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Music: https://youtu.be/EM-Ughada1s Somewhere in the universe...  The wolf came between the shadows of the campfire watchfires, stealthily and with practiced ease. The shepherd had been watching and standing downwind he was tired but could see it plainly. A mere boy he hefted his spear. The wolf looked steadily at the boy then wolf turned away then it was gone into the darkness. Away from the fires. The flock of sheeps' eyes were on him, a hundred glowing spots in the huddled mass of the flock. One or two of the animals bleated softly. Legends said that men in the old Solar-land had animals called dogs that guarded sheep. If that were true, some might think that men were fools for ever leaving it. But such thoughts were irreverent, and the boy's situation called for prayer. Every night now the wolf came, and all too often it killed a sheep. He raised his eyes to the night sky. "Send me a sign, star-gods," he prayed, routinely. But the heavens were quiet. Only the stately fireflies of the dawn zone traced their steady random paths, vanishing halfway up the eastern sky. The stars themselves agreed that three-fourths of the night was gone. The legends said that Solar-land was among the stars, but the younger priests admitted such a statement could only be taken symbolically. The heavy thoughts came back, in spite of the nearby wolf. For two years now he had prayed and hoped for his mystical experience, the sign from a god that came to mark the future life of every youth. From what other young men whispered now and then, he knew that many faked their signs. That was all right for lowly herdsmen, or even for hunters. But how could a man without a genuine vision ever be much more than a tender of animals? To be a priest, to study the things brought from old Solar-land and saved--the boy hungered for learning, for greatness, for things he could not name. He looked up again, and gasped, for he saw a great sign in the sky, almost directly overhead. A point of dazzling light, and then a bright little cloud remaining among the stars. The shepherd boy gripped his spear, watching, for a moment even forgetting the sheep. The tiny cloud swelled and faded very slowly. --------------------  In the morning, the boy counted his flock--and then recounted, scowling. Then he searched until he found the slaughtered lamb. The wolf had not gone hungry after all. That made four sheep lost, now, in ten days. He tried to tell himself that dead sheep no longer mattered so much to him, that with a sign such as he had been granted last night his life was going to be filled with great deeds and noble causes. But the sheep still did matter, and not only because their owners would be angry. Looking up suddenly from the eaten lamb, he saw a brown-robed priest, alone, mounted on a donkey, climbing the long grassy slope of the grazing valley from the direction of the Temple Village. He would be going to pray in one of the Caves in the foot of the mountain at the head of the valley.  At Boy's beckoning wave--he could not leave the flock to walk far toward the priest--the man on the donkey changed course. The boy walked a little way to meet him. "Blessings of Solar-land," said the priest shortly, when he came close. He was a stout man who seemed glad to dismount and stretch, arching his back and grunting. He smiled as he saw shepherd's hesitation. "Are you much alone here, my son?" "Yes, Holy One. But--last night, I had a sign. For two years I've wanted one, and just last night it came." "Indeed? That is good news." The priest's eyes strayed to the mountain, and to the sun, as if he calculated how much time he could spare. But he said, with no sound of impatience, "Tell me about it, if you wish." When he heard the flash in the sky was the boy's sign, the priest frowned. Then he seemed to keep himself from smiling. "My son, that light was seen by many. Today the elders of a dozen villages, of most of the Tribe, have come to the Temple Village. Everyone has seen something different in the sky-flash, and I am now going to pray in a Cave, because of it." The priest remounted, but when he had looked at shepherd again, he waited to say, "Still, I was not one of those chosen to see the sky-gods' sign; and you were. It may be a sign for you as well as for others, so do not be disappointed if it is not only for you. Be faithful in your duties and signs will come." He turned the donkey away. Feeling small, boy walked slowly back to his flock. How could he have thought that a light seen over half the world was meant for one shepherd? Now his sign was gone, but his wolf remained. --------------------- The night came and the wolf returned. After driving it off again: "Sky-gods, help me," he prayed. "And Solar-gods, the dark wolf should be under your dominion. If you will not grant me a sign, at least help me deal with the wolf." He bent routinely and laid his ear to a rock. Every day he asked some god for a sign, but never-- He heard a voice. He crouched there, listening to the rock, unable to believe. Surely it was a waterfall he heard, or running cattle somewhere near. But no, it was a real voice, booming and shouting in some buried distance. He could not make out the words, but it was a real god-voice from under the earth. He straightened up, tears in his eyes, even the sheep for a moment forgotten. This wonderful sign was not for half the world, this was for him! And he had doubted that it would ever come. To hear what it said was all-important. He bent again and listened. The muffled voice went on unceasingly, but he could not understand it. He ran a few steps up the hill, and put