The Choose Your Own Adventure Sutra: Let's Learn Magic

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Kellsterik: Mar 30, 2012

Commentaries on the Unspoken Sutra by Lotsawa posted:

If a Bhikkhu should desire, Brethren, to exercise one by one each of the different Siddhis: being one to become multiform, being multiform to become one; to become visible, or to become invisible; to go without being stopped to the further side of a wall, or a fence, or a mountain, as if through air; to penetrate up and down through solid ground, as if through water; to walk on the water without dividing it, as if on solid ground; to travel through the sky like the birds on wing; to touch and feel with the hand even the sun and the moon, mighty and powerful though they be; and to reach in the body even up to the heaven of Brahma; let him then fulfill all righteousness, let him be devoted to that quietude of heart which springs from within, let him not drive back the ecstasy of contemplation, let him look through things, let him be much alone!

This is a CYOA game about learning to do magic in its many wondrous, fascinating, terrifying forms. You probably know how this works: i'll narrate a chunk of what's happening to our protagonist, people reading the thread will chat about and vote on the choices I present for how you respond, i'll tally the votes and narrate what happens next. This is super casual, so just read along and post which option looks interesting!

We'll be following a person who's driven to attain magical power for deeply personal reasons in a fantasy setting resembling South Asia rather than Western Europe, a world where a hundred different cultures clash and intermingle, rife with dangers and opportunities for a sufficiently dedicated student. We'll figure out more of the world as you pick choices and answer questions, but that's a good starting point. If you like RPGs where you learn about the world, your character, and your cool powers all at the same time*, you will probably enjoy this CYOA!

I'll be using Fate Accelerated to model characters and the world when necessary, but it will mostly be behind the curtain. The important thing for you all is what you vote on. Let's get started, shall we?

_{*such as Planescape: Torment, Knights of the Old Republic series, Mask of the Betrayer, etc.}

The realm of Bharata is experiencing a surely temporary peace. The Great Lodi Sultanate, which has pushed so far in only a few generations, is recovering from a failed rebellion by the Brotherhood of the Lion, spending its depleted but still considerable stock of silver and sipāhī on rebuilding and restoring order. The independent rajahs and ranis to the south are grateful for a break in the raiding, and there is talk of their loose confederation of princely states taking advantage of the Sultanate's weakness to strengthen their ties with an eye to reclaiming the land they once ruled.

Temples, academies and palaces that seemed to have stood forever have been razed in the Sultanate's invasion, the counterattacks of the princely states, the Lions' rebellion, and the general chaos of this fallen era. Traditional sources of authority have not only lost face, they have lost their magical backing. As rulers across the subcontinent fail to protect and guide their subjects, a popular movement is spreading for people to claim the secrets of the ruined temples for themselves.

You are a student at the school of the sage Atriya, a highly learned old woman with venerable knowledge of all things worldly and otherworldly. Atriya established her ashram:

A. In the half-overgrown remains of an old stone fortress, forgotten by all who would use it.
B. In the heart of a vibrant city, cloistered from the outside by an almost supernatural quiet.
C. In a hidden glade deep in the dark woods, the lodgings too humble for lurking forest bandits to rob.

Atriya has many disciples who have come to learn the mystic arts from her, but you are unusual. Before you were a student at the ashram, you were:

D. A sellsword, fighting in mercenary bands for warlords and princes all over Bharata. Whenever you enter a community for the first time, you always know someone there. You are well-suited to solving problems forcefully, but cleverness is not your strong suit.
E. A dancer, graceful and well-spoken with an artistic inclination. People you perform for always have a good impression of you. You are good at things which require quickness, but not so good at being sneaky.
F. A thief, stealing and outwitting the law just to survive. You always have one more trick up your sleeve and are never out of options. You sneak around well, but falter when you try to act forcefully.
G. A shieldbearer, a professional soldier standing up for a cause you believed in. When you attempt to protect someone else, you always succeed. You do best when you are careful, but do poorly with flashy displays.
H. A firstborn, heir to a life of princely luxury and privilege. People who respect nobility inherently trust you and are willing to help somehow. You have a natural skill for flashy gestures, but simply aren't very careful.
I. An orphan, raised at Atriya's school for as long as you can remember. You are quite book-smart and often have additional insights into situations from things you have read. You are remarkably clever, but have trouble acting quickly.

