The Official OTC TBRPG Planning and Organization Topic

[sonyaxe]

Bakugan RPG: The Reign of Naga.

By all rights, none of us should be here.

The world should have exploded, or been ripped to shreds.

But it didn’t.

And that is almost worse than if it did.

 

Ever since the Bakugan fell from the sky, nothing has been the same for me. At first, everyone thought it was a game, but strange occurrences started happing. Bakugan started to talk, battlefields started collapsing, and the barrier between Earth and Vestroia, the universe that the Bakugan came from, started to collapse.

Most of us didn’t notice this much until dimensional gate appeared in the ocean, bringing with it the supreme evil of Vestroia, Naga. He was a gigantic dragon had absorbed the Silent Core, which was made of negative energy that he hoped to use to take over the world with. Only one thing stood in his way. The Bakugan Battle Brawlers. They were a team composed of six brawlers, the best battlers in the world. Each was a master of their attribute.

They crumbled like a wet paper bag before Naga’s assault.

Naga then absorbed the Infinity Core after defeating his sister Wavern, giving him control over the entire universe. Four of the Brawlers -Marucho, Julie, Alice and Runo- were exposed to the silent core with their Bakugan and turned to Naga’s side. With them, Alice reverted back to Masquerade, the greatest Bakugan Brawler in the world.

But that was three years ago. Naga has subjugated the world’s governments and brought Earth under martial law. However, there is still hope.

Shun and Dan, the two greatest Brawlers, managed to escape, along with a few hundred children that still had their Bakugan. They… no, we managed to get to an abandoned military base somewhere off the coast of Cape Horn on a large island. We set up there, and with the help of our Bakugan, created a fortress that has never, and will never, be breached. From that fortress, the resistance harasses Naga, mainly by taking over bases or getting rid of supply trains to his massive armies.

We are the Resistance. We will take back the world. And we are only children.

­________________________________________________________________________

 

History/Background info.

Bakugan are creatures from an alternate dimension called Vestroia, in which they lived in harmony. That is, until a scientist from Earth created a dimensional transporter, capable of sending matter across the world or into a different universe. When he activated it, he was sucked into the center of Vestroia, and contaminated with energy from the Silent Core. At this point, the barrier between Earth and Vestroia started to dissolve, and many Bakugan were pulled out of Vestroia and into the human’s world. They were contained in gate cards that fell from the sky. Eventually, the Bakugan emerged from them in the form of small spheres about the size of a walnut. Kids all around the world started to create a game with these creatures, a game of battle that they called Bakugan. However, as the barrier continued to deteriorate, problems started to emerge. First and foremost was Masquerade, a Bakugan Brawler that was almost undefeatable. He was sending kid’s Bakugan to the Doom Dimension, which is kind of like an afterlife for Bakugan. He recruited others for it, and all were sending Bakugan to the Doom Dimension. A group of brawlers, composed of six kids, the best brawlers of each attribute, started to take down these brawlers one by one, and eventually, all acquired a powerful, talking Bakugan. Masquerade also had one named Hydranoid, and he eventually gained such a high power level that he evolved into Dual Hydranoid, and became ultra-powerful. Dan’s Bakugan, a Dragonoid, also evolved. Masquerade faced Dan, the leader of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers in battle, sending Dan’s Guardian, or talking, Bakugan to the Doom Dimension. However, Dan jumped into the portal after Drago, and was sent to the Doom Dimension with his Bakugan. Shortly afterwards, the Brawlers purposely sent themselves to the Doom Dimension to save Dan and Drago. While there, they were faced with a series of challenges in the form of a Brawl that when they all passed, their Guardian Bakugan evolved. They were then sent back to the normal dimension, where Dan calls a rematch with Masquerade, then after a fierce battle beats him. However, after the battle Masquerade reveals that he is actually Alice, the last member of the Brawlers. Later, a portal appears in the middle of the ocean. The brawlers go through it, and battle their way to the core to stop Naga, the evil Bakugan that absorbed the silent core. Finding that he is not there, they return to Earth and battle the forces of Naga that, since Earth has started to mingle with Vestroia, can be outside of ball form. There is a showdown between Drago and Naga. The events of this RPG are set after Naga beats Dan and the Brawlers, even though in the anime the Brawlers won.

