The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[Xomeron]

Let's not start the Linear vs. Open Ended debate. That's been argued so many times, and it will never end.

[Bloody Nine]

On Linear vs Open-Ended: YMMV. Open-ended means that people with initiative can go strike off and whatnot, but if you're not careful enough, everybody will be too scattered around your set locations to do anything meaningful, and your presence as the GM is limited to RPing packs of deathclaws, whereas linear means... well, nobody likes toeing to the line, but on the other hand, some structure goes a long way to helping things stick, stay cohesive. And if you read the post where I brought sandbox up, you'd have noticed where I did so only to mention that the past FO rp was too sandbox. I mean, you have a railway rifle. Great. What do you do with it? Be the guy who shoots a pack of raiders full of nails?

[Alex Humva]

I follow the linear-player driven plot idea. You have a bunch of plot points/twists. Your peeps influence how those twists and points come about, and the various details of them. Like Deus Ex or Mass Effect on steroids, basically.

[Archer Vonn]

Legion because you're an cool dude if you want to join the Legion.

ive been on this site long enough to know what cool dude means and just because of that *slapfight* being linear doesnt have much to do with one character making a difference, but i guess that's beside the point now. anyways linear storylines translate ooookaaay into RPGs. i find they're often the fastest growing RPGs but never the longest lasting. i'll agree that you can be too sandbox as without some moderator plot, it's just boring. nevertheless, i have no idea who'd want to run a linear fallout rpg.

[Vak Il Mio Amore]

I think a Fallout RPG would work out absolutely fine if orchestrated and executed properly. The toughest decision for Fallout is probably the setting: Before or after other Fallout games, in a previous setting, or a new one? Obviously a previous setting is a lot easier to adjust to, but a new setting gives the players so much room to use their imagination and expand upon. With someone developing a decent Fallout-esque map, it'd be much easier to create a general sort of map for a new area, and only laying out major locations: Let the players invent the rest of the map as they explore and work towards their ultimate goal. As for the linear-vs-open ended, if Fo3 is considered Linear then it must be very borderline- sure, the plot may follow a more determined path, but Fallout's entirety is based off of decision making and how those decisions actively impact the game in much more than just dialogue. Personally, I wouldn't mind a more New Vegas-styled RPG if only because then you've got several factions skirmishing for something valuable, which makes sense in post-apocalyptic times.

[Sisen]

I've never played Fallout before so the current setting would obviously be out of the question. The thing about playing the 'before' scenario is you know what it all leads up to, whereas the new setting that occurs after leaves a lot of open-ended playability.

[Vak Il Mio Amore]

I was probably a bit confusing with my wording, but by setting I was more referring to the location of the RPG than the time period; whether to use an already-existing area in the Postwar Wasteland, or to invent a new one. Though yes, that's a very valid point

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I'm currently trying to figure out a way to incorporate time-travel into an idea without players going back in time to kill Hitler, then going back on their own time-line to high-five themselves for killing Hitler. Calm, careful writers can set up and abide by constraints for the sake of sanity and continuity - they'll obey the rules of the fictional universe because of the "carrot" of a good story. Unfortunately, we're on a forum that allows absolutely everyone to join. This means that we get people who aren't calm, careful writers, and who need the "stick" instead. The question, then, is how to apply the stick without it seeming contrived. Punishments from beyond the fourth wall irk me a little. Fortunately, speculative fiction has the answer. You break time, time bends back around and breaks you. This brings me to the ghost - the shadow, if you will - of a concept. A concept based largely on a couple of weeks of watching five years worth of Doctor Who. My question to you, then, is this - would you rather see an RPG based on an alternate-universe version of Doctor Who, one in which the Last Great Time War never happened, so you can go ahead and play as Time Lords, or a universe of my own devising, pulled directly from the vapor?

[Toast of Awesomeness]

Make something up! I've never seen Doctor Who.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I'm leaning towards that, but I'm probably going to end up taking Doctor Who's rules on time-travel pretty much word-for-word, because they're perfect for what I have in mind.

[Archer Vonn]

I've never played Fallout before so the current setting would obviously be out of the question. The thing about playing the 'before' scenario is you know what it all leads up to, whereas the new setting that occurs after leaves a lot of open-ended playability.

thats moreso applicable to -all- prequels, be it RPG, novel, or movie.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

This brings me to the ghost - the shadow, if you will - of a concept. A concept based largely on a couple of weeks of watching five years worth of Doctor Who. My question to you, then, is this - would you rather see an RPG based on an alternate-universe version of Doctor Who, one in which the Last Great Time War never happened, so you can go ahead and play as Time Lords, or a universe of my own devising, pulled directly from the vapor?

Own universe. Much as I like Doctor Who I think you'd have to try hard to get one right. Plus something devised of your own imagination always leaves things more creative

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

True enough. And, apart from that, I don't think that a Doctor Who RPG would ever really feel like it's mine.

[Blessed Blade]

I'm currently trying to figure out a way to incorporate time-travel into an idea without players going back in time to kill Hitler, then going back on their own time-line to high-five themselves for killing Hitler.