his ear against another exposed earth-bone of rock. Yes, the voice was plainer here; sometimes he could distinguish a word. "Give," said the voice. Mumble, mumble. "Defend," he thought it said. Even the words he recognized were spoken in strange accents, like those of a man from some far tribe. He realized that darkness was falling, and stood up, in fearful indecision. The sheep were still his responsibility, and he had to light watchfires, he had to, for the sheep would be slaughtered without them. And at the same time he had to listen to this voice. ------------------------ ------------------------ Death moved in toward the nightside of the planet, quickly now, but still with caution. It had searched its memory of thousands of years of hunger, and it had remembered one other planet like this, with defensive satellites but no cities or radios. The fortifiers of that planet had fought among themselves, weakening themselves until they could no longer operate their defenses, had even forgotten what their planet-weapons were. Then the life on that planet was helpless, and the Galactic Devourer had left no life upon it, taking only a few prisoners to learn the cause of their weakness before eating them as well. The life here might be shamming, trying to lure it within range of the planet-weapons. It moved cautiously. ------------------------  He held his breath, listening. Now he could hear the voice while he stood erect. There, ahead, at the foot of a cliff, were slabs of rock tumbled down by snowslides. Among them might be a cave. He reached the slabs, and heard the voice rumble up between them. "Attack in progress. Request human response. Order one requested. This is defense control. Attack in progress--" On and on it went. The boy understood some of it. Attack, request, human. Order one requested--that must mean one wish was to be granted, as in the legends. Never again would the boy laugh at legends, thinking himself wise. This was no prank of the other young men; no one could hide in a cave and shout on and on in such a voice. No one but a priest should enter a Cave, but probably not even the priests knew of this one. It was the Shepherd boy's, for his sign had led him here. He had been granted a tremendous sign. More awed than fearful, he slid between slabs of rock, finding the way down, rock and earth and then metal under his feet. He dropped into a low metal cave. It was as he had heard the god-caves described, very long, smooth, round and regular, except here where it was bent and torn under the fallen rocks. In the cave's curving sides were glowing places, like huge animal eyes, giving light enough to see. And here the shouting was very loud. The boy moved toward it.  "Give the Order to launch defenses. Give the order to call for help." "Give the Order to launch defenses. Give the order to call for help." "Give the Order to launch defenses. Give the order to call for help." It was surely a god. The boy fell before the glowing altar but he could stand the presence of the god no longer, and ran away through the cave, weeping for his ruined life. -----------------------  The morning came. And another dawn. As the Great Devourer descended, it crushed the defensive satellites and ground defenses before feeding on the planet. Such was its destiny, such was the fate of the faithless and the faithful alike if it could comprehend such things as we know it.
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Mar 31, 2016 23:30
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The story was borrowed. That Galactic Devourer was a more mindless creature. The Devourer that visited your planet actually communicated. It wanted...you. To serve it. In exchange, you would be gifted powers or have your own gifts enhanced, your planet ever spared so long as you kept to that service.  You don't work for the devourer in the story. In fact, you only saw a large shadow after you were teleported into its presence. It cowed you with its size and sheer power, an insect before it. Describe your life on your world, the driving force of your character, and what power you either had that was enhanced or given. Your memory of where your world was would be taken from you. There were others near you, but they were shrouded in shadowy fields where you could not see them. Welcome to Herald: A Galactic Devourer Game where you the player get to play as the herald for a world devouring being. While the game idea is based off of the silver surfer and many other heralds Galactus has had in the marvel comic book universe, this game is not a marvel superpowers game. This game will be using the PDQ system which can be found here: http://www.atomicsockmonkey.com/freebies/di/pdq-core.pdf .
Example World Name: Gaia Technology: (Max +6) +0 Pre-Atomic Age; +2 Atomic Age; +4 High Science, Space Program in its infancy; +6 Ancient Science, Full Space Fleet(s) Evolution (Max +6) (mutants with powers etc): +0 Normal; +2 Minor Mutations [Extra Fingers, Gills], +4 Useful Powers [Super Strength, Flight], +6 [X-men powered basically, multiple powers] Superpowered (Max +6) (beings like the hulk, avengers): +0 Normal; +2 Above average populace; +4 [Batman, Capt America]; +6 [Green Lantern, Thor] Willpower: (Max +6) +0 Broken; +2 Inspired; +4 Stalwart; +6 Fanatical Life Energy Pool: +0 thru +12. (All points for destroyed tech, evolution, or superpowered beings go into the Life Energy pool. This is what not-galactus eats, the more of it there is, the greater favor you earn in your master’s eyes. Players going against the great destroyer can take points from the Life Energy pool to bolster the planet’s defenses against the great devourer.)