 

Battling

There have been many different ways throughout the Bakugan T.V. show to battle, but here we are sticking with the first season. Basically, here is how a battle will work.

First, list your Bakugan, their G-power, and your ability and gate cards. (three of each) for example…

Darkus Mantris, 310 Gs. Darkus Saurus, 340 Gs. Darkus Serpenoid, 290 Gs. Gate cards-Reversal, Darkus Storm, and Peacemaker. Ability cards- Water Refrain, Poison Fang, and Void Shield. (I wll have a list of available gate/ability cards for you to pick off of that will also have their effects.)

This RPG will mainly focus of Player vs. Player combat. Battle can be anything from 1 v 1 to 3 v3, and even a 3 v 1 hasn’t been unheard of. How a battle would work…

 

A good, basic battle would be where one of the 2+ brawlers throws down one gate card. Both Bakugan are thrown onto it, and the battle commences. The owner of the gate card can then say, “Gate card open!” and your Bakugan will gain G-power based on what the card is. Once this happens, brawlers can use ability cards. Once players are done using abilities, the Bakugan/brawler with the highest G-power wins. The battle continues like this, each player taking turns throwing down a card, until one person’s Bakugan have all been defeated. At this point, the battle ends. (Note, I am mixing and matching battle systems from Seasons one and two. Let me know what you think).

 

 

Bakugan

Bakugan are normally large, monterous creatures. But on Earth, they take the form of a small ball about the size of a walnut. In this RPG, however, Vestroia and Earth merged, so Bakugan can choose to be in their ball form or in their normal form. There are six attributes of Bakugan, indicated by their color. They are Pyrus (fire), Aquos (water), Haos (light), Ventus (wind), Sub-terra (ground) and Darkus (shadow). Normally, each battler keeps only one attribute of Bakugan with them, but that is not always the case. In general, when choosing your Bakugan, don’t make their G-powers more than 350. All three should add up to around 950 G’s.

List of Bakugan…

 

Bee Striker · Centipoid · Cycloid · El Condor · Falconeer · Fear Ripper · Fourtress · Gargonoid ·Griffon· Harpus · Hynoid · Juggernoid · Laserman · Limulus · Manion · Mantris · Monarus · Rattleoid · Ravenoid · Reaper · Robotallion · Saurus · Serpenoid ·Siege Sirenoid · Stinglash · Tentaclear Terrorclaw ·Tuskor · Warius · Wormquake

 

I will elaborate more on Gate and Ability Cards later.

 

Factions:

There are really two factions in this RPG. The Resistance, which is composed almost entirely of kids, and the Legion of Naga, which is adults mostly that have been trained to use Bakugan.

 

Rules:

 

1. Follow all BZRPG rules

 

2. Follow any guidelines listed above

 

3. No meta-gaming.

 

Meta-gaming is using information in you IC posts that you character could not possibly know. This, I realize, could be a real problem in this RPG, Seeing as you can see what Bakugan and cards the others have. Just don’t do it.

 

4. Use IC for in character posts and OOC for out of character posts.

 

5. Be respectful

 

6. Have fun!

 

Character:

Your character will be a kid, 12-16 years old if you are in the resistance, or an adult, from about 25-38, if you are in the Legion of Naga.

Character sign-up sheet.

Name:

Age:

Faction:

Main Attribute: (Pyrus, Aquos, etc…)

Appearance: (please, more than ten words at least)

Personality: (self explanatory)

Background: (optional)

Bakugan: (Use the list that is up farther in this post. List their type, attribute, and G-powers.)

 

Here is some extra info:

If you play your character extremely well, I may see fit to reward you with a talking Bakugan. All staff will automatically have one.

This is my first RPG. Please, if there is any confusion, comments, or criticism on ANYTHING, don’t hesitate to ask.

Edited June 9, 2013 by sonyaxe

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

The big problem with a Bakugan RPG: Way to much GodModding possible. Go the route of the later seasons, and remove Gate/Ability cards in favor of actual powers for the Bakugan. Same happens to G-Power in the newest season, Because of (SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN'T SEE SEASON 3/4), so no one uses it.

I approve not adding Trap/Battle Gear/Mechtogan, because those are almost all overpowered.

