Sign Up: The School of Seven Towers

[sunnyside]

EDIT:

Game play has started, but don't let that discourage you from joining at all! I hope to be continually adding new players. You WILL NOT be expected to read the whole thread. Your character wouldn't know all that stuff anyway when they arrive. Once you have a character I'll send you a PM with some options for jumping into the game. So please sign up

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In a world of magical cultures on the verge of war, some seeking peace have created a college intended to bring together youth from the seven largest cultures in the world, in the hopes that contact between those who wouldn’t really remember the war thirteen years ago might result in understanding and a better future. But does such an idea even have a chance of success? Few in positions of influence really think the School of Seven Towers will do anything but perhaps hasten war, and continue preparing for battle. However for many different reasons plenty of students and “faculty” are pouring in as the school hurries to be ready to start for the first time.

A couple things before getting into the details of the game:

I’ve had a lot of good experiences here on Anime Forum with people who were completely new to RPing and others who might not do so well reading through all my run on sentences and creating a character. Whatever the case, I’m your GM and I’m here to help you out. If you hit a snag making your character, have a question, or even if you have no idea how this sort of thing works feel free to post a question in this thread or shoot me a PM and I’ll help you work it out. That goes for any problems or confusion you might have once the game has started too!

On that note it’s very common in this setting for children to be pretty uninformed about the history of their world and other cultures, because kids are much less likely to run away for a different culture if they don’t know about it. So when it comes to making a character you’ll notice I’ve labeled a lot of stuff as “optional”. You can read that later as needed after play starts. Further while the school was made for students from the seven main cultures. Those who don’t fit those molds so well are still present. If you’re interested in the game but are having a hard time figuring out how to fit in just shoot me a PM!

Also I'd like to share the fun of world building with my players in this game. In addition to making your character as in any game, you also have the option of filling in the details of your character’s home, what their part of their tower is like, as well as creating specific locations within the grounds of the school or in the broader world. Further, while I have certain themes and events I'll want to play around with, I encourage players to give being a Co-GM a shot, even if you’re only interested in trying it for a little while. There are a number of ways to go about this, from making secondary characters to serve as antagonists or people in need, to serving as a more typical GM for a group, to just working out themes you'd like to explore with me. But I’ll still be there to GM and back you up (or challenge you). So keep that in mind as you read through everything and even later as you play the game. Just shoot me a PM if you’re ever interested.

Finally I’d like to point out that while there can be action and intrigue in this game, particularly if your character goes looking for them, the problems in this world aren’t going to be solved by stabbing some bad guy in the face. This game could be played in a “slice of life” manner, and drama and romance can be surprisingly impactful.


The seven main cultures, very briefly:

Bushido culture – A warrior culture with an emphasis on loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honor to the death.

Therian culture – Survivors that began using group rituals to transform their human bodies in various ways. The majority appear as a basically human form with animal inspired traits such as ears, a tail, altered feet, animal appropriate eyes, whole body fur covering, and some alterations of facial structure.

Magitek culture – By “cheating” with magic tech mages are able to create an incredible variety of inventions from age of steam technology from semi-robot golems, to freeze rays, to rocket boots, to airships (and they sometimes even work right!).

Celestial culture- These people have discovered how to magically commune with each other and...something. And that something wants them to be moral.

Wanderlust culture- Wanderers travel about, seeking to enjoy their art, music, plays, and passionate love for romance and wine among the different cities and each other.

Netherkin culture- Netherkin have magically and physically changed, appearing and acting in ways associated with vampires, necromancers, liches, etc.

Pactmaker culture- Pactmakers are able to create all manner of pacts between other humans and spirits. They are often viewed as exploitive and conniving, but they have much to offer.

World History and Setting (optional):

 

The setting is an apocolyptic future, though one where civilization is starting to come back, if it can avoid plunging itself into yet more devestation. The world had been very similar to ours through the art and culture of the Renaissance and Ming Dynasty to the beginning of the 18th century as ships sailed the seven seas and the 47 Ronin get their revenge. However not long after this magic was rediscovered, and changed their course. While development of technology like steam engines stalled, magic allowed for amazing new advancements like flying castles, being able to regenerate, and having a magical talking cat as a pet. However alongside those improvements to everyday life, more and more nations developed Magics of Mass Destruction (MMDs). Initially the concept of mutually assured destruction kept their use in check. But once too many nations had them that concept became meaningless because for certain types of attack it would be virtually impossible to determine which nation had used the MMD.

It isn’t known to this day who was doing what in the opening volleys of what is called the Apocalypse War. What is known is that eventually every nation was using everything they had against all of their enemies in hopes of minimizing the damage they would take.

The result was worldwide devastation, the land rendered inhospitable in many ways by the different MMDs; such as volcanoes, poisoned earth, zones of twisted reality, and ravening hordes of bioconstructs, war golems, or undead. In time the concept of a “nation” essentially vanished from the thinking of the small bands of primitive survivors scattered around the world. These days relatively few people even know what the names of the old nations and ethnicities were.

As time passed, the survivors started building themselves out of their desperate situations. When they started communicating with each other what arose instead of new nations were cultures. Instead of having geographical boarders, these city states and bands of people were scattered and intermixed all across the globe, linked by shared ways of doing things or using magic. To an extent the cultures were always in tension, even if they might trade with each other. Individual city states of one culture would occasionally go to war against a neighbor belonging to a different culture. And always you have the issue of children leaving their home culture for another. As a result the cultures tended to be very insular, especially with respect to children. You can’t leave your home for something else if you don’t know it exists.

Because their population grew rapidly and they were able to terraform wastelands on the outskirts of land claimed by other cultures, Therian tribes increasingly started bumping up against the territory of other city states. This set the stage for what came to be known as the War of the Lake. The spark that started the war was actually an accident. A Magitek head researcher had run out of places to store his chemical waste, and holding tanks are relatively difficult to produce these days. So instead he looked around for a different solution and discovered a pre-Apocalypse War waste pipe. Once he determined that wherever it went was quite some distance away from the city, he dumped the waste into it without giving it much thought. Where it went was to an old storm water runoff retention basin that a Therian tribe had converted into a healthy and lush lake with a village built up around it. The results the pipe unleashed upon them were horrifying. The few terribly injured and poisoned survivors traveled to other Therian tribes, often with dead or dying loved ones in their arms, and begged for help getting revenge against what they assumed was a deliberate attempt to obliterate their tribe in order to claim their land. Word spread, and one day a mighty hoard of Therians descended on the entirely oblivious Magitek city. Mercy was in short order that day. A few airships escaped the city and contacted non-Therian cultures begging for help against the onslaught and calling up favors owed and alliances made. As those groups started attacking the Therian hoard, other tribes of Therians joined to help their fellows. This process spiraled out of control and eventually most of the planet was involved. Ultimately the Therians were defeated and negotiations started. In time, people got to the bottom of what had actually happened. While an uneasy peace took hold around the world, it could not erase the anger of those who had lost loved ones in the conflict.

There was also the question of what to do with all the Therian prisoners of war, which in some cases included all survivors from a tribe. Many were consumed by rage and a lust for vengeance against those that had killed their loved ones and families, others were filled with sorrow or psychologically broken from the terrors of war or their losses. While it wasn’t always clear who had done what, it was known that many of the prisoners had racked up kills of their own and not always just against enemy soldiers, so many cultures felt justice demanded they not simply be set free. However keeping angry Therians with their magic and biomorphs in prison was deadly and costly. In the end magic collars were developed. They essentially enslaved the individual by suppressing their memories from before they were collared, filling them with calm, and giving them a predisposition to follow orders. It was claimed this was a mercy for such traumatized individuals, or at the least much more humane and enlightened than giving them “what they deserved”.

Thirteen years after the War of the Lake tensions are rising again, and not just with the Therians. Once the Therians had lost it quickly became apparent that some city states had lost a lot more than others, and many opportunistic moves were made by individual cities states against others. These left a lot of hard feelings all around, and there is talk of coalitions of city states planning to band together for massive attacks.

In game, characters from certain cultures could have collared Therians in their control, or would at least have some in their tower. As always, these represent generalizations as opposed to rules.

Bushido culture: They have taken responsibility for most of the Therians that they had captured, and more or less treat them like their paid servants from their conquered cities. As collared Therians are calm, follow orders, and are not predisposed to speaking unless spoken to, the Bushi actually tend to prefer them.

Celestial culture: The celestials felt a responsibility to keep Therians from falling into abusive hands, but are too fearful of what might happen if the collars were removed, so many collared Therians are found in Celestial cities. This is very awkward for the celestials who oppose slavery and if anything treat the collared Therians better than their fellows. Therians are still expected to “put in honest work,” but the celestial giving them orders usually appears quite embarrassed.

Magitek Culture: The Tech Mages don’t generally have slaves as such, however they often have minions whom they can be rather absent minded about in terms of payments and such. The collared Therians generally just blended in with the other minions and at least get fed well enough for their labors.

Netherkin culture: Netherkin are highly variable, but some have certain cruel needs in order to continue their existence. Those were more likely to have gotten involved in the war, and may have relished the opportunity to gain some thralls.

Pactmaker culture: This culture already had the concept of indentured servitude, and so individuals gladly took “responsibility” for as many collared Therians as they could. They treat them as slaves, but “rationally” in that they generally seek to keep them in good health and decent spirits.

Therian culture: The Therians largely stayed on the same side of the conflict and would free their collared fellows if they could.

Wanderlust culture: This culture doesn’t keep any collared Therians (or much of anything).

The Campus (optional for character generation):

 

That the School of Seven Towers came into existence at all is a miracle given that different cultures had to work together to build it. While there was some collaboration, for the most part construction was a chaotic blend of uncoordinated efforts. There is no single person who knows the actual layout of the entire campus, much less about the insides of the different buildings.

The dominating features are the huge circular wall, the seven massive towers that are part of it each spaced about three miles apart from one another, and the aqueduct going into the Therian tower on the Northern end of campus. These structures were built by volunteers from the Celestial culture, and they have a gothic sort of look with arches, high vaulted ceilings, and greyish stone everywhere. They left the towers quite unfinished so the different cultures could complete and furnish them as they saw fit.

Within the circular wall is the campus green. Most of the planet is a barren wasteland and this area was no exception. Considerable work and biomagic from Therian volunteers went into purifying the water coming from the aqueduct and turning the wasteland into lush fields, patches of flowers, woods, or jungle, alongside small ponds and lakes. The area was quite hilly, and between that and the newly added trees and bushes it is rather hard to see very far in any direction when on the ground.

At the center of the circle is the central campus. This area was largely worked on by volunteers from the Magitek culture, and contractors from the Pactmaker culture (funded by donations chiefly from the peace seeking Celestials). A basic map of the campus is handed out to all students noting the towers and a number of buildings in central campus including the massive Main Lecture Hall, Administration Building, Challenge Field, the Danger Room, the Gymnasium, the Arena, the Workshop, the Library, and the Dining Hall. In the center is the Platform where small Magitek trains head out to the seven towers and the South gate.

However it quickly becomes obvious that there are more buildings present in central campus than are listed on the simple map, and there are also structures scattered throughout the campus green that aren't listed on the map.

For external appearances the Therian tower to the North looks to be covered in moss and ivy with a waterfall cascading down through green layers in order to get filtered before the water radiates out through the campus green in streams and eventually into the plumbing for the rest of the buildings. Clockwise from the Therian tower is the Wanderlust tower. It's largely unfinished, however murals and splashes of color are beginning to cover its surface. Continuing the circle clockwise is the Bushido culture's tower, which has recently taken the appearance of a huge pagoda. Next is the Celestial tower, which retains the gothic look but they have added arrays of statues and stained glass windows. Next is the Magitek culture's tower. It is a hodgepode of contraptions on the outside, with massive cranes and elevators to lift materials to the higher levels. Between the Celestial and Magitek towers is the southern gate, which is closest to the port to the south and is where most newcomers and supplies enter the school. Clockwise from the Magitek tower is the Pactmaker culture's tower, which has largely been covered over by privacy screens or one way glass, and has a "spikey" appearance due to a great many private airship docks being present. Next is the Netherkin tower. It is also relatively unfinished but a mist generally obscures it from view with ghostly forms swirling around it. People are starting to question the wisdom of concentrating Netherkin in a small area.

