[Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

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Invictus
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[Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

I conceived of this while lying in bed the night after reading Kamin's Dark Lords thing. It's not a complete game system, and barely a character creation system at that; more of a mechanical framework to narratively hang character concepts off of.
Nor do I think that the point-buy system is very balanced yet. But let's see what O1 makes of what I have written up first.

BBEG Quest

You have 25 starting Evil Points (EP). EP can be spent during the character creation process to buy up your Attributes and purchase Boons from the list below.

Your Attributes start at 0 and can reach a maximum level of 5. They can be raised by spending EP equal to the total numerical value of the levels you are increasing it by. In other words, an Attribute of 1 costs 1 EP, an Attribute of 2 costs 2 EP, and so on. Raising an Attribute from 0 to 3, for example, would cost you 1+2+3=6 EP. Raising it further to 4 would cost only an additional 4 EP, as you already have 3 in that Attribute.

Your PC has four Attributes, roughly encompassing every aspect of their presence in the game. The four Attributes are Form, Domain, Company and Aspect. How much you put in each Attribute will basically define who – and what – you want your PC to be.

Form: A measure of how big and bad you are. It is an abstraction of your PC’s physical form and whatever natural strengths and capacities it has. The Attribute is in a way the most fundamental layer of your PC’s power, determining its basic resistance to outside attack.
0 Form- You are a voice in the wind, a drifting spirit without a body. Your nature and integrity is fragile and unfixed, and significant effort is required for you to establish any kind of physical presence.
1 Form – You have the body of a human being or an equivalent creature. It is not significantly stronger or tougher than a human and does not possess any significant natural abilities.
2 Form – You have the body of a human being of heroic stature, or a fantasy species whose abilities are significantly superior to, but not completely beyond that of the human. You may have access to abilities that no human would have (e.g. wings, sonar sense, poison spit).
3 Form – You have the form of a creature fairly beyond that of the standard fantasy humanoid: a giant, a demon bristling with multiple infernal powers, or a monstrous beast such as a basilisk or a wyvern. At this level, you can also inhabit multiple creatures of lesser form e.g. a pack of wolves.
4 Form – The power and size of your form is both gigantic and unmistakable. You are a major being of fair or monstrous form such as a dragon or a titan of myth. The level of Form entitles you to both enormous physical capabilities and frightening natural abilities that will give any being pause.
5 Form – Your form can almost be mistaken for geography. A behemoth trampling the laws of nature with its very presence, you are practically unique in the world and it is downright impossible for you to conceal your nature.

Domain: A measure of how capable your PC is at changing his surroundings by employing skill, magic or other actions. This Attribute determines your general ability to control things outside of yourself beyond the natural strengths of your body. While relatively versatile, Domain is not as inherent as Form because it is a measure of what you can do, not what you are.
0 Domain – Your natural state is analogous to one of incapacitation. Your PC is imprisoned, crippled or frequently asleep, or perhaps just overwhelming incompetent. You are unable to interact with your surroundings except in the most rudimentary ways, although you are still able to order your Company around.
1 Domain – You have the capability of an average human being or fantasy equivalent, fully capable of functioning in your background milieu and possessing enough skills, crafts and cantrips to make a viable living. If you are a monstrous creature, this still applies for ensuring your own survival and shaping your environment.
2 Domain – You have an impressive specialty or a wide range of proficiencies, able to do what few others can. Perhaps you are an outstanding fighter, an adept mage, a renowned craftsman or even a skilled diplomat. Through these means, your control over your own destiny is significant.
3 Domain – Even your mundane specialties approach that of magic; your magic itself approaches mastery. Compared to the previous level, both the range and degree of your abilities to influence the world are greatly increased. Your reach extends beyond where your eyes can see.
4 Domain – Your power is now able to touch the most fundamental layers of reality, moving beyond influencing people and objects around you to the very logos beneath your feet. At the same time, you can start to do away with the trappings of rote and method.
5 Domain – You can bend reality with a wave of your hand. Within your limited but sizeable area of influence, everything except other PCs are as malleable as clay. It is now possible for you to remake entire sections of the world into your own private domain, with laws and features of your own choosing.

Company: A measure of how many friends and followers you have, and in extension your social standing and the resources and assets that you can lay claim to. Compared to Domain, the powers of your Company is more diffuse and autonomous, but has a drawback in that it is not truly your own.
0 Company – You are literally alone. By extension you are probably not very likeable, either.
1 Company – You enjoy a few loyal but mundane companions, or alternatively a single bodyguard or manservant of superlative ability.
2 Company – You are served by a small but dedicated cult, a medium-sized business, a merry band of outlaws or some group or organization with less than a hundred members. They come with whatever assets and infrastructure they require to function.
3 Company – You are the head of an army, a religious order or a small city. Thousands are under your beck and call under a complex hierarchy and the resources under your disposal are expanded accordingly.
4 Company – You rule a small country, or otherwise command the loyalty of an equivalent mass of followers, their livelihoods and the sweat of their brows. While your ability to make use of the totality of your Company at this level is diluted, the sheer amount of effort you can make use of is undeniably staggering.
5 Company – You sway is unbelievably broad and deep. There is hardly a person in the world who hasn’t heard of your name and a fair fraction of them will do whatever your prophets or heralds ask of them. You wealth is probably incalculable, your name is unimpeachable and your temporal power is seemingly unassailable.

Aspect: A measure of how deeply tied you are to the fundamental nature of the world you are in. This can provide easy access to existing power and patronage, but is effectively a process of give and take, an investment into the status quo you seek to disrupt. While easily deeper-reaching than the powers provided by Form or Domain, it has a tendency to follow rules not set by yourself.
0 Aspect – You are spiritually and metaphorically outcast. People feel a bit of disquiet at your passing, animals flee, magic stings and no higher (or lower) power in the world will look too favorably on you. These effects are magnified when combined with other high Attributes.
1 Aspect – You are in tune with the metaphysics of the world as any normal human would. You can enter the afterlife when you die; you can learn or be affected by magic quite normally and so on. However, the vast majority of the world’s secrets are still hidden from you.
2 Aspect – You are more in tune with the hidden currents of the world than average. Maybe you can see ghosts, sense water or talk to animals; qualifying you to be a competent druid or cleric.
3 Aspect – Your arcane understanding is prodigious. At this level you can begin to imbue yourself with aspects of the world in direct ways – becoming the champion of a god, a high priest or simply a tranquil guru with insight in all things.
4 Aspect – You begin to take on the entirety of some aspects of the world, granting you considerable access to the power structure of reality but also binding yourself to its workings. You can be the exclusive gatekeeper of narrow categories of phenomena, making you a minor god.
5 Aspect - You embody multiple or wide aspects of reality, existing where they exist and controlling them as your will dictates – but then at this level, your will can scarcely be distinguished from the natural rhythms and obsessions that your constituent aspects dance to. You are a major god, an embedded part of the world, and probably the next target of overthrow.