 

Other than that, this looks like a good draft!

 

 

and I may or may not have the offical guide lying around the house, why do you ask?

Edited June 8, 2013 by The Lonesome Wanderer

[Canis Lycaon]

You're not allowed to embed videos from that site.

 

I would do what Lonesome suggested and remove both. No one likes RPGs with incredible amounts of numbers.

 

Other than that, it looks good.

[sonyaxe]

I see the problem with god modding. What I am going to do is add a list of usable ability and gate cards and what they what they do. So, just to clarify, I should get rid of G-power, and no ability cards? Thanks for responding so quickly!

 

EDIT: @ Canis: I see no other way for it. If I give the Bakugan no G's, then I run into the problem of even more god modding, what with people saying that they can shoot fifty thousand energy balls and they all track their target. Plus, the calculations would be relatively simple. (I.E., plus 50 or 100 G's.) Also, I removed the video. Didn't mean to embed it.

Edited June 8, 2013 by sonyaxe

[Havelock Vetinari]

Dark fantasy? Heck yeah!

 

Hm. I'll work on the setting a bit. Don't expect to see many of the standard fantasy races.

 

Elves, for example, were violenty wiped out. By the universe. For being elves.

 

As is true of any fantasy world I write.

[sonyaxe]

and I may or may not have the offical guide lying around the house, why do you ask?

To what? Bakugan? A brain? The Universe?

[Havelock Vetinari]

Hm. I'm also going to be taking a more....realistic take on the people and kingdoms in the world. Expect them to all have problems and not really mesh up with modern morality.

 

The Serpent People come close-equal rights, a republic.....there's just the tiny matter of them slaying sentient creatures on altars for their gods.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Basilisk

[Wyrd Bid Ful Araed]

sonyaxe, dude, don't use linking the wiki as an excuse not to actually explain the scenario and whats going on. And don't tell your potential players to google something when that something is apparently a key mechanic. Also, fyi, you say you'll explain gate and ability cards...and then don't. That just a bit you hadn't got round to writing yet?

 

 

Also, count me in for a Basilisk-twisted fantasy world

Edited June 8, 2013 by Lord of Adders Black

[sonyaxe]

Anything that I said I will explain, I have not found a good way to describe it yet without it being really confusing. I am working on it, but my brain is kind of fried from finals. And yes, that is a horrible excuse. Both the lore, battle mechanics and gate/ability cards will be up, I just need time. Thank you for reminding me, I will get on it soon.

 

Also, Basilsisk's idea sounds good.

[Canis Lycaon]

If I give the Bakugan no G's, then I run into the problem of even more god modding,

Um, no you don't. Pokemon: Rise of the Rockets has had effectively the same system as what I am suggesting.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Gods, of course, are inactive or don't exist. Or worse.

 

Magic does. It's just fueled by blood or something like it, has....a bad relationship with mental stability (use too much of it at one time and your mind breaks) and it also could get you eaten by whatever you summon up.

 

First Rule of Magic: Don't call up what you can't put down.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Basilisk

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

I see the problem with god modding. What I am going to do is add a list of usable ability and gate cards and what they what they do. So, just to clarify, I should get rid of G-power, and no ability cards? Thanks for responding so quickly!

Get rid of ability CARDS, but have the Bakugan be able to use the abilities naturaly.

And G-Power is confusing in the newer stuff. Keep it if you wish.

Gods, of course, are inactive or don't exist. Or worse.

 

Magic does. It's just fueled by blood or something like it, has....a bad relationship with mental stability (use too much of it at one time and your mind breaks) and it also could get you eaten by whatever you summon up.

 

First Rule of Magic: Don't call up what you can't put down.

I like this.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Dragonball Z, Bakugan... Pokemon's an old RPG on here. What's next, Yu-Gi-Oh!:The RPG?

 

And @Basilisk, don't you see the glory of having elves in your RPG? If there are no elves, what races remain for you to mercilessly slaughter in a fit of rage at the nearest opportunity?

 

The Gnomes. William Shatner will kill all of the gnomes for trying to compete with him. And to anyone who gets that joke, you are a beautiful person. After a Photoshop edit.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

Dragonball Z, Bakugan... Pokemon's an old RPG on here. What's next, Yu-Gi-Oh!:The RPG?