Outside the campus to the South is the port, to the North is a settled area where the Therian volunteers have claimed some territory and are in the process of greening and expanding it. To the East and West sides of the campus a shanty town of sort has cropped up. Originally these were the workers that helped constructed the campus. There weren't really meant to stay. But the school still has some jobs, the port is becoming popular for trade, and all the quarrying down by the Celestials to make the school ran into a number of silver and copper veins, leading to miners swiftly staking claims once the Celestials moved on. The town is considered rather seedy and, while students could reach it by going out through the south gate or out through any door or window in their home tower, they are discouraged from doing so. Because the workers in the town have intermixed and are no longer particularly affiliated with any one culture, they are considered suspect by all.

It is known that there are some cities destroyed by MMGs in the Apacolypse war to the North, but the students aren't encouraged to go there either.

Character Creation:
Characters should generally be college aged students from one of the main seven cultures. Other options are allowed though, especially for second characters, just shoot me a PM or post in the sign in thread with your concept. Note that it’s perfectly fine (and I expect it to be common) for characters to not exactly fit in with their culture or to actively be rebellious or misanthropes.

There is a great variety in the quality of students coming to this college, however players are allowed to be among the most exceptionally gifted, having 60 character points to allocate and 40 left in reserve as potential (to be allocated later as your character learns). Characters may not realize they are so exceptional at the start of play, and so you can leave more than 40 points in reserve. For comparison, most adults in this world never reach the equivalent of twenty points, and many would have very few.

Points are allocated between Skills (which are non-magical), powers (magical abilities your character can perform at will or that are continually active), Magic Disciplines (these allow casting spells which allows much more versatility than powers, but casting is slower), and artifacts/companions (items or magical creatures/spirits/etc that are bonded to you and allocated powers of their own. Points spent on these count double…but there is always the possibility these could be taken from you). Note that for starting characters you may not allocated more than twenty points to any single thing. i.e. your character could spend all their points on powers, but no single power could be allocated more than twenty points. Broadly defined powers and magical disciplines tend to be weaker at the different things they can do than more focused ones. In terms of effect, five points in something is a minimum for a power or magic discipline to really achieve much reliably. Ten points is effective but limited. Twenty points is “solid” i.e. if you want to shoot fly, heal, or shoot fire from your fingertips you do each easily and impressively. It is of course possible to get better, but again starting students are limited to twenty points in a thing.

Some more on these things (optional)

 

Skills are the sort of things someone could learn in the real world. You don't have to take any skills, and characters are generally assumed to be basically competent at a number of things and to be literate. Points spent on skills represent exceptional training in something. Generally, skills are less impressive than powers. For example, consider being incredible at freerunning vs someone who can just fly. However skills are harder to negate and can combine with other things (for examples Bushi have skill in using their enchanted swords).

Powers: These are the sorts of supernatural abilities things superheros might have. Tons of manga/anime and their western counterparts give examples. The key thing with powers is that once learned you can call on them quickly on demand, but they are limited in scope and should be fairly straightforward. What you can achieve is limited by the number of points you put into something.

Example for flying
<5 maybe you can fall a little slower
5: You could levitate a ways off the ground and inch around slowly
10: You can either fly around well controlled but slowly or fast but a bit out of control
15: As ten but better control and maybe you can do so while holding onto someone
20: (starting) zipping around at car like speeds holding onto someone
After play starts you can improve powers beyond 20, at which point you can imagine being faster, or have better control, etc.
Note that you can specify how your power works. For example at some point level you want to be able to fly very fast and are willing to accept a lack of control or getting exhausted rapidly.

Magic Disciplines:
The key point of magic disciplines compared to powers is complexity or flexibility. Magic can often be used to duplicate powers; however, at the least, magic is slower and requires a measure of ability to gesture, speak, and think clearly. So when comparing launching fire from your fingertips; someone with the ability as a power will have launched a gout once while the magician is casting, and be launching a second one while the magician is only launching their first. On the other hand, if the target turns out to be resistant to fire, someone with elemental magic could simply start throwing lightning instead, or perhaps a protective ice shield. Still, that lack of speed and need to cast is a serious liability.

I’m willing to let you come up with your own magic disciplines if you’d like. It is possible that a broadly defined discipline of magic can make the points not go as far, or potentially vice versa.

In terms of what you can achieve for a simple single effect you can achieve something similar to what you could do with a power at the same point level.

For something that is sustained after being cast, like a flight ability, the achieved effect is like a power at ½ the points the caster has dedicated to the effect (out of the points they have in that magic discipline). Dedicated points can’t be used again until the effect is ended.

For permanent or complex effects it’s probably best to discuss them with me. That includes things like creating water or food out of nowhere. Though temporarily creating something (or a magical effect similar to that thing) is simpler.

You are not limited to a specific spell list par se; however, you might feel more comfortable discussing a few specific things with me so that you know what to expect out of them.

Examples of Magic disciplines include those in the packages for the different cultures. Some others could be:

Elemental magic- a range of effects involving fire, water/ice, wind/lightning, or earth

Necromancy - used to create undead allies either permanently or ghostly forms temporarily out of nowhere, cause energy draining or withering attacks, causing fear and interaction with the dead.

“black” magic – a swiss army knife of attack, poisoning, and torturing effects.

“white” magic – a wide range of healing, boosting, and protective effects

Kineticism – effects related to imparting motion on matter. For example accelerating something as an attacking, moving someone around as telekinesis, or flight.

Mind magic – metal attacks, telepathy, empathy, memorization, deduction.

There is also what is sometimes called “stick magic” or “common magic” – this is allowed to create a wide range of “typical” magic effects, often utility effects. For example creating light, causing invisibility, flight, reshaping matter. It only really has a simple fire attack though. Its use is broad, and as such each point only goes half as far as in the more focused disciplines.

Note that sometimes you can get creative with a discipline of magic and stretch what it can achieve. This is OK, but the more of a reach something is the weaker the effect.

Each of the different cultures has a different “package” that your character can take. These represent things that culture values and is particularly good at teaching, and so not only is it appropriate for your character to take the package, but you get 40 points of stuff for only 20 character points. But you don’t have to take the package if you don’t want to.

Name:
Age (18-23 being appropriate for a student, with 18-19 being the most common at the school):
Culture:
Gender:
Appearance (pictures allowed):
Hobbies/Interests: (Indicate one or two things besides “practical” abilities that your character has spent some time doing (various types of art, sports, gardening, etc) or is very curious about/interested in (magical pets of the world, being a fan of a certain type of music, different kinds of foods, etc)

Personality:

Point Allotment (Skills, Powers, Magic Disciplines, Artifacts/Companions) :

Bio:
Remember that while your character may be part of one of the main cultures, those cultures are scattered across hundreds of distant city states, tribes, etc, that do things quite differently from one another. Your character may be the only one at the school from a given group and as such you are granted flexibility in describing what that group is like. Because that may require some thought, you are allowed to start with a very short bio. Over time I hope you’ll develop the group(s) your character grew up with, what your character was like, and expand their bio. Just let me know when you make changes.


Sample Character:

 

Name: Maria Hernandez
Age: 18
Culture: Bushido Culture
Gender: Female
Appearance: She always wears her black hair in a tight bun, and has just a bit of makeup on her face. Her build is slight but well-toned and she stands five foot eight inches tall. Usually she wears light bamboo armor, and she always has her sword. Careful to ensure everything is tight and properly secured.
Hobbies/Interests: floral arrangement, people watching

Personality: She is very inward focused and is entirely unused to dealing with strangers outside of ritualized ceremonies. Being very distrustful, she would prefer to say no more than three words to anyone…but she may need help in completing her mission.


Point Allotment (Skills, Powers, Magic Disciplines, etc):

Bushido Culture Package (20 points)
[Skill (Martial arts(sword focus), 10), Power(Unstoppable Cut 10), Power (Skyleap 10), Artifact (Enchanted Katana 10)]

Power (True Thought, counters abilities related to mind control and illusions, 20)
Power(Seeking, by meditating on a person or touching something they have recently been in contact with such as a footprint, this power reveals the rough direction to them if they are close by, 10)
Skill (Raise Martial arts(sword focus) skill from 10 to 20, 10 points)

Potential (40 points in reserve)

Bio: Maria’s life was in many ways defined by her older brother bringing disgrace on the family by joining a band of Wanderers. Suddenly becoming their only child her parents became much focused on her. Between the looks she’d get from the other Bushi as a result of her brothers actions and her parents becoming overprotective she has lived a very isolated life, but her talents are impressive and recognized. She had returned some of her families honor by completing the rites of passage to become a full Bushi adult and earning her katana. Now she intends to gain the rest of it back by finding her brother and the Wanderers that seduced him. Knowing nothing about the Wanderlust culture other than their being horrible people who tempt away impressionable youth and having no leads whatsoever the School of Seven Towers presented the only path to success she could think of, and she has been developing a talent for finding those that wish to hide in hopes her brother one of those that took him might be there.

The Cultures (optional, except for the one your character is from):

Bushido Culture:

 

This warrior culture with their emphasis on loyalty, mastery of martial arts, and honor to the death is the primary reason there are only seven main cultures because the Bushi managed to conquer the others. They are not hypocritical in their aggressive ways and at least outwardly do not "mind" if someone else were to attack them in what they would consider to be an honorable manner. If two Bushi cities go to war with each other it is often quite formalized and polite, with the victors helping their mortally wounded opponent complete their death poem before assisting them in Seppuku.

One of the ironies of warfare is that while one would think that casualties would be primarily sustained by those fighting the battles, if a war is on one’s own soil there are often far greater numbers of civilian deaths, because the combatants are often in hidden or defensible locations, armed to defend themselves, and have the supplies to survive disaster.

So it was that in the course of the Apocalypse war sometimes only the warriors that were deployed came to survive after Magics of Mass Destruction were unleashed upon their nation, eliminating the civilians and government. This left the combatants with their weapons, command structure, and bushido ideals intact but with little idea of how to grow food or rebuild. So it did not take long for them to start conquering groups of survivors, and they feel it is right and proper that they should come to rule over the entirety of the world.

While the Bushi feel they are superior, they don’t think they are superior or should rightly rule just “because”, rather they feel they are required by their code to become superior and they should only act so when it is true (granted they generally feel this is always the case). They also are required to be generous, merciful, and generally feel they need to actually be good rulers to the people they have conquered.

Men and Women are equally allowed to be Bushi. They are expected to have numerous children that they raise in the ways of Bushido, emphasizing martial proweress, but also philosophy, artistry, and equanimity. Over time there is some divergence to what a “true” Bushi believes, sometimes it more resembles a feudal code or the Jedi code.

Blended in with this culture are the “subcultures” of the myriad groups of survivors that they rule, who still largely have freedom to live as they wish so long as they show proper respect and deference to their Bushi lords and complete their required duties or pay their required taxes. Should they prove useful they can gain a measure of respect among the Bushi, and they may be allowed to learn the support skills of ninjitsu and enchanting that can assist the Bushi, though they are often led by a particularly skilled Bushi with those skillsets.

Package:
Bushido Culture Package (20 points)

Skill (Martial arts(sword focus), 10)

Power(Unstoppable Cut 10) – this power increases the cutting power of the user’s weapon, and allows them to cut through anything, including stone walls, though at a limited depth per strike for something that hard.

Power (Skyleap, 10)-This allows for huge leaps (and safe landings from great heights so long as they land on their feet) allowing the Bushi to cover a limited distance much faster than a flight power at the same level.

