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Places of power are scattered throughout the universe, sacred groves, mythic pools, standing stones, dragon tombs, and others grant great power to the Wizard who controls them. Long ago, all the places of power on your world ran dry from greedy Wizards overzealously draining their mana and these ancients jealously guard their hoarded power. Novice Wizards dream of more than the dregs of mana they can siphon from the distant stars... And there is where a plan is hatched. Around distant stars there are other worlds, and on those other worlds there must be places of power! In search of mana, young Wizards pool their power to take their conclave past the sky and into the unforgiving stars. A mobile tower powered with spells of flight and spatial distortion to bridge the vast distances of space. Coated in defensive spells to combat the unimaginable chill and choking air of the void. Topped with a scrying chamber to scour the cosmos for likely planets and other sites. Powered by starlight and what mana can be begged, borrowed, or stolen, the tower is a home away from home. With tower built and charged, the young Wizards bid farewell to their homes for a life of adventure amongst the stars. Characters are built using an array of six Magical Disciplines
In addition to these Disciplines Wizards should have three stunts, three Refresh, the usual collection of five Aspects describing the character and one Aspect describing the Tower. edit: And because I am crazy, I have setup a Kwyndig-specific Discord where people can yell at me/ask questions/lurk ominously https://discord.gg/6qcmMXa Kwyndig fucked around with this message at 19:03 on May 25, 2017 |
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May 25, 2017 03:24
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I might be interested, but I'm a bit confused by the change to approaches. More specifically, how would a conflict without magic be resolved? What happens if we try to convince a space pirate captain to let us pass through his territory, or if we try to sneak past a sleeping monster? Also, can you give some examples of how the Primal discipline would be used?
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May 25, 2017 10:19
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Floholenor the Resplendent, PhD Ship Senior Chronomancer  No, no, the Propulsion Chamber is next door to the right. Don't worry, I get that all the time. I suppose it's part of the chronomancer's job. Go back in time, like in the books? No, don't be silly. Slowing down?.. Oh my, you really do have a kindergartener's understanding of the fourth dimension, don't you? Ok, let me try to explain this in layman's terms. First, if you ever had a proper course on electrodynamics, you'd know that what we consider mass is in fact a function of energy. Just - just trust me on that, it'd probably take a semester to drill that into your kind of brain. The point is, if you're resplendent enough, you can achieve all sorts of interesting conversions between energy and mass. Second, what is time, if not simply the pattern in which the energy is spread across the fourth dimension? Do you see where I'm going? Sigh. Okay, then imagine this banana is a perfect sphere in a vacuum environment. Got it? Great, then imagine four such bananas on the edge of a cliff. So, for the purposes of this presentation, let's assume you're walking in a straight line. Now, each of the bananas represents a kilometer per hour of your walk - no, no, they're still spherical, this is important. Say a direct copy of the sphere nearest the cliff is sent to the back of the line of spheres and takes the place of the- You know what, nevermind. Basically, what a chronomancer does is looking through these lenses and ripping the space in front of us apart whenever the propulsion team gets a little overeager at their jobs and is about to slam us into some god-forsaken piece of astral debris. Hope this answered your question. Approaches: Energy: +3 Force: +2 Intelligence: +0 Matter: +1 Primal: +1 Void: +2 Tower Aspect: Voidsplitter Apparatus Apart from its primary propulsion, the Tower is equipped with a Voidsplitter Apparatus. While their use is usually confined to thaumaturgic laboratories and advanced mage-assisted assemblies, the Voidsplitter found special purpose in the vast emptiness of space. Essentially an intricate system of orichalcum lenses, prisms and polydenum-based temporal attenuators, the apparatus forms a conduit for high-precision tearing of spatial continuity in front of the vessel. While its use is somewhat disliked by the crew due to its unwelcome tendency to misshape the familiar dimensions, it nevertheless proves invaluable in freeing the Tower from the confines of three-dimensional Euclidean geometry. Aspects: Academic Smartass Having obtained his magna cum laude doctoral degree mere two months before embarking on Tower's voyage, Floholenor has flawless knowledge of cutting-edge academic theorems and is, in fact, smarter than most people he's forced to share rooms with - a fact he's committed to reiterating ad nauseam by endless snarky remarks and grandstanding in remarkably mistaken conviction anyone else cares. Transdimentional Addict I have been... I have seen things beyond space and time. It's really... Really hard to describe to someone who hasn't... It, like, really gives you a new perspective on things, untethers your mind from the rut of three-dimensionality, of simple causality. I, uh, am rather fond of that experience. It, uh, really helps me study. Twelve-Dimensional Chessmaster In spite of - or thanks to - Floholenor's insane drivel, the wizard appears to indeed possess a next-level understanding of causality, easily drawing far-reaching conclusions from what would appear as but a few far-fetched coincidences. However, just like many great minds before him, he oftentimes stumbles over the most simple and banal resolutions that he considers unworthy of his consideration.  / Unethical ResearcherFloholenor is extremely driven to further his chronomantic research and, understanding its critical importance more than anyone else in the world, would not be above lying, cheating and stealing in the name of science. And he does. The vast frontier of outer space does not only offer perfect laboratory conditions (thank God for vacuum!), untold unexplained phenomena, but also - and perhaps most importantly - a safe space from meddling of know-it-all old farts, stuck in their stale mindsets on their stale faculties. After all, nobody will take notice of an extraneous Voidsplitter "calibration test" or a pinch of tachyons in their coffee. Sidesplitter Having a rather more acute understanding of space than most philistines dabbling in space distortion, Floholenor is free of many constraints lesser wizards impose on themselves, never outgrowing their primitive habits and routines. Such as the need to exist in one place at a time. Sure, one still only has one pair of eyes, but spend a few years in a lab four floors away from the pantry and you'll understand too just how laughable legged locomotion really is, compared to simply splitting yourself. And yeah, it's so funny to put a finger into someone's floating intenstine through a fold line. Real funny. Wow, you must be the first person to come up with it, I hope you're really proud of yourself. Stunts: Because I'm a Chronomancer, Jim, not a-, I get a +2 when I use Void magicks to conjure an elaborate solution for a mundane task. Because I'm a Most Resplendent Chronomancer, once per game session I can fold time to disrupt causality for a brief moment. I wanted a single 'once per session' mind-loving stunt for a pinch of an actual time-bending flavor without really going deep in that direction, as it's just a GMing headache. After thinking long and deep on the exact wording to try something that doesn't devolve into super-general Bill & Ted bullshit, I went with "disrupt causality" imagining it somewhat akin to JJBA King Crimson's ability - having time skip a few seconds, during which things keep happening, but don't have any effect. For example, a bullet fired at a wall would skip forward, according to its velocity, but find itself on the other side of said wall, rather than hit it, as cause-and-effect would dictate. Because I'm a diligent academic, I get a +2 when I use my Intelligence in logical discourse. --- If it's unclear, Floholenor is primarily meant as space distortion & kinetics kind of mage, except with confusing, counterintuitive and overwrought justifications for what he can and cannot do. Just as magic should be done. Lichtenstein fucked around with this message at 13:11 on Jun 5, 2017 |
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May 25, 2017 13:57
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Bahaha. That's brilliant, Lichtenstein. Going to rattle my brains and see if something wizardly falls out.
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May 25, 2017 14:35
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Posting interest, mulling over 70s album and sci-fi novel covers for some inspiration.
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May 25, 2017 16:01
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paradoxGentleman posted:I might be interested, but I'm a bit confused by the change to approaches. More specifically, how would a conflict without magic be resolved? What happens if we try to convince a space pirate captain to let us pass through his territory, or if we try to sneak past a sleeping monster? A conflict without magic? But thou art a wizard! I'm kidding, if you need to resolve a conflict without using magic (say you've exhausted or wish to conserve your Mana) your approaches will function just fine, although Energy is particularly hamstrung outside of academic uses without spellcraft. Basically just pick your approach as normal, say using Intelligence to try to convince someone or haggle, Force to move silently or wield a weapon, Matter to make something or use tools, or Void to do math. If there's a question as to what Discipline would be appropriate for a nonmagical use I will both listen to arguments and make judgements. Primal is straightforward in its use, it controls Mana, the mystical energy that powers spells. You can use Primal to unravel spells and steal their Mana for yourself, you can strengthen existing spells by feeding more Mana into them, you can draw Mana from the stars slowly or Places of Power quickly, you can tell how much Mana a rival Wizard possesses, you can craft artifacts that store Mana or even use it to cast spells on its own (although you must be able to cast the spell yourself). The better your control of Primal, the more efficient all your spells are, allowing you to stretch your precious Mana supplies further. Mana is a special Stress track and the more Primal you have the more Mana you start the game with, any time you Tie or Fail a roll (even combat) you can succeed by expending Mana (although you spend more Mana on a failure). As you gain Mana from Places of Power your Mana track will grow, allowing you to perform ever greater magical feats. If you completely exhaust your Mana, you can't cast spells unless you're willing to take a Consequence to refill your Mana track, but you normally recover your full Mana track at the end of each Scene. A Primal of +3 gives you a starting Mana track of 4, +2 starting Mana is 3, and everyone else starts with 2 Mana.
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May 25, 2017 16:03
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Posting interest, if I get some time over the weekend I'll put on my robe and (SPACE) wizard hat.
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May 26, 2017 05:07
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I have a question about tone. Are you looking more for sciency space wizards or classical spellsplingers who just happen to be in space?
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May 27, 2017 06:21
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I want to say.... 70's prog rock wizards? So a bit of both, I guess.