Devourer Favor: is centralized and can only be redeemed at the Devourer. Favor can be lost if the Devourer is disappointed or on its whim. Planetary Favor: is accrued and redeemed per planet, does not transfer between planets. Favor can be lost if you do things to lose the trust of your world. (You can still rule that world even if favor is lost! Favor is merely the currency of the game.) For Example: A good rogue Herald who decides to break a world’s traditions and taboo against technology in order to combat the devourer may lose favor from that world. Just as an evil rogue herald may lose favor by not stopping rebels from occupying the world capital city.
Power Costs: For every +2 power or increase in power, pay 12 in favor. (The Galactic Devourer gets irritated when you ask for power, you get what you need but he isn’t happy and this reduces favor.) Store Costs: For every one-time useable +2 item you request pay 4 favor. Only Devourer Items stack and can be custom to what the player wants. This is because the power cosmic is very flexible. Request something outrageous and the Devourer may turn from you and not grant you the item while you lose actual favor.
Power costs: Planets themselves are like extra characters and when allied with a player confer big advantages when in an empire. When a player needs to enhance himself without the Devourer it will cost twice the amount as they are not in a league with his great power. For every +2 power or increase in power, pay twice what the Devourer charges for such an act. Store Costs: Items available at planetary stores: Quantum Nano-virus [+2 One time Upshift to Breakdown Technology] Devolver [+2 One time Upshift to Breakdown Evolution] Master Blaster [+2 One time Upshift to Breakdown Superpowered] Psionic Storm [+2 One time Upshift to Breakdown Willpower] Store Costs - Continued: Auto-Libraries [+2 One time Upshift to Enhance Technology] X-Factor [+2 One time Upshift to Enhance Evolution] Cosmic Rays [+2 One time Upshift to Enhance Superpowered] Propaganda [+2 One time Upshift to Enhance Willpower] ***Every item costs 8 Favor Currently***
Not-Galactus example stats: Power: +6 Hunger: +6 Hunger can only be used on planets while the Power quality can be used on anything. As not-galactus eats its ability shifts between hunger and power, it becomes less hungry and more powerful. Another +2 is also added to the fire when not-galactus eats. Example stats after eating Power: +10 [Two points shifted from hunger to power and two points were added to power after the successful consumption of a planet.] Hunger: +4
An Example Herald given three ranks (+6) maximum and a single drawback, Take three +2 Qualities to start: Metal Man  Description, Homeworld, History <--- All Goes here. [+2] Cosmic Metal Control - Metal Man can control all metal including his own armor for flight or weapons [+2] Machine Whisperer - Metal man can communicate with machines like they were people. It wasn't control (he respected other machines too much to be a lowly hacker) but often he could have machines tell him things or give him access to information he needed. [+2] Diplomat - Metal Man is a diplomat and as such can speak with many races, often getting them to give their own worlds up for the “greater good”. [-2] Bleeding Heart - Metal Man’s heart is flesh and bleeds for the peoples that should be spared from the “devourer of worlds”. He will search for worlds worthy of destruction to go in their place and will not sacrifice a noble world. Planetary Favor: [at start not all planets are known and all are at 0] Earth: 1 Venus: 5 Apokalypse: 0 Devourer Favor: [at start all are 0]
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Mar 31, 2016 23:31
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I am Communist fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Apr 2, 2016 |
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Mar 31, 2016 23:33
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Rhyfel, Prototype #209 On the Technologically advanced planet of Tiorted the planetary government had a dream: a fleet of ships with an army of war machines to take over the galaxy. They took to using their prototypes to crush dissenting rebels on the home front, upgrading each model and endlessly checking its variables. Each time the armament, intelligence, and self-repair capabilities grew. Power sources continued to be a problem, but advances in "small" fusion core technology allowed engagements lasting up to a week at a time. The program came to a halt with #209. It never explained its actions, but it activated itself after it returned to the lab for deconstruction. It single-handedly leveled the capital city, created a nanovirus to infect life on the planet, and turned all networked systems against their operators before going to standby mode due to low power. The beginnings of a dark age had been laid, if not for the Devourer. Rhyfel was down to it's last hours of standby power when the Devourer came into range. /Query: Survival and power in exchange for service? [+2] Nanites - Intended to be used for self-repair and cannibalizing resources, they can be reprogrammed for many other useful tasks. [+2] Adaptive Arsenal - The main cannons can be reconfigured to shoot an array of projectiles, energy beams, gases, or jets of liquid. [+2] Advanced AI - Able to interface with any electronic technology and may be able to bend it to its will. [-2] Built To Destroy - With its nature as a war mech Rhyfel has difficulty doing anything besides destroying its enemies. Diplomacy and world-building are difficult prospects due to this. [b]Planetary Favor[/b]: [at start not all planets are known and all are at 0] Tiorted: 0 Devourer Favor: [at start all are 0]