To the other students, your name is _____ and you are a
J. Man
K. Woman
L. Mystery

# ? Aug 7, 2014 05:39

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? Apr 26, 2024 07:57

Kellsterik: Mar 30, 2012

more stuff will go here later unless this dies on the first page. lol.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 05:40

Error 404: Jul 17, 2009; MAGE CURES PLOT

B
F
K

# ? Aug 7, 2014 06:30

stevey666: Feb 25, 2007

A
F
L

Good things happen in old stone fortresses. Always!

# ? Aug 7, 2014 10:42

Rockopolis: Dec 21, 2012; I MAKE FUN OF QUEER STORYGAMES BECAUSE I HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO WITH MY LIFE THAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE CRY

I can't understand these kinds of games, and not getting it bugs me almost as much as me being weird

B
E
L

Any chance of a muscle wizards following Buddhist Hercules?

Rockopolis fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Aug 7, 2014

# ? Aug 7, 2014 12:48

Green Intern: Dec 29, 2008; Loon, Crazy and Laughable

A. I. L.

Mystery Orphan!

# ? Aug 7, 2014 13:22

Nyaa: Jan 7, 2010; Like, Nyaa.

CGL

# ? Aug 7, 2014 13:39

100 HOGS AGREE: Oct 13, 2007; Grimey Drawer

AEK

100 HOGS AGREE fucked around with this message at 15:12 on Aug 7, 2014

# ? Aug 7, 2014 14:29

Obscil: Feb 28, 2012; PLEASE LIKE ME!

CIJ Our name is Zarathustra.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 14:30

HiHo ChiRho: Oct 23, 2010

AIJ

# ? Aug 7, 2014 14:40

Arkanomen: May 6, 2007; All he wants is a hug

AIJ feeling a rather mystic vibe. Self taught from the murals and carvings in the forgotten ruin.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 14:41

jng2058: Jul 17, 2010; We have the tools, we have the talent!

Pariva

Let's take this a different direction. We're in a new setting, let's take a new archetype, a dancer rather than a wizard or thief or fighter or other D&D type. New world, new rules.

_{Bronze Voting icons here, Bloody ones here.}

# ? Aug 7, 2014 14:52

Wentley: Feb 7, 2012

jng2058 posted:

I do like the idea of playing a dancer. So this.

Wentley fucked around with this message at 16:42 on Aug 7, 2014

# ? Aug 7, 2014 15:16

Sogol: Apr 11, 2013; Galileo's Finger

A, G, L

# ? Aug 7, 2014 16:06

LLSix: Jan 20, 2010; The real power behind countless overlords

C
E We shall dance the great whirling swirling never ending dance of time!
K
Mahasamanthatma

Although I like Pariva too.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 16:22

FoxTerrier: Feb 15, 2012; Perfectly logical poster who uses the tools available to him to come to solid conclusions

1. B
2. F
3. Safia, K

# ? Aug 7, 2014 16:23

megane: Jun 20, 2008

jng2058 posted:

This one.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 16:32

Slifter: Feb 8, 2011

jng2058 posted:

Pariva

Let's take this a different direction. We're in a new setting, let's take a new archetype, a dancer rather than a wizard or thief or fighter or other D&D type. New world, new rules.

