RPG Forum Contest 24

[25K Now!]

Mindless Carnage is the epitome of all that is awesome.

[otter]

Mindless Carnage is the epitome of all that is awesome.

Agreed.Although, punching a rock and destroying it with the air compressed in micropockets within elementally-created sandstone is pretty cool too.

[25K Now!]

That is as well. All we need now are people walking away from massive explosions.

[a goose]

@Lev: Training you received to protect yourself from psionic powers may not be quite as helpful when you're dealing with an alien, Lev. Especially one who can telekinetically point the sword through which you planned to vaporise them back at you.Also, you're talking about pointless bloodshed and NOT SO MUCH AS ONE OF YOU has mentioned the RPG where the GMs actually use 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo' to pick who dies (LOLJK).

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

@Lev: Training you received to protect yourself from psionic powers may not be quite as helpful when you're dealing with an alien, Lev. Especially one who can telekinetically point the sword through which you planned to vaporise them back at you.Also, you're talking about pointless bloodshed and NOT SO MUCH AS ONE OF YOU has mentioned the RPG where the GMs actually use 'eeny-meeny-miney-mo' to pick who dies (LOLJK).

Vorex, I find it hard to trust anyone whose avatar is better known as the Intelligence Dampening Sphere.ALSO< his brain is his brain. Targeting the aliens with psionics may be impossible, but he can't do that anyways. But his brain is his brain, and he can keep anyone from getting in.-Toa Levacius Zehvor Edited June 11, 2012 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Black Six]

I wish I could say that my master plan worked, and I fooled you all, but I'd be lying.Honestly, I had no idea what compelled me to write that horrible first entry I submitted, when I had this beauty lying around in the old Documents folder.The Story's changed, but the Name is the same. (I didn't want to unnecessarily bug B6. )So, go check it out. Links in the sig.

You know this is the 24th RPG contest, not the 23rd, right?

[Grantaire]

Are you going to put the Toa under the ruling of the Toa Code, or make it a free for all killfest?

If your toa character has a reasonable reason to not abide by the code, I'll let it pass. However, he'll suffer the natural consequences; being shunned by his peers etc.

At least the War ends well, when an army of hundreds of Toa surround the Dark Hunters and say "No, you get off this island."They don't actually say that, though.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

What are you talking about? The Dark Hunters could easily win this war. It'd be no fun if I made an RPG everyone knew the ending of.

[BULiK]

Well, I have some news. I'm withdrawing CotD soon.Of course, this gives me 16 days to write up the Toa/Dark Hunter War RPg I'm replacing it with...

D:I already had half my profiles ready!bummer.....

[a goose]

@Lev: Hey, come on now. He is awesome. There's even a component of the ship in FE which is based on him. :PNot necessarily. Toa of Psionics would be able to lock them out, true, but other beings — even with training — couldn't. I'll use a metaphor, here:By training your character to stop intrusions on his mind from MU species, you 'lock' the 'door' that their powers use to get in. However, the aliens use a different 'door', which isn't locked.That make it easier to understand?

[Krayzikk]

@Lev: Hey, come on now. He is awesome. There's even a component of the ship in FE which is based on him. :PNot necessarily. Toa of Psionics would be able to lock them out, true, but other beings — even with training — couldn't. I'll use a metaphor, here:By training your character to stop intrusions on his mind from MU species, you 'lock' the 'door' that their powers use to get in. However, the aliens use a different 'door', which isn't locked.That make it easier to understand?

Toa of Psionics, on the other hand, can lock all the doors and booby trap them. Edited June 11, 2012 by Krayzikk Champion of RPGs

[a goose]

@Lev: Hey, come on now. He is awesome. There's even a component of the ship in FE which is based on him. :PNot necessarily. Toa of Psionics would be able to lock them out, true, but other beings even with training couldn't. I'll use a metaphor, here:By training your character to stop intrusions on his mind from MU species, you 'lock' the 'door' that their powers use to get in. However, the aliens use a different 'door', which isn't locked.That make it easier to understand?

Toa of Psionics, on the other hand, can lock all the doors and booby trap them.

My point exactly.

[WriterofReapers]

Makuta powers will be at a level equal to a stage 3 Kraata.That is all.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

If your toa character has a reasonable reason to not abide by the code, I'll let it pass. However, he'll suffer the natural consequences; being shunned by his peers etc.

