The Thunder Tyrant

At the suggestion of @King and @deadcasketburied, I'm throwing up this thread to act as a sort of repository for questions and answers -- anyone on the Valucre Discord knows that I like to wax poetic about food and lifting, and centralizing some of the topics that come up there will do two things: a) minimize having to repeat information by putting the answers in a readily available area and b) give me some ideas as to what people are most curious about regarding fitness and nutrition. One of my projects for this year and the next is to develop a comprehensive guide to proper nutrition and healthy eating, so this thread will hopefully help me direct my research and reading while also allowing me to help people with questions, concerns, or curiosities. I don't have a degree in nutrition or in sports science, but I do enjoy studying exercise and nutrition, and I've trained off and on (more off, admittedly) for about seven years. @Albireo, @Ran Iji, and @Corban can attest to the fact that I know, at the very least, how to get results as far as exercise and diet are concerned, in lieu of said degree(s). Topics I can/will answer on (in terms of most to least focus): 1. General diet/nutrition concerns. 2. Sports nutrition/Specific dietary protocols (paleo, ketogenic, vegetarian, how to cut weight, how to gain, etc). 3. Health/Sport supplementation. 4. Training methodologies (rep ranges, training routines, discussions on volume/frequency, training for specific purposes like strength gains or athletic goals). Topics I won't answer about: 1. PEDs of any kind (weight cutting agents, exogenous hormones, etc). This is less for legality and more for health reasons; there's no reason to discuss these kinds of topics outside of very specific frames of reference. 2. Retooling/Rating diets. The reason for this is threefold: a) I don't know your goals or your habits, b) I don't know your dietary restrictions or preferences and c) This is generally time consuming and ergo more of a paid service. 3. Rating exercises. While I'm happy to discuss whether or not certain exercises are beneficial for particular goals (e.g., what does barbell overhead press provide vs what does dumbbell overhead press provide), I won't try to rate/weight/rank exercises as "better" or "worse" because exercise is enormously individual. What's a terrible exercise for me as a 6'4'', 270 lb individual with two herniated discs in my lower spine might be great for you, so it wouldn't do for me to direct you away from that exercise.

Reserved space for full-detail profile iteration.

Reserved space for combat-specific profile iteration.

status Name:: Tancred Takeda Alias:: --- Title:: --- Age:: 18 Gender:: Male Race:: Human, Terrenian Nationality:: Welandi-Terranian Ethnicity:: Welandi-Renovatian Birthplace:: Weland Profession:: Vagabond Class:: Ronin ↳ Sub-Class:: --- identity i. persona Religion:: Apathetic Gaianism Philosophy:: Takeda Clan Bushido Morality-Alignment:: Chaotic Good ii. appearance Hair Color:: Onyx Eye Color:: Slate Skintone:: Caucasian; lightly tanned Height:: 6'3'' Weight:: 230 lb Bodyfat:: 11% Physique:: Muscular-athletic Notable Features:: --- Physiological Variations:: Tripolar Synapse Junction, Epicoramine training i. combat proficiencies Pistols, Magitech :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Longarms, Magitech :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Swords :: ■■■■■■□□□□ ↳ Spatha :: ■■■■■■■□□□ Bows :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Daggers :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Polearms :: ■■■■■□□□□□ ↳ Yari :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Spears :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Hand to Hand :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Throwing Weapons :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Shields :: ■■■■■□□□□□ ii. supernatural proficiencies --- iii. non-combat skills Education → Religion → Gaianism :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Educaion → Special Topic → Bushido :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → Geography → Terrenus :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → Geography → Weland :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → History → Terrenus :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education→ History → Weland :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → Language → Common :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → Politics → Terrenus :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Education → General Topics :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Knowledge → Politics → Weland :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Knowledge → Rumors → Weland :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Knowledge → Weland Samurai Clans :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Knowledge → Military Doctrine :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Knowledge → Lore → Terrenus Superstitions :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Skill → Smithing → Armor Upkeep :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Skill → Smithing → Weapon Upkeep :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Skill → Survival → General :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Skill → Survival → Tracking :: ■■■■■□□□□□ Skill → Survival → Stealth :: ■■■■■□□□□□ equipment i. arms ◥ Yari [steel, cornel] [mundane] ◥ Spatha [steel, oak] [mundane] ◥ Parma [poplar, steel, leather] [mundane] ◥ Magitech Howdah Pistol [steel, crystal, oak] [mana-infused] ◥ Tanto [steel, oak] [mundane] ii. armor ◥ Breastplate [steel, leather] [mundane] ◥ Bracers, splintmail [steel, leather] [mundane] ◥ Greaves, splintmail [steel, leather] [mundane] ◥ Jin Baori [linen, leather] [mundane] ◥ Leggings [linen] [mundane] ◥ Sandals [straw, leather] [mundane] iii. misc ◥ Currency [150 credits] ◥ Rations [2 wks] ◥ Armor & Weapon Maintenance ◥ Rucksack [carry limit: 50 lb] ◥ Medical Supplies [basic] background i. history-timeline 0 - born; mother dies in childbirth 3 - father remarries Welandi woman 4 - younger brother is born 5 - Tancred is enrolled into academic studies 5 - Tancred's training in the Takeda familial martial arts begins 10 - Tancred's study of the Takeda interpretation of Bushido begins 10 - Tancred's position as heir is supplanted by younger brother 15 - Tancred finishes his academic studies 15 - Tancred serves as bushi/retainer to Takeda clan leader, per Takeda tradition 18 - adulthood; Tancred dismissed from compulsory retainer service ii. recent events Tancred has completed his three year period of compulsory service as retainer to the lord and has been dismissed from further service because of his mixed heritage. This has turned Tancred into a ronin or knight errant: a warrior without a master and without a cause. Tancred seeks to find his way in Terrenus. iii. going ons --- iv. rumors ..Tancred is clearly of mixed heritage. Only his immediate family know his lineage [Welandi-Renovatian], but the fact that he isn't pureblood Welandi is clear to any who see his face. Some in Weland believe Tancred to be a bastard, despite his father's insistence to the contrary. v. active locales ---

As I told Roen on Discord, I'll be rewriting the front page at some point in the near-ish-esque future. It was written lackadaisically because it was for the community I'd played in for years, so I could get away with a "you know how I do things" approach to writing out the rules. I'll rewrite it to better articulate several aspects of the rules, and attach some essays to it that will help illuminate some of the specifics of the VCL (such as the tighter definition of "mild powers" compared to the Valucre definition). I don't have an ETA on when the rewrite will happen, but I'll try and get it done whenever I have time.

The core of T1 is nothing more than "taking turns posting at each other." Every rule, concept, or caveat beyond that is a variant designed to try and parse out the how/when/where/why that's involved in taking turns playing pretend. The whole designation of T1/T2 is only a differentiation between turn-based (T1) and speed-connection (T2) based play that derives from real-time chatroom roleplaying. In T1, we take turns. I post, you post, I post again, you post again. This is in contrast to T2, we'd be in a chatroom and we would determine who is successful based on how quickly we can post an "attempt" and then a subsequent "connection" before the other player can successfully intervene*. That's all T1 is: turn-based play. However you want to do it, whatever rules you want to apply, are up to each community, event organizer, and/or individual players. You choose your rules and approach to suit your goals. No matter how simple or convoluted your ruleset, as long as you're taking turns and roleplaying via prose -- that's T1. *There's numerous variations of T2. I'm just giving the basic idea in order to explain, via contrast, what T1 is.

