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Need rules? Click here! New players are always welcomed! Help me. Once I was beautiful. Once I was full of life, seas rolled with blue waves, skies filled with clouds that rained bringing life to my children. Then I was wounded and I had to sleep. But now that I have awoken, I am fading. Slowly I lose more of myself. Soon there will be nothing left of me, and my children will have no one left. For some of you this is an opportunity, or a second chance. But for me it is my last hope. The World  Venetus is a world that is dying. Once much like Earth, now there are only two seasons; the Heat and the Cold. Both are miserable and people struggle in small clans to eke out a living. There are no cities or towns, because no place can support a permanent population. There are oceans and rivers left, the world is not a dry and desolate husk. But these places are not full of life. There are no schools of fish in the ocean, no herds of animals roving the landscape. Plants are sparse and meagre, nothing like the forests of old. Life clings around oasis, and people must take only what they must to give them time to replenish and renew. Small tribes of people, no more than a hundred, move between these oasis of life one an ongoing and never-ending migration. Without herd-beasts to carry them, they rely on relics of the ages past to help them. Golems that think and act, needing only the sun or strange coloured stones to sustain them. You You came from somewhere, somewhere else. An outsider to a dying world. Maybe you remember how you came to Venetus, or perhaps you forgot. Possibly you never knew. That no longer matters. You appeared before your new people in a grand entrance, and they believed you to be a god. A saviour.  But they struggle and you are a weak god, forced to take mortal form to guide your people for now. The game will take place, at least at first, on a single continent. What races, creatures and plants still remain will depend on what applications I get and how things fit. So players will have a lot of influence in the initial state of the world as well as what happens later. Character creation: You will need: A name. Either your true name or whatever you tell your people to call you. Your description. An image is acceptable as well! Just so I and the other players know what you look like. Aside from this, give me a brief run down of your character and what their goals, motivations and other details are. 2x +2 Traits. These are your domains, your powers, areas of influence or some other positive trait for your character. Think about how you could use these to assist your tribe, and how you might start to change the world and rebuild civilisation. 2x -2 Traits. These are weaknesses, character flaws, or some other negative trait for your character. Good ones can be used sometimes, while not being too crippling or too specific to ever come into play. Bonus Dice are earned if you are affected by both of these at the same time. quote:Name: Your Tribe: Allitari looked to the sky. The second star rose slowly and the sky was already clogged with dark clouds. These would bring no rain or succour, only clinging dust and choking pain. She began to rouse the camp and wake the horses. They would have drunk enough of the sun to pull their wagons, and if they were to reach shelter before the dust-storm hit they would need to leave now... Your tribe has no more than 100 people, but what those people are is up to you. They could be some kind of avian race, or covered in fur. Or they could be humans, dwarves or elves if you want. They cannot however be rapacious, require large amounts of food, or circumvent the general theme of some sort of scarcity forcing them to be nomadic. Your tribe also has a trait, worth +2 points, which you can use to accomplish things. They have no weakness or penalty however. About the game: If you need to contact me, I can be found on SynIRC on #ohgod, the main channel for these sorts of games, or #badwrongfun. Game pace: I plan to post once a week at a minimum, but aim to post twice a week, once on Fridays and once on Tuesdays. There is the possibility of additional quicker updates if I feel inspired, or can respond to things quickly The game will be a bit slower in December as I work in a retail business, but in the new year things should quieten down. The game should go for at least 6 months, so be prepared for a longer term investment. The actual in game time will be paced around seasons, with two or three posts to a season. An in game year will ideally take between one to one and a half months to complete. The game is intended to be less ambitious as my last game, Rising. Game structure: The start of the game will be focused on the players rebuilding a fragile civilisation. Along with this players will need to use their divine powers to begin to nurture the world. At first their influence will be small and they will only be capable of small and local miracles. But over time their power will grow, as will their people. As you shape your people, they too will shape you. Their perception of you, your powers and your beliefs will grant you new powers. These will come in the offering of three or four options for new +2 traits. If you don't like these, you can decline to take any and wait for the next opportunity. I am looking for 6-8 players. This recruit will be open for a week, closing on the 1st of December and I will pick results on the 2nd of December. These are my time (Australian East Coast) so don't leave it until midnight on the 1st otherwise you may miss out. While you need to world build a little for your tribe, I do not expect huge paragraphs of prose. They're fun to read, but will not necessarily improve or hinder your chances of being selected. Also if you have a similar idea as another player, do not worry about niche protection. If you have the same race as another player then perhaps they were separated long ago? And if you have any questions, post them in the thread, PM me on the forums or ask in IRC. Here's some music to help you get thinking.
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Nov 24, 2014 00:06
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General Character Advice Traits and Domains Banned and Unavailable The general caveats apply and the following are not available. Don't try to be clever with them, I'm just going to ignore them anyway. Time: Is a hassle to deal with, difficult to implement in standard narrative structure and frustrating to balance. Balance/Neutrality: Are not satisfy because they encourage stasis and passivity. Also depending on how they are played they just annoy everyone. Destruction/Eschaton: Are both unsatisfying, antagonistic and also in this situation completely counter to the theme of the game. Inanimate Objects: Can be amusing and veterans are familiar with the swordgod of godswords. But you need to be an actual entity and person. Also there aren't really any swords around to be the god of anyway. Other Advice 1. The beginning of the game will be you and your tribe struggling against the world. Your tribe will not have access to the resources, time and space to create any complex tools or structures. Domains and traits relating to advanced technology will not be useful, so I would avoid those at the start. 2. You will need to reshape the world somehow, so pick a domain that is physical in nature. Water, fire, earth, water, wind, plants, animals, weather...these are all decent choices. Whatever you pick, just think of several ways you could use it from the start to change the situation of your tribe and allow them to grow larger and have the luxury to actually start a civilisation again. 3. Avoid domains like war, anger, hate, or anything that requires another group to really work well. You won't get use out of them at the start and they can come later, from you and your tribe and how they develop. 4. The more broad a domain is the more difficult to do things with it will be. This is a balancing factor. Nothing will be impossible or unfairly challenging, because there's no point having players fail all their initial actions and not being able to do anything much with their tribe. This isn't a punishment for picking broad domains though, so don't be scared off of them either. 5. Your initial power will be relatively small in scale. There won't be a direct mechanical scaling of power but you won't be able to create entire rivers from scratch or cover a plain in green plantlife. As your tribe grows, so too will your power, scope and influence. On you as a God. 1. The planet has not literally summoned you, the initial prose is for flavour and theme. However whatever your origin, when you are on Venetas you are a god. 2. You can flavour your initial power as you will, but it is divine in nature. Even if your character had nano-machines before and flavours doing what he does as them, his nano-machine power will become more powerful as he becomes a more powerful god. 3. Worship is something that you notice and feel. It does not have to be a pleasurable or unpleasant experience, but it is an undeniable and measurable experience to your character. Regardless of whether they accept it as such or not. 4. How you appear is largely up to you. Maybe you were created, maybe you're a crash-landed alien. Or maybe you are some convict god from elsewhere on death's row. 5. You have been with your tribe for a short time, only a few days at most. Enough time to establish you have divine powers and for them to start following you, but not enough time to actually do anything of note, yet. Tribes Advice on traits: Consider something 1. You can start where you like and in whatever conditions you want. The one restraint is that there must be some kind of scarcity and environmental pressure forcing your tribe to migrate and to not be able to grow large. Food sources being fragile is generally good, but it could be some kind of constant volcanic activity if your tribe is subterranean. Or maybe roving storms if your coast lives on land or on the coast. 2. Your tribe does not have to be a single race, but you should consider how sustainable a collection of races would be considering that you have at most 100 people to work with. 2-3 races could work, but any less will be problematic. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 01:58 on Nov 24, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 00:07
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I'll have to edit this a bit but here ya go.quote:Psychuben - The Creeping Peace goodness fucked around with this message at 06:12 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 01:18
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Sure I'll join this god game too! I hope my application is acceptable, I wanted to do something with it.quote:Name: Rooh-Vah Advancements >[+2] Knowledge TheNabster fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Nov 26, 2015 |
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Nov 24, 2014 03:05
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goodness posted:Psychuben - The Creeping Peace, Smallgod of Fungus, Growth and Silence I'm keeping an eye on this, and you haven't finished yet. While you can have a damp region where fungus or forests could grow, what difficulties would be imposed on your tribe that prevents them from growing? It cannot be predators, there needs to be some kind of environmental factor here. Something to keep in mind. I specifically am going to say that forests, or at least living healthy forests, are not a thing that occurs. Petrified or dying forests without large chunks of their eco-system could work though. Also remember the extreme winters and summers, there has been no spring or autumn on Venetas for many centuries now. TheNabster posted:Rooh-Vah I like it! Being an unconventional god is totally fine here and it gives you a nice resonance with your tribe. The Tin Folk obviously have no problems with the Heat, when the sun is oppressive and the land is dry and bathed in light. But how do they deal with the Cold, the extreme winter when the sun is much scarcer and there are snow and silt storms that make it harder to bathe in light?