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Apr 2, 2016 05:03
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Titan A backwater world, stuck in a perpetual stone age, a world with only muscle power available, with no technology more advanced than stone weapons and basic agriculture, a world too petty and backwards to even have a proper name. This is where Titan was born, and where Titan would’ve languished if not for the strange turns of fate. Ajit was born a scrawny weakling. Likely a mutation he now theorizes, his prodigious intellect paired with perpetual ailment leaving him stunted, ugly, and weak. The malnutrition he suffered only made his condition worse, leaving him perpetually skin and bones. On his homeworld this made him both the subject of mockery and the victim of anyone stronger than him. If not for his impossibly keen mind he would almost certainly have been killed. However, larger stronger people, various warlords, realized the value of his intellect and inventions, even if they did not understand them. Ajit would have spent his entire life, a pet inventor, a slave going from ruler to ruler, as he was stolen, bartered, surrendered, and won by various warlords that fought across the surface of his world. That all changed when by the vagaries of chance, the Devourer was drawn to Ajit’s world. Something about him drew the Devourer’s eye, and in an instant Ajit was transported from the primitive workshop of his latest owner, and appeared before the great creature. A bargain was struck, in exchange for finding other worlds for him to consume, old Titan’s world would be spared, and far more importantly for Ajit, the Devourer would grant him great power. In a flash of cosmic power, Ajit was forever changed, reforged into something far more than he had been. Gone was the scrawny, malformed body that Ajit had cursed from the day he was born. In its place, a perfectly formed body, impressively muscular, and capable of withstanding far more damage than any merely normal body. He was no longer restricted to a weakling body on a backwater world, He would do what was absolutely necessary to stay in his new master’s good graces, he had played that game many times before, but beyond that mere minimum he would find worlds and take them for himself, remake them as he pleased. No more was he the pathetic Ajit, now he was Titan Super Genius[+2] - Titan was born with a massive intellect, far in advance of any other being on his world, than most beings in the universe. Though he was born in a society with no real technology or academic learning, Titan managed to discover many fields through observation and logical deduction, chemistry, physics, calculus, psychology. He managed to figure out everything he could with his limited tools and theorized even more. Now that he is free from the constraints of his backwards planet, his mind consumes every fact it can find, further feeding his ever increasing knowledge of the universe and how to manipulate it. Perfected Body[+2] - The Devourer transformed Titan’s body using his immense cosmic power. Where once Titan had been stunted and sickly, now he stands seven feet tall, his form the ideal of humanity, aesthetically perfect and far more durable than any normal human body. Thanks to this, he is able to comfortably handle environments normal humans would find fatal without mechanical assistance. Cosmic Strength[+2] - His new body’s muscles are not simply for show, thank’s to the Devourer's gift Titan now possesses superhuman strength, empowered by the cosmic forces at the Devourer’s command. Combined with the durability of his new body it makes him a formidable hand to hand combatant. Vain[-2] - Having once been ugly, weak, and exploited, Titan’s newfound body and strength have gone to his head. He cares very much about his appearance and the perceptions of others towards him. He is easy to manipulate through flattery, and responds very poorly to insults or denigration.
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Apr 3, 2016 18:34
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I am Communist posted:
Well I can't believe I have to explain this but here goes: No, the Galactic Devourer isn't going to micromanage your characters. So no, not like your boss in real life. You, the player (like the silver surfer) can go around having zany adventures and or summoning the Galactic Devorer to eat planets. OR NOT. Its up to the character. I left the Galactic Devourer vague to let people focus more on their characters. If I can't get the minimum number of apps to at least give feedbacks, I'm probably going to close the thread for lack of interest. 
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Apr 5, 2016 12:55
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If I can get to a real computer today I can try to get an app in. Its a big IF though.
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Apr 5, 2016 16:44
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It occurs to me that I am disconnecting my computer tonight in order to move. Wont have it back for a while.
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Apr 6, 2016 03:25
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Never mind... I'm just not feeling it, sorry. Really lacking any inspiration.
Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 15:22 on Apr 7, 2016 |
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Apr 6, 2016 23:40
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Interested but currently uninspired, will post something soon, hopefully.
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Apr 7, 2016 04:27
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Interest post, writing something.
