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Remora
Aug 15, 2010

Let’s All Play At the House of Spirit: Jiujitsu Orc Tycoon

Please stop by #at-the-house-of-spirit on the Discord!

At the House of Spirit is a game about building the most prestigious clan of fighters in a fantasy mixed-martial arts league - fantasy as in genre. You play the manager of a stable of fighters, recruiting new talent, developing your fighters, and trying to get as many pieces of metal into your trophy case as you possibly can. Perhaps, you could even aspire to win the Brutality Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award - the Golden Playbook itself, a ticket to a lifetime of lucrative consulting jobs.

How do we play?

Signups are open through Wednesday, April the 24th. There are an unlimited number of slots, but the details of the game depend on how many of you want to play. Post that you want to manage a clan, call it whatever you want, give yourself a specific name if you want (I will default to your forum handle), write a little blurb if you want, and when time elapses we’ll organize a draft so you can pick your fighters for the first in-game year. I don’t want people to be overwhelmed, so your clan will probably max out at ten fighters, less if there’s a good number of players interested. And by no means do you have to run with the maximum - if you only want to deal with managing three fighters (or whatever), just make a note of that and I’ll respect it.

The loose cycle of play goes as follows. I’ll put out the House’s fighter rankings, and a list of the fights the House would like to make. You all agree, or disagree, and we go back and forth until we have a full stack of fights. I go run the fights, come back with write-ups of the fights and results, and you get the opportunity to spend some of your fighters’ hard-earned experience on upgrades. I will be writing up the fights, not just listing the bare results.

Sometimes fighters will retire, sometimes we’ll get new fighters, sometimes a horrific scandal will hit the streets, sometimes we’ll have special one-off tournaments, and I’ll try to write some little flavor articles about the city and stuff that’s going on as we go. Flavor and style are the order of the day here - I want something weird that people will enjoy reading and participating in, and I encourage you all to write content - if you want to run it past me first, you can PM me on the forums or send an email to soyouwannaclickheads at gmail, but you can :justpost: too.

I think an in-game year will have chances for each fighter to fight up to five times, and earn enough points to spend them on two things (or more, if the fighter does quite well). At the end of the year, Brutality Magazine will do their annual awards, and some of you will wind up with more bragging rights than others. Then we start again, next year.

This is a totally homebrewed thing, loosely based on a table-top roleplaying fight engine called Full Impact MMA (I’ve made a lot of changes). The first in-game year is going to be kind of a test run, and I’ll be explicitly soliciting feedback at the completion of the first in-game year - what works, what doesn’t, what changes everyone would like to see. I want this to be a fun thing for everyone. If we need to make changes mid-year, that’s doable too.

What if I miss signups?

Well, post anyway. Either I’ll take pity, or I’ll put you on the shortlist for the next expansion. I figure adding new players after each in-game year will probably be about right - it depends on how long this stuff actually winds up taking. This is new to me too, frankly.

Who's signed up now?

The Slam Sector, led by Waroduce (played by Waroduce)
The Order of the Emerald Flame, led by Sandy Ravage (played by Liquid Communism)
The Fivefold Way Monastery, led by Oki the Pentamaster (played by Plutonis)
The Rough and Tumbles, led by Yiiradru (played by Jossar)
The Infinite Dragon Blood Typhoon Dojo, led by Ultimate Supreme Grand Master Blackbane, Deadliest Drow Alive (played by Coward)
The Most Noble Order of the Squared Circle, led by Lady Giliea Lightblade (played by Shogeton)
The Stakehouse, led by Root Krass (played by Tyrannosaurus)
The Brawler's Parliament, led by Unit 7160523 (played by Rhyos)
Nirvana Ultimate League Limited, led by TOCS (played by Tricky Dick Nixon)
The Brotherhood of the Ring, led by Fillifa Tuck (played by Everything Counts)
The Toolbox, led by Chak Queztal (played by Not Alex)
Slamonomicon, led by "Mister" Nedrazeer (played by TheNabster)
The Golden Hoard, led by Vaelastraszeryx (played by The Lord of Hats)
Demon Clergy Traveling Tavern, led by Libationer Hu (played by AnAnonymousIdiot)
World Wildlife Wrestling Federation, led by Barnabus T. Brackenleaf (played by Prince of Space)
The Path of Fire and Shadow, led by High Magus Fitzjeed (played by I R SMART LIKE ROCK)
The Stoned People's Army, led by Coach Mergoyle (played by KhediveRex)
The Long Fight Clan, led by Fabero (played by Aabcehmu)
The Incentive for Kulturally Expanded Assault, led by Kalle Anka (played by Swedish Thaumocracy)
Da Krew, led by Da Biggest (played by Apocron)
The Circus of Fools, led by Two Suns (played by AJ_Impy)
The Dick Kickers, led by Virg InCel (played by Spermy Smurf)
Borris's Brawlin' Beggars, led by 'Blind' Borris (played by Arcanuse)
The Menagerie, led by Marquise Adelina Francesca de Neraglia (played by paradoxGentleman)
Hero Souls, led by Sezethsiel "The Stone Snake" Ezlanti (played by Tias)

What are we doing right now

Well, there's a list of fighters over yonder, in preparation for the coming draft - 64 from each weight class right now. Biographical blurbs will be coming, but I figured - no reason to make you guys wait if I have everything except that done. You can export that document so you can play around with it. What format the draft will take is up for debate, but I'm leaning towards a randomly-seeded snake draft. After the draft, we'll start the first tournament, so we can crown three lucky so-and-sos champion.

So what does a fighter look like in this system?

I will be randomly generating beginning fighters - I will supply them with a little blurb, when we get there, but feel free to write your own. There will also be opportunities later on to submit fighters to be recruited. There will probably be 32 fighters for each of the three weight classes when we start the draft - maybe more, maybe less, depends on how many people we get. Here’s what I have right now as far as player-facing export, this is an example of a starting fighter:

FirstName 'NickName' LastName
Manager: Shepherd of the House
Middleweight (Wood Elf)
Striker: Eijixsjir/Moonlight
Record: 0-0-0, 0 DQ
Workrate: Moderate
Health: Poor
Offense: 144
Defense: 85
Finishing: Bronze
Chin: Silver
Heart: Bronze
Tenure: 0 years
Career Strength: 10
Signature: Clinch Knee to Head (0)
Experience: 0 (0 available)
Biography: As a child, FirstName’s village was burned to the ground by bandits...