status Name:: Maguaro tu'Agoa ta'Sadraal Vaata Alias:: Magua, Gauro Age:: 27 Gender:: Male Race:: Orc, Tanaroan Nationality:: Tanaoran; Agoa tribe, Sadraal clan, Venatu family Birthplace:: Caracoa, Aldebara Isle, Tanaroa. Profession:: Monster Hunter, Bounty Hunter Class:: Guntheurge ↳ Subclass:: Shotgun Thaumaturge Specialization:: Force Arcana [Major], Hex Arcana [Minor] identity i. persona Keywords: Brooding, determined, quiet, calm, honor-bound, honest, laconic, deadpan, casually violent. Archetypes: Professional, Soldier, Hunter, Leader, Educated Savage, Honorable Warrior Life Tenets: Duty to kin, loyalty to comrades, word-as-bond, religious faith, way of the warrior ii. appearance height:: 7'2'' weight:: 320 lb. physique:: Burly, muscular-athletic. skin color:: Slate gray. hair color:: Black tinged with scarlet. hair style:: Dreadlocks. eye color:: Faded yellow. racial features:: tusks, heavy jawline, skintone, eye color. Maguaro is a mountain of a man by any measure; even by Tanaroan standards he is taller and more muscular than average. Tanaroan skintones range from jet black to alabaster white, and Maguaro is squarely in the middle with a deep, stony gray. His skin is thick like leather, but not roughly textured. In the Tanaroan tradition, Maguaro is both pierced and tattooed: he has multiple piercings in both ears and two sleeves of tattoos the run down both arms, the latter of which marks his profession, status, and prestige as a warrior and hunter. Like most orcs, Tanaroan or otherwise, Maguaro has a pronounced brow, deeply sunken eyes, and a lantern jaw. Most of his teeth are emphatically pointed, and two small, two inch tusks jut from his mouth. In the fashion of those who live in Caracoa, Maguaro has sheathed his tusks in bronze. He wears his hair ln shoulder-length dreadlocks that are pulled back and tied off together with a length of leather. He often wears beads, feathers, and shamanic fetishes in his hair, most of of them made from bone, ivory, or wood. Maguaro prefers to dress plainly, wearing dark, plain colors. In contrast to this, he often paints his face, using the traditional colors of the Tanaroan wargod: black and yellow. His voice is low and thick, reminiscent of crumbling stone or the rasp of gravel. He speaks quietly and taciturnly most often, but is capable of being exceptionally loud in certain circumstances. iii. culture Tanaroan culture is a complex, multi-layered warrior society that has been strongly influenced by the fact that the Tanaroa Isles are home to some of the most vicious and deadly predators in the multiverse. Tanaroans put an enormous amount of emphasis on self-reliance, worship of the gods, respect of nature, and on violence. As dangerous as Tanaora is, they believe that there are even worse dangers outside the corporeal world and that the gods protect them from these horrors. As such, faith is an integral element to the Tanaroa way of life. Because the gods are demonstrably active, atheism by and large does not exist. Tanaroans believe that the world is cyclical; that the universe is made, destroyed, and remade repeatedly with the birthing of World Beasts from the creator gods' dreams. Because of this, death is accepted as a crucial part of life, and is celebrated rather than mourned because thos who die, excepting the unfaithful and the dishonorable, go on to some form of heaven while they await the next World Beast's slaying. All Tanaroans are trained to hunt and fight, and are expected to spend at least two weeks out of the year dedicated to hunting. Some clans are dedicated hunters or warriors, meaning that in lieu of taking up a trade, they spend their entire lives protecting their fellow tribesmen. This position is the nearest thing to nobility that the Tanaroan orcs have. There are numerous warrior lodges that a hunter or warrior might join, but this is not required. A good warrior is expected to take captives for ritual sacrifice, and one's position in nobility is largely dictated by their ability to capture their foes alive and mostly-unharmed. Tanaroan society is based on a chiefdom system, with numerous sub-chiefs, elder councils, and the like. The chief if any tribe is the head of the clan that has accumulated the highest number of captives. iv. religion Tanaroan religion is polytheistic -- and, with the arrival of the Ansharans, henotheistic. There are numerous gods in the Tanaroan pantheon, and many of them have multiple titles and aspects, meaning that how one worships any particular god or goddess is dictated on the how and why of that worship. In Tanaroan creation myth, the four primordial gods are asleep, and it is their children that make up the pantheon. From the creator gods' dreams come forth the World Beasts. When the first World Beast was slain, its body was used to create the universe. Each subsequent World Beast has destroyed the prior world, been slain, and then had its body used to create the next universe. The Tanaroans believe that they live in the Ninth World. Tanaroan magic is divided across various axes: those who commune with nature are similar to druids, those who commune with spirits are akin to shamans, and those who act as agents of the gods are priests, clerics, paladins, or similar equivalents. Tanaroans practice ritual sacrifice in order to pay homage to the gods. Because of the integral aspect death plays in their daily life -- death in war, from disease, from the monsters in the jungle, the inevitable death of the universe and the death-birthing of the World Beast and the next universe -- these sacrifices hold an honored place in society. Anyone selected to be sacrificed is treated like royalty until their sacrifice, and for many in Tanaroan society, living a year as a sacrifice is better than living out their natural lives. training i. Gunmage → Shotgun Thaumaturge Maguaro has studied Ansharan magic, which is organized into categories known as Arcana. There are a multitude of Arcanae, ranging from the Elemental (fire, water, earth, wind, etc) to the Primeval (Life, Death, Force, Chaos, Order, etc). Maguaro is trained in the use of the Force Arcana, which allows him to generate and manipulate magical phenomena that influence how material objects in the world move. Maguaro served in the Ansharan army as a Military Thaumaturge -- someone trained to weld arcane prowess with martial ability. In Ansharan magic, the Arcana are focused most often through physical objects such as staves, wands, swords, or the like, and the choice of focus can dictate the means by which an Arcana is manifested. As part of the military, Maguaro's chosen focus is the shotgun. As a Shotgun Thaumaturge, Maguaro is capable of dominating an area of the battlefield quickly and efficiently, and is especially trained to take down other magic users. ii. Monster Hunter Maguaro, like any Tanaroan orc, has been trained from a young age to hunt and slay all manner of beasts and monsters, both mundane and magical. Clan Sadraal has specialized in monster hunting for centuries, and nearly ever member of the Clan is either a hunter or a warrior. Maguaro has followed in his relatives' footsteps. He is trained extensively in the tracking, identifying, and slaying of all sorts of creatures, and can quickly discern notable traits of animals he isn't familiar with. Whereas Shotgun Thaumaturge can be considered his "class", "Monster Hunter" is is profession, his way of life. iii. combat Tanaroan Combat:: Any orc in Tanaroan society has a functional grasp on hand to hand combat and can use the spear, bow, baton, shield, and short-sword with a reasonable degree of efficiency. Given his size, Maguaro is a remakarkably proficient pugilist and grappler, and has specialized in using the short sword to extend his reach and transform his physical power into the ability to shear off limbs and carve through foes. Gladiatorial Combat:: Maguaro has a "practical" grasp of humanoid anatomy. That is, he's learned how to kill someone and how to make a show of it. He knows where to strike to make someone bleed, where to make them hurt. He knows how to cripple and maim, how to kill slowly and kill quickly. Military Training:: Maguaro served more than a half-decade in the Ansharan army as a Military Thaumaturge and fought in four separate campaigns abroad before being stationed in his homeland. Maguaro's training is specialized with the shotgun as both a mundane weapon an as an arcane focus. He is proficient with the pistol, and is subpar with a rifle. He understands basic tactical concepts necessary to excel in war. Officer Training:: Prior to falling through the cracks of the multiverse, Maguaro was being groomed as an officer. He had command of a small squad, and was studying the Ansharan art of war. He has a proficient understanding of small group tactics, logistics, and is a reasonably talented leader of soldiers on a small scale. iv. non-combat Jungle Lore:: Growing up in Tanaroa has given Maguaro a natural, instinctive understanding of how life operates in a jungle. He can survive reasonably well in most other ecological regions, but he is most in his element in a jungle. Unarmed and without any supplies, Maguaro can survive -- thrive, even -- indefinitely in a jungle setting. Despite his size, he is even capable of great feats of stealth in such a milieu. Hexcraft:: Maguaro spent five years studying the shamanic magic of hexing and cursing. He isn't very capable at creating fetishes or gewgaws, but he has managed to turn his Hexcraft into a non-standard Arcana, and can use his shotgun to focus his hexes on his enemies. Linguistic Talent:: Maguaro grew up bilingual, learning Tanaroan and Ansharan simultaneously. He can learn languages at a quicker pace than most others, even without the use of a cipher tool. abilities i. natural [racial] Resilience:: Orcs are capable of withstanding much more physical trauma than the average human, or even many budding metahumans. [racial] Physical Limits:: Having lived in a tribal, Stone Age society until recently, Tanaroan orcs are physical monstrosities, even by the standards of other orcs. Maguaro is capable of sprinting at 60 MPH, can lift 4,000 lb from the ground, carry 2,500, and overhead press approximately 1,500 lb. His stamina allows him to travel at a steady 15 MPH on-foot for days at a time without sleep or food, making him an extremely valuable tracker. [racial] Senses:: Maguaro's senses of hearing and smell are considerably more advanced than that of a human. His hearing is more akin to that of a dog, and he can selectively tune out specific sounds that are distracting or dangerous, within a certain limit. He can accomplish similr feats with smell, and can