Artifact (Enchanted Weapon (usually a Katana), 10)- upon attaining the skills above, the individual becomes a full Bushi in a ceremony where they bond to an enchanted sword provided to them by the community.

Magitek Culture:

 

The Magitek culture is dominated by the excitement of discovery and invention. Frequently to the point of obsession such that other cultures wonder if there is a hidden aspect of madness to the sorts of magic that the Techmages use.

Whatever the case, the significant cities of the Magitek culture are full of wonders. When it comes to actual science and engineering knowledge Techmages are actually quite limited, relying chiefly on steam engines and clockwork, with only a very basic understanding of electromagnetism and chemistry. However their use of magic allows them to greatly enhance what they can achieve. By embedding things like magical heat sources and artificial intelligences, their steam powered monstrosities stomp along the ground and fly through the sky alongside "impossible" inventions such as freeze rays and teleporters.

This has afforded a measure of power to the Magitek culture, however they are limited in being able to leverage such power due to their disorganization. The best inventors tend to be the most respected and are those who wield the most power due to their devices. However they are often the least interested in personal hygiene to say nothing of day to day governance. There are a great many varieties of governments established in Magitek cities, however it's just as frequent that a government will have been formed but it doesn't do anything because few want to attend the meetings unless there are major local issues or a temporary fascination with political science or rhetoric. Within Magitek cities you have a number of guilds, workshops, and research towers full of masters, journeymen, and apprentices. However you'll also have a vast population of people, biological constructs, and sentient Magitek golems living and working among the chaos.

Possible sources of art and inspiration: Steamboy (anime movie), Last Exile (anime), Girl Genius (webcomic). Deadlands(RPG), Dr. Horribles Sing Along Blog (web series check it out), Jules Verne's novels, Final Fantasy games, to an extent World of Warcraft goblins/gnomes, Haven't heard of those or steampunk? Seen the, *sigh*, movie "Wild Wild West?".

Magitek Package (20 points)

Science and Engineering (skill, 10 points) this represents the basic but broad knowledge that a Techmage builds on when using and creating inventions.

Magitek (15 points, Magic): This represents the Tekmages ability to combine magic with their technology. It is used in the creation and use of Magitek devices, both permanent ones but also Juryrigged/"MacGuyvered" inventions. It is often required to actually safely use a Magitek invention. People without sufficient skill may be unable to make a device even work (such as a freeze ray), or be unable to SAFELY use a device (such as a steam powered jet pack or rocket boots). Even for technological devices that would actually work, such as a train or flintlock pistol, this Magic can be used to provide a bonus to their normal use, in addition to being used to "tinker" with them.

Artifacts (15 points): Please list inventions that sum up to 30 points of powers. This may require some collaboration with me as magitek devices often have advantages/disadvantages. But give it a shot.

Therian Culture:

 

Even when there were still nations, there were groups of people who felt that they had a special connection or affiliation with animals instead of people. Others just happened to enjoy forms of art and entertainment that featured anthropomorphized animals. Most such people actually lived in urban settings, but some were also very much into camping or developing primitive survival skills.

When the Magics of Mass destruction were unleased in the Great War they tended to target urban population centers. Since members of this fandom knew each other, they fled to those campsites and those with survival skills become the leaders due to their skills. Using magic to achieve a transhuman anthromorphic form was already a known technique, but before the Apocalypse war it was only used by a small proportion of people due to the rest of society labeling them as a freak. With the collapse of society many more made the change, and after that many others who were with them did it out of either peer pressure or pragmatism in the face of having to survive in a dangerous apocalyptic world. Eventually as different groups established contact with each other they started calling themselves Therians and differentiating themselves from other survivor groups primarily by their transhumanism, but also by the emphasis they developed on healing the land, community, and having sexual and cultural mores that tended to produce large families.

Children are born as “normal” humans, but are expected to select a transhuman form after puberty. They are then transformed through a ritual involving the rest of their tribe. In modern times there is great variety in forms including Centaurs, Chackats, Gargoyles, dryads, and forms designed for aquatic life. However the vast majority appear basically human in form with animal inspired traits such as ears, a tail, altered feet, animal appropriate eyes, whole body fur covering, and some alterations of facial structure. There are also many who appear almost entirely human with minimal animal features, such as only having cat ears and a tail. However these are often viewed with suspicion due to being “not Therian enough” and parents worry about them leaving as such individuals can blend into a different culture relatively easily.

With their emphasis on family, the Therians have grown to be the largest of the cultures. And by being able to reclaim and populate land others hadn’t been able to use they also have the most territory. They tend to be organized in a tribal manner and generally aren’t very “high tech”.


Package 20 points

30 points of biomorphs
Biomorphs are essentially powers, however they will have a biological physical aspect to them that usually produces something of an advantage and a disadvantage. For example a “normal” flight power simply allows one to fly (superman style). However a flight biomorph would involve a pair of wings. This could make it so that flight in or through a tight space isn’t possible, but you could also perhaps use a wing to hit something. Feel free to propose the physical aspects of your selected powers, but I’m here to help if you feel stuck.

10 points of biomagic
Biomagic can achieve things like temporarily adding biomorphs to someone or enhancing one that already exists, healing, finding life signs, attacking living beings via something like toxins, or accelerating and manipulating growth. This is used to perform much of the land reclamation that Therians are famous for.

Netherkin Culture:

 

Something started these individuals started down this emotional and obsessive path. It could be extremely traumatic, or as simple as a playground taunt. And that seed grew as they pondered life, pain, and meaninglessness, or perhaps they started spending too much time with an existing Netherkin. There are many paths.

As their mind turns inward it can begin to tap into something of a mental connection with other Netherkin and the dead. Subconsciously they learn how to bend their potential to the powers of a Netherkin, and eventually this triggers a physical change. Usually there is a period where they show some physical and emotional signs of what is happening. But if someone doesn't notice and act quickly the transformation completes and they become something not entirely alive, but certainly not dead. Often the first thing they do is walk into a shadow and leave their family forever.

Once they reach this point it can become very hard to turn back to "normal" even if they at some point achieve a measure of happiness.

Their new appearance and manner can vary greatly (Emo, goth, vampire, "corpse paint" type metal rockers, necromancers, liches, ghosts). So too can their manner be very different. Some are rather despondent, other rave and yell, others take to creating art, poetry, or putting on concerts as a way to express their emotions or compensate for the lack thereof.

However they act, a Netherkin is at risk of losing touch with reality entirely and
suffering a sort of mental death. To prevent this they require intensity of emotion...and to drain some energy. They can actually do this to themselves via self harm like cutting or playing music until their fingers bleed. They can also attack someone else and feed off their fear and energy. Performing for a willing participant or even a whole crowd can also achieve this result, and while emotion of some sort must run high, a crowd means that the energy drained from each individual can be fairly negligible.

Netherkin tend to attract undead and spirits whether they like it or not. Some of the Magics of Mass destruction created zombie plagues, used necromancy to create skeletal armies, opened up rifts through which ghosts poured out onto enemy cities or armies, or otherwise created undead. Most wander the earth mindlessly searching for prey. However being near a Netherkin returns a measure of sentience.

As a result most Netherkin live not so much in large communities but in their own isolated castles, mansions, or dungeons made or refurbished by undead servants who work in order to keep that proximity. Though unless bonded they may not be particularly diligent, loyal, or even polite.

A Netherkin’s ability to travel through shadows then lets them interact with the broader world. Allowing them to entertain or attack; talk or convert.

Netherkin package (20 points)

Netherkin form (power, 20 points)
The Netherkin gets to choose, as described above, how they appear. The result of this power is that the Netherkin is extremely resilient and they do something rather like regenerating though it often looks more like their body parts flow back together. Also, while it is debated how much they're truly “living” their lives, this power allows them to potentially exist for a very long time. However they do need to experience emotion and drain energy as described above. If they engage in self harm this power doesn't receive the bonus it usually does. Additionally while bright light does not harm a Netherkin, they tend to find it distracting and uncomfortable.

Shadow walk (10 points, power)
This power is a form of teleportation. But it only allows the individual to vanish into or exit from a sufficiently dark location. Controlling where one comes out is hard. At this level one could only specify anywhere in a city sized area for a distant location or somewhere within a building for a closer location. But it becomes easier as more points are allocated. Going "home" is relatively easy. If they are traveling aimlessly Netherkin tend to be drawn to people experiencing the sorts of emotions associated with Netherkin. By holding onto each other, Netherkin can bring along additional people or undead, however it becomes painful and draining once more than one additional person per five points in the power are included.

Undead affiliation (10 points)
To an extent this is a power and will affect the mentality of undead you may come across. Although even if they gain a measure of sentience it doesn't mean that they might not attack you. However more specifically in addition to some number of undead hangers on, this grants you one or more undead servants (up to one for every two points allocated to undead affiliation) their total points in skills/powers can total up to twice the points in undead affiliation. They can either travel with you, be left to some task, or, because of their link to you, left "in the Shadows" after a shadow walk. You can "retrieve" them by reaching into a sufficiently dark place and pulling them into the world.

Wanderlust Culture:

 

Wanderers have no permanent cities of their own, but
instead travel between the cities of other cultures. They spend their time
enjoying and sharing their art, music, plays, dancing, and passionate love for romance and parties among the different cities and each other.
The wanderlust culture continues to exist primarily through youngsters from other cultures joining them as they travel through, as having their own children doesn't work well with their freeliving and traveling lifestyle.

They do not believe in personal possessions, aside from it being rude to take something away from someone using it that very moment or to take something from the poor. So while they'll gladly get by on what gets thrown into their hat or shared with them, they are well known for parting the wealthy from their money and possessions. Though if they manage to get more than they need they really do tend to share it with those who are poorer in those cities.

All of this makes them wildly popular with the lower classes and the young, but regarded as vermin by those in power, anybody with much that is worth stealing, or parents who are worried about their children running off with some Wanderer. Often the decision to travel to another town is more a matter of them making a run for it.

Waderlust culture Package (20 points)
In addition to the package below, Wanderers are allowed an extra hobby/interest that they can use to entertain at a professional level, such as singing or painting.


Empathy(10 points, power): This ability allows them to read surface emotions and intentions of those in the vicinity and to get a very general "feeling" for a nearby person. They do not have to be able to see someone for this to work, but that does tend to help. This ability serves the important purpose of helping them find people who would enjoy a Wanderer showing up in their home or tavern or at least might be interested in a street performance or perhaps buying a painting. It assists in letting them read a crowd to know if what they're doing is going over well. Just as important, it also helps alert them when someone is coming for them or it's otherwise time to get moving.

Grace(10 points, power): While often taught or explained under the pretense of enhancing dance and artistic freerunning, at its heart this ability is about getting from point A to point B FAST. Because it is a power it is less involved in skillful moves and more about the ability to run very fast, perform incredible jumps, to run up walls, and to handle great falls. Often wanderers will later develop freerunning as a skill as well. While they prefer to travel about by stowing away or befriending someone with a means of transportation, sometimes they also have to use this power to get between cities.

Freedom magic (10 points, magic): This magic involves a set of abilities that the Wanderlust culture associates with freedom. This involves all manner of bypassing locks, wards, traps. It can thwart attempts at detecting, detaining, or controlling someone through magical means. It also serves as birth control.

Illusion magic (10 points, magic): Illusions can affect all the senses, however the more senses one attempts to fool the harder it is to do a good job of it. This is often used as part of Wanderer performances. Such as creating music to dance to if musicians aren't available, or a costume change for an improvised play. Since Wanderer fashion is often quite noticeable and body art not uncommon, Illusions are also helpful with moving around in a city full of people hostile to wanderers...or when one is otherwise where others think they shouldn't be.