_{Bronze Voting icons here, Bloody ones here.}

If Bollywood has taught me anything it is that there is no problem that can't be solved by passionate singing and dancing. And many, many extras. We need a magic item that magically creates some extras every time we start dancing.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 17:15

totally losing my mime: Aug 3, 2012; The quiet can scrape
All the calm from your bones.
But maybe it should.
Maybe we need to be hollowed
To get up and grow,
And stop fucking around,
To kick off our braces and start straightening out; Fun Shoe

BFL

# ? Aug 7, 2014 17:20

Kellsterik: Mar 30, 2012

The votes right now are:

Location
A 6
B 8
C 3

Background
E 7
F 4
G 2
I 4

Gender
J 3
K 8
L 6

Names: Pariva, Zarathustra, Mahasamanthatma, Safia

I'll give it a little while longer since some of them are close, otherwise i'll start writing an update for Pariva the urban dancer lady.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 17:36

Magnus Venator: Jul 17, 2006; Trekker p� 1/5 sek. Svak for kvinner og hasard. Nerv�s, innesluttet, med psykopatiske trekk.

jng2058 posted:

Pariva

This

# ? Aug 7, 2014 17:39

Nyaa: Jan 7, 2010; Like, Nyaa.

Now we have to do this like an Indian movie with singing and group dancing montage.

# ? Aug 7, 2014 18:11

Globofglob: Jan 14, 2008

AIL

# ? Aug 7, 2014 18:21

goodness: Jan 3, 2012; When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?

# ? Aug 7, 2014 19:25

Sogol: Apr 11, 2013; Galileo's Finger

Name: Swami Vivalasvegas

# ? Aug 7, 2014 19:29

goodness: Jan 3, 2012; When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?

Name: Naan-fiction

I hope we don't get caste into a traditional role.
(�_�)
( �_�)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■)

goodness fucked around with this message at 19:37 on Aug 7, 2014

# ? Aug 7, 2014 19:31

Eryxias: Feb 17, 2011; Stay low.

A. Old fortress
F. Thief. Thieves are awesome and tricky.
L. Whatever is fine

# ? Aug 7, 2014 21:40

Toughy: Nov 29, 2004; KAVODEL! KAVODEL!

Eryxias posted:

A. Old fortress
F. Thief. Thieves are awesome and tricky.
L. Whatever is fine

This

# ? Aug 7, 2014 21:47

Successful Businessmanga: Mar 28, 2010

C
E Dancer, let's whirl our dervish.
L

# ? Aug 7, 2014 22:08

goodness: Jan 3, 2012; When the light turns green, you go. When the light turns red, you stop. But what do you do when the light turns blue with orange and lavender spots?

Hopefully L leads to a hybrid/inhuman?

# ? Aug 7, 2014 22:35

Josef bugman: Nov 17, 2011; Pictured: Poster prepares to celebrate Holy Communion (probablY)

This avatar made possible by a gift from the Religionthread Posters Relief Fund

B
I
K

# ? Aug 7, 2014 23:36

AnAnonymousIdiot: Sep 14, 2013

Of course the venerable sage would live in the heart of the city; anywhere else would be a waste of talents. Anyway, we are Trishna, humble dancer and amuser of patrons... among other things...

# ? Aug 7, 2014 23:56

Kellsterik: Mar 30, 2012

Silence is a privilege in the bustling trading port of Mahavati, and as you recall, the sudden quiet stillness when you first passed through the veiled archway into Atriya's ashram was just as refreshing as the cool air.

The entrance room was dim with the half-light streaming from outside, sparsely decorated but oddly welcoming with its uncreaking wooden floor, clean straw mats, and a burnished copper disc on the far wall that you realize with a start is reflecting your own androgynous features. Honestly, you hardly recognized yourself.

You have:
A. Long hair
B. Short hair
C. No hair

D. Fine clothing suitable for the wealthy
E. A dancer's costume
F. A simple traveler's cloak
G. A beggar's rags

(choose up to three)
H. Piercings
I. Jewelry
J. Tattoos
K. Scars

You were admiring your reflection at the same time as the old woman was observing you herself. She appeared untroubled, but curious.

"How did you come to this place? Unknowing eyes pass over our door, and I have never seen you here."

1. "It's not very well hidden, I was just looking around."
2. "I felt drawn here."
3. "I was sent for."
4. "I want you to teach me."
5. "Did you see a dog run in here?"
6. Say nothing.

# ? Aug 8, 2014 00:11