So like in Waves, then. I was asking because in most RPG's, Toa characters are allowed to butcher everything in their path and completely ignore the Toa Code.

What are you talking about? The Dark Hunters could easily win this war. It'd be no fun if I made an RPG everyone knew the ending of.

Yeah, but then we don't get an army of Toa to be awesome at the end.

@Lev: Hey, come on now. He is awesome. There's even a component of the ship in FE which is based on him. :PNot necessarily. Toa of Psionics would be able to lock them out, true, but other beings — even with training — couldn't. I'll use a metaphor, here:By training your character to stop intrusions on his mind from MU species, you 'lock' the 'door' that their powers use to get in. However, the aliens use a different 'door', which isn't locked.That make it easier to understand?

He. Dampens. Intelligence. :PWhat I don't understand, then, is how they get in. The idea is that their brains and powers are alien to our characters. But it's also vice-versa. Their trying to get in would be inefficient because, even if they took a few captives from the last ship to study, they still wouldn't be trained to effect a character who received training to block off their brain (which has more than one door that is being used anyways)

Makuta powers will be at a level equal to a stage 3 Kraata.That is all.

Seems reasonable. And by reasonable I mean you're just trying to balance everything too much....Nah. Stage 3 still puts them ahead of everybody else with their three powers. Have you considered increasing it to four, with Darkness at stage 6 being default? You're still trying to compensate for the ability to make fire with your brain.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[Krayzikk]

Hmm. Valid point, Lev.It's sorta like me trying to operate a Stargate.

[otter]

Hmm. Valid point, Lev.It's sorta like me trying to operate a Stargate.

Well, look back at the blog and you'll see something closer.

[a goose]

@Lev: Hey, come on now. He is awesome. There's even a component of the ship in FE which is based on him. :PNot necessarily. Toa of Psionics would be able to lock them out, true, but other beings — even with training — couldn't. I'll use a metaphor, here:By training your character to stop intrusions on his mind from MU species, you 'lock' the 'door' that their powers use to get in. However, the aliens use a different 'door', which isn't locked.That make it easier to understand?

He. Dampens. Intelligence. :PWhat I don't understand, then, is how they get in. The idea is that their brains and powers are alien to our characters. But it's also vice-versa. Their trying to get in would be inefficient because, even if they took a few captives from the last ship to study, they still wouldn't be trained to effect a character who received training to block off their brain (which has more than one door that is being used anyways)

So what? XDAh-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

[WriterofReapers]

Seems reasonable. And by reasonable I mean you're just trying to balance everything too much....Nah. Stage 3 still puts them ahead of everybody else with their three powers. Have you considered increasing it to four, with Darkness at stage 6 being default? You're still trying to compensate for the ability to make fire with your brain.

And these Makuta powers allow you to make others things "with your brain". :PSeeing as how Makuta will be rare, it can be expected that anyone who manages to get their hands on one will be a rather talented RPer, at which point they can be expected to make up for the lacking in raw power with variety. What I really want to avoid is one power always being used; that's just no fun. Does that make sense?

[a goose]

Seems reasonable. And by reasonable I mean you're just trying to balance everything too much....Nah. Stage 3 still puts them ahead of everybody else with their three powers. Have you considered increasing it to four, with Darkness at stage 6 being default? You're still trying to compensate for the ability to make fire with your brain.

And these Makuta powers allow you to make others things "with your brain". :PSeeing as how Makuta will be rare, it can be expected that anyone who manages to get their hands on one will be a rather talented RPer, at which point they can be expected to make up for the lacking in raw power with variety. What I really want to avoid is one power always being used; that's just no fun. Does that make sense?

Yes. No. Maybe....Can you repeat the question? XD

[WriterofReapers]

No. Just reread it; you'll get the same experience as me asking it again.