Boons
Boons are additional properties you can purchase with your starting EP. Each purchased Boon generally modifies one of your existing Attributes in a distinctive way. Unless specified, you cannot take a Boon for an Attribute you have 0 levels in.

Elite Guard: Modifies your Company Attribute. Your default followers consist mostly of human-equivalent beings with a wide distribution of competence and power; this Boon allows you to upgrade a number of your followers into elites with outstanding capabilities or special bonds with your PC. Select the Company level analogous to the number of followers you want to upgrade and pay the value again in EP. (For example, if you have 2 Company and you want to promote your band of troops into legendary mercenaries, pay 2 EP. If you have 4 Company but only want to promote your personal guard out of your whole kingdom into deadly vampire wizards, pay 2 EP if your personal guard is equivalent to 2 Company in scale.)

Shapeshifter: Modifies your Form Attribute. Your default Form level fixes the approximate shape of your body as well as its power, with all the characteristics this confers. This Boon gives you the ability to shift your appearance into those described in Form levels other than your own while retaining some intrinsic powers of your natural Form level. The Boon costs 2 EP to purchase and allows you to shapeshift into a creature one Form level above or below your own. You can enhance this Boon by paying 1 EP for each further Form level your shapeshifting can reach. (For example, you are a mighty dragon with 4 Form but want to be able to shift down three levels into a 1 Form human being. For this Boon, you pay 2+1+1=4 EP.) It is possible to assume 0 Form with this Boon, counting as an additional level for EP purchase purposes.

Fetich: Modifies your Domain Attribute. Domain represents your ability to influence the world to your liking, but this is normally bound up in acts of alteration and creation. Therefore, most of your Domain exists at any time only as a potential. This Boon gives you a physical focus that allows you to use the powers of your Domain more effectively. It could be a perfectly-crafted sword, a well-stocked workshop, a wizard’s tower or even a flying fortress. The Fetich represents a permanent manifestation of your Domain powers, which are not necessarily diminished by its loss. It costs half of your Domain level in EP, rounded up.

Otherworld: Modifies your Aspect Attribute. Rather than the elements and phenomena of the immediate world, you are more in tune with the aspects of a plane which is not quite in line with this one. Perhaps it is the raw fury of an elemental realm, the ethereal chattering of the spirit world or the bone-chilling cold of some afterlife. Whatever your true home is, the result is that the power of your Aspect is somewhat different – as well as insulated - from your material surroundings, but just as potent in its native environment. This Boon costs half of your Aspect level in EP, rounded up.

Hidden: Modifies your Form or Company Attribute. Essentially, this Boon allows the visible extent of its target Attribute to be concealed from mundane detection. Your followers may for example become a well-rooted secret organization, or your Form may be able to go invisible or otherwise undetected. The Boon costs half of your Form or Company level in EP, rounded down but to a minimum of 1.

Ring of Power: Modifies your Domain or Aspect Attribute. Technically a weakness, this Boon ties the target Attribute to an artifact or site which when cut off from you through one way or another, causes you to lose access to all but the barest glimmer of the powers granted by that Attribute. Furthermore, it is possible for the power tied to it to be utilized by others and used against you. This Boon can take the form of the eponymous wearable amulet, a suit of giant animated armor or Castle Greyskull. Purchasing it gives you additional EP to spend, equal to half your Domain or Aspect level rounded up.

[Maybe More?]
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

Hrm... let's see. I want to make... Magneto. Let's have a look shall we?

Form: Magneto is certainly a human, and a pretty normal one at that. But I'll build it to Level 2, for a more youthful, powerful-looking and inspiring man. 3 points.

Domain: The biggie. At his peak, Magneto is an Omega-level beast. Definitely Level 5. 15 points.

Company: Ah, I think I'll go with small city here. I know Genosha was a country, but with Domain being such a heavy sink there's no possible way to put this at Level 4 without Form and Aspect being Level 0. Level 3, for 6 points.

Aspect: Magneto needs no magic. 1 point to cover myself with Level 1.

None of the boons are of great interest to Magneto, so there's my 25 points spent. It's rough, but hey.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

This is a very interesting system, although I believe a combination of Fetich and Ring of Power can be used to powergame... Such as with my Witch-King here:

1 Form 3
2 Company 2
4 Domain 10
4 Aspect 10

25 points; I then use Ring of Power to half my domain's points (so now I have spent only 5 domain pts, 20 pts total). I then use Fetich to imbue my fat ruby-and-gold wizard's ring with the Power Cosmic, which costs me 3 points (2.5, rounded up). So now I've spent only 23 points, which I blow those on an Elite Guard, upgrading my small cult from a bunch of random acolytes to awesome dark wizards.

So, 25 points spent in the awful manner of the munchkin and I am a wizard of minor god stature, able to touch the fundamental layers of reality, in a heroic body and with a small following of supercharged cultists :).
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

Hrm, interesting idea...

5 Aspect [15] + Ring of Power [-8] + Fetich [3] = 10
5 Domain [15] + Ring of Power [-8] + Otherworld [3] = 10
1 Form [1] + Shapeshifting (2 Levels)[3] = 4
1 Company [1] = 1

There. I now have An ungodly manipulator of reality and magic, whose powers are granted somewhat by his two eldritch items of power, amulets sown into his very skin, but whose Aspect flows mainly from an otherworldly source regardless. He's a normal human, but can shapeshift himself into a terrible demon. Or, alternatively, wither himself into a non-corporeal form, taking his amulets with him, as a beastly magical spirit of untouchable force.

Munchkin enough Siege?
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Vagrant Orpheus wrote:None of the boons are of great interest to Magneto, so there's my 25 points spent. It's rough, but hey.
Are you sure you don't want to take Elite Guard to have your Mutant Brotherhood? :P
Siege wrote:This is a very interesting system, although I believe a combination of Fetich and Ring of Power can be used to powergame... Such as with my Witch-King here:

1 Form 3
2 Company 2
4 Domain 10
4 Aspect 10

25 points; I then use Ring of Power to half my domain's points (so now I have spent only 5 domain pts, 20 pts total). I then use Fetich to imbue my fat ruby-and-gold wizard's ring with the Power Cosmic, which costs me 3 points (2.5, rounded up). So now I've spent only 23 points, which I blow those on an Elite Guard, upgrading my small cult from a bunch of random acolytes to awesome dark wizards.

So, 25 points spent in the awful manner of the munchkin and I am a wizard of minor god stature, able to touch the fundamental layers of reality, in a heroic body and with a small following of supercharged cultists :).
Eh...I'm spotting some mistakes in your math. Your base Attributes only cost 24 (1+3+10+10) EP in total. Taking Ring of Power only gives you 2 EP (half your current Domain level, not EP) back, which though is still enough to empower your Fetich (which only costs 3 EP if your Domain is 5). Now you have 1 EP left over, which is not enough to Elite Guard all your followers (as you have 2 Company, that would cost 2 EP) but enough for a handful of high priests.