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May 27, 2017 17:51
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Here's some spacyish wizards for people looking for inspiration: http://imgur.com/a/AwIEs And a teaser: 
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May 27, 2017 18:19
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Marquise Adeleine de la Neraille When a young lady of good breeding and highborn status starts to show deviant personality traits, such as an headstrong nature and an unwillingness to get married to a gout-ridden old miser thrice her age, the pater familias is forced to take steps to ensure of two things: that the young lady in question is capable of supporting herself after he passes on, and that no shame befalls on the family name. The traditional solution would be enrollment in the church; but since young Adeleine had made her opinion perfectly clear on what she thought of the Most Divine Seven's worship, the poor Marquis of Neraille had to find an alternative. That was what he intended to do, anyway. It was Adeleine that found a practical solution: the old Collegi Arcani. There was a time where every family of means sent at least one of their pupils to these academies of high magic; with the rapidly diminishing reserves of mana, they have lost much prestige, but not so much that the family would have to pretend that Adeleine never existed. At least, that's the story she fed her old man to get him to pay half of her tuition fees (she had, in the meantime, obtained personal funds via judicious applications of diplomacy and noble's privileges) and send her to study in the heart of the Empire. She always had a talent for convincing people that their best option was the one that helped her the most. Once sent in an academically challenging and socially stimulating setting, Adele flowered like a plant in the perfect habitat, so much that she didn't even complain about how her colleagues referred to her as Adele. While she didn't have the raw magical firepower of some more talented pupils, she had the cleverness needed to accomplish much with simple spells. No, you don't need to melt all the flesh off the marauding ghoul, Melvin; you can just break his knees and finish it off at your own pace as it crawls on the floor. Of course, once rumor reaches her ears of a bold enterprise aimed at escaping this sad planet of poverty and senseless rules, well, she couldn't let this opportunity pass her by, could she? High Concept: Social Butterfly A third daughter of a noble family is in the unfortunate position of not being allowed to honorably learn a trade and unlikely to inherit anything worthwhile. So Adeleine developped a different set of skills: diplomacy, fast-talking, cajoling and (once she had accumulated some personal wealth and power) the occasional veiled threat, iron-handed beneath the velvet glove. Trouble: Chased By Bounty Hunters After every bold step into the unknown, a legion of imitators follow. Many a badly designed and shoddily made tower has tried to make its way into the heavens, chasing the same resources that Adeleine and her companions are looking for. Many of them didn't make it past Earth's atmosphere, and plummeted uncerimoniously on the ground; but at least on crew succeded, and unfortunately, they have it in for the enchantress. She suspects them to be mercenary mages at her father's services, or at least rivals that have taken up this contract in addition to their hopes of magical plunder. Tower Aspect Drone Control Room This room is equipped with a series of mirrors, all angled in such a way that one can look at all of them from the comfortable Demimonde style chair. Each mirror is aetherically linked to the "cockpit" of a drone, lovingly designed by Adeleine herself to blend aestetics and functionality.  They can be maneuvred by anyone with a basics understanding of the Force discipline, and are enchanted with minor versions of the protective spells layered atop the tower itself, allowing them to mantain mobility in the cold vacuum of space for up to 36 hours. The tower-dwellers use them to scout ahead of them when they want to take a closer look at something, but they'd prefer not to risk harm to the tower. Aspects: A Light And Precise Touch Adeleine's magical talents don't lie in overwhelming force and earth-shaking displays of arcane prowess; but she can pinpoint just where her magic could be applied to have the most effect, and gently deliver her sorcery there without triggering safeguards or alerting guardian spirits. An etherium armor that reflects any force applied to it is certainly a powerful defense... unless whoever built it didn't enchant the straps, in which case it is destined to just clank on the ground, leaving the former wearer unprotected. You Can't Tell Me What To Do! She has...problems with authority. Hearing for much of your adolescence and early adulthood that your whole life is going to be in either your father or your husband's hands will do that to you. She's not unwilling to listen to suggestions, but she firmly rejects orders, and can find it within herself to be quite forceful when people try to force their will on her. An Affinity for Starstuff Was Adeleine always destined to ascend to the cosmos? Has she gravitated towards this project because of it? Or was it her will to abandon Earth and all that it signifies that lets her manipulate the heat, radiance and the bizarre ethereal beings that inhabit those flaming infernos we call stars? She has no answer for this, but she often finds herself looking wistfully outside the ship, looking at the sparks decorating the vastness of space, imagining to understand the secret meaning behind their twinkling. Disciplines: Energy: +3 Force: +1 Intelligence:+2 Matter:+3 Primal: +0 Void: +1 Stunts Because I am efficient witht my mana use, I get +2 when using a 1 or 2 mana box, on top of the bonus normally granted by these boxes. Because I have an eye for design, I get +2 to Create an Advantage using Matter to create useful constructs. Because my words, magical or not, are powerful, I get +2 to Overcome an Obstacle using Intelligence when manipulating someone that considers me at least a potential threat. Research Stunts: Because I have Magitech Synergy, I can attack once per turn with a magitechnological minion on top of my normal turn. Magical objects: Wand of lighting, Weapon 3 when using Energy to attack with lighting. It is currently stored in the Dragon Fly, a flying construct equipped with built-in illusory doppelgangers. paradoxGentleman fucked around with this message at 18:11 on Aug 5, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 01:17
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I haven't been able to come up with a single stunt, and the next week threatens to be busy as hell, so I'm going to embarrassedly bow out. Best wishes!