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Apr 8, 2016 01:25
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I'm extending the deadline a bit. My work schedule has made my irc availability sporadic. Yami, I'll try tomorrow night which should be morning / Saturday your time to be on to answer questions
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Apr 8, 2016 01:42
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Herald Jonah Things fall apart. The center cannot hold. I look forward to laughing as worlds are eaten; as the mighty are humbled. In my old life other men, lesser men were promoted over me. I did the hard work but I was never in the right place at the right time to be noticed. I had the talent, the skills, the smarts, the connections, and the blood to succeed. Never the luck though. Nothing but bad luck for me. It didn't matter how hard I worked, how much I succeeded. They all laughed at me. Remembered only my failures and never my triumphs. Now they'll pay; they'll all pay. The Devourer has promised me it will eat them if only I will deliver another world to it. Soon they will all be in the belly of the beast, and then I will be laughing. The Devourer has given me powers and placed me above all others. At last my ship has come in; and now everyone will pay for not respecting me. Bad Luck + 2: What was once my rotten luck has now become the Universes! Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong - for everyone who didn't help me when I was down. Incorruptible Flesh + 2: All of the Jonah's bad luck is now forced on other people. All of it. All the little mistakes made in copying DNA, all the small, accumulating errors in the body as it ages don't happen to him anymore. His flesh is ageless and will heal perfectly given enough time. Entropy + 2: Everything in the Jonah's presence falls apart. Advance alloys split into their constituent metals and flint arrowheads decay back into disorganized, shapeless rocks. Just a Man - 2: Cut him and he bleeds, punch him and he goes flying into a wall and doesn't get up. Unlike many of the Heralds, Jonah is still basically just a man. If it wasn't for the very fancy hotrod the Devourer granted him he wouldn't even be able to travel from planet to planet.
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Apr 8, 2016 04:41
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LLSix posted:If it wasn't for the very fancy hotrod the Devourer granted him he wouldn't even be able to travel from planet to planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_KXgFpguE0#t=21s Ronwayne fucked around with this message at 05:52 on Apr 8, 2016 |
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Apr 8, 2016 05:02
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Gracious Visitor Bearing Seven Gifts Only a form of life as alien as the Devourer would have recognized any potential for sentience in Gracious Visitor's early form. A swarm of insectile parasites with limited empathic abilities, Gracious Visitor was embraced by the power cosmic and made into something terrible and divine. Empathic links strengthed into the mindsong, bodies altered into chemical and genetic scalpels, Gracious Visitor Bearing Seven Gifts became a body-jacker with no equal. Learning to control these abilities and prepare worlds for the Devourer took a great deal of time. Learning that worlds should not fall to the abomination took longer still. Gracious Visitor hardly morns the death of its world for it was born in the world's death. But in the endless cycle of consumption Gracious Visitor sees complacency and rot. Life deserves to fight back. Gracious Visitor's benevolence would be hard to notice for an outside observer. Indeed its primary modus operandi is to infect and infiltrate the dominant species and spark global war. Once the planet has been blasted into a hellscape, it sets to work on shaping the inhabitants into beings empowered by their endless struggle against the environment and themselves. The vicious, kill or be killed evolution of strength is the closest thing to parental affection that Gracious Visitor can give to its charges. Life is struggle, struggle is change, change is life. And someday on some world a species will turn, look up into the Devourer's visage and say "No." Swarm Body (+2) Made of thousands to billions of breeding individuals, the tiny insects that make up Gracious Visitor's body would be hard to completely annihilate. Telepathically Distributed intelligence (+2) Nodes of Gracious Visitor's body can communicate across planetary distances. The distributed nature of this sentience makes Gracious Visitor hellishly intelligent. Flesh Sculptor (+2) Life is the universe's most elegant machine. Gracious Vistor is adept at biosciences with a specialization in uplift techniques and bioweapons. Indeed it must be as Gracious Visitor's only method of interstellar travel is specially prepared psionically empowered host. A new one is slowly bred on each world conquered. Nigh Universally Abhorrent (-2) Despite its ultimately beneficial disposition, Gracious Visitor's infectious lifecycle and mindcontrolling ways are almost always despised. It cannot negotiate directly with any but the most dispassionate beings. Turns out it's exceedingly hard to trust the mindslaving hellwasp from outerspace that wants to lay eggs in your brain. Yea, so y'all can thank Rhjamiz's avatar for this one. Definitely needs some approval. But what the hell, it's a cosmic setting and I wanted to go alien. Not Alex fucked around with this message at 04:19 on Apr 12, 2016 |
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Apr 8, 2016 07:23
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Post incoming after work today, hopefully.
