Old-school fantasy RPG interest check

[Soulstep]

Race - Human
Role - Hellmage
Uses offensive spells and summons demonic creatures, though isn't necessarily evil.
Description - Thin and wirey, bright red hair. Wears black robes and all of his spells have a dark purple colour.

[tincanhitman]

Name- Shal'baseen is his true name but is only known as "peaches"

Race - Shadow Disciple
Role - EX-Monk
Uses quick melee attacks with his fists and also practices as a drunken fighter. uses shadows to do medium ranged attacks and has the ability to use shadows for other things.
Description - Strong and well built, wears a loose fitting black hooded robe, with gold symbols on the back. He hals solid gold eyes that glow if he becomes angry.

His people are the Shadow Disciple, spoken in fear of for stealing children and orphans to be indoctrinated into their cult. "pure" Shadow disciples are beings who were made from the shadow that followed Kel'Gras, god of war, and were said to have knowledge of all dark and evil.

The Shadow Disciples stole children and raised them to be "The Fury" empty bodies of shadow bound to a soul that fanatically followed the shadow disciples and worshiped them as demigods.

Peaches was born a Shadow Disciple, but before he knew what he truly was his monastery was attacked by "The Pale fist's" a apposing group of monks who followed Hep, a god of light.

He was raised by the pale fist in an attempt to use him as a weapon against the Shadow Disciples.

At the age of 16 he was told who he really was and became an outcast by the other kids at his monastery. The only person who would talk to him was an 13 year old girl who had a crush on him. He and her became best friends.

He soon began to master his powers and learned he had the ability to become a shadow monger, a large demonic looking humanoid who was a devastating opponent. He was not able to control it and begged his master to not force him, but he did not listen.

In his Shadow monger form he killed his best friend and partially consumed her soul. Using the knowledge the Shadow monger he bound the rest of her soul to a ring she had given him. He hallucinates her voice, tempting him, torturing him.

He also hears the shadow monger side of him, telling him to do horrible things

Enraged he left and became a bounty hunter and a drunk.
(sorry a bit long >.<)

[Dufflepud]

I hope it's not too late to join? If not, this'll be what I want to play as:

Name: Ratchet

Race: Warforged
Constructs with sentience and personalities built for the sole purpose of war hundreds of years ago, but now free. Every warforged has a symbol on their forehead, which is as unique as a fingerprint.

Class: Artificer
Instead of conventional magic, artificers imbue weapons/items/technology/constructs with magical properties.

Description: Seven and a half feet tall, Ratchet is constructed entirely out of adamantine and mithril. He is significantly stronger and faster than a flesh and blood creature of similar size, but his true strength lies in his ability to use magical infusions on himself and his weapons. His weapon of choice is a double bladed staff that was built with him when he was constructed. the shaft is made out of adamantine, and the blades are mithril. The blades are barbed, and each has a tang that extends several inches into the shaft. The blades are spring loaded, and he carries several extra blades with him, some of which are attatched to rope. Almost as long as Ratchet is tall, the the staff can fire the blades with immense power. Additionaly, he posesses dozens of other concealed blades built into his armor. Ratchet always wears a flowing red cape attatched to his shoulders.

[Seraph]

Option #1

Name - TaoRuk
Race - Reptilian / Mammalian Humanoid
Role - Shaman Hunter
Uses - A hybridized huntsman and warrior utilizing a mix of skill, cunning, and strength to face down his foes. Spiritually attuned to the Earth the may channel vital energies to heal or empower self and allies. Prefferrered equipment would be bows, clubs / battle staves, small trade knife. Armor and clothing are commonly made of hide and tough leather, can wear lighter armors like chain, scale, etc.
Description - Tall and broad with a hide of cracked scale and callused skin covering their beast-like features. They grew in the harsh environment of the arid badlands, the ancestral home of their clan. They are a born and raised from a nomadic clan of huntsmen. Having been tutored by their mother shaman, they have been raised to respect the forces that drive nature and to be wary of its furies. Yet under father hunter this whelp has been molded into a strong willed warrior of the clan. They have been born into a dark time of their tribe's history that had been slowly worn down and then torn asunder by enemies that had sought to enslave or exterminate. After many tragic losses this last living descendant travels in search of solace and closure. "The hard hearts of this world care little for the life of the Earth. But the benevolent mother spirits go on to guide us on a peaceful path, even as we wither and return to the soil. Perhaps that is just why it is the nature of such things."

Option #2

Name - Sereph Taylor
Race -Human Werewolf
Role - Thief / Fighter and when transformed Beast Berserker
Uses - Light armors or simple clothing is preferred. Utilizes small melee weapons like daggers, one-handed axes, or short swords. Also uses small tools to pick locks.
Description - A grizzled man appearing to be in his late forties. The man is broadly shouldered with a defined musculature as if he were in his prime. He is fairly tall, standing roughly six feet, and carries himself in a slightly slumped posture with a irritably tired expression on his face. Sereph is a mercenary and wanted man. Having been forced to spend most of his early years into manhood on the outer fringes of society because of his "condition". For many years he's struggled to come to terms with the nature of his "monster" and has since put a leash on it in terms of controlling the hound that dwells within himself. In time he has found a living taking on odd jobs and wormed his way back into the lower ends of civil society as a sell-sword. "This damned curse 'o' mine ain't the sunniest 'o' things, but it has its perks I guess. I'd watch yourself though..."