Lock him in a closet. =P Also, as for the Doctor Who-or-not RPG idea, I wouldn't mind either. One thing, for the second possibility, there wouldn't be any Time Lords, but a similar idea, correct? Just wanna make sure I have things right. =P(Time Lords would be interesting, though... Since you could theoretically have 13 characters or more, the previous would simply have to die for you to make the new one. =P) So again, I wouldn't mind either, but ultimately it's up to you. =)

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I would probably incorporate a species that is functionally similar to the Time Lords, yes. Humanity will likely be involved as well, and I've got another race mostly down. The time-travel mechanics are basically already done, with the question remaining of the method for time-travel - since this is neither quite Doctor Who nor Blackadder, I doubt I can get away with just using TARDISes.

[Blessed Blade]

Yeah, as much as that'd be awesome, it's likely just not possible. xD Hmm. Good question that is... DeLorean would be out, since it wouldn't be Back To The Future either. =P

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Yeah. I'll be spending a fair amount of time figuring out what seems coolest. Currently leaning towards something that, like the TARDIS, can travel through space and time easily, but whether it's man-portable or a big machine is uncertain at this time. May have multiple methods of time-travel present.

[Blessed Blade]

Well, I think the biggest question, is whether a large amount of people will be able to transport through time at the same time or not; if it's likely only going to be one or two in a group at a time(Like, no 6 or more people acting as 'companions'), then something like what River always uses might be a good idea. However, if it's a large group, like the TARDIS sometimes has, or you want it so that a larger group can travel through time without having to crowd around someone or require their own time machine, then an actual TARDIS-like machine would be more ideal. Does that make sense? =P

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Yeah, I think that sounds good. Maybe go with three classes of time-travel devices; 1. Small-group transport, open. Fairly uncomfortable, not always accurate, but cheaper than other methods and less conspicuous. 2. Large-group transport, closed. Like a TARDIS, basically the Cadillac of time-travel. 3. Very large-group transport, open. This would be like a ship-bound device for very creative orbital bombardments. And finally, Special: Natural time-travel. Like what the Weeping Angels do, but controlled, and not necessarily malicious. Very limited on extra transported personnel.

[Zero Makuta]

Hey, everybody, just reposting my Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG one last time before I submit it to the judges. Constructive criticism would be appreciated.I had troubles with formatting, so not everything turned out the way I wanted it to. I will sort it out eventually.

RPG: Avatar: Corrupted Elements

Hosted by: Nuju NuiCo-Hosted By: Necro and BundalingsExcerpts from the writings of the Earth Kingdom Avatar Kyoshon, successor of Avatar Thro:Water. . . . PoisonedEarth. . . . ContaminatedFire. . . . TaintedAir. . . . Infected‘My name is Kyoshon, a Fully-Realized Avatar amidst perhaps the most perilous time this world has faced. My namesake is the ancient Earth Kingdom Avatar Kyoshi, who I have counseled with increasingly over the past year. Mighty uprisings have upset the balance of this world, and I fear I cannot restore it.Let me describe my situation.One year ago, a circle of greedy master benders set their eyes upon ultimate power and broke away from the Order of the White Lotus, drawing away at least a hundred followers, all of them acolytes tired by constant practice.Resorting to deadly dark magic, these masters and their servants freed a group of immensely old and powerful Demons from a prison inside the Spirit World. The masters attempted the deal with the Demons, gaining promises of power in return for the destruction of the prison. Once unleashed, the dark spirits turned upon the masters and usurped their bodies, forming unholy alliances between Demon and Human.Only the heads of the evil coalition were taken by the Demons, but soon other Spirit World Prisons were obliterated, and the entire coalition had been corrupted by the evil spirits.Now with power to wreak revenge for their incarceration on both the Spirit World and Reality, the Demons attacked the peaceful Spirits and humans residing on both sides of the South Pole. Both areas in the separate realities fell without warning, and they became the new Dark Order’s main bases.More Demons constantly pour from the Spirit World, but without mortal bodies they cannot fight here. Instead, they whisper unheard words into the souls of humanity, leading one after the other into the clutches of the Dark Order, where they are tainted by dark magic.I have seen it happen firsthand. Uon, a young but skilled waterbender once left an encampment where I was stationed. Following the boy, I discovered he was heading directly for a powerful Demon, who I could sense because of my affinity with the Spirit World. I watched the air around the boy ripple as if it was in a summer haze, and then he bowed before a tree, which transformed into a Demon. Slowly and monotonously, as if he were in a trance, Uon swore an oath of eternal loyalty to the Dark Order.I averted my eyes when he started to scream, darkness coalescing around his form. When I dared to peek again, I saw Uon, but not Uon. He radiated darkness and his eyes contained an evil I had never seen there before, and I knew that the Uon I once knew was destroyed or suppressed.After I recovered from the shock of the experience I started to wonder how the Dark Order powered its mind control. I was guided by ancient Avatars to an area in Reality that was closely linked with the Spirit World. There, I observed Dark Order agents opening up some sort of portal; I looked through and realized that the Spirit World lay on the other side! Then something strange happened.Shimmering sapphire energy, almost like fire, erupted amongst the Demons, who started to use dark magic to harvest it into a large crystal, which pulsed with ethereal light.Kyoshi explained to me that the Demons were using an energy that was generated by Spirit Portals, direct gateways that linked Reality and the Spirit World. She called it Spirith and said it could be used to fuel both good and black magic, and also explained how each Demon could use the power to enhance their bending abilities to the maximum.I was overwhelmed by this new information and realized that all the Spirit Portals had to be closed or maintained, and the precious Spirith be carefully guarded or destroyed. As more and more Spirit Portals were opened, some began to form naturally as Reality and the Spirit World drew closer together, tied tighter than they ever had before. The Demons started to gain more power.Desperately, I pleaded for the Four Nations to unite into one body. They did, and formed the Council of Truth, usually called the Council, which is based in Republic City. It is headed by the Fire Lord, the Grand Lotus, the Head Air Temple Monks, the Water Tribe Chieftains, the Earth King, and I. Together we try to combat the forces of darkness by pooling the resources and efforts of the Four Nations into one war effort, but it’s slowly taking its toll upon us.Now that the recent history has been recorded, I’ll tell you some more about the Demons and what I called their Half-Demon minions.The original prison opened by the master benders was one of the most ancient and highly-protected, for it contained the five strongest Demons seen by mankind: Orth, Kiana, Rutho, T’lite, and Kra. After usurping the masters, these Demons achieved the ability to have a human form as well as their original demonic bodies, from which they can shift at will.Orth is the leader of the Dark Order, and perhaps is the most balanced and refined of the group. He prefers his human form, but none of the Council who have seen him have lived to tell us the tale.Kiana is Orth’s serpentine second in command. She is devious, and can either be seen as a lovely woman clad in a venom-green dress or a gigantic serpent with purple eyes.Rutho. The very name inspires fear in the hearts of many; he is a werewolf in his Demon form and his bite will corrupt any who receive it. He has never revealed his human form.Not much is known about T’lite, except that his tiny appearance betrays his depthless power. His Demon form is a small will-o-wisp of pure golden light that can hypnotize you if you look at it too long. He uses fire and light as his weapons, and his human form appears like a god of the sun, clothed in heavenly glory.Kra is a gigantic golden phoenix in her Demon form, and her human form is an innocent twelve-year old with silver eyes. She bluntly uses her powers to destroy anything in her path.They are the closest thing to pure, deliberate evil that I know of. When I think of what they have done to the humans that they’ve captured, I could explode with anger.You see, most humans aren’t totally corrupted by the Demons; firstly, there simply isn’t enough energy to make every new recruit a fully powered Demon, and secondly, the Dark Order needs agents, spies. But once these agents Bend using Spirith, it’s easy to tell who they are.Earth becomes moldy and dark, ashen. Water changes into an oily substance that’s awful to the touch. Fire becomes toxic, green or purple with deadly radiation, and finally Air is choked with darkness and smog.Once changed, the materials used by the Dark Order to bend are difficult to change back into their regular forms, requiring refined Spirith for the reversion. But what’s truly terrible is the vast amounts that these Half-Demons can bend! When they use Spirith to power their bending, their power level extends beyond the natural ability of humans, and so does their strength and agility. Thank goodness Half-Demons cannot contain too much at one time.The Council is calling me, but I must write about the Spirit World. The old Avatars and other Spirits have joined the Council and are waging a never-ending battle in the Spirit World, especially near Spirit Portals. But that’s all I can write for now.I hope this will be read by an Avatar who lives in a world cleansed of the darkness of the Dark Order.'