When the draft hits, I will post every generated fighter in this approximate format, and probably write a little biographical blurb for them. Let’s go down the list.
Manager: If this is a player, your name goes here. The Shepherd of the House is the NPC manager - if a fighter doesn’t belong to a human player, he’s being taken care of by the House. The Shepherd always agrees to fights and never spends experience.
Weight and Race: There are three weight classes recognized by the House: Featherweight (<100lb), Middleweight (100-185lb), and Heavyweight (185+lb). Generally there is no movement between weight classes, heavyweights as a rule are well over two hundred pounds, and featherweights are races that can’t really get bigger than eighty pounds or so. There are seventeen races: aasimar, dragonborn, drow, gnome, goblin, halfling, high elf, hill dwarf, human, kobold, mountain dwarf, orc, tabaxi, tiefling, triton, wood elf, and yuan-ti.
Type and Style: Fighters are either Strikers or Grapplers, reflecting their primary area of emphasis. I put together a list of fantasy martial arts styles, because listening to arguments about real world style matchups is something I don’t think is going to be super fun for the thread. There are 21 striking and 12 grappling styles, which are currently mechanically identical. Every fighter has a striking style and a grappling style.
Record: Wins, losses, draws, and disqualifications within the House of Spirit. Most every fighter good enough to make it in the House has a record elsewhere, but the House has a real “if you’re not here, you aren’t anywhere” perspective.
Workrate: Rated on a five-point scale: Minimum, Low, Moderate, High, Maximum. Workrate is how frequently a fighter is on the attack. A low workrate is not necessarily bad, if coupled with a high Defense. Likewise, a high workrate won’t deliver good results without a high Offense.
Health: Rated on a three-point scale: Poor, Average, Good. Health is a representation of how frequently a fighter suffers injuries in the ring. It happens to everyone, but some people more often than others. Injuries range in severity from virtually unnoticeable to life-threatening.
Offense: A numerical rating of how powerful a fighter’s attacks are. Starting fighters range from 139 to 148. Offense has no actual ceiling. Higher Offense ratings, generally, give better chances for favorable decisions and TKOs.
Defense: A numerical rating of how good a fighter’s defense is. Starting fighters range from 70 to 140, and theoretically maxes out at 240. Not all fighters are capable of achieving that level, and there will be a note when a fighter has achieved their maximum possible defense level. The higher a fighter’s Defense is, the more often they will block (or even counter) an opponent’s attacks.
Finishing: Rated on a five-point scale: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Legendary. Higher Finishing ratings mean that a fighter has a better chance of getting a knockout or a submission during a fight.
Chin: Rated on a five-point scale: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Legendary. A better Chin means it’s harder to knock a fighter out, but everyone has an off day.
Heart: Rated on a five-point scale: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Legendary. A better Heart means it’s harder to submit you, but it’s never impossible.
Tenure: How many years you’ve been in the House. If you finish a year with a Tenure higher than your Career Strength, it’s time to find another vocation. The Elvish Foreign Legion’s always hiring...
Career Strength: How long you’ve got to stay in the game. Things that can drop it: scandals, injuries, particularly bad losses. Things that can boost it: wins, awards, title fights. Starts at 10 by default.
Signature: Everybody’s got their special move. Here’s yours. The number at the end reflects the strength of your signature move - your signature move is always one of your strongest, but you can polish it further.
Experience: How much you’ve earned, and how much you have to spend. This is how you improve as a fighter.
Biography: Your story, as well as any awards you’ve earned.

How about fights?

They look mostly like real-world MMA fights right now. Three five-minute rounds, three judges using a ten-point must scoring system (each possibly bringing their own biases to the table), and a referee. The primary difference is that since there won’t be multiple title fights on a single night, there’s no time limit on title fights - they go on as long as they have to. In testing, I ran one title match that ended in the eighth round. There’s also the possibility of special matches or tournaments that follow different rules.

Surely we can level up?

What form the managerial upgrades will take is still coming, but I can say that I can show you some of the ways your fighters can earn experience and spend it! ... It's not a long list right now. Bear with me.

Lose a match: 1 point
Win a match: 3 points
Lose a title: 2 points
Win a title: 6 points
Win by KO/Sub: +2
Win by TKO: +1
Lose by decision: +1
Win a tournament: Varying depending on size and "difficulty", but the 64-man tournament coming up will probably award 7 points to the eventual champion and 3 points to the rest of those finishing in the top eight.

Increase Primary Style Offense: Varies based on Offense Rating, usually <5 points but specific amount is listed on each fighter, cost increases as you purchase more, increases your Offense Rating
Increase Secondary Style Offense: Varies, usually <10 points but specific amount is listed on each fighter, cost increases as you purchase more, increases your Offense Rating
Improve Defense: 15 points, makes it more likely you will entirely block an opponent's attack
Improve Countering: 15 points, makes it more likely you will counter an opponent's attack
Increase Finishing: 20 points, makes it more likely that you will score knockouts (for Strikers) or submissions (for Grapplers)
Increase Signature Power: 6, makes your signature move more powerful
Improve Chin: 10 for Strikers, 15 for Grapplers, makes you harder to knock out
Improve Heart: 15 for Strikers, 10 for Grapplers, makes you harder to submit

Remora fucked around with this message at 21:07 on Apr 30, 2019

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Remora
Aug 15, 2010

:siren::siren::siren:Everything below this line is optional worldbuilding material. Read it if you want, don’t feel obligated.:siren::siren::siren:

The House of Spirit

The House of Spirit is a generations-old institution in the city of Goresbergh, the most prestigious unarmed combat championship in the entire world. The most promising unarmed fighters from around the world come to Goresbergh in the hopes of being crowned the House Champion, and perhaps one day joining the ranks of the Eternal Champions - and they need someplace to sleep and train while they make their dreams come true. That’s where you come in. As a manager, you have facilities and experts in Goresbergh to turn raw fighters into polished prospects.

Dramatis Personae

:catholic: The Master of the House: An elf of indeterminate but advanced age, the current Master is a flamboyant showman who speaks rarely and bewilderingly. Often seen eating whole bell peppers.
:psyduck: The Shepherd of the House: The current Shepherd is a perpetually exasperated halfling, as might anyone responsible for running a halfway house, world-class gymnasium, and mental asylum all at the same time.
:science: The Herald of the House: A short and wiry human, the Herald of the House is responsible for making fights happen.
:cop: The Guide of the House: The House employs several, but the Guide is responsible for the long-term health of every fighter who steps into his arena. Any decision to end a fight early is his, and it is unimpeachable.
:eng101: Oswalt Porridgepot: A reporter on House-related issues for Brutality Magazine. Mostly sticks to write-ups of House events.

In addition, the House currently has a bank of twenty judges to draw upon. They come and go. Each night, three are selected, and they all have their own biases.

