intelligence. The Makuta decided they’d keep these Rahkshi around rather than atomise them so created a big old school to teach them and, if need be, contain them.

You play as one of the new Rahkshi. Sorry, no exceptions. You’ll be joining the student body, and get to undergo the daily life of a walking weapon being trained by a (quite literally) shadowy organisation. What could possibly go wrong?

 

 

 

Locations

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

I was deemed to most suitable to oversee the Corpus Rahkshi project. I am one of the Brotherhood’s chief scientific minds, and the one least likely to simply give them more teeth and let them loose on an innocent population. Yes Chirox, I know you’re reading this. 

In addition I control the island of Nynrah, giving me access not just to some of the most industrious and ingenious craftsmen the world has to offer but to the resources and infrastructure those same craftsmen use to ship raw materials and finished products. The perfect place to ensure a small army of Rahkshi are properly housed and maintained and enable any damage they cause to be rapidly fixed. There’s no other way of saying it, I was the perfect choice. 

The academy was constructed using a pet project of Mutran’s; that odd growing rock he is inordinately fond of. Given an energy supply to prevent it consuming the students and proper constraints to mould it into appropriate shape, it allowed us to quickly develop and construct an adaptable and self-repairing building to hold the Rahkshi. Most useful.

 

The RPG takes place in the eponymous Corpus Rahkshi Academy, a castle-like building on its own island just off the south coast of Nynrah. The centre comprises of four blocks of accommodation enveloping a square courtyard, with longer wings on its east and west flanks. Built out of the same stuff the Mountain on Xia is made of, it can fix itself up in case of…incidents and be reconfigured if a room needs to be repurposed. And speaking of rooms, here’s a few of the more important areas within the school grounds.

 

 

The Gymnasium

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Physical training is of course a must. If we intend to put these Rahkshi into the field as soldiers then they’ll need to be in peak condition, and versed in all forms of combat and warfare.

 

The Gym is a huge hall, large enough that its almost its own separate building tacked on to the east side of the academy. In its base state it is a big, empty, upturned bowl but it is the most malleable of the all the school facilities. Want a duel? It can manifest an arena. Want a naval battle? It can simulate water. It has been specifically created to provide any imaginable threat to keep the Rahkshi on their toes.

 

 

The Library

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Since the students have been blessed with advanced minds, let them make use of them. Intelligence in one’s underlings is like a flower; for it to properly bloom it must be given the right ground to take root in and sustenance to feed on. And, if needs be, a bit of pruning from time to time…

 

The Library, located in the Academy’s west wing, is full of a surprisingly diverse range of subjects. There are the obvious books on martial arts and tactics, but they share the building with tomes on anatomy, zoology, engineering, chemistry, architecture, with encyclopaedias, and a seemingly endless catalogue of historical archives. Sure the warfare section is noticeably closer to the entry as a subtle hint, and the histories have been edited and worded with a Makuta-favourable bias but hey, its the thought that counts right?

 

 

The Refectory

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Its a necessity that the Rahkshi be fed, but I see no reason to go to any extensive expense or strife to do so. They are here to learn, not to feast.

 

In the Academy’s eastern wing, conveniently close to the Gym, is the Refectory. It is fairly uninteresting architecturally, being little more than an enclosed box lined with long dining tables. But as the place where all those growing kraata go to eat it’s a focal point of interaction and communication. Shame the only food they serve is a kind of thick gruel, high on nutrition but low on taste.

 

 

Dormitories

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Some say we have been a little overly optimistic in how many dormitories we have, since the entire south block is, at present, entirely unused. I say that is an unimaginative viewpoint. There’s always a use for an empty room or fifty.

 

Along with the courtyard that they surround the dorms form the central hub of Corpus Rahkshi. Each room houses a single Rahkshi and are not particularly spacious, containing just one bed and a boxy cupboard for storage. The idea being that such spartan living will encourage the Rahkshi to go out and fill their days with activity rather than laze around listlessly. And for the cleaning and maintenance of their armour suits, each floor has its own washroom, communal arrangements complete with cold and colder running water.

 

 

Chirox Causeway

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Technically the students are not permitted to visit the mainland, however in practice there is nothing really that can be done to stop them short of keeping them in chains every second of every day. And thats really only a last resort solution. So I have endeavoured to make the journey, if not exactly perilous, then at least…entertaining. Rather than have a bridge connecting the Academy’s island with mainland Nynrah I had placed a series of irregularly positioned hexagonal pillars, the idea being that the students gain some small manner of exercise from jumping across or flying through them. The name comes from the causeway’s likeness to a set of teeth rising from the sea, and we all know how our esteemed colleague prefers his monsters toothy. Still reading, Chirox?