The Council Archives

In a Nutshell

A new threat, called the Dark Order, is attacking the Spirit World and Reality of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Dark Order is comprised of Demons who have recently been freed from prisons in the Spirit World, and they have taken over the bodies of master bender so that they can damage Reality as well as the Spirit World.These Demons can corrupt regular humans and they become Half-Demons, who use an energy called Spirith (generated by Spirit Portals, gateways between Reality and the Spirit World) to enhance their bending to the highest degree.The Four Nations have dissolved and formed a new coalition, called the Council of Truth, which actively seeks to defeat the Dark Order and restore balance to both worlds under attack.

Avatar Chronicles

The Gameplay Guide

Hello, and welcome to the Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG, Corrupted Elements. No, there isn’t a planet with tall blue aliens, sorry.The Four Nations and the Spirit World have come under attack by mighty Demons who want conquer the world, and it’s your job to help or defeat either side. What a surprise, right?Players write in the story as half-demon warriors and benders, regular human benders and fighters, or Spirit benders and fighters. You may also play as a minor full Demon.What’s the main point, you ask? Glad you did. If you choose to be a servant of the Dark Order, your goal in life is to conquer the world! Mwahahahaha! On the other hand, if you wish guard the world from evil, take up the standard of right, and lead the battle against darkness. Or, if you prefer in between, aid and deceive both sides to reap the best profit.As a fighter for either side (or on your own), your job is to strike for either side by taking Spirit Portals, which can opened by powerful Demons or can occur naturally where Spirits in Reality generally traffic, such as Hei Bai’s shrine in the Earth Kingdom or the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole. Because of the strength of these portals, regular people can travel between the Sprit World and Reality at will.Other missions could include taking a base, attacking a caravan, becoming a spy, or anything else you can think of to do. Before we move on, I’d like to point out one thing. As powerful as the Dark Order may sound, because of its heavy reliance on Spirith to fuel its dark magic, the Demons and their servants are about equal in power as the Council. Dark Order half-demons can increase their bending and fighting skills to master power, but they require Spirith to do so.

The Four Nations Records

The Factions, Areas, and Main Bases

In this section of the guide, I’ll detail the factions, the main areas, and the factions’ best bases. The Spirit World will house some new areas not described in the series, which I will detail.