:agesilaus:: Leshanna Selevarun. A former House Champion, Leshanna is partial to her fellow elves.
:banjo:: Myria Underfoot. A bard, she is partial to Faereisliesen fighters, ground-dancers, and Dance of Death stylists.
:angel:: Baramiel. An aasimar priest, he is partial to practitioners of both Aehamar and Laikat.
:devil:: Kali Laughter. A retired tiefling master thief, she is partial to both tieflings and aasimar - mostly because her “charity” infuriates Baramiel.
:clint:: Torbera Lutgehr. A dwarven paladin, she is partial to practitioners of Duchess and Lyssae.
:chef:: Ander Cherrycheeks. A renowned halfling chef, he is considered an impartial judge.
:geno:: Wuni. A goblin politician who reportedly involves herself in the House’s affairs as a hobby, she is considered an impartial judge.
:niggly:: Orryn Silverthread. A gnome mage, he is partial to practitioners of Rithad.
:ninja:: Vadania the Spry. A drow who ostensibly retired from a lucrative career as a jeweler, she is partial to practitioners of Zhauraj, Nightstalker, Moonlight, and Umbranox.
:reject:: Arnold Alder. A wizened old wizard, he is a great believer in seniority.
:zombie:: Quarethon of Pyraxtallinost. A dragonborn lich, he is partial to practitioners of Eijixsjir and Sjir Darastrix.
:jebstare:: Shulali. A yuan-ti warlock, she is partial to practitioners of Tss’Ulatasss.
:smug:: Aramil Horineth. An elven silversmith, he is partial to practitioners of CORIMDA and Paura.
:wooper:: Caspian. A merfolk sage, he is partial to mer-wrestlers and druidic earth-fighters.
:mil101:: Chrola. A kobold who retired from the Dwarven Free Companies, she is partial to Akor-rin, Gentle Art, and Mageslayer stylists.
:ironicat:: Endless Reflection of the Musing Glades. A tabaxi traveler who has semiretired to Goresburgh, he is considered an impartial judge.
:orks101:: Throkk. An orcish barbarian, he is partial to practitioners of Khaanukh and the Way of the Warg.
:smaug:: Gurgorrhim. An ancient green dragon who self-nominated to his position as a judge, he is partial to kobolds and dragonborn.
:iit:: Gimmert Ungart. A dwarven sorcerer, he is partial to his fellow dwarves.
:shobon: Agatha Butler. A human doctor, she is usually very forgiving towards the losing fighter.

Venues

The House will hold its events in varying locations in and around Goresburgh. A non-comprehensive list follows.

Anthe’s Glade: A dryad named Anthe maintains a place of power near the city, and fortunately for the House, she enjoys nothing more than watching humanoids hurt each other. The House cleans up after the event, and in exchange, she doesn’t kill anyone.
The Badlands: Sometimes, the House just doesn’t want to use any of its money or influence arranging a venue for an event. In those cases, they trek out to a spot on the nearby scrub plains, set up the cage, and let anyone who wants to watch figure out their own seating arrangements. The atmosphere at a Badlands event is decidedly laissez-faire, but often other entertainment companies get in on the action and turn it into a multi-day carnival.
The Blight: The Blight is the local slum, and although many well-to-do spectators won’t be seen there, the rent is cheap and the seats are good. The House has a standing arrangement with a few landlords to put a cage in one of the wider streets, with bleachers put up on the adjoining rooftops. Just watch your purse.
The Boneyard of Wee Jas: The local cemetery. Wee Jas’s priests have a long-standing arrangement with the House “in the pursuit of knowledge”. An amphitheatre at the center of the cemetery is padded and fenced in, with seats looking down into the ring.
The Burgher’s Manor: The house of the local lord. Goresbergh is ruled by a semi-hereditary noble called the Burgher, who lives in a manor he couldn’t possibly hope to use all of. Sometimes, the House makes a donation to the Watchman’s Ball, and coincidentally, the Burgher decides he would love to have a night of spectacle in his massive courtyard. One wing of his house has been semipermanently converted to bleachers for these (and similar) events.
Central Theatre: During the slow season, Goresburgh’s Central Theatre will sometimes lease its space to the House. The cage is half in the orchestra pit so the judges can get around the back of it, but the seating is the cushiest around, and the House makes a mint off the opera boxes.
Dock 14: The Thieves’ Guild has donated occasional use of their waterfront warehouse on Dock 14 to the House as part of a ... settlement for past inconveniences. Best not to inquire, really, just enjoy the fresh fish kebabs and the rafter seats.
Drut Ruins: A canyon about half a day’s travel outside the city used to be a city, and the walls of the canyon still have buildings carved into them. Local laws prevent permanent occupancy, but as far as the House is concerned, it’s a free stadium for those willing to make the trek out.
The House Garden: For truly special events, the House maintains a picturesque garden on its grounds. These events are usually an invitation-only affair for a single, special fight.
Lop Island: Out in the local Whitecliff Harbor, there is an island with a permanently open portal to the Elemental Demiplane of Rabbits. The House, through some local druids, has negotiated use of part of the island every now and then for their use. Just don’t try to snack on any of the local wildlife - the dire buns have been known to take down mindflayers.
Pelor’s Cathedral: From time to time, the priests of Pelor can be persuaded (usually with money, sometimes with favors) to open their expansive cathedral for especially large and important events. An event put on at Pelor’s Cathedral has certain expectations around it.
The Temple of Kord: The god of athleticism, the priests of his Goresbergh temple are always willing to lend the House a space for a night. The seats aren’t very good, but the atmosphere must be experienced to be believed.
Whitecliff Harbor: On rare occasion, the House will hold an event out on a rented raft in the middle of Whitecliff Harbor, with seating aboard chartered galleons and a friendly water elemental named Razhag to keep the raft steady. The House doesn’t like going to this much trouble, so it’s usually to spruce up an event that they don’t expect a lot of people to want to see in a more traditional arena.