*Begins Planning*

Edited June 9, 2013 by The Lonesome Wanderer

[JiMing]

Dragonball Z, Bakugan... Pokemon's an old RPG on here. What's next, Yu-Gi-Oh!:The RPG?

Someone doesn't like anime.

[Havelock Vetinari]

Dragonball Z, Bakugan... Pokemon's an old RPG on here. What's next, Yu-Gi-Oh!:The RPG?

 

And @Basilisk, don't you see the glory of having elves in your RPG? If there are no elves, what races remain for you to mercilessly slaughter in a fit of rage at the nearest opportunity?

 

I'm toning down racial variety so I can focus more on the races that do exist. Don't expect more then four or five.

 

Well, see, the elves were so arrogant the universe aborted them before they existed.

[sonyaxe]

Ok. I have added the lore in the form of a super condensed, kinda dry block of text in the original post. I am working on the battle system currently. And with ability cards, I can see where you are coming from, but I am hesitant to get rid of them. I could start the RPG with them, and if response to them isn't good I could remove them. But G-power is staying. It is an integral part of Bakugan in my opinion without it, there won't be clear winners to battles.

 

Edit: Found an easy way to explain battles. It is up under "Battles" in the original post.

Edited June 9, 2013 by sonyaxe

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Someone doesn't like anime.

 

Not much, no. But I've never actively sought them out either. The only one I've ever been interested in is the Season 0 of Yu-Gi-Oh. And I never would have watched it were it not for a certain card game.

 

To be fair I don't watch much in terms of television.

 

I'm toning down racial variety so I can focus more on the races that do exist. Don't expect more then four or five.

 

Well, see, the elves were so arrogant the universe aborted them before they existed.

 

Are you drawing inspiration from actual mythologies or just coming up with things at random? Please say the former for my the sake of my sanity.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Havelock Vetinari]

Are you drawing inspiration from actual mythologies or just coming up with things at random? Please say the former for my the sake of my sanity.

 

 

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

 

I'm trying to build a consistant, realistic (insofar as is possible) fantasy world. I might be drawing from certain works of fiction, but I'm putting my own twisted spin on them.

[Blessed Blade]

For the record, I'm still in for the Monster Hunter RPG, and that just seems awesome.Also, I'm fine with three RPGs at once; wouldn't be the first time. =P

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Gckgh! Trying to keep up with several threads on different forums is great until you have to leave your computer.

 

Since I'm dropping the ball all over the place, here:

 

Potterworld RPG - I suppot MMM's witch-hunting standpoint. Muggles have been so utterly trashed by the wizarding world that a group comprised of people who have been screwed over by them is an awesome idea. The leader of that group should have a prosthetic limb or an eyepatch, in a non-Mad-Eye-Moody way, of course.

 

Monster Hunter RPG - I do see your dilemma, Advent; give players an open world and characters can scatter to the four winds and never see each other again, but in a world so vast having all the characters come together in one location is a bit...odd. Not entirely sure how to go about fixing that, but I think you should definitely include at least some basic form of plot. Something for players to build off of - some sort of conflict or strife, be it growing tensions between two kingdoms or hordes of monsters attacking a certain area, or even some artifact for them to quest over. Just a general direction to aim players before they head off into the frontier.

 

Twisted Basilisk RPG - Instead of uber Tolkien elves, why not take the creatures back to their Germanic roots, where they were tiny little imps who helped shoemakers? Like Harry Potter's house elves, but more wild and sinister. Ooh, in that vein, make them little humanoid critters like that, but in the same vein as a monkey. Magical little woodland vermin who'll turn your hair colors and cackle maniacally. That'd be kind of fun, actually.

 

 

~ Rumpelstiltskin

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

That'd be kind of fun, actually.

 

(He doesn't believe in fun.)

 

I'm trying to build a consistant, realistic (insofar as is possible) fantasy world. I might be drawing from certain works of fiction, but I'm putting my own twisted spin on them.

 

Even Tolkien wasn't above drawing from real world mythology; in fact, he mostly did.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Havelock Vetinari]

.....Nah. Creatures that small wouldn't be able to support much brain function. At most, they'd match a very clever cat.