EDIT: Orpheus, same problem here. Taking Ring of Power doesn't halve the EP cost for buying your level of Attribute. It gives back an amount of EP equal to half of the Attribute level you want to buy. So you *can* take 5 Aspect and 5 Domain, but that would take (15-3)+(15-3)=24 EP, leaving 1 EP to give yourself a body with or something. And if both your Rings are taken away, all you have left is a lone, helpless human who is a metaphysical untouchable.

So it seems that the Ring of Power Boon is the most confusing part of the rules. It's good to have this pointed out so I can do something about it.
Last edited by Invictus on Fri Sep 25, 2009 2:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

Damn, you are correct, I didn't read carefully enough. My munchkin is ruined. I shall revise!

I still think another attribute, Access, would be nice. Instead of concentrating wealth and all that into company, ship it to Access, which also reflects your level of access to esotoric and powerful objects, experimental technology, ancient library scrolls or whatnot. I want to make an Evil Batman, 2 Form, 5 Access, 0 Aspect (animals and people feel discomfort around you FTW), 3 Company so I can own a city and have many resources which are seperate to my own personal horde of technolgy and inheritence, and a point into Hidden.

Evil Batman for epic great justice.

EDIT: Perhaps intelligence would be nice also, or else you'll end up with people maxing out their character as best they can, then just making them super genii anyway, and having them invent stuff to cover their weaknesses or enhance their strengths, or have them totally psychologically ruin others.

EDIT2: You should totally play up all the tropes. Offer a bunch of Boons to cater to various tropes. You definitely need another weakness one, Green Rocks. Perhaps just an overall weakness that gives you an extra 2 or 3 EP, at the cost of having a weaksauce weakness. "The tears of babies make me all-powerful, and the laughter of a child makes me EXPLODE!"
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Vagrant Orpheus wrote:Damn, you are correct, I didn't read carefully enough. My munchkin is ruined. I shall revise!

I still think another attribute, Access, would be nice. Instead of concentrating wealth and all that into company, ship it to Access, which also reflects your level of access to esotoric and powerful objects, experimental technology, ancient library scrolls or whatnot. I want to make an Evil Batman, 2 Form, 5 Access, 0 Aspect (animals and people feel discomfort around you FTW), 3 Company so I can own a city and have many resources which are seperate to my own personal horde of technolgy and inheritence, and a point into Hidden.

Evil Batman for epic great justice.

EDIT: Perhaps intelligence would be nice also, or else you'll end up with people maxing out their character as best they can, then just making them super genii anyway, and having them invent stuff to cover their weaknesses or enhance their strengths, or have them totally psychologically ruin others.
What you proposed was originally what I wanted Domain to reflect - land and useful artifacts separate from the people you control. Powers reflected by the current Domain attribute went into another stat called Skill. Back then I felt that a 5 Attribute arrangement diluted each stat too much, and that I can let the players specify the details of what their Attribute levels went into. Perhaps I should have done 5 Attributes so you can specialize more by the rules. Currently, though, Aspect already does some of the stuff you proposed for Access.

Hmm, I do have a solution in mind for your super genius problem, but it will probably involve more than an Intelligence stat.

Meanwhile, here is a build of mine:

The Hikikomori Archmage
1 Body - 1 EP
5 Domain - 15 EP
0 Company - 0 EP
3 Aspect - 6 EP
Fetich (Flying Island) - 3 EP

A human wizard with god-like magic, who makes his home on a chuck of land he keeps aloft with sheer power. Knows plenty about the secret workings of the ground but prefers to stay apart from it, and prefers his solitude.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

Okay, so revising:

Witch-King of Qliphoth (25 pts)

2 Form (2 pts)
5 Domain (15 pts)
3 Company (6 pts)
0 Aspect (0 pts)

Boons:
+Hidden 1
+Elite Guard 1

From the cthonic burrow of Qliphoth the mad Witch-King plots the downfall of the world. His fanatical lieutenants, unbalanced by their master's madness, seek to infiltrate the surrounding kingdoms in order to seep the Witch-King's entropic evil inexorably deeper into the fissures of reality...
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Siege wrote:Okay, so revising:

Witch-King of Qliphoth (25 pts)

2 Form (2 pts)
5 Domain (15 pts)
3 Company (6 pts)
0 Aspect (0 pts)
Close...but 2 Form costs 3 EP. Also, which Attribute are you keeping Hidden?
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

My company, presumably. They're hidden conspiracies in remote kingdoms, working to bring about the inevitable downfall of those twice-darned do-gooders!
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Magister Militum »

Are we limited to magic and skill when it comes to things like domain and aspect, or can we go down a clockwork/steampunkish technological path?

Emperor Metellus I

2 Form - 3 EP
3 Domain - 6 EP
4 Company - 10 EP
1 Aspect - 1 EP

Boons:
+2 Elite Guard - 2 EP
+1 Fetich (a flying fortress crafted by the engineers of Carvium) - 3 EP

A former officer in the Army of the Republic of Carvium, Gaius Cornelius Metellus was a brilliant strategist, conquering the nearby city-state of Acruvium in record time and taming the vast barbarian hordes on Carvium's borders. Popular with the citizenry, the hopelessly corrupt and self-serving Senate became jealous of Metellus' fame and fearful of his growing power, and, as such, had him exiled. Metellus' spies, however, had tipped him off of the coming treachery, and Metellus' struck first, marching his army on Carvium and forcing the Senate to see things his way. As Emperor of the newly rechristened Carvium Empire, Metellus would push to expand his empire, conquering nearby rivals and taming land once infested with barbarian hordes. Utilizing the incredible technology and arcane science under his command, Metellus has solidified his hold on his realms and now seeks to expand even more until all the world bows to his whims.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

Gaius Julius, is that you? :D
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Ford Prefect »

Magister Militum wrote:Are we limited to magic and skill when it comes to things like domain and aspect, or can we go down a clockwork/steampunkish technological path?
The ruleset is pretty generic, so it doesn't really matter what you look like, if you get my meaning. Except Aspect, which is pretty much weighted towards mystically conceptual hax.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Magister Militum »

@ Siege

Sssshhh, you'll spoil the surprise for everyone! :D
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Germania your game is through, now you're gonna answer to... The Freestates! Fuck Yeah! Now lick my balls and suck on my cock! Freestates, Fuck Yeah! Coming in to save the motherfuckin' day! Rock and roll, fuck yeah! Television, fuck yeah! DVDs, fuck yeah! Militums, fuck yeah! - Shroomy
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Heretic »

The Temra



Form 0
Domain 5
Company 3
Aspect 2
Fetich- Temra Kateer (A tome of awesome tips. Breaks the fourth wall sometimes to gain information)



That's all I got until more comes. I hope this is good enough.