track animals or people by their scent. With some time to study scent, he can often determine a great deal about a person or animal. Like most variations of orc, Tanaroan orcs possess darkvision and can see in the dark. [racial] Iron Guts:: Tanaroan Orcs are capable of consuming raw meat, blood, and even rotting food sources (spoiled vegetables, fruits, and meats) without issue. Mild poisons, as such, do litte to bother their constitution. They cannot, however, properly digest dairy or gluten foods, which will invariably make them ill. [racial] Regeneration:: Whether a call-back to some line of reptilian evolution or a gift from the gods, Tanaroan orcs are capable of regenerating, albeit at a slow rate. They can recover from most wounds if given time, but cannot regenerate lost limbs or heavily damaged organs. A broken rib takes approximately four days to mend for an orc; a deep muscle contusion takes around twenty hours. [racial] Fear Response:: Tanaroan orcs have developed a different response to danger: rather than fight or flight, their response has been simplified solely to the "fight" response. Danger is an aggression trigger for orcs, and as such they do not feel visceral fear or terror. Tanaroan orcs can feel fear in an abstract sense; they can be anxious, worried, or unsure, but as a primal emotional response, it doesn't exist. This fundamentally changes how certain supernatural abilities affect Tanaroan orcs: attempting to manipulate their emotions to incite fear will only make an orc more aggressive. This does not make them IMMUNE to the effect, it simply changes the outcome of the effect to reflect their fundamental nature. ii. Shotgun Thaumaturge [active] [All of the abilities listed can be used as quick-draws unless noted otherwise. Prepping an ability increases its potency, and the scale of potency will be listed for each ability. The Shotgun Thaumaturge and Major/Minor Arcana abilities operate via synergy and by adding or removing effects: a base ability from this list can be modulated or modified by applying a technique from the Force or Fire lists. The prep count for the ability stacks additively; a quick-draw [Q] Shotgun ability that has a [2] prep Force modifier is a [2] prep ability, a [3] prep Shotgun technique with a [1] prep Control modifier is a [4] prep ability. This additive method of calculation is applied unless specifically stated otherwise. Abilities may be rated on things like penetration or damage on a ranking scale from [0 - E - D - C - B - A - S]. These rankings have no hard numbers attached to them unless necessary, but are simply indicators to determine whether or not certain ability properties scale with increased preps, as not all aspects of an ability will scale.] Arcane Shot:: The most basic spell, Arcane Shot is a Gunmage's equivalent of Magic Missile: a vaguely cylindrical blast of arcane energy that acts as a parallel to a bullet, javelin, arrow, or other projectile. Arcane Shot has an effective base range of 100'. Can be fired as lethal or non-lethal. Arcane Shot has a base penetrating rating, on top of any potential Arcana bonuses. [Q] 100' range, 1750 FPS (lethal), 175 FPS (non-lethal), Mundane Penetration [ E ], Arcane Penetration [ 0 ], Damage [ D ] [1] 100' range, 2500 FPS (lethal), 250 FPS (non-lethal), Mundane Penetration [ D ], Arcane Penetration [ E ], Damage [ C ] [2] 150' range, 2750 FPS (lethal), 275 FPS (non-lethal) Mundane Penetration [ C ], Arcane Penetration [ D ], Damage [ B ] [3] 150' range, 3000 FPS (lethal), 300 FPS (non-lethal) Mundane Penetration [ B ], Arcane Penetration [ C ], Damage [ A ] [4] 200' range, 4000 FPS (lethal), 400 FPS (non-lethal), Mundane Penetration [ A ], Arcane Penetration [ B ], Damage [ S ] [5] 300' range, 5000 FPS (lethal), 500 FPS (non-lethal), Mundane Penetration [ S ], Arcane Penetration [ A ], Damage [ S+ ] Breach Blast:: Used exclusively in close quarters, Breach Blast creates a burst of mana that can only travel 10', but it trades range for power. [Q] Breaks wood, cracks stone, doesn't phase metal, knocks down 250 lb object. [1] Splinters wood, breaks stone, dents metal armor, knocks down 500 lb object. [2] Completely destroys wood, shatters stone, deforms metal armor, knocks down 1000 lb object. [3] Disintegrates wood, crumbles stone, dents thick (2"+) metal, knocks down 1,500 object. [4] Turns stone to dust, deforms thick metal, knocks down 2,000 lb object. [5] Tears through thick metal up to 10", knocks over 2,500 object. Anti-Magic Chaff:: Designed to confound or occupy anti-magic defenses or offenses, this ability creates a cloud burst of agitated, oscillating energy that can cancel out anti-magic defenses -- temporarily or permanently, depending on the relative potency of the anti-magic and the chaff. This ability is also strikingly obvious to people with preternatural perceptions, meaning that it will often "draw" the eye", so to speak. If he uses a [4] prep Chaff on someone who only has one prep of readied anti-magic, they must work through the other three preps before the chaff is dispersed or actively work around it with a lesser degree of success than their uninhibited anti-magic. [Q] Cancels 1/2 prep of anti-magic/null passive anti-magic for one post. [1] Will cancel one prep of anti-magic/null passive for two posts. [2] Will cancel two preps of anti-magic/null passive for three posts. [3] Will cancel three preps of anti-magic/null passive for four posts. [4] Will cancel four preps of anti-magic/null passives for five posts. [5] Will cancel five preps of anti-magic/null passives for six posts. Choke Shot:: Putting the shotgun focus to good use, Maguaro creates a burst of arcane "shot" that he can pepper an opponent with. Choke Shot tightens the area of effect, allowing him to focus its power on a single target. Choke shot is better against unarmored targets than Arcane Shot because it can more easily shred flesh to cause raw trauma. [Q] 15' range, 500 FPS, Damage [ D ] [1] 15' range, 1000 FPS, Damage [ D ] [2] 25' range, 1500 FPS, Damage [ C ] [3] 25' range, 2000 FPS, Damage [ B ] [4] 50' range, 2500 FPS, Damage [ A ] [5] 50' range, 3000 FPS, Damage [ S ] Spread Fire:: The counter-point to Choke Shot, Spread Fire allows Maguaro to widen the spread of his "shot" to hit a broader area. [Q] 15' range, 10' spread, 500 FPS, Damage [ E ] [1] 20' range, 15' spread, 1000 FPS, Damage [ E+ ] [2] 25' range, 20' spread, 1500 FPS, Damage [ D ] [3] 30' range, 25' spread, 2000 FPS, Damage [ C ] [4] 35' range, 30' spread, 2500 FPS, Damage [ B ] [5] 40' range, 35' spread, 3000 FPS, Damage [ A ] Grenade:: Grenade is a low-range (30') ability that explodes whenever it strikes a surface, creating a burst of concussive force in an area of effect. The grenade's Area of Effect (AoE) is measured by diameter, not radius. [Q] 30' range, 5' AoE Damage [ D ] [1] 30' range, 10' AoE Damage [ C ] [2] 30' range, 15' AoE Damage [ B ] [3] 30' range, 20' AoE Damage [ B ] [4] 30' range, 25' AoE Damage [ A ] [5] 30' range, 30' AoE Damage [ S ] Air Burst:: Air Burst turns an Arcane Shot into a delivery tool for one of Maguaro's Arcana effects. Firing off a shot into the air, he can "burst" it at-will to create a rain of magical shards that pepper an area. In and of itself, the effect is siilar to Spread Fire or Choke Shot, but has the added benefit of being able to get over or around barriers. It's AoE is measured in diameter. [Q] 50' Range, 200 FPS, 10' AoE [1] 75' Range, 300 FPS, 20' AoE [2] 100' Range, 400 FPS, 30' AoE [3] 150' Range, 400 FPS, 40' AoE [4] 175' Range, 400 FPS, 50' AoE [5] 200' Range, 400 FPS, 60' AoE Delayed Spell:: Delayed Spell acts in two ways: it can deliver another Shotgun Arcana at a delayed time (with any attached effects from elsewhere), or it can be used as a delayed delivery method for specific Arcana. Delayed Spell can strike a target or surface and will effectively "go dead" until its ready to activate. A Delayed Spell must be activated within two turns of striking a surface or else the energy dissipates. [Q] As described. Thaumaturgical Cloud:: Firing at an ally or at his own feet, Maguaro can create a cloud of flitting, sparking energy that will disrupt incoming supernatural and/or projectile attacks. If he fires this at an ally, it will "stick" to them for a listed duration. It will remain in place until it dissipates naturally or it has absorbed the stated number of preps/appropriate energy. [Q] Intercepts QD attacks, mitigates 1/2 prep, nullifies +advantages of prepped attacks. [1] Intercepts one prep worth of incoming attack before dissipating, lasts two post. [2] Intercepts two preps, lasts three posts. [3] Intercepts three preps, lasts four posts. [4] Intercepts four preps, lasts five posts. [5] Intercepts five preps, lasts six posts. Beam:: Beam operates similarly to Delayed Spell, but with a different end result: it allows a continuous "beam" of arcane energy to be fired from the Shotgun, up to 50' long, which Maguaro can direct by aiming his firearm. Beam, in and of itself, is no different than Arcane Shot in terms of potency except for being continuous; it is more readily used as a vehicle for other abilities. [Q] One post duration. [1] Two post duration. [2] Three post duration. [3] Four post duration. [4] Five post duration. [5] Six post duration. Barrier:: Maguaro fires a blast of arcane energy that wells up into a protective barrier similar to a pavise shield, wall, or other shielding devices/structures. [Q] Withstands 1/2 prep worth of attack, Durability [ E ] [1] Withstands 1 prep of attack, Durability [ D ] [2] Withstands 2 preps of attack, Durability [ C ] [3] Withstands 3 preps of attack, Durability [ B ] [4] Withstands 4 preps of attack, Durability [ A ] [5] Withstands 5 preps of attack, Durability [ S ] Vector Shot:: Vector Shot is similar to Ricochet or Air Burst. Maguaro takes aim on a target, surface, or area and then fires elsewhere. The shot will travel a set distance away, hover for a span of time [minimum: 1 post, maximum: 3 posts] before flying towards the target previously marked. If Maguaro targets a person and that person moves before the Vector Shot is activated, the Vector Shot will fire towards their position at the time they were "marked." It does not home in on a target. [Q] As described. iii Shotgun Thaumaturge [passive] Weapon Focus:: Maguaro has studied magic with his finger on the trigger of a gun. While he can perform ritual and crafting magic without using his weapons, a majority of his arcane talents are useless if he doesn't have a gun in his hand. While any gun can act as a foci, his specialization as a shotgun thaumaturge requires him to utilize his personal weapon in order to receive