Celestial Culture:

 

The spiritual culture, sometimes called the Celestial culture, is largely defined by their discovery of communal magic. It allows them to connect with each other, with what they call the Celestial Entity, and those of their order who die while having a strong enough connection with the Entity. This desire for eternal life shapes much of their existence. Though the Entity is…complicated. While they can connect to it and can pray to it if they like, it does not truly speak back. Instead they get something more akin to feelings. As far as they can tell, the Celestial Entity wants them to be moral, peaceful, honest, giving, modest, and perhaps a bit prudish. The path is not always clear cut. For example they may feel driven to peace, but they’d also feel driven to protect each other and innocents or to keep their youth from turning away from the Entity. In such situations they tend to just feel bad no matter which route they take, unless they can come up with some third option.

Other cultures suspect they've created their own self-sustaining delusion though a sort of mass telepathic connection, and since the dead they can contact don’t seem to be having new experiences in their “afterlife” the joke is that Celestials manage to not live twice.
At first they tend to be very welcoming to the needy and understanding to any that want to leave their culture. But as a consequence shanty towns increasingly full of debauchery tend to build up around their cities, parasitically living off the Celestials generosity. Similarly other cultures often continually encroach upon their lands, with nothing but a firmly worded letter to warn them off. Tension builds, often invisibly to those nearby until one day the negativity is too much, and they drive the others away. Sometimes this is peaceful, but if their opponents resist violently what results tends to be a vicious ethnic cleansing by people who do not much fear death. Their disdain from combat and violence means they prefer to use their communal abilities to turn a small number of combatants into super soldiers or to use large gun type weapons that remove the personal element from combat.

Still, normally they’re just the sort of people you’d want to deal with and be around.
Most live hard working modest lives, joining together via their communal magic as they carve out massive stone cities (often Gothic in style) out of barren and hostile lands. They create stone ships, airships, and tracked vehicles powered by the magically enhanced strength of acolytes turning capstans and winches. Some tend gardens if possible or yeast/bacteria thermal vats in order to feed and clothe themselves and the needy. They also tend to have large families. The culture would be larger if not for how many children are drawn away.
They often become uncomfortable being alone, as that rarely happens within their cities.

Spiritual package (20 Points)

Communal Magic (20 points): This cannot be used on oneself. One can commune with another willing living person to telepathically communicate with them, heal them, ward them, or boost one of their abilities by your communal magic rating. One can commune with certain deceased friends and relatives to talk. Or one can always “pray” to the Celestial Entity for guidance or for a miracle, which has very unreliable and unpredictable results.

Enhanced strength (10 points, power)
Enhanced resilience (10 points, power)
Both of these are for handling the hard labor of life within this culture.

Potential Art Sources: The average folk by medieval peasants or monks. More recently Abnegation might fit well. Clerics and that sort of thing; especially for healers. For their big guns maybe the Anime “Cannon Fodder” from memories or scenes from masses working in Battle Fleet Gothic.

For those that engage in the distasteful act of direct combat they tend to appear as Knights/Paladins or similar themes. Also, for those boosted by masses using communal magic, you can get ridiculously heavy weapons and armor such as you might find in sci-fi series (Daemon Hunters from 40k particularly come to mind). While this list has a western flavor, you can easily instead use the styles of different spiritual backgrounds.

Pactmaker Culture:

 

The Pactmaker culture is named for the type of magic they use, which is able to create all manner of pacts between people and...other things beyond the mortal realm. However beyond that their culture is defined by their business oriented philosophies.
The distrust the different cultures have for each other has created quite the market for the Pactmakers who serve as traders and middlemen, beyond being producers and businesspeople in their own right.

They espouse freedom via radical self-ownership and respect for private property. Their definition of self-ownership is that "each person enjoys, over himself and his powers, full and exclusive rights of control and use, and therefore owes no service or product to anyone else that he has not contracted to supply." The "contracted to supply" portion is important to note. Much of the rise of this culture was due to individuals or small cells seeking out groups of survivors that were on the verge of death and offering salvation...to anyone willing to sign the magically binding indentured servitude agreements. This is a common practice on their part to this day. Make no mistake though, they consider themselves highly moral, and any criticism of those actions will be met with pointing out that others were willing to instead sit by and let those people die. Would that have been better? They used no threats, no force, no deception, no dishonesty, merely a bargain. They are similarly able to use rhetoric to defend their beliefs and actions. They don't only employ indentured servants, and are willing to enter into all manner of labor contracts with willing workers. They are known to pay and reward skilled individuals well enough to lure people away from other cultures.

While commonly seen by other cultures as "filthy exploiters", they also have a reputation as being the best people to do business with. They are usually quite willing to put themselves under their own pact based magic as a guarantee of their products and services, or to operate under non-disclosure clauses when helping out with all manner of "personal" matters.

However their dreams of creating large cities have not panned out. They generally blame this on aggression by the "macrogovernments" of the other cultures. Instead they operate from the small towns on the outskirts of other culture's cities, from hidden compounds, from well-defended lairs, or out of their sometimes quite large caravans of wagons, ships, or airships. Usually one individual is ultimately in control of these, with a number of like-minded Pactmaker "subcontractor" apprentices, and however many workers or indentured servants they have under contract.

At the school, it is common for a Pactmaker student to have a relatively high level of material wealth, a simple paid servant of some sort, and/or a collared Therian. Though some are currently low on funds and are instead high on ambition.

Pactmaker package (20 points)

Pactmaking (magic, 20 points)

Pactmaking can be used to create a binding agreement between two people. Higher levels of skill allow for more complex agreements and stronger enforcement. At twenty points a contract creates a strong mental compulsion to comply and can attempt to enforce even an "on pain of death" penalty. However both might possibly be resisted by a strong enough individual.

Pactmaking is can also be used to interact with, make deals with, and summon creatures beyond the mortal realm. There seems to be a great variety of such creatures, or perhaps this magic actually forms them from a single type of thing or out of nothing. In any case it works and some things out there are incredibly powerful. Entities can either be summoned to act on their own or summoned to possess the Pactmaker, altering his form and adding their abilities to the Pactmaker's own. Individual arrangements can be made (even rather on the fly), but for every five points in Pactmaking you can have a particular arrangement ready to go (either for possession or separate summoning).

Common examples are Blood Daemon's and Observers, with many Pactmakers of this level of skill having arrangements to summon and be possessed by both, as they demand nothing for their services. However feel free to pitch your own ideas to me. The baseline for abilities an entity has is equal to the points the Pactmaker has in Pactmaking magic, but often the actual creatures summoned have more but have drawbacks or demands.

Blood Daemon (10 points Enhanced Strength (power), 10 points flight (biomorph, wings), 5 points melee fighting (skill)): Blood Daemons appear as humanoids with red skin and bat wings and want little more than to tear living things apart with their teeth, horns, and claws. So long as a Pactmaker quickly provides a target these creatures are fully willing to do his bidding. Getting them to NOT attack can be difficult.

Observer (10 points enhanced senses (power), 5 points telepathic connection to summoner (power), 10 points invisibility (power): Observers appear as a vaguely humanoid ripple in the air. They just want to see and experience something interesting and tend to reliably go where they are sent and relay back what they experience telepathically on demand. But they may be drawn away by something they find sufficiently "interesting". They prefer not to fight. When used for possession ignore the telepathic connection and increase enhanced senses by 5 points


Spirit Servant (10 points, select 20 points of powers). Good help is so hard to find. The sprit servant is an entity that you have dedicated some of your personal essence to in order that they can continually exist in the physical world. Their appearance can be varied, but often Pactmakers have them appear as an almost human butler or maid. They can act independently or be "summoned" which transports them from wherever they are at the moment to the Pactmakers side. As they contain some of the Pactmakers essence, if they are destroyed this also weakens the Pactmaker for a day for each point dedicated.

Artifact (10 points, select 20 points of associated powers): Pactmakers frequently have some affluence and it is common for them to have acquired and bonded an artifact. Often a protective device is first chosen. You never know when someone will suddenly become ungrateful.

Some notes on resolving conflict and karma (optional )

 

I do have a dice rolling (well random number generator) mechanic that I can use when players are in conflict with each other, NPCs, or the environment (racing, fighting, escaping an exploding volcano, etc). I don’t feel like going into depth because this sign in thread is already too long, and, well, than people would game the system. :P

However, especially when it comes to players interacting with each other, it is perfectly permissible to handle the situation cinematically. Just writing up the situation.

In terms of dicing and cinematically writing, character’s bodies are reinforced by their command of magic by default, to an extent that applies to everyone in this setting, but especially so those gifted and trained as player characters are. They don’t bleed out like we do, and the body resists being cut and punctured. Initially injury just hurts and leaves simple cuts and scrapes however soon the magical drain of resisting the attacks and keeping the body from bleeding out takes its toll, as does the tissue damage it hadn’t resisted, and ones abilities start shutting down. Ultimately the body just drops immobilized or unconscious and enters a simple self-preservation mode. Fully killing them takes some effort. This does allow for some rather risky behavior. As well as me hurting your characters rather a lot without killing them.

On that note I should bring up karma. This is a numeric value I track for characters, but I’m not planning to discuss it much. I think of it as the grease that simplifies allowing people a fair bit of flexibility with each other and the environment. As always god modding isn’t allowed, but you’ll find there is a grey area. Adding and subtracting from this value means karma has a way of balancing out. I use it too with my NPCs, and often with other occurrences (if something random but troublesome or bad happens to your character, I’m probably upping your karma). Did your character hose up and some creative writing is needed to save them from otherwise certain death? That will cost you some. That’s probably confusing, but hopefully it kinda makes sense.

On that note in this game characters aren’t allowed to be killed without the owner’s permission. There are a couple exceptions I can think of:
#1 There are situations where I just dislike players being able to proceed knowing their characters are unkillable. If you’re stepping into a situation like that I’ll tell you about it in an OOC aside or somesuch and you’ll have the option to avoid it.
#2 Players ask me for it (you want to make that game of airship chicken exciting or want to be able to duel to the death).

Approved by LadyPSerenity

[Black-Cat0001]

Name:Juggernaut
Age:20
Culture:Therian
Gender:hermaphrodites
Appearance: Tall for hir species 5'8 Shi is slightly more solidly built than the others. Hir pattern is a reverse zebra Pitch black almost completely over hir body except a few white strips on hir lower Torso back. Hir eyes look like dancing flames depending on the way light hits hir blue eyes. Shi chose to have a flat top so to minimize hir presence's. Shi is a F cup. Weight 185KG life expectancy:150 years
Hobbies and interests: Medical herbs/concoctions and spa relaxation with music.
Personality: Kind, caring, loyal, dependable,friendly,Empathize, Not very aggressive nor is shi to be taken as a push over.
Note: Because the titles Mr. or Ms, etc. would be inappropriate, Chakats are usually addressed by their species name followed by their personal name. They get a name some time after birth which reflects their characteristics, physical or personality, which may change anytime up until they reach adulthood. Then they may choose to keep their current name or choose a new adult name, but from then on, the name is permanent. They are very fond of descriptive names and rarely use human-type names. They almost always use just one personal name (not counting nicknames) and they regard themselves as one great family. Lineage is denoted as being the child of two others. For example, I would be formally addressed as: Chakat Juggernaut, child of Furysteel and Windstorm. (Alternatively - daughter of - abbreviated to d/o for written purposes.) The mother is always named first, then the sire. The informal honorific is the word Shir which is pronounced like the French word cher, which means "dear". Thus you would address me as Shir Juggernaut.