 

If you want to go from the Academy to the mainland by foot then you must use the Chirox Causeway, a network of pillars all at varying distances and heights. The students, being Rahkshi, can of course just fly over but some like the challenge of trying to navigate the Causeway’s twists and turns.

 

 

 

Off Campus Locations

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

The island of Nynrah -my island of Nynrah- is the ideal place for an assortment of unknown quantities like the evolved Rahkshi. It is out of the way of any random passers by, has a nearby harbour to ship in supplies and, potentially the most useful of all, is home to the famed Nynrah Ghosts, craftsman without equal. At first we tried forbidding the students from visiting the mainland…and every single one of them ignored the order. So until we can train or breed this disobedient streak out of them we have compromised and requested they keep their excursions restricted to night hours.

 

The Academy is not the only location in the game. Nynrah plays host to it and there are areas where the student body likes to frequent. The Ghosts are perfectly happy to sell their wares to the students, who usually pay by doing odd jobs or helping out in small ways. And while it is generally frowned upon to visit them during daylight, its not really going to get you any serious repercussions if you do. Just…try not to get caught.

 

 

Phantom-on-the-Water

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

The Ghosts are an illusive kin. It is how they earned the name after all. So I only feel confident saying that Phantom-on-the-Water is the only village entirely comprised of the craftsmen if I am permitted to affix the addendum “that we know of”. Spanning either side of the River Eidolon it is a mess of smoking chimneys and glowing furnaces, with dying embers and the sound of hammers filling the air. Nothing is ever still, nothing is ever quiet. I suppose it would appeal to a certain sort of person but I personally prefer peace and solitude in which to contemplate important matters. For their part the Ghosts seem unexpectedly happy at having the Academy nearby, possibly as having a building full of Rahkshi just next door discourages any snoops seeking them out.

 

To most of the outside world Phantom-on-the-Water is just another village full of Fe-Matoran and the industry they love. It churns out well-made but none too special weaponry, maybe a few more ornate trinkets from time to time, but is otherwise indistinguishable from the other settlements on the island. But what the Brotherhood, and by extension you the players, are aware of is that is it headquarters for the ingenious Nynrah Ghosts, a group of Matoran who have always been a bit…looser with their morals than others. Either through avarice or sheer love of their craft they’re generally quite happy to make anything if offered the right price…

  

 

The Cauldron

 

After running through Phantom-on-the-Water the River Eidolon ends at a series of steep cliffs known as Blacksmith’s Bluffs. Where the course of the river stays truest it has managed to wear these cliffs down into a sandy beach the Ghosts use as a harbour for shipping. But the river splits off into a delta of many little streams and tributaries, most of which aren’t strong enough to erode the cliffs down and instead wind up spilling over the edge as a number of waterfalls. And the largest and most powerful of these falls has wound up carving away at the base of the cliffs, where the hammering of waves already weakened it. The combined might of all that water has opened up a fairly sizeable cave that, due to the turbulent curtain of spray that conceals it, has become referred to by the Ghosts as the Cauldron. They use it for smuggling as, so far at least, the Brotherhood is unaware of its presence. The Rahkshi students, on the other hand, know full well it exists and have adopted it for a similar purpose; smuggling and storing items otherwise considered contraband, be they specialised weaponry or just food nicer than the slop served in the Refectory.

 

 

On the subject of Rahkshi

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Anyone with the clearance to read these notes is already well aware of what Rahkshi are capable of. I see no point in compiling a list of what everyone already knows and don’t appreciate having my time wasted on such pointless tasks.

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

…I have been informed that for the sake of completeness I need to make a short reference piece on what Rahkshi can do in case the students demonstrate greater prowess. Very well then. 

In terms of sheer physical strength Rahkshi are blessed with greater power than their somewhat gangly frame would suggest. They’re much stronger than Toa, and could even give one of the Skakdi a decent challenge in an arm wrestle or other such test of brawn. With this strength comes a good deal of durability; extensive testing has concluded that a Rahkshi could be thrown or driven through a solid stone wall without any permanent damage. However that is not to say they could shrug it off, their armour does feel pain. It was necessary to give them tactile senses so they could feel temperature changes, know if they were attacked from behind, pick things up without applying pressure enough to crush them, etc. We were at least able to make it so a Rahkshi armour keeps the kraata inside relatively safe from exposure to light, which even the new breed remain depressingly vulnerable to if bright enough. Their metal casings stop sunlight from burning their skin but do little to stop it affecting their sight; Rahkshi are like Onu-Matoran, their vision is near-perfect in the dark but tends to blur or fade the brighter the light gets. The fault in the new breed that gives them their intelligence also allows them to fight down the instinctive fear and dislike of sunlight but it still tends to disorientate and confuse them, a weakness which should leave them once they mature enough. All the more reason for the academy to exist, to train them up to a level they are high enough to shrug off these detrimental effects altogether. 