the full benefit of his training. [Maguaro gains a +1 advantage to prepping abilities with his shotgun, and cannot gain advantage to spell-casting unless he has a firearm as his focus.] Be Quick or Be Dead:: As a gun-mage, Maguaro's spell-casting abilities bear more resemblance to a swordsman's techniques or a wizard's book of spells as opposed to the spontaneous creation or manifestation of magical phenomena that is performed by elementalists, sorcerors, or the like. Maguaro exchanges broad-spectrum versatility for raw power and the ability to act as a force multiplier much more swiftly. [Maguaro receives a +1 advantage to quick-draw abilities, and a further +1 if he's using his shotgun as his focus.] Devil's in the Details:: Because Maguaro works less from a manipulation angle and more from an exertion angle, his spell-casting is improved whenever he focuses on a specific spell. [Maguaro can make a general prep, or he can prep for a specific ability. Prepping for a specific ability provides Maguaro with a +1 advantage to that ability's use. A general prep does not provide any innate advantage.] Eagle Eye:: Maguaro is capable of sensing supernatural energies and entities. This passive is always one, but can be focused via preps to become more granular and informative. Measure Twice, Shoot Once:: If Maguaro spends two posts studying a potential target, he gains the Truestrike advantage for five posts, which allows him to perfectly and immediately adjust his aim no matter how the target moves -- even if they teleport, phase, or shift positions, he can track them as long as he's aiming at them. iii. Major Arcana: Force [active] [Force Arcana cannot be quick-drawn unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any ability from this list must be attached to a Shotgun arcana ability in order to operate. Maguaro may choose to separate preps or stack them; a [3] prep Penetrating Modifier may give one attack +3 Penetration, or three attacks +1, or any combination thereof that adds up to [3].] Phasic/Penetrating Modifier:: This modifier allows Maguaro's spells to penetrate both physical and supernatural forms of protection. The penetrating modifier is slanted towards the former, while the phasic modifier is designed to deal more with the latter. A phasic-modified spell will devote some of its energy explicitly to burst a "gap" in a supernatural defense, allowing the remainer of the spell to pass through, albeit with less damage. The penetrating modifier allows a spell to punch through a material, such as stone or metal, depending on its potency. [1] +1 Penetration Rating. [2] +2 Penetration Rating. [3] +3 Penetration Rating. [4] +4 Penetration Rating. [5] +5 Penetration Rating. Boring Modifier:: This turns Maguaro's spell into a persistent phenomena that continues after it strikes a target. A spell modified in this fashion can bore through material or energy -- hence the name -- or persist in an area of effect for a longer period of time. The modifier bonus is measured in number of posts. An example of this ability's use would be applying a [2] Boring Modifier to Chokeshot: the pellets of arcane energy persist in the enemy's flesh, tearing and shredding for increased damage. [1] +1 Duration. [2] +2 Duration. [3] +3 Duration. [4] +4 Duration. [5] +5 Duration. Chain Modifier:: Maguaro can use this ability to "bounce" a spell off of multiple targets or surfaces. He must spread the preps of the base ability across the various targets, so a [4] Arcane Bolt with a [1] Chain must split its four preps between two targets. [1] +1 Targets. [2] +2 Targets. [3] +3 Targets. [4] +4 Targets. [5] +5 Targets. Overwhelming Force:: A spell with the Overwhelming Force modifier is capable of throwing back an inordinate amount of weight/mass whenever it strikes a target. Maguaro can use this to force a large opponent -- such as a monster -- to disengage from his position. The amount of mass moved and the distance are both dependent on the potency of the ability. Distance and weight can be cross referenced to determine how far an object or entity will be thrown back. [1] Maximum Weight: 250 lb, Maximum Distance: 5' [2] Maximum Weight: 300 lb, Maximum Distance: 10' [3] Maximum Weight: 400 lb, Maximum Distance: 10' [4] Maximum Weight: 450 lb, Maximum Distance: 15' [5] Maximum Weight: 500 lb, Maximum Distance: 20' Shred:: Any Shotgun Arcana modified by this ability becomes exceptionally dangerous to organic flesh. The exact result varies depending on the ability in question, but the end result is that the energetic discharge of the spell becomes razor sharp, allowing it to cut skin and flesh to ribbons. This is specifically useful against unarmored targets. [1] +1 Damage against soft targets (flesh, wood, leather, hide). Burden/Lighten:: The Burden and Lighten modifiers apply a localized shift in gravity on the target. Per the names, Burden will increase the effects, while Lighten will decrease them. This, in effect, can slow down a target's movement, throw them off balance, or make them less centered. It can also be used on an ally to allow them to move more freely across the battlefield. [1] +/- 50 pounds. [2] +/- 100 pounds. [3] +/- 150 pounds. [4] +/- 200 pounds. [5] +/- 400 pounds. Resonance Theory:: Resonance Theory cannot be manifested with a general prep, it must be prepped specifically and with a specific target. When applied to a spell, the spell in question is "tuned" to the specific resonance of an object to use its shatter-point, akin to how a singer can shatter a champagne flute with a specific note. This ability cannot be used against organic targets given their complexity, but is useful against stationary hard targets like doors, walls, or persistent defensive barriers. Resonance can be achieved for both mundane and supernatural phenomena -- that is, with proper preparation, Maguaro can shatter an enchantment, curse, Geas, or spell. [1] Mundane Shatterpoint [ D ], Arcane Shatterpoin [ 0 ] [2] Mundane Shatterpoint [ C ], Arcane Shatterpoint [ E ] [3] Mundane Shatterpoint [ B ], Arcane Shatterpoint [ C ] [4] Mundane Shatterpoint [ A ], Arcane Shatterpoint [ B ] [5] Mundane Shatterpoint [ S ], Arcane Shatterpoint [ S ] Gravity Well/Spring:: These are standalone abilities, rather than modifiers and can be quick-drawn. Using a well and a spring as metaphors -- things fall into wells, but water is sprayed out of a spring or geyser, and so it is with these two spells: when the Well ability is used, objects are pulled towards its center, and when Spring is used, objects are repulsed from the center. The spells' areas of effect and potency can be modified by prepping. [Q] 5' AoE, Push/Pull 200 lb [1] 10' AoE, Push/Pull 250 lb. [2] 10' AoE, Push/Pull 300 lb. [3] 15' AoE, Push/Pull 400 lb. [4] 15' AoE, Push/Pull 500 lb. [5] 20' AoE, Push/Pull 1,000 lb. iv. Major Arcana: Force [passive] Force Multiplier:: Maguaro can modify his mundane ammunition with the following Force Arcana modifiers: Penetrating/Phasic and Overwhelming Force. Juggernaut:: Maguaro's experience with the Force Arcana means that supernatural slowing effects only slow him down by 50%. This does not account for things adhesive/physical substances, and only applies to curses, spells, and the like. v. Minor Arcana: Hex [active] [Hex Arcana cannot be quick-drawn unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any ability from this list must be attached to a Shotgun Arcana ability in order to operate.] Silencing Shot:: Silencing Shot is a utility hex that can be beneficial or harmful: using it on a foe will silence them to keep them from raising the alarm or casting Vancian-esque spells via verbal cues, but it can also be used to silence an ally for stealth. [1] 1 post duration. [2] 2 post duration. [3] 3 post duration. [4] 4 post duration. [5] 5 post duration. Cacophany:: This hex will fill the target's ears with a squalling, squealing scream of white noise. Increased intensity will not cause harm to a foe because the "sound" isn't actually being "heard", but it will make concentrating much more difficult. [1] 1 post duration, Intensity Rating [ D ], Concentration Disadvantage [ D ] [2] 2 post duration, Intensity Rating [ C ], Concentration Disadvantage [ C ] [3] 3 post duration, Intensity Rating [ B ], Concentration Disadvantage [ B ] [4] 4 post duration, Intensity Rating [ A ], Concentration Disadvantage [ A ] [5] 5 post duration, Intensity Rating [ S ], Concentration Disadvantage [ S ] Jink Gear:: Jink Gear will cause a target's armor and equipment to rattle, jerk, and shake. This can make aiming nearly impossible, force a swordsman to focus more on their blade, and make moving in armor more difficult. This ability has no scaling beyond duration. [1] 1 post duration. [2] 2 post duration. [3] 3 post duration. [4] 4 post duration. [5] 5 post duration. Energy Shred:: Energy Shred will effectively burn any gathered preps/energy resources the target has. If the target has no prepped/gathered energy, then this ability has no effect. This modifier is distinctly different from the Anti-Magic Chaff, in that AMC only affects anti-magic, whereas Energy Shred will affect other supernatural energies but has no effect on anti-magic. This ability only affects gathered energy resources: once it shreds the energy, it dissipates. [1] 1 prep burn. [2] 2 prep burn. [3] 3 prep burn. [4] 4 prep burn. [5] 5 prep burn. Supression Hex:: Suppression is the long-term counterpoint to Energy Shred. As long as an enemy is under its effects, they suffer from being Suppressed: their ability to prep or gather energy resources is halted. Suppression doesn't destroy any preps/resources previously gathered, nor does it keep them from spending those resources. The Hex's duration may be shortened by expending energy specifically for that purpose. [1] 1 post duration. [2] 2 post duration. [3] 3 post duration. [4] 4 post duration. [5] 5 post duration. Lock Hex:: This Hex is the third aspect of the anti-ability trifecta, along with Energy shred and Suppression: Energy Shred destroys gathered energy, suppression keeps a foe from gathering more, and Lock Hex prevents them from using whatever they do have. Like Suppression, this won't affect any gathered resources, nor will it stop them from gathering more, it will only keep them from using it. Exampe: a foe with zero preps who is Lock Hexed for five posts can gather five preps, replete with any advantages they might have from specific gathering methods. They just cannot spend those preps until the duration has been expended unless someone else dispels the Lock or they wish to specifically burn preps for the sole purpose of breaking the Hex. [1] 1 post duration. [2] 2 post