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Nov 24, 2014 04:09
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This is my first try at PDQ, or God games, so I hope this is okay. Any comments/criticism are welcome. T'l-Dohgull, the Uplifted, the Transplanted  "I don't understand. Tell me again what happened?" "During the last storm, my son was slow in creating shelter and was struck by lightning. We thought him dead. But he kept his feet, taking more of the lightning into himself, and when the storm had passed there were runes burnt into his scales. And his eyes, they glow. They glow red like the runes. He says there is a spirit inside of him, and they have added their names together." Kildahl, Great Chieftain of the Glypts, gave a derisive snort. "And he thinks these delusions are enough to make him leader?" "No, sir. My son says he is leaving, and does not care if we live or die. But some of the tribe are following him. Not I, sir. Not I. My son, he scares me now." --- I am T'l. I take refuge here. These things, these ugly things. I hid in one so my people may stop looking for me. This body seems strong and that is good, but I shall need defenses, should my people find me. This one body is good; others wish to follow, and that is better. Many hands shall make short work. It does not appear these 'Glypts' know of civilization. I shall change this before my people burn this planet to glass. Trait +2: Storms -- Something about the makeup of T'l's species interacts with the atmosphere of Venetus. The god can manipulate storms, quelling the ones that would be too harsh, or summoning milder ones for some necessary effect. This allows for (not-terribly-accurate) directed bursts of lightning or rainfall. Creating a storm, even for beneficial use, does have a possibility of getting out of hand. Trait +2: Earthworks -- Whatever it is that seeps from T'l-Dohgull to allow him to control the storms also seems to work upon the dirt of this world. With but a little concentrated effort he can move the earth, creating tunnels in a cliffside or raising walls from flat earth. Trait -2: Isolated -- T'l is a refugee from another world. Dohgull is breaking away from his race's traditions and plunging into new territories. Neither knows what lies ahead, and both are pursued by people from their past who are angry at their leaving. Trait -2: Single-mindedness -- T'l-Dohgull is not a loving god. Those who follow him do not yet realize it, but he only cares for them insofar as they can benefit him. He feels fully capable on his own but needs the fodder to speed his designs. Dohgull has been mostly subsumed, leaving behind this hybrid god--capable of great acts of defense--who has little wish to defend his tribe. Tribe: Glypts Description: Stout, five-foot-tall armored mammals, the Glypts wander a well-traveled route in their search for food. It takes several years to make a complete circuit of their path, which allows their diet of grubs, insects, and plant-life to repopulate before the tribe comes again to feed. They do not deviate. Deviation is uncertainty, peril, and starvation. As this might imply, they are a staid race, not given overmuch to looking for new ways of life. But this desire for deviation and trailblazing burns in all life--mostly the young--and when T'l joins with Dohgull about half of the tribe decide to leave with him. They do not know where they might go, but what point is there to a life spent moving in circles? Trait +2: Secure -- The thick armor on their backs has proven nearly impervious to most predators on Venetus. The three talons on each hand allow for quick excavations of dirt, for shelter or hiding in burrows. The Glypts are most adept at keeping themselves safe; those who attack them find it is usually not worth the effort.
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Nov 24, 2014 04:16
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Everything Counts posted:This is my first try at PDQ, or God games, so I hope this is okay. Any comments/criticism are welcome. Welcome then! Your app looks quite good so far, your origin is interesting and works in well with your tribe. I had not expected that kind of entrance, so it was a pleasant surprise. Tell me more about T'l. How did he reach Venetus, will more of his race follow. How is he different from them?
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Nov 24, 2014 05:01
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Wakixta the Mountain King, the Thunderer Wakixta is the spirit of the Great Je Peak. Or as it is more appropriately known to those who live upon it, Wakixta Peak among the Je mountains. He always takes the form of a great feathered predator, most typically a griffon. While visiting his wrath upon the plains for not properly respecting his authority, he found the Buerri, who saw a lightning bolt pass through his body and recognized his divine authority, and in particular his power to raise the river, flood the lagoon, and even out the salt in the egg pools. They cried out to him in thanks and praise, for the last five layings had not come to hatch. And when he heard their praise, he landed and accepted them as worshippers. Now he will lead them to their true spiritual home upon the foothills of his holy mountain, and away from that waste of space called the sea. [+2] Mountains: Though among the coastal people at this moment, Wakixta is mountain spirit. It's his home and the seat of his power. Right now it's just the one range, but he's pretty sure he could lay claim to anything with a peak if he really had to. He innately knows his way around all mountains, and can grant blessings of fresh water and easy passage or death by exposure and rockslide to anybody who enters his domain. [+2] Thunderstorms: Neither gentle rains nor all-encompassing blizzards* bow to Wakixta's authority. Only when the thunder rolls and the lightning crashes across the sky and the great storms come roaring down from the mountains to show the lowlands who is the boss. Then Wakixta flys among the clouds and doles out his judgements and his blessings. [-2] Fire: Though his lightning bolts start many fires in the dry heat of the summer, he cannot control them. It's a bit of a problem. And don't go praying that he'll spark one off for you during the winter, either. He doesn't have much choice if things are too dry or too soggy. And don't you even dare mention the fire that lives beneath his mountain. That fire is totally none of your concern thank you very much. [-2] Liar: Wakixta likes to lie. Simple truth of it, he lies about his all-encompassing power, he lies about his worshippers, he lies about his mates. He lies about his mines and his stones of power. It's kind of a bad habit, but it's also a lot of fun. Tribe: The Buerri (Picture open to change)  The Buerri are a tribe of egg-laying omnivores. They swim easily and have gills when they first hatch. They can use their claws to spear fish or dig in soft mud, or even slice tree bark and chop tough vegetables. Sometimes they find the eggs from other tribes in the lagoons, and they mix their eggs together so that the children can grow up together and mix their bloodlines. When they find babies swimming, they try to stay longer at that lagoon, so that they can add the children to their number once they have lungs and walk. The lagoons usually have enough food for the tribe to stay for a few months. But there aren't many egg-pools left, the water is wrong, the ocean is too salty, so the Buerri have to keep moving to check on the other pools and even spend time where there are no egg-pools to eat the food there instead. +2 Herb Lore: It's part tradition and part instinct, and a big part of it comes from precise senses of smell and taste. The Buerri are masters at using the resources they have available to make ointments, salves, pills, powders, and teas. An injured tribesman never stays that way for long, and their poisons do the job just as well. When the conditions allow, they'll preserve or replant particularly useful herbs. Actually open to sharing a race here. Grab them if you want them, but they need to lay their eggs near the ocean. Which is problematic if your god lives on a mountain. Also the ocean is really screwed up now and there aren't many egg pools left that aren't too salty. *Thunder snow is totally a thing though. He doesn't lose half his domain in the winter. Speleothing fucked around with this message at 05:17 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 05:10
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HiKaizer posted:Welcome then! Your app looks quite good so far, your origin is interesting and works in well with your tribe. I had not expected that kind of entrance, so it was a pleasant surprise. As a being of pure energy, whose race sloughed off their corporeal forms millions of years ago, T'l is quite different from what we experience. In his natural state he has no sensorium as we would recognize it; he doesn't even have a gender, really. But as a directed burst of energy his species is capable of interstellar travel. They just point themselves where they want to go, burst free of their planet's ionosphere, and coast through space. The math has to be precisely right since it isn't instantaneous, but a sufficiently-large number of his kind can link themselves together as a sort of safety wire. Miss your target and you can be pulled back home; reach the proper world and you can act as a conduit, pulling travelers down through you. Or, if you're desperate, alone, and fleeing those of your kind who want to destroy you for being a petty dictator, you just force yourself into space and hope you eventually land somewhere. It's incredibly dangerous but harder for the others to trace. T'l doesn't know how long he was coarsing through the black; it could have been a billion years. His people may not even exist. But if he landed on a planet relatively close to his own, and if they are looking for him, then they'll find him sooner or later. And he wants to be prepared when they do. Some of his power dissipated while he was traveling. He's weaker than he should be, and the power will return but he doesn't know how long it will take. And if the others find him, they won't be suffering that disadvantage.