The proper pronoun for referring to Chakats is Shi (or Sie, both pronounced Shay), never He or It! Being referred to as an "it", implying a lack of gender or sexuality, is highly offensive to most Chakats. The possessive form of shi is Hir (usually pronounced like Hare, but also sometimes pronounced Heer). However, Chakats are frequently referred to in the feminine gender, which they don't particularly mind. It may only irk them when they are in male phase and trying to attract a female partner. Most who don't know the physiological of the chakat's would say their all female, which normally does not bother them. It might irk them though when teir in their male phase looking for a partner. They usually work in different fields of area, and most know well enough about their species. Either the chakat tells that individual about their race or the individual usually learns with a shock. Chakats have no nudity taboo; they have no need for clothes except for protection in harsh environments, but they are well aware of the allure of well-designed decorative clothing, the most common of which are halter-tops a kind of vest which serve many functions, and smart jackets. They can be provocative, ornamental or functional. Often, the Chakat just wants some pockets! They are also sometimes a concession to some more prudish humans, although a Chakat can't be forced into wearing anything if shi doesn't feel like it, which can be quite often if shi isn't wearing a uniform required for hir work. A frequent piece of apparel though are belt pouches worn about the upper torso's waist. These give plenty of carrying capacity without restricting movement as garments might do so.

Chakats are not into the slightest form of self-mutilation and so you will never see tattoos, shaved fur or even an ear-ring (clip-ons excepted). They will also avoid surgery whenever possible but are not foolishly blind to the need. Chakats are extremely social. They hate living alone, and when there are several in a household, they tend to sleep together in a communal bedroom, although they do have individual rooms for their personal possessions and for times when they desire privacy, such as when making love to a mate. This strong social interaction is extended to their guests too. All guests are offered a choice of having a private bedroom or a bed companion to snuggle with. This is not an offer of sexual relationships, unless the guest is a person whom they are already intimate with.
They weigh a lot more than a human, require more food and plenty of sleep. They hate confined spaces, although a very flexible spine partially compensates for this liability. As mentioned earlier, they cannot tolerate high temperatures for very long. They enjoy water and bathing but drying the fur can be a long and tedious job if they are not prepared to drip dry naturally. They must spend a lot of time grooming, although they tend to use this time for socialising with other Chakats.

Little things we take for granted make life difficult, such as revolving doors and turnstiles. Special furniture and facilities must be produced for their needs. A rug on the floor is fine for a lounge room but their bathroom facilities are more complex. Automobiles need to be specially modified both for access and driving. Their relatively small population means that there is a shortage of mass-produced goods suitable to their needs. Here is Chakat Quickpaw youngest sister to Hir older sister's Forrestwalker the cheetah patern chakat and Goldfur Quickpaw is always the one who likes to take and watch the cubs when shi's home form college and studying to become a midwife. Here is some facial expressions shown by two lovely chakats, and what they mean. If a tail is slowly lashing the air in a arc your treading dangerous waters.
All this being perfectly normal there, shi is not particularly expecting any strange looks or confusion when shi arrives at the school...


History:

Juggernaut's mother was a warrior in the War of the Lake, with her detachment attacking the Amazonian Chakat Tribe.
Being resilient to poisoning, and having access to bio-magic, the Chakat's had readied a surprise chemical gas attack. Turning the tide of battle in their favor. However their empathy had revealed that Juggernaut's mother was pregnant. So, feeling it wasn't right to kill the innocent child, they helped her by turning her into a Chakat.
Hir mother was ashamed by hir loss in battle. But didn't commit seppuku because of Juggernaut growing in hir. Unable to face hir husband with hir now altered appearance at first, shi decided to stayed with the tribe, and allowed hir and hir baby to be turned into a Chakat as well. Juggernaut's mother came to be known as Fury steel. Juggernaut had a happy life among the tribe, and none of the children have known any others at the time except hir husband which shi finally brought with hir after shi had worked up the courage to show him hirself. The Tank's living a new family life together chose to keep their last name despite the custom's the tribe had. Chris a.k.a Windstorm after the transformation had adapted and mellowed out and blended into their ways mingling with hif. So it became a balanced home. For years they've told history lessons, and shown examples, Juggernaut's mother still retains hir pride, and the parent's practices with hir offspring. Juggernaut being the oldest of three daughters. The middle one being great at writing and arts. The youngest was getting into magical elements. which shi'll soon be in time going to a area to learn hir skills since its a area their parent's can't do.
Not only did Hir mother, and sire spend time teaching their offspring Bushi, but also taught the other children who wanted to learn and got permission from their parents. However it was now as a way of preparing them for possible future generation attacks, and how to counteract it. Shi also mellowed out a bit each day like hir husband with each day they stayed in the village there. Shi told hir daughters history while they practiced in the Dojo. Now All chakat's get a name which reflects their characteristics, physical or personality, which may change anytime up until they reach adulthood. Then they may choose to keep their current name or choose a new adult name, but from then on, the name is permanent. They are very fond of descriptive names and rarely use human-type names. Since shi was the most deadly of the bunch, and could keep going at it for hours in the training shi got hir name from hir mother. The name was not unusual in the sightliest since it did define hir so well in the tribe's view. Whether it was training, work,study, or play shi used the same level of focus which gave hir, hir name. Upon adulthood Juggernaut provided to be the most dangerous and agile one who took to hir parent's teachings like a duck does to water. Shi loves to socialise, even more than the average chakat. Shi leans strongly to hir muscular side, so shi is often seen with a vest on instead of a halter top. Shi is also a bit of a weapons and unarmed combat enthusiast, although as a chakat, shi prefers to use these skills defensively rather than offensively.

Upon leaving for the School Furysteel took off hir husband's sword Raptuena from the mantle and sliding it into its scabbard tied it around hir daughter who was in full armor to go to school. Any who lived in the nearby Culture of Bushi knew of the family, and considered hir family as a culture binder. Making the tribe they were currently living in as potential allies, and as potential trading partners. However shi also was a kind person and was really high as a empath being a E6 rank. Making hir able to talk and interact with others much better than most who had the skill when others came by to their village. Or if others needed medical attention.In the case of chakats, every member of this species has a strong Empathic ability. This enables to detect, share and project emotions. This means that they can easily tell what actions give the most pleasure or satisfaction to the person(s) whom they are interacting with. They make great mediators and very pleasant companions for this reason, and the more subtle aspects of their Talent are useful in fields such as psychiatry.

biopmorph package
toxin resistance 5 points (it's very specific so it goes a fairly long way)
enhanced strength 5
enhanced agility 5
Enhanced resilience 5
fast run/power leap 5
Enhanced sight 5 (low light)
Enhanced hearing 5 (wide band)
Enhanced scent 5
Empathy power 10

Karate 10
Artifact (Enchanted Katana 10) - upon attaining the skills above, the individual becomes a full Bushi in a ceremony where they bond to an enchanted sword provided to them by the community.

[Light Buster]

Name: Hiro Takeshi

Age: 18

Culture: Bushido

Gender: Male

Appearance (pictures allowed): Check Attachment

Hobbies/Interests: Training and testing his abilities.

Personality: Quiet, yet if challenged by an opponent in a friendly spare, or somewhere away from killing someone, he will not hesitate to accept the challenge. However, he has his priorities other than just fighting people.

Point Allotment:

Bushido Culture Package (20 points)
Skill -Tiger’s Fury (20 Points) – With the spirit of a tiger flowing though him, this grants Hiro many benefits. His body pushes beyond the limits of any human with unparalleled strength and speed. This also grants him the ability to heal himself, albeit through combat and meditation. This can only be active for a limited of time.
Skill – Martial Arts (10 Points) – Hiro is currently mastering both unarmed combat and his sword combat to be more effective though combat.
Power – Energy Exertion (10 Points) – Hiro is also attempting to master his ability to control his energy to use it though combat. As of now, he is able to release energy attacks, albeit only able to unleash limited amounts of energy.

Reserved (40 Points)
Skill – Martial Arts Mastery (10 Points) – Hiro eventually masters his martial arts to allow him to use both unarmed combat and his sword at maximum effectiveness (This skill raises Hiro’s Martial Arts Skill to 20).
Power – Energy Exertion Mastery (10 Points) – Hiro eventually masters his ability to exert the most energy he has. His energy attacks are able to absorb other incoming attacks, exert multiple at once, and are larger, making them more difficult to avoid. (This raises Hiro’s Energy Exertion Power to 20).
Power - True Thought – This power counters abilities related to mind control and illusions thanks to hours of meditation and discipline. (20 Points)

Bio:
Hiro is one of the most powerful monks know to his clan. He has been though the most brutal training and rituals to achieve his current status as the “Ultimate Tiger Warrior” in his clan. Hiro is well known to wear an iron mask to conceal his identity, although people from his clan know his true identity. Hiro is also easily identified by a tattoo on his left arm, which he acquired though a ritual when he was born. He, along with someone else he does not know of, has been sent to the school of Seven Towers to further his training and to learn more about the world around him so that he can be prepared for anything that is thrown at him. His clan has told him that he will meet a person from the same culture and they are expected to be together for the rest of their lifetime. Hiro, however, senses a storm coming and he'll need all the training, meditation, discipline, and possibly every help he can get to prepare himself for the battles to come.

[sunnyside]

@Black-Cat0001

Rather tidy way things worked out there but that's all fine.

Mostly I'm having trouble with the name "Juggernaut KaBong." Now it appears you've put quite a bit of thought into your character, so I'm presuming you're serious. Maybe just think about it?

As for points you're probably fine. The sword would be 10 points, and I think 10 points in an empathy power should get what I think you're shooting for. (Though not that if someone is actively trying to resist they may be able to. Also such abilities can be tricky with other players. But often they'll put more in their posts than they express. So empathy can be covered by just reading what they write for you.)

You then have 30 points of biomorphs to cover a magically enhanced Chakat form. You've mentioned toxin resistance and agility. And as a Chakat some enhanced strength and overland running speed would just seem to come with the form. I suppose it' a matter of if you're particular about the blend of things.
I suppose I'd go with
toxin resistance 5 points (it's very specific so it goes a fairly long way)
enhanced strength 5
enhanced agility 5
Enhanced resilience 5
fast run/power leap 5
and then maybe increase one of those by 5 and you'd be good to go.

[Ranshiin]

Okay. I'm probably going to mess this up so feel free to correct me in the OOC thread or w/e.


Name: Shi'ran Na'Terros (pronounced Shay-Ran Nigh-terrous)
Age : 18
Culture: Therian, Dragon form.
Gender: Male
Appearance : this and this. Unlike a lot of Therians he went the whole route of physical alterations. He's about seven foot tall due to the same alterations.
Hobbies/Interests: Enjoys 'Hoverboarding' (floating snowboard-like things created by the Magitek culture for entertainment) although he refuses to say where exactly he got his Hoverboard from - might be stolen. He's also fascinated by most magical things - pets, constructs, golems, etc - as well as most Magitek-created contraptions, because he's had limited experience with technology owing to where he originates from. He also has a penchant for martial arts and swordplay.


Personality: Somewhat cynical in nature. He doesn't go out of his way to talk but he's known to be rather honest when he feels like it which can make him say things that people might not want to hear. He generally tends to try to look out just for himself, though he's not really that bad once you get to know him. His cynical and self-concerning nature hides a stubborn intrigue which had often gotten him into situations - for better or for worse.

Typically, he doesn't behave as normal Therians do but seems to be more like a rebel, but this doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't respect the world or its nature.


Point Allotment: Therian package (20 points for)
Biomorph, fire breathing, 20 -- He has the ability to breathe flame, and can do so without risk of self-harm.
Biomorph, armour 10 -- He has a strong resistance to being injured or burned by fire or heat, but as a result is more sensitive and susceptible to being injured by the aspects of cold (winters, ice or frost magic, etc). His resistance to other magic seems to be unaffected. This biomorph also grants him a minor resistance to physical injuries in the form of his scales.
Magic Discipline, Biomagic, 10 -- He has the ability to channel and manifest his life energy into a physical form, which he can bestow to his immediate surroundings to cause certain effects - such as to accelerate the growth of natural wildlife (such as crops or trees) and, per Therian standards, to otherwise help restore and heal surrounding land. Theoretically he can use this on himself or on other people, but has never attempted.