[otter]

It made perfect sense to me.And I haven't been to that blog entry in a while.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Ah-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

Yeah, hole in the ground. Perfect sense.The fact still stands that if you have mental training, you learn how your brain functions. You learn to close off your thoughts and protect yourself from intrusion. Assuming these aliens have a backdoor they can access that nobody else can use, they would be forced to take the long way around, because you've already blocked out all of the easy access points. It may be only a few seconds delay, but a few seconds delay means a lot when you're trying to fight somebody in combat. Since there's no way to tell a shielded mind from an unshielded one, they come out and try to use their powers, thinking that it's working. It's not, though, because this individual is blocking their initial assault. So instead they go for the back wave. Only by then, they're dead. From lightning. Or fire. Or fiery lightning.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

Ah-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

Yeah, hole in the ground. Perfect sense.The fact still stands that if you have mental training, you learn how your brain functions. You learn to close off your thoughts and protect yourself from intrusion. Assuming these aliens have a backdoor they can access that nobody else can use, they would be forced to take the long way around, because you've already blocked out all of the easy access points. It may be only a few seconds delay, but a few seconds delay means a lot when you're trying to fight somebody in combat. Since there's no way to tell a shielded mind from an unshielded one, they come out and try to use their powers, thinking that it's working. It's not, though, because this individual is blocking their initial assault. So instead they go for the back wave. Only by then, they're dead. From lightning. Or fire. Or fiery lightning.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

These aliens are incredibly intelligent. Rather than 'a few seconds', we're talking 'round about one, maybe two, but that's pushing it. (Also, the Toa who lives in the hole in the ground wasn't my idea, but I decided to use it to my advantage)Also, these aren't the kind of aliens that just run in and fight. They will stay in the distance and watch them, learning their way around them, finding out what they're doing, figuring out their weaknesses, and them pitching them against each-other in order to wear them down before they attack.But your characters won't know that that's their strategy. As far as your characters would know, they aren't being manipulated. The aliens are just gonna run in and attack them.Of course, the Matoran have an advantage in the manipulation field, as they would be FAR less easily turned to the 'dark side' than any other species.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Ah-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

Yeah, hole in the ground. Perfect sense.The fact still stands that if you have mental training, you learn how your brain functions. You learn to close off your thoughts and protect yourself from intrusion. Assuming these aliens have a backdoor they can access that nobody else can use, they would be forced to take the long way around, because you've already blocked out all of the easy access points. It may be only a few seconds delay, but a few seconds delay means a lot when you're trying to fight somebody in combat. Since there's no way to tell a shielded mind from an unshielded one, they come out and try to use their powers, thinking that it's working. It's not, though, because this individual is blocking their initial assault. So instead they go for the back wave. Only by then, they're dead. From lightning. Or fire. Or fiery lightning.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

These aliens are incredibly intelligent. Rather than 'a few seconds', we're talking 'round about one, maybe two, but that's pushing it. (Also, the Toa who lives in the hole in the ground wasn't my idea, but I decided to use it to my advantage)Also, these aren't the kind of aliens that just run in and fight. They will stay in the distance and watch them, learning their way around them, finding out what they're doing, figuring out their weaknesses, and them pitching them against each-other in order to wear them down before they attack.But your characters won't know that that's their strategy. As far as your characters would know, they aren't being manipulated. The aliens are just gonna run in and attack them.Of course, the Matoran have an advantage in the manipulation field, as they would be FAR less easily turned to the 'dark side' than any other species.

You would think that after 85 thousand years you'd begin to notice strange things like normal people being violent against each other and figure something was up. Especially when you've fought psionic beings previously.And more intelligent can be a bad thing. Look at Stargate - the Asurans had reached the point they never even considered that the best way to beat somebody with advanced technology is using technology that's less advanced. Or how the Goa'uld (spelling?) shields could block all energy or normal weapon attacks, but they couldn't do jack to an arrow or a knife being thrown because you just don't consider such primitive weapons being used in combat.Assuming they're only slightly more advanced, then, or just intelligent but without any advancements beyond, they're still dealing with a mind that's going to either be too much lower that it's going to be like sticking your face in a Porta-John, or relatively close, so they can't do anything that's outside the normal.Also by stating 'you expect them to run in and attack', you're again assuming somebody who has very little experience with being watched from afar and manipulated. Great Temple Squid with psionic powers being the least among them. You're always going to expect the worst - they're there and we can't see them - not the best - they're just crazy Matoran armed with clubs.But back to the mental shields. Your mind in shielded. You are shielding your mind. You are blocking out the doors people use to get in. You have experience dealing with people who know every facet of the mind and are showing you through hundreds of years of mental discipline during your great amounts of off time how to know when somebody is digging in and to block it. If you're watching a security camera and somebody comes sneaking past, it doesn't matter if they're a little green man being sneaky or a giant dude with a gattling in tow, dragging a Pyramid Head axe just for the noise on the ground. You're going to notice it because it's in there, and the two being different doesn't mean you're not closing your mind and all of its access ways.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