From strength to speed but alas, this is nothing too special. It was impossible to engineer the armour to be any faster than normal without it also wearing through its joints at an alarming rate. Their reaction speed, on the other hand, is suberb. A Rahkshi would have no trouble snatching a thrown knife or Kanoka right out of the air, though launched projectiles (a cordak or zamor sphere, for example) would give them a bit more trouble. Rahkshi on the whole, though, are better built for cross-country, their durability giving them excellent stamina, their long limbs giving them a decent stride and broad feet providing excellent traction. Assuming they stick to land rather than simply taking to the air a Rahkshi could keep running for days on end.

These estimations are, of course, barring the use of any powers the Rahkshi have. And speaking of powers, those seem to be developing as normal in the new breed. Whatever fault they have that has changed their mentality has not changed that much, at least to the limited degree they have developed so far. And, for anyone voicing their doubts on the significance of the change in our Rahkshi, or questioning what military use this study of them has, I remind those voices that we never expected even the original Rahkshi to able to form Kaita. Yet look how useful a trait that was and continues to be. And yes, for the record, the new breed have demonstrated the capability to form Kaita, which only leads me to question what is going through three of these more advanced minds when they're all crammed into one body. 

Which finally leads me to the newfound intelligence of the Rahkshi. It differs a little between each individual, as it does with any sapient species, but the new breed seem to have brainpower in the same range as your average Matoran. Which is interesting as, so far, they're still all at a fairly early stage in their development. Will their intelligence continue to grow as they level up? And if so, how smart would a new breed be at the sixth stage? Or as a Shadow Kraata? Perhaps we already have level six Rahkshi with the same fault and they're smart enough to conceal it. Its certainly easy to overlook or miss even in the confirmed cases. I know many of my fellows believe that their inability to speak Matoran means the new breed are still little better than rahi, but this is purely a physical limitation. They understand Matoran, and often many other languages, perfectly fine but their mouths are just not built right for the job of speaking it...so they've developed their own language. Its spread through the school like wildfire, all the students have mastered it. And I recently discovered a few of the Ghosts had picked it up as well, I suspect in anticipation of what constant customers the students may become. With this in mind we may need to curtail visits to the mainland a little more...

 

Playing as a Rahkshi means you get a few advantages, what with being encased in solid metal and all. You’re stronger and tougher than you would be as, say, a Toa. You’re nowhere near invincible but you’re packing enough brute power to give anything that isn’t Krekka level brawny a really bad day. Oh, but since kraata are mentally linked with the armour they inhabit (since thats how they move it and all) you’re going to feel any damage that gets inflicted upon it. Basically you can’t pull a Black Knight and claim losing an arm ’tis but a scratch is what I’m saying. 

You start as a fairly newborn kraata, which would normally put you at level one but thanks the boost from being made Rahkshi and the few months you’ve spent training at the academy your powers are currently at the second level. This would be so you have powers that might be of some actual use, though you’re not quite at the point where you could level cities so a bit of creativity and imagination in how you use them is going to go a long way. This would also make them, in human terms, something akin to teenagers.

You can also fly, a standard Rahkshi ability, an action which takes about as much energy to maintain as a light jog. You also need to be able to get into the ‘reclined’ position, but thats only going to be a problem if you’ve got a trapped foot or something.

Kaita are also possible, though there are a few restrictions on forming them. First, they can only be formed by characters from three players, no roping in a couple of NPCs to make yourself suddenly bigger and stronger. And each specific combination requires a profile be filled out and approved beforehand of what the Kaita would look like and what additional power it gets upon formation. Finally, in a slight change from how Rahkshi Kaita usually work, the minds of all three participants are present and have the potential to control the one body, but they have to be working together to maintain the fusion. You can't simply have one player performing one action while another makes an entirely different and separate attack and the third trying to retreat because that loss of unity will result in the Kaita simply dissolving back into three Rahkshi. You need to all be working together to the one goal, co-ordinating your efforts as a team for the Kaita to actually work. 

 

 

The Staff

You guys and your Rahkshi aren’t the only ones at the school, naturally. It has a small contingent of staff in place to act as anything from teachers to janitors. Growing Rahkshi need a lot of looking after you see. Here’s a bit more detail on the characters who’ll be doing their best to keep you in line.

 

 

Tridax

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

I feel it would be no exaggeration to say I was really the only possible choice for the position of Corpus Rahkshi’s headmaster. In addition to the many advantages my rank and position gives me I am one of the few Makuta who takes a very serious scientific interest in kraata and their development. While lesser minds are content to simply create monster after monster, I find my interests leaning towards understanding and improving those creatures that are, after all, a part of ourselves.

