OOC The Elder Chronicles

What will be the world's dominant technology/progression? (final balance is % based)


  • Total voters
    5

Catcocomics

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Introductory statement and general premise of how things work:
Before we get things started, the roleplay section has kind of been desolate for... too long.
Seeing as it's been about a year (give or take some months, maybe) since I last tried to host one of these, and that I've made some significant personal advancements in that time, I believe I may be ready to provide an enjoyable adventure.

That said, a number of locations will need to be created, and a world map provided (I will provide a couple of landmarks and overworld map if someone doesn't beat me to it).
I can not give any release date for the In Character thread, but I will try to have it out in a week or two.
Worst case, I might get it out just at the end of the month or just after, unless this dies way early.

No, onto the big premise that we all will be starting with:

Create the World
Yes, I know this may sound similar to Guardians of the Elements with world creation being a starting focus, but mind you that in there, everyone had to come together as guardians and bring a measure of their element into that world.
That is not the case here.
Instead of creating all the raw basics on some mud ball, we start with a fairly lush and already populated planet with a variety of biomes (I again cannot provide any sort of world map at this time, but if no one beats me to it, I will make one*).
This lets us start with an already more interesting task: jump-starting one or more civilizations.
This leads into the next big thing:

Progress of a Civilization
This is sort of like a rudimentary leveling system of sorts, though in the sense of having a basic tree progression rather than jut flat-out leveling.
In terms of advancement, our main civilization (the one influenced by the poll) will be starting out at about lvl 5 (not actually keeping a numerical statistic, just using this as an analogy), which means the following:
-100% science lands us in a world similar to that of the mid 90s or early 2000s in terms of technology.
-100% magic has us at the typical fantasy story's level of spells and stuff, though currently without teleportation (on the verge of basic teleportation), resurrection, or extra-planar travel.
- a 50/50 split gets us basic and some intermediate alchemy and thaumaturgy, as well as basic spells and renaissance-level of science.

Most important, is that we can have both science and magic in a civilization, and it may prove interesting to see what creative ways we combine the two.
The only limits here are our imaginations and the general level of the civilization's progression.

As for the start, we will only have one civilization, though it may be broken down into nations and regions.

Some regions may have a slightly different balance of science and magic, but cannot exceed the capabilities of the civilization as a whole.

Story and Character Development
To start us off, we may each have a maximum of 2 characters (consult with me if you feel bold enough to do a 3rd in these early stages), and we will have primary roles/archetypes for all characters.

The main point of roles/archetypes for characters is to make it easier for players to understand what a specific character is supposed to do at the present time, and balance them accordingly.
For example:

-A Builder or Farmer type character is going to have a much harder time dealing with the likes of a Villain than a Hero would, but is more likely to better understand how to tend to crops or construct houses.

-A Villain may be better at fighting people than standard citizens, but they will likely want to make use of a number of building abilities to give themselves somewhere to hide and rest when Heroes no doubt start looking to end their trouble.

Story development for the main civilization (and later, side civilizations) is also a pretty key thing to the progress of the civilization, and will go through a mostly set cycle of events.
Mind you, this means that time will pass and even be skipped, which means that some characters will get old and eventually die.
Do not worry though, for the spirit of the character is eternal and may reincarnate for the next cycle**.
Also to note, I intend for this to go on for a pretty long time, so unless we're getting ~4-6 pages every day, a single cycle could go on for a couple of irl months, and not every time skip at the end of a cycle will be massive.
The size of a post-cycle time skip will be determined by how much more we collectively want our civilization to progress, though I do not wish for it to be any longer than 2 standard lifetimes.
And further, we may get to the point of having never-aging characters for those who wish to spend the rest of the RP as that one character.

As far as character development goes, this is mostly tied to playing the character as per normal and if the player chooses to make their character(s) grow in any way.

Reincarnation
This will be filled in more as time goes on, though for now, understand that it is tied to character death and the ability for characters to remember their past selves if they so choose to explore that.
Reincarnation also may help with speeding along the process of learning an archetype.

Current Cast
A list of all active characters, their players, and their archetypes:
Character - Player - Archetype:
??? - Catcocomics - Guardian Spirit DX

For character creation, please remember to use the Format provided here: http://escaperestart.com/forum/threads/basic-roleplay-rules-tips.16157/ and add what archetype your character will start with in the bio.
Later, a number of you may choose to drift off to a different civilization (if we ever end up with more than one). If such becomes the case, then it will also do to add your character's home civilization to their bio (less we all assume that said character is from the main civilization).