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Nov 24, 2014 06:26
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Maid of Porcelain She was created as an object lesson in beauty. The crowning achievement of a civilization wasting away. They poured the remnants of their power into her, so that their legacy might live in this dying land. She walks from their halls with her people as the divine among her mortals, and leaves her creators to contemplate the lesson of her divinity until their minds waste to naught in their city of useless white marble. Trait +2: Grace She carries herself as a dancer would, twisting her heels so as to not chip on stone, dashing across rivers from rock to rock to the melody of musical tones. Her voice sings light ethereal notes as crystal veil chimes hope, her touch brings faith against dire fate and calm to beast and wraith. Trait +2: Craft She is what she knows. She knows of substances second only to diamond in strength, yet brittle all the same. She knows of pottery and pillars, of threads and thimbles. Those that created her poured their knowledge within, so she may render the natural into the created. Trait -2: Irreparable She can not heal of her own powers, any attempt on her divine skin to repair what has been broken shatters the glamour of her power. If a portion of her breaks she is best left broken, if nothing else but to better glimpse what once was whole. Trait -2: Withdrawn The Maid is distant and aloof, even to her own followers, appearing only when needed to impart her grace. The veil covers her down turned head, and none may lift it - when a glimpse has been snatched by mortals they become inconsolable. She dare not reveal her full visage to mortal nor god, for fear of the sight of her true face driving them away. Tribe: The Terracotta Clan  Description: They seek the clay and the flame and the flowing waters. They could live in perpetuity were it not for the frailty of their bodies. They can live when they are naught but head or face, as many do, carried upon the backs of loved ones in the flickering hope they might find the clay and fire to bake them bodies. Most are not fortunate, legs already breaking under the weight of their family forcing them to leave some behind. The calls of despair from those left behind trail the clan. All there is to assuage the pain is the fading promise of return. They do not live as those that breathe. Air does not concern their lungs, water does not quench their thirst, rain does not chill their flesh. A different set of laws govern their lives. The Heat breaks free trapped air from poorly kneaded flesh, the Cold makes more things to shatter them against and makes the baking of new flesh difficult. It is by fired clay of quality that they live, of imperfect repairs over life that they age. Mere time cannot heal even their most trivial of wounds, but they know no starvation nor thirst. Instead the seek the good clay of the earth, clean water to knead it, and strong flame to bake it. Trait +2: Golemancy. Of the tribes that possess Golems, none have so many as the Clan do, themselves but the step of sentience and the baking of clay to ceramics removed from their constructs. Of the secrets left behind in the city of their creators, none proved as practical as the secret of Golemancy. Though it is without a true understanding of the nature of this art, they practice the art nonetheless. They recreate the creatures of nature they encounter, shaping new beasts from poor clay and worse mud with what stones of strange colour they hoard. Hamshot fucked around with this message at 11:51 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 07:13
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HiKaizer posted:
In short, not very well. Currently when they know the cold season is coming, they stockpile all their excess minerals, find somewhere sheltered and secluded, and hibernate for the winter. The system isn't perfect, a lot of the tin folk will come out worse for wear with the long periods of inactivity and sunlight deprivation causing damage to their bodies, and when the mining harvest has turned out badly it's often the main cause for a sharp drop in population. TheNabster fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 13:15
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Hamshot posted:Maid of Porcelain I like the theme and you've written in a good sense of mood and some background which is nice. My concern, is that especially in the start that you won't get much mileage out of Grace. You might have some better ideas about it than me though, so give me some examples of how you would use it to help the Terracotta Clan establish a stable food source, how they would make the environment less harsh on them so they can weather the Heat and the Cold, how it would help them grow a settlement and how it would help them to deal with any potential opportunistic predators. If you can quickly come up with some good answers then I'll run with it, otherwise, you might want to consider making it something more directly practical for the start. You'll have a chance to earn new traits later in play so you could earn it later on. As for your tribe, we already have the Tin Folk who are lithivoric as well and not a conventional life form. You don't need to specifically make your trait be 'I'm not organic', you can just assume that. I don't mind if they're functionally immortal as long as they don't get damaged either. It would probably just lend itself to a smaller population. Maybe you could think of something that results from being so long lived. Maybe the Terracotta Clan know more things of the Old World, or are individually more skilled because they won't die from old age? In a way, your Tribe trait is an extension of your god and you'll be using it to do things so you want to make sure it's not just a passive trait or you'll probably be frustrated that you can't do much with it. So overall, I like the theme but I think you could change your traits up a bit to have a more satisfying time in play. EDIT: Speleothing posted:Wakixta the Mountain King, the Thunderer I had not noticed you had stealth finished this! As a side note, I am fairly sure you can have electrical activity in snow storms, but, even if you cannot on Earth we can say that Venetus works differently. Wakixta works out nicely. Are griffons native, or were they native, to Venetus? Or are they a fictional mythical beast like on Earth? How does he plan (overall perhaps) to rehabilitate an amphibious species into a terrestrial one? Or is this going to be a source of conflict. A general idea of gameplay here would help me out. As for the Buerri they're pretty good. I might suggest making Healing into Plant or Herb lore, which would help with farming and rehabilitation, but Healing is practical and useful so you can keep that if you like. HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 00:08 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 24, 2014 23:22
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Maruthuk, of Babyris Description Maruthuk appears as a large, muscled man, sporting a well-groomed beard and a golden crown. His clothes are always immaculately clean - a tunic and skirt of golden, glimmering scales. He certainly seems to have a thing for the color. He came from a distant place, appearing before his new followers (a meager bunch, in his eyes) in a radiant display. Not as radiant as he would have wished - in this reality, it seems, he is much lesser than he was. Or, at least, that's his excuse. He can't seem to get back whence he came from, however, as much as he tries. Back there, he had guided men to build the great city of Babyris, a living monument to the greatness that men can achieve when guided by a great god such as he. Here, he intends to guide his new people to the same heights, or even higher. He is a very prideful, boastful god, the sort to give into materialistic urges in the way only gods truly can. But he will do it - after all, this is Maruthuk we're talking about. Domains Water [+2]: Born as a river god in his world, Maruthuk always tells the story of how he once grabbed all the rivers in his old world, tied them all together, and built the great city of Babyris right where they joined. He gets a bit angry when people ask him to do the same, in this new world. Plants [+2]: The Hanging Gardens of Babyris were a sight to behold - with rivers, come fertility, plants, agriculture, prosperity. Where he walked, entire forests would sprout. When he sneezed, entire new species would be created. Last night at the tabernacle, he stamped his feet in frustration and a small shrub sprouted from the ground. It's a start, he says. Weaknesses Boastful [-2]: If there's one thing Maruthuk likes, it's showing off. Both himself, and his worshippers. He wants the people he's guiding to be the best, to build the largest, most impressive cities, and so on. He will seek to be above others as much as he can (he values fairness most highly, however). Materialistic [-2]: Maruthuk was never one to care much for pursuits of the spirit - he is entirely pragmatic, and prefers wealth to inner peace or whatever those other gods were preaching. He encourages the same values in his followers. Tribe Sumatians  The Sumatians are the few remnants of a once prosperous tribe of hunter-gatherers. In this dying world, they've been following the same meager river for some time now, hunting what little game they can, and, maybe, just maybe, catch a fish or two if they're lucky. Lately, however, things have been getting worse every day. A few sick children have died. The elderly cannot be taken care of any longer... some have even proposed to eat the sick. Maruthuk appeared to them very recently, showing powers that, if small, were clearly above their ken, speaking of great cities he built where people had so much water they bathed in it, and grew their own edible plants with it. Many Sumatians are skeptical of all this, but, in absolute desperation, faced with no other choice, they have started worshipping the new arrival as a god, as a saviour. Smart [+2]: Humans - there's a lot of things they're not. They're not long-lived, they're not made of stone, they don't regenerate, they don't have magic powers, and they're certainly not the nicest of folks to themselves. But they have big brains, and they know how to use it - they make tools, they coordinate hunting groups, and they discovered fire and how to use it. A dying world is too great a challenge even for the smarts of men, but with a living, walking god... who knows?
