BZPRPG News and Discussion

[NorikSigma]

That is more definitely ambiguous.

 

I think since Dasaka can produce children, I think the Toa/Matoran species can as well...

 

I'll let someone with authority on this speak about this issue.

[Silvan Haven]

Biological families.

[Constructelf]

Wait a second, how do "families" work in this setting? Is it just a kind of allegiance-bond thing?

The Dasaka have pretty much all but confirmed biological families like humans do. With Mata Nuians, it isn't touched upon as much and is somewhat ambiguous.

 

Then again, perhaps one of the staff should answer this...

Edited October 7, 2014 by namcurtsnoC

[Palm]

A large number of players consider characters having actual biological relatives. This is especially prevalent on Kentoku Archipelago, where it's explicitly stated that Dasaka are daughters and sons of other Dasaka (it's a HUGE key role in Dasaka the culture hierarchy). Although the details of the actual birthing process are kept really ambiguous.

 

Once it was played that a character was pregnant. Everybody shudders at that situation, preferring to leave how children are actually born in the RPG really unclear. Some disagree, but this seems to be the common consensus.

 

For example, if Tyler and I had characters who had a child, we'd probably skip the whole thing up until the point that the child existed and could function on their own. This play-style is again a common idea. There's Shaddix families, Kotore families, Fursic familes ect.

 

Dasaka are def the same species as Toa btw. They all share Toa attributes, and there's a huge gender ratio imbalance (alike canon Toa of Psionics). This hasn't always been clear though. And staff obviously is welcome to call me out and tell me I'm wrong.

 

I think it's biological family, although you're welcome to leave it alone if you'd like.

 

EDIT:
ninja'd by three people

Edited October 7, 2014 by Palm

[NorikSigma]

Yummy yummy sandwich Emotia

Edited October 7, 2014 by Norik Of Celtania

[Razgriz]

Couples are bestowed children on naming day by the wise and powerful bio-stork

[Constructelf]

Couples are bestowed children on naming day by the wise and powerful bio-stork

Pls make canon.

 

On another note, you know how Matoran have passive elemental abilities? Ta-Matoran have heat resistance, Po-Matoran are really strong, Fa-Matoran have super sense of direction, De-Matoran have painfully sensitive hearing, etc? Do Dashi have a passive elemental trait? It looks like it's Ideatalk, but I'm not sure.

[Friar Tuck]

A large number of players consider characters having actual biological relatives. This is especially prevalent on Kentoku Archipelago, where it's explicitly stated that Dasaka are daughters and sons of other Dasaka (it's a HUGE key role in Dasaka the culture hierarchy). Although the details of the actual birthing process are kept really ambiguous.

 

Once it was played that a character was pregnant. Everybody shudders at that situation, preferring to leave how children are actually born in the RPG really unclear. Some disagree, but this seems to be the common consensus.

 

For example, if Tyler and I had characters who had a child, we'd probably skip the whole thing up until the point that the child existed and could function on their own. This play-style is again a common idea. There's Shaddix families, Kotore families, Fursic familes ect.

 

Dasaka are def the same species as Toa btw. They all share Toa attributes, and there's a huge gender ratio imbalance (alike canon Toa of Psionics). This hasn't always been clear though. And staff obviously is welcome to call me out and tell me I'm wrong.

 

I think it's biological family, although you're welcome to leave it alone if you'd like.

 

EDIT:

ninja'd by three people

 

Yes. Simply put this issue has been tip-toed around (and for VERY good reason), but as far as I'm concerned yes, there can/are/be biological families in this universe (or as much as biotic beings can), and yes, we prefer that we skip ahead to an appropriate age before posting children... should this ever happen. Please listen to Palm on this one guys.

 

Case closed.

 

 

Couples are bestowed children on naming day by the wise and powerful bio-stork

Pls make canon.

 

On another note, you know how Matoran have passive elemental abilities? Ta-Matoran have heat resistance, Po-Matoran are really strong, Fa-Matoran have super sense of direction, De-Matoran have painfully sensitive hearing, etc? Do Dashi have a passive elemental trait? It looks like it's Ideatalk, but I'm not sure.

 

 

Pretty much. It's hard to have Psionic resistance when everyone in your world has it, so unless I'm corrected the Dashi "passive" ability is Ideatalk, which if you ask me is a pretty neat ability for a non-powered being.

[They]

According to Nuju in a PM discussion a few months back Dashi were unable to access ideatalk, or at least not project their own.

[The Lorax]

This is true.

 

Here's a bit from the Kentoku Topic.

 

A minor discipline that allows the practitioner to communicate with other Menti. It is the first skill taught to every Dasaka during their training; as such, all proficient Menti have the ability to "speak" with one another via thought. Telepathic communication basically works like a radio: an individual will project the words/images they wish to communicate onto the mental plane, where others can selectively pick up the “transmission” with mental plane access. Every Menti (indeed, every sapient being) has a different "feel" on the mental plane; this is how when multiple Menti are communicating at once, they can distinguish different streams of consciousness from one another, or sense approaching beings on the mental plane. Telepathy grows more difficult and less accurate as distance increases.