Bieeanshee fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Jun 3, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 04:55
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WIP thanks for the cool pics LLSix Antevin Tarq, Herald of the Green Tempest Many wonders and terrors have been lost as the mana has receded. Young wizards are often left to gaze sadly out at a vast cosmos that seems barred to them, roped off by greater powers and harsh traditions. The Green Tempest is...was...is one of those great forces that roamed the universe freely at one time. It is definitely alive, but unresponsive to most communication, uninterested in warfare or trade, and seemingly endless in its drive to colonize once-barren worlds. The Green Tempest is a panspermaic force of endless, boundless life--where it goes, worlds bloom, barren stones sprout new saplings, and small squirming beginnings rapidly grow towards greater heights. Many species with no known creator call themselves Children of the Green, and many worlds thought exhausted live anew from its passage. It once roamed in a vague, porous cloud that would engulf whole systems and fertilize them. It especially sought out dead worlds and suns whose fires had banked, seeking to reignite the will to live anywhere it passed. It did not speak, ask permission, or even try to guide the life it created--it just shaped its clay and moved on. This made it enemies in many places, both among Slow species who value the austerity of cold stone, and faster races who simply found it inconvenient when their mining operations were disrupted or their fortresses destroyed by sudden forested growth. These enemies had little recourse however, as the Tempest was too large and too diffuse to really attack. One could only try to persuade the Heralds to guide it elsewhere. The Heralds found the ability to channel magic through the Green, and shape it in myriad ways, most notably within living beings of course, but it pulsed with raw power and there was plenty to fill the hands of servitors. They could communicate with it in a limited way, primarily to guide its slow passage, and so they guided and warned of its coming and feasted and followed in its wake. It was a fine and symbiotic relationship for endless millennia until the mana began to fade. The Green Tempest began to...sicken is not quite the right word, but it slowed, roaming less and less, eventually spiraling inwards to the world of Anthuto. Anthuto was an unremarkable world, small, rocky, and cold. The Green had embraced many like it before, but this time it enshrouded the small planet, then sank itself to rest upon its surface, soaking all the way into the soil. The Heralds were horrified--their way of life was ending. To make things worse, the Amberchron, ancient enemies, chose that moment to strike, dropping an enormous sealing stone upon the planet and seeking to trap the Green Tempest. Theirs was an order that valued stasis and silence, and the wild living chaos of the Green Tempest had ever offended their sensibilities. Seeing their old enemy struggling, they spent much of their own failing strength to seal it onto the world where it now rests. The Heralds were Heralds no more. The few that remained settled onto Anthuto and tried to maintain their traditions while trapped on a single world with diminishing mana resources. The Green Tempest made Anthuto a wild but beautiful and bountiful place to live, and if one was going to be trapped somewhere it wasn't a bad spot. It just wasn't the great spaceways, singing with the voices of all the legion living things in the cosmos. Antevin Tarq is one of the last heirs of the Herald families. She has studied the old ways, and dreams one day of releasing the Green Tempest back to the stars, to populate the barren places and allow new growth to replace old dead matter. She volunteered to join on the expedition of young wizards on behalf of her people, to try and search for new sources of power and unexplored reaches where they might roam freely. Tower Aspect: The Heliophyll is a garden path that winds around inside and outside the Tower. It contains all manner of plants, small animals and insects, all benign. It provides food, water, shelter, and medical attention to residents of the tower, though its medical impulses can be at times disturbing as large sheltering leaf jaws enclose the patient and small humming medibees inject remedies cooked up inside their own abdomens. It is a beautiful, calming place, meant to provide the basic needs of most carbon-based living beings easily. For enemies, it can also rapidly turn into a hostile bramble of slashing thorns and stinging bites. It is the Heralds' gift to the young expedition to wish them well, and one of the largest living examples of their arts. Probably won't get real stats done until Tuesday, hope that's not too late
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May 28, 2017 17:49
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Tyrannus the Fleshshaper Born to a noble family of some repute, the man who would one day be known as Tyrannus had the grave misfortune of being born with a serious congenital defect. His body was weak and sickly, and he grew up constantly under the care of one healer or another as his family sunk their not insubstantial wealth into trying to fix their only heir. All of the poking and prodding accomplished a whole lot of nothing, beyond sparking the boy’s interest in the flesh. He carried the spark of magic as had his parents, and he took advantage of their libraries and resources to delve into the subject of magical alteration of life. For years all he did was study, ways to shape and alter the body and mind with magic, to create life. It was a subject that was at least nominally taboo, but the boy was both wealthy and secluded so he managed to avoid any stigma for most of his experiments. However, as he became an adult his experiments continued to grow in scope and ambition. It was one thing when a stray dog had another set of legs, or a servant had a third eye, but eventually the man did something that was beyond taboo in the circles of the nobility he altered his own flesh. Sick of being weak, of being constrained by his prison of a body when he could remake it to his liking, the man began to alter his own flesh. It was small things at first, fixing his body’s defects, but with each success he grew bolder. His changes grew harder to disguise, more alien. He could heal his ailments, but why stop there, he could be stronger, smarter, better, why constrain oneself to being merely human. All of this finally pushed his family to disown him, strip him of his name, his titles and privileges. Cut off from