Striking Styles

Aehamar (Striking): A formerly-secret style taught in certain activist churches, aehamar is an aggressive close-quarters fighting style using the “eight weapons” of fists, elbows, knees, and feet. Clinch-fighting is common, but long-range kicks are taught as well. Aehamar practitioners consider mercy to be an unfortunate accident that happens to other people.
Barak-rin (Striking): “The way of strength”, a traditional dwarven martial art so prolific it’s barely considered an art at all. Barak-rin might best be described as “the greatest hits of bar brawling”, an art noted for its heavily improvisational style and emphasis on one-hit solutions. Barak-rin champions are especially noted for their defensive techniques and strong guards.
Bondtzi (Striking): “The Great Leap”, bondtzi is a tabaxi style focused on controlling distance - moving in and out at will while denying the opponent the ability to change distance. The style’s attacks are much less effective if your hands lack claws, but the general ethos is applicable for anyone.
CORIMDA (Striking): The martial art of elven marines, CORIMDA was developed by common enlisted consensus from the results of innumerable bar brawls and cathouse fights, with help from opposition reports courtesy of elven shore patrol, and was formally adopted by the Elvish Foreign Legion. It emphasizes close-quarters fighting, with heavy use of elbows and knees. CORIMDA is supposedly an acronym, but nobody is willing to say what it stands for.
Dance of Death (Striking): A style by bards, for bards, the dance of death is almost exclusively a kicking style. Hands? Hands are for lutes. You’re not plucking anything with your legs, use those instead. Arm movements in the dance of death are almost purely defensive, but it turns out a kick from someone who would do a jig from sun-up to sun-down is not a joke.
Duchess (Striking): At one point, Duchess was named after an actual duchess, but that name has been lost to history. Duchess is the favored fighting style of many paladins. It features a strong, wide stance that makes for powerful punches, but loses a lot in the kicking and takedown defense departments. Duchess fighters also have strong guards and typically substitute a strong sense of balance for takedown defense - meaning they can hop on one foot and hit an opponent who is trying to take the fight to the ground.
Eijixsjir (Striking): “The Scroll of the Bloody Claw”, Eijixsjir is bareknuckle (scaleknuckle) boxing for dragons. The biting attacks don’t translate well for most species, nor do the various set-ups for breath attacks, but there’s nothing quite like Eijixsjir for wading in and putting fist to face all day long. The downside is that a lot of its defensive techniques assume that you possess a thick layer of scales.
Ekolanukh (Striking): An orcish clan of knights single-handedly originated this one-on-one school of honorable fisticuffs, emphasizing positioning and strong defenses to wear an opponent out and set up a knockout punch. Unfortunately, in most practical situations, anyone coming to blows with an orcish knight is not interested in an honorable resolution, and ekolanukh floundered in the discourse of combat until finding a place at the House of Spirit and similar enterprises.
Faereisliesen (Striking): The elven art of stage combat, “art-killing” is surprisingly effective when you stop pulling your blows. Its focus on acrobatics is not always productive, but it usually makes for an entertaining sight, and faereisliesen fighters generally have exceptional energy levels.
Jarghalaur (Striking): “Idiot’s Gift” is not a dwarven style, despite the dwarven name and outlook. The central idea of Jarghalaur is that whatever you think your opponent thinks you might do - don’t do that, do literally anything besides that. Jarghalaur is difficult to employ well, since “normal” strikes like “punches” are considered to be things you shouldn’t do, but doing a handstand and kicking your opponent in the face is considered excellent form. Most successful jarghalaur fighters instead simply add the catalog of strange, unnecessarily athletic maneuvers invented over the style’s lifetime to the established list of successful martial strikes and use all of them, but “pure” jarghalaur fights are a truly bizarre spectacle.
Khaanukh (Striking): “Style” is a strong word, but khaanukh is the word given to the combat style taught by most modern barbarian circles. Its emphasis is on an unending slew of all-or-nothing strikes, which is both easy to plan for and difficult to defend against - knowing the strike is coming and being able to do anything about it are worlds apart, and it turns out that being a one-trick pony is only a problem if the trick isn’t good enough.
Kherek-nor (Striking): The gobbish school of fighting, kherek-nor assumes that you will lose, and the true victory is in doing as much damage as possible to your opponent before the inevitable. Its fatalism has certain advantages - for example, a kherek-nor champion has effectively given up on the concept of fear.
Lyssae (Striking): A variant of Duchess, Lyssae fighters prefer a tighter stance and a looser, more eclectic approach to striking, mixing punches up with elbows and hammerfists. Lower-body movements still do not feature very much, but knees are often employed as a takedown defense where a Duchess fighter would not. Lyssae also has a number of techniques for striking off of one’s back.
Paura (Striking): The elven “path of peace”, paura is more of a method of meditation than a martial art, but paura monasteries have developed a defensive style that is now synonymous with it. Paura emphasizes outmaneuvering an opponent and breaking their stance, and places value on a single accurate strike to a vital location than simply hammering away at your opponent.
Rithad (Striking): The name is an untranslateable utterance - Gnomish has a word specifically for shouting after you’ve hammered someone in the wedding tackle without warning. Rithad fighters specialize in using minor illusions to set up their attacks while evading their opponents.
Sjir Darastrix (Striking): The “Scroll of Dragons”, sjir darastrix is a collective term for dozens of kobold martial arts based on the movements of dragons and dragon-like beings. The most currently popular is Bahamut-style, but the Chroma and Deathscale schools aren’t far behind. The common heritage of these styles include high activity rates, an emphasis on precision and economy of movement, and excellent footwork.
Thousand Cuts (Striking): Thousand Cuts is a martial art based around pure speed. Move faster, hit faster, dodge faster, win faster - if you hit an opponent three times for every time they hit you, you’re probably okay. A Thousand Cuts double-jab is a thing of beauty.
Tss’Ulatasss (Striking): Yuan-ti “mirror-fighting” is actually a mental technique. The style focuses on getting into the mind of an opponent and anticipating not only their movements, but their thought process to arrive at their movements. Fighting a tss’ulatasss master, it is said, is like fighting your own mind. Most practitioners favor a highly eclectic approach to their attacks.
Ulimaanze (Striking): The “noble art”, ulimaanze is the flagship martial art of the Gray Company, an international consortium of “differently abled paladins”. Allegations of war crimes, smuggling rings, extortion, and state-level bribery schemes follow the Gray Company constantly, but never seem to make it anywhere. Their style is more of a way of thinking about fighting - namely, how do I bend the rules to my advantage without actually breaking them? A common slogan of ulimaanze practitioners is “it’s only a crime if you get caught.”
Umbranox (Striking): Umbranox is a common sight on city streets, being a collection of street-fighting techniques built for the common thief and cutpurse. The focus of the style is on maintaining range and avoiding grappling attacks, with the eventual goal of escape. In most competitions, fleeing the arena is considered a forfeit, but being able to prevent a grappler from executing their game plan is a valuable skill.
Way of the Open Hand (Striking): At one point, the Way of a Open Hand was a coherent style, the go-to method of dispensing hand-to-hand pain for anyone from anywhere. That has not been the case for a couple of centuries now. Everyone who could find something to improve on, did so, and what was once a respected juggernaut in the martial arts world slowly became a many-faced gibbering mouther with no coherent philosophy whatsoever. Fortunately, the core philosophy is still there no matter how much you pile on top of it, and the core philosophy is “go fast, kick rear end”.
Way of the Warg (Striking): The Way is a style of fighting taught by totemic barbarians and druids, with an emphasis on body strikes. The Way has twelve (or so) relatively distinct “animal styles” underneath it, and a Way fighter switches between them as needed. Need a little more mobility? Try eagle style. Only one opponent standing? Maybe give bear style a chance. Fight not going so well? Gazelle style is here for you.

