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Toa Levacius Zehvor

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About Toa Levacius Zehvor

  • Birthday 03/31/1997

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  1. Disclaimer Beforehand: I don't personally think the word filter is necessary. I was always familiar with a long enough list of expletives by the age of eight to rival most adults, and I'm sure with the diversity of BZP's userbase, more than a few played the Pokemon swear-word game even better than I did. With the exception of the most explicit of words - mostly those referring to sexual exploits - I don't think there's a problem with them, particularly in light of BRPG having a generally older audience than the BZP average. That being said, BZP is a Bionicle fan-site, with some degree of sponsorship (which, not being part of admin, I'm not aware of the full details on). While I may be making assumptions, I'm fairly sure following policies handed down from LEGO - for instance, the spoiler policy - is a pretty important thing. And unless we're going to age-gate one forum - which simply encourages people to lie about their age, and is thus pointless - we can't lift the ban elsewhere. So I can understand why the policy is in place. Does this really need to be asked? Disregard this. Swear words are a part of language, which is simply a means to convey an idea. The idea behind a swear word, then, is more important than the actual composition of letters. Be it a female canine, a child born out of wedlock, a persons rear end, someone's unpleasant fate in the afterlife, a racist slur, or even carnal acts, something is being said. The intention may be to offend, or it may be to express irritation. If the intention for your character is to say something offensive, you can either make use of Bionicle-approved swear-words (Karzahni, Piraka, more?), or you can actually be a creative writer, and come up with better insults. Sarcasm is a powerful tool, and figurative language as a whole can be used to create far more interesting commentary than a single, one-word swear. It can also be a powerful way of expressing the differences between characters intellect; less intelligent ones can't into sarcasm, and simply come up with simple insults, while a more intelligent one will be more adept at subtle, sometimes extended comments. For when the intention is to express irritation, see my above post; you don't actually need to type out a word to carry the idea across. More importantly, you don't need to actively define the idea, which spares you having to worry about bypassing the word-filter. Only the irritation is carried through to the reader, allowing them to fill in the blanks. Now, before someone accuses me of not reading the context of the posts: I did. And in that given context, there's nothing inherently wrong about them. However, it's very easy for someone, particularly a younger member (from experience, I'd say the 12-15 age group), to get the idea that they might, perhaps, be allowed to bend the rules in other places. While one would hope to have more faith in newer members than that, let's not forget that we've become significantly more liberal in what's been allowed to slip by over the last five years or so. This was perfectly fine with Bionicle dead; with the reboot, cleaning house is an unfortunate side-effect. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with it. They just aren't very funny. While no doubt fun for the writer, the audience is not guaranteed to feel the same way. Personally, I find anything which breaks the narrative flow to be distracting and out of place, on par with a random pie-in-the-face gag breaking out in the midst of the RPG's climactic end-fight. Still, depending on context (as with the puns) I can't imagine there's anything inherently wrong with it. Maybe I'm wrong? :shrug: Overall, it just comes across as unnecessary. Immature? Not so much. But definitely unnecessary, and perhaps a little forced. But don't take my word on any of it. I think the rule was "if it fit's in a PG-13 movie, it's fine", but with the broad range that entails, I'm not entirely certain. Better to just wait for B6 to rule one way or another than go charging head-first into an edited post. -Toa Levacius Zehvor P.S.: I feel like I'm waving a flag around that says, "No Fun Allowed", but this discussion isn't giving me "this will definitely end well for everybody involved" vibes. End Note: If the formatting is wonky on this, it's because I've been having difficulties getting the BZP posting box to work right on Pale Moon. The older members on the site may recall the days of having to code their posts? Yeah, I don't miss that part.