Then:
Magic Discipline, Destructive Biomagic, 10 -- He has learned to twist the natural biomagic of Therians into a form that can cause damage and destruction instead of healing and repair. With this skill he can conjure his energy into offensive manifestations that he can throw as explosive spheres, or can wield as a protective shield. Effects can vary from an effect similar to being punched, to explosions strong enough to damage or destroy a wall. However, twisting his biomagic in these manners requires far more energy than normal and thus tire him out quickly, and can result in serious physical injury or even potential death if used too often.
Biomorph, flight, 15 -- His body is altered enough that he has a pair of wings with which he can fly. He can't take advantage of this in enclosed spaces owing to their size, except to use them to hit or deflect something.
Biomorph, enhanced strength, 10 -- His choice to become a dragon in form granted him above-natural physical strength. A side-effect of this is that he's substantially taller and heavier than someone of his age should be, though it doesn't impact his movement ability and skills too greatly
Biomorph, enhanced sight, 5 -- He has sharper eyesight than most humans and is able to pinpoint things at farther distance, or see more detail in things close-by (including subtler movements in combat)

Reserve 40 points

Bio:

 

Shi’ran hails from a far corner of the country, where a Therian settlement had made themselves a home away from the other cultures and civilisations of the world. Unlike many other settlements in the town this particular tribe deliberately estranged themselves from the rest of the world, living in an isolated region amongst a collection of mountains and a valley, adhering to a strict set of rules governing lifestyle, physical and magical training, roles – and most importantly, to limit or outright prevent the interaction of the tribes’ younger generation with the outer world.

Shi’ran grew up as one of those estranged people, sheltered heavily from the outer world for reasons he did not understand. As he grew older he became confused and restless about the reasons and needs for the tribe Elders to employ the laws of his home, such as why he was not allowed to leave the village beyond the farm-plots, why they frowned upon his attempts of research and gaining knowledge. Their attempts at forcing him to adhere to their village’s regulations caused him to become rebellious as he grew older, as he essentially became driven to understand what it was that they tried to hold away from him.

One of his biggest statements of being ‘different’ from his Elders came at his alteration ritual where, unlike the others in his village, he demanded to take an altered form resembling a dragon – citing his fascination with the arcane and the mysterious as his reason behind this, whereas everyone else generally chose alterations that suited the traits of their village and the means that they lived by. His Elders had no choice but to comply with his demand, hoping that there was some secondary purpose to his decision – perhaps that he might eventually make a good huntsman with the added strength that such a form would eventually gift him.

This, technically, was the beginning. Eventually, his behaviour and resistance to settling into a desired role in the village came to a head; his attempts to survey the outer lands, his glimpses of other civilisation and the Magitek constructions had worried his Elders enough, but what he did with the tribe’s biomagic was too much for them. Meant to be used to channel his life energy to sustain, heal and regenerate the land which they lived upon and used to survive, the young lad instead found a way to channel this life energy into a destructive force, coupled with having altered himself – behind their backs – to gift himself the ability to spit flame.

Attempts to sanction him turned sour, with the lad refusing to acknowledge or atone for his ‘sins’, and he threatened he would leave the tribe and ‘see for himself what they were so scared of’. The arguments broke down and his Elders threatened him that if he so much as stepped outside of the farms, from that very moment on he would be considered a hostile threat … Shi’ran took that as literal as it was perhaps meant and proceeded to punch the Judge in the face until the man was knocked unconscious, and until he was finally and ceremoniously wrestled off of the man’s body.

Though given the opportunity to apologise and repent for his actions, Shi’ran exiled himself from the village with as many of his belongings as he could scavenge before he was thrown out and headed off to make his own way – most importantly to understand what it was that his Elders tried to hide him from. Unfortunately for him, he quickly discovered the common disdain shared amongst other cultures towards his kind – and importantly the treatment of Therians as slaves and the purpose of the collars – and though he came to learn greatly of technology he also came to become resentful of how he was treated … and at points would wish that in hindsight he had not done what he had done. His desire to learn of the world outweighed how he was generally treated, however, and he was quick to find places and people that respected him or came to respect him, where he could learn about the technology of the world and what his village had hidden itself from.

It was through these people that he learned of the school. Having recently learned of the nature of dark – or ‘forbidden’ magic – he took it upon himself to apply, in the hopes that someone – whether tutor or student – might help point him to what he sought to know, and in the hopes that something interesting might happen that might put his decision to leave his village into place.

Recent modifications made.

Dropped enhanced strength to 10 in favour of adding 'enhanced sight'. I like the idea, gives me options to stray from sword-based combat to guns if necessary.

[sunnyside]

@Black-Cat0001
@Light Buster
@Ranshiin

You're all on the right path (and have fine characters), but it does seem removing more content on skills, magic, etc wasn't a great choice. I'll put something into the sign in thread.

[Ranshiin]

I just copy/pasted what you and I discussed a month or two ago. You'd have to tell me what you think's wrong and how I'd have to alter it. Don't see the info you said you'd add on skills/magic yet either.

[sunnyside]

I just copy/pasted what you and I discussed a month or two ago. You'd have to tell me what you think's wrong and how I'd have to alter it. Don't see the info you said you'd add on skills/magic yet either.

Evenually I gave up on finding the file where I had this all written out. I've recreated and posted it.

[Black-Cat0001]

I'm all ready to go whenever you are pal, and i already know some of the stuff I have a feelings is going to happen.

[Light Buster]

Edited the first character and made a second one.

Name: Mizuki Senshi

Age: 18

Culture: Bushido

Gender: Female

Appearance: https://yande.re/post/show/163866/as..._eaglet-mahou_

Hobbies/Interests: Housekeeping (cleaning, cooking, etc.). She is also interested in beauty, love, and pleasure as she has yet to experience any of it yet.

Personality: Mizuki has a habit of intervening in a dangerous situation involving a victim or something that can cause potential harm to others in the long run. She takes situations that involve people that can get hurt seriously. Aside from that, she is a cheerful girl.

Point Allotment:
Skill – Martial Arts (10 Points) – Mizuki is proficient in unarmed combat.
Power – Blessing of the Moon: Focus (20 Points) – Mizuki is able to use some of the energy she stored in her body to clear her mind and counters all abilities related to mind control and illusions.
Power – Blessing of the Moon: Armor (10 Points) – Mizuki can use a small portion of the moonlight energy stored in her body to give herself protection from a variety of attacks and nullify all status alignments as we as protect her from them. She can activate and deactivate this at will, but as the armor is active, energy will be used to remain active.

Reserved (40 Points)
Power – Blessing of the Moon: Healing (10 Points) – Mizuki can use a portion of her moonlight energy to heal herself or others. She can only use it on one person or herself at a time.
Power – Blessing of the Moon: Release (20 Points) – Mizuki can use a portion of her moonlight energy and release it to attack her enemies.
Power – Blessing of the Moon: Enhance (10 Points) – Mizuki can use a portion of her moonlight energy to buff her physical strength or someone else’s.

Bio:
At first, many people of the Bushido culture believed that Mizuki may not be fit to be part of their culture, due to her inability to create energy. However, what the culture didn’t expect is that she could create energy, but she needed a source to do so. That source, which baffled a lot of people, came from light, but a different kind of light, the moonlight. As a result, Mizuki had to be trained differently. While she trained during the day and was able to participate and do many daily activities, Mizuki always slept under moonlight, so that her body can take in the energy she needs. This didn’t hamper her training at all, however, as she was able to complete her rites of passage without any setbacks and she was able to master her control of her moonlight energy. Mizuki, known as the ‘moonlight warrior’, is the most unique Bushido of the whole culture as she is the first person that didn’t need a weapon, which a lot of people questioned at first who were eventually humbled by her skills, to complete her rites of passage. To further her training, she was sent to the school of Seven Towers to further enhance her skills as well as her mind. She, along with a certain someone who she doesn’t know about, is sent to train together and is expected to stay with that certain person for the remainder of their lifetime. Mizuki is prepared for the journey ahead of her.

[Tetsanosuke]

Name: Sad-Eyes of the Pale Blossom Clan, AKA Shisoume Sakurai
Age: 19
Culture: Bushido
Gender: Male

Appearance: See Attachment.

Hobbies/Interests:
Sad-eyes enjoys watching civilians when they are at their most positive, ever curious about the less stoic practices which take place beyond his monastery. Because of this he enjoys poetry and art, and is ever enchanted by the beauty of others' voices. Mothers singing to children, lovers singing their promises, and heartfelt songs of experience on the road of life all capture his attention. Besides training, he enjoys gardening and meditation in his free time to accompany the finer arts outside of combat.

Personality:
While his past might continue to hang onto the strings of his heart, Sad-Eyes looks to the future with quiet anticipation. Quiet is a good word for him as his upbringing was accompanied by the least amount of words necessary to allow his learning. Most of his speaking is done through facial expressions and body language, but will exchange words when he must breach a gap between himself and a less observant person. He is generally very slow to anger, and the truth behind his name remains an ever constant companion of his visage.


Point Allotment: (40 / 60 Reserve)
Bushido Culture Package (20 points)
-Skill (Martial arts(sword focus), 10) [EDITED}
-Power(Unstoppable Cut 10)
-Power (Skyleap, 10)
-Artifact (Enchanted Weapon 10) -Another rename and refluff if you allow it. The weapon in question is a double sided blade that disconnects at the ends of two hilts for the utility of changing stances (Together for wide strikes and spinning, separate for underhand/overhand grips etc). His appearance reveals it in its separated state. We shall call it Sorrow-Wind. Its origins are vaguely painted out in the bio.

Skill (Martial Arts 10) In the case he should ever lose Sorrow-Wind, he is decent enough in martial arts to hold his own.

Power (Kii Senses 10) Shisoume has heightened senses and a small amount of "sixth sense". The heightened senses grant him a measure of control between turning down a sense to raise another. As a result it is difficult to hide from him or trail him without him noticing. He can also sense amounts of energy. The larger the source the easier it is to follow. (Currently life/vital energies are easiest to read, Magic most difficult)

Magic Discipline (Ninjutsu 10) While Kenjutsu allows for straight conventional combat, ninjutsu training allows the use of one's vital force (kii) to create a range of sneaky and sometimes esoteric effects. At this level Shisoume can turn invisible for short periods, throw kunai/knives with a slight homing effect (using Keen Senses) and if need be can enhance objects with this energy. Shisoume's favorite use of this is throwing Sorrow-Wind like a deadly boomerang and having it return to him. However, higher applications of Ninjutsu like log-dummy-replacement and Cloning powers are too difficult.

Power (Alacrity 5) Trained for speed and power, Shipsoume uses his agility as both an offense and defense. While not yet agile enough to outright dodge bullets, the potential for that eventuality is there. In a foot race he tends to be the victor.

Skill (Holistic Knowledge 5) His time spent away from civilization has taught him how to survive in the wilderness. He can sustain himself easily by foraging and hunting, and can treat wounds with herbs. He can also point out basic poisonous plants.

Bio:*
Sad Eyes, or Shisoume as he has been called in his home land, was once the son of the Lord of Pale Blossoms. This clan had been falling out of power for some time, and as a result had been challenged more often. One challenge surmounted their forces, causing the Lord's Wife to flee with her recently born son.

Time passed as she fended for her child and herself, but her pursuers were many and cruel. She eventually found herself on the wrong side of an ambush, and was mortally wounded in a fight by a river. Even in dying she would carry her child down the waters, until they reached the shore of a distant grove. A monk found her and took her last request. Ironically, this Monk belonged to the temple of Shadow, and was fully capable of realizing the mother's desires.

Raised in the quiet dimness of stone and mortar, Sad-Eyes received his name when he was old enough to understand. He learned of his past, but decided he wanted to start a new life. It was said that the sadness of his eyes held great depth of meaning, and so he was trained in the darker arts of combat.

Eventually the Monk decided it would be his choice as to where he would go for further spiritual and physical training, and word of the school in the civilized part of the world caught his attention. Satisfied with his pupil's decision, he gave him a prized weapon from before the Great Wars. It become his only true possession, as all else was insubstantial.