Grappling Styles

Akor-rin (Grappling): “The way of valor”, a constructed martial art taught by the Dwarven army. It emphasizes clinch grappling and takedown maneuvers, with preference given to fast and aggressive limb disablement. Akor-rin also emphasizes positioning in the clinch, the better to let your buddy hit your opponent in the back with a handy axe, but this is not typically relevant in nonlethal competition.
Alhion (Grappling): A fighting style of devilish origin, alhion teaches swift and automatic redirection of an opponent to set up a deathblow. Alhion champions have nigh-unstoppable throws and trip attacks, and are equally difficult to take to the ground. Stopping power is a problem in competition, since the classic alhion finishing move involves a rapier, but modern alhion practitioners are having a vibrant conversation on acceptable substitutes.
Earth-fighting (Grappling): Druidic earth-fighting is a semi-performative martial art used for non-lethal dispute resolution, entertainment, and exercise in many druidic circles. Blows to the face and broken bones are considered poor form, but whaling on someone’s liver and choking them unconscious are perfectly acceptable, and fights end when one fighter gives up or is unable to stand.
Ground-dancing (Grappling): Developed and favored heavily by halflings, ground-dancing is an evasive and acrobatic style based around nullifying attacks until the opportunity for a limb-lock presents itself. Halflings know better than to try to fight an entire opponent perhaps four times their size, but fighting a single limb is generally workable if you’re fast enough.
Laikat (Grappling): A celestial school of ground-fighting, the name is a word in a divine language that loosely translates to “no you will not”. It focuses on positional dominance over setting up specific attacks, giving it a reputation as an extremely patient style. Getting to the ground is generally accomplished through headlong, charging takedowns.
Mageslayer (Grappling): Mageslaying is a clinching art designed around a single purpose: kill the caster. Mageslayers use body blows and strangles to rob the mage of their ability to speak, limb breaks to remove their ability to make gestures, and eye gouges for... well, that’s just something mageslayers do for themselves. It does have to be cleaned up to be used in competition, but “no-nonsense” does not even begin to cover the mageslayer’s approach to combat.
Mer-wrestling (Grappling): The ancient mermish art of positional wrestling, mer-wrestlers have few tools for finishing a fight, but many ways to make an opponent wish that they weren’t in one - or at least that they could spend more of it on their feet. Mer-wrestling traditionally takes place entirely submerged, and fighting the added density of water makes fighting on land nearly relaxing by comparison. Above sea level, the real danger of fighting a mer-wrestler is gravity - eventually, you’re going to land on something that’ll break.
Moonlight (Grappling): An urban variant of Nightstalker, Moonlight fighters use more clinch-range strikes and limb attacks, but preserve the emphasis on quiet finishes. The primary difference is that Moonlight teaches “the Approach”, a system of fighting your way inside an alert opponent’s guard in the shortest possible amount of time, to secure a finishing hold.
Nightstalker (Grappling): A ranger-centric school, Nightstalker is as much a collection of stealth techniques as it is a fighting style. A Nightstalker fighter seeks to get into clinching range, and end the fight quietly and decisively, with a dizzying array of highly specialized chokes. Limb attacks are clearly the style’s lesser priority.
The Gentle Art (Grappling): It goes by many names, but when the town guard puts your face into the gutter, they’re almost certainly using some flavor of the Gentle Art. It’s a positional grappling style designed to gain control over the arms, ideally on the ground. Getting to the ground is generally accomplished with trips and throws rather than takedowns, but the Gentle Art has some excellent thoughts on the single-leg. The acceptability of a genteel elbow to the face varies by jurisdiction, but is generally “all right, as long as you don’t get too crazy”.
Zhauraj (Grappling): Drow tunnel-fighting. The real focus is on clinching, not so much on groundwork. Zhauraj fighters have a real advantage working against the cage, but a certain weakness in that small knives are not permitted in most competitions. It also loses a lot of its real-world applicability due to its emphasis on fighting opponents with unusual numbers of limbs.

Remora fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Apr 21, 2019

Waroduce
Aug 5, 2008
In

Clan: The Slam Sector
Manager: Waroduce

The Slam Sector is a mixed art gym that focuses on developing well rounded fighters who excel in all areas of life, both inside and outside of the cage. TSS features fighters who have competed and excelled in smaller tournaments and gives them a platform to build on. Despite focusing on well rounded fighters, specialists are welcomed and valued as training partners, instructors and fighters themselves. Winning is what matters at this gym, no matter how it's done. Iron sharpens Iron and Waroduce plans on building the most dangerous stable of killers possible.

Recuitment
Looking for fighters who have high finishing ability as winning is the most important thing and the fastest way to do that is to finish the fight. A high work rate is also beneficial on fighters who have more offensive orientation, while the gym will work with fighters who are more defenisvley oriented and passive as long as they can finish.

Aehamar, Akor-rin, and Khaanukh fighters with high work rates, high finishing and high health given preference.

5 Fighters preferably

Waroduce fucked around with this message at 16:41 on Apr 28, 2019

Liquid Communism
Mar 9, 2004


Out here, everything hurts.




I'm in.

Clan Name : The Order Of The Emerald Flame

Formerly the province of an elven martial order so hidebound that they were more commonly known as the Oppressive Elvish Front, the new Order of The Emerald Flame is headed up by retired orcish fighter Sandy Ravage, who won the rights to the clan by force of arms in a title-versus-tusks match with the head of the former order.

Sandy was cunningly brutal as a competitor, and is proving out more so as a manager, but has a soft spot for taking care of 'da boyz', no matter their actual race or gender.

Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Apr 19, 2019

Plutonis
Mar 25, 2011

Oki the Pentamaster, Sensei of the Fivefold Way Monastery

Kobold martial artists are NOT duelists by choice. Many of their styles and training on their monasteries enforce the need for teamwork and guile to deal with the stronger races by using the strength of numbers. Yet for every rule, there's always an exception, and the elderly Kobold Oki, a renowned master who managed to master the five different chromatic schools of the Fivefold Way Monastery is that exception. Despite the ragged looks of the octogenarian Kobold, he has managed to defeat several grandmasters of other species' schools in one-on-one duels during the last few decades, and yet he still wants to get more and more victories in order to inspire his people that even the small, runty and puny kobolds can be powerful martial artists on their own right.

Plutonis fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Apr 19, 2019

Jossar
Apr 2, 2018

Current status: Angry about subs :argh:
Ooh, this looks interesting. Count me in.

Playing as...

Yiiradru, Manager of the Rough and Tumbles

This tiefling is always on the lookout for fighters with dirty styles and the sneakier, the better. If questioned, Yiiradru will simply smile and say that those with more honorable and flashy styles may hold the public imagination but it's rogues and ne'er-do-wells that get things done in a fight. This makes it all the stranger when a fighter emerges as a stable part of the roster that doesn't quite meet these qualifications. But even then it's probably just part of the team's overall mindgames meant to get into an opponent's head.

Jossar fucked around with this message at 05:11 on Apr 19, 2019

Coward
Sep 10, 2009

I say we take off and surrender unconditionally from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure



.
Ultimate Supreme Grand Master Blackbane, Deadliest Drow Alive of the Infinite Dragon Blood Typhoon Dojo

Doctor Nightdeath Blackbane is undisputed CHAMPION and quadruple PLATINUM BELT of eighteen LETHAL arts of fighting. He is the last remaining survivor to have become INVINCIBLE master of the ancient FORBIDDEN and INSTANTLY FATAL Drow technique of "Chi Ting", also known as THE SLAP OF DOOM.

These SECRET and UNDEFEATABLE powers can be yours, with only a small payment of 2 silver (or 5 installments of 4cp) and your details added to the bottom of this parchment. Only a FOOL wouldn't take advantage of this LIMITED TIME offer, to be taught the ULTIMATE FIGHTING ARTS by GRAND MASTER BLACKBANE, DEADLIEST DROW ALIVE!

...Of course, Dr Blackbane in person doesn't quite match the hype as he is just Woj Sok, a goblin in some almost convincing makeup. But despite his, to put it kindly, suspect credentials, he is a canny operator with definite charisma and while the suckers students work hard in the garishly-decorated Dojo, their fleeced funds go into obtaining the services of some surprisingly good fighters to claim the power of Blackbane's techniques. There are also unfortunately the occasional true believers who tend to embarrass themselves, or sometimes get inexplicably lucky, using "Chi Ting".