funds and mana, the man, taking on the name Tyrannus, decided to join with other young wizards and seek new power and opportunity among the stars. After all, there were so many worlds out there, so many new forms of flesh to study and adapt, and maybe eventually he might pick a world for his own to conquer and remake in his image. A universe of possibilities awaited, and the ship needed someone to tend to the wounds they would inevitably suffer on their journey. Approaches Energy: +1 Force: +1 Intelligence: +3 Matter: +3 Primal: +2 Void: +0 High Concept: Shaper of Flesh Magic to create life, to shape it, to alter it to the will of the caster. This is Tyrannus’ specialty. The body if after all a form of matter, and many mages create and alter swords and rings and even continents, but rather than dead things, Tyrannus prefers to study and alter living things. Why make a special sword, when you make make super-human soldiers that grow their own weapons? Creating life of all shapes and sizes has a variety of uses, though it does tend to make one a bit megalomaniacal. On the upside for his colleagues, even if they don’t want to take advantage of his offers to upgrades to their pathetic human bodies, he can still fix them up as good new. As the ships defacto medic, Tyrannus gets to test his craft on new and exciting injuries on top of getting to explore different worlds full of interesting creatures to study and improve. Trouble: Warped Mindset Growing up as the secluded scion of a wealthy and noble line, and then developing the ability to create and reshape life has left Tyrannus somewhat warped. He is, to be blunt, not terribly concerned about the feelings or rights of his inferiors. He simply doesn’t understand why it matters if a servant might object to growing extra arms if it better helps them in their job. His fellow wizards are colleagues, and while he might be amused by their quaint attachment to humanity he will respect their boundaries, mundanes not so much. If their inferiors don’t understand their station, well that’s a fixable problem. Aspect: Enhanced Body Growing up with a defective body, constantly being poked and proded by healers looking to fix what was broken tends to give one a certain malleable viewpoint on the sacredness of one’s own form. While others might balk, Tyrannus didn’t even have to think twice before using his developing skills one himself. As far as he’s concerned the human body is highly overrated, so as a man who could alter flesh to his liking he might as well make something better. A second set of eyes to see beyond the visual spectrum, stronger muscles, tougher skin, hands that are both stronger and more capable of the fine manipulations necessary for his craft. Some still bound by their outdated prejudices might find his form horrifying, but he sees no need to cater to such constrained thinking. Aspect: Living Library Tyrannus grew up in the lap of luxury, powerful wizards for parents and nothing but time to explore their libraries. They served as the basis for his studies into the art of flesh, but his parent’s libraries contained all sorts of tomes and treatises on subjects ranging from common to obscure. Combined with his eventual enhancement of his memory, this means Tyrannus is chock full of an eclectic collection of facts and knowledge from subjects ranging from anatomy to ancient legends to the proper fork to use during the cheese course at a state dinner with the mage-pope. Of course, being drawn from a library rather a course of study at university his knowledge can often be incomplete or out of context, but still if you’re looking for an obscure fact on an equally obscure subject odds are that Tyrannus knows something on the subject. Aspect: Psychological Adept You don’t spend years studying and experimenting with creating and altering lifeforms without learning a bit about how they think. Tyrannus’ knowledge is less formalized and more experiential. This leaves him less equipped to explain or extrapolate from his knowledge than if he had a full theoretical basis for his knowledge. However, it serves him well enough for his day to day use in managing his creations, and his general low view of those he views as inferiors means he is willing and able to wield it ruthlessly against them. Tower Aspect: Flesh Vats  Deep in the ship one can find the flesh-vats. Not only does it provide raw flesh for various experiments and projects, but it also serves as the ship's medical facility. Accidentally blow off your arms with your new fireball spell? A quick trip to the vats and you’ll have new ones grown in no time at all. The vats also serve as the ship’s recycling system, breaking down any and all organic waste and allowing it to be put to use. Stunts: Fleshhaper: +2 to Create an Advantage with Mater when altering living flesh. De-Facto Healer: Once per session, remove either one moderate or two minor physical consequences. True Power of the Ancients: Gain an additional +2 to any action where Mana was spent Lifemaster's Scalpel: When building a creature using the magic item rules, divide all costs in half (round down). In addition, your creations are more sturdy and gain their next highest stress box, this also applies to creatures you modify, but did not initially create. Valhawk fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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May 28, 2017 23:04
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Jacob Her’lsen Most Wizards sought places of power. He was not most wizards. He’d graduated at the top of the Academy. Or he would have, had he not dropped out at the very last second, discontent with his lot in life and how it only got worse as his magical abilities grew. There was no cure for his ailing disease that even the most highly trained medical droids and professionals could prescribe, and it only got worse whenever he got near a source of mana. Suicidal, he’d thought at the time. Going down the path of the wizard would kill him, sooner or later. Quickly, Jacob Her’lsen packed his belongings on graduation day. The Noble Family of Her’lsen would no doubt hound him for not carrying on their lineage and either kill him or force him to continue down this self-destructive path. So it was either do and die or leave and live. Now, Jacob drifts through space in his tower, scouring the galaxy to see if there is anything, anything, that could help his magically-induced debilitation. Approaches: Energy: +2 Force: +1 Intelligence: +3 Matter: +0 Primal: +2 Void: +1 High Concept Aspect: Fallen Noble Drifter As someone who has seen the farthest reaches of space, Jacob has seen various wonders - both good and bad. He’s seen different cultures