  2. You can always just not have an expletive said. Let the reader use their own imagination to fill in the gaps. The other main trick is to just have something cut a character off. The good old fashioned, "Oh..." *crash; or the always lovely, "Why don't you take your sword and -" *crash*. There's no reason to make up alternative swears or dodge wordfilters when you apply your writing skills creatively. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  3. This is a good thread. I like this thread. In terms of power, though, I'd say the list is about as follows - Mata-Nui (Robot) Tren Krom Golden-Skinned Being Artahka (On-Island) Karzahni (On-Island) Brtuaka (Antidermis Charged) Teridax Voporak Tuyet (Toa Stone)* Toa Nuva (No Toa Code) Element Lords Artahka (Off-Island) Miserix Takanuva (Karda-Nui) Icarax Botar Helryx* The Shadowed One Karda-Nui Makuta Brutaka/Axonn Average OoMN Member Average Makuta Karzahni (Off-Island) Toa Nuva Powerful Dark Hunters/Piraka Takanuva(Normal) Toa Inika Barraki Average BoM Servant Toa Mata Average Toa (Mahri, Metru, etc.)* Average Dark Hunter POWER GAP Unimportant Characters I've also lowered Toa a few ranks below where they should reasonably be, because of the Toa Code and so forth which bind them. If a Toa is actually using their full power, they're only just below the Makuta in terms of power; we know this because what's-his-face supposedly used his iron powers to outright kill a Makuta. Mata-Nui is a no-brainer. Tren Krom is very much similar to a god or demon in the Matoran Universe. His power isn't completely know, but it was enough to keep the entire Federation terrified. Of course, he's limited pretty much to one island; set free, we have no way of knowing just how powerful he really was. Artahka, while on his island, is known to have access to immense power and resources. Teleporting people, using telepathy, providing virtually and equipment at will. If we further add the Matoran, Crystal Serpents, and so forth to his span of control, he's capable of fending off the army of the Brotherhood of Makuta single-handedly; if we expand his power to include his contacts, such as the Order, he can have anyone in the universe killed, including Makuta, with a few words. His "off-island" rating his based on the fact we know he was enough of a threat to at least cow Miserix, but not... well, we'll get to her. Karzahni's power seems to fluctuate. I'd project the given amount based on his seeming authority on the island, including military forces, combined with what we know of his mask, ability to channel energy attacks, and that he was at least on par with Artahka. His "off-island" power is projected based on comparing his performance in The Pit versus the other players involved; of course, as he was mutated by the Pit, it's difficult to give an accurate rating. The Golden Skinned being has the power to make dreams reality; it is essentially in possession of nearly unlimited power, perhaps even more than Tren Krom and the like. Its ability to create an entire settlement by willing it shows power at least equal to Artahka and Karzahni; that it created it from nothing, even more so. Brutaka, with full antidermis powers, appears to have the ability to not only see the future, but also all of his old powers, and those of the Makuta. Even if Shadow is missing, this makes him a very dangerous adversary, and more powerful than any entity other than the "world builders". Teridax is ranked next not just because of sheer power, but because of how he uses it. He's thrashed Miserix and Icarax, both established to be "most powerful" at some point. Further, his encounter with Karzahni shows his willpower and ability to be enough to shatter the effects of a near-legendary mask; his ability to wear the Mask of Shadows shows similar immense will. And while this is speculation, I find it difficult to imagine he couldn't either overpower or out-think Artahka simply enough, if it came down to a forced confrontation off-island. Voporak can age light (somehow) and wipe out armies of Rahkshi. He is definitely more than a match for pretty much any Makuta other than Teridax, who could win only by outsmarting him. Tuyet, in possession of the Toa Stone, is just shy of Teridax. She might even become more powerful, if she uses the Stone enough. Further, as she has no moral compulsion to follow the Toa Code, she's easily the most dangerous being in the Matoran Universe; enough so that we know she barely considered the other beings in the Core Processor to be a threat. Add in the element of surprise - nobody really comprehends just how dangerous she is, after all - and you have the most dangerous Toa in the MU. The Element Lords are basically the embodiments of their elements, as Teridax embodies shadow. This is only a guesstimate, based on what we know about them. Miserix was known to be the most powerful Makuta, until Teridax proved him wrong. He's presumably not a match for Tuyet either, so he goes down here. Icarax was also very powerful, but there's a slight power gap between him and Mixerix, which is easily filled by Takanuva with his full charge from Karda-Nui. While there, in possession of both heightened light powers and shadow, Takanuva showed himself more than a match for the Makuta; and that was with some remaining morals, and being held back. Of course, without his power-bump, he is (presumably) less powerful than the Toa Nuva. Whatever Greg says, I guess. Helryx is said to be one of the most powerful beings on the OoMN, and at least a match for a fleet of Dark Hunters. She may be less "powerful" than Gali and the other Nuva, but she's far more experienced, and willing to get things done. The Shadowed One seemed fairly confident that he could take Teridax, but wound up being out-maneuvered by both him and Vakama; not to mention out-powered. But while he couldn't match the Leader of the Brotherhood, there are certainly other Makuta; and while Icarax or Miserix could presumably thrash him, I'd consider it safe to place him on a level above the others. The Karda-Nui Maktua