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Apr 11, 2016 13:18
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Feedbacks will be incoming. Probably tonight (US eastern time)
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Apr 11, 2016 16:52
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Maren Ojira, Lich Prince Magic. Ah, Magic. Everyone knows it - most think it fiction. Well, to be honest - for most it is. Only few worlds have the capability to produce mages. Usually, they do end up the wizard kind, helping people when they can, but usually, they don't realize or want to use the full scale of their powers. And quite often, it gets horribly misused. Power does often go to one's head... and that's when all the rules and inhibitions mean nothing anymore. Often, it's the sanctity of the dead that goes first. Just ask Maren! He got turned into a Lich against his will, by his own father, the king. Turns out, necromantic power is pretty easy to wield if you're animated by it! Also, it tends to mess with your head. The combination of these two things ended with a kingdom in ruins, and Maren sitting on a throne, ruling an empty kingdom... and finally having some time to reflect on what happened, and what he did. Until the Devourer introduced themselves. Grand Necromancy [+2] - Everyone knows what a Necromancer does. Now imagine it on a cosmic scale, rising entire armies on a whim - and you got Maren's new capabilities. No way this can go wrong, right? Lichdom [+2] - Maren, too, is undead. This can be pretty useful! Not having any weaknesses in vital organs allows to fight one more reckless, and as a Lich, he has phylactories. Therefore, killing him only means he'll reform later on, somewhere else. With crafty use, one could even use this to trap across worlds! Master of the Mind [+2] - Having been somewhat of a side project of Maren during his "ordinary" un-life, with the power cosmic, can flat out read people's minds, store knowledge in objects, and do other fancy things. Prideful [-2] Maren used to a be a prince, even before his ascension to a lich - and now, he's more powerful than ever. Power does go to a person's head... Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 00:47 on Apr 12, 2016 |
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Apr 11, 2016 23:57
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Ivadora of Underhaven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyj8j8Yaeeg    War orphan, child soldier, pillager, and thief, Ivadora was born amid the raging battles that split apart the ruins of her home city. By age 5, she was sharpening tools for her adopted mother's field hospital. At age 14, she killed her first person, a forager from one of the mercenary companies came too close to the catacomb her “village” lived in. She can still hear the crunch his body made as she pulled the lever, causing the centuries-old stone doors to smash him in half. From there it was foraging and helping her mother peddle her trade on the surface before fleeing to the underground. As she grew older the forays grew more violent. Reaching the surface at night, her and the others fell upon small bands of invaders and their camp followers and tore them to pieces, quickly looting the bodies before fleeing reinforcements. Perhaps she and her cohorts got too good, or too sloppy, because the following truce and alliance between the surfacer armies to cleanse the underworld filth was sudden as it was violent. One by one, the little settlements of scavengers, always suspicious of each other and unwilling to cooperate, were wiped out. Ivadora didn't notice when the stars went out, the Divine energy of the world recycling itself into new hosts, as she was trapped underground fighting for her life and all, but she felt the change. Watching helplessly from a small tunnel as yet another neighboring thorp was besieged, the overwhelming disgust, fear, and hatred of being alone and helpless was replaced by a burning sensation of rage and duty. The next few hours were a blur, moving from tomb to tomb, mobilizing the natives against the threat. The next few months saw the retaking of her home city and a march on the rest of the world. Other terrors, similarly empowered by the cycling of the Starfall, began to reshape the world in their image, and a long, bloody confrontation was waged to ensure something resembling humanity would have a place in it. At great cost, Ivadora and her followers carved out a slice of sanity from the chaos. Refusing to take up leadership of the world due to a crushing paranoia and introversion, Ivadora had since settled down to a busy semi-retirement of wandering the world and brutally murdering whatever monster, human or beast, threatened the populace. Being selected by the Devourer is a string of mixed emotions. One, she's forced to leave her home, on the other, there's an entire universe full of assholes to stab between the eyes. [Heroism +2]: Ivadora has killed a LOT of people, seen many more die, and now has inspired others to do the same so the killing can finally stop. The Devourer's power has leant her the ability to lead or inspire just about any sapient being, or kick its rear end if needs be. [Implacable +2]: Ivadora has killed a LOT of people, many of whom thought she was dead after being stabbed and shot only a dozen odd times. The infusion of cosmic power has amplified this to a frightening degree. Nowadays, something that could permanently break her body or will is theoretically possible, but she hasn't met it yet. [Metal and Meat +2]: Ivadora has killed a LOT of people, some of those were on her operating table. Oops. Her mastery of surgery in even the worst conditions is matched only by her affinity for field engineering and weaponry. She's never seen a plasma blaster before, but its probably going to be vaporizing someone's face seconds after she gets ahold of it. If the pile of amputated hands that formed after each battle behind her mother's tent could applaud, they would. Also helpful for growing missing parts of you back. [Unhinged and Traumatized -2]: Ivadora has killed a LOT of people and several centuries of untreated, cumulative mental traumas have not left her the most lucid or stable of individuals, even if her heart is in the right place. Ronwayne fucked around with this message at 15:09 on Apr 23, 2016 |
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Apr 12, 2016 06:05
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Wow nice guys! Feedbacks slightly delayed. But coming.