 

I'm not outright ignoring science here. Magic is an exception, channeling a force that can ignore some natural laws. That said, unless someone lived for millions of years, evolved before most sentient life and constantly added magic, prevented said magic from fading and such as to suggested elves....they can't really exist.

 

And why would someone go to all that trouble?

 

Even Tolkien wasn't above drawing from real world mythology; in fact, he mostly did.

 

Mm. How nice for him. I intend to go with a different path.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Basilisk

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Mm. How nice for him. I intend to go with a different path.

 

Very nice indeed, via the process of having at least some slight influence (direct or not) on nearly every fantasy setting of the present day.

 

.....Nah. Creatures that small wouldn't be able to support much brain function. At most, they'd match a very clever cat.

I'm not outright ignoring science here. Magic is an exception, channeling a force that can ignore some natural laws. That said, unless someone lived for millions of years, evolved before most sentient life and constantly added magic, prevented said magic from fading and such as to suggested elves....they can't really exist.

And why would someone go to all that trouble?

 

For the lulz, obviously. That aside, if you are so much affronted to having creatures biologically unnatural why have separate species at all? I direct you to the book series I have on multiple occasions, the Elenium/Tamuli, wherein there are only three or so sentient species, excluding the various sub-species (one in particular with magical enhancements) of humanity, and the gods. Other monsters are hinted at but they are not present by the time of the story beginning as more than myths. So you have your various nationalities of humans, your trolls, and your ogres (though one is never actually encountered). A much easier solution then breaking 'realism' when you simply get rid of what would be harder to explain.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Edited June 9, 2013 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Havelock Vetinari]

For the lulz, obviously. That aside, if you are so much affronted to having creatures biologically unnatural why have separate species at all? I direct you to the book series I have on multiple occasions, the Elenium/Tamuli, wherein there are only three or so sentient species, excluding the various sub-species (one in particular with magical enhancements) of humanity, and the gods. Other monsters are hinted at but they are not present by the time of the story beginning as more than myths. So you have your various nationalities of humans, your trolls, and your ogres (though one is never actually encountered). A much easier solution then breaking 'realism' when you simply get rid of what would be harder to explain.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

 

It actually has to do with the history of that universe and the nature of magic. If you want me to get technical.....magic is connected to life, the reason it is dependent on blood is because it consumes the lives of the cells within it. So slicing yourself open with a dagger will let you perform some spells, but it'll demand just about every cell in your body for other spells and you'll need to slay other living creatures to perform those spells without dying.

 

To enchant an object, you need to bathe it in blood-the cells lives are consumed to enchant the blade or what-have-you. The most powerful enchanted objects have....rather murderous starts.

 

Magic, thus, has an influence on life. It is also connected to (and has its origins in)....something I'll call the Outer Dark (like heck am I explaining what this is) and different areas have differing levels of ambient magic (the result of cells dying off-free flowing magical energy) areas thick with life-areas inhabited by creatures with the potential to acheive sentience (naturally these creatures will have higher populations compared to their more feral brothers) will have higher levels and magic, being so connected to the energies of life, also introduces yet another random factor to evolution.. Mild mutatations and the like, barely noticeable. But over millions of years, it can have quite an effect. Sentience for example.

 

The race list, incidentally, looks like this so far.

 

Serpent People

Humanity

Scorpion Men (result of magical disaster)

Deep Men (Fishmen-result of magical experimentation)

Scaled Men (evolutionary offshoots of the Serpent People, bulkier, wider, stronger-the Neanderthal, to their Cro-morgan)

Edited June 9, 2013 by Basilisk

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

*Neanderthal, not cavemen. Cro Magnons painted in the caves at Lascaux.

 

Care to elaborate on the Scorpion Men and the magical disaster that spawned them?

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

 

For the lulz, obviously. That aside, if you are so much affronted to having creatures biologically unnatural why have separate species at all? I direct you to the book series I have on multiple occasions, the Elenium/Tamuli, wherein there are only three or so sentient species, excluding the various sub-species (one in particular with magical enhancements) of humanity, and the gods. Other monsters are hinted at but they are not present by the time of the story beginning as more than myths. So you have your various nationalities of humans, your trolls, and your ogres (though one is never actually encountered). A much easier solution then breaking 'realism' when you simply get rid of what would be harder to explain.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

 

It actually has to do with the history of that universe and the nature of magic. If you want me to get technical.....magic is connected to life, the reason it is dependent on blood is because it consumes the lives of the cells within it. So slicing yourself open with a dagger will let you perform some spells, but it'll demand just about every cell in your body for other spells and you'll need to slay other living creatures to perform those spells without dying.