[Spartan 999]

(Sorry, been busy)


Race: Drow Fel-Sworn ( www.wowwiki.com/Fel-sworn )

Class: Death Knight

Uses: Full plate armor made of Uru-vecka*, a greatsword Runeblade made of Uru-vecka.

Description: (getting there...)


OR


Race: Night Elf

Class: Demon Hunter/Archer

Uses: Dual warglaives made of Celium**, breastplate made of Jir'kanur***, a composite longbow.

Description: (also getting there)



*A rare metal that is extremely heavy and dense, thus providing excellent protection when forged as armor or shields. When made as a weapon, the extra weight allows a skilled user to strike with more force. It is dark-grey with "veins" of scarlet running through.

**A rare metal that, when forged as a weapon, holds a keener edge than any other metal. Celium is extremely flexible and can be worked into a springy armor that turns aside the mightiest blows. It is a deep purple color.

***A metal that is about 1 1/2 times the strength of steel, and weighs half as much. It is a pale white-silver color.

[SuperCommando]

Looks great so far, everyone! One quick thing though... No pics please. A major component of my vision for this project is incorporating art and music with the RP. As a reward to players who do well in the RP, I plan on making custom drawings of their character. And when the RP is over, the characters who have participated all the way through without quitting or going inactive will be featured in a youtube video!

But if you grab some random pic off google and say, "this is me", that kinda ruins the whole original drawing thing. When I'm ready to draw your character, I'll ask for an extremely detailed description in words. You could use a google pic as inspiration for your description, but I don't wanna see it. If I see a picture, it gets stuck in my head and I'll end up re-creating it instead of making something original.

So again, no pics please.

And on a similar note, let's also stay away from using pre-existing terms from other fantasy settings. Generic words like mage and demon are fine, but I'd prefer not to use ones like artificer or arcanite that are unique. As far as I'm concerned, the best terms, classes, cultures, ect are the ones that you make up yourselves.

[Huka]

Sorry,guys, I haven't got a real chance on a computer lately. I will give you my character today and my focus will be on this!

[Spartan 999]

Schweet.

Right, so I'll make up NEW awesome materials for my stuff.

[Seraph]

I wasn't really deriving my material I wouldn't think. Unless coincidence hath screwed thee yet again! Maybe I'll make a third one...

[Dufflepud]

Ok, sorry, I'll remove the pic. However, artificer isn't unique at all. Not only is it in a ton of different fantasy games, making it pretty generic, but it's also a real word refereing to a real profession. Can I keep it?

[SuperCommando]

Yes you can Duffle, because your character concept is so cool. ;D

[Huka]

Jovis

Race - Regulusian, or Leo in short

Role -Helios Knight, a sect of knights of the Regulusian race who dedicate their skills for martial combat and their faith to the sun god of Regulus, whose eye provide the heat and light of the sun.

A paladain-type of fighter, he can strike hard and fast, as well he can conjure fire(as a religious requirement in the Helios Knights) for distance attacks or augment, and heal, but he is required to follow a strict honor code.

Description - A large leonine humaniod, standing a close to 7 feet tall and weight about 400 pounds, with uncharacteristic dark brown fur and a black mane, the Helios Knight bear intelligent green eyes and have a long sleek body that have been trained well for speed and agility, but beguiles his innate strength.
Unlike his brethern, he wear less bulky armor to better his mobility, but just as decorated. Bright Golden battle armor that appears ceremonial with its symbolic glyphs, but protects his chest, shoulders, forearms, and lower legs well.

In battle, he wields a battle spear with finesse and precision, and have a handful of javelins on his back for long-range hits.

[darthsloan]

Race: Human

Role:Fighter- He prefers one handed short swords. He is also attempting to learn fire magic. Currently he is only able to form small balls of fire magic which do not have the power to kill but rather burn severely.

Description: He is around six feet tall and around one hundred and sixty pounds. He has dark brown hair and brown eyes with a long slashing scar on his right cheek. He is of medium build for a human, and perhaps a little skinny. For armor he has light and thin steel plate breastplate, made of steel strips tied together by leather strips. The armor overlaps over each plate for maximum mobility. For ankle and wrist protection he wields hardened leather pads and wears leather gloves and boots.

[Spartan 999]

It seems we have a lot of people wanting to join...

*whack* Thank you, Captain Obvious...

[SuperCommando]

Okay, I have some options for you guys to consider.

As you know, I am putting a lot of effort into making a high quality RP. Originally I planned on drafting up the whole entire thing before releasing it so that we can play through without interruption. But recently, as I work it is becoming apparent that the scope of this project might be too large to keep you guys waiting so long. Maybe it would be a better idea to break the overall adventure into "episodes", featuring one area or so at a time. You can get RPing sooner this way because I won't need the whole campaign pre-made from beginning to end. However, there would be breaks in between each episode as I build the next session. This approach is actually quite fitting for an old school RPG when I think about it, considering when people get together in person there is only so much they can accomplish in one gaming session.