duration. [3] 3 post duration. [4] 4 post duration. [5] 5 post duration. Reversal:: Perhaps the most unintentionally hilarious of all hexes, Reversal will effectively swap all directions for the target: trying to run forward will move them backwards, leaping will throw them to the ground, trying to turn left will turn them right. This can become immensely confusing, and is useful for stopping fleeing foes or halting an impending offense. [1] 1 post duration. [2] 2 post duration. [3] 3 post duration. [4] 4 post duration. [5] 5 post duration. Decrepifying Hex:: The Decrepifying Hex slows a foe's movements, making it more difficult for them to maneuver. Because if its effectiveness, its duration is static; the hex lasts for [2] posts and increased preps will only increase its potency. Decrepifying Hex may be quickdrawn. [Q] 15% slow. [1] 25% slow. [2] 50% slow. [3] 75% slow. [4] 100% slow; target frozen in place for duration. Weaknesses Laid Open:: This Hex effectively enhances any incoming damage the target may recieve. It has a static duration of [2] posts, higher preps will increase the hex's potency. Weaknesses Laid Open may be quickdrawn. Note that the increased damage does NOT affect whatever munition or spell was used to apply it. [Q] 1.5x damage. [1] 2x damage. [2] 2.5x damage. [3] 3x damage. [4] 4x damage. vi. Minor Arcana: Hex [passive] Hexing Bullets:: Hexes may be applied to mundane munitions without any drawbacks. equipment i. arms Bastard:: Bastard is an under-over double-barrel shotgun utilizing a break action with a carbine stock and "half-sawn" barrels. The weapon is made of silvery steel and black ebon-wood, its trigger guard faced with bronze and brass fittings. Arcane sigils and glyphs are etched into the stock and barrel with geometric precisions. Bastard is Maguaro's weapon focus for his Shotgun Thaumaturge abilities. Other shotguns can be used, but with less deftness. Sixgun:: An enormous revolver fitted specifically for a Tanaroan orc, this gray and black pistol sits on Maguaro's left hip. The handle is inlaid with discs of polished obsidian in white oak that has been textured and varnished to allow for a proper grip. The revolver's cylinder has eight slots. Macahuitl:: Worn in a treated sheath of woven maguey fibers and reeds, this is a short sword for Tanaroan proportions. The blade is made of a single piece of sharped obsidian that has been ritually prepared so that it has the strength of steel. The blade is straight but its edges waver slightly, allowing it to carve gruesome wounds through a target. The blade is 36" long with a 10" handle. Grenades:: Maguaro carries small, cylindrical grenades approximately the size of a human hand. At present, he only has a small number he brought with him across the multiversal portal, and seeks replacements. Current count: [3] fragmentation, [3] smoke (2 post duration). Mines:: Thin, rounded disks with tortoise-shell designs across their bronze faces, these are useful for trapping when dealing with larger monsters. A small knob in the center is turned in order to arm the pressure plate. Current count: [4] explosion mines, [2] adhesive mines (2 post duration). Slug, solid:: Slugs designed to penetrate personal armor, up to and including plate or modern equivalents. Current count: [15] Shell, flame:: Shotgun shells that burst into a 3' diameter sphere of fire capable of causing 2nd degree burns. Current count: [5] Shell, frostburst:: Shotgun shells that release a "spellburst" of intense cold. Capable of causing mild frostburn, freezing the surface of water, or weakening certain materials like adhesives. Current count: [5] Shell, acid:: Shells containing the digestive acids of one of Tanaroa's apex predators. Extremely volatile to organic material, will burn through upwards of 2" of material across a 5" diameter. Current count: [3] Munitions, armor-piercing:: Pistol rounds designed to deal with armor up to plate or the modern/magitech equivalent. Current count: [15] Munitions, explosive:: Bullets that explode and violently fragment on impact. Small size means that beyond one foot, the shrapnel's potential for trauma decreases to practically nothing. Current count: [8]. ii. armor Lamellar Cuirass:: Sleeveless vest of overlapping armored plates in the style of hon iyozane, with large, rectangular lamellae stitched together using thick ropes of woven spidersilk from one of the larger arachnid breeds on Tanaroa. The armor is useful against slashing, stabbing, and projectile weapons, but will fold and crease under chopping or blunt armor to some degree. The scales are high grade steel, but have the appearance of brass. Splint Graves and Bracers::Designed to ward off cutting, chopping, and slashing attacks, these armor pieces are thick plates and bars of metal with that run parallel to the forearm/shin, with shaped horizontal pieces to fit it together over an underlayer of leather and cotton. Also brass-hued. Surcoat-Duster:: Sleeveless, long garment worn over Cuirass. Made from multiple layers to provide some padding against blunt attacks and ward off slashes. The outer layer is thick brown denim, the middle layer is leather, and the bottommost layer is pleated, folded cotton. iii. misc Tanaroan Ward Tattoos:: Maguaro bears two full-sleeves of tattoos. These protect him against illusory magic and mental intrustion. The tattoos are black-inked and are of interlocking, geometric patterns that run down the length of both arms from shoulder to wrist. [Mechanics: attacking/reading Maguaro's mind or targeting him specifically with illustory magic will activate the wards. Any attempt will require a dice roll: evens fail automatically, and odds will be attempted as usual.] Jewelry:: Maguaro wears a great deal of jewelry. Most of it is made out of obsidian, bone, jade, lapis lazuli, silver, jet, brass, or bronze. Both of his ears are pierced, and his tusks are sheathed with brass. Hat:: Maguaro owns a wide-brimmed hat in the fashion of a sombrero cordobes. It is fashioned from straw and has no particular attributes. Supplies:: Maguaro carries enough basic supplies to last him a week in the wilderness. Gabaki:: The Tanaroan analogue to tobacco, Maguaro carries both a bag of seeds for growing and a pouch of treated gabaki leaf for chewing. Magitech Smoking Mirror:: An obsidian mirror ringed with a bronze fitting and backing, this tool allows Maguaro to view the topography of the local area, up to a 25 mile radius. It is powered by a small magitech crystal set into the back of the mirror. The mirror's image can be drawn out into a projected hologram and can be zoomed, moved, and spun around. Magitech Cipher:: Formed in the shape of an earring -- a small disc of lapis lazuli hanging from a silver chain and ear-cuff -- this tool allows Maguaro to understand foreign languages, and for him to speak in that language. It is also a learning tool, as it gives him an advantage in parsing foreign languages so that he can more readily learn them. The enchantment on the cipher is weak, however, and it can only parse one language at a time; if Maguaro is in the presence of multiple languages he doesn't know, the cipher will only work with one language, chosen at random. background i. history Timeline of Maguaro's life: 0-1 yr: Maguaro is born in the city of Caracoa on Aldebara Isle in the Confederated Tribal Nation of Tanaroa. Aldebara is the largest and most heavily populated island in Tanaroa, and is also home to the Ansharan port city. Maguaro was born on the Day of Nine Obsidian in the Seven Crow month, considered a day of fortuity by the Maize God Tuanemaiko. 1-13 yrs: Maguaro is raised in Caracoa and trained in the ways of hunting and glatiatorial combat, per the Tanaroan way of life. Maguaro receives both a Tanaroan and Ansharan education, learning both languages and magical theorems. Much of Maguaro's early life is spent in the communal school of his clan, or apprenticing himself to veteran hunters and warriors. 13: Maguaro successfully applies to study at the Thaumaturgeum in Madran, the Ansharan port city on Aldebara. He begins advanced studies on the Ansharan forms of magic that enter around various Arcana, and shows a strong aptitude for the Force Arcana and some lesser talent for the Fire Arcana. 13: Maguaro is temporarily relieved of his hunting apprenticeship in order to study under a clanswoman who is a hex witch. 15: Maguaro undergoes the rites of manhood and takes part in his first solo hunt. It is at this point in his studies that he also forgoes the Fire Arcana and develops his own Arcana utilizing Tanaroan Hexes. This effort is both lauded and derided within the Thaumaturgeum by various instructors, lecturers, and scholars. 16: Maguaro takes a strong interest in firearms. He resumes his hunting duties for his tribe and is made a full time hunter, meaning that he no longer has to pursue a profession or craft. His days are predominantly spent studying, hunting, or training to fight. 18: Maguaro graduates from the Thaumaturgeum and continues his duties as a hunter for his clan. He continues to study hexcraft under the witch. A marriage is arranged for him, but falls through after his betrothed dies on a hunt, along with her two eldest brothers. 20: Maguaro fights in his first Flower War and captures three captives. He sacrifices two of them personally, and gives the other to the priests of the Maize God as a birth-offering for the fortunes Tuanemaiko has visited upon him. 22: Maguaro joins the Ansharan military. Like many orcs, he is sorted into an irregular/special forces group designed to hunt down high ranking personnel. Much of his military tours are spent as part of a roaming deathsquad. 24: Maguaro is given command of his own squad of hunters and is stationed in his homeland to hunt dissidents and monstrous creatures that threaten the city of Madran. 27: A thaumaturgical phenomenon occurs while Maguaro and his squad are rooting out a cult of World Beast worshipers. The resultant riff in the transplanar fabric throws Maguaro and his group into Valucre. There is no sign of the cult or their Filth idols. ii. recent events . . .Recently found himself transported to a sidereal realm of existence from his homeworld. Fortune favored the orc, however, because his security team were also transported into the strange, alien universe alongside him. Luckily for Maguaro and his crew, this world is also full of monsters, just like their home realm. iii. going ons//active locals. . . .Arrival -- Maguaro and company arrive in Genesaris via a multiversal phenomena! iv. rumors . . .Maguaro and his fellows are seeking work as monster slayers, man hunters, and mercenaries. v. Historical Events. . . .None.