 

[25K Now!]

I never noticed that til now.

[The Lorax]

To summarise, Menti can telepathically communicate with Menti, and Willhammer Menti can telepathically communicate with anyone.

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

Yummy yummy sandwich Emotia

 

Can we please not talk about that?

[Razgriz]

why is it too hard to swallow

[Endless Sea (Alaki Nuva)]

off, man.  Maybe you might not have an issue with torturing and eating people alive, but I certainly do.

[25K Now!]

To summarise, Menti can telepathically communicate with Menti, and Willhammer Menti can telepathically communicate with anyone.

Pretty snazzy.

[NorikSigma]

To summarise, Menti can telepathically communicate with Menti, and Willhammer Menti can telepathically communicate with anyone.

Although Willhammer is more of like hammering their mind in.

 

 

 

###### off, man.  Maybe you might not have an issue with torturing and eating people alive, but I certainly do.

We do have problems with that. That's like saying Stephen King likes to murder people, or H.P. Lovecraft consorted with dark powers. They have problems with that personally.

 

If we all wrote characters like ourselves, with exactly our POVs and views, there would be no villains, just College-age/High-School students who frequent a forum dedicated to a children's toy line.

[The Lorax]

To summarise, Menti can telepathically communicate with Menti, and Willhammer Menti can telepathically communicate with anyone.

Although Willhammer is more of like hammering their mind in.

 

It doesn't have to be that way. A Willhammer's powers can be used for the benefit of the person whose mind they are entering.

 

And while I agree on the disconnect between characters and players, I remember a discussion we had last arc, and some advice that was given in playing villains.

 

 

If you have to push hard for the sadism to come out in your posts, if you have to think about the horrific details out-of-the-moment, then it's not real sadism. Real, legitimately disturbing sadism comes naturally.

Edited October 7, 2014 by The Lorax

[Ghosthands]

Just gonna add my support for Tucky's answer there, with one quick addendum:
 

Dasaka are def the same species as Toa btw. They all share Toa attributes, and there's a huge gender ratio imbalance (alike canon Toa of Psionics). This hasn't always been clear though. And staff obviously is welcome to call me out and tell me I'm wrong.

 
I believe it's a bit unclear whether Dasaka and Toa are technically the same species, or just very similar. On the one hand, Nuju says in the Dasaka Master Reference Post:

 

 

 

 
The Dasaka are the BZPRPG's Toa, Turaga, and Matoran of Psionics. They come from the Kentoku Archipelago, and as such their society and culture are very different from those of the Toa of Mata Nui. Below you'll find all you need to know about Dasaka history, culture, powers, and more.

 

Which seems to state categorically that they ARE the same species.

On the other hand, most IC descriptions such as this:
 

Recently, a strange submersible watercraft breached the surface near Ta-Wahi. This ship was loaded with curious beings that resembled the Toa and Matoran of Mata Nui, but as an imperfect reflection. Their otherness was undeniable, and was made clearer still when the larger ones began to move objects without touching them, were able to make people see without their eyes, and could communicate with each other without speaking.

heavily emphasise the Dasaka's alienness, and the information in the Profiles topic very much seems to treat them as a distinct species.
 

For myself, I had until now always considered the Dasaka to be a separate (if highly similar) species to Toa. I'd welcome the views of other players and my fellow staffies (Nuju in particular) on this matter.

[Timageness]

Personally, I thought the Dasaka were the same species and were just described as "alien" because the game was set up so that the majority of the characters hadn't encountered anyone with elemental Psionic powers before. Same would've gone for the Dasaka's description of the residents of Mata Nui.

The giant robot thing in the previous post was more to describe the size of said sleeping pills for comedic effect, but thanks anyway to everyone who tried to clear that up, as I did not know how we as players were supposed to treat that.

As for Emotia... well, that kind of answered my question on cannibalism in the BZPRPG.

While I'm writing this post though, does anyone know if there was a prefix made for those with the element of Crystal? It's kind of irking me that I have to keep referring to them as "(insert species) of Crystal" or "Crystal- (insert species)."

Edited October 7, 2014 by timageness411

[Snelly]

Once it was played that a character was pregnant. Everybody shudders at that situation, preferring to leave how children are actually born in the RPG really unclear. Some disagree, but this seems to be the common consensus.

 

Hmmmm, sounds oddly familiar for some reason. 

[Geardirector]

For myself, I had until now always considered the Dasaka to be a separate (if highly similar) species to Toa. I'd welcome the views of other players and my fellow staffies (Nuju in particular) on this matter.

 

If you will, draw the comparison to Lesterin. Highly similar in appearance to, and even biologically compatible with, Toa, but still a separate species with their own distinct traits and natural abilities.

[25K Now!]

It's magic.

[shadow pridak money gang]

 

For myself, I had until now always considered the Dasaka to be a separate (if highly similar) species to Toa. I'd welcome the views of other players and my fellow staffies (Nuju in particular) on this matter.

 

If you will, draw the comparison to Lesterin. Highly similar in appearance to, and even biologically compatible with, Toa, but still a separate species with their own distinct traits and natural abilities.