and planets throughout the short three years he’d been drifting through space, and he has no trouble booking places or dealing with the various authorities he has encountered. Given his experience and his (escapee) noble lineage, Jacob has various contacts and informants he may pull for information. However, this may end up attracting more unwanted attention than he wants due to his status. Trouble: Mana Overload Illness. He always had it. Ever since he’d come into contact with magic, it’d been plaguing him. If he came into contact with high mana saturation, his limbs would lose what power they’d have, his blood would thin, and he’d encounter blanks in his memory. But magic is a necessity. If his illness is linked to magic, then it makes sense that his cure would be linked to magic as well. Or so he hopes… Aspect: Run Away. RUN AWAY! Prey flee from predators. Prey are quick and quick witted in hazardous situations. Jacob is the prey fleeing from the predators pursuing him, so he is able to think quickly (or so he deludes himself). However, Jacob can’t do anything except to run away from his family’s bounty hunters… he is book smart, not street smart at the end of the day. But running away from his pursuers all the time has given him finely honed instincts as to how to avoid his pursuers. Technobabble-o-Meter MAX (Not) Graduating from a well-regarded academy, Jacob is a well-learned and well-accomplished mage who doesn’t want to be a mage. As a result of spending time on his grades and in the library, he has a wide variety of knowledge from researching his disease. Aspect: As a fallen noble, Jacob has always been polite - if a bit sheltered. But he has been out in the stars for two years now and has learned more about the universe he’s lived in. Polite will always be in his vocabulary. Blunt is also in his vocabulary after the colorful individuals he’s encountered. So to split the difference, he has chosen to be blunt behind a polite mask in order to get the point across. Tower Aspect: There is padding and a cluttered mess inside. Encyclopedias everywhere, a database computer at the fore. To the side, there is a cabinet cluttered with suits preventing Mana from getting inside. Books are flying all over the place as if it reflects the user's mind. New information is brought about each second as a pen moves by itself on a piece of paper. The tower is the user's mind itself and the book its archives. At the back of the ship, the engine hums softly. Giving the bare minimum to run the tower. Stunts: Atmospheric Suits Since Jacob has visited many different locales, it's only natural that he has suits blocking out whatever poisonous atmosphere he may encounter. Knowledge is Power High pressure situations require more thought. +2 to Intelligence whenever Jacob is in combat and isn't pressured by the enemy. Noble Privilege Once a noble, Jacob has some renown in the upper circles as the scion of the Her'lsen family. Whenever Jacob is in a social situation with a noble, he may be able to wheedle more information out of them than someone else. Pyre of Word Salsa fucked around with this message at 03:19 on Jun 4, 2017 |
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May 29, 2017 08:34
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Aw geez. I just realized that mine and Valhawk's characters have a similar basis for a backstory. You want me to modify my backstory or keep it the same, Kwyndig? I figured that if we keep it as it is, Jacob would make an interesting foil to Tyrannus.
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May 29, 2017 08:49
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Hey Kwyndig, if you don't mind me keeping a single stunt to define later (as we get a better idea of other Tower crewmembers, etc.), my submission is essentially completed.
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May 29, 2017 11:34
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The Delver "Names have power, child." This is the only thing that The Delver ever says when inquiries as to his name are presented. Similar crypticisms and/or mad cackles are offered when people try to pry his past, as well. Mystical drawings coat what little pieces of skin he shows, "for protection", he says. He never shows his face, "to not be seen". The possessor of a large variety of dangling magical charms of dubious origin to ward off powers "too terrible to name".  Largely unwilling to share any sort of detail about himself to others, indeed, secretive to the point of near parody, The Delver is a sad example of the farthest reaches members of the esoteric community can succumb to. For when Mana started to be scarce, there were those less willing to wage war, play games or hoard what little could be safely siphoned. There were those who looked inward, who delved deep below the surface in search of even a smattering of power. Even power that had been sealed away for good reason. Especially that sort of power, some would say. Obsessive, muttering, paranoid man, The Delver is an exemplar of this particular type of mage. Unwilling, unsatisfied with the secrets his home had to offer, he is instead turning his gaze to the baleful stars above. Regardless of his elusive, some might even say furtive nature, The Delver is very knowledgeable in the deeper mysteries of grand esoteria. Also, useful to send face first to vanguard excursions into horrible dungeons to lead the way for more sensible folk. Approaches: Energy: +1 Force: +0 Intelligence: +2 Matter: +1 Primal: +3 Void: +3 High Concept: Delver of Secrets A master esotericist, The Delver is most interested in the hidden, the cryptic, the unknown. The most primal and ancient sources of Mana. And he is totally focused on this pursuit. No ominous eldritch artifact is to be left unexamined, no screaming portal to the unknown voids beyond left ungazed. Power is a gift for those who dare to question, those who dare to be curious, those who are not afraid to know and disturb that which probably should be left alone by the more sensible arcanist. No matter what madness might be uncovered as a side effect. That's merely the price you have to pay, knows The Delver. Trouble: When you gaze into the abyss Indeed, The Delver is so concerned with the powers that be, the secretive and almost certainly too horrifying to conceive of underpinnings of the nature of reality, that he has paid the price his ilk usually do. The extended amounts of exposure to the deeper secrets has left an unshakeable mark of delusional paranoia on his mind. Not necessarily without merit either, for you do not engage in this line of study without attracting... attention. Aspect: They don't teach you THIS in school There are