Edit: Whoops, messed up on EP points. Let me redo this.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

I have decided that Metellus I desperately needs a foil! So without further ado, I present you:

The Great Sultan

Form 1 1
Domain 3 6
Company 3 6
Aspect 3 6

+ Otherworld 2
+ Elite Guard 3

The alabaster city of Yanbu' al Tabuk straddles an ancient crossroads of trade routes. From the palace at the heart of this pearl of the desert rules Sultan Musa'ed Hashim al-Din bin Abdulmuin with an iron fist. The Great Sultan is rich beyond human measure, for his city controls the only known source of water in the region, and he charges a hefty sum for any passing caravan.

With this great wealth and power however, comes great peril. From the north, the forces of the Carvium Empire encroach upon the alabaster city. And within its white walls a myriad deadly enemies conspire against the Sultan: the vizier, the concubines, the merchant princes, the assassin guild and his daughter the princess all desire to murder him for his wealth or his throne.

But Musa'ed Hashim al-Din is far from defenseless. For he is a conjurer of sumptuous power, a volatile combative egomaniac with a lust for magical duelling who keeps his city in line through use of the most flamboyant and spectacularly vulgar magic he is capable of. By conjuring rains of scorpions, summoning mighty djinns, and casting storms of fire on top of the liars and deceivers who would see him deposed the Great Sultan keeps his unruly, scorching-hot city in check - for now...
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

The following is one direction the system can go. I've added a 5th Attribute and the complicated Boon system is replaced. I've given this a separate post because it's well, fairly different.

BBEG Quest 1.5

The world turns, a vast unrolling canvas on which gods and emperors leave their designs. Kingdoms rise and fall through conquest and war, mighty monuments are thrown up in glory’s name before returning to the dust of oblivion. Even Gods come and go, usurping one another over the thrones of the cosmos and rending the walls of reality open to spill forth new forces and elements. Time comes for everything in its due course, sweeping away the old for the conquerors of tomorrow.
This is the world you are in. All you know is one thing: that your time has come.

You play an ambitious character who seeks to make a mark on history, no matter what your current place is and where your loyalties lie. You have 30 starting Evil Points (EP). EP can be spent during the character creation process to buy up your Attributes. After you have paid for your Attributes, pick an appropriate number of Features for each Attribute. Any EP you have left over from buying Attributes can be used to purchase extra Features at 1 EP per Feature. These extra Features can be freely allocated to your non-zero Attributes.

Attributes
Your PC has five Attributes, roughly encompassing every aspect of their presence in the game. The Attributes are Form, Craft, Company, Domain and Aspect. How much you put in each Attribute determines you recourse in each general sphere the Attributes represent, and will basically define who – and what – you want your PC to be.
Your Attributes start at 0 and can reach a maximum level of 5. They can be raised by spending EP equal to the total numerical value of the levels you are increasing it by. In other words, an Attribute of 1 costs 1 EP, an Attribute of 2 costs 2 EP, and so on. Raising an Attribute from 0 to 3, for example, would cost you 1+2+3=6 EP. Raising it further to 4 would cost only an additional 4 EP, as you already have 3 in that Attribute.

Form: A measure of how strong and hearty you are. It is an abstraction of your PC’s physical form and whatever natural advantages and capacities it has. The Attribute is in a way the most fundamental layer of your PC’s power, determining its basic resistance to outside attack.

0 Form – You are a voice in the wind, a drifting spirit without a body. Your nature and integrity is fragile and unfixed, and significant effort is required for you to establish any kind of physical presence.
1 Form – You have the body of a human being or an equivalent creature. It is not significantly stronger or tougher than a human and does not possess any significant natural abilities.
2 Form – You have the body of a human being of heroic stature, or a fantasy species whose abilities are significantly superior to, but not completely beyond that of the human. You may have access to abilities that no human would have (e.g. wings, sonar sense, poison spit).
3 Form – You have the form of a creature fairly beyond that of the standard fantasy humanoid: a giant, a demon bristling with multiple infernal powers, or a monstrous beast such as a basilisk or a wyvern. At this level, you can also inhabit multiple creatures of lesser form e.g. a pack of wolves.
4 Form – The power and size of your form is both gigantic and unmistakable. You are a major being of fair or monstrous form such as a dragon or a titan of myth. The level of Form entitles you to both enormous physical capabilities and frightening natural abilities that will give any being pause.
5 Form – Your form can almost be mistaken for geography. A behemoth trampling the laws of nature with its very presence, you are practically unique in the world and it is downright impossible for you to conceal your nature.

Craft: A measure of how capable your PC is at solving problems and making changes by employing skill, magic or other actions. This Attribute determines your general ability to control things outside of yourself beyond the natural strengths of your body. While relatively versatile, Craft is not as inherent as Form because it is a measure of what you can do, not what you are.

0 Craft – Your natural state is analogous to one of incapacitation. Your PC is imprisoned, crippled or frequently asleep, or perhaps just overwhelming incompetent. You are unable to interact with your surroundings except in the most rudimentary ways, although you are still able to order your Company around.
1 Craft – You have the capability of an average human being or fantasy equivalent, fully capable of functioning in your background milieu and possessing enough skills, crafts and cantrips to make a viable living. If you are a monstrous creature, this still applies for ensuring your own survival and shaping your environment.
2 Craft – You have an impressive specialty or a wide range of proficiencies, able to do what few others can. Perhaps you are an outstanding fighter, an adept mage, a renowned craftsman or even a skilled diplomat. Through these means, your control over your own destiny is significant.
3 Craft – Even your mundane specialties approach that of magic; your magic itself approaches mastery. Compared to the previous level, both the range and degree of your abilities to influence the world are greatly increased. Your reach extends beyond where your eyes can see.
4 Craft – Your power is now able to touch the most fundamental layers of reality, moving beyond influencing people and objects around you to the very logos beneath your feet. At the same time, you can start to do away with the trappings of rote and method.
5 Craft – You can bend reality with a wave of your hand. Within your limited but sizeable area of influence, everything except other PCs are as malleable as clay. It is now possible for you to remake entire sections of the world into your own private domain, with laws and features of your own choosing.

Company: A measure of your ability to attract friends and followers, and in extension the extent of the friends and followers you already have. These people may be organized around you or simply members of pre-existing groups who are receptive to your wishes. Compared to Craft, the powers of your Company is more diffuse and autonomous, but has a drawback in that it is not truly your own.