I will go ahead and post my first character's bio (base format provided by Trap_Wolf) here:
Name: -pending- (not important until the RP starts)
Archetype: Guardian Spirit DX
Age: Unknown
Gender: -varies based on the circumstances of the encounter-
Height: generally 5' 2"
Weight: virtually none unless awakened, then it's about 100 lbs.
Build: a bit slender, not very muscular. The likes of a mid-teen.
Origin: direct spawn of the very planet itself.
Languages: common, star, and any others known on the planet.
Ethnicity: N/A
Eyes: pale, silver blue. Known to glow a bright blue either when not fully awakened or when channeling massive power
Hair: pale, silver blue. Sparkles like stardust in direct sunlight or in moon light.
Attire: -varies based on the circumstances of the encounter-
Accessories: ^
Personality: next to none, merely exists to ensure that the balance of the world is not disrupted
Special skills: can channel star power from the heavens to gain celestial-level hero and guardian spirits powers/abilities
Weaknesses: none, but cannot stray too far from the planet of origin, and is very directly bound by the 'cosmic laws'
Fears: -does not understand fear-
Likes: -currently lacks enough personality for this-
Dislikes: ^
Additional notes:
-possesses a rather vast library of wisdom, which may be shared to player characters, particularly heroes, though more archetypes may access this with greater magic progression.
-presently lacks any termination criteria (beyond dying with the planet).
-rests in an old sword shrine - the location may change as time goes on, but none can mistake it for what it is when they com across it.
-may change with character interaction.
-generally does not act on their own unless the balance of the world has been disrupted or a character has broken one too many cosmic laws.

This character is a bit unique, and is more in place as a sort of law enforcement*** for the RP.
At this stage of the RP, there can't be any more such characters in play, and the general rule will probably be one per civilization, if we get to having more than one civilization.

Archetypes
Below is a list of playable archetypes.
This list may change as the civilization progresses.

For citizen-type characters, such as providers and government, it is advised that you specify in what way your character fulfills their role by adding a 'Job' option to their bio.
A character's job(s) may stay even if they change archetype, as that character has (likely) already gained much experience with that job. For characters with multiple 'Job's, please specify which (if any) are active.
-Provider
providers are generally citizens of the civilization who provide raw materials, be it hunting, farming, mining, or any other method.
-Manufacturer
manufacturers are generally citizens of the civilization who work with provided raw materials and process/refine them or construct object with them, be it construction, smithing, brewing, cooking, or any other method.
-Progression
progression characters are generally citizens of the civilization who act as inventors and innovators by experimenting with provided resources (raw or processed) to try and further understand their world or themselves, be they alchemists, spiritual leaders, or even programmers.
-Servicers
servicers are usually citizens, though some may temporarily lose that status when active in their job (i.e. cops/guards). services provided range from anything from casinos, libraries, and hotels to fire departments, shops, and medical/spiritual doctors.
-Government
always considered as citizen status, government characters work to write and decipher Civil Law to everyone else.
I will go further into the main civilization's government structure at a later time.
-Event
Event characters are generally not considered to have citizen status, due to the nature of their archetype.
Characters under the 'Event' archetype group will only display their actual archetype in their bios, though more Event characters share the following characteristics:
*may be forced into combat by another Event character
*generally spends time away from their home civilization

Event archetypes include:
-Adventurer
adventurers travel the world because it is their calling. Some have taken it upon themselves to make a living by charting the world, others explore ancient places to rediscover lost histories.
-Hero
when a villain strikes, heroes rise to the challenge.
heroes are the first, and often only line of defense between a civilization and a full-fledged villain.
heroes generally embark on a great adventure loaded with development and growth on their path to restoring peace.
-Anti Hero
anti heroes typically clash with heroes at some point, though are more so confused characters who have plot relevance. anti heroes have a tendency to eventually gravitate either towards being a hero or being a villain, and may bounce back if things don't seem to work out with their previous choice.
you may be inclined to ignore civil law, though this may make relationships with citizens and heroes rockier.
-Villain
if there is no conflict, there is no story.
need a dark lord to make things interesting? look no further.
you also pretty much ignore civil law since, after your first move, they probably want you dead anyway.
-Great Sage
great sages are essentially mentors for heroes aspiring to save the world. some are powerful, most are wise.
-Guardian
guardians tend to, well, guard places, generally with their lives. some may serve as a trial for a hero, or challenge access to those unworthy of great power.
-Guardian Spirit
usually a character who does not walk among the mortal. they can act as Great Sages or Guardians, be they guardians of a person, place, or thing. You don't usually get these without some level of magic.
-Guardian Spirit DX
one per world, these are cosmic guardians created by their very planet to ensure the balance of the world remains intact, and to spring into action should a cosmic law be violated.
cheaters be warned.
much like normal guardian spirits, a Guardian Spirit DX can act as a Great Sage for some heroes, though cannot undergo standard guardian duties, for their purpose is already tied to the planet and its civilization.
An important note: we collectively determine the direction of the story (and if there is a lack of a main story for too long, then I will step in with my own villain and/or hero), and plot-important NPCs may be created (with my consultation) to fill in key roles.
Said NPCs may be played out by other players, given my permission.