The Factions

Council of Truth – A new government that formed from the unification of the Four Nations. Because it’s fairly new, it has some trouble running smoothly, but the skills of its leaders keep it organized and orderly. The Council exists to defeat the Dark Order, and actively recruits as many benders and fighters as it can, providing training and instruction for new warriors.Dark Order of Benders – Headed by powerful Demons from the Spirit World who have recently been freed, the Dark Order wishes to wreak havoc upon the world in order to gain their revenge for being imprisoned. They will stop at nothing to conquer both the Spirit World and Reality.

Areas

There are spots both in the Spirit World and Reality that are safe havens from evil, but there are many other spots which are eternal warzones they’re detailed here. Note that all Council of Truth-controlled areas are marked and blue, and all Dark Order-controlled area are marked in red. Those that are black are neutral.Reality:The Eastern, Northern, and Western Air Temples: Though the Southern Air Temple has recently fallen to the Dark Order, the other three Temples remain strongholds that house as many refugees as they can.The Northern Water Tribe City: Once a peaceful city/stronghold that was impossible to defeat, the Northern Water Tribe City has become a never-ending battle as the Dark Order and the Council of Truth war over the most powerful Spirit Portal known: the Spirit Oasis.The Si Wong Desert, Great Desert: The dunes of the Si Wong Desert are rapidly transforming form sandy brown to coal black as Dark Order benders strive to corrupt the land. However, Sandbenders and Earthbenders toil night and day to guard the Desert.The Swamp: A huge, expansive swamp located in the Earth Kingdom, the Swamp is home to massive amounts of spiritual energy. The great tree in the center houses a Spirit Portal believed to rival the Spirit Oasis, and since it knocks any flying creatures from the sky with tornadoes, a desperate race in underway. The Council of Truth luckily has the aid of the Swamp’s Waterbending Tribe.Ba Sing Sei: As it has for untold years, Ba Sing Sei has protected the thousands who come under its guard every day. Now it has become the Council of Truth’s mightiest stronghold, and with the aid of the Spirit World’s most ancient Spirits, the Great Wall has become impervious to all dark magic.Spirit World:The Forest: Opposite to the North Pole is the Forest, a massive expanse of strange trees. The Spirit Oasis’ power does not exist in the Spirit World, but in Reality, so the Dark Order is heavily concentrated here to attack.High Peaks (new): The High Peaks are the greatest mountain range in the Spirit World, ruled by Spirits whose power increases the higher you climb. While the mountains are held by Council Spirits, the tunnels below are beyond their control.The Labyrinth (new): The Labyrinth is beneath the High Peaks, and is made of tunnels held by Demons whose power increase the farther down you go. There Demon prisons located here, where ancient Spirits thought they would never be found. However, Demons work night and day to open them.The Black Ocean (new): Opposite of the Si Wong, or Great, Desert is the Black Ocean, a massive sea that is securely held by Demon leviathans. However, attacks are frequently mounted upon the Black Ocean’s denizens.The Wisp Plains (new): The Wisp Plains are great expanses of poisonous, razor-sharp grass. Spirit World Fireflies, will-o-wisps of glowing light, are rarely seen here, but when they are, they flee swiftly. Dark Order Demons and Council Spirits can sense a mighty Spirit Portal in the center of the Plains, and they believe that they are opposite of the Swamp.Kyoshi Peninsula: In the Spirit World, the ancient avatar Kyoshi has erected a paradise on a peninsula which is easily guarded. She herself guards it with fighting prowess, and uses it as a sanctuary for humans and Spirits alike.

Bases

Some specific spots have become bases for both factions. They are detailed here. The Council of Truth:Republic City: The location of the Council of Truth’s main headquarters. A minor Spirit Portal resides here, allowing the leaders of Reality to contact Spirits. A war zone resides only one mile away in every direction.New Stone (new) – A new fortress constructed by Council Spirits, New Stone in the main headquarters of the Council in the Spirit World. It is located near Hei Bai’s Shrine in the Spirit World.Glacius (new): A recently-constructed icy fortress near the Northern Water Tribe City has been constructed by the Council of Truth. It was built to protect the Spirit Oasis and is the Council of Truth’s third largest base in Reality, exceeded by Republic City and Ba Sing Sei.The Fire Nation Capitol – From the crater of the city’s volcano, the Council forces can attack their enemies while being protected by the crater’s high walls.Northern, Eastern, and Western Air Sanctuaries: Directly opposite of the Air Temples in Reality are the Air Sanctuaries, peaceful havens governed by Airbender Spirits.Various other cities and towns throughout the Council of Truth’s territory. The Dark Order:The South Pole: The entire South Pole has become a massive fortress guarded by a wall that rivals Ba Sing Sei’s. Any attack mounted upon it will be stopped before it even reached the wall.Omashu: Even though it was one of the Earth Kingdom’s best and well-protected cities, Omashu eventually fell due to a massive invasion by the Dark Order, who gained a large Spirit Portal located in the caverns beneath the city.Islands of the Fire Nation: Several Fire Nation islands on the chain’s outer rim have fallen and have been tainted along with the surrounding ocean. They have become armories for attacking Dark Order forces.Hei Bai’s Shrine: Once located in a tranquil forest, the area surrounding Hei Bai’s Shrine has become infected and fortified. The Shrine itself is a major Spirit Portal, and Hei Bai himself, corrupted by Spirith, guards it.The Crag: In the center of the Dark Ocean is an obsidian island called the Crag, which is opposite of the Buried Library in the Si Wong Desert. Some say the library still exists, contained within the recesses of the Crag’s heavily guarded tunnels. Little to no attacks ever occur here, only by the foolhardy or powerful.The Buried Library: Where Wan Shi Tong’s majestic library once stood is a Spirit Portal large enough to attract Demons and humans galore. It is said that anyone who can maintain for long enough can retrieve the Library and recover its precious information which is lost in the Spirit World. Because humans have problems in the Great Desert, the Dark Order of benders doesn’t have to deal with threats too often.