 

To enchant an object, you need to bathe it in blood-the cells lives are consumed to enchant the blade or what-have-you. The most powerful enchanted objects have....rather murderous starts.

 

Magic, thus, has an influence on life. It is also connected to (and has its origins in)....something I'll call the Outer Dark (like heck am I explaining what this is) and different areas have differing levels of ambient magic (the result of cells dying off-free flowing magical energy) areas thick with life-areas inhabited by creatures with the potential to acheive sentience (naturally these creatures will have higher populations compared to their more feral brothers) will have higher levels and magic, being so connected to the energies of life, also introduces yet another random factor to evolution.. Mild mutatations and the like, barely noticeable. But over millions of years, it can have quite an effect. Sentience for example.

 

The race list, incidentally, looks like this so far.

 

Serpent People

Humanity

Scorpion Men (result of magical disaster)

Deep Men (Fishmen-result of magical experimentation)

Scaled Men (evolutionary offshoots of the Serpent People, bulkier, wider, stronger-the cave man to their cro-morgan)

 

So magic directly connected to life... something similar with mine own fantasy setting, but I'll wait until Multiversal Collision comes along to show all of that write up off in its full grandeur.

 

Going off of the enchantment idea, than theoretically, if one were to kill off large numbers of people, the weapon would be able to grow in power by absorbing the magical energy contained within the cells? And along that note - is blood simply the best choice, or can other components be used with greater pains?

 

On the note about evolution, these mutations would need to allow the creature changing to better adapt to their environment. Natural selection - survival of the fittest - means that unless those mutations help them survive, the mutated subjects - sentient or not - will not successfully breed as well as their counterparts and the mutations die off. So to keep it along that line, any of these creatures would need to have every advantage over their normal counterparts. And following the logic further, since having these mutations helps ensure survival... how would any of these creatures be akin to their real world counterparts?

 

Also - Deep Men. Your Lovecraft is showing.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[The Lonesome Wanderer]

 

That'd be kind of fun, actually.

 

(He doesn't believe in fun.)

 

Nonono, he isn't talking about fun, he's talking about !!FUN!!

 

cookie if you got that

 

Anyways, the Persona RPG seems to require way to much exposition and explanation for it to work. I've dropped it. If anyone else makes one, I'd be willing to Co-host.

 

 

 

So, Devil Survivor 2 RPG anyone?

[Havelock Vetinari]

*Neanderthal, not cavemen. Cro Magnons painted in the caves at Lascaux.

 

Care to elaborate on the Scorpion Men and the magical disaster that spawned them?

 

Certainly. Take a relatively well-populated city in the desert that worships a scorpion god. Take a cabal of mages who try to summon something out of the Outer Dark that is, frankly, utterly beyond them. Add in a burst of magic that's off the metaphorical charts accompanying the arrival of said creature...well, let us say, of the resulting freakish fused mutants, only the Scorpion Men could still breed.

 

Very nasty event that.

 

 

Going off of the enchantment idea, than theoretically, if one were to kill off large numbers of people, the weapon would be able to grow in power by absorbing the magical energy contained within the cells? And along that note - is blood simply the best choice, or can other components be used with greater pains?

On the note about evolution, these mutations would need to allow the creature changing to better adapt to their environment. Natural selection - survival of the fittest - means that unless those mutations help them survive, the mutated subjects - sentient or not - will not successfully breed as well as their counterparts and the mutations die off. So to keep it along that line, any of these creatures would need to have every advantage over their normal counterparts. And following the logic further, since having these mutations helps ensure survival... how would any of these creatures be akin to their real world counterparts?

 

If you feel like cultivating a massive plague or burning every insect nest in the kingdom, most certainly. Blood however, is in your own body, you don't have to go out into the woods and kill something....