Ah-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

Yeah, hole in the ground. Perfect sense.The fact still stands that if you have mental training, you learn how your brain functions. You learn to close off your thoughts and protect yourself from intrusion. Assuming these aliens have a backdoor they can access that nobody else can use, they would be forced to take the long way around, because you've already blocked out all of the easy access points. It may be only a few seconds delay, but a few seconds delay means a lot when you're trying to fight somebody in combat. Since there's no way to tell a shielded mind from an unshielded one, they come out and try to use their powers, thinking that it's working. It's not, though, because this individual is blocking their initial assault. So instead they go for the back wave. Only by then, they're dead. From lightning. Or fire. Or fiery lightning.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

These aliens are incredibly intelligent. Rather than 'a few seconds', we're talking 'round about one, maybe two, but that's pushing it. (Also, the Toa who lives in the hole in the ground wasn't my idea, but I decided to use it to my advantage)Also, these aren't the kind of aliens that just run in and fight. They will stay in the distance and watch them, learning their way around them, finding out what they're doing, figuring out their weaknesses, and them pitching them against each-other in order to wear them down before they attack.But your characters won't know that that's their strategy. As far as your characters would know, they aren't being manipulated. The aliens are just gonna run in and attack them.Of course, the Matoran have an advantage in the manipulation field, as they would be FAR less easily turned to the 'dark side' than any other species.

You would think that after 85 thousand years you'd begin to notice strange things like normal people being violent against each other and figure something was up. Especially when you've fought psionic beings previously.And more intelligent can be a bad thing. Look at Stargate - the Asurans had reached the point they never even considered that the best way to beat somebody with advanced technology is using technology that's less advanced. Or how the Goa'uld (spelling?) shields could block all energy or normal weapon attacks, but they couldn't do jack to an arrow or a knife being thrown because you just don't consider such primitive weapons being used in combat.Assuming they're only slightly more advanced, then, or just intelligent but without any advancements beyond, they're still dealing with a mind that's going to either be too much lower that it's going to be like sticking your face in a Porta-John, or relatively close, so they can't do anything that's outside the normal.Also by stating 'you expect them to run in and attack', you're again assuming somebody who has very little experience with being watched from afar and manipulated. Great Temple Squid with psionic powers being the least among them. You're always going to expect the worst - they're there and we can't see them - not the best - they're just crazy Matoran armed with clubs.But back to the mental shields. Your mind in shielded. You are shielding your mind. You are blocking out the doors people use to get in. You have experience dealing with people who know every facet of the mind and are showing you through hundreds of years of mental discipline during your great amounts of off time how to know when somebody is digging in and to block it. If you're watching a security camera and somebody comes sneaking past, it doesn't matter if they're a little green man being sneaky or a giant dude with a gattling in tow, dragging a Pyramid Head axe just for the noise on the ground. You're going to notice it because it's in there, and the two being different doesn't mean you're not closing your mind and all of its access ways.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Not actually being violent. They'd plant thoughts in their minds, in order to make all of them start to begin to hate each-other. After planting the seed, they sit back and let it grow.They're a reasonable bit more intelligent than the normal PCs, but no real 'advancements' -- they rely on their intelligence and strategic skills to get them through.True enough, but look at the description Keuirce gave them. The only information they have is what comes from Keuirce, and from what he says, they're violent monsters. Primitive savages.I can use this metaphor too.Instead of walking past the security cameras, they walk through a place that you didn't know about, where there are no security cameras.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Ah-ha, but there is an answer to that.There's a Toa who lives in a hole in the ground, and by trying for a long, long time they learnt to understand Matoran and Agori, and how to access their minds. They found this 'backdoor' along the way. Since their brains and powers are alien to the characters, they access their minds in a different way, as they taught themselves from this Toa. And all of them know, because, although they do not think as one, all their thoughts are connected to each-other (allowing them to work brilliantly in groups), so when one learns something, so do all the others.And before you mention about how it would be difficult for them to hear all of each-other's thoughts, they are, as you and I have both said, alien. Their minds function differently, and they have evolved (they are mostly organic) to use this.