Bender Manuscripts:

The ‘Level-Up’ Manual

As you start in the RPG, you may be a bender from any one of the Four Nations, a half-Demon Dark Order bender, a warrior serving either faction, a minor Spirit or Demon (you may be allowed one, maybe Spirits or Demons, depending on how powerful they are and how well you’ve played in the past (exp. not god-modding or abusing power)).Your character will naturally grow in power and ability as the game continues, learning new moves and techniques for their desired weapon and/or power. I’m not going to be too hard on this aspect of the game. Unlike other RPGs, Corrupted Elements does not have a set ‘level-up’ sequence. However, I will enforce that your character must practice a new skill a fair number of times (at least two to three pages) to use it. You may not, and I repeat, you may not use new abilities in a heartbeat’s notice.For half-Demons: You may only start out as a new recruit. Sorry, but allowing you to have experience while having the powerful abilities of Spirith is unfair to non-Dark Order payers. However, I will allow experienced characters to be given for good playing in the RPG. There are special rules and regulations for both Spirits and full Demons which I will explain later in this section.For Spirits: Your Spirit, which may be a deceased human if you wish, may have bending abilities. These abilities will be in full force in the Spirit World, but will be dampened in Reality unless on a Solstice or you are using Spirith to enhance your abilities. There are special rules and regulations for both Spirits and full Demons while I will explain later in this section.Ok, onto the rules for 'leveling up'. For Benders:At the beginning of your character’s role, he or she will be able to use minor attacks. I will give you some guidelines to give you the general area where your character’s power level will be at.For Waterbenders: Think of ‘push and pull the water’ and single Water Whips.For Firebenders: Fire Jabs (punches or kicks) and small Fireballs.For Earthbenders: Think of ‘lift the rock and shoot it’ and weak ShockwavesFor Airbenders: Weak Air Blasts and enhanced jumping and running. For Warriors:Please. Please. I’m begging you! No anti-gravity moves! When you fight, follow the basic laws of physics. Warriors fight with weapons or martial arts (note that weapons could include biological weapons) and will master their particular skills at the same rate as bender masters his or hers. Simply remember that it takes time to build skill and muscle memory for a move, along with battle-savvy knowledge.Your desired weapon could be almost anything, but no magic staffs of wonderment and no guns. For Spirits:If you want to play as a Spirit, I’m perfectly fine with that. However, I don’t really want you to have all your characters to be Spirits.Spirits can use Spirith to power amplified bending and skills. They may gain this power from being near Spirit Portals, which they can open if they have a certain quantity of the stuff present at the time. However, Spirits cannot use this power as much as Demons, as it requires tremendous amounts of focus and willpower. Spirits can use Spirith to restore corrupted land, open up or close Spirit Portals, and heal or strengthen others. You may also break curses inflicted byDark Order Demons.Spirits may have extra memories from the past which can aid them in battle. However, for some strange reason, nearly all your battle skills mysteriously vanished the moment you perished and entered the Spirit World. Odd.You may have your Spirit be a deceased human or it can be animal Spirit. Animal Spirits that characters create must be slightly weaker than your average old Animal Spirit with breath attacks that destroy buildings.On Solstices, your Spirit’s bending abilities will not be dampened by Reality.For Demons & half-Demons:Demons and half-Demons are a tricky bunch. There’s plenty of things that come attached with them.As a Demon character, you will be able to use dark magic, fueled by Spirith, to accomplish many nefarious tasks and schemes. Using this magic, you will be able to conjure up simple weaponry such as swords and daggers, corrupt large amounts of land, power or heal other Dark Order agents, curse others (don’t let these get out of hand; keep them moderate), and close or open Spirit Portals.Demons all have both a Demon form and a human form, which they alternate between at will. Your abilities will not be dampened by Reality, but will be severely hampered on Solstices, the effect of an ancient spell cast upon all Demonkind.Half-Demons will be able to hold trace of amounts of Spirith which will enhance their abilities from ten minutes to a half-hour. Note that half-Demons do not have to use Spirith, and can bend at regular levels without it.Half-Demons may apply to become full Demons, but must be placed out of commission for ten pages to recover from the massive strain of destroying or suppressing the human spirit.

Spirit World Dictionary

Profiles

If you’re ready to start playing, and if you haven’t dropped dead from boredom, just fill out a profile below and I, Necro, or Bundalings will approve it or tell you if something needs to be changed. Note that a nice, well-written, correctly-capitalized profile is very nice to read and will likely give you the second glance when promotions are open.