were the elites of their kind, so just below that. Brutaka and Axonn were tough for the OoMN, but both were below the more powerful Makuta, and below Botar. Botar would presumably be even higher than he is on the list, going off of his dealing with the Barraki and Teridax, but Icarax crushing him (literally) bumps his power level down. The OoMN, in terms of "members", is presumably even smaller than the Brotherhood; evidence shows this may be the case, with some beings such as Krakua acting as allies, but that being the extent of it. We also know, thanks to the fate of Tridax and Kojol, that these members can deal with Makuta quite effectively; thus, their ranking goes just above that of the average Makuta. The Toa Nuva are said to be the most powerful Toa. If they were to make use of their full power, as Gali was forced to against Icarax, they'd be higher; considering they're presumably above the Element Lords, placing them on that level seems the most appropriate. The Toa Inika were a new kind of Toa, for their short time with intertwined lightning powers, and with intelligent masks to aid them. While Greg tells us they're below the Toa Nuva, I have my doubts on that. But we'll respect Word of Greg on this. The Piraka rank between them, along with (presumably) the other powerful Dark Hunters, such as Lariska (not "powerful", but we know what she con do) and Ancient. While they showed themselves as more powerful than an individual Inika, their collective group was unable to work together well, and was trumped. They were less powerful than the Toa Nuva, but won because of the element of surprise, their ruthless actions, and the aid of Brutaka. The Barraki, I'm guesstimating. We know that some didn't consider Toa to be a threat, while others (like Takadox) were more wary. In any case, they were smart, and we're unsure of just how far their abilities extend; thus, they rank where they are. Pridak being a former BoM servant, and a powerful one, bumps him above beings like Sidorak, who were Brotherhood servants. However, based on testimony of such beings, we can be at least somewhat sure that some of these servants, such as Roodaka, went above the average Toa. Presumably, because of experience, even the Toa Mata. So there they are. Toa Mata go above the average Toa, because story reason and stuff. And, in turn, the average Toa presumably trumps the average Dark Hunter, based on the fact it took two of them (Nidihka and Krekka) to nab a single Toa (experience aside; both were equal in that department). ------------------------ So yeah, that's the closest I can think of to an accurate power gauge. Some things may be off, but whatever. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  4. While my current circumstances with regard to time make it pretty much impossible for me to play this RPG (it wouldn't be unfair for me to be suddenly absent for days and holding up the game for whoever I was fighting), I nevertheless want it said that the third tag alone has me wishing the very best for this RPG. Good luck, GMs, and keep this thing as active as the Planning Topic was. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  5. I'm pretty sure this is the second time within a few months that Dreamland has revisited me. It was a good RPG. Maybe instead of doing it on purpose, the characters crashed into the island while riding a massive airship to Metru-Nui? Of course, that on it's own wouldn't be enough. We'll need to include some sort of secret organization, a few weird monsters. Maybe even an island teleporter of some kind? And of course, a really great plot twist at the end; something completely out of left field, like everyone being dead or something. That's original, right? Regardless, it brings up a good point - thinking up something original for the plot. Shoot, you're living the dream. Just throw in a few political and philosophical debates and it'd be perfect. [/sarcasmnotsarcasm] -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  6. Hello, Ssendam. Let's talk about your RPG. This is more of a semantics question, but in what was it it bigger? Metru-Nui isn't a particularly large island on a physical scale, so is the implication of Krakas' size more of a metaphorical one, rather than actual? Or is the island itself also meant to be extraordinarily big. In some ways, this can be a fairly important factors; when the scale of an island becomes too large, it becomes unrealistic for players to come into contact with each other over the distances assumed, because of the huge gaps for size. Keeping the island just slightly bigger than Metru-Nui in size, while maintaining its mythical status, would seem the more prudent option. I'd also add that the Brotherhood supposedly operates without giving their names; they're simply referred to as such by their status. The lack of knowledge of the Makuta's name thus seems very appropriate, and should be heavily enforced to add to the mystique of the setting. An interesting framing device, to be sure. If we could get a map of the island, though, that would certainly be helpful; considering that the setting itself seems fairly interesting, I'd be willing to help in that aspect. As it stands, we don't have quite as much proof of destruction as could be offered. To bring up an old spiel of mine - This is not the BZPRPG. Limiting the players options in terms of species and the like is an unnecessary limitation; other than blanket rules like "please don't be a Makuta" and "no, you can't have the Mask of Life" which should be blatantly obvious, there's no sense in having them. I also wouldn't limit the natives to being only Matoran, either; having a few unusually twisted Skakdi crawling about, for instance; or perhaps even a stranger species, like one of the ones the Dark Hunters come from. We definitely need a story of some time. If I could suggest: Faced with the possibility of profit, some large company (possibly Xian based) decides to fund a treasure hunting expedition, gathering volunteers and sending them to the island. They set-up base camp, and begin