The change over away from allowing for random interlopers and would-be combatants has to do with two developments: 1. The lack of population booms, resulting in the population of roleplayers being collectively older now than they were prior. Roleplaying had a huge, initial explosion via chat services ('98 to '03, probably?) and then a renaissance from forums in the early-middling 2000s (2005-2010 or so). In both of these periods, you saw a lot of the "old school" mindset where it was entirely allowable to basically show up in a thread and do whatever you liked. You saw it in chats as people constantly fighting, and you saw it on early forums (especially forums with sizable populations) where people would just take over threads, rampaging, destroying, fighting, doing whatever. For lack of a better term, we can call these the "Wild West" periods of roleplay where the roleplaying populations were expansive and had enough "room" to allow for that sort of thing without any appreciable slow-down of the hobby. The lack of newer, younger players -- in large numbers, I mean -- means that our collective hobby is looking at an older player than it was during the boom periods. We haven't had another dot com boom or another proto-social media explosion. That shift in age also comes with a shift in available time, scheduling, interest, and concerns. Simply put, a lot of us no longer have the time or the desire to deal with this kind of constant, chaotic play. As @supernal said, most of us are in a position where we want to use our time wisely because we simply don't have as much of it as we used to. I used to roleplay almost every day when I started, and I'd often roleplay across multiple mediums simultaneously; usually MMORPGs and forums. Now? I might make the occasional half-dozen IC posts a year, and I sometimes think about roleplaying in an MMO. The lack of time, smaller population, and more nuanced approach to roleplay means that the kind of Wild West behavior isn't really en vogue anymore. 2. A backlash against that kind of behavior occurred. I don't know whether or not it did on chats, but it certainly did on forums I went to, starting around 2008-2009. One of the common rules to come into fashion on Gaia, for instance, was the "No attacking without permission" rule or its variation, "No fighting without consent." A big reason for this wasn't to allow characters to succeed more easily, or to do away with any challenges. It happened largely for two reasons: 1) fighting was often disruptive to everything that wasn't fighting and 2) it meant that if you couldn't fight, or didn't play a character geared towards fighting, you were often at the behest and mercy of those who did. Unsurprisingly, non-combatants or people who simply lacked an interest in player-versus-player conflict wanted to be able to play without having someone kicking over their sandcastle.. so they started implementing rules to that effect. As someone who cut their teeth during one of these Wild West phases, I don't necessarily blame people for developing these rules. The fact is, not everyone wants to fight, even if they play a warrior or a swordsman or a soldier. Sometimes they just want to play the role, without it becoming adversarial or confrontational between two characters where their subsequent capacity for play is dependent on whether or not they can or will fight other players. A lot of people want to roleplay war -- they don't necessarily want to simulate an actual battle against another player. While this rule can and has been abused, I don't really think of it as good or bad. For those of us who like fighting, or who have had a positive experience doing so, the rule seems rather strange. When the shoe is on the other foot however, especially as far as negative experiences are concerned, it suddenly seems a lot more valid. My personal approach has always been laidback. I'll roll with whatever, unless I think the person is intentionally trying to yank my chain or pull something sidways, e.g. someone trying to spam NPCs to kill my character or destroy a thread/derail a story just to "cause trouble". Then I'll probably tell them, politely but firmly, to fuck off away from my thread. Why? Because I'm not conflict adverse, but I do value my time. My time is better spent playing towards conflict that is meaningful or that I enjoy, rather than figuratively yanking my teeth out of my head with a pair of pliers trying to deal with someone whose enjoyment is derived primarily from acting like a toolshed towards other players. A lot of that has to do with OOC attitude, of course: you can play a fire starter (A twisted firestarter!) and still do so legitimately. It's a bit like pornography: you can't always classify if, but you know it when you see it. The Wild Wests of roleplay were a lot of fun. It'd be interesting to see one happen again, but I don't expect it to happen, and I acknowledge that times have changed. I don't think things are necessarily better or worse than before -- other than the downward shift of our collective population -- but it is what it is. Maybe something will happen that'll prompt people to create another "wave" of population growth, but I don't see it. Not with the steady growth of social media and gaming. We have VR gaming now, playing pretend on the internet doesn't quite suffice for many like it once did.