 

Magic tends to be less offensive in nature in this universe. It can suspend physical laws to a point, but if you are looking to conjure up fireball after fireball, you are going to run out of blood very quickly. Magical rituals, when they aren't appealing to entities of the Outer Dark*, are merely tricks to help the caster focus a bit.

 

Necromancy requires...a lot of blood. Enough to bathe a corpse in. Some rule applies as enchantment-the more blood, the better the spell. If the mind is intact then you can probably raise something like a vampire or a lich, though to raise a lich you'd need to tap into the Outer Dark (which, suffice it to say, has much more magic...much more) if someone manages to cut off that...let us call it a string...to the Outer Dark, said lich is going to need to start bathing in blood or drop to the floor one day when the energy runs out. With just enough blood to cover the corpse, you get what amounts to a vampire zombie. Raising skeletons....well, set up a string and have just enough blood to cover it. The reason you can't tap into the Outer Dark for UNLIMITED POWER....well, remember what I said about magic and sanity not mixing? When you raise a vampire and a lich, the string is just enough to let them move and think...enough for them to fight off the effect and sustain basic functions. Frankly, to a living mage, the risk isn't worth the minor reward.

 

Quite. The Serpent Men and their evolutionary counterparts, you'll note, are the only additional sentient races that arose naturally. Mutations aren't always beneficial and are normally bred out. With a few exceptions that resulted in some creatures we would call fantastic.

 

*My Lovecraft is showing again. Fun fact, there's some compelling evidence that universal laws can change. Sleep tight kiddies.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Basilisk

[Alex Humva]

So, up can be down, left can be right, and cute bunnies can be eldritch horrors, all at the drop of the hat?

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Cute bunnies are already eldritch horrors. Especially when I've gutted them and turned them into hand-puppets.

[Havelock Vetinari]

So, up can be down, left can be right, and cute bunnies can be eldritch horrors, all at the drop of the hat?

 

Depends on how far you stray into that big, black, infinite universe....

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

If you feel like cultivating a massive plague or burning every insect nest in the kingdom, most certainly. Blood however, is in your own body, you don't have to go out into the woods and kill something....

Magic tends to be less offensive in nature in this universe. It can suspend physical laws to a point, but if you are looking to conjure up fireball after fireball, you are going to run out of blood very quickly. Magical rituals, when they aren't appealing to entities of the Outer Dark*, are merely tricks to help the caster focus a bit. Necromancy requires...a lot of blood. Enough to bathe a corpse in. Some rule applies as enchantment-the more blood, the better the spell. If the mind is intact then you can probably raise something like a vampire or a lich, though to raise a lich you'd need to tap into the Outer Dark (which, suffice it to say, has much more magic...much more) if someone manages to cut off that...let us call it a string...to the Outer Dark, said lich is going to need to start bathing in blood or drop to the floor one day when the energy runs out. With just enough blood to cover the corpse, you get what amounts to a vampire zombie. Raising skeletons....well, set up a string and have just enough blood to cover it.

Quite. The Serpent Men and their evolutionary counterparts, you'll note, or the only additional sentient races that arose naturally. Mutations aren't always beneficial and are normally bred out. With a few exceptions that resulted in some creatures we would call fantastic.

*My Lovecraft is showing again. Fun fact, there's some compelling evidence that universal laws can change. Sleep tight kiddies.

 

So on the note of gods - if there are creatures in the Outer Darkness with power far beyond that of normal mortals, who can be contacted, then it's not a far stretch to imagine them being worshiped. If that is the case, does that not make them akin to gods via loose definition?

 

Theological questions aside, what exactly is the benefit to a lich or vampire in this setting? Just living longer? If that's the case, why even go the lich route; just go vampire and go easy. And why would you do this to another? I can't imagine any being put through the process by others in any situation short of them being rulers considered as divine by their subjects.

 

The issue I see with the exceptions is that, theoretically, any area where that particular strand evolved would lead it to dominate a niche formerly filled by its predecessor in the environment and easily supplant them. Whatever advantage allowed them to evolve in the first place would cause them to supplant the 'lesser' creatures; the majority of animals would be more highly adaptable and genetically superior versions of their real world counterparts. Which makes life for any prospective sentient hunter... far more interesting.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Zehvor: If that were the case, any evolutionary split would only ever result in one species surviving. Instead, species often evolve to fill a different niche from that occupied by their ancestors, eliminating most competition between them.