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Apr 12, 2016 06:41
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Rhyfel, Prototype #209 /Query: Survival and power in exchange for service? [+2] Nanites [+2] Adaptive Arsenal [+2] Advanced AI [-2] Built To Destroy The Devourer Speaks. It sounds neither male nor female within the darkness: "Tell us, venomous tool. As we infuse you with the power cosmic, just how you would fight a mystical enemy not bound by the laws of science?" Mechanically Solid. I can see how his drawback would affect relationships with world's and any breakaway attempts from the devourer. Titan Super Genius[+2] Perfected Body[+2] Cosmic Strength[+2] Vain[-2] The Devourer picks you up in the darkness with its mind. As you float closer you can feel like you are being scrutinized beyond any mortal understanding: "Pretty poor thing. How would you deal with a chaotic random almost unpredictable enemy. A force of nature, an all consuming organism from beyond the galaxy that knows unlimited growth in infinite space?" Mechanically Solid. Smart good looking hulk! Herald Jonah Bad Luck + 2: Incorruptible Flesh + 2: Entropy + 2: . Just a Man - 2: The only feedback is here. Since it's PDQ this might be flavored more like guardians of the galaxy, with this man not being able to slug it out with superbeings and aliens but maybe avoiding damage and getting hit by glancing blows etc. A force beam gently sets you at what you believe to be the foot or bottom of the Devourer. It seems slightly amused. "How did you get here I wonder? Why should I choose you and not the one I sought?" Mechanically Solid. One feedback. Gracious Visitor Bearing Seven Gifts Swarm Body (+2) Telepathically Distributed intelligence (+2) Flesh Sculptor (+2) Nigh Universally Abhorrent (-2) The Devourer almost ate you. The energy your biomass a small snack. However it could hear you. Thinking. It asked you some time later: "There are worlds that live, with minds the size of planets. Their very existence a tasty but vexing problem. How would you conquer such a host body, with antibodies and an economic system both sentient and savage?" Mechanically Solid. Interesting herald! Maren Ojira, Lich Prince[/uRL] Grand Necromancy [+2] Lichdom [+2] Master of the Mind [+2] Prideful [-2] Manipulating energy in ways both magical within the scientific and beyond a portal drops you inyo a floating sphere of darknrss. "What weakness do you see in your undead minions that may hamper your progress obtaining a world for me? A world of machines or silicon based life forms? Energy beings and the like?" Mechanically Solid. Magic is a good niche! Ivadora [Heroism +2] [Implacable +2] [Metal and Meat +2]. [Unhinged and Traumatized -2] So PTSD? You were suddenly in the dark, but one who's gloom you could not Pierce. Which was unusual. The Devourer whispered... "An angel descends and stands in your way. Good, beautiful, and cruel. It has condemned you and will fight you. It is smarter, faster, and stronger than you. How do you win?" Mechanically Solid. A feedback question. It will have triggers aplenty but nothing crippling how I see it. I am Communist fucked around with this message at 05:53 on Apr 13, 2016 |
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Apr 13, 2016 03:31
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"I suppose the answer of "defiantly carve up its pretty face so even when it kills me, it will live to regret picking that particular fight" is somewhat too straight-forward here. I retreat, regroup, plan. Find its weaknesses, act on them. If it was that much smarter than me it already would've ganked me when it had the chance. Sometimes you only get seconds, but that can be enough to turn the tables in your favor." (and yeah, PTSD combined with some other issues like schizophrenia and whatnot. Trust me, like you said, triggers will not be in short supply.) Ronwayne fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Apr 13, 2016 |
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Apr 13, 2016 05:32
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I am Communist posted:The Devourer almost ate you. The energy your biomass a small snack. However it could hear you. Thinking. It asked you some time later: "There are worlds that live, with minds the size of planets. Their very existence a tasty but vexing problem. How would you conquer such a host body, with antibodies and an economic system both sentient and savage?" The swarm ripples as it considers. 'A world unchallenged in the void. Attuned to threats of planetary power. Stagnation! It does not seek out desperate fights. It cannot test itself. It does not change fast enough. Any static system maybe be turned against itself. With provoking pheromones marking out imagined invaders, with traitorous thoughts dripped into the spaces between monolithic neurons, with a cleverness for every strength. The fiercer the defenses, the faster the world destroys itself. An arrogant feast.'
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Apr 13, 2016 06:20
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I am Communist posted:Maren Ojira, Lich Prince Pah! No opponent can beat my dread armies! ... It's just that non-living societies take longer to. While I have every confidence my magic, combined with your gifts, can overwhelm any world, it's just faster when I can hasten the progress with the bodies of my enemies. Yami Fenrir fucked around with this message at 22:44 on Apr 22, 2016 |
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Apr 13, 2016 18:02
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I am Communist posted:Titan Nothing is invincible, everything has a weakness, a weakness that can be found, that can be exploited. I would find that weakness and I would exploit to destroy my enemy. I certainly have the brains to do the job. If all else fails of course, there’s always the option to smash it into dust with overwhelming force.
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Apr 13, 2016 23:23
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Rhyfel, Prototype #209 "All enemies must follow some governing laws, if not the laws of physics specifically. Careful analysis will reveal weaknesses, flaws, strategies, and counter strategies to combat such opponents." Relevant video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPeI4mX8Nus
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Apr 14, 2016 05:59
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Congrats, you all get in. Game starts Saturday, April 16th 2016 US Eastern time.