0 Company – You are literally alone. By extension you are probably not very likeable, either.
1 Company – You enjoy a few loyal but mundane companions, or alternatively a single bodyguard or manservant of superlative ability.
2 Company – You are served by a small but dedicated cult, a medium-sized business, a merry band of outlaws or some group or organization with less than a hundred members.
3 Company – You are the head of an army, a religious order or a small city. Thousands are under your beck and call under a complex hierarchy.
4 Company – You rule a small country, or otherwise command the loyalty of an equivalent mass of followers, their livelihoods and the sweat of their brows. While your ability to make use of the totality of your Company at this level is diluted, the sheer amount of effort you can make use of is undeniably staggering.
5 Company – You sway is unbelievably broad and deep. There is hardly a person in the world who hasn’t heard of your name and a fair fraction of them will do whatever your prophets or heralds ask of them. Your name is unimpeachable and your charisma is seemingly unassailable.

Domain: A measure of the material resources you or your followers can make use of, in the form of everything from mundane wealth and land to esoteric grimoires and ancient artifacts of incalculable value. Domain is the aggregate representation of everything non-living that you own, whatever wild differences in value and quantity they may have. It is perhaps the most mobile of all Attributes.

0 Domain – You own nothing more than the clothes on your back, and maybe not even that.
1 Domain – You own a modest set of accoutrements that does not qualify you as well-heeled, but not as struggling either. Alternatively, you sacrifice all this for a nomadic lifestyle to upkeep some single if still mundane valuable.
2 Domain – You live a respectable, even wealthy existence by any standard, with large tracts of land and a title. Alternatively, you possess something equivalent in value such as a well-stocked library, a potent magical artifact (or several) or a medium-sized city business.
3 Domain – You have the wealth to own a fortified castle and probably all the land you can see from its parapets. Less mundanely, this can translate to a significant collection of powerful artifacts, the power to pass legislation for entire cities and regions, or some single item of almost unique significance.
4 Domain – You own the territory of a large metropolis or small nation-state, as well as all the methods of production upon it. Your riches are already more than any reasonable person can enjoy. For the less feudal-minded, you own a major trove of magical artifacts that is the pride of a continent, or perhaps some massive and unique artifact beyond the reach of your era.
5 Domain – You are unfathomably wealthy. Empires empty their treasuries to you and you are possibly one of the greatest concentrations of resources anywhere in the world. Entire codes of law and societies are your playthings. You perhaps own an artifact of world-shaking power.

Aspect: A measure of how deeply tied you are to the fundamental nature of the world you are in, stemming from your perception and lore. This can provide easy access to existing power and patronage, but is effectively a process of give and take, an investment into the status quo you seek to disrupt. While easily deeper-reaching than the powers provided by Form or Craft, it has a tendency to follow rules not set by yourself.

0 Aspect – You are spiritually and metaphorically outcast. People feel a bit of disquiet at your passing, animals flee, you are blind to magic and no higher (or lower) power in the world will look too favorably on you. These effects are magnified when combined with other high Attributes.
1 Aspect – You are in tune with the metaphysics of the world as any normal human would. You can enter the afterlife when you die; you can learn or be affected by magic quite normally and so on. However, the vast majority of the world’s secrets are still hidden from you.
2 Aspect – You are more in tune with the hidden currents of the world than average. Maybe you can see ghosts, sense water or talk to animals; qualifying you to be a competent druid or cleric with the first of your supernatural allies.
3 Aspect – Your arcane understanding is prodigious. At this level you can begin to imbue yourself with aspects of the world in direct ways – becoming the champion of a god, a high priest or simply a tranquil guru with insight in all things.
4 Aspect – You begin to take on the entirety of some aspects of the world, granting you considerable access to the power structure of reality but also binding yourself to its workings. You can be the exclusive gatekeeper of narrow categories of phenomena, making you a minor god.
5 Aspect - You embody multiple or wide aspects of reality, existing where they exist and controlling them as your will dictates – but then at this level, your will can scarcely be distinguished from the natural rhythms and obsessions that your constituent aspects dance to. You are potentially a major god, an indispensible part of the world.

Features
For each Attribute, you must have a number of Features equal to its level. Features represent your character’s most prominent traits under their respective Attributes. There is no fixed list of Features. They can be keywords, objects, characteristics or suitably evocative quotes up to a sentence in length, and must correspond to the guidelines laid down by its Attribute Level (e.g. no “Frost Titan” when you have 1 Form). When writing Features, you ideally should not repeat them within or across Attribute categories (e.g. putting down “Head of the Church” in both Company and Domain), or write generic ones that apply to any situation (e.g. “Strong”). If a Feature is vaguely defined, then its function will always be interpreted according to which Attribute it is written under (e.g. “Witch-King” will mean different things under Craft or Company, or “Renowned Archaeologist” under Craft or Aspect). Do not hesitate to write down Features that may be weaknesses as long as they are characterful; it is very likely that if a game gets going, players will be able to receive narrative benefits for allowing such Features to be exploited by other players.

Sample Features for each Attribute:
Form: Viciously Combative; Acid Blood; Swift as the Wind; Too Old for this Shit; Elder Dragon
Craft: Peerless with the Sword; Third-order Necromantic Adept; Master Orator; Wizard with the Abacus; Thundering Dragon Palm!
Company: Fanatical Cultists; Discreet Butler; Captain of the 3rd Velites; Conniving Imperial Court; Well-Educated Urbanites
Domain: The Sword of Pendragon; Mysterious Puzzle-Box; Fertile River Delta; Fortress of Doom; The Reman Empire
Aspect: Friend to Animals; Heckling Ancestor Spirits; Secrets of the Cyclopean Empire; Incumbent to the Throne of Shadow; Lord of Light.

As seen in the examples above, Features can be descriptors that modify your entire Attribute level or specific elements of those Attributes that stand out from the rest. The in-game significance of one Feature to another is equal: one character’s “Grizzled Soldiery” will be a match for another’s “Round Table”, as they both count as one Feature. It is of course possible to use a Feature to name a single artifact or individual; such a retainer or possession would be as powerful as you would expect.

During the game, these Features will represent the abilities and resources you are able to invoke. You are of course allowed to make use of abilities or resources not mentioned in your Features as long as it is reasonable to do so, but they will only perform at a rather unremarkable level of effectiveness. For example, you do not need to write down “Stately Manor” as a Feature under Domain in order to have a roof over your character’s head. If your Domain level is high enough for you to own a house, then it is reasonable for you to have one. In this way, it is still your Domain level that determines the relative power of your Features; a character will have a larger and more sumptuously appointed “Flying Castle” at 4 Domain than at 3 Domain, for example, even though the Feature itself remains unchanged.