 

The Makuta of Nynrah, put in charge of Corpus Rahkshi possibly because he kept telling people he was the best man for the job more than because he actually was. He doesn’t really consider the Rahkshi to be people or individuals, but tools. Weapons. Things he can study and examine, like an entomologist pinning butterflies. Fortunately his other duties with the Brotherhood keep him relatively busy and he tends to leave the day to day running of the school to his subordinates Suvak and Palma.

 

 

Suvak

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Suvak is a Skakdi, a veteran captain from the wars of Zakaz who was forced into, shall we say, early retirement when a particularly nasty battle took the arm, leg and most his face off the right side of his body. Cybernetic replacements for these were the payment that lured him into being Corpus Rahkshi’s Drillmaster. If I were to describe him in a few words it would be ’solid’ or perhaps ‘dependable’. His tactics in Zakaz were all tried and true, tested through use in repeated battles, which won him a few victories but ultimately got him outwitted by one of the more imaginative warlords who preferred to invent their own strategies. Still, we need no battles won, we need someone who knows how to handle and train very dangerous individuals, and I feel confident leaving our students in his somewhat predictable hands.

 

Despite the fact that he is technically only in charge of the students’ physical training, making him a glorified PE teacher, Suvak is generally the one who handles most of the academy’s daily business and is directly under Tridax in the hierarchy. His right arm and leg are entirely mechanical, the silver and grey stark against his natural green and gold colouring, as is the metal plate covering the missing half of his face. But don’t think that makes his eyesight, or his laser vision, any less accurate.

He is not quite as harsh a taskmaster as Tridax seems to think he though, as he is a decent enough commander to understand that down-time is not just important but pretty much necessary. You can’t keep your troops constantly wound up or they’ll snap, so he is perfectly happy to let the students do what they like with their time off regardless of how little military potential Tridax may see in it.

 

 

Palma

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Someone was needed to make sure the students were kept hale and hearty, and given how likely, or rather certain it was that the students would injure themselves or others that someone needed to be very very good at their job. I selected Palma for this task, a Rahkshi that has been in my service for many years now. Its knowledge of medical matters is unrivalled by any, and I would say outclasses even some of my fellow Makuta. In addition I feel that, as a loyal and well-trained Rahkshi, it makes an excellent example of what the students should be aspiring to.

 

Palma is a Rahkshi of Quick Healing, and while not one of the new breed has intelligence enough from being a full-blown Shadow Kraata that she can match wits with them. Oh yes, thats right, Palma identifies as female, something she has only started to do in recent months. Seems the personalities of the students might be a little catching.

Normally a bog standard brown and black, the colours of her kind, she’s adopted the practise of colouring the armour plates of her shoulders white with crossing red bands running across them, signifying her more supportive medical role. Though school nurse is not the limit of her role, she also acts as unofficial teacher of biological and anatomical matters that the students ask after, a fair number wishing to become healers themselves.

 

 

The Porters

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

The Porters are a batch of what I understand have been named ‘Fohrok’ by some of the underlings within the Brotherhood. Admittedly the last time we commissioned an army of these machines it did not turn out so well, but after promising not to exact any more vengeance on the Ghosts once we had eliminated those responsible for that fiasco we managed to broker another deal. We have a small platoon of them to carry out maintenance and fix things the living building cannot fix itself. And, for reasons I cannot explain, they have a bizarre fixation on the flower beds around the dormitory courtyard. Curious.

 

Carrying out most of the more menial tasks are the Porters, funny little things that can often be seen rolling about the school heading to whatever needs fixing. They’re harmless really, and quite polite in a passive and completely silent way. If you get in their way they’ll just stand stock still, chittering slightly, until you move. Still enough of them in one place, with their yellow and black colours and unblinking glowing eyes, and they bear an unsettling resemblance to a swarm of large land-bound wasps. Their unusual fascination with tending the small garden in the dormitory area is a little gift from the Nynrah Ghosts, this time being a bit more subtle in their efforts to prevent the Fohrok being used as an army.

 

 

Assignments

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Most of the time I am happy to let the Rahkshi simply develop as they will. Why force a natural strategist to haul weights, why teach a keen healer to break bones rather than set them, why cage a skilled martial warrior within a prison of books? The students each have different talents, often depending on their personalities rather than powers, and any talent can have a purpose to someone with enough reason to see its use. 

There a few occasions where I feel a little more…direction is needed. Just to give the students a push along the right path. These assignments will usually be long term projects for the students to complete but I understand Suvak is planning a few that are a little more instant in their gratification.

 

This RPG is, in general, a sandbox that simply lets you play around with the fact that you’re in a high school made for and filled with Rahkshi. But if the inevitable craziness that will ensue from that premise doesn’t sate your role-playing needs then the Corpus Rahkshi staff will be giving your characters various projects or missions. Think of them as mid-terms. The first of these projects will be started as soon as the game gets off the ground. 