The second matter at hand is how to handle player count. I began this project intending for it to be for a small party only. But at this rate, that would only mean half of you, and I hate rejecting anybody. So I came up with the idea that the adventure would have a central hub to serve as a base camp where everybody stays, and that characters in the party could be switched out for ones in the camp. This way we can at least rotate players in and out, instead of rejecting them outright. You guys will have to decide amongst yourselves who rotates and when, which can add some strategy to the overall RP. And occasionally, I might be willing to do segments where all players participate at once. This method, however, might result in some players getting more experience or having slightly more play time than others depending on how things go. This method would also work well with the "episode" idea above, as players can rotate between episodes, but it will also work just fine in one long campaign as well.

So what do you think? Do you want:

- One long seamless campaign, or break the campaign into multiple episodic sessions?

And

- One small party from start to finish, or rotate party members between areas/sessions?

[Dufflepud]

1. I would prefer you break it up. That way the fun will be more spread out, and we'll be afforded breaks between sessions which is allways a good thing. We also won't have to wait as long! ;D

2. I would prefer the former, as the idea of a base camp that we always return to and then swap out party members at is slightly awkward, but I'm fine with anything you decide.

[Huka]

I agree with Duffle.

[Spartan 999]

Episodic, and it would be easier to have only one party. But I too hate not letting people join as well...

[Soulstep]

Definately episodic, and I wouldn't mind the base camp idea. Wouldn't be all that hard to pull off, so long as all involved didn't mind missing out an episode once in a while.

[tincanhitman]

i think small party and episod

[Seraph]

I guess it's a unanimous vote for the campaign to be broken down into segments.

I would be a little torn between the party predicament. On the one hand it would give some of the the other players who could use the breaks between each segment if they get tired. On the other there is the issues of fairness. I suppose it would depend on how eager all players are to participate. I don't mean to discourage anyone, but we should all consider how readily we will be available to post. I'm not one to overextend myself if I don't think I can handle it unless I believe I can manage.

I guess I'm half and half on party size and rotation. Though, I may preffer small party.

[Deleted]

Agreed on the first and torn on the second. But this massive group would be increasingly difficult as things progressed. Meanwhile, is it right to tell people they cannot partake? Where is a solid based answer that explains things?

[Spartan 999]

Maybe...multiple campaigns?

Although...that would require a lot of extra work...

[SuperCommando]

Yeaaaaah... no. There's no way I can handle running two games at once. I do have ideas for a sequel if this RP turns out well, but right now we're gonna focus on one thing at a time.

Glad you guys are liking the episodic sessions approach, that's how I'll do it then. I still haven't fully made up my mind on the party situation yet, although I'm heavily leaning towords the base camp option at this point. I know for a fact that I can make it work, and that way nobody gets unfairly rejected.

Here's what I'm thinking... Each episode will be a "chapter" of the overall story. The first chapter will be a prologue that introduces everybody's character and the premise of the campaign's plot, as well as serving as a tutorial of sorts. Players will then have the option to opt out if they decide this kind of game isn't for them. The next chapter is where the players arrive at the main setting and establish the camp. Each chapter after that will take place in one of the surrounding areas and will have a limited number of players that can go. Everyone who is not playing the current chapter will be able to post in a separate, optional "camp" thread for casual RP (think of it like an intermission thread). Players can also post in the camp thread between chapters while I'm busy working on the next one. And finally, I will also scatter in a few special chapters where all characters can participate at once.

Just to avoid confusion, I want to specify that just one camp will suffice for the entire campaign. It's not like you'll be free-roaming across the entire world in this game. (You will, in fact, be on an island. A large island mind you, with many varied locations). And posting in the camp thread won't be mandatory, it will simply be there for people who want something to do when they're not in a chapter. I will also figure out a way for you to swap an active player for one standing by if absolutely necessary. And when determining who gets to participate in any given chapter, first choice will go to the most active players. If they pass, then someone else gets to take their place. Players will probably only be allowed to do two chapters in a row to be fair.

Of course, this is assuming we still have so many people interested by the time the RP starts. Once the rules are posted, you will have a better idea of how everything will work, and you'll be given the final decision to be commited or not. Who knows? Maybe the rules will turn some of you away. Or maybe people will die in the RP until only enough for a single party is left. We'll see.

So... unless I decide otherwise, consider that how it's going to be. Cool?

[Deleted]

Thou hast stricken me in a way of amazement that thee cannot explain in mortal words. Thy must invent a new word to express thyself appropriately. Thy new word shall be called, BITCHEN!

[tincanhitman]

Tis veralily, bitchen. I find mine self entwined with this new word for it is of no mortal being!

[Spartan 999]

What they said...

[Dufflepud]

YYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!

[Soulstep]

Insert jubilations here!

[darthsloan]

tis thus hath spoken