Yeah, hole in the ground. Perfect sense.The fact still stands that if you have mental training, you learn how your brain functions. You learn to close off your thoughts and protect yourself from intrusion. Assuming these aliens have a backdoor they can access that nobody else can use, they would be forced to take the long way around, because you've already blocked out all of the easy access points. It may be only a few seconds delay, but a few seconds delay means a lot when you're trying to fight somebody in combat. Since there's no way to tell a shielded mind from an unshielded one, they come out and try to use their powers, thinking that it's working. It's not, though, because this individual is blocking their initial assault. So instead they go for the back wave. Only by then, they're dead. From lightning. Or fire. Or fiery lightning.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

These aliens are incredibly intelligent. Rather than 'a few seconds', we're talking 'round about one, maybe two, but that's pushing it. (Also, the Toa who lives in the hole in the ground wasn't my idea, but I decided to use it to my advantage)Also, these aren't the kind of aliens that just run in and fight. They will stay in the distance and watch them, learning their way around them, finding out what they're doing, figuring out their weaknesses, and them pitching them against each-other in order to wear them down before they attack.But your characters won't know that that's their strategy. As far as your characters would know, they aren't being manipulated. The aliens are just gonna run in and attack them.Of course, the Matoran have an advantage in the manipulation field, as they would be FAR less easily turned to the 'dark side' than any other species.

You would think that after 85 thousand years you'd begin to notice strange things like normal people being violent against each other and figure something was up. Especially when you've fought psionic beings previously.And more intelligent can be a bad thing. Look at Stargate - the Asurans had reached the point they never even considered that the best way to beat somebody with advanced technology is using technology that's less advanced. Or how the Goa'uld (spelling?) shields could block all energy or normal weapon attacks, but they couldn't do jack to an arrow or a knife being thrown because you just don't consider such primitive weapons being used in combat.Assuming they're only slightly more advanced, then, or just intelligent but without any advancements beyond, they're still dealing with a mind that's going to either be too much lower that it's going to be like sticking your face in a Porta-John, or relatively close, so they can't do anything that's outside the normal.Also by stating 'you expect them to run in and attack', you're again assuming somebody who has very little experience with being watched from afar and manipulated. Great Temple Squid with psionic powers being the least among them. You're always going to expect the worst - they're there and we can't see them - not the best - they're just crazy Matoran armed with clubs.But back to the mental shields. Your mind in shielded. You are shielding your mind. You are blocking out the doors people use to get in. You have experience dealing with people who know every facet of the mind and are showing you through hundreds of years of mental discipline during your great amounts of off time how to know when somebody is digging in and to block it. If you're watching a security camera and somebody comes sneaking past, it doesn't matter if they're a little green man being sneaky or a giant dude with a gattling in tow, dragging a Pyramid Head axe just for the noise on the ground. You're going to notice it because it's in there, and the two being different doesn't mean you're not closing your mind and all of its access ways.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

Not actually being violent. They'd plant thoughts in their minds, in order to make all of them start to begin to hate each-other. After planting the seed, they sit back and let it grow.They're a reasonable bit more intelligent than the normal PCs, but no real 'advancements' -- they rely on their intelligence and strategic skills to get them through.True enough, but look at the description Keuirce gave them. The only information they have is what comes from Keuirce, and from what he says, they're violent monsters. Primitive savages.I can use this metaphor too.Instead of walking past the security cameras, they walk through a place that you didn't know about, where there are no security cameras.

You can tell when people are getting antsy. Especially if you've watched Lie To Me.Not a very advanced species at all.Primitive savages only attack when somebody is directing them. There's always a leader. A boss. Something more powerful. More intelligent. And there's always stronger ones. You learn this stuff if you become genre savvy.So they pass through the secret passage. The problem is that the central area they're trying to reach is barred and guarded. So they get through to there, and they're stopped immediately. There is no way to get to the thoughts. Yeah, you can make mental attacks, but then you're revealing yourself. You've given the element of surprise, and the shielded individual pushes back, and then guards that place. So you might be able to plant some seeds, pick out some information, during those few seconds. After that, though, it's too late. You have one chance to use that back door. You need to make it count.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