These assignments are not mandatory, but taking part and completing them will give you a decent boost to your experience and boost how fast you level up. 

 

 

Profile

To join up you’ll need to write up a profile and get it approved (with this rule and profile also applying to any Kaita you wish to form). I’ll go a bit more in depth into what each one is about but if you think you’ve got the hang of it then here’s the basic form for you to copy and fill in. There is currently no limit on how many characters you can create.

 

Name:

Variation:

Level:

Gender:

Gear:

Appearance:

Personality:

Bio:

 

And with that here’s a little more information that should help answer any questions you might have, thought if you still have any feel free to just ask.

 

 

Names

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

As representations of their individuality, most of the students have picked out names of their own choosing. Some have taken a word they find particularly meaningful or identifiable. Others have just mashed a random series of syllables together. I know of at few who have simply named themselves after the first thing they saw with Rahkshi eyes. I’m sure they consider it most poetic but having a dozen students all called Floor makes it very difficult to tell them apart.

 

A fairly self-explanatory section, simply give your character a name. And since your characters are going round just making up their own names you’ve got pretty much free rein over what you pick. Heck I’ll even allow real world names if they’re not glaringly obvious. Just be warned, if you choose to name your character something like SuperShadoSlug616 then, while it won’t be automatically disallowed, you can expect your character to be mocked at every turn for every waking second of every day for naming themselves something so ridiculous. 

 

 

Variation

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

The fault that causes the enhanced mental capacity of the students does not seem to be limited to any particular genus of kraata. Each of the forty-two different sub-species of known and catalogued kraata has at least one representative within the student body.

 

Another fairly simple one, what are you a Rahkshi of? You have forty-two flavours to pick from ranging from Ice Resistance to Plasma, bound to be one that takes your fancy.

 

 

Level

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

So far all the new breed of kraata are, well, new. All of them are recently created, there’s none older than a year. In a way I quite like seeing them so fresh and raw, it means I have greater opportunity to study their development.

 

As mentioned previously all characters will start off at level 2, which I’d hoped would be a decent compromise between giving you some actually effective abilities while not making them so powerful you can just blast your way through problems without thinking. Levelling your character up will be decided by the staff on a case by case basis. If you’ve been posting very frequently, having your character train a lot and interact a lot then of course you’re going to level up, its just common sense. But if perhaps you don’t have as much free time and don’t post as much but make sure each of your posts is a well crafted thing of beauty, then thats going to earn you credit just the same.

Also worth noting is that, despite the Brotherhood’s best efforts to focus Corpus Rahkshi on more military aspects of life, you do get experience for other activities since, with your characters being so young, everything is a new experience for them. Go learn smithing from the Nynrah Ghosts, form a band with some friends, both just as valid a method for levelling up as regular sessions at the Gym. There are many roads to be becoming a Shadow Kraata and they’re all as valid as each other.

 

 

Gender

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Hmm. No, even my superior mind has trouble with this particular concept. I never thought of Rahkshi as either male or female in any aspect of my works or life before and frankly care little about it now. I suppose that if we’re going to call them Sons of Makuta it makes sense to let some choose to be our Daughters instead.

 

You might think this one is fairly simple, but I’ve done things a little differently. See, I figure since Rahkshi are just slugs in armour any gender they have is entirely their up to own choice and preference, so why stick with just the binary male/female option. If you want feel free to, for example, be both. Or neither. Or alternate between them depending what day it is. The Rahkshi are getting a completely free choice in the matter, I don’t see why you players shouldn’t as well.

 

 

Gear

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

We were a little reluctant to give the students authentic Rahkshi staves right off the mark given how untested they were. Who knew what kind of boosting or accelerating effect it would have on them? So instead they were given access to the academy’s small armoury where they could pick out simple weaponry for day to day use. However we have started to notice this weaponry getting a lot less simple, and the students starting to carry more intricate gadgets. I strongly suspect the Ghosts’ involvement but, as yet, do not know how or where they are getting this equipment into the school.

 

This would be for what your character carries around with them. Owning some form of weaponry is about as close to a uniform as the school gets, and you needn’t feel restricted to the long staffs that are the Rahkshi’s trademark. 

This would also be the place to list more personal items. Maybe you have some trinket or gewgaw, maybe you carry some tools, maybe you’ve got yourself an instrument, that sort of thing. Though with these and the weapons don’t overdo it with how amazing or powerful they are. You may have the Nynrah Ghosts making you stuff but they still want paying and you’re limited by what you can practically afford. Favours can only get you so far. 