Sample Character
Samael Arkazon, Hikikomori Archmage
1 Form (1 EP)
- Padded Build
5 Craft (15 EP)
- Scholarly Thaumaturgist
- Master of Enchantments
- Nigh-Omniscient Scryer
- Peerless Golem Crafter
- Tireless Debater
0 Company (0 EP)
4 Domain (10 EP)
- Flying Island Sanctuary
- Wards of Invisibility
- Enormous Trinket Collection
- Self-Replenishing Larder
+ Voluminous Grimoire Library
2 Aspect (3 EP)
- Library-like Insight
- Reads the Winds

Total = 29 EP
1 Spare EP = 1 Extra Feature in Domain
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

Under the new system:

The Great Sultan

1 Form (1 EP)
- Volatile Egomaniac
3 Craft (6 EP)
- Expert Conjurer
- Paragon of Elemental Magic
- Enthusiastic Magical Duellist
3 Company (6 EP)
- Beautiful Scheming Daughter
- Shadowy Assassins Guild
- Deceitful Grand Vizier
+ Djinni Bodyguards
4 Domain (10 EP)
- Magical Palace
- Flying Carpet
- Forgotten Desert
- Fertile Oasis
3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Scion of a djinn and a mortal
- Wishmaster
- Master of Sand

Total = 29 EP
1 Spare EP = 1 Extra Feature in Company
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Ford Prefect »

With the updated rules, I thought I might post the first of my three particular ideas. Maximum silliness engage:

The Sublime Bodhisattva of the Court of LED Lions (30 EP)

4 Form (10 EP)
- LED Lion
Though the Bodhisattva initially appears to be human, she is actually a LED Lion, a creature born from the spilt blood of the Once and Future King of Lions on the foam of a primordial ocean; as the daughter of a deity, she possesses natural abilities in the same ballpark of a Thunder Dragon or Hecatonchire. Perhaps most intruigingly, the golden ichor of a LED Lion is the product of such past eras that on contact with the air and earth, it will begin to change it, corrupting the current world with a revival of an alien time.
- Sublimity of Form
The Bodhisattva is unmistakable, a creature of terrible, shining beauty: leonine, serene, pitiless.
- Matchless Velocity
In motion, the Bodhisattva is like an image shattered into a hundred shadows of being: an omnipresence of speed.
- Shroud of Maitreya
A collection of titanium white armour plates, trailing sheafs of silk seemingly miles long and an unsmotherable field of glowing Sanskrit; the Bodhisattva is intended to possess the Shroud for 5,670,000,000 years, until it is to be gifted to the successor of the Dharma.
4 Craft (10 EP)
- Nirvāṇa of Blades
Through enlightenment, the Bodhisattva has achieved a mastery of weaponry beyond that which training and experience can reach.
- Precision of Thought
The Bodhisattva is capable of utmost accuracy, splitting the structure of being, striking the heart of logos; it is said she can weave an endless knot into the skein of reality on the tip of her blade.
- Kevatta Sutta
In her search for enlightenment, the Bodhisattva encountered and mastered a number of tremendous psychic powers, exercising influence with her body even as far as the Brahma worlds; under her hand, matter and energy can be shaped, while thought can be read and manipulated.
- Realisation of Transience
A fundamental principle of the Dharma is the understanding that all things, all things, are transient; through knowledge of this, the Bodhisattva has become able to erode the notion of permanence, allowing her to pass through matter as though it is open air, and move between distant points in space and dimension with only a single step.
1 Company (1 EP)
- The Arya-sangha
The Bodhisattva's eight disciples, who follow her and her teachings; though merely humans and not demideity lions, their quest for Enlightenment is both true and determined.
2 Domain (3 EP)
- The Saṅkhāra
Appearing as little more than an extended hilt with no blade; when the Bodhisattva draws it is with an edge formed by burning the very impurities of humanity.
- The Bow Kodanda
A gift from a being even more supreme in perfection than even the pride of the Court of LED Lions, even stringing this bow is said to be the work of a master warrior.
3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Sammasambuddha
The Bodhisattva is an enlightened being, and with that possesses extensive knowledge of everything that must be abandonned in order to achieve it: and more, she will teach it.
- Rinnegan
With nothing more than a glance, the Bodhisattva is able to unfurl the very cycle of being, and with her knowledge of the Dharma, interpret it.
- The Noble Eightfold Path
The Bodhisattva lives by, and in some ways is nothing more than extension of the Eightfold Path: she is right view, she is right intention, she is right speech, she is right action, she is right livelihood, she is right effort, she is right mindfulness, she is right concentration - the Bodhisattva is these things, without exception.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Siege »

The Great Sultan says: "May a thousand donkeys shit on your enlightenment!"

I'm starting to take a liking to this character. Maybe I'll port him over to Comix :).
"Nick Fury. Old-school cold warrior. The original black ops hardcase. Long before I stepped off a C-130 at Da Nang, Fury and his team had set fire to half of Asia." - Frank Castle

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Off naked Chatham show,
We dare not meet him with our fleet -
And this the Dutchmen know!
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Invictus »

Siege, what is it with you and orientalist tyrants? :P

The Spirit Zod’nor, Father of Heroes

1 Form (1 EP)
- Fragile Column of Crystal
Zod’nor’s physical form is that of a large and immobile column of crystal, an image of his visage appearing to float therein.

1 Craft (1 EP)
- Dream Omens
Always awakening at the time of need, the spirit has the power to summon suitable champions through eerie visions.
+ Mind-Tongue
No matter what era and locale, Zod’nor is always able to communicate with his candidates and persuade them to his cause.

5 Company (15 EP)
- Federic the Crimson
Inspiring and impetuous, the sword of this red-liveried knight unfailingly cleaves evil.
- Guirame the Cerulean
Lithe and cunning, the blue-liveried knight is a champion of jousts and a master of strategy.
- Eriel the Sable
Hearty and jovial, this black knight wields his massive axe with terrifying lightness.
- Trystina the Rose
Pure and full of cheer, the rosy-clad lady never fails to strike a mark with her bow.
- Shi-yu the Golden
Fey and quick-footed, the dance of this yellow-clad rogue’s daggers cannot be followed.

3 Domain (6 EP)
- Tunneling Temple
While Zod’nor himself cannot move, his secret lair always seems to turn up where it is needed most.
- Living Orichalcum
Few others possess the key to awakening these wondrous creations, elaborately-sculpted metal beasts which move by themselves.
- Fivefold Chimera Colossus
A massive juggernaut constructed from many precious metals of multiple hue. Its power is such to be beyond the control of any single master.

3 Aspect (6 EP)
- Memories of Bygone Ages
As an ancient veteran of a thousand conflicts between good and evil, Zod’nor always knows where to find new allies in desperate times.
- Ways of Justice
The Code of Virtue is what Zod’nor teaches to all his champions, unchanging throughout the generations and endlessly empowering against every new guise of evil.
- Essence of Virtue
Some say the ancient spirit is goodness personified, as little capable of acting differently as a star in the night can choose to stop shining.