Note: This is my first attempt using a point system like this. How did I do?

[sunnyside]

[COLOR="#98fb98"] Note: This is my first attempt using a point system like this. How did I do?

You got it

-Skill (Kenjutsu 10) (Just a rename as Kendo implies sport fighting over actual combat from what I remember.)

Geez... probably? That's the sort of thing that language would do. I'll just change it to a more generic:
martial arts (sword focus).

]
-Artifact (Enchanted Weapon 10) -Another rename and refluff if you allow it. The weapon in question is a double sided blade that disconnects at the ends of two hilts for the utility of changing stances (Together for wide strikes and spinning, separate for underhand/overhand grips etc). His appearance reveals it in its separated state. We shall call it Sorrow-Wind. Its origins are vaguely painted out in the bio.

Bending the package a little, but some variety in weapons seems to work. Though I'm not quite sure what you're describing. A Darth Maul sort of thing?

Power (Ninjutsu 10) While Kenjutsu allows for straight conventional combat, ninjutsu training allows the use of one's vital force (kii) to create a range of sneaky and sometimes esoteric effects. At this level Shisoume can turn invisible for short periods, throw kunai/knives with a slight homing effect (using Keen Senses) and if need be can enhance objects with this energy. Shisoume's favorite use of this is throwing Sorrow-Wind like a deadly boomerang and having it return to him. However, higher applications of Ninjutsu like log-dummy-replacement and Cloning powers are too difficult.

This should be a Magic Discipline since it involves so much different stuff. I'm no expert on it, but I think you're basing that on Naruto, and I think they have to do all sorts of hand stuff first too right?

At this level invisibility would have some limitations. For example becoming visible if you move quickly. Or being fast but being more chameleon like than invisible.

[Tetsanosuke]

Bending the package a little, but some variety in weapons seems to work. Though I'm not quite sure what you're describing. A Darth Maul sort of thing?

Yes, the differences being physical blades instead of beam sabers and pommels that can lock into one another. It struck me as a bit too generic that all bushi culture folks have katana, which is a weapon I'm fond of regardless. Sad-Eyes has a more shadow-bushi background, decidedly more ninja than samurai.

This should be a Magic Discipline since it involves so much different stuff. I'm no expert on it, but I think you're basing that on Naruto, and I think they have to do all sorts of hand stuff first too right?

At this level invisibility would have some limitations. For example becoming visible if you move quickly. Or being fast but being more chameleon like than invisible.

I wasn't entirely going with Naruto, but it was a bit of inspiration (indeed I was barely thinking of handsigns). This along with DBZ and a psionic class from pathfinder called the marksman with a certain archetype. But it makes sense with the fluff and the system here.

Do I have to choose one type of invisibility here or could it operate under those rules? Like he must move slower to be invisible but chameleons out when he speeds up? I'm having a hard time trying to choose one. Hahah.

[Princess Lemon]

Alright, time to post my character! I hope I filled this out correctly, as Tetsano stated this is my first time as well.


Name: Xexiam Nethrull (pronounce as Neth-Rule)

Age: 20

Culture: Netherkin (Classification would be Lich, but that can be irrelevant at their current age)

Gender: Commonly referred to as male

Appearance:

 

**NOTE**: Instead of shirtless (perhaps the ONLY time you'll see me post a shirtless character) he's wearing loose fitting black robes with green accents on the outlines.

Hobbies/Interests: Xexiam has a deep love for history and is an advent reader, enjoying books other than history. Fiction or non-fiction he enjoys it all. Any arcane will grab the attention of Xexiam for a long time, possibly days as he loves to study it all. He has discovered that playing the violin has some grounding effect and will play it in his spare time.

Personality: Xexiam has a dual-nature. While capable in a social setting, he strongly dislikes it. He can give a smile and keep a cheerful demeanor but behind it is a silent cunning and will to manipulate. Even with a smile on his face, he can seem apathetic. Death is more than just a natural element to Xexiam, it is a tool to be used. As such this had made him very macabre and dark. He has a hard time trusting others, lacking faith in them. It can be a while before he even considers anyone trustworthy.

**NOTE**: To help keep Xexiam grounded, he needs to be around emotions of strong joy, fear or anger; alternatively he can touch someone to drain energy from them (either life force or just energy in general, making the victim fatigued or exhausted).

Point Allotment :

60 used/40 in reserve (I figured since I was the only Netherkin thus far it was ok to be exceptional)

Netherking Package (20 pts):
- Netherking Form (20)
- Shadow Walk (10)
- Undead Affiliation (10)
- Undead Servant Mr. Bones - The Skeleton of a taller human. Points are - (Sword fighting - 10 pts ; Damage Resistance 5 pts ; Cold Touch 5 pts (Bones are colder than usual and prolonged touch can cause frostbite)

Magical Discipline: Necromancy (20 pts)

Magical Discipline: Elemental Magic (10 pts)

Magic Discpline: Black Magic (10 pts)

Reserved - 40 pts


Bio:


Xexiam was born under a different name, but what that name is has long been lost. For as long as he can remember, Xexiam had this sensation of a hole in his chest. Pessimistic thoughts were rampant and he felt depressed most of the time. Not wanting to show this---or feeling like he couldn’t show this, he kept up a smile and cheerful demeanor. He felt that’s what he was supposed to do, appear happy.
Xexiam also touched death throughout his life. Be it family members dying or his friends, he encountered death. This only put more weight on his negative thoughts. He continued to appear cheerful though, but the negativity kept building up. Over time ghosts became attracted to him, and he developed the ability to see them. Unaware but he was changing.

Time went on and Xexiams negative thoughts and feelings kept piling up. Until one day he couldn’t take it. He couldn’t take it or anything and he just let go. He screamed as necromantic energy pulsed through him. It was his birth into “undeath”, so to speak. For years he was slowly changing, changing different from the way others were. However his full change was immediate. His skin paled and lost heat, his eyes turned an estranged yellow/orange.

After the pulse and scream, emotions went dim. He could feel power surge through him though. A new power. He fled the city he grew up in and as he wandered he discovered a new talent in necromancy. Undead didn’t notice him or quickly obeyed him. He also felt himself losing grasp of things. Through the next four years he would discover that draining energy and any intense emotion would ground him. Give him some semblance of emotion—even if it wasn’t his own the presence of it was enough to ground him. Keep him in touch and aware. He would set up conflicts and indulge in the emotions everyone gave.

He met other netherkin on his travels and stayed with some for a while. He caught wind of the School of Seven Towers. Interested he wished to join. Not only to learn more about magic but perhaps find a way to keep him grounded without relying on emotions of others.




I did some changes to my character, for some reason I'm still having a hard time with this guys bio. I don't know what it is.

[sunnyside]

I did some changes to my character, for some reason I'm still having a hard time with this guys bio. I don't know what it is.

I like the changes by the way. Your character is fine, but it's fine to flesh him, and particularly his background out later.

There's a bit of redundancy between the magic disciplines, but they do give you a lot of options (and you could be sustaining something from two of them while using the other one for something else).

[Scarlet Innocence]

Well, it looks interesting, but maybe a bit too complicated for my tastes. Everything is well-detailed, but when it's all together and looks unorganized, I can't say that I'd be interested. Thank you for the invite, though. I hope you get more members and are able to kickstart the roleplay whenever possible. ^^

[Princess Lemon]

I like the changes by the way. Your character is fine, but it's fine to flesh him, and particularly his background out later.

There's a bit of redundancy between the magic disciplines, but they do give you a lot of options (and you could be sustaining something from two of them while using the other one for something else).

I'll have to flesh it out, hopefully the RP will open me up a bit and I can work on him more--add bits and pieces here that won't conflict.

Otherwise, now that you mention it. Yeah there is. It just shows how much I love an all-magic character (I love mages like crazy). I had an internal battle with myself about adding Black Magic or a power--but I couldn't think of a power outside flying (which possibly Elemental Magic could do? Possibly). Pointing that out I may switch the Black Magic into something else. You mentioned in the mass PM about a vacation. That should be plenty of time to reflect before the RP starts

[Scourges daughter]

Ok, I fleshed out your character based on your attempts at signing up for the already dead games Wonderland and Discordia, along with the wiki entry on “Scourge.” Feel free to mess with parts of this.

Name: Silver K MacEwen (AKA Bloody Wolf)
Age 18
Culture: Therian
Gender: F
Appearance:
night black hair with blood red or icy blueeyes pale skin wolf tail and ears she’s very small for her age. she wears a blood stained black belt around her neck with bones and teeth of her victims wolf form is a black wolf with a white paw with a white stripe over it same eyes and belt around neck
(also see pictures)

Hobbies/Interests: Music, preferring harder stuff that one might find in a Magitek undercity. Fighting , video gaming and her cat muffins

Personality: She's shy, but make her mad you’re dog food! She can be a good friend who would give you the shirt off her back but she never tells anyone about her past

She has a weakness for cuteness and hates jazz and bully's and people and ....KITTYS!!!!!


Point Allotment (Skills, Powers, Magic Disciplines, Artifacts/Companions) :
Therian Package 20 points (30 points of biomorphs + Biomagic 10)
Always active (associated with ears and tail):
Biomorph- Enhanced hearing 5
Biomorph -Enhanced Agility 5
Active in wolf form (not active unless she’s taken the time to change into her form of a large wolf. This is fairly rapid, but takes a little time)
Biomorph – Ripper claws 10 (Wolves usually don’t have claws at all. However in wolf form Silver’s paws sport a large magically enhanced claw on the middle toe rather like a velociraptor. If you want to get away from the catness of Scourge a bit more you could have this apply to teeth or something else. I might give an extra bonus for teeth since they’re relatively hard to use in attacks)
Biomorph – Fast run/leap 10 (somewhat inherent in large wolf form, but this allows for faster movement and leaps than should be physically possible)
Biomorph – Enhanced strength 10

Power – regeneration 10 (this could be increased if you’re willing to accept various weaknesses such as to Silver. Note that biomagic can be used to heal, but that’s slow and generally not something you’d want to do until after a fight)

Power Wolf affinity 20 (This allows for control over wolves…however wolves are pretty rare in this setting, so I’m treating this more like putting points into Allies. This gives you four bioweapons descended from wolves. They are sentient though fairly simple minded and you can communicate with them telepathically via this power. Each has fast run/leap 5 and Enhanced strength 5)



Bio:

Silver grew up among a more shape shifting oriented bunch of Therians. They stayed in animal form most of the time, but might shift back for various purposes, such as needing a pair of hands. They were still occasionally plunged into conflict even after the war and so had a warrior mentality .

Silver was small, and a late bloomer magically. This made her a target for bullying.Her brothers and sisters bullied her and her mom tolled her about this story about some people a a scourge on every good person. Her unwillingness to cowl didn’t help. Some justified the bullying as nessesary to get her in line and toughen her up. After one particular incident that left her with a torn up shoulder, Silver ran away. She went to the one place she knew she wouldn’t be followed, the lower levels of a Magitek city. While didn't belong to that culture and knew little about it. Her human form and a cloak allowed her to blend in enough in the slums of the undercity far below the towers of the techmages. She meet some undercity people they laughed at her then she snapped and she clawed there necks open . Then her brother and sisters came to join then she killed them.

Incredibly determined, Silver grew in power and hated both in terms of magically enhancing her wolf form but also in leadership as she put together a gang with some of the freaks and unemployed minions in the undercity, also managing to befriend and connect with some sentient wolflike bioweapons. Eventually she would be drawn into her own small war. Leaving the undercity and warring against those who had bullied her. In one battle she slew the one who had scarred her long ago. But ultimately her gang was broken in a later battle, and she barely escaped alive. She changed her name into silver.