things they don't teach in the academies. Mostly because teaching them tends to result in reclusive weirdoes like The Delver. Nevertheless, the knowledge he has, amidst all the paranoid ravings and idle superstitions, does contain the occasional nugget of truth. Things others wouldn't spot or know about, these are clear as day to The Delver. The occasional false alarm notwithstanding. Aspect: No pain no gain The Delver is monomaniacal in his drive for more power and hidden knowledge to an absurd degree. He is quick to take risk and rarely hesitates to delve and intrude in hidden lairs, cognizant of but often undeterred by warnings left by those before or those in the now. That is to say, whilst not suicidal or prone to acting without preparation, The Delver is not afraid to live up to his moniker. Aspect: Elusive skulker The Delver is not asocial, but he often makes himself scarce from the usual gatherings, instead preferring the private conference and surprise visits in dark hallways, offering cryptic advice. And whilst not hostile, his clear unwillingness to spare personal details of his past as well as his generally obtuse demeanor can grow... grating. Tower Aspect: The Grand Malebolge Hanging charms, runes that hurt to look at, warnings in many an ancient tongue, all these guard the long, solitary passage to the front doors of the Grand Malebolge. Less so to keep people away, more so to keep the energies stored within from afflicting the rest of the Tower with madness. A glorified holding cell and warehouse, the Grand Malebolge exists for the sole reason of containing and storing that which would otherwise be far, far too dangerous to keep around. Within it void horrors, eldritch creations, baleful writings, unstable and undoubtedly corrupt magitech can all be safely contained, studied, utilized. The Delver spends far more time than is probably safe right here. Stunts: True Power of The Ancients Because I have the True Power of the Ancients, I gain an additional +2 to any action if I use Mana for it. Shoggoth in a bottle Because I have a Shoggoth in a bottle, I get to utilize the power of some ancient malevolent artifact/creature in my possession to forcibly solve nearly any issue. Monkey's paws and consequences for all tend to follow immediately afterwards. Baleful Sources Because I have Baleful Sources, any time that I tick a Mana box, I may untick a Mana box that has up to half of the ticked Mana box' Mana points. Hands of Disruption Because I have Hands of Disruption, I get +4 to mundane Force strikes against Undead, and always count as armed. Grand Diabolist Because I am a Grand Diabolist, magic item discounts are extended to items of eldritch/occult significance and flavor in addition to their normal targets. Other Effects: 1: Armor 3 against Primal attacks; protection from most Death effects of magical nature 2: I have the ability to add the Disrupting Quality to enchanting weapons, this costs 1 point of Pure Mana but counts as a Weapon 4 against undead creatures. Theantero fucked around with this message at 19:16 on Jul 14, 2017 |
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May 29, 2017 16:59
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Lichtenstein posted:Hey Kwyndig, if you don't mind me keeping a single stunt to define later (as we get a better idea of other Tower crewmembers, etc.), my submission is essentially completed. This is fine, as long as you get your last stunt in sometime before play begins. As for everything/everyone else I'm reserving judgement until I see completed sheets, and I'm giving everyone one week to finish up their applications if they haven't already.
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May 29, 2017 17:21
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Orono Absolute, incomparable silence. That was among the strongest and most recent forces that shaped his current existence. 236 years ago, he was a prime part in an expedition into the innards of the planet to extract mana reserves spectral telemetry assured them were there. They were there all right, but crucial information had been misinterpreted, and certain decisions (mostly outside of his control) were made without caution. The result was a massive ejection of planetary mana and matter into the surrounding space. For hundreds of years, he drifted in that airless silence, in and out of the bounty his planet had disgorged, his solitude enforced by the mana-decisions necessity dictated whenever another drifter was met. During this time, the only thing that kept him from despair was the site of the cosmos unfurled before him. Having spent his very long life consumed by affairs on his planet, never thinking beyond it, the unceasing vision of eternity filled him with awe when contemplated. Without instruments or tutor, he studied it. During a cursory inspection of the planet, he saw the species he’d left building a tower. A tower which soon came to occupy his mind for the potential that it offered him. He broke his isolation, and reentered the world. He wasn’t well loved for his part in the disasters of the past, but he managed to bargain his way into the Tower with the additions he could add to it, and his assurances that with he could probably, with time and support, deliberately crack open another planet for its mana. Force +3 Matter+2 Primal+2 Void+1 Intelligence+1 Energy+0 Ancient Geomancer The consortium that had tried to extract mana from the planet were fabled and benighted in the histories of the race as the 17 Geomancers. As the 13th Geomancer by traditional recitation, he has a deep knowledge of crystals, minerals, and how a planet is put together, as well as arcana of the mana thereof. Immaculate Black Stone  Years before the disaster, he had transferred himself to a phylactery of synthetic stone. Fashioned into an over-large human, his form is perfect. Ideal proportions in body and face, wrought in immaculate black. No need to breath, or sleep, or eat. Or ability. He doesn’t feel attraction, hardly feels anger, and dread as well as passion are now foreign to him. All that is left to him are his vanity, his curiosity, his awe of the universe, and a deep, deep hunger to have, use, and consume mana. Mana Essence Despite his admitted vanity in his phylactery, he recognizes his purest essence as a being of mana. Where his human body hungered for food, air, and water, his soul, free from all that, hungers for magic. When channeling it, he feels heady with power and euphoria, and his body spits with crackling energy. When flush with it, he feels he could crush a moon for bravado. Without it, he’s a rasping breath, a hungry ghost, a shade away from death. Vanity of an Ideal Being He takes a