[b]Username:[/b] Your BZP name here.[b]Name:[/b] The name of your character.[b]Age:[/b] Hold is your character? Please be realistic. If they’re human, they probably won’t be 315, despite Avatar’s centurions such as King Bumi.[b]Faction and Species:[/b] Is you character good, bad, or in the middle? Is he or she a half-Demon, Spirit, or human?[b]Bending and/or Weapon(s):[/b] If your character can bend, which element? No energybending is allowed. What weapons does your character use, if any?[b]Description:[/b] What does he or she look like?[b]Background:[/b] Just a couple sentences or more detailing the past of your character, their personality, where they come from, or any other info you might want to include.

Species Profiles

In the World of Avatar: The Last Airbender, there’s a lot of strange and cool creatures, but, in case you an idea for an Avatar-ish animal/creature and want to make a new species (usually a hybrid of two creatures), submit a profile for that species and if it’s approved, go right ahead and include them in the story. All approved species will be added to the main page or buffer post to let everyone see them.

[b]Username: [/b]Your BZP name.[b]Name:[/b] The name of your species.[b]Description: [/b]Describe in detail what these creatures look like and what they do. Are they carnivores or herbivores? Where do they live usually? Are they rare? Were they recently created? This section needs to be at least a paragraph or two.[b]Abilities:[/b] What can your creature do? Fly? Dig? Perhaps the stuff coming out of its eyes glows in the dark.

A Few Important Things

• Benders cannot bend in the Spirit World.• The Spirit World does not contain Spirith. Only where it and Reality come together, Spirit Portals, does the Spirith generate.• Land or water corrupted by the Dark Order eventually reverts back to normal.• Corrupted Elements has a slightly dark theme to its plot and story, so a reasonable amount of seriousness would follow that. However, I don’t mind if we all ham it up as long as we don’t jump out of the frying pan and into the fire, and then into the garbage.

The Dark Order Code

The Rules, Penalties, and Rewards

Right. Rules. Perhaps the easiest thing in an RPG is to abide by its rules, unless they are extremely stringent. So here they are.• All BZPower rules apply.• That means NO spamming. Hopefully the game will be interesting enough you won’t have to speak about off-topic . . . topics.• NO flaming. Not everyone on BZPower is the same age. While some of the older players in RPGs can take and even let slide insults, the younger part of our group are more easily hurt. In this RPG, I will be fairly tough with this. If a discussion gets heated, I will tell you to take it to PM. Please do so.• Please don’t control other player’s characters without their express permission. Small things, like a nod or grunt are fine, as long as you know the character’s position on whatever the matter is.• Do not kill another player’s character unless they tell you to or you ask them and they give you a green light. If you don’t, you will be banned for one week and the offending character will be given a disability. If you do it again, you will be banned permanently.• You are allowed to have three characters, but you may have more if you can prove that you can handle them all.• Um. No God-Modding or Meta-gaming. What are they, you ask? Simple. When you do either of these things, basically you are becoming like a god, invincible and all-knowing. Let’s not do this.• Distinguish between IC and OOC, which stand for In Character and Out Of Character. For example:--IC: Bob blasted the Demon back with a jet of water.OOC: Join the fight anytime, guys!--• Have fun! RPGs aren’t supposed to be about rules, but about having fun and unleashing your creativity!So, I think that about wraps up the rules – but wait! There’s one thing I didn’t cover, and it’s the second most important rule after Have Fun.Nothing sensual. Period. End of discussion. Hugs and kisses are fine, but if it gets passionate, You will be banned permanently. Even if your characters are married in-game, I will not allow anything, and I repeat, anything of the sort in this RPG. If you hint at it, I will send you a PM telling you to edit your post immediately, and you will have a special one-day suspension from the game. Consider this your first and last warning, everyone.O.K., now that that’s out of the way, let’s move on to the penalties, and then we’ll get to the rewards. Light at the end of the tunnel, right?

Penalties

Dun dun dun. Penalties. These strikes will be administered whenever you break the rules. There are a few exceptions to main strikes, but mostly they’re all the same, and are rarely used at all.Strike #1: You will receive a gentle, in-game warning.Strike #2: You will be sent a PM about whatever the racket’s about.Strike #3: One of your characters will be disabled for a short while and another will be injured to get the point across. You will be sent another PM.Strike #4: You will be given a one week ban and one of your characters will be liquefied or disintegrated, depending on my, Necro, or Bundaling’s mood.Strike #5: Permanent banning from the game. All your characters will be liquefied, disintegrated, or die horrible deaths, once again chosen by the Host’s preference or mood.

Rewards

Finally, we’re out of the black into the light. Trust me, I didn’t like writing that very much, and with luck it won’t ever have to be used. So, rewards can be issued for:• Loyalty, or playing the game for long enough. At every page-marker, I will issue player-wide rewards that can be cashed in immediately or saved for later.• Helping out. Occasionally I might ask for some information because I’m feeling lazy and I will reward you with an item or knowledge.• Your character's recap. At certain points, like every twenty pages or thirty pages or something like that, I will ask for recaps. All you have to do to get a reward is keep a brief recap of what each of your characters has done over the course of those pages.

Q & A

Just in case you have any questions, PM me or ask in-game (if you ask in-game, put Nuju Nui or NN, blah blah blah, so that I can use my search button to locate questions quickly), and I will answer as soon as possible. Questions will be stored here for reference.

I did not add the main profiles detailing characters already mentioned due to my laziness. They are there though.