We can both punch him. Together.

STATUS Name:: Andronicus Kadeia Alias:: NA Apparent Age:: 30 True Age:: 80 Gender:: Male Race:: Human → Vampire → Thanatophage Nationality:: xxx Birthplace:: xxx Profession:: Knight of the Holy Blood Class:: Unhallowed Crusader ↳ Sub-Class:: Damned Justicar IDENTITY i. persona Andronicus wears two masks, each overlapping the other in a struggle to see which fits him best: the man and the monster. Andronicus -- the man -- is devout, forthright, honest, compassionate, and kind. A main of faith, Andronicus lived the life of an ascetic, law-giver, and a soldier when he still lived and breathed. He maintains an abiding belief in the rule of justice and moral, ethical law. Andronicus -- the monster -- is unfeeling, inhuman, cold and consumed by the ravenous hunger of his vampirism. Apart from his humanity, the vampire in Andronicus cares only for killing and feeding. The monster isn't immoral, it's amoral: not evil, but simply uncaring about human concepts like emotion or empathy. These two ideals of man and monster are at constant odds with one another. They don't necessarily contradict one another, but they pull him in different directions. The monster wants Andronicus to discard any notions of humanity in exchange for the power and ability to glut its thirst for death and blood. The man wants him to hold the monster at bay and stay true to the ideals he lived by before becoming an abomination. The result: a man who is penitent for his very existence, driven to continue his unlife by the dual forces of his hunger and his hope for redemption. Unable to kill himself in order to end his suffering, Andronicus has chosen a third path: to shackle his desires together with sheer force of will. The man holds the monster by a leash: he guides the monster, but the monster also pulls the man forward. ii. physical appearance xxx iii. vampiric condition Andronicus is a vampire, an unwilling convert to the legions of the damned and dead who exist as a perversion of the natural order. Andronicus was turned at the age of twenty and has spent much of the past six centuries coming to term with his vampiric condition and the unspeakable crimes he committed in his days as a neophyte. The Thanatophagoi are but one strand of vampirism among a thousand other across the multiverse. The Thanatophagoi -- "eaters of death" -- are the diluted spawn of a multiversal aspect: death. The Thanatophagoi are merely one of its most recent sproutings, taken from one of death's countless branches and boughs. When life came into being, so too did death -- not a death, but the concept of death; the First and Final Death, the "is-not" to the "is" of life. From the roots of that undifferentiated-division grew all things: little lives and little deaths, the forgings and coolings of stars, the expansion and contraction of space and time. Death, like life, pervades the multiverse in its teeming multitudes. Some errant drop, a wayward mote of not-life, of time-ending and spark-snuffing grew outward from those roots over a countless, endless blossoming of life-death and came to flower in Andronicus's world as a darkling god. This Death, unlike the impartial and distant Deaths of many other universes, grew malignant and hungry. Not content to be one half of an ever-present equation, it yearned to solve the problem permanently, and from this dark desire sprang the Thanatophagoi: those who have broken the natural order, who are dead but not dying, and consumed with an unending thirst that can only be sated by taking from the living. The Thanatophagoi are a means to an end, an attempt to unbalance the equation in Death's favor. Like most vampiric strains in the Thanatophagoi drink blood. Eaters of Death can only drink from the dead or dying, however: unlike many forms of vampirism, they cannot drink from the living. That is, rather, that they cannot leave a victim alive. In order to gain sustenance, they must either drink the blood of a dead creature, or must kill whoever or whatever they drink from. The blood of a living creature will allow a Thanatophage to exist, but only in a sort of half-life: true power comes to a Thanatophage from snuffing out life. To that end, Thanatophagoi not only drink blood, but drink deep from the well of death itself: the act of killing, of ending a life, directly empowers a Thanatophage. It isn't the light of life that sustains a Thanatophage, but the extinguishing of that life. A Thanatophage has an even greater incentive to kill than its continued existence: killing is a direct path to power for it. Becoming a Thanatophage wroughts significant changes on a person, both physically and psychologically. Capacity for empathy, sympathy, and compassion dim: predatory ruthlessness and a deep, unquenchable thirst replace these emotions. For the Thanatophage, drinking blood is getting high, but taking life is like being born again. Thanatophagoi are capable of feeling the full spectrum of human emotions, but these feelings are usually muted, and Thanatophagoi are more likely than other vampires to forgo their humanity entirely in favor of embracing their new unnatural nature. iv. religion Andronicus is a proud member of the Holy Order of Merciful Blood. Despite its name, the Holy Order is not necessarily a religious order, but a philosophical one: its founding belief is that any undead creature -- be they vampire, revenant, zombie, or ghoul -- can redeem itself as an aberration against nature by using its powers for the greater good. The Order is a motley collection of various vampiric strains and other permutations of the undead. Some worship gods of justice, light, or life, but no religious belief is necessary. Members of the order often act as dark mirrors to the crusaders, knights, paladins, and clerics of the living, using their dark powers to fulfill the same role. Andronicus believes in Middru, a Sun God from his own realm. Middru is a vindictive god of vengeance, righteous anger, and all-encompassing illumination. As a Thanatophage, Andronicus has been "cast out of the light" of Middru. He still serves his god, even if his god no longer desires his devotion. TRAINING i. class :: unhallowed crusader Unhallowed Crusaders are the shock troops of the Order, the front line against the monstrous dark. Operating singly or in groups, Crusaders root out corruption and evil and then destroy it with extreme prejudice. Unhallowed Crusaders are often the least sorcerous inclined of their brothers and sisters, usually incapable of calling on divine or arcane aid. These penitent undead instead call on the unholy, aberrant power that resides inside of them. This often manifests as blood magic, in the forms of hexes or curses, or other abilities that are often viewed as forbidden or taboo. As an Unhallowed Crusader, Andronicus has tapped into the powers of death that reside inside of him. Andronicus must spill blood -- either his foe's or his own -- in order to fuel these abilities. Andronicus utilizes blood magic to empower himself, turning himself into an undead reflection of a paladin. ii. subclass :: damned justicar As a Damned Justicar, Andronicus has taken his vampiric existence and turned it into an engine of destruction that he can use to smite the unrepentant unliving. The Damned Justicar doesn't just use their blood, but can utilize the very nature of their unlife to create potent, spell-like effects. As a former follower of Middru, Andronicus's control over holy light has been turned inside out, allowing him to control shadows and shade. iii. combat Andronicus's combat training is fairly broad, given his background as a former soldier and now as a slayer of evil. Andronicus is trained in the logistics of campaigning with an army and has experience with commanding units of up to one hundred soldiers. He has a functioning grasp of close quarters combat, and is proficient in the use of the spear, dagger, and mace. Andronicus's preferred weapons and areas of expertise are with the hand-and-a-half sword, the shield, and with asymmetrically weighted weapons like hammers or blades designed to emphasize their size. Andronicus has a particular affinity for fighting with the combination of a shield and an empty hand, allowing him to dedicate his free hand to focusing his powers while fighting. iv. non-combat Andronicus has extensively studied the lore of various undead. He can recognize most forms of zombies and vampires, and is aware of their particular strengths, weaknesses, and siring methods. He has an excellent grasp of several forms of Necromancy despite not being a practitioner. He is aware of most categories of demonic entities and eldritch horrors, as well as the methods used to summon, bind, or worship these beings. Andronicus can speak multiple dialects of Common. He is conversant in a few of the more common parlances of Demonic and can decipher the runes and pictograms of a small handful of ancient languages often used in ritual magic. Most of Andronicus's "life skills" have atrophied since his siring as a Thanatophage. He no longer knows how to care for animals, for instance, and cannot remember how to properly prepare or cook food. He cannot tell the difference between most forms of plants unless they are harmful to his foes, such as specific kinds of wood. He has an intuitive grasp of anatomy, however, and can quickly learn how to bleed almost any living creature dry simply from looking at it for a few seconds. ABILITIES i. natural Vampiric Existence:: Andronicus does not breathe or sleep. Poisons, toxins, and most chemicals adverse to the living (via inhalation, imbibing, or the like) have no meaningful effect on him. Andronicus needs to "rest" once a week for approximately ten hours, although he can go as long as a month without doing so, albeit putting himself under extreme duress in the process. Andronicus is functionally dead. His organs except for his heart and lungs have atrophied, and the blood that flows in his veins is sluggish and black. His body is room temperature or colder. Darkvision:: Andronicus can see perfectly in the dark. Not even magical darkness can occlude his vision. Benighted Aberration:: Unable to bear sunlight, Andronicus cannot go outside during the day. He can remain awake while the sun is out, but cannot go out into its light. Sunlight is not instantaneously fatal to Thanatophagoi, but it will kill them very quickly: a Thanatophage caught in sunlight will immediately burst into flames, and within 15 to 30 seconds they will turn to ash. Unfeeling:: Andronicus retains full tactile sense, but only feels approximately 20% of bodily pain. Cold Natured:: As a creature of the night, Andronicus is heavily inured to the cold. While he isn't immune to it, his suceptibility is greatly reduced: the temperature at which he begins to suffer from frost-nip or worse is approximately -40 centigrade. Heart of the Matter:: Attacking most of Andronicus's body doesn't do much. However, removing his head or destroying his heart will kill him. Necromantic Unlife:: Thanatophagoi feed off of death. As creatures of doom and death, their bodies don't behave like others: namely, the animating principle that controls Andronicus's physical body does not rely on his muscles in order to accommodate ambulation or movement. His central nervous system and its component parts (brain, spinal cord, etc) are no longer used. This means that severing his spine, cutting muscles, or the like won't actually stop him from moving. He can still be maimed, however; his skeleton remains as the core support structure of the body, meaning that breaking bones will impede him. Eater of Death:: As described above, a Thanatophage is neither a living nor a natural creature. It isn't magical or strictly supernatural either, but rather an "energetic" creature. As such, while anti-magic cannot exorcise or destroy a Thanatophage, they are notably weak against positive/life-giving energies. The same magic that heals a living person's wounds will cause harm to a Thanatophage. Thanatophagoi are considered undead for the purposes of holy spells that smite or turn undead. Fire:: As a symbol of light, fire is especially dangerous to Thanatophagoi. A Thanatophage will take 50% increased damage from all forms of fire, whether natural or otherworldly. Such Hideous Strength:: Thanatophagoii are meant to be apex predators of metahumans in their home world. As such, they are capable of feats of immense physical prowess. ii. class [active] xxxx iii class [passive] xxxx iii. sub-class [active] xxxx iv. sub-class [passive] xxxx v. systems & mechanics xxxx EQUIPMENT i. arms xxx ii. armor xxx iii. artifacts & utility items xxxx iv. miscellaneous xxxx LORE i. history xxx ii. recent events xxx iii. going ons xxx iv. rumors xxx v. active locales xxx