 

 

Appearance

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

The differences between the regular Rahkshi and the newly developed variety is purely mental, there’s no obvious physical differences between the two species. Well, not until the new breed start expressing themselves again. They’ve developed a taste for body modifications, adding designs or piercings to themselves to distinguish themselves from each other. Its unusual but ultimately harmless.

 

Yes you’re going to look like a Rahkshi, that much is obvious, but have you made any changes or additions to yourself? Perhaps your character has picked up some tattoos or armour decals. Perhaps you’ve changed your colours up to confuse your enemies. Or maybe you’re just naturally a little different from other Rahkshi, a bit burlier or a bit shorter and such. Just let the creative juices flow.

 

 

Personality

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

A consequence of the increased brainpower the students is that they’re exhibiting much more developed identities and personalities than normal. Rahkshi usually have certain traits that define their particular variation -a Guurahk will carefully study its prey,  a Kurahk is always be swift to anger and so on- but what the new breed are demonstrating is much more advanced and often not even related to those traits. Which makes so little sense it offends me.

 

I know there’s a decent sized chunk of players who don’t like these sections, and prefer to let their characters personality show through their writing, but I figured since the entire point of the RPG is that the Rahkshi are developing personalities of their own then a section in the profile was probably needed. Doesn’t need to be an essay, maybe just a brief description of the basic traits of your character.

 

 

Bio

 

~From the Notes and Observations of Makuta Tridax, Master of the Isle of Nynrah~

Most of the students are new to this world so haven’t had a chance to build up much of a career or reputation. However I’m sure that within the groups and cliques that are forming within the student body there are many that would consider themselves important.

 

As a freshly created beings your bios aren’t going to be too long, most of your entire existence so far consists of the months you’ve sent at the school. But thats still plenty of time to have accomplished things. Leant some new skills, made something you’re proud of, made some choices about your life, lots to be done. And feel free to talk with your friends, arrange for your characters to also be friends (or indeed enemies) in-game, you’ve had the time to build relationships like that.

 

 

Rules

 

• BZP rules do, of course, apply. Should go without saying but I’m going to anyway
• No god-modding thank you. This includes pulling new powers out of nowhere, defeating hundreds of enemies without breaking a sweat, shrugging off any attack that hits you and so forth.
• By similar token don’t go controlling other people’s characters too much without their permission. Having them do something minor or speak a few words isn’t too much of a quibble but keep anything too big for your own characters.
• Don’t be too silly with your RPing. I know this is a game about teenage Rahkshi in a high school but thats no excuse to go around with a custard pie gun shooting everyone in the face. Unless you have a perfectly legitimate reason for it at least.
• Playing the game is really simple. You simple use the acronym IC (In Character) to denote what it is your character is doing or saying, and OOC (Out Of Character) for anything that is you as a person. For example:

 

IC: Floor waited in line at the Refectory, wondering if today would be the greyish sludge with mysterious lumps or the mysterious sludge with greyish lumps

 

OOC: Available for interaction if anyone wants to be next in line

 

• Since people will be reading your posts to know whats going on please try to keep them as legible and understandable as possible. Grammar is your friend.
• Try not to take things too personally. If one player’s character is attacking or insulting one of your characters it is not an attack on you by proxy. I’ve seen even veteran RPers forget this on occasion so just bear it in mind. 

 

 

Well thats all the boring stuff out the way, lets get this started and have fun!

Edited October 18, 2014 by I Am Ultron Six

[Akavakaku]

Anxiously awaiting the day when, I hope, this RP opens!

[Constructelf]

Oi, just a few questions about the Rahkshi RP.

 

Firstly, in the personality section, you mentioned something about the Rahkshi keeping their defining traits in spite of gaining full personalities. However, we only have that detailed info on the MoL Rahkshi; the rest of them have no personality information. What do we do then? Start from scratch?

 

Secondly, some of the Rahkshi powers can be quite OP even at low levels if applied right. Things like dodge, density control, limited invulnerability, accuracy, teleportation, stasis field; basically, powers that either guarantee a hit or significantly decrease the likelihood of being hit or being majorly damaged by that hit. Will certain powers be more tightly monitored than others?

 

In the weaponry section, it is mentioned you can loan out basic weapons (I'm assuming stuff like swords and spears). How well are powers channeled through them? And can you fly with them?

 

Lastly, can I make a disco-themed rahkshi of sonics that got kicked around since he was born?

[Akavakaku]

Rahkshi usually have certain traits that define their particular variation -a Guurahk will carefully study its prey,  a Kurahk is always be swift to anger and so on- but what the new breed are demonstrating is much more advanced and often not even related to those traits. Which makes so little sense it offends me.

I think the message here is that these smart Rahkshi don't necessarily have the "typical" personality for their power.