Edited October 31, 2011 by Nuju Nui

[Blessed Blade]

Shadows: Yeah, that sounds like it'd be cool. Now, to get back to a Time Lord-like race; what characteristics would it have? Like, would it have a similarity to regeneration, or so, would they have two hearts? Just little aspects like that would be nice to find out. =)

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

The two-hearts thing I think is unnecessary to the comparison, so it can be left out, but the general idea is that they're going to be a long-lived race that tries to control the universe and keep things steady. I'm thinking that it might be best to keep races from being pure evil or pure good - create conflict between them, make sure they think the other side is pure evil, but don't make it so that players on one side will have characters that are basically like "Ohohoho, look how evil I am." I guarantee you, if I don't balance the sides, that will happen, and they'll somehow have a character on one side that's another character's evil twin. Of course, there will also be sapient creatures that basically act as predators. Probably not going to make those widely available to players. Finally, there will be the creatures and things I introduce to the game as plot-points, and players will be faced with the whole "Enemy of my enemy" dilemma. Right now, I really think I should get to planning out the various sides. Perhaps the most critical part for me is visualizing the creatures, because that's often how I get the ball rolling for the rest of their description.

Edited November 1, 2011 by The Shadows Out of Time

[Blessed Blade]

and they'll somehow have a character on one side that's another character's evil twin.

I know the feeling; I was once in an RPG where exactly that happened with my character. I made my character, and another character was said to be my character's evil brother. =P I didn't mind, though. =P And alright then, it's sounding like an interesting idea, so far. =)

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Yeah, some RPGs got pretty crazy. I want to limit the railroad-spike-through-head element of RPing in this as much as humanly possible, which is why I'm going to be rather strict and blunt about the rules, and if you try to smash the rules of space-time, a hole will be ripped in the universe, and invincible otherworldly monsters will chase you around until you fix what you've done.

[IamJackssplitpersonality]

Yeah, some RPGs got pretty crazy. I want to limit the railroad-spike-through-head element of RPing in this as much as humanly possible, which is why I'm going to be rather strict and blunt about the rules, and if you try to smash the rules of space-time, a hole will be ripped in the universe, and invincible otherworldly monsters will chase you around until you fix what you've done.

I'll be honest, this sounds like a horrible punishment, simply because this sounds like SO MUCH FUN. Honestly, I would break the rules constantly just for this to happen.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Oh, it would be fun if you're any good. If you're really good, you might even be able to weaponize it. The trouble is being quick and clever enough to avoid disembowelment, because the gloves are off when it comes to these things - if they get you in a situation where, because you screwed around with space-time, they have a perfect, unavoidable opportunity to kill you, you are dead. And, of course, that's only the space-time rules. Breakage of other rules would result in me legitimately being rather cross with you.

[IamJackssplitpersonality]

My point was rather that ii wouldn't quite discourage muddling with time travel, and indeed might make things worse. I actually love the idea, and would love to see it implemented somehow, but I think as a punishment, it's lacking.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Oh, I'm fine with people messing about with time, so long as they are prepared to face the possible consequences. It's really only a true punishment for the people who are bad at RPing and do something stupid with time because they think they're awesome. For everyone else, it's a fun little addition to the game.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

Ugh, Nuju you really could have done with giving Corrupted Elements another read through, because it needs some serious streamlining. The introduction is long-winded and rambling, a bad sign in something that is supposed to be a hook to draw in players. It starts off well, laying out the set-up to explain whats going on, but then you go into this story about Uon, and then a story about how the narrator saw the Spirith crystal (which seems rather pointless as you never mention this crystal again), when you could explain both within a single paragraph. And why give the details of the demon generals within the intro? Why not give them their own section, complete with their own profiles?Likewise how Spirith affects bending. Why not create a 'magic' section to explain how dark magic works (I only spotted that on a second read through), what bending is for those unfamiliar with the Avatar universe, and the more technical aspects of Spirith (such as why it both corrupts elements yet also heals corruption). Because otherwise they're cluttering up your intro into a big old wall of text which is kind of hard to read through. Why not merge Bases with Locations? Not only trims down your RPGs length, but makes it easier for people to tell where these bases are exactly. As it is, I only really know where Glacius and the Air Sanctuaries are. I have no way of knowing where, say, Republic City is. If you take my advice you might want to lay it out something like this:

The Northern Water Tribe City: Once a peaceful city/stronghold that was impossible to defeat, the Northern Water Tribe City has become a never-ending battle as the Dark Order and the Council of Truth war over the most powerful Spirit Portal known: the Spirit Oasis.-Glacius (new): A recently-constructed icy fortress near the Northern Water Tribe City has been constructed by the Council of Truth. It was built to protect the Spirit Oasis and is the Council of Truth’s third largest base in Reality, exceeded by Republic City and Ba Sing Sei.

It makes things much clearer. The Water Tribe City is a location and within/near it is the base Glacius Why have 'For Spirits' and 'For half-Demons' twice? Why can't you have both sets of facts under the same header?Can demons only use their dark magic or do they have bending abilities too? Why have you listed the profiles under Spirit World Dictionary? What do they have to do with the Spirit World? Or Dictionaries?

Benders cannot bend in the Spirit World.

Unless they're Spirits, presumably, as you mention they're more powerful benders in Spirit World

Land or water corrupted by the Dark Order eventually reverts back to normal.