Perhaps. But not if you're getting antsy yourself. Face it, if everyone is becoming paranoid, and someone else suggests that you're being paranoid because someone's making you that way, the natural, paranoid reaction would be to assume that they're lying to try and trick you. Equally, if you're the one that suggests it, no-one else is going to believe you. Also, you wouldn't want to say it, because if you were paranoid and convinced they were all out to get you, you wouldn't be trying to talk to them.Yes, there would be an alpha-male — but they are, in general, only a little more intelligent (if at all). They generally gain power through being bigger and stronger.That's assuming that they would be detected. If it's something alien that your mind isn't programmed to recognise, it won't. And before you retort by saying that your mind would notice something alien, allow me to give you an example:You can use photoshop or something for this, but take an image of a face. Now, turn the eyes and mouth (but nothing else) upside-down.Then, flip the picture so that it's upside-down. Even though you KNOW that the mouth and eyes are upside-down, when you look at the face upside-down, your brain doesn't detect that anything is wrong, because it isn't 'programmed' to. And you can't change that programming.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

Perhaps. But not if you're getting antsy yourself. Face it, if everyone is becoming paranoid, and someone else suggests that you're being paranoid because someone's making you that way, the natural, paranoid reaction would be to assume that they're lying to try and trick you. Equally, if you're the one that suggests it, no-one else is going to believe you. Also, you wouldn't want to say it, because if you were paranoid and convinced they were all out to get you, you wouldn't be trying to talk to them.Yes, there would be an alpha-male — but they are, in general, only a little more intelligent (if at all). They generally gain power through being bigger and stronger.That's assuming that they would be detected. If it's something alien that your mind isn't programmed to recognise, it won't. And before you retort by saying that your mind would notice something alien, allow me to give you an example:You can use photoshop or something for this, but take an image of a face. Now, turn the eyes and mouth (but nothing else) upside-down.Then, flip the picture so that it's upside-down. Even though you KNOW that the mouth and eyes are upside-down, when you look at the face upside-down, your brain doesn't detect that anything is wrong, because it isn't 'programmed' to. And you can't change that programming.

If you're always assuming strangers are out to get you, and are willingly accepting that, then it doesn't mean much. The idea is that everybody else is an enemy until they've proven otherwise by their actions. They might have the same goal, but they're still enemies at first. Enemies don't need to try to kill each other, but always be prepared to defend yourself.That's thinking with ecology, not thinking with genre savvy.Again, they're faced with a giant metal sphere that's protecting everything. The moment they try to get through, they've revealed what they are. You may not know what they are, but you know they are, and know what they can do.The face analogy doesn't work because you're programmed to recognize a face. With something that you've never experienced before, your brain is not programmed to recognize it, and you know that somethings wrong. The alien isn't an upside down face. It's something that doesn't belong. It's like when you get an organ transplant and your body tries to kill it because it's foreign.In any case, that's perception by using sight. Sight does not equate to your full brain.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

I didn't say 'always' — my point is, once the 'seed' is planted in your mind, it grows. Everyone will become antisocial, and suspicious. Everyone is an enemy, and if their actions disagree with that, then they're trying to trick you into a false sense of security.And why would any of the PCs be 'genre-savvy'?Is it really that difficult to accept that the aliens can get into your brain, you can't detect them, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it?If you think I'm going to make a character kill themselves or something through it, I won't, so you don't have to worry about that.Anyway, back to the argument: your character learns to seal off the recognised doorways in his mind. That doesn't mean he knows everything that's in his mind. It doesn't mean he has completely mastered it. If someone had a Toa of Psionics then, yes, they could lock them out, but normal Toa don't have that level of mind-related power. You can repeat the same argument with different words as many times as you wish, but my point still stands: they are alien. They can get around your 'metal sphere' without you noticing. If you REALLY don't want aliens manipulating your character, go ahead and make yourself a Toa of Psionics. I am not going to continue this argument. The point is, THE ALIENS ARE BETTER THAN YOUR NORMAL CHARACTERS. That's the point. If they were less powerful, if you could manipulate THEM, then they wouldn't be as much of a threat.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

I didn't say 'always' — my point is, once the 'seed' is planted in your mind, it grows. Everyone will become antisocial, and suspicious. Everyone is an enemy, and if their actions disagree with that, then they're trying to trick you into a false sense of security.And why would any of the PCs be 'genre-savvy'?Is it really that difficult to accept that the aliens can get into your brain, you can't detect them, and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it?If you think I'm going to make a character kill themselves or something through it, I won't, so you don't have to worry about that.Anyway, back to the argument: your character learns to seal off the recognised doorways in his mind. That doesn't mean he knows everything that's in his mind. It doesn't mean he has completely mastered it. If someone had a Toa of Psionics then, yes, they could lock them out, but normal Toa don't have that level of mind-related power. You can repeat the same argument with different words as many times as you wish, but my point still stands: they are alien. They can get around your 'metal sphere' without you noticing. If you REALLY don't want aliens manipulating your character, go ahead and make yourself a Toa of Psionics. I am not going to continue this argument. The point is, THE ALIENS ARE BETTER THAN YOUR NORMAL CHARACTERS. That's the point. If they were less powerful, if you could manipulate THEM, then they wouldn't be as much of a threat.