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Nov 25, 2014 01:15
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Gralesma, She Who Feeds and Must be Fed She doesn't know too much about where she came from, or how long she's been here. As a goddess of earth and fertility, these concepts tend to be unimportant. She had a dying forest, little more than shrubland really, that she... oversaw, that she was really. She merely tried to feed the plants, despite the harsh clime, slowing down their death, and her own death. And then, one day, the goblins came. Hungry and rapacious, they started eating without care, too starved to even think of limiting themselves. Angered, Gralesma had the ground reach up, swallowing several of the worst offending goblins, burying them deep in the earth. The terrified goblins fell to their knee and begged mercy, for they were starving. Gralesma was not without mercy, so she allowed them a certain amount of food to be plucked. When the goblins realized this was not enough to feed all of them, they quickly turned on each other, and the weaker, older and sicker goblins were killed. Still terrified of her, the goblins asked if she wanted their bodies in the earth too. Tarla did, and as the goblins sacrificed those corpses, felt that it did something to her. Change, but she knew that with things as they were, she was slowly dying. And so she had the goblins stay. They were allowed to eat, provided they regularly sacrificed by burying things in the soil. The goblins gave her a name, and roughly based on one of their pregnant women, she took a form the rare time she actually came out of the earth. Trait +2 Earth Earth is what she is made out of, earth is where her home is earth is where her power lies. It can provide bounty, and it can destroy. Trait: +2 Fertility New life needs to be born for life to continue, and Gralesma spent most of her existence trying to keep up with the rate of dying Weakness: -2 Earthbound Any task or action that requires attention away from the earth is tough. Whether it is high up in the heavens or deep in the oceans. Weakness: -2 Demanding Nothing is given freely. With her worshipers, and with other gods, there always has to be a price. If she likes you, the price won't hurt you too bad. Tribe: The Many Maws, goblins.  They are goblins. They are cowardly, ruthless, opportunistic and cunning, though they tend to always think in the short term. Which is understandable, since their lives tend to be short and brutish. The are usually about 1 meter tall, with slightly hunched over posture. Their society tends towards the anarchic. With their chiefs only ruling as long as they can intimidate and cajole their fellows. Trait +2 Fecund What they lack in some other traits, goblins make up in numbers. Put two goblins somewhere, and in a few years there will be enough goblins to eat every last bit on a piece of land. They have short pregnancies, short childhoods and are pretty much always fertile. Shogeton fucked around with this message at 15:59 on Nov 27, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 02:09
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Tevas The Watergiver, The Lifebringer, Father of the Vaikai  Description: Tevas is a god of water, who brings the promise of life to his people. Appearing before the nameless outcastes when they were on the edge of death, Tevas offered them his gifts in exchange for their devotion. Where he came from before that is a mystery that he does not speak of, and that his followers know better than to ask. Tevas’ body itself is composed of an inexhaustible source of water, which he offers up as though his own blood to his worshippers. In return he demands their absolute devotion. There are whispers among the people, that he is addicted to their worship, but these are hushed and few, for the people know that should he believe that they are insufficiently pious, or even worse considering apostasy then his wrath and rage are boundless. Water[+2] - Tevas’ very body is composed of this element, an element critical to life that he can create at will. In all its forms, water bows to the will of its god. Plants[+2] - If water is promise of life for the land, then in the green and golden plants of the fields and hills that promise finds completion. Tevas can bring a bud to bloom, and help the plants his followers gather or that their prey relies on for food grow with supernatural speed. Jealous[-2] - Tevas is a jealous god. The fear that his followers will be stolen gnaws at him. Some wonder if this is related to his past, but none can say for certain. What they can say with certainty is that to attempt to convert one of his followers or to leave the faith is to guarantee the terrible wrath of the water god comes upon you, and any the god fears might have assisted you in your crime. His wrath is terrible indeed, a fate far worse than death. Worship Addict[-2] - Gods may subsist on the worship of their followers, but Tevas’ relationship to this vital necessity is much more extreme. Worship is not merely the source of power he needs to survive, but for the god it is sublime bliss. As such, he more than other gods demands all-consuming faith from his followers, and cannot bear to part with even the smallest quantity of it. Obviously, the idea that his followers might even acknowledge any other being as a god, much less offer even the most passing an meaningless prayer to them is completely unacceptable to him. Of course, there are some who are willing to take advantage of his obsession, knowing they can rely on their god to support them over the less faithful. Also, more than one apostate has had a last minute change of heart, offering sweet worship to Tevas in exchange for escaping the punishment for their actions. Tribe: Vaikai  Description: When a tribe becomes larger than the land can sustain, it expels those extra numbers who it does not need, this is simply a fact of life. As far as the tribes are aware, those members who are exiled die alone in the wastes, for they cannot be allowed to remain in the lands lest they compete for scarce resource. In many cases they are correct, and cut off from the support of a tribe the former members do perish. However, in some cases some survive. The Vaikai is made up of some of these survivors. Whether it was luck of fate that lead several smaller groups of outcastes to meet one another no one can say. What is known is that the new group lacked even a name, much less a common culture or heritage. Dwarves, humans, and some other races the outcastes did not have the luxury to turn any away because of their race. Their only goal was survival, and even then it was a close thing in the desert wastes. As castoffs, they were not the strongest or wisest of their tribes, but the reason they were able to last long enough for Tevas to arrive was their sheer determination to survive. These outcastes were willing to put in ten times the effort of their former tribesmen, and their tenacity let them brave the wastes and sands. When Tevas arrived, he offered them a true chance at life in exchange for their worship, it was he who gave them the name Vaikai. Though now lead by a god, the Vaikai have yet to truly become one people, only the future will tell whether they put aside their past ties, and embrace their new future, or whether the desert will claim yet more victims. Tenacious[+2] The Vaikai have the tenacity and willpower to put in an almost super-human level of effort in whatever they pursue. It’s only this talent, awakened when they were tossed out from their old tribes that allowed them to survive long enough to found the tribe.
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Nov 25, 2014 02:40
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I've been in thundersnows. They're really cool. As for griffons, I hadn't put thought into it. I guess the Buerri make a precedent for hexapod vertebrates on this planet. I could go either way with them being rare, recently extinct, or mythological. Now that I think about it, I'm leaning toward rare but still alive, so they could be high status pets in a future society. Wakixta would of course take the form of an supernaturally large griffon, with most wild ones being more like a medium sized dog instead of a lion/bear. As far as the coast/mountain dichotomy is concerned, that conflict is going to be an important one for the tribe. Either they will eventually figure out artificial egg-pools or there will be a permanent pressure between the religious status of being in the mountains versus living where children can be raised. Of course, great pyramid temples along the coast as surrogate mountains for the mid level priests will be a thing. I'm envisioning the Je range being around 250 to 500 miles from the coast, so eight to sixteen days of travel for a caravan. I like your point about herb lore, it will be more versatile than pure healing. Speleothing fucked around with this message at 05:05 on Nov 25, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 04:41
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Goru the Father In the days of plenty, Goru rested peacefully. His sleep was occupied by a multitude of dreams. Dreams of a people that pulled Beauty from his eyes, his mouth, his heart. These dreams were good, until the nightmares began. Beauty was no longer pulled from him. The eyes that had seen the world grow were extinguished one after another, until all that remained was darkness and silence. As the nightmares wracked his mind, he struggled to wake, to end the maddening stillness. He woke violently, belching fire and stone into the sky. The Father was never meant to leave his ancient home, as his pain attested to, but Goru crawled out anyway. The world that had long sheltered him was a battered ruin, rotting away and taking all the wonders of the past with it. His grief almost proved to be his end as he'd strode farther and farther from the now dead volcano. Content to perish along with wreckage of the once beautiful planet, it was only the contact of the Raja that stopped him from simply smoldering away. Fire +2 Much less than what he once was, Goru is still a spirit of fire and heat. As such, he has the power to raise or extinguish flames as he wills. Craft Work +2 Though not a god of the forge, Goru still remembers the days when his flames were used to craft Beauty. As long as he has the proper material, he can mold objects inside his body. He lacks the knowledge or delicacy to forge complex machinery or however. Passionate -2 The Father is an emotional god. Though he tries to remain calm and gentle, it is all too easy for him to get carried away and end up harming whatever he means to help. Hungry -2 A new appetite has plagued Goru ever since he pulled himself from his home. No longer able to feast on the plentiful fuel inside the volcano, Goru must now sustain himself on whatever scraps his followers can gather. Tribe: The Raja  A group of serpentine creatures that prowl forests and swamps in the search for food. Long, powerful, and cunning, the Raja tend to operate in small bands for the sake of protection. Though not an asocial race, the Raja find that contact with other tribes proves difficult. In no small part due to their own colder, quiet nature. The fury that was Goru's awakening nearly drove a great deal of the Raja away from their home, until the bravest among them made contact with him and convinced the tribe of the aid he could provide. Hunters +2 Unable to ingest the plant life that populates their home, the Raja have become extremely adept at ferreting out the prey that can. Their physiology grants them a certain amount of natural camouflage and allows them to creep along any surface with nary a whisper.