 

 

No. We've been waiting for someone to just out and say "they're Toa of Psionics" for a year and no one has so I'll step up into the batter's box.

 

They're Toa of Psionics.

 

-Tyler

Edited October 7, 2014 by Parks and Rekt

[25K Now!]

As I said, magic.

[Toatapio Nuva]

I'm really happy about them officially being Toa and Matoran of Psionics. It makes them more relatable and likeable. More familiar to the Bionicle world, in a way.

[Pohatu: Uniter of Stone]

Hold on... It took this long for someone to formally recognize Dasaka as Toa of Psionics? Wasn't it confirmed when they were first introduced?

[NorikSigma]

Now they are confirmed.

[25K Now!]

They were basically confirmed for a while now.

[Krayzikk]

Hold on... It took this long for someone to formally recognize Dasaka as Toa of Psionics? Wasn't it confirmed when they were first introduced?

 

No. They've been treated as a new species. Granted, it's always been pretty obvious that they were Ce-Toa/Matoran, but there's never been official confirmation. Now that Tyler's let the cat out of the bag...

 

Well, now it's official.

[AuRon the champion]

To be fair, at the start you guys were pulling the whole "they're not really toa" card.

 

At least, it felt that way.

[25K Now!]

Of course they aren't Toa.

 

That requires them to adopt the name that an alien culture refers to their warrior-class as.

[Timageness]

So in other words, they are Toa of Psionics species-wise, but not culture-wise. Cool. Now does that mean that the Dasaka theoretically have access to all Menti Disiplines, but, due to said different culture and society (not to mention fairness in-game), they can't be trained in all of them at once?

Also, when I still thought love was a thing in the series and didn't know Artakha created Matoran, I thought that they just built their kids like in the movie Robots and transferred some of their power into them to make them live.

Edited October 7, 2014 by timageness411

[Keeper of Kraata]

Interesting. Is there a suitable in-game discovery that this came about by, or is it just a confirmation?

[Ehksidian]

Interesting. Is there a suitable in-game discovery that this came about by, or is it just a confirmation?

Just confirmation, yeah. We now know they are Toa like any other toa (Biologically, that is), just only Ce-Toa and such. I'm just assuming the "alien-ness" was because they had crystalline armor rather than metallic, so it just looked strange compared to Mata-Nui.

[Shadowhawk]

Well, remember that Ce-beings operate within the realm and scope of an entirely foreign element. So I daresay their sense of alien-ness wouldn't necessarily have to be rooted entirely in mere appearances. In all probability, their mere presence forms a disturbance in the mental plane. And the natives of Mata Nui, having never been exposed to anything of the sort, would no doubt feel subconsciously troubled by it.

[Keeper of Kraata]

Well, remember that Ce-beings operate within the realm and scope of an entirely foreign element. So I daresay their sense of alien-ness wouldn't necessarily have to be rooted entirely in mere appearances. In all probability, their mere presence forms a disturbance in the mental plane. And the natives of Mata Nui, having never been exposed to anything of the sort, would no doubt feel subconsciously troubled by it.

 

There were no psychic powers at all before them? Well, Vakua better watch himself should he travel among Dasaka...

[Silvan Haven]

All psychic powers or masks were on the banned list before the Dasaka were released.

[Krayzikk]

All psychic powers or masks were on the banned list before the Dasaka were released.

 

It should be noted that, with the exception of the Matatu and the (currently) unique Komau and Suletu belonging to certain characters, they all still are.

[Nuju Metru]

I'll double-confirm that the Dasaka are Toa, Matoran, and Turaga of Psionics. This info has been nestled in the DMRP and the Starter Topic's plot summary for a while, but it was never really advertised. So here's the advertisement.

 

The Dasaka seemed alien to the people of Mata Nui when they first arrived mainly because on Mata Nui, Toa of Psionics haven't been seen or even heard of in living memory... And, of course, the Dasaka's cultural, aesthetic, and technological differences only augmented their distinctness from the denizens of Mata Nui. They're classified as a different "species" in our game less because of these superficial/societal quirks than because unlike Toa of the other elements, Psionic Toa come with a complex set of restrictions on their elemental powers.

 

The ancient Dasaka may have had access to all Menti powers, and more (in other words, the complete range of the psionic element), but due to generations of cultural and military conditioning, which emphasized training armies of specialized and controllable warriors within a caste system concerned with Order as one of its virtues, the Dasaka have long since lost their elemental versatility. Even the most naturally prodigious known Toa of Psionics, Sheika, was only able to self-teach herself two of the four Menti disciplines (and even she couldn't escape the known strictures of the disciplines, there was no way for her to know better). While Toa on Mata Nui have instinctual and complete access to their elements, Toa on Kentoku require great training and time to hone each specific ability of their elemental power in turn, and most are only allowed to learn one.

 

Conveniently, this works ve-ery well for the game's regulation of easily-OP (and I speak from personal experience) psionic powers. I think I've addressed all the questions and points raised above; unless I've missed something, I think we can call this case closed.