[Havelock Vetinari]

So on the note of gods - if there are creatures in the Outer Darkness with power far beyond that of normal mortals, who can be contacted, then it's not a far stretch to imagine them being worshiped. If that is the case, does that not make them akin to gods via loose definition?

 

Theological questions aside, what exactly is the benefit to a lich or vampire in this setting? Just living longer? If that's the case, why even go the lich route; just go vampire and go easy. And why would you do this to another? I can't imagine any being put through the process by others in any situation short of them being rulers considered as divine by their subjects.

 

The issue I see with the exceptions is that, theoretically, any area where that particular strand evolved would lead it to dominate a niche formerly filled by its predecessor in the environment and easily supplant them. Whatever advantage allowed them to evolve in the first place would cause them to supplant the 'lesser' creatures; the majority of animals would be more highly adaptable and genetically superior versions of their real world counterparts. Which makes life for any prospective sentient hunter... far more interesting.

 

-Toa Levacius Zehvor

 

Would you contact something that can end a city? It does happen, but they aren't truly gods. Call them gods if you like. Some people in the world do. Some worship them.

 

Living longer. Deeper connection to magic. Liches tend to have a larger connection to the Outer Dark, making summoning things up easier. Due to this connection, they can also store excess energy that isn't needed to sustain their functions. They'll have to burn it off or go insane of course. This excess energy is very valuable however, it allows them to cast magic without blood. Which in this setting is quite powerful indeed. Don't expect to start out as one.

 

Vampires on the other hand, get a nice set of fangs out of the deal. Require far less blood, but don't get any deeper connection to the Outer Dark. Also need to drink blood on occasion because the energy from the string isn't enough to totally sustain them. Don't feed? Say good bye to higher brain functions.

 

Some people pay for it to be done to them after they die. Some people, believe it or not, rather like the thought of living forever.

 

Quite. Though magic, as noted with the Scorpion Men above, doesn't favor reproduction. The effect is just that, random. So exceptions are rare. Relatively speaking-the entire animal population isn't filled with uber-creatures, but they do exist. Some continents might have very very deadly wolves. Others might have rather large spiders. Ymper's note is also valid.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Basilisk

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

As for why you would use that magic on someone else... Turn others into vampires and then don't let them feed for a while. Humanoid attack dogs with fangs. Or maybe you want cheap labour - shazam! Zombies that aren't physically dead, their brain's just turned slightly necrotic because it's not the important part. The important part is that they're gone enough to listen to whatever you tell them. They will work all day in the sun without complaining. They will never run away, or try to get rights.

 

You want cheap labour, you zombify some villagers and set yourself up a plantation. This is a very monster-friendly 'verse, and most of them belong to one of the playable races listed above.

[Havelock Vetinari]

If someone opens a way to the Outer Dark-a gate for lack of a better word....

 

The local wild-life takes a turn for the strange. Comparing the Outer Dark to the rest of the world is like comparing rad levels in just-bombed Nagasaki to rad-levels in New York.

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

I know this isn't my RPG and I've had no more official news than you lot have, but I also happen to know Basilisk.

 

You want to know what might happen to a village where someone opened a gate to the Outer Dark for a brief time? Like, five minutes of portal time? Listen to the song 'Fear and Anguish' by Voltaire.

 

Also, Basilisk, is my plan to bathe freshly dead-and-drained villagers in their own blood in order to create stable worker-zombies solid?

Edited June 9, 2013 by Ymper Trymon

[Havelock Vetinari]

Pretty much. It's clearly illegal in most places, but yeah. Because of the drained and murdered part. They'll also need to be fed blood. Quite a bit of it.

 

And that goes for everything else you said as well.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Basilisk

[HeavyMetalSunshineSister]

Well, turn myself into a Lich - I figure five villagers go to waste for that, oh well - and turn my collaborators into vampires - three villagers* a piece? - and I don't give a Shoggoth's nosehairs what's illegal in this 'verse.

 

*Originally said zombies. Guess it's getting hard to tell the difference, really.

Edited June 9, 2013 by Ymper Trymon