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Nov 25, 2014 05:03
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DÆN Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiides! Memory. Often times she would forget herself, memory going back all those thousands of years ago. The farm girl she was. The prophet of impending doom. He said the world would start turning. The very plane itself running to its own end and she and everything she ever knew or loved would die and turn to dust. It was already happening. The road was long but she had ridden out the storm. The adventures in her own self evolution and eventual transcendence weren't always traveled alone but they fell behind. Became dust. Scientists, Artificers, Psychics, Mages, and more all created speeding cities of matter and light. The energy of this universe was charged. The faster it went, the more there was. The more that turned to dust in the darkness left behind. Infinity stretched before, nothing and destruction after. Cities on massive flying carpets, worldships crafted from the bones of space whales, wondrous things created and found, precious things lost. She shook her head. It was THE END. The Eternal Race was over. Darkness loomed ahead and behind. The Mindflayer and The Grey One were her only true competitors at the end. The great cities had fallen behind, no harbors from the storm existed anymore. This plane would not end in a bang. But with a whimper. They were the culmination of all the world's tricks and secrets. Everything that made them fast and eternal. Power beyond mortal understanding. The Grey One was a thief and trickster now a self-contained all encompassing magical ecosystem, the Mindflayer was a mind mage turned technocrat, more machine than mortal. The Spelljamming ship of the Mindflayer crashed into the side of the Grey One, his carved out canoe trailing green light as colonies of superbacteria powered his vessel. They were ahead. She smiled. All according to plan. She revved her cycle of light and felt the power, true power. Her reactions quickened everything learned up until this point culminating in this moment. The Mindflayer screeched a defiant scream as an internal explosion went off within his ship. Smoke and fire consumed his ship. Oh. That was clever. The Grey One had once been the Mindflayer's ally. Long long ago. It would seem he planted the seed of destruction within, did that mean he knew the future? She felt a cold sensation in the pit of her stomach. This might not work. She sped closer and closer. Faster and faster. Reality was nothing but speed and light. Energy all around. Him and her. Nothing else. Nothing but this moment. This perfect moment. She was closing on him. The distance less and less. His attacks were child's play to dodge, but then her own tricks failed to trap him. The end was coming. A shining portal appeared in front of them. Both travelers seeing and recognizing the prize. That was what this was all about. The journey. The speed. Advancing, becoming more, and...winning. She looked at him. So handsome and beautiful. She did something she never dared to do before. She kissed him. His surprise showed her one key thing as she shoved him with all her power, away from his vessel. He could recreate it, but he'd lost a precious second. As he faded to dust she didn't even look at him. It seemed he couldn't see the future.  As she sped through the portal she found herself stopped. Humming with the energy and her mind almost breaking at the sudden change. She laughed. She'd done it. It was all worth it. She was a goddess of light and pure speed and- aaaaaauuughhh. She fell to her hands and knees. No. It was all bleeding away. Bleeding away. No. Tears fell on this broken world. Her prize. For what? She despaired. Slow. Cold. It wasn't fair. She was ready to lie down and become the dust she should have been, lived a mortal life at the beginning of the end and never even known. This world was dead. It didn't move, couldn't feel. Her pity party ended she noticed she had landed in the middle of some the locals. It wasn't over. This was race of a different kind, a challenge. That was what she'd won. She didn't realize something was happening until their tribal protectors came forward and offered her help. She took the offered hand. The grip was strong but weakening. They took her in. Offered her what they had and something more. She was still something. That spark. It was still there, she had her vast knowledge, she was a survivor. After they took her in, it was only here that she realized she was a goddess still. Not only of herself but what she could be in this new world one. New rules. New power. A new...Challenge. Her laughter startled her people. Yes her people. She could feel them and it felt good. And so it was. Survivalist/Survivalism +2: Adventures on the floating speed palaces and towns flying on the backs of speeding flying turtles and the wilds of a land consistently changing its rules,skies, and landscape as it turned the world behind into destruction; DÆN learned to live in any environment. She could innovate where others behind her failed. As the world turned faster and faster and time sped up as well she had to learn only the most useful tricks of magic, science, and nature. Immortality was a trick only she and a few could master along with harvesting divinity. Protection +2: Speed, redirection, and when it comes down to it some heavy divine shielding. Everything learned in the Eternal and Endless Race. Her skills may be diminished but not forgotten. Brashness -2: Rash Decisions and split second timing. She may have impulse control issues. Speed. Competitive -2: When she sees the prize, it doesn't matter if it is what she wants or needs. The journey gets her rocks off. She might stick her nose where it doesn't belong.    Tribe: The Guardians They were a small tribe but were strong of will and body (as much as one could be in these times). Their strength was fading, food and shelter were scarce. Protectors of themselves from the environment, predators, and the predations of other crazed beasts and world at large. They were fighters and strong but they were losing the war to stay alive. At least until DÆN came. Many men and women were dying and the children had started to become weak. The things they were lacking in nourishment they did not lack in spirit. Men and women equally did all jobs including the fighting and keeping everyone alive. All had to work together. They were rough and needed care, they worked together well enough. They could do anything they could put their minds and will to, but even that couldn't stop the inevitable decline. They'd need someone to teach them something new. The elders had a fighting way, but that wouldn't be enough without some outside aid. Aid that came in a flash after some wish or prayer maybe said half forgotten in someone's dreams... Fighting Spirit +2: Pushing themselves beyond the limit, they can accomplish works of greatness and feats of legend. They survived by indomitable will and spirit while fighting the inhospitable conditions of their world. And they're still here to tell the tale. edit: Done I am Communist fucked around with this message at 05:51 on Nov 29, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 06:15
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HiKaizer posted:So overall, I like the theme but I think you could change your traits up a bit to have a more satisfying time in play.  My plan was to have grace be a defensive sort of attribute, and then evolve into something akin the the Grace of God as defined by christianity. It would pair well with the crafting trait in the creation of crafts that are not only functional but elegant, yet would not help against heat or cold beyond her direct involvement in the construction of shelter. Against predation it would grant serenity by way of appearance and coercion, so that the lion might lie down with the lamb. It would not really aid in the search of food (the good quality clay they require) either. Most it can do is increase the morale of the Terracotta Clan to brave the dangers of a dying world and seek out the food they need. Not sure how practical that is. I've rewritten it a tad to better reflect these goals. As for the Terracotta Clan I've rolled the trait into their description, described a few more vulnerabilities to balance that out, and made them Golemancers.
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Nov 25, 2014 07:16
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I've been meaning to run with this idea, or something close to it. Name: Fife  In the far east if you follow a river to its mouth, you would find yourself in the mists of the Meshwoods; so named after the large and shifting delta known as the River Mesh. Large trees peer almost defiantly from the mists, and growing over the riverbanks and mud. It is here where a loose tribe called only, The Kith makes its residence. The most special of those Kithain is one called Fife. He was the very first Kithain born in this world with knowledge and powers that none of his kin possess. And yet he is afflicted for more severely compared to his kin; his mind is more hazed with glamour and intuition, and never can be understood by his kin. The people of the Kith would ask if they too would suffer from these afflictions or gain such powers themselves over time. The responses he would give vary in ways that no Kithain could find a common trend to; from firm refusal because they’re too old to gentle promises ‘when they are ready.’ The one thing that is consistent is that he promises to care for them and to make sure they will be strong when the time comes to leave the Meshwoods... [Magic +2]: Since he emerged from the waters Fife saw magic all around him, and he could use it in ways that few could understand. He knows a little of everything about magic, but only enough to know of it and make small use of it. [Music +2]: He had came to this word with only a wooden flute, and the first thing he did was play for a day and a night. From his flute rapturous music came out that could sooth and around any who listens to it. The creatures who first took residence were struck dumb by his melody and were compelled to follow whenever he plays. [Confounding -2]: Whether by birth or in his long life, Fife loves his secrets and he does not share them lightly with others. He thinks the people who learn from him may not be able to understand what he knows...[/b] [Ensorcelled -2]: In Fife’s mind truth is intuitive, the world is forever beautiful without fault, and that it’s hard to hold more than one feeling in your head at a given time. Deception and horror are alien to him, and things are meant to be simple...  Tribe: The Kith If you were to meet one of the Kith, and ask how he came to be, he would tell you of how he was dragged below into one of the rivers as a human, a river far deeper than you could imagine. The Kithain could not find the words to describe the change, or what exactly had happened when he was below. It wasn’t as if his vision went black; if anything his vision was full of images and colors that blurred and warped his memories. When he came to, he noticed that his skin became pale his body more lithe and lanky, his face turning red, and his eyes an unnaturally bright green. He would tell you that Fife - the Eldest - would know more of what happened in the rivers but he would never speak of what he saw… Gardeners [+2] - While the world may be dying, there is still life and sustenance to be found with every beat of her heart. The Kith know of this and in their rituals of tending the land and flora they have harvested bounties from the world so they would not go hungry. Perhaps through the harvest could they learn to speak with the earth, to understand what is killing her and what can be done. AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 05:59 on Nov 27, 2014 |
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Nov 25, 2014 10:18
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Just remember to put your name at the top so I can notice it quickly at a glance. Brainamp posted:Goru the Father Valhawk posted:Tevas Shogeton posted:Gralesma, She Who Feeds and Must be Fed Along with Fife, I will go over these more closely tomorrow. Waiting on you to finish! I got distracted by Dragon Age, and it was kind of late so I'll have feedback tomorrow for you guys.