Citizen-type NPCs may be freely created by anyone looking to flesh out the area they occupy (i.e. making up some black smith that your miner character sells iron to, or making up a family for your farmer character).

Citizen Characters
At this point, you might be wondering what it meant to have 'citizen' status.
Citizen status for a character entails the following:
-This character interacts with many of the people in their civilization (or in another civilization if we ever get there).
-This character cannot be forced into combat by any other character (player or NPC) unless they already are an NPC. However, you may choose to engage non-citizens in combat to defend a NPC or property.

Non citizens, therefore, have the following characteristics:
-This character usually interacts with only their party/minion horde (if they have one) or citizens if they are in the area. Other wise, it can get pretty damn lonely, though maybe that's what you need/want.
-This character may be forced into combat by any non-citizen at any time. Surrender may result in captivity or incapacitation of some form.

Unless otherwise specified, it is not ideal for anyone to ignore civil law, be they citizen status or not.

Cosmic Laws
This is the fancy term that I will use for In Character rules during the RP, and they will be incorporated to keep things balanced while also trying to minimize OoC discussion of what is legal and what isn't
(in other words, rules designed and enforced in ways made to keep the immersion going).
Cosmic Laws mostly apply to Event characters, but characters of all archetypes should abide to all that do apply:
*There must be a way out
this rule applies strictly to Villains. Villain characters are not allowed to have any kind of trap that cannot be escaped.
So the hero(es) foolishly got trapped in your box, eh? well, it ain't exactly fair if they're just stuck there forever until they die of old age or starvation, so, be it as obscure or convoluted as your character is capable of, you have to have a way out of the box from inside it.
It is ideal for villain characters to not even know why they left a way out, or if they think they do know, then the "reason" may relate to their own safety as a way of not trapping themselves.
*Have a Tell
this rule applies strictly to Villains. Before a Villain character can unleash a great offensive or enslave humanity, they gotta let someone who can oppose them know first. This goes all the way from standard attacks (flinching right before swinging a sword) all the way to dropping a great monologue on the hero(es) right before setting the last part of their great scheme into motion.
As long as the villain character leaves any hint of what they might do to cause harm and/or how to avoid it (regardless of how obscure the hint may be), the villain need not worry about forces unknown to them.
It is ideal for villain characters to not even know why they have tells and just have them naturally.
For a first assault, a gathering of dark clouds will make an easy first tell.
*Be true to yourself
this rule applies mostly to Heroes, though Great Sages should also make sure they follow this as well.
So, you're supposed to be the hero, right? Then you really shouldn't be going around smashing everyone's pottery and making off with their spare change. It just isn't considerate, you know?
You're supposed to be an ally of the people (even if they don't really know it), so even if times are tough for you, you should be above the likes of a petty thief.

Some heroes may be exempt of this rule to a certain degree if circumstances call for it (like if you need to be very sneaky and able to swipe things without getting noticed).
Heroes will not receive direct intervention from a Guardian Spirit DX over this rule under most circumstance - it can be hard for anyone in poverty to get through the temptations of daily life, and it's probably hard enough anyways if you have the normal coppers on your tail as is - but Great Sages especially should know better and be better equipped to resist bad temptations.
It is only logical that some heroes handle this better than others. If you are having trouble not murdering people as a hero, consulting a Great Sage or similar mentor character is advised.
*Don't actually destroy everything
This rule mostly applies to Villains, though some anti heroes leaning on the edge of villainy may want to pay attention here too.
So, most bad guys, when they lay out some elaborate plot to take over the world, they usually want to have a world to take over and control. If you actually get around to making a big scary world-ending device, and the hero(es) do(es) fail to stop it, the world's/civilization's last two lines of defense come into play.
The first of these is the full awakening of the Guardian Spirit DX. They will come after you at full power and unleash everything the cosmos has in store for you (within reason).
Should you actually succeed in destroying either the main civilization or the planet, then the final line of defense will activate and shift the timeline, undoing fatal actions.
This final line of defense, since it exists to keep the story going, may over-ride any time-bending shenanigans other characters try to do to circumvent it.
If this defense does ever come into play, it will start us back sometime before the hero's final defeat and modify a couple of details to better favor the hero(es).
In the IC thread, this final line of defense may not happen at all, and is just a lie because we all died actually.
The above line is a demonstration of what undone actions will look like in the IC thread.
It is ideal for most villains to craze power and control rather than actually destroy everything. It's always more interesting when things are allowed to come to fruition.
*Peace during peace time, please
another thing that separates this RP from Guardians is the enforcement of a peace time or build phase.
In the natural flow of this RP, there will be 3 phases - the Build Phase (the phase we start with), the Event Phase (where young heroes gather to thwart big bad bow wow), and the time-skip.
During the build phase, all heroes, anti heroes, and villains must forget their event roles and focus on building up for the next big story.