the task of exploring; of course, problems immediately begin to arise, and everything just starts to collapse, as various splinter groups begin to form. Players could also opt to be independently funded, and come via their own means; perhaps even as a group. These independent groups wander the island, and post just as big of a threat; however, the natives, who themselves have their own various tribes, are not particularly pleased at the intrusion. Or at least, that's how it appears; only a few xenophobic natives are actually responsible for the killings which begin. Which begs the question: what is behind the killings? Just dangle some plot threads around. These are pretty cool. Could use some work, but we'll wait until further into the process for that. As is, this is a good start to an RPG. We just need to start seeing the mechanics, rulings, and so forth; but as a proposal, it's pretty sound. We just need to start seeing characters and plot. EDIT: Oh, and - Tsk, third person. I'm not that easy to get rid of. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  7. No doubt, a larger staff would be helpful, to pay attention. Though further notes, further down in this post. The biggest ruling would, of course, be a simple guideline for the GM not to take action unless an action was clearly outside the norm, and to do so with full authority (no arguments) when doing so. Because sometimes, when your mind is stocked with seventy or so characters from dozens of RPGs, and your only chance to post is late at night when your eyelids are collapsing, a quick reference for consistency isn't entirely out of the question. Further, having the personality section present allows the GM to be sure that a character isn't going to be a disruption; if an RPG about role-playing in a police department spawns a character whose personality is "unorganized, disruptive, and loves explosions", then perhaps that character shouldn't be allowed to start the game with the rank of detective. Silvan, you seem to be confusing the point of the conversation. It's not about prohibiting changes to characters; it's about preventing blatant, disruptive shifts, while at the same time encouraging changes, as part of the plot. That is to say, trying something new: instead of character development happening separately from the main body, it becomes the main focus. And it has the potential to work out extremely well, especially with mature players who are actually willing to role-play, instead of just reacting to things happening. To prevent the circular logic GSR mentioned from inevitably coming up, I'll just ask this (seeing as I'm haven't actively played in some time) - Is the average player on the BRPG forum both competent enough to write a developing character, and mature enough to take advice on doing so? Or is that no longer the case? I don't believe it was ever a metric to be utilized, either. Compare: Han Solo at the start of A New Hope wouldn't have returned at the end. However, the events of the film lead to him making the decision to turn around at the very end; character development. However, sending the co-ordinates and information about the plan to the Empire, and turning around to help them by targeting Rebel ships? That would have run directly counter to every prior action, and all established traits. There are no percentages or measures; it's simply a measure of paying attention. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  8. Sorry, that doesn't make any sense. Why would other players need to know your characters personality, unless they were looking for meta-game knowledge? The characters personality, for them, should be based upon dialogue; not based upon the profile. The profile is there for you, the player. You design your character; you decide who they will be, and what they can do. And once more, role-playing. In any case, where do you read "tell the player how to use their own creation?" You are the one who wrote it. Other people are not telling you how to play your character; you are the one who is doing the telling! Over the course of the game, your character is meant to adapt and change dynamically; thankfully, this forum supports post editing. Unless you're suggesting players are incapable of playing the very characters they wrote, I don't see how it's a problem. How did you get my e-mail address? -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  9. I don't mean exactly word-for-word; I'm referring to blatant exaggerations. If your character is established as being "loyal" in their profile block, as their pretty much defining personality trait, suddenly backstabbing their allies and running away is a blatant violation of the meta. In other RPGs, this would just happen as some random moment, and would create a break in the narrative. However, the idea I propose offers a solution to it; instead of acting out of character, they were simply acting in-character for the Makuta possessing them, representing loss of control. And daily reminder that "role-playing" indicates you have a role to play, and you're meant to operate within that role. The challenge in an RPG comes just as much from playing the part as fighting other players. It should be more, really. That's the reason for the pacing. In essence, the idea is that every character would have their personality change, because it's being forced onto them. The challenge is to see how much of it remains. You can always adjust the pace based on how quickly the RPG is going. If the story's good enough, you won't even need to. And restrictive? No more so than any other RPG; it just gives a more organic method to the restrictions, so while more apparent, they don't feel as forced. I'd also say an RPG where you're meant to stick closer to your role would be a good exercise for newer writers; particularly those who aren't as comfortable with keeping a cohesive character. I know for certain one of the earliest difficulties I had was learning to write characters with definitive "voices", rather than just the same character with different appearances, powers, and exaggerated traits. Heck, I still consider it one of the toughest things to do. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  10. Or perhaps a more interesting scenario: The Makuta inhabiting the host can access none of their Kraata powers, save for mental ones such as Mind Reading; all of the other powers are held by their host, who is simply unaware of their presence, and has no way of using. The powers go off randomly; dodging a thrown knife out of the blue, instinctively creating a magnetic burst, that sort of thing. As they adapt to their powers, the Makuta within them grows more powerful, and as a result begins to have a greater influence over the host. And, of course, the struggle to retain mental control forces them to limit their powers; basically, a means to prevent godmoding. I'd suggest having players be granted permission to hone their abilities based upon proper roleplaying; if they do well enough, they maintain balance against the Makuta within, along with keeping everything timely, they manage to keep control of the form. However, if a character doesn't display proper roleplaying (acting out of character to their profile, constantly metagaming, breaking rules, etc.) then they will start to lose control; at the same time, if they overuse their powers, control is lost. Once control is lost, the character becomes an NPC, under full control of the Makuta (with full powers) and, as a result, the GM. In the case of overusing powers, though doing so in-character and in a way which was good for the story, the GM could reserve the right to allow the player to continue controlling the new Makuta character; otherwise, it could serve to either punish offending players (by granting their character an untimely "death") or simply as a conclusion to their story. Interesting possibilities, in any case. Addendum: As possessed characters grow more powerful, they begin to develop shadow abilities, and gain the eventual power to create shadow hands and the like. Through the use of their shadow hand, they could absorb other Makuta-possessed characters, and bolster their own powers. Think Highlander with Makuta. -Toa Levacisu Zehvor
  11. I'll have to disagree. Not all players like crossovers, and creating them alienates people who just want to play Bionicle RPGs, as well as many fans from the source material. Note that Alien vs. Predator has a much smaller fanbase than either of the original films. Plus, crossovers more often than not lead to grabbing at and fusing the origins, rather than creating new source material. The point of BRPG is to create original content within the Bionicle IP, and as it stands, I'm not seeing anything original coming out of the crossovers. The Half-Life one came close, but of course had conflicts as well. Take transformers: We've seen the Allspark being fought over plenty of times. We've seen wars in Bionicle. What are you doing that's new? Blending the two isn't new, it's just different. But different does not equate to good. Mind you, original and new don't either, but at least they have substance. Before ending the post, food for thought to those looking at cross-overs: There's a reason "inspiration" is a word. You can take inspiration from something and use it to create an RPG, without actually crossing over the IP's. And, of course, a cross-over could be done well. But if every comment in the planning topic is about them? Bad news. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  12. To put it rather simply: The first time I saw an RPG get devastated in the polls for reasons other than plain bad writing, was the inclusion of humans. It was something like "humans come to Mata-Nui and reproduce with Toa, and the players are all half-Toa babies". I think it was some sort of Percy Jackson thing? Anyways, the reviews were hilarious; the polls less so. You shouldn't take critique as a reason to leave. Instead, take it as a reason to try something different. So what if your comic series doesn't translate? You can always try to write a new story. One more overall inclusive. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  13. Does not translate into Bionicle. I'm seconding this and this; there's no point in a cross-over unless it actually does something neither can do on their own. ... this sounds like a recipe for Author Avatar in the first degree. And trust me, there's nothing more annoying in an RPG than when the GM has an Author Avatar acting as the protagonist. Again, why does it need to be Minecraft? Why not just write a Bionicle RPG, set in the Bionicle universe? -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  14. I just wish Greg would do for Bionicle what Michael Kirkbride has done with Elder Scrolls. The time spent dealing with the twenty-one questions of annoying 12-year olds could be applied just as well to answering one question with a decent, 1000 word serial. Further, and more important, is the encouragement within the TES Community for fan contributions and ideals in the creation of personal headcanons; meanwhile, Papa Bethesda just smiles down happily, while swimming without a care as people keep buying their games years after release just for those sweet mods. But I understand why Greg does it. He's been a lot more personally involved, so I imagine he feels a closer connection as "the writer" than "that one crazy guy who comes up with cool stuff". Not to mention still being on LEGO payroll, and the fact that he seems to enjoy interacting with his fanbase, rather than screwing with them. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
  15. FTFY. At least Web of Shadows looked Bionicle. :\ See, I was actually wondering about that. I know it's the case in stuff like Star Wars, but that's a series where film was the original medium. In Bionicle, the books are basically the primary mode of story information, at least with regards to the "protagonists" of that year. They're also relatively stand-alone, in contrast to everything else. -Toa Levacius Zehvor
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