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

Lady Giliea Lightblade, of The Most Noble Order of the Squared Circle

The Aasimar daughter of one of the noble families in and around Goresburgh, she had great ambitions of one day becoming a paladin. She practiced her sword fighting, her noble speeches, cleaning her armor. There was just one issue. She wasn't really all that good, so none of the gods were really all about that. Still, not being able to get into any of the noble paladin's orders didn't stop her.

Instead, she founded her own. Of course, she couldn't actually make a noble order like that, but she figured attaining glory and honour by having only the finest noble specimens show their superiority in these fights is a good way to gain fame and glory, and with a whole clan of warriors, there would be plenty of opportunity to prove themselves.

Shogeton fucked around with this message at 23:29 on Apr 19, 2019

Tyrannosaurus
Apr 12, 2006
Oh, that fearsome looking fellow? Oh, that's Root Krass. He runs the Stakehouse. Looks like a pirate. Pretends he's a pirate. Wishes he was a pirate. Even tells his family they're pirates. But he's about as much a pirate as he is a loving king. He thinks it's good for business. Maybe it is.

Root's at the head of a very, very successful seafood industry. He's got boats. He's got restaurants. He's got a gently caress ton of money. Why the gently caress's he entering the fighting world? No idea. He's probably figured out some sneaky tax break for himself, the wily bastard.

Rhyos
Jan 2, 2006
It's probably my fault.
This seems incredibly robust, and I love the idea, and I want in, but I can't decide between 2 concepts, so here are both!

Unit 7160523 (AKA Seven) Prime of the Repurposed Warforged Cadre

War is hell, but for those that know only war, peacetime is unfathomable. After the last Great War, the Warforged found themselves without a cause, masters of their own destinies. Some took up adventuring and found great fame, others simply shut down, not wanting to face the future. Some, however, longed to continue their ways of combat, and found a semblance of societal acceptance in the ring. Some would say that armored war machines are overpowered in the arena of combat, but physics always finds a way. Unit 7160523, highest ranked of the Cadre before the end of the war, was naturally the choice to lead and manage the group, and has taken to refining the Aehamar style to reflect the living weapon nature of the "species".

If that's a bit too OP/not in theme, then we can go with:

Ras Butten, King of the Brawler's Parliament

With open hands, an infectious sense of humor, and a series of how-to self defense guides, this former champion of the ring has proven that the classics are classics for a reason. Having fought with a mix of Barak-rin and the Way of the Open Hand, many a bar-brawled rivalry was turned into a spectacular bout, even if a solid strike managed to rupture an organ or two. The years have taken their toll, and walking is hard for the former champ, but his mind and sense of humor are still as sharp as ever, ready and eager to bring the fight to a new crew, even if there's more than a little vicarious living through others.

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

A very important question. Do we want to do all the trash talking, accusations of shenanigans and backroom deals here in the thread, or do we also want to have things going on on discord?

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

I might suggest submitting Seven as a fighter later and going with Ras as your manager now, if you're really keen on both, but if you're okay with Seven not actually fighting that's a perfectly cromulent manager concept too.

Fake edit because I got ninja'd: That is a marvellous idea and I will set up a discord when I get home - but I would like the good stuff to make it to this thread, I like the idea of this place being the "official record".

Remora fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Apr 19, 2019

Tricky Dick Nixon
Jul 26, 2010

by Nyc_Tattoo
Nirvana Ultimate League Limited (NULL) is a stable managed by the quadrone modron affectionately known as "TOCS", who is assigned on behalf of the Hierarchy on Mechanus to manage and invest resources and time into the House of Spirit at Goresbergh, for the purposes of what appears to be some kind of record-keeping that is transmitted back to Mechanus (essentially, a reality television show). It has a reputation that, as you expect, is very mechanistic and chews and spits out those that don't succeed, but also takes seemingly random gambles and choices on who it promotes and pays for (ironically leaning more chaotic than lawful in its decision making), giving a lot of unique fighters a chance at the ring. And despite the rather grueling schedule and management style, TOCS itself, who has started to go a bit barmy from its separation from Nirvana, has a well-earned reputation for being like having a very supportive friend on moondust, and boosting the wildest dreams (and delusions) of those in its clan.

Everything Counts
Oct 10, 2012

Don't "shhh!" me, you rich bastard!
When he was a younger halfling Fillifa Tuck went on a grand adventure that introduced him to many capable fighters, and he used his cunning and guile to manipulate them into being first his bodyguards, and later his gladiators for hire. That was decades ago, though. Those first fighters, who were also friends, have long since died or retired; now the new artists he hires are just investments whose names and faces he can barely bother to remember. As he approaches a century of life he tends to not get directly involved with his fighters and instead relies on his reputation and earnings to get his way. He just sits back, enjoys his brandy, and watches The Brotherhood of the Ring trounce opponents year-in, year-out.

Rhyos
Jan 2, 2006
It's probably my fault.

Remora posted:

I might suggest submitting Seven as a fighter later and going with Ras as your manager now, if you're really keen on both, but if you're okay with Seven not actually fighting that's a perfectly cromulent manager concept too.

Fake edit because I got ninja'd: That is a marvellous idea and I will set up a discord when I get home - but I would like the good stuff to make it to this thread, I like the idea of this place being the "official record".

If it's kosher, I may stick with Seven as a manager - even if it's not a full Warforged crew, there's always the training aspect: If you can keep up with a Warforged, you've got cardio for days!

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

It's totally cool. You've got a few days to think about what you want to go with.

Shogeton
Apr 26, 2007

"Little by little the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him"

BTW, if you feel like it, there's actually a Discord server that already has channels for some other games ere that aren't straight up RPG's but more simulations, and you could get a channel there. Can definitely see the appeal of making your own server, but it's also a good way to get more eyes on this thing.

Not Alex
Oct 9, 2012

Cut loose before the god eaters show up.


Chak Queztal, running The Toolbox. Chak is a retired yuan-ti fleshmage. His former profession leads detractors to claim his fighters are magically altered but the insight provided by years of manipulating muscle and bone is a potent enough advantage on its own. The Toolbox recruits highly specialized fighters and attempts to leverage them to their best advantage. This doesn't preclude all-rounders as someone that's the perfect tool for a job, but does lean the stable towards more extreme fighters.

Not Alex fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Apr 23, 2019

TheNabster
Apr 26, 2014

"Today I will cause problems on purpose"
This looks goofy I want in.

That which does not live can never die, and with strange eons even the dead may rise, to stardom!

Behold the stable known only as the Slamonomicon, led by the illustrious and most feared and also mostly since retired just so people would stop trying to break his crap, "Mister" Nedrazeer the Lich of Unterwist. And The Mister has one very simple requirement, 'give me your tired, your crumpled, your laid to rest, and I shall make of them a fighter anew!'