Villains trying to attack during a build phase will be blocked (or even shut down) by the Guardian Spirit DX (since heroes are also not to be active during this phase).
The build phase ends when both the civilization and the villain(s) are ready to play with their new toys.

An unfortunate side-note, but the Guardians RP did suffer a bit from not being firm about having a build phase, and much derailment happened when a couple of villains and anti heroes started mucking about with everyone. What did we fight for? We didn't even have a forest until the end of things...
non Event characters, again, probably won't come close to crossing any of these lines. If you are just playing as someone such as a king or baker, then you really don't need to know about the 'cosmic laws', though the 5th and final may be of some use to you yet.

Death
Death has many of the same standard RP rules here, but it is also a thing that will eventually happen to everyone in this RP.
As stated above somewhere in the intro spoiler, we have a cycle here, and time-skips occur at the end of each cycle. Eventually, after having had enough adventures, one or more of your characters may grow old and die.
This won't be too terribly frequent of an event, but it will still happen, though players can control (to a point) if it happens on this skip or the next.

Anything I missed with this post, I'll be happy to fill in or adjust later. For now, I'd like to see character bios, and any questions or suggestions where needed.
 

Catcocomics

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[Minor update, key details to be merged with main post]

Poll
As of now, 4 people have voted, and 6 votes have been made leading to Science at 66.7% and Magic at 33.3%
(don't go by what the poll actually sais is the 100% because it's dividing everything by number of people and not number of votes).
With this ratio, our world is looking to be a lot like Full Metal Alchemist in the start, though that may change if more people vote.

World Map
Since no one's jumped up with a world map just yet, I've decided to go ahead and make my own.
For the sake of being able to make easy-to-update information and a compact record of past maps, I will be using Scratch.
This is where the main civilization's Magic and Science progression statistics will be saved and recorded during the main RP:
https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/173693643/
If someone was developing a map and still wants to post it, I may port it over to the current over world map or save it for a later over world in the far future.
Please note that only I can permanently edit the above project, and attempting to save your edits will duplicate the project if you are currently logged into Scratch.
Towns, landmarks, and regions are not presently marked on the map. I would appreciate suggestions for names of places and stuff.
If posting a screenshot of my map project with temporary edits, please make sure to mark political region boundaries with red.
Keep in mind, this is a global map.

More detailed regional maps may still be somewhat required.

Biomes
A list of main biomes and what to generally expect in them:
[BCOLOR=#333333]Snow[/BCOLOR] - not listed on the map key, areas in white are very cold and covered in snow.
Ocean - massive expanse of water, possibly with tiny islands if inland, and super diverse in wildlife wherever.
Forest - Any mass of land covered in towering foliage, be they mighty oaks, towering pines, or pillars of bamboo.
[BCOLOR=#999999]Plains[/BCOLOR] - fields of grass sometimes dotted with a couple of trees and gentle hills.
Desert - large expanse of dry grass and rock or sand.
Jungle - Area of particularly dense forests with greatly increased life diversity and density.
Mountain - tall ridges of stone and earth, often peaked with snow and sometimes lined with trees around the bases.
Urban - (tier 1 science) heavily populated city large enough to see from space.
Machine - (tier 2 science) Urban biome, but with the majority population consisting of robots. -detrimental to magic use in the area-
Chaos - (tier 1 magic) any of the above biomes with a mix of magical madness. -detrimental to science use in the area-
[BCOLOR=#800080]Mystical[/BCOLOR] - (tier 2 magic) the magic of a chaos biome refined and better controlled, as well as empowered.


Combat
this will be in the RP, and will probably happen a lot, given the cycle's intended progression.
However, I will want to discuss with everyone involved about how it will all work and be recorded.


Lastly, if everyone is hesitating to create a character because the very state of the world is not yet finalized, please understand that, however it turns out, there will be a measure of both Science and Magic.
Additionally, sketching out a base character is advisable, not only because you might have something a little more to work with when the progression balance is finalized, but also so that I can see if this is going to go anywhere and plan out my activities accordingly.

Posting in general would be highly appreciated.