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Nov 25, 2014 12:22
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Pochoclo posted:Maruthuk, of Babyris Mechanically solid and the theme for your god is good. Does Maruthuk still wish to go home? Or will he come to accept his place in Venetus if he can find equal worship there? As for the Sumatians, do they have any odd or distinctive rituals and customs? Does Maruthuk even permit them to still follow them? Shogeton posted:Gralesma, She Who Feeds and Must be Fed Very nice, a god or goddess does not need to be kind to help the world right now and she does not need to command love, only worship. Tell me about the goblins though. In fiction, goblins are frequently a motly and varied sort, with larger hobgoblins and or orcs and smaller goblin-like creatures. Do your goblins have similar variety, or are they relatively uniform? Valhawk posted:Tevas Where did Tevas come from? Is he newly born, an alien to the world or slumbering? And as for the Vaikai, are they all human, or are any of them even human at all? More will come soon.
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Nov 27, 2014 01:37
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HiKaizer posted:Mechanically solid and the theme for your god is good. Does Maruthuk still wish to go home? Or will he come to accept his place in Venetus if he can find equal worship there? Maruthuk right now wishes to go back home to his bejewelled throne, but as soon as he and his people start amassing material wealth and building awesome temples and cities of gold, he'll get 110% into the game and his big ego and material desires will make him forget all about the old world. That is, if things go well. If things go bad and he just can't get his people out of mud huts, he will start complaining all day about how lame this dying world is and just how much better things were back home. If he manages to make things in Venetus just as good or better than in the world he comes from, expect him to put big effort into bridging the two worlds, so he can have double the power and wealth. The Sumatians are new to gods - they just started worshipping Maruthuk now that he appeared, out of desperation. They've been doing ancestor worship for a long, long time, and tradition is hard to give up overnight. Their ancestor shrines are small carved stone urns that they carry around on their nomadic migrations, where they keep a bit of ash from each member of their family as they die. The design is unique to each family, and losing or breaking it is supposed to bring terrible bad luck. Maruthuk comes from a place where people did not worship him 100% exclusively - even the inhabitants of Babyris offered a passing prayer to the Sun God, the War God, and so on. He loved being better than the other gods at anything, and did not spare any chance to be extremely vocal about just how better he was, to anyone who would listen. Truth is, without the competition he would have nothing to boast about. Also he preferred peacetime competition, since that was his time to shine. He's not very used to ancestor worship and doesn't know how to deal with it, or if it will hamper his powers. Just to be sure, he officially insists that people trust him and worship him, but when the miracles start rolling in he will certainly start boasting just how better praying to him is than consulting the ancestors, and will be sort of happy to have something to compare himself favorably to.
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Nov 27, 2014 03:54
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Brainamp posted:Goru the Father Nice theme here. Was Goru worshipped once before, or was he some kind of half-awake god slumbering and alive but not awake and active? As for the Raja, you have a serpentine race that live in swamps. Do they have to live in damp environments like this, or is it just where their preferred prey live? How do they move around between swamps, or areas of the swamp if it is much larger, to find food? I am Communist posted:DÆN Daen's theme and traits are good, these all check out. The issue here is with the Riders. As mentioned in the OP, you have only been with the tribe a short time and transmogrifying people or creating objects is an expensive use of your power so far. How did they get the iron? Did they have it with them before? Why did they have it if so? Giving them mounts would be a good early action once you have some food and shelter in mind but it's a bit much to do prior to the game. Additionally how are these mounts being fuelled? Resource scarcity is your biggest hurdle in the beginning and mounts would be difficult. I think a better idea, is to have left over machines or golems the tribe is using and then use these as a base for your plans later. As it also stands, a trade trait will take a while to be useful because you won't come into contact with other peoples for a while. Again, food and resource scarcity makes the remnants of life very widespread indeed. AnAnonymousIdiot posted:Name: Fife The problem with this, is the abundance of water and the established farming. While that in of itself is not necessarily a problem depending on how you work it, I'm concerned you're not quite getting the theme here so I'll work with you a bit. Having a large body of water is not a problem, but why do the Kith need to move around? What danger and environmental hazards prevent them from living in a single place? How do they stress the resources of these safe oasis when they dwell there for a time? Also what was the source of Fife's change? Was the power always lying dormant there, or did he touch something from beyond the world?
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Nov 27, 2014 07:08
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HiKaizer posted:Where did Tevas come from? Is he newly born, an alien to the world or slumbering? And as for the Vaikai, are they all human, or are any of them even human at all? Tevas is from another world, though he doesn't talk about it, and he's likely as not to freak out at any follower who pushes on the question. I'm imagining his backstory goes something like this. In the old world he was a very different god, personality wise. He was largely distant and uncaring about the affairs of mortals, seeing them as beneath his notice. This created a wedge for another god to slowly steal all of his followers, culminating in the other god banishing him from that world. Tevas' addictive reaction to worship is a permanent side-effect of the ritual that banished him. Feel free to mess with details as you see fit. As to the Vaikai, I'm imagining that at the moment they're primarily humans of various tribes, plus if it fits in with your world-building a contingent of whatever other mortal races you might want to put nearby. The lingering issues of being composed of different tribes is a nice starting hook, and adding a second race, especially if the numbers aren't equivalent just makes it juicier. EDIT: If you want to throw in one or two members of what is viewed in the world as an evil group like orcs or the like, that would just make the hook that much stronger. Valhawk fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Nov 27, 2014 |
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Nov 27, 2014 07:21
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HiKaizer posted:Very nice, a god or goddess does not need to be kind to help the world right now and she does not need to command love, only worship. Tell me about the goblins though. In fiction, goblins are frequently a motly and varied sort, with larger hobgoblins and or orcs and smaller goblin-like creatures. Do your goblins have similar variety, or are they relatively uniform? There's some goblins bigger or smarter than others, but things like hobgoblins and orcs? No, not among them. They might have been among the tribe, there are some stories. But orcs would need a lot more food, and were too proud and direct to survive the harshness, while hobgoblins were too rigid. No, in this world, it's the rats and scavengers that last the longest, and goblins are just that. Of course, if the world might improve, who knows what the future might bring. And perhaps orcs and hobgoblins managed to make things work elsewhere.
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Nov 27, 2014 15:58
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HiKaizer posted:
Edit: We talked in IRC and just to reiterate, I was the one confused, not hikaizer. I'll make some changes to my guys. Apologies if my posts came off or were harsh, I was typing from a phone so I may have been too short/used not enough emoticons. I'm clear now. I am Communist fucked around with this message at 06:43 on Nov 28, 2014 |
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Nov 27, 2014 23:55
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HiKaizer posted:Nice theme here. Was Goru worshipped once before, or was he some kind of half-awake god slumbering and alive but not awake and active? As for the Raja, you have a serpentine race that live in swamps. Do they have to live in damp environments like this, or is it just where their preferred prey live? How do they move around between swamps, or areas of the swamp if it is much larger, to find food? Goru is one of the old gods, though he hasn't been worshiped as such for a long time. That lack of worship is part of reason he spent most of his time deep in sleep. In the early days of the first civilization, his volcano was the largest of a chain and much more active. Faith in him was widespread for a time, but eventually other, newer faiths and modern science drew away his followers. Enough family traditions remained for him to exert a miracle every few decades, but doing so drained him, and in a world that had forgotten him it was utterly pointless. So he slept and dreamed through the eyes of fires all over the planet till they all went poof. The Raja don't need to live in the damp, but areas of dense vegetation are what they've adapted to and a mixture of practicality and fear of the unknown is all that stops them from expanding their territory into dryer places such as deserts. Preferred prey is usually anything that approaches the Raja's hunting grounds. For a race that can only eat meat, being picky about what composes the meals is not a luxury they can afford. Travel between the swamps is generally pretty simple. The Raja are decent swimmers, which helps if they need to pack up shop and run. If water travel is not an option, then they can always climb through the treetops, though it is much slower and puts them at more risk of alerting any potential dinner before they can approach.