Nedrazeer is a Lich who is more than happy to take the cast-offs of other more choosy clans to bring under his crumbling wing, for if the Lich is known for anything in these circles it is his ability to pick the roughest of rough diamonds out from the bunch and make them shine, or make something horrible either or. After all in his eyes if they succeed, great! If they don't succeed, well waste not want not as mother used to say, the Mister can always use a few extra hands in more ways than one.

TheNabster fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Apr 19, 2019

The Lord of Hats
Aug 22, 2010

Hello, yes! Is being very good day for posting, no?
The small town of Farylburg is widely known for its incredible peace and prosperity, despite its location in a part of the country that is notoriously rife with bandits and marauders. This is due to the tireless efforts of the young (in dragon terms, which is to say "not very") dragon Vaelastraszeryx, or Vaela as she is more commonly known.

Nobody is entirely sure why, but for whatever reason, Vaela got things somewhat backwards in her head. While most dragons protect their hoard of treasure from brave warriors, Vaela hoards warriors to protect her from marauding treasure. Every time a barbarian king has raised an army to plunder Farylburg, he has soon found himself plucked away to be added to the Golden Hoard . The wealthier Farylburg grows, the greater Vaela's fear of its riches, and the more she adds to her defenders--which only aids the town's prosperity.

While she is no martial artist or trainer herself, she has an appraiser's eye for talent, tends to her hoard meticulously l, and the accumulation of so many skilled warriors has turned the Hoard into an impromptu school of sorts. After all, you need a great deal of strength to handle being swept into a giant pile every night so the dragon can sleep on top of you.

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

So, I asked for a channel on the Discord Shogeton linked, when we get it I will add it to the OP. I'm going to keep signups open until Wednesday, but I will say I'm probably going to expand to 64 fighters per weight class based on current levels of interest. The draft will probably be snake-style - I'll probably give everyone a few days or a week to review the fighter list, then hand over a list of their top ten choices (or an algorithm, if you're that kind of person), run the draft until I hit a roadblock, rinse and repeat until everyone has their ten.

This first year will probably be all about the tournament to select our first champions - fighters knocked out of the tournament will get the chance to fight just as often, so they won't be penalized for crashing out. I am open to ideas on how the tournament works - my initial thought for simplicity was a straight-up single elimination tournament, but the Master is a crazy person, so anything could be on the table. We could even have different structures for different weight classes, now that I think about it.

By the way, if anyone has any thoughts on how to best to disseminate 192 of those statblocks, beyond just posting the Wall Of Text To End All Walls Of Text, I'm listening.

Tricky Dick Nixon
Jul 26, 2010

by Nyc_Tattoo

Remora posted:

By the way, if anyone has any thoughts on how to best to disseminate 192 of those statblocks, beyond just posting the Wall Of Text To End All Walls Of Text, I'm listening.

You're going to run into just limitations of how many people can pay attention to. You're the guide here but if it helps at all it may be worth having people go from 10 fighters each to a smaller number as a base. I know that 192 fighters is already pushing it and if you want to have later expansions it might make sense to start smaller and build up.

I would recommend using a spreadsheet for all the vitals for choices. At least, that would be the easiest for me to sort through and make decisions based on.

Waroduce
Aug 5, 2008
Google sheets so I can dump it into excel and manipulate the data pls.

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

Tricky Dick Nixon posted:

You're going to run into just limitations of how many people can pay attention to. You're the guide here but if it helps at all it may be worth having people go from 10 fighters each to a smaller number as a base. I know that 192 fighters is already pushing it and if you want to have later expansions it might make sense to start smaller and build up.

I would recommend using a spreadsheet for all the vitals for choices. At least, that would be the easiest for me to sort through and make decisions based on.

Google docs spreadsheet is looking like a winner. I will re-iterate - I'll take your top ten choices in the form of an algorithm, as long as you can coherently explain it.

"I want to pick Sjir Darastrix strikers by best Offense regardless of weight class, break ties with Defense. Then Sjir Darastrix grapplers by the same rules. Then just find me the highest Offense ratings still available regardless of other factors."

"I want gnomes who use Rithad, highest Defense rating first. Then Rithad fighters of other races, starting with Featherweight and moving to other weight classes when they run out. If I don't make it all the way to ten, I don't care. Rithad 4 Lyfe."

"Deliver me the thickest chins available - heavyweights first, then going down the classes. I honestly don't care about anything else."

I would take any of those as legitimate instructions - and I have all these in a single referenced database, so filtering is easy for me to do.

Edit: And I want to re-iterate this as well - it's no more than 10. If you want to only run 4, hey dude, totally, I'm not here to soak your time, this is supposed to be a fun game for everyone regardless of how many fighters you're running.

Remora fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Apr 19, 2019

AnAnonymousIdiot
Sep 14, 2013

SIGN ME THE gently caress UP!!

Libationer Hu and his Demon Clergy Traveling Tavern has come to town at long last! For the hungry he has noodles and spirits, homebrewed with the blessings of Heaven. For the lost and weary, he has beds and sermons to refresh the body and soul. For those wanting a job, he offers free food and wages. For those he sees potential in, he has far more to teach. Please seek Libationer Hu for further questions.

While a former master and tenant of the local Lodge of Martial Virtue, Hu has found the Way and drank deep from its wisdom. While his title and 'Clergy' is largely self-appointed, his knowledge is deep and he himself is eager to fill empty minds. Whether through conflict, prayer, or hospitality.

AnAnonymousIdiot fucked around with this message at 23:02 on Apr 19, 2019

Lux Anima
Apr 17, 2016


Dinosaur Gum
Barnabus T. Brackenleaf, Half-Faun Half-Halfling Hedge Druid, Manager of the W.W.W.F., AKA the World Wildlife Wresting Federation

Summoning forth nature's finest, fiercest creatures to do battle against civilization's most primal warriors, the World Wildlife Wrestling Federation is an officially-recognized, semi-sanctioned fighting organization which exists to serve thrilling natural entertainments to the yearning masses in the form of bestial bloodsports and feral, frenzied fistfights. This cabal of caged, combative creatures and wild, wizened, and worldly warriors are gathered from near, from far, and largely from parts unknown, brought together under one giant circus tent in order to pit the exotic against the mysterious. The WWWF is a show-stopping, traveling event-runner that caters to the eternal questions burning away at the minds of people everywhere: "which would win in a fight, a giant kraken or a squad of dire polar bears?" Only with the WWWF's help can such questions be answered for all to see!

While he is more than capable of summoning, transmogrifying, and elevating his own creature-warriors to sentience from those he finds in nature and in the Feywild, shady trickster-druid Barnabus T. Brackenleaf likes to get his pit fighters as natural as they come: however they show up at his richly-carved stone doorstep. Typically, Barnabus tends to go with the wilderness themes that suit his fighting troupes' style: cunning wood elves, feral beastkin fighters, steely lizardfolk champions, screaming orc berserkers, and uplifted-or-naturally-intelligent creatures are generally his field of specialty, but the occasional earthbound demon or celestial are rarely turned down. While he has a penchant for wine, for food, and for drink, Barnabus T. Brackenleaf actually has no need for any, as his Druidic metabolism naturally purges poisons from his blood and furthermore prevents him from requiring nourishment or hydration to survive.