Total = 29 EP
1 Spare EP = 1 Extra Feature in Craft
"This explanation posits that external observation leads to the collapse of the quantum wave function. This is another expression of reactionary idealism, and it's indeed the most brazen expression."
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Vagrant Orpheus »

The Godforsaken Omen, Nevermore

Form 3 [6]
-Legacy of the Raven
A bloodline trait passed down through all the firstborns of the Banere lineage, the very blood in Waegn's veins provides a degree of protection against magic and mental intrusion, but couples Waegn's mind with that of a psychotic demon that craves only wanton excess and violence, the Nevermore.
-Demonic Form
Cursed by the Legacy of the Raven, Waegn Banere has the ability to shift his form effortlessly between that of a paragon of human perfection, and that of Nevermore, a looming black bird-demon with feathers as hard as iron, and can control how far between these forms he moves.
-Murder Rally
Whether in his human or demonic form, Banere is able to call upon a looming swarm of blackbirds, crows, ravens and other such ominous birds, whether to peck unendingly at a foe or to shroud a hasty escape.

Craft 2 [3]
-Unerring Accuracy
Whether it be with thrown knives, a bow, repeating crossbows, or any more mundane item, Waegn can strike a target at even the utmost outer range of the projectile without more than a cursory thought to aiming.
-Combative Fire Arts
Trained by dark and zealous monks of the farlands, Waegn employs an unorthodox and unusually precise, lethal and efficient method of fighting, whether it be barehanded or with swords.

Company 2 [3]
-Orphaned Army
Banere's conquest against harlots, indecency and acts against God has seen him recruit a sizable band of loyal orphan followers, trained and raised by Banere as only he knows, with impersonal rage and unquestionable cruelty.
-Rhisiart yn Frith
The first and most loyal of Banere's servants, cursed with a body eternally of halfscore and two, Rhisiart is a telepath and a prophet, though the full extent of his witchery is never seen in an unimpeded state.

Domain 5 [15]
-Talon of the Raven
An imposing and godforsaken looking ebony tower overlooking the Badlands, the Talon is home to Banere's orphaned army, and well-defended with hermetical magic.
-Bryuhalin the Fireforged
Though merely a dagger to look upon, Bryuhalin was Forged by the souls of the dark monks, and is both indestructable and able to cut through anything, bar none.
-Vagrancy Reformation and Development Combine
Gathering together the displaced, the magical eccentrics and the outcast or outsiders of the land, Banere's combine works to produce the finest in modern weaponry and magic, without regard to ethical anchors.
-Antiquity of the Blackest Raven
With the bloodlegacy of the Raven Nevermore comes the family heirloom, an oddity that is at the cornerstone of reality itself, the very incarnation of order and immutability, without which the mountains would crumble, the sea would vanish and the sky itself would rain blood as the world spirals ever faster to doom.
-Influential Immunity
Through his vast resources, wealth and legacy Banere is nigh-untouchable within social circles, grudgingly abided at all times despite his demeanor, psychosis and profane nature.

Aspect 2 [3]
-Vision Within
Perhaps through his inheritance, or through his training with the dark monks, Banere has the unearthly ability to envision the very statements or actions that will rock a person to their very core, and quite possibly break them beyond all manner of repair spiritually and mentally.
-Vision Beyond
By its very presence, the demonic Nevermore grants Waegn the ability to peer beyond the veil of death and to torment those who he was unable to torment enough in living, or to see and understand certain truths to matters beyond this Earthly realm.
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Shroom Man 777 »

:lol: :lol: :lol:

THE GODDAMN -
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Heretic »

The Temra Merchant
The trade caravan came, as usual. All land caravans coming to the Iberean Peninsula had to go to the trading establishment of Makalea. But today, the traders were different. The canvas coverings showed a big yellow circle with jagged edges, and an eerie smile etched in the middle. But everyone was too focused on rushing into the stands and pavilions setting up. The Temra Merchant was personally here with his own caravan. Everything was on sale. From the most mundane fork to rare sorcerer tomes. And for the things unavailable, the customer could go to Merchant Guild brokers for their more exotic, and dangerous needs. For a fee of course. And for the very rare and dangerous, one will need to make a meeting with the Temra Merchant, which is a quest in itself, as many want a meeting with the Temra Merchant, who through his own means does his best to get the impossible items most of his clients would pay their whole kingdoms for.

And his first client upon reaching Makalea was the Prince of Iberean itself. He wanted a pegasus, a flying horse that only the gods and myth heroes had. But The Temra Merchant smiled and nodded, before taking from his many footlockers a huge egg and pamphlets concerning the care of the pegasus.

The Prince, in massive joy, gave the Merchant Guild special powers to his kingdom in Iberea. The Merchant Guild, as everyone knows as secretive and shy, asked not to be in royal records and tabs. The prince agreed wholeheartedly. And so, business boomed, and people started buying the Merchant Guild's wares, which were low prices and great selections. The local shopkeepers lost revenue and customers. But, unlike Wall *Mart (*a new, shorter term for a market), the chief rival of the Merchant Guild, the Guild knew the disadvantages of outsourcing and tossing out local businesses, and decided, as was the Merchant Guild protocol, help the local shops out, giving them loans and paying out taxes for the shops, in return for the shopkeepers joining the guild and buy the guild's wholesale items to sale alongside the shop's normal wares. Though most didn't like it, many shopkeepers had no choice and bought into it. And the Merchant Guild made sure, in the means of the Temra Merchant personally coming over to the houses of the dissident shopkeepers, to keep silent of the affairs.

Soon, most of the economy was under the control of the Merchant Guild, and even certain parts of the government overseeing finance had Merchant Guild members. Then, an "accident" happened.

The Prince was dead. Two blood-thirsty vultures came and pecked his brains out when he went hunting. Chaos came, and the government of the kingdom in Iberea withdrew into a defensive stance in the fortress. And without the armed soldiers to protect the citizens from invasions outside and constables running away with their families, allowing looting and rioting, who did the citizens turn to? The Merchant Guild, who conveniently seem to have a large enough security arm large enough to both protect the kingdom's populace and, someone in the crowd whispered to another just for the measurement of the size, still have enough to invade the fortress. And when the peasants cried out for blood against the government, the Merchant Guild, being paid "for the maintaining of our humble security" went out with their advanced siege weaponry and instantly overthrew the government. With the Temra Merchant overseeing and financing the whole siege.

Interesting enough, the Merchant Guild did not take the kingdom as their own. They allowed the people to elect a new monarchy, and life seemed to be back to normal, with the Merchant Guild helping out in the restoration effort. Soon, the guild became part of the kingdom in Iberea's life.

And during that night, as the Temra Merchant and his special caravan secretly passed through the gate out of the kingdom and through Makalea, he wrote the kingdom under "ASSETS" in his accounts.



Form 1:
Special Operations Merchant: Part of the Temra Branch in the Merchant Guild, The Temra Merchant is the only field operative in that branch. Though only human, he uses the natural urge to want as an advantage. Every being in the world, from the slowest snail to the mightiest titan, wants something. And if The Temra Merchant can strike that cord, he is able to put the leash on that being and control it. He is also damn filthy rich from his merchant adventures, and can easily obtain items many people cannot, using money, wit, blackmail, and intimidation.