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Nov 28, 2014 01:44
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Commie, what if their mechanical steeds was the tribe's trait instead of trade? Seems more in line with the flavour, and they'd be predisposed to trade anyhow with their increased mobility. I mean see, check this out: I am Communist posted:Prrprrrpbbtrrbtbtt The trait is the special thing tribes get at the start. Hamshot fucked around with this message at 07:19 on Nov 28, 2014 |
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Nov 28, 2014 04:27
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Hamshot posted:Commie, what if their mechanical steeds was the tribe's trait instead of trade? Seems more in line with the flavour, and they'd be predisposed to trade anyhow with their increased mobility. Yep. Talked to Hikaizer, I was merely confused for some reason. Thanks 
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Nov 28, 2014 06:43
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HiKaizer posted:The problem with this, is the abundance of water and the established farming. While that in of itself is not necessarily a problem depending on how you work it, I'm concerned you're not quite getting the theme here so I'll work with you a bit. Having a large body of water is not a problem, but why do the Kith need to move around? What danger and environmental hazards prevent them from living in a single place? How do they stress the resources of these safe oasis when they dwell there for a time? I'd say that there must be dangers in the Meshwoods themselves; territorial beasts larger or more resilient than they are who chase off anything they perceive as a threat; the mists reaching a point where you can't see, whole fields of earth being rare to find due to the trees and undergrowths creating a mesh on top of the twisting rivers. As an aside, some of their rituals to work the land can involve barbaric things; from watering the gardens with blood to burning sections of forest to render fertility to those areas for a short time as the earth there does not have that richness naturally.. The idea of Fife and the Kith's origins were recycled from another race I came up with for another game; their origins involved a capricious and insane goddess who originally dragged humans into the water and did unspeakable things to them that led to their transformation and how they understood the world around them. For Fife and the Kith, I want to say that they were yanked in by something not of this world, since I don't think saying a dying goddess did it to them might be acceptable. If there are other issues, please let me know.
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Nov 28, 2014 20:02
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Edit: Reworked the Concept to better fit the intended starting conditions. Description: After many quests to diminish his power, after still more quests thwarting his evil plans, the noble band of adventurers had finally came to defeat him. In the end, however, the best they could do was to destroy his phylactery and Banish him from their world. Yalag dusted himself off, leaking Eldritch power into the ground around him. “Welp.” Trait +2: Undeath - Unbound by a Phylactery, Yalag leaks the essence of unlife from his draconic bones. Sometimes he chooses to do so with intent. Trait +2: Dragon - Possessed of the mighty strength and magic of Dragons, Yalag retains much of the power he enjoyed in life. Trait -2: Greedy - A very Avaricious being, the desire to build and grow a hoard will override common sense. Trait -2: Pride - A dragon is above judgement and consequence. Or so they think. Tribe: The Vivant  Description: As Yalag Walks in this world, some of the dead come to life. A battlefield between two tribes gave rise to the Vivant. Over time some succame to the growing ennui of undeath, went hollow, and were destroyed. As they pass burial grounds, or those simply left behind sometimes new ones rise to join them. Trait +2: Undead - the normal problems of the living are no concern to the Vivant. JamezBfod fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Nov 30, 2014 |
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Nov 29, 2014 03:34
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Florencia, Muse of Flames It had all been going so well, the flowers, the adoration, the convincing the proles you were actually responsible for that burning sky orb sailing across the sky. The human hearts and cannibalism were a bit much but the boytoys were pretty big on that. What a 100 meter long snake demon made of beating hearts, feathers and skulls wants, he gets. And then over the course of a long weekend they had all gotten run out of town when some rear end in a top hat from the desert and his son who kept getting in trouble with the law rolled in. She had considered calling the locals in to roust out the rowdy newcomers but almost everyone had called in sick. Drifting through the astral ether for countless ages, Florencia made her way here and there, inspiring assorted cultures to acts of greatness. At least five were inspired to invent nuclear splitting technologies and /or deep core mining techniques. This and a natural talent for getting folks agitated and excited meant she needed to move on fairly frequently. Occasionally there were those more advanced, secular cultures that disdained traditional worship, but that's when she just filed as an etheric quantum quasi-person in desperate need of economic assistance. The fact she had difficulty walking their planes of existence meant that enormous chunks of their GDP was utilized into turning her food stamps into antimatter and firing them through a Klein bottle. After they discovered their entire pantheon was actually a massive welfare scheme she had fabricated wherein all the checks were going to her, it was time to head for new horizon. This new world hooboy, this new world is a real fixerupper, but she can manage. Few things are as rewarding as people going forth from humble origins into greatness (catastrophe) in your name. [Inspiration+2] - Whether bringing inspiration to the brilliant, hope to the hopeless, or being the observer when someone declares "HEY YA'LL, WATCH THIS", Florencia main power is to stir powerful proactive emotions among mortals and a desire to change the status quo. Now whether those actions actually lead to improvement is a matter of much debate. [Fire+2] - As an avatar of bright, burning, never ending consumption, Florencia has substantial ability to manipulate elemental heat-releasing reactions, although on Venetus, it looks like it'll be primarily for burning out lice, bed bugs, and making sure the locals stop eating things they pull out of puddles without cooking first. [Diefic ADD-2] - Much like the flames she can conjure forth, Florencia's attention span is flickering, intense, and brief. Its hard to stay focused on one thing for too long before the need to find some other objects of obsession manifests itself. [Needy-2] - Florencia doesn't demand blood, per se. In fact, she finds human sacrifice fairly repugnant. Almost everything else, however, is on the table. Love, wealth, proof that people are paying attention to her; all these she craves endlessly, and like fire itself, the more fuel its fed, the greater its appetite becomes. Tribe - Florencia Men  Not a tribe, per se, in the sense of a single ethnic identity, Florencia's Men are instead a highly diverse set of sentient refuse of tribals, raiders, pirates, and drifters she has drawn together from across the marshy peninsula and tropical archipelago they call home. Despite its blazing summers, hurricanes, poisonous and carnivorous wildlife, and volcanoes, by Venetus standards, its a nice place. [Audacity and Daring! +2] - Living in a tropical apocalypse zone tends to keep the survivors on their heels, and a lack of places to run to means they have to charge directly towards the current problem in their lives. Florencia Men are used to acting first and maybe caring about consequences only if they survive. Ronwayne fucked around with this message at 00:59 on Nov 30, 2014 |
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Nov 29, 2014 03:40
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JamezBfod posted:Name: Yalag Undead dragon, seems familiar but easy to work with if nothing else. Rehabilitating a planet will be interesting with undeath as a domain though. Turning it into a ball of undeath, or the attempt rather will certainly bring you into conflict with other players. But more pressingly, your tribe. Okay then,what problems do concern the Vivant then? At first glance this trait seems to be one that attempts to invalidate the entire premise of the tribes being under incredible pressures all around and fighting for survival. So what problems would you think the Vivant face that endangers their long-term survival? Ronwayne posted:Florencia, Muse of Flames [Diefic ADD+2] - I assume this is a typo and meant to be -2? Will Florencia remain in Venetus long if she can leave, or will she drift off to another place at the first opportunity? If the Florencia Men are so diverse, how do they determine who leads them? Do they even have a leader, or is it some kind of strange collective anarchy? Are they all the same race, and if so, tell me about it.