Edited October 19, 2014 by Akavakaku

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Firstly, in the personality section, you mentioned something about the Rahkshi keeping their defining traits in spite of gaining full personalities.

 

Actually it says that:

what the new breed are demonstrating is much more advanced and often not even related to those traits

So no, personalities are not based on pre-determined characteristics, you're free to do whatever you like.

 

 

​Secondly, some of the Rahkshi powers can be quite OP even at low levels if applied right. Things like dodge, density control, limited invulnerability, accuracy, teleportation, stasis field; basically, powers that either guarantee a hit or significantly decrease the likelihood of being hit or being majorly damaged by that hit. Will certain powers be more tightly monitored than others?

 

This was the reason everyone starts off at level 2. Sure a top tier Stasis Field Rahkshi can freeze you in time with naught but a blink, but level 2? They can only stop you briefly and they have to touch you to do it. Doesn't sound so OP to me. Its the same across all the powers, that low down they have significant flaws and weaknesses that can be exploited. And yes some powers will start to get a bit more OP as they develop but I'd have hoped by then the other students would have figured out ways to get around and counter them. Limited Invulnerability, for example, you could just send them flying by blowing the ground up beneath their feet (protects them from harm, doesn't stop the effects of inertia) or suck the air away from their lungs since they need to breathe no matter how invulnerable they are. By growing up around powers like these you're very likely to get used to them and figure out all the little tricks to beating them

 

 

In the weaponry section, it is mentioned you can loan out basic weapons (I'm assuming stuff like swords and spears). How well are powers channeled through them? And can you fly with them?

 

Swords, spears, knives, quarterstaffs, anything really. Powers are channeled reasonably well through them, but they don't give you the same boost as a properly created Rahkshi staff. And flight is more based on how it is in MoL, where the Rahkshi can just fly naturally without somehow splitting their staffs for propulsion. You don't strictly speaking need weaponry for flight.

 

 

Lastly, can I make a disco-themed rahkshi of sonics that got kicked around since he was born?

 

Hey, I ain't gonna stop you XD

Edited October 19, 2014 by I Am Ultron Six

[NorikSigma]

Dibs on Rahkshi named Ceiling or Glass.

 

On a more serious question: will the RPG be so freeform that there basically is no need to, say, follow timetables?

 

What level of technological doodads and thingyjigs are allowed? Small handheld weapons I assume?

[Evex_Wolfwing]

Corpus Rahkshi has my attention. 

 

Question: Could a PC Rahkshi change their name, say after some important event or revelation in their lives?

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

On a more serious question: will the RPG be so freeform that there basically is no need to, say, follow timetables?

Oh god yes. No-one wants to join an RPG and follow time tables. The only real schoolwork are the assignments, every thing else is your time

 

 

What level of technological doodads and thingyjigs are allowed? Small handheld weapons I assume?

Yeah you're allowed stuff like Zamors or even Cordak. Because a Rahkshi with a rocket-launcher/minigun sounds like the most awesome thing ever. 

 

Corpus Rahkshi has my attention. 

 

Question: Could a PC Rahkshi change their name, say after some important event or revelation in their lives?

Yep. Their names are entirely up to them

[Shadowhawk]

Just a quick question about the Rahkshi high school RPG concept... how does romance work in this game, if it's even present at all? I mean, it's not like I'm some mushy person who enjoys reading and writing sappy soap opera teenage love tales, but at least in our human real-life world, such things are a whole important facet of stereotypical high school drama; a facet that I didn't really see discussed anywhere.

Just thought I'd mention it.

[NorikSigma]

I mean, I like romance sub-plots if done well, but Kraata/Rahkshi kissing...

Edited October 20, 2014 by Norik Of Celtania

[Silvan Haven]

Got to be honest, rahkshi romance is just kind of eeeeehhhhh...

[shadow pridak money gang]

give me a partner in crime and three months

 

-Tyler

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Rahkshi RPG? Count me in!

[Constructelf]

Rahkshi RP: will we be allowed to eventually play as teachers (whether student teachers or full, paid teachers) or other staff?

Edited October 20, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[Evex_Wolfwing]

EDIT: Honestly a stupid thing to say, if a mod could please delete this...

Edited October 21, 2014 by Evex_Wolfwing

[Razgriz]

give me a partner in crime and three months

 

-Tyler

 you rang brother

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

I mean, I like romance sub-plots if done well, but Kraata/Rahkshi kissing...

 

Got to be honest, rahkshi romance is just kind of eeeeehhhhh...

 

What exactly makes Rahkshi romance so much more unappealing than regular Bionicle romance? I mean two Toa would basically just be mashing their mechanical faces together like some weird clockwork if they kissed, whats so romantic about that? At least Rahkshi have lips. Quite a lot of lips judging by those split-mouths the movie gave them. Thats like romance times five right?