With enemies from previos gang wars but now without many friends in the undercity and certainly being unsafe among the Therians she had warred against, Silver decided to take her remaining wolves and head to the School of Seven Towers. She wonders if she should try and live in the Therian tower and hope her past doesn’t catch up with her there, or if she should try and see if she could stay in the Magitek tower. She’s no Techmage, but, perhaps if she stays low and out of the way she could find her own way to thrive as she did in the slummy undercity. She's not really a hi and friend person but if you try really heard and show you are not going to hurt her she will be your friend

[Scourges daughter]

Name: Silver K MacEwen (AKA Bloody Wolf)
Age 18
Culture: Therian
Gender: F
Appearance:
night black hair with blood red or icy blueeyes pale skin wolf tail and ears she’s very small for her age. she wears a blood stained black belt around her neck with bones and teeth of her victims wolf form is a black wolf with a white paw with a white stripe over it same eyes and belt
(also see pictures)

Hobbies/Interests: Music, preferring harder stuff that one might find in a Magitek undercity. Fighting , video gaming and her cat muffins

Personality: She's shy, but make her mad you’re dog food! She can be a good friend who would give you the shirt off her back but she never tells anyone about her past

She has a weakness for cuteness and hates jazz and bully's and people


Point Allotment (Skills, Powers, Magic Disciplines, Artifacts/Companions) :
Therian Package 20 points (30 points of biomorphs + Biomagic 10)
Always active (associated with ears and tail):
Biomorph- Enhanced hearing 5
Biomorph -Enhanced Agility 5
Active in wolf form (not active unless she’s taken the time to change into her form of a large wolf. This is fairly rapid, but takes a little time)
Biomorph – Ripper claws 10 (Wolves usually don’t have claws at all. However in wolf form Silver’s paws sport a large magically enhanced claw on the middle toe rather like a velociraptor. If you want to get away from the catness of Scourge a bit more you could have this apply to teeth or something else. I might give an extra bonus for teeth since they’re relatively hard to use in attacks)
Biomorph – Fast run/leap 10 (somewhat inherent in large wolf form, but this allows for faster movement and leaps than should be physically possible)
Biomorph – Enhanced strength 10

Power – regeneration 10 (this could be increased if you’re willing to accept various weaknesses such as to Silver. Note that biomagic can be used to heal, but that’s slow and generally not something you’d want to do until after a fight)

Power Wolf affinity 20 (This allows for control over wolves…however wolves are pretty rare in this setting, so I’m treating this more like putting points into Allies. This gives you four bioweapons descended from wolves. They are sentient though fairly simple minded and you can communicate with them telepathically via this power. Each has fast run/leap 5 and Enhanced strength 5)



Bio:

Silver grew up among a more shape shifting oriented bunch of Therians. They stayed in animal form most of the time, but might shift back for various purposes, such as needing a pair of hands. They were still occasionally plunged into conflict even after the war and so had a warrior mentality .

Silver was small, and a late bloomer magically. This made her a target for bullying.Her brothers and sisters bullied her and her mom tolled her about this story about some people a a scourge on every good person. Her unwillingness to cowl didn’t help. Some justified the bullying as nessesary to get her in line and toughen her up. After one particular incident that left her with a torn up shoulder, Silver ran away. She went to the one place she knew she wouldn’t be followed, the lower levels of a Magitek city. While didn't belong to that culture and knew little about it. Her human form and a cloak allowed her to blend in enough in the slums of the undercity far below the towers of the techmages. She meet some undercity people they laughed at her then she snapped and she clawed there necks open . Then her brother and sisters came to join then she killed them.

Incredibly determined, Silver grew in power both in terms of magically enhancing her wolf form but also in leadership as she put together a gang with some of the freaks and unemployed minions in the undercity, also managing to befriend and connect with some sentient wolflike bioweapons. Eventually she would be drawn into her own small war. Leaving the undercity and warring against those who had bullied her. In one battle she slew the one who had scarred her long ago. But ultimately her gang was broken in a later battle, and she barely escaped alive. She changed her name into silver.

With enemies from previos gang wars but now without many friends in the undercity and certainly being unsafe among the Therians she had warred against, Silver decided to take her remaining wolves and head to the School of Seven Towers. She wonders if she should try and live in the Therian tower and hope her past doesn’t catch up with her there, or if she should try and see if she could stay in the Magitek tower. She’s no Techmage, but, perhaps if she stays low and out of the way she could find her own way to thrive as she did in the slummy undercity. She's not really a hi and friend person but if you try really heard and show you are not going to hurt her she will be your friend
Attached Thumbnails

[Yuuchun]

Hello~ thanks for the invite sunnyside! And actually your RP is the perfect setting for a character that I was randomly thinking in my head. Please do consider me as a player in this RP...just give me a few days as I am busy right now with University life that just started back up again.

[Thrasher J]

Alright, let's try this, if it's not good enough, just tell me what else I should do

Name: Aria van Moren
Age: 21
Culture: Therian
Gender: Female
Appearance: https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.n...73212025_n.jpg
Hobbies/Interests: Cooking, singing, cooking while singing, and gardening.

Personality: Usually happy, she just likes to take in sights around her and can be oblivious at times where she’s just walking and humming along. She is quite easy to get along with.

Point Allotment (Skills, Powers, Magic Disciplines, Artifacts/Companions): The points system kind of confused me, but here goes.
Therian Package: 20 points
Enhanced hearing: 10 points
Enhanced sight: 10 points
Biomorph, claws: 10 points
Martial Arts: 5 points

(honestly, I was kind of confused with this, so, just let me know what else I should do)

Bio: Aria was born into a family of wandering Therians. She grew up on the move, from town to town, taking in sights of the world with her parents and two older brothers. Her family were branded as deserters in their community, and thus were banished from ever returning.
Her parents still believe in having the children do the right of passage in changing their appearance. The kids weren’t forced to change too much, but her two brothers decided to have full body fur, ears, tail, the full package really. Aria on the other hand, decided on having pawed feet and furred arms, as well as a wolf tail and ears.
When Aria gets a melody stuck in her head, it gets pretty hard to get her to snap out of it.
Her father had her learn how to defend herself, because he knew that he couldn't be there for her whole life, he knew that just like himself, she'd also want to wander somewhere else.

@sunnyside , I added a bit more to her bio and added claws

@sunnyside , ok, this should be the last edit, I've been in the process of writing an intro, it should be up soon.

[sunnyside]

Alright, let's try this, if it's not good enough, just tell me what else I should do

Actually that's fine. It makes sense someone like that would want to go to a University like this.

You could spend a lot more points now if you'd like (sorry if it's confusing). But you don't have to, you could just have her think she's pretty normal at this point in time, and then she could discover herself at the school and spend the points then.

If you'd like to spend now you could take 10 more points of biomorphs under the package (speed?, claws?), and then 40 points of skills, artifacts, powers, or a magic discipline or two. (also, since you already paid for the package she can just have biomagic at 10. You could increase that to 20 with 10 points for the 40 I mentioned above.) You could also just PM me with what you'd like her to be able to do, since I'm not sure how much that helped with the confusion.

[Blackwaltz]

Name: Sefton Senachall

Age: 29

Sex: Male

Culture: Pactmaker

Appearance: Sefton Senachall is a tall and stocky man who can often be found wearing a fine vest over a simple light colored shirt with silk creased pants to match his vest color. His skin is slightly tan from the sun thanks to his forays out to fulfill the bargain he has with his Familiar. His eyes are a soft brown reminiscent of tanned leather while his hair is an uncharacteristic dark gray. Rumors abound as to this odd feature but few know the true origin of it. Sefton's Familiar, Shar, takes the form of a, larger than normal, gray Schnauzer. Sefton is also the "owner" although he is loathe to answer to such a title of a Therian by the name of Y'sar. Y'sar is in his mid 40s with blue eyes and shoulder length black hair that tends to splay out at odd angles in the back. Y'sar took on features reminiscent of a crow when he came into adulthood. Protruding from his arms are hardened black crows feathers and his eyes are black and allow him to see far. He's often wearing a loose fitting shirt in dark blues along with black pants as well as his "collar" which is a simple silver necklace with a lock hanging from the chain. Alongside of that is a black leather bracelet around his wrist with a key shaped clasp.

Hobbies/Interests: Alongside of his job teaching, Sefton has a love for treasure hunting. Not in the sense of mounting expeditions to comb through ruins or attempt to discover remnants of lost civilizations. Rather, Sefton enjoys combing through areas, shops, rooms, and other such out of the way places for interesting objects and, oftentimes, overlooked rare treasures. His private rooms in the Pactmaker tower, though clean and dust free thanks to Y'sar, look like an antique store. Every available surface and shelf is filled with books, weapons, trinkets, and other such items that, too most, look inoccuous and worthless. Sefton however knows of their value and often parts with particular items in his Pacts. However never does an item leave his posession into the hands of one he fears would use it for their own personal or twisted gain. Sefton can also often be seen strolling through the expansive greenland areas within the center grounds, but has also
been seen "prowling" (as some students have described it) outside of the walled school in the No Man's Land and slums surrounding the walls of the school. These long walks however are in search of bones. Not the bones of people, mind you, but any bones he can find. His contract with Shar requires him to provide him with them as time goes by for Shar's own consumption and collection.

Personality: While many Pactmakers are shrewd and always looking for a profit or personal advantage in any situation, Sefton Senachall is only interested in making Pacts that allow him to better teach his students and expand his collection of small treasures. However this rather "slackened" regard to constant deal making does not mean that Sefton is lacking in wit, flattery or shrewdness; traits that all have their place in the
creation of true Pactmaker Pact. He has his connections just like any of his fellow Pactmakers and often has guests visiting his rooms in the tower that are well known in each of the different cultures as people of means and power. Sefton is a fair teacher, an excellent listener, and hasn't been considered much of a "schemer" by the rest of the school, which is exactly the way he wanted to be viewed. What better way to gain people's trust and find the treasures he seeks?

Shar, Sefton's Familiar, is gruff, straight forward, and courageous. He's got no problem playing information graber for Sefton and often is the first to suggest action for a developing situation. Y'sar has always been Sefton's sounding board. Whenever a particularly philosophical idea or interesting Pact needs to be made, Y'sar is always the first one Sefton will talk to about it. As a result Y'sar's intellect grew as their discussions continued throughout Sefton's life. Y'sar is very loyal to Sefton as well as considerate, analytical, and calm in many situations that would have others running about in a panic.

Point Allotment: Pactmaker Package (20 points)

Pactmaking (magic, 20 points)
Observer (10 points enhanced senses (power), 5 points telepathic connection to summoner (power), 10 points

invisibility (power): Shar(dog).
Artifact (10 points, select 20 points of associated powers): Sefton's Collection of Treasures

Mind Magic (40 points): 20 points Deduction, 20 points Discernment(finding stuff)


Bio: Sefton Senachall came to the school over a decade ago with a paltry fortune, at least in Pactmaker standards, and set out to help build a new world. However after a few years he became so enamored and obsessed with the old world that his desire to build a future for the people soon took a back seat to hunting for new and exciting relics, treasures, artifacts, and trinkets. After graduating Sefton found it difficult to imagine leaving the School, as so many people could be spoken to for information on new items to obtain. So many high-ranking, enlightened, and privilaged people came and went from the School that Sefton could not resist. So to make his stay indefinite he applied for a teaching position and soon found himself a place teaching young minds, from all cultures, about the advancements of the past and how we could implement them, safely of course, into the new world that was being built so as not to repeat the mistakes that had been made.
------------------------------------------------------

Finally got it!

[sunnyside]

@Blackwaltz

Interesting. I like him. The only thing to note that is the school is new, the first of its type, and in a bit of chaos as it starts up. However he could have a reputation from a Pactmaker school, or have met some people during the schools construction.

Also, just to clarify in case I'm reading it wrong, what are Shar's abilities?

[Blackwaltz]

@sunnyside Shar is just the typical Observer/Familiar with all of the abilities they come pre-packaged with.