I wanted to play a necromancer who was, at their core, a good person -- at least to begin with -- and whose sole ambition was to achieve immortality. The initial seed for the idea came from a discussion of whether or not someone could find a means of becoming a lich without becoming "evil." It expanded from there into more of a Victor Frankenstein parallel, where a character had to balance their goals and pursuit of knowledge with the struggle of whether or not their goals could be achieved morally, or if the goal -- subverting the natural order by avoiding death -- was in and of itself moral or not. I never got around to it because I never roleplay. I just laid out a name and then never followed up on it.

The rules are always up for debate. See: people asking me why my specifically non-fatal tournament doesn't allow deathmatches. That was a real point of debate that people had. "Here's the one thing you can't do." "Why not?"

Melon, don't be such a turbonerd. This is the first iteration of the system, built largely from the ground up. Like any approach, it'll probably need some "patching" as time goes on. It functions as it stands -- maybe not as a transitory system, but certainly as an alternative to other rulesets. It revamps preps and other systems for a specific purpose. Nothing wrong with that. It's a (huge, imo) positive that LL and other staff are considering these kinds of questions in the first place. I've seen plenty of people who do the exact opposite enough times to know where that leads. Give the system time to run, and then they and any participants who want to help can look at how things went. It's hard to fix a system before it's even in operation. You tend to only find the potholes AFTER you trip in them, as I've often found. The absolute worst case scenario is that the system needs work, and I've NEVER seen a system that didn't, so -- as long as everyone keeps sharp, the tournament should be fine. I was asking questions to get a feel for the event as an annual event; thinking in the long term. Not to be critical. The fact that LL has thus far answered any question/suggestion I've had is a fairly solid vote of confidence for me. If it trends towards more power-oriented fights.. I mean, what's wrong with that? Another flavor of tournaments is hardly anything to complain about. Again, that might not make it quite a transitional system, but I don't see that as such a big issue. That's just a matter of branding, not a question of whether or not the system works. Edit:: Melon is from RPGuild. I dragged him to Gaia. I'm the cat herder of the roleplay world.

I didn't say the system was restrictive -- I think since most characters are active-oriented, it's not really a big issue -- I was just wondering how characters who are functionally low-ability but high-stat might operate in the system. You could easily shift passive abilities over to the active, true; I was more curious about whether or not this was something the system could potentially accommodate without doing that, whether through some official "trade" method or on a case by case basis such as characters whose species come with a lot of racial traits (elves, orcs, and the like). I'm too busy to enter, so I don't really have a horse in this race. Just fat to chew on, food for thought, really, for if this becomes something annual.

Question: How do the passive/active limitations allow for a character whose abilities are predominantly passive? For instance, let's say some sort of enlightened, ascetic monk. Said character may not have any actives, but they might have numerous passive "abilities" or "buffs" that influence how he plays. Another instance might be a cyborg who has no real active abilities, but a lot of things going on under the hood -- a bionic body, a computer-enhanced central nervous system, so on and so forth. Is there any kind of trade off system here? Can it be done on a case by case basis?