Craft 3:
The Strings of Want: Being in the field for a long time, the Temra Merchant knows what strings to pull. Even the most puritan anti-materialist has something they want that the Temra Merchant has, even ideals. His charm and cash has gotten him far in the mundane world, but against the more spiritual and cunning, it is a challenge, and The Temra Merchant is always on his feet for treachery and subtle magic traps. But he still manages to twirl demi-gods and heroes around his fingers with quite ease.

The Merchant of Death: The Temra Merchant is able to buy and sell military grade equipment, and is a broker between the ruler wanting to wage war and the unruly and bloodthirsty beings who fight. The client can be as general or as specific as can be, and the Temra Merchant will be able to find the goods and services. Sorcerers? There was quite a bit of outcasts from the enemy's own guild, and the rejects seem to want revenge, saving costs. Toad Mercenaries? The Puddles of Sookalla have exploding tadpoles, that if touched with the Numbing Herbs of Zupm, can transform into absolutely loyal soldiers. The Temra Merchant is the politician's best friend at first, but gradually becomes a bane, as once the Temra Merchant finishes the deal, he has no responsibilities in maintaining the army, unless for a monthly fee. And usually doesn't know how to maintain a kraken after peacetime, and now has a monster problem at shore. And usually, the Temra Merchant is already half the globe away when the problem comes. But of course, the kingdom in jeopardy could buy the Hero Starter Kit from various Merchant Guild brokers nearby for a handsome price, and if you buy your kit now, you'll have a sidekick to come along with the hero!

Company 4:

Contacts and Contracts: Every merchant has a network of buyers and sellers, and the Temra Merchant is no different. But alongside the normal retailers, wholesalers, and the wandering gypsy peddlers, The Temra Merchant knows people, dangerous and mysterious people, who have a surplus of rarities that other dangerous and mysterious people want. The Temra Merchant also deals with higher beings such as spirits and dragons, buying and selling to them too. The Temra Merchant is the bridge between the the customer gap, a gap divided by the needs of each group, being able to sale human board games to bored pantheons, and wondrous Macguffins to the plucky teenage group of heroes in their journey against the Evil of the East and such.

The Merchant Guild: The Merchant Guild is the largest commerce institution in the world. Their headquarters, a massive market where both the peasant and the god in disguise goes, is stationed in a huge flying landmass called Peerdra, with fences posted with advertisements (and whores) surround the perimeter. There, both hero and villain shop for their deeds, where the wizard buys food and the warrior buys muscle lotion. And Peerdra, unlicensed fighting is not allowed, and to destroy the teleportation gates all over the world to Peerdra intentionally will bring the wrath of "Our Humble Security Force". The Temra Merchant is in one of many branches and the most secretive, hidden by the small size of his branch and the bureaucratization of the power system. The Temra Merchant has connections in all branches, as well as satellites. When dealing with the Merchant Guild concerning commerce, The Temra Merchant is given half off of price on rare items, and virtually pays only the price that the other Guild merchant bought for concerning mundane items, such as common magical tomes and pet cats. And The Temra Merchant has full clearance to look through Guild records and hidden archives, as well as command "Our Humble Security Force" as he see fits.

Domain 5:

Damn Filthy Rich: With all his travels and deals amongst many brands of beings, the Temra Merchant has gained massive assets and capital, all stored all over the world and in many different institutions. And he remembers where all of it is. The man could be an empire within himself if he wanted it. Buying two kingdoms is like wasting a penny to him, though upkeep is a bit more. It is probably safe to say that the Temra Merchant is the second most wealthiest man, right under the Headmaster of the Merchant Guild himself.

Edit: I have like 2 or 3 EP over....is there a way, like a disadvantage or something, that can nullify the excess EP?
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Magister Militum
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Re: [Experimental!][RPG?] BBEG Quest

Post by Magister Militum »

Emperor Metellus the Great

2 Form (3 EP)
- Strength of the Gods
A soldier all his life, Metellus has always made it a point to be at his absolute physical peak so that he may personally lead his nation to victory on the battlefield.
- Fleetest of Foot
A lifetime of fighting against various foes has left Metellus with surprisingly quick reaction times, allowing him to anticipate the moves of his enemies in combat.

3 Craft (6 EP)
- Brilliant Strategist
The greatest military mind ushered into existence by Carvium, Metellus is a strategist of unrivaled skill, leading his nation to victory against even the most disproportionate odds.
- God of War
Be it with a greatsword, crossbow, or rifle, Metellus wields any weapon given to him with consummate, and some would say divine, skill.
- Manipulator of the Masses
Through the expert use of his popularity and propaganda, Metellus is capable of swaying the passions of his people for his use with ease, as well as manipulating the various Imperial factions into doing his will.

4 Company (10 EP)
- The Military of the Carvium Empire
The defenders and conquerers of the Carvium Empire, the Carvium Classis and the Carvium Legions are an all-volunteer, highly disciplined military force. Shunning magic, the military instead makes use of the power of arcane science and technology, fielding technological wonders strike awe into the hearts of citizens and fear into the hearts of their primitive barbarian enemies.
- Self-Serving Senate
Despite its forced compliance and weakening, various families of the Senate continue to scheme against Metellus, waiting for the moment in which they can retake their former prestige and dispose of the would-be world conquerer.
- Publius Avisius Eugenius
One of the chief lieutenants of Metellus, Eugenius is the warmaster of the Imperial Guard, and its most deadly and skilled member.
- The Imperial Guard
Formed from the most skilled soldiers from the Carvium Legions, the Imperial Guard acts as both Metellus' bodyguards and as his elite reserve, capable of turning the tide of any battle just by their mere presence.

4 Domain (10 EP)
- The Carvium Empire
Emperor of the Carvium Empire, Metellus controls the totality of the industrial, economic, and military assets of Carvium, and can make use of them in any way he sees fit.
- Forges of Ferrumpolis
One of the many wonders of the Carvium Empire, the Forges of Ferrumpolis make use of the valuable ores in the mountainside to construct the powerful arms and defenses that the Carvium Legions make use of in their campaigns of conquest.
- The Clockwork Army
The pride of the engineers of Carvium, the various types of clockwork soldiers are a recent addition to the Carvium Legion and Classis. Unlike human soldiers, clockwork soldiers do not tire, need time to rest, or feel fear, allowing them to relentlessly march toward their enemy with unshakable determination.
- Flying Fortress Invincible
The first flying fortress created by the engineers of Carvium especially for Metellus, the flying fortress Invincible is an unassailable juggernaut equipped with a devastating array of weapons that can reduce whole cities into rubble strewn wastelands.

1 Aspect (1 EP)
- Any Sufficiently Advanced Technology is Indistinguishable from Magic
Having used the power of science and technology to crush the mystical power of various barbarian hordes in the past, Metellus sees no real use in pursuing the supposed power of magic
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