That's assuming that's how your character thinks. You're assuming everybody is just gonna play along with that idea.Because they're always genre savvy. Always. That's why they don't make dumb mistakes. When one of my characters is making dumb mistakes its' because they're not accepting the universe for what it is. Or they're crazy/too arrogant.This all started because you said these aliens can make you not want to fight them when they appeared. I'm still telling you that it's not going to work. And you can't persuade me otherwise.-Toa Levacius Zehvor Edited June 11, 2012 by Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

I only said they'd make you change your mind about vapourising them. I wouldn't use the Mask of Charisma-style power except if a deadly attack which had the potential to be stopped that way was used (or if the aliens tried to get a PC to ally with them). I apologise for the misunderstanding.

[Toa Levacius Zehvor]

I only said they'd make you change your mind about vapourising them. I wouldn't use the Mask of Charisma-style power except if a deadly attack which had the potential to be stopped that way was used (or if the aliens tried to get a PC to ally with them). I apologise for the misunderstanding.

Again though, why would you change your mind? If you have a highly powerful technique that can quickly end the fight and save lives, you're gonna use it. I don't see how they're supposed to make you change your mind. Now sure, you could implant something before hand. Maybe trick the person into thinking the power wouldn't work on them. But that's still going to be a longshot in a high stress situation. It's fight, flight, or disintegrate.-Toa Levacius Zehvor

[a goose]

It's mimicking the power of the Mask of Charisma.Y'know Jedi Mind Tricks? It's basically those, except it works on anyone (excluding Toa of Psionics).

[otter]

Kal is already antisocial and suspicious.He's just like that.That's why he's making a base in the forest.Lev's character can help.

[Krayzikk]

Hey guys, at this point, it might be best for you to take it to PM.

[ObfuscatedCubeEntity]

Hm... If Waves wins, I might actually join. It will be the first time in what? Six months since I've last roleplayed here? This contest looks very promising, despite the disappointing lack of IoP.

[a goose]

@Kal: Oh, and by the way, your little base in the forest won't go unattacked. But you'll (probably) be allowed to get there and build it alive, as long as there aren't any NPCs. Because they'll die.@Kray: The argument's over now. Or, at least, I'm saying it's over. I explained how it works, and it's up to him whether or not he accepts it.

[Grantaire]

Currently, I just need to write up locations, and certain assistant GMs need to finish their profiles. That, and we still haven't settled on a final name.Hopefully I can have the RPG up within a few days.

[otter]

Currently, I just need to write up locations, and certain assistant GMs need to finish their profiles. That, and we still haven't settled on a final name.Hopefully I can have the RPG up within a few days.

The Toa/Dark Hunter war RPG?I can give you an idea for a name: Strike from the Shadows.I can imagine The Shadowed One saying that."Strike from the shadows, never let them see you when you're killing them...You are meant to be unseen, unheard, an assassin...not some bumbling Toa trying to grapple a Skakdi into submission."

[Grantaire]

I like that name.. Thanks. *Adds to list*Also, random preview:

Matoran die, the days grow cold

a piece of bread buys a bag of goldI wish we'd all been readyThere's no time to change your mindthe Hunters have come in the nighttwo toa lying in their bedsone hears a sound and looks abouther brother lies limp on his bedAn arrow lodged within his headI wish we'd all been readyTwo vahki walking up a hillone's shot and one's left standing stillI wish we'd all been readythere's no time to change your mindThe Hunters have come in the nightNow’s your time to flee or fight

Virtual cookie to anyone who knows what song I copied there.

[The Lorax]

From the song called "I wish we'd all been ready" :PIsn't that from Larry Norman, the righteous rocker? His music is pretty good.

Edited June 11, 2012 by The Lorax