deep satisfaction in the amount of ideality he’s been able to manifest in his being. Often, he can be haughty and arrogant, but it instills a self-confidence that’s hard to shake. Things which touch his vanity will touch him in his core. Eternal Golden Braid Still, how ideal is ideal? He can’t say he’s the most perfect thing in the universe. Not yet. If phylacteries of sufficient quality can be created, he can continue perfecting himself. Besides exploring and studying the vastness of existence and collecting mana, this is the idea that’s on his mind. Tower: The Envelope  Surrounding the Tower at all times is an enormous asteroid and dust cloud coordinated by a control stone built into the center of the Tower. It moves with the Tower, acting as a defense from attack, interference against information gatherers, and a pool of objects for bombardment. Remnants expelled from their planet, the undifferentiated rock is sometimes studded with crystal caves, colorful ore deposits, and enormous fossils. Stunts Activate Stone The synthetic stone of his phylactery has interesting properties. When certain configurations in the stone are aligned, it becomes a very powerful magnet, allowing his matter score (or some derivative) to be added to his force score. Mana Wraith During the long years in silence, he would sometimes come across beings which survived in the new ring around the planet. Mostly immigrant moon worms, or giant forge crabs which derived oxygen from splitting metal ores in their bellies, but on at least four occasions (and possibly as high as 7) he encountered other members of the 17. Regardless of identity, anything out there which lived had mingled with its being mana which he needed to bolster his essence. If he can get a magic being into a very vulnerable position (sitting on an archmage’s chest, arms around a weakened animal, hands englobing an opponent’s skull) The depth of the mana he can drain them of continues unto death. Absolute Silence He used to think that he understood sound and how it was produced by waves of force. He realized he was wrong while in the void around the planet. By tuning his phylactery, he gains especial skill to canceling all noise around him. When he’s in a poetic mood, he thinks of it as his body releasing some of the silence that it soaked up during those long years. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello, my name is A_Bug_That_Thinks. This theme sounds pretty cool, and I'd like to be a part of it. In the last game I was a part of, my character had trouble getting along with people. In this game, I can't wait to be a part of chill team of powerful wizards. I've also previously had to back out because of time commitments with my degree and my job. As I've graduated and have recently been fired, this shouldn't be an issue. I'm not 100% sure about some of my aspects and stunts, and would love feedback from people, if the field is even still open. Thanks all! E- you know what, I think I made my dude too old. I'll find a way to rework it. EE- perused some fate-core literature and updated my aspects. I think these stunts should be okay. I eft his age untouched. Just because he's old and famous doesn't necessarily mean he's more powerful than average A_Bug_That_Thinks fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Jun 6, 2017 |
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Jun 3, 2017 03:19
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Heyo just a reminder that the deadline for submissions is tomorrow at.. let's say 11 PM EDT. At that point I will shutdown the thread, review applications, and then reopen with the game itself a little while later. If you happen to be missing a stunt or a single (not Tower) aspect I won't hold it against you, otherwise sheets must be complete by the deadline.
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Jun 4, 2017 15:48
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https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3822878 game is go edit: if you completed your sheet you're in, for those of you not on the discord. Kwyndig fucked around with this message at 16:39 on Jun 6, 2017 |
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Jun 6, 2017 13:54
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Loot Chart: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Csqm04CNw0rVAV_H1krXCRi6KFJa2UH5EdcFlVd44j0/edit?usp=sharing
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Jun 25, 2017 23:51
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Setting a deadline of midnight tonight (CDT) to make treasure picks so we can get back rolling and finish the first adventure. You don't have to call dibs on the google doc, just make an in character post saying what you'd like or that you don't particularly care.
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Jun 28, 2017 17:15
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People who want info or lessons from Mantel can schedule them through Tyrannus.
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Jul 5, 2017 21:47
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If you're still out there A Bug That Thinks, Pyre of Word Salsa , we miss you. 
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Jul 9, 2017 00:17
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I'm sorry everybody. Various things have been coming to a head in my situation, and I guess I've had sort of a heavy heart for posting. But, you know, I can't stay gone forever. I will do my best to catch up with the thread today, and start posting again.
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Jul 10, 2017 15:21
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If you need any help with the downtime/project stuff come visit us on the discord channel and we'd all be happy to help.
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Jul 10, 2017 16:08
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ParadoxGentleman if the Marquise wants to trade giving Tyrannus and the Delver the nomads and taking the city folk under her protection Tyrannus will agree to that. It's a way for you to have her win a partial victory for her values.
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Jul 25, 2017 19:16
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I'm dead. For all the reasons people give. Take my items, my mana, and let me die. I'm sorry I couldn't keep it going. That's twice in a row now, and I think I've learned my lesson. I think you all have good ideas and do cool things, but I can't pull weight anymore. Good luck to you all.
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Jul 26, 2017 03:21
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