Lux Anima fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Apr 20, 2019

I R SMART LIKE ROCK
Mar 10, 2003

I just want a hug.

Fun Shoe
High Magus Fitzjeed - Drow, Manager of The Path of Fire and Shadow

Many believe the Drow to be afraid of fire but this is untrue; they revere it. The High Elves sought to control this power for themselves but the Drow saw the truth. Through the shadows that the flame casts upon every creature, came the power to control and predict the very movements of their opponents. It was this lesson the High Elves missed in their lust for power

The Path of Fire and Shadow is less a fighting guild and more of a monastic order dedicated to mastering this art form. The fights themselves are seen as trials to prove their prowess in shadowmancy. While originating within the Drow other races have sought to join this order for all creatures know, shadows exist throughout the land

I R SMART LIKE ROCK fucked around with this message at 06:17 on Apr 20, 2019

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

Welp, I went ahead and posted the initial roster of fighters minus the biographical blurbs here - no sense in making you guys wait for those. One thing I'm going to try out - each fighter has a randomly generated amount of experience, which, if you pick them up in the draft, you will be able to spend before we start the tournament. Just one thing I'm trying to make fighters behave a little less identically.

I also posted an initial and non-conclusive list of things that earn your fighters experience and how that experience can be spent. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Edit: Oh, and, duh, I added our discord channel to the OP - many thanks to DogKisser(?!) and Shogeton.

Remora fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Apr 20, 2019

KhediveRex
Jul 11, 2016

A poster to surpass Bifauxnen!
Very interested.

I'll have a character and clan up shortly.

Aabcehmu
Apr 27, 2013

Confusion As a Natural State of Being
I'm interested in playing as Fabero (an assumed name), mysterious proprietor of the Long Fight clan. Fabero is tall, twisted elf-like humanoid of indeterminate history, just kind of blew into town one day. He's since produced the credentials necessary to begin managing fighters at the house of spirit (despite no one actually knowing who he is, where he came from, etc.), and has picked up a name as well, if only to make the bureaucratic machinery a bit smoother. He hasn't spoken much, but when asked, he says rather forthrightly that he plans to be taking up fighters with a defensive bent.

Swedish Thaumocracy
Jul 11, 2006

Strength of >800 Men
Honor of 0
Grimey Drawer
The Kingdom of Svea Rike, ruled (by right of conquest) by the retired legendary Barak-Rin Kherek-Nor berzerk duck Kalle Anka, prides itself on the quality of its fighters and the proliferation of its incredibly brutal 'folksy' culture. In one of his more hair-brained schemes, "Kalle" decreed into law the Incentive for Kulturally Expansive Assault, a program offering fully tax reductible, free training and lodging and 'all the meatballs you can eat'' for any fighter brave enough to take up not only the flag, but heart of his nation, to fight for glory and profit in the House.

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
Putting down a marker.

Apocron
Dec 5, 2005
Da Krew welcomes all the fightiest ruffs who is willing to punch someone else’s mug for money. Dey tends to be green in de complexion but if you can black someun’s eye or crack a git’s nose then you is welcome. Of course Da Krew is run by Da Biggest or DAB for short. Da biggest used ta be the muscliest but now he is just da fattest. But he anyone who wants to scrap with him gets rolled on so everyone knows it is best to just shut up and fight.

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker
The Circus of Fools are an eclectic group of fighters who eschew the predictable at every turn, led by Two Suns, a renowned artist, warrior and author. If you can tell precisely what a CoF fighter is going to try to do, then they have no place in the Circus of Fools. Two Suns's doctrine emphasises formlessness, surprise and the unexpected in general.

Spermy Smurf
Jul 2, 2004

AJ_Impy posted:

The Circus of Fools are an eclectic group of fighters who eschew the predictable at every turn, led by Two Suns, a renowned artist, warrior and author. If you can tell precisely what a CoF fighter is going to try to do, then they have no place in the Circus of Fools. Two Suns's doctrine emphasises formlessness, surprise and the unexpected in general.

How the gently caress do I join this group with a fighter.

Or am I making my own group of 'The circus of Bigger Fools' ??

AJ_Impy
Jun 17, 2007

SWORD OF SMATTAS. CAN YOU NOT HEAR A WORLD CRY OUT FOR JUSTICE? WHEN WILL YOU DELIVER IT?
Yam Slacker

Spermy Smurf posted:

How the gently caress do I join this group with a fighter.

Or am I making my own group of 'The circus of Bigger Fools' ??

I’m happy to have you on board leading part of the fighter stable under Circus of Fools auspices.

I R SMART LIKE ROCK
Mar 10, 2003

I just want a hug.

Fun Shoe

Spermy Smurf posted:

How the gently caress do I join this group with a fighter.

Or am I making my own group of 'The circus of Bigger Fools' ??

you could be the festival of fools or the counter-circus of fools

Remora
Aug 15, 2010

Hey, guys, quick mea culpa. Ya'll helped me find two errors in the output, which have been fixed and the output reuploaded.

First, I programmed the Health function backwards, so Poor was Good and Good was Poor. It's fixed now.

Second, Lyssae was marked as a Grappling style, not a striking style. All fighters who had Lyssae as a Grappling style have been changed to a random grappling style. I don't want to change any fighter's Striking style arbitrarily, so furthermore, any drafted fighter can have their striking style changed to Lyssae, just let me know. I might change some random undrafted fighters over to Lyssae later, but only AFTER we finish the draft.

Sorry about that, I'm only human.

Spermy Smurf
Jul 2, 2004
'The Dick Kickers' enter the thingy please and thank you.

Our backstory involves being an incel and getting kicked in the dick a lot I would imagine.

Edit: Led by the largest neckbeard Virg InCel these guys take their impotent rage out on anyone willing to step into the ring with them. If they are losing their war cries of "this is bullshit" and "fuckin Chad!" ring out and spur them on to greater feats of strength. After fighting the group will retire to their "no girls allowed" duplex. The ban on women isn't posted anywhere, it's just sort of what happens to them through no fault of their own.

Spermy Smurf fucked around with this message at 12:56 on Apr 24, 2019

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Arcanuse
Mar 15, 2019

Clan Name: Borris's Brawlin' Beggars
"The worst, the cheapest, the last of resorts. But hey, you, that is to say me, might get lucky." -'Blind' Borris's Motto.
Borris's Brawlin' Beggars,were, to be blunt, only a 'clan' in the loosest of senses. Consisting of a vague conglemerate of people 'Blind' Borris knows, owes and or owns favors and or debts from and or to. The resulting cluster of contracts, favors and debts form a dense knot to put bureaucratic inefficiency to shame. Fortunately, the most any of "Borris's Brawlin' Beggars" will have to worry about on that front is how long it takes to fix leaks in the roof.

Preference: 'Blind' Borris is cheap, and holds a soft spot for low expectations with the possibility of high reward. Accordingly, this mean hiring the worst, and thus cheapest, fighters available. That these brawlers tend to rely on dirty, albeit technically legal fighting styles is an incidental bonus.

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