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Nov 30, 2014 00:56
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Typo, yes. As for wigging out: well, that options are always a plus. If nothing else, she's hanging in to see if the world dies with a bang, not a whimper. Leadership among the tribe is both situational and heavily charisma dependent. They might be listening to one guy while organizing a fishing expedition. For another they'll let the dude who insists he can win a fight with the 2 story tall lobster lion take the lead, because whatever happens will probably be hilarious. If we're looking for a "face" of the tribe to talk to, a 2nd in command is probably a better idea, some sort of sage or less adventurous sort that picks up the pieces (literally) after each ruler's reign. Species wise they're extremely diverse, you could drop any number of the other races of Venetus in there. Its not a stable social organization, but it is pretty dynamic. Woop, another killer hurricane, now the village demographic is 60% stranded hermit crab men.
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Nov 30, 2014 01:08
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The Greenlord There was once a world. It was really very ordinary, as far as worlds go. It was inhabited by men and other intelligent races, who traded with each other, waged war against each other, oppressed each other...all very ordinary, really. Over the course of centuries, empires rose and fell, technology advanced, and sometimes regressed, and great acts of both kindness and cruelty were done. The people worshiped gods; some monotheistic gods, some pantheons of gods, and one of these gods, a minor god of a pantheon of a moderately sized culture, was Iantho, the dragon deer, god of deer in rut and the harvest. People prayed to Iantho that the weather would stay good for the harvest, and that the grain would ripen and stay healthy, and priests of Iantho, before the harvest, would sprinkle the fields with deer blood to guarantee good harvests. Then catastrophe happened. There had always been wars on the planet, since intelligent life first developed, but, while in the past, the gods had been involved, their involvement had always been limited. This was something different....this was all out godwar. The causes still aren't particularly clear or even all that sensical, but it lead to almost every god and almost every pantheon on the planet at war with each other, and ultimately, it led to the destruction of the world and all life on it, as well as almost all the gods. Iantho was one of the survivors; not through any superior virtue or skill on his part; merely luck, and probably some bit of cowardice. Deer are good at running, after all. Iantho, alone, injured, and traumatized, floated throughout the aether, through the no time, mostly insentient. To ask how far or how long he wandered is meaningless, but eventually, his wounds healed, and he found himself at a dying world, with desperate people. He looked over this world, and found a dying desert race, who had a sense of guilt that echoed his own. Their gods were long gone, and they needed help. There were no deer on this world, but he did have some power to shape the weather, and some to encourage plants to grow and stay healthy. So it was easy enough to slip into the role of their "Green Lord", who, he was able to derive, was some sort of nature or forest god. He decided...he would be their god, he would save them. Gods had destroyed his old world, but maybe they could save this one. Trait: Plants +2: As a harvest god, Iantho was concerned with plant growth and ripening. His powers extend over the botanical world, and plants (and plant-like life, like fungus and algae) respond to his command Trait: Weather +2: In his old life, Iantho had control over the harvest weather. That role has just expanded, and Iantho finds that, as the Greenlord, he has some control over weather in general. Trait: Guilt -2: When the war came, Iantho did nothing to stop it. Instead he ran, and lived when others died. That's...not an easy thing to deal with, and it shapes his decisions and his actions. Trait: Imposter -2: Iantho is the Greenlord. Really. Well, maybe not really. But the ACTUAL Greenlord is gone. It's not like he's going to be there to object to someone taking his place. And if Iantho doesn't exactly fit the description of the Greenlord or his old domains, well, it's been a long time. It's not like anybody remembers precisely. It's not like there's some sort of long lived, tradition obsessed race out there who can compare the two, right? Tribe:The Tislaren  There was a time the world was green. That is what the legends say, at least. A long time ago, in the time of the grandmother's grandmothers grandmother grandmothers, pr perhaps even earlier, the water was not stale and brackish, and the plants grew all over the ground. The Tislaren didn't roam the waste then, the legends say, moving from oasis to oasis, but lived in a place called For-resht. Rain fell from the sky, and the great storms never came. But then they sinned, a sin so bad that it's not even spoken of, and the king of the Gods, the Greenlord Loris, cast them out, and cursed the world, saying that because of their sin, the whole world would die, and then the Greenlord was silent, no longer listening to the prayers of his people or the pleadings of their priests, and slowly but surely, for-resht started to die, and the people forced to move. They took the name "Tislaren" then, a word in their language meaning "the accursed" or "the damned". Now though, the Greenlord is back. About a month ago, the seers saw signs in the heavens, portents of great changes. A strange star appeared in the heavens, and then vanished again. About a week or two ago, the Greenlord again reappeared and spoke to the Godspeakers. What does this mean? Is the curse to be ended? Will the Tislaren be redeemed? Trait +2 Long Lived: The Tislaren, can, in theory, live a long time; hundreds of years, sometimes even a thousand, and they don't start physically deteriorating until shortly before their deaths. Most Tislaren don't live this long, of course, as they're still as subject to death from accident or violence as any other race, and the world is a dangerous place, but those who manage to avoid accidental death can live a long time indeed. This leads to a certain appreciation for history and wisdom. They live a long time and remember things and traditions the shorterlived races forget.
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Nov 30, 2014 06:18
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 Description: After many quests to diminish his power, after still more quests thwarting his evil plans, the noble band of adventurers had finally came to defeat him. They enacted their plan, using one of the very Words of Creation to reverse his Lichdom. In the end, however, the best they could do was to destroy his phylactery and Banish him from their world. Yalag dusted himself off, Still contemplating his defeat. “Welp.” Trait +2: Word of Creation[Life] Yalag’s long unlife came to a halt when one of the Great Words was unleashed upon him. In its echoes he has a certain control over life, allowing it to spring anew. Trait +2: Dragon - Possessed of the mighty strength and magic of Dragons, Yalag retains much of the power and Strength that began his rise as the Dark Lord of his world. Trait -2: Greedy - A very Avaricious being, the desire to build and grow a hoard will override common sense. Trait -2: Pride - A dragon is above judgement and consequence. Or so they think. Tribe: The Yiplings (kobolds)  Having to scrap and work with next to nothing was something Kobolds had always excelled at. With the self-proclaimed “Greater” races and civilizations crumbling, the Yiplings had taken it upon themselves to scavenge what greater tribes left behind and...acquire what lesser tribes possessed. Trait +2: Crafty - The defining kobold feature, these sly, underhanded ruffians refuse to play fair or fight on an even footing. Traps and deceit are what meet those that underestimate these little dragon-kin. JamezBfod fucked around with this message at 02:34 on Feb 22, 2015 |
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Nov 30, 2014 09:14
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Epicurius posted:The Greenlord Your god looks good, nice and flavourful and easy to get a handle on. My one suggestion would be you might not get too many opportunities to use Imposter, potentially, as it seems harder to decide when you're triggering it. This is fine, but just something to consider if you want to change it. Your tribe is also fairly good and easy for me to get a handle on their theme and personality which is great. JamezBfod posted:Name: Yalag Everything checks out, but it's a bit bare-boned. If you don't mind me writing a lot of stuff for you then this works, but if you have questions or things you don't get about the setting, do ask me so I can try to explain.
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Dec 1, 2014 02:19
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Also for those curious (and for my benefit) some statistics on apps: Total applications so far: 13 Traits: Fire themed -2 Brainamp/Goru Ronwayne/Florencia Water themed -2 Pocholo/Maruthuk Valhawk/Tevas Earth themed -4 The Nabster/Rooh-Vah Everything Counts/T'l-Dohgull Speleothing/Wakixta Shogeton/Gralesma Weather -3 Everything Counts/T'l-Dohgull Speleothing/Wakixta Epicurius/The Greenlord Life themed -5 Pocholo/Maruthuk Shogeton/Gralesma Valhawk/Tevas Epicurius/The Greenlord JamezBfod/Yalag Craft themed -3 The Nabster/Rooh-Vah Hamshot/Maid of Porcelain Brainamp/Goru Other -4 I am Communist/Daen AnAnonymousIdiot/Fife Ronwayne/Florencia JamezBfod/Yalag Tribes: Inorganic -2+ The Nabster/The Tin Folk Hamshot/The Terracotta Clan Ronwayne/Florencia Men - Possibly Organic -11 Everything Counts/Glypts Speleothing/The Buerri Pocholo/Sumatians Shogeton/Goblins Valhawk/Vaikai Brainamp/The Raja I am Communist/The Guardians AnAnonymousIdiot/The Kith Ronwayne/Florencia Men Epicurius/The Tislaren JamezBfod/KOBOLDS Aquatic -1+ Speleothing/The Buerri Brainamp/The Raja - Partially Ronwayne/Florencia Men - Possibly HiKaizer fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Dec 1, 2014 |
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Dec 1, 2014 04:13
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 20:26 |
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Kinda odd to see no bird-men.
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Dec 1, 2014 07:31
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