 

 

Rahkshi RP: will we be allowed to eventually play as teachers (whether student teachers or full, paid teachers) or other staff?

Sure why not, assuming you can prove yourself worthy of the role. 

[Tea-rex]

Sounds very nice! A Rakshi RPG is very different.

Just wondering though - will it take place in a different place to the current main RPG, or will it be completely separate.

[shadow pridak money gang]

All RPGs in this forum are totally separate from one another unless explicitly stated to exist in the same universe - and none of them exist in the same universe as the BZPRPG.

 

-Tyler

[Evex_Wolfwing]

 

I mean, I like romance sub-plots if done well, but Kraata/Rahkshi kissing...

 

Got to be honest, rahkshi romance is just kind of eeeeehhhhh...

 

What exactly makes Rahkshi romance so much more unappealing than regular Bionicle romance? I mean two Toa would basically just be mashing their mechanical faces together like some weird clockwork if they kissed, whats so romantic about that? At least Rahkshi have lips. Quite a lot of lips judging by those split-mouths the movie gave them. Thats like romance times five right?

 

This guy knows what's up.

[Silvan Haven]

Yes, but one is a giant snake/slug thing inside a suit of powered combat armor and the other is a biomechanical being that looks pretty much like a person.

[Constructelf]

Also, will the identity of our character's "dad/mom" have any significance? Would there be any benefit to having a Rahkshi being spawned from Tridax or any other particular Makuta?

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Yes, but one is a giant snake/slug thing inside a suit of powered combat armor and the other is a biomechanical being that looks pretty much like a person.

You mean your face looks a bit like this? Yeesh, I'd see a doctor dude, you might need surgery

 

 

Also, will the identity of our character's "dad/mom" have any significance? Would there be any benefit to having a Rahkshi being spawned from Tridax or any other particular Makuta?

Might depend on the Makuta. Tridax clearly doesn't care much for the Rahkshi beyond their curiosity value so he's probably a pretty bad dad but I can see someone like Antroz perhaps taking a bit more of an interest. 

[Silvan Haven]

I said pretty much, not exactly.

[Keeper of Kraata]

"I love you, Makuta Dad."

 

"I love you, Rahkshi son."

 

- What all kraata strive for

[Shadowhawk]

I mean, I like romance sub-plots if done well, but Kraata/Rahkshi kissing...

Romance does not mean the same thing as kissing. Especially not in a fantasy/sci-fi world. Who says Kraata do things the same way humans do, or why should we even assume they might want to? They don't even look like humans, let alone think like them.

 

Just sayin'.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

I said pretty much, not exactly.

 

Your definition of "pretty much" fills me with terror.

 

That being said, I think the reason why I'd be iffy on Rahkshi romance is that, at its basest level, romance is the result of certain biological urges which a Kraata would find lacking. Teenage romance doubly so, if not more. While it can be explained for Matoran and the like even without the presence of those urges based on the fact that their minds were patterned after Agori, Makuta are as alien to their fellows as we would be, and the Kraata even moreso.

 

Of course, there's ways to circumvent those issues. Someone passing around a copy of an unusual book from Nynrah, for instance. What I'd be interested to see is how somebody handled it. It's not exactly the "OMG she is soooo beautiful just look at that perfect hair!" sort of situation, after all.

 

Or maybe it is. What do I know?

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

 

EDIT: Also, quoted for truth:

 

Romance does not mean the same thing as kissing. Especially not in a fantasy/sci-fi world. Who says Kraata do things the same way humans do, or why should we even assume they might want to? They don't even look like humans, let alone think like them.

Just sayin'.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Would my Rahkshi character be allowed to have a unique background/creation story?

[Constructelf]

Would my Rahkshi character be allowed to have a unique background/creation story?

What do you mean? Something over than "was spawned, dumped into a suit of armor, then shipped to school"?

[NorikSigma]

Don't get me wrong, I'm totes fine with Rahkshi romance. I just spoke without thinking, sorry. I see your point now.

 

Five lips are better than two.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Would my Rahkshi character be allowed to have a unique background/creation story?

Depends on the story. Bear in mind that the quirk giving the Rahkshi their intelligence is a biological thing that the Makuta have no idea about so if you're intending to be a clone or other lab experiment you probably aren't going to have developed it and so wouldn't be at the school

[25K Now!]

Rahkshi Dating Advice Guru character in the works.

[Akavakaku]

Rahkshi Dating Advice Guru character in the works.

Hoping for genuinely useful advice mixed in with horribly distorted misinterpretations of Makuta, Matoran and Skakdi culture.

[Eyru]

Guys, keep in mind that this topic is for the discussion and criticism of RPGs, not for character planning or questions that don't have anything to do with improving the RPG.