So what about fire and air? You have a good RPG here, but it really really needs a few more revisions to clean it up Edited November 1, 2011 by The Power that Is

[Zero Makuta]

Thank you for replying, Power. I appreciate your help a lot. This is my first RPG, so its bound to have quite a few drawbacks.

Edited November 1, 2011 by Nuju Nui

[pls respond]

sup guys, i've had an idea for an rpg on the back of my mind for the longest time and since i'm eager to get back into this, i figure i'd throw this out there and see what you guys think before i go ahead and type up a whole rpgbasically, it's going to be another zombie rpg like the one i ran a while ago. that one crashed and burned because i was an awful host, but i think i'll be more responsible this time and i'll have a co-host this time around to stop me from screwing up. anyway, onto the twist for this one. this time around, i've been thinking about having the zombies being essentially invincible. they're not actually invincible, but they'd be tough enough that picking them off like regular zombies wouldn't be possible. the idea here is to have an rpg where there really is no hope or eradicating the threat. basically it's going to have players on the run for the better part of it. there will be times where they'll be able to rest and whatnot, but they'll be few and far between. i'm trying to avoid having players get to a point where the zombies aren't even threatening anymore, a point where it's no longer a challenge. i've sort of been fascinated by the idea of a mostly combat-less rpg, and this is an offshoot of that fascination.obviously the idea's not totally finished at this point, and i'm going to refine it more. i'd just like some constructive criticism because that can only make this better!

[Hanako Herupa]

Honestly a horror RPG would be awesome, personally I'd like something along the lines of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, where you can't fight the monsters not only cause the game wouldn't let you but because they'd probably rend between weapon swings. Which is where you could sort of take this RP.I'd like a noncombat RPG along these lines, of course you're thing is a zombie RPG.

[pls respond]

i mean it doesn't necessarily have to be a zombie rpg, that's just what i've settled on for the time being bcause it forces players to be mobile. yeah, i know zombies are played out at the moment. i could always take a supernatural route or something similar. pitch me ideas if you guys like, i'm always up for something more creative than just "ZOMBEZ LOLZ"

Edited November 6, 2011 by Idunnolol

[Xomeron]

Give them some dark, mysterious, supernatural enemy that isn't zombies but is similar. Slower though, and play into "creepypasta" style stories that float around on the internet.

[Hanako Herupa]

For fear of ruining another person's day/night I will not post Mr. Face. Cause I'm pretty sure the mods would flip out as well.Seriously though, don't make them as fast as the monsters in Amnesia, they keep pace with the character to the point it's almost impossible to get away.The game also used something that you could stop which was the shadow, and you're only option was to run. You can have enemies that can't be killed at first. Maybe...that could be a player reward for good RPing? They finally get to bash in the face of that monster that has been chasing them around. Honestly if this happened just once in Amnesia it would have made it so awesome.I like KOS's idea though, of using creepypasta stories as a jumping point.

[Archer Vonn]

im going to immediately present the point of that there is no point in your rpg.if zombies are invincible, they are everywhere, and there is no hope to eradicate them, there is no point in playing that RPG. you can develop a character that will die, and there is no hope to avoid that. other then finding some sort of rocket ship to fly them to a new planet, there is no story to be told as the outcome is already there.i will agree, however, that zombies are more often than not fodder. making them stronger is definitely a good idea, but if you can't deal with them in any way, shape, or form, presents the 'whats the use' problem. i dont feel like i've gotten my point across, but for the life of me i doubt i will, seeing as its 12:30. take this post with a grain of salt.

Edited November 6, 2011 by ~JC~

[Xomeron]

JC, are you implying that my RPG is pointless? Because mine is, I'm pretty sure, the biggest on the forum right now...ANYWAY, European Mythology being my interest of the month, I'd like to see something like old Celtic Fair Folk; Malevolent, evil, alien creatures with incomprehensible motives and a taste for causing utter psychological horror on humans with for good reason.Alternately, creepypasta stories.

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

No, he means the zombie RPG with invincible enemies. He goes on to explain this right after making his statement...

[pls respond]

im going to immediately present the point of that there is no point in your rpg.if zombies are invincible, they are everywhere, and there is no hope to eradicate them, there is no point in playing that RPG. you can develop a character that will die, and there is no hope to avoid that. other then finding some sort of rocket ship to fly them to a new planet, there is no story to be told as the outcome is already there.i will agree, however, that zombies are more often than not fodder. making them stronger is definitely a good idea, but if you can't deal with them in any way, shape, or form, presents the 'whats the use' problem. i dont feel like i've gotten my point across, but for the life of me i doubt i will, seeing as its 12:30. take this post with a grain of salt.

i see where you're coming from here, and your point definitely makes sense.my idea for countering that would be having a safe haven-type area that the players find out about early on, and reaching it becomes the goal. i'd have to create a second story arc so players would have something to do once they reach this area, but it would provide a good first goal.you're right though, wandering a round aimlessly avoiding unkillable creatures being would be pointless. Edited November 6, 2011 by Idunnolol

[Rumpelstiltskin]

JC, are you implying that my RPG is pointless? Because mine is, I'm pretty sure, the biggest on the forum right now...

If we're including what's in the archive, Pokemon is the largest RPG in CoT. TSTW! is in second (though at 4 years it's the oldest), and Alkermpa is in third. Starscape is fourth largest, from what I can tell.~Lord Rahl~ Edited November 6, 2011 by Lord Rahl