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Apr 14, 2016 08:17
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Sorry small delay due to on call work shenanigans!
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Apr 17, 2016 02:45
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Alright, I have the beginning post mostly written. My hotel Internet when travelling on business sucked. I'm preparing for another trip but definitely will have the OP up soon. Please bear with me!
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Apr 22, 2016 03:12
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The Jonah strikes again! Knocking out hotel internet where ever he goes. What vile crime will he commit next?
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Apr 22, 2016 22:40
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Game thread is up: http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3773312
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Apr 23, 2016 05:25
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Update will be incoming. Had a bear of a business trip, just got back
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May 2, 2016 18:24
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I meant to take over the whole pod. Pretty sure I'll need extras since my only landing plan is to drop a whale from orbit.
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May 4, 2016 13:53
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Not Alex posted:I meant to take over the whole pod. Pretty sure I'll need extras since my only landing plan is to drop a whale from orbit. Bad roll, I'd rather you have a success than kill your only transport for light years...? Also, role play opportunity BP...etc. show me how bad / alien you are.
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May 5, 2016 00:41
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I am Communist posted:Bad roll, I'd rather you have a success than kill your only transport for light years...? Gotcha, Operation Willy Drop is go. So do I feel an inhabited planet nearby or do I post a swimming around for a while post?
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May 6, 2016 15:06
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Those whales will be full of lore if accessed properly
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May 7, 2016 01:33
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Man, all these mind readers. I'm not sure how I'd access mind lore, beyond like, some kind of fork and knife situation.
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May 7, 2016 02:54
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Since Yami is gracefully bowing out, I am reopening recruitment for another player or two.
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Jun 7, 2016 05:40
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Hilary the Librarian Hillary was born on a world where the written word was no longer valued. Long ago people had moved to digital formats leaving simple paper as a pointless artifact, libraries becoming a new type of museum to join those of art and natural history. He himself had never been good with computers which meant that he was unable to excel in school and therefore couldn’t enter the rat race like so many of his contemporaries. He managed to find a job working as a janitor at a library. There he found that if he was quiet, the librarians would allow him to read during his breaks. And read he did. At first he started reading books slowly, then he began reading them quickly, then he began speed reading, then he began absorbing them. Something about the written word resonated with him. Soon by touching books he found that he could fully comprehend their contents. He learnt about history, religion, biology, mechanics, and architecture. Everything his world has to offer he began to absorb. The librarians recognized soon that he could find any book in the library before a computer could lead one of them to it and so he was inducted to the order of librarians. However Hillary was not to be contained within one library. He quickly realized the limits of the building’s storage. Soon he was traveling the world visiting classic libraries and learning new languages and new stories. Eventually he reached a point where he felt that the words themselves were alive. The power that motivated civilizations to grow. The knowledge that enabled them to develop. The energy to change the very world was contained in words. But the people of his world didn’t recognize this. They were two obsessed with the digital. Removed from reality. To Hillary it seemed that reality was married to words and he was obviously being called by this power to make them all realize. After all his study it seemed obvious. Glyphs, symbols, chants, words. Arranged in the proper way could do anything. So in the right exact spot, at the right exact time, with the right exact gestures and sacrifices and song, Hillary ended technology on his planet. All the complex processors and computers simply stopped working. The scientists and programmers couldn’t fathom what had happened but Hillary knew that the words he had spoken had changed things. Hillary was ready to show everyone the way of words but soon after that day the devourer came. He consumed the people and the planet. But Hillary was not troubled. Many of the books had spoken of an end time. However it just seemed the end time was for his planet. The devourer seemed to Hillary the judgment of the word. Only the word had power so if the devourer was the most powerful then he must be the word. The last word. Master of Arcane Ritual [+2] Hillary is capable of every kind of magic. From simple incantations to reality shaping ceremonies. Given time he can cast a spell or construct a ritual to achieve nearly any purpose. The Power of Words [+2] Hillary can read and speak any language he encounters. Quickly grasping prose and poetry he can construct arguments or speeches that will win over anyone. He is also able to resist those who would try and change his holy belief in the word or devourer. Incorporeal [+2] When his planet was devoured Hillary discovered that he had transcended physical form. Now he can inhabit any material organic or inorganic to from a host for himself. However his preference is to incarnate in a form made out of pages from a book. Luddite [-2] Hillary dislikes locking words away in numbers. Thus he doesn’t really get along with technology. He has trouble operating it and prefers to avoid it wherever possible.
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Jun 7, 2016 08:55
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 18:57 |
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Update got eaten by my terrible phone. Delayed slightly. Apocron, I'll work you in to this update if you still want in. It's been a bad